72 ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



sea down to his mouth, a maelstrom of monstrous propor- 

 tions. Kwatte knew where the feeding ground was and 

 steered his canoe directly for it. As he proceeded, he sang: 



" 'Here I am, Subbus. Here I come. Here I am. Come, 

 swallow me. Here I come to your mouth. Swallow me.' 



"As he neared the swirling waters, his canoe began to 

 swerve first to one side and then to the other; but he kept 

 paddling first on one side and then on the other with well 

 balanced strokes to steady it and keep it in its onward, for- 

 ward movement. At the same time he talked to it telling it 

 to keep steady, not to turn over, but to keep straight ahead 

 with even keel. To the very edge of the great funnel it 

 went. Its prow went forward and projected over the great 

 hollow space above Subbus' mouth. For a moment it re- 

 mained suspended in mid air. Then it went down endwise, 

 straight down through Subbus' mouth into his stomach with 

 Kwatte lying snugly in its bottom. He was inside, now, to 

 to do his work. 



"He used the big canoe as a ladder or steps to climb upon. 

 On it he climbed to its top in the huge stomach. Then he 

 began to cut with his clamshell knives, cutting at the inner 

 linings and muscles. From side to side he moved his canoe 

 and cut and cut and cut. The infuriated monster was felt to 

 plunge and pitch in his agony, but he could not get rid of his 

 enemy. At last he made one powerful, terrible lunge. Then 

 he rose to the water's edge and floated on the surface dead. 

 Kwatte had killed him. Since then it has been safe to fish 

 in these waters." 



By this time we were nearing Flattery rocks off the In- 

 dian village of Ozette. As we approached these islands, 

 the suspecting birds gathered over us and soared about, 

 screeching to try to scare us away, being fearful lest we 

 would destroy their young. We proceeded. As we did so 

 the Indian guide assured us that the birds' screeching was 

 the cryings and wailings of the beings that the rocks had 

 once destroyed. He further assured us that the birds were 

 the returned spirits and that each rock was once a men- 



