boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 119 



make a fire for these chiefs who are corning to my house." Therefore 

 they went and broke young rotten red-cedar trees, and took them 

 home, to make a fire with. Dirty went and pulled out a spruce tree 

 with its roots, and carried it on his shoulders, and brought it into his 

 uncle's house. There he broke it up and put it on the fire. Then 

 his three brothers were ashamed because he was stronger than they. 



Now, the day had come when the warriors were to fight against the 

 brothers. One day the eldest brother made himself ready to fight 

 with one of the warriors, and all the chiefs and tribes assembled in the 

 house of the chief on the sandy shore, and they were all sitting there 

 quietly. Then one of the G'it-qxa'la stepped forward to fight against 

 the eldest brother. They joined and fought, trying to throw each 

 other. They fought a lon<j time, and at last the man from G-it-qxa'la 

 threw the eldest brother. He was hurt, and lay there, his whole 

 body aching. Then the G - it-qxa'la tribe shouted for joy. 



Then the second brother stepped forth, and said, "Who is the 

 strongest man ? Let him come out in front of his people, and I will 

 fight with him!" Then a man of the tribe of G'i-spa-x-la'°ts came 

 out. They joined and fought, as the two others had done before, 

 and the man of the tribe G'i-spa-x-la'°ts vanquished the second brother, 

 who was bruised all over his body and full of pain. 



Then the third brother stepped forth while the tribe of G'i-spa-x- 

 la'°tswas shouting for joy. The third brother said, "Who will come 

 and fight with me?" Then a man of the tribe of G-it-dzi'°s stepped 

 forward to fight against the third brother. They joined, and the 

 third brother fell, overpowered by his adversary. His skull was 

 broken, and he died there. Then all the people shouted like thunder. 



Now, the chief, the uncle of the three men, was ashamed. He 

 said to Dirty, "Now, Dirty, where are you?" He replied, "Here I 

 am, uncle! What do you wish?" His uncle said, "Step forward 

 and fight against the men who beat your three brothers!" Then he 

 stepped forward, and said, "Now, you three men, come forth and 

 fight me, all together!" So the three strong men came forth to 

 fight with him. The three men attacked him at the same time; 

 and Dirty squeezed then heads, and broke them like eggshells, and 

 they all died there. Their skulls were broken. Therefore the chief's 

 tribe shouted for joy. 



Then all the tribes made war against him; but he won a great 

 victory over them that day, and a great many people were killed 

 by one man. His uncle had to pay them with his goods — mostly 

 coppers, slaves, large canoes, elk skins, and other kinds of properly. 

 Thus his uncle became poor. 



Therefore the people moved away and deserted the chief's nephew 

 Dirty, and one slave who remained with him. They lived in his uncle's 



