boas] TSIMSHIAKT MYTHS 359 



Before all the chiefs had come to his feast, some one told the 

 new chief Nes-balas that Txa-dzl'°kik's tribe were making merry 

 in his house, and that they were full of joy every night, and that 

 they mocked the great clhef Nes-balas; and all the wise men of 

 Nes-balas assembled, and decided to kill the young chief while they 

 were feasting. Others, however, said that they woidd kill him after 

 the feast, in order to avoid an uproar if this should be done while 

 all the people were assembled at the feast. Therefore they waited 

 until the feast was over. 



The new chief Nes-balas was kind, like his elder brother, and 

 soon all the chiefs were very friendly toward him. The day after 

 the feast, when all the chiefs had gone home, a large canoe was seen 

 passing through the Straits of Metlakahtla. The people in the canoe 

 were singing, and stopped in front of Nes-balas's village in order to 

 invite him to Txa-dzi'°kik's house. Then the whole tribe of the 

 G - i-spa-x-la'°ts went. Txa-dzi'°kik mocked the new chief when he 

 was coming to the feast. 



After this feast to Nes-balas and his people, the chief Gul-qa'q of 

 the G - it!anda' invited Txa-dzl'°kik and also Nes-balas to his house. 

 Nes-balas came as soon as he could, and they waited a long while. 

 Then Nes-balas said to his nephew, "I will go home," and they 

 went out just when Txa-dzl'°kik's canoe was coming. Nes-balas's 

 people were going back, and they met near Ghost Island (Lax-ha-l!i- 

 t!a' bEba'lx); and Txa-dzl'°kik's men said to Nes-balas, "Did you 

 come against us, you coward chief?" and not a word was said by 

 Nes-balas's men. They went away laughing. Then Nes-balas's 

 warriors took six canoes and went back the same night to lie in 

 wait for Txa-dzi'°kik near Ghost Island. When it was nearly mid- 

 night and the moon was shining, a canoe-song was heard proceeding 

 from the village of Gul-qa'q, and some words in their song were 

 ' ' coward chief ; ' ' and as they passed the place where the G - i-spa-x-la'°ts 

 were waiting, Chief Txa-dzl'°kik being seated on a large box in his 

 canoe, one of Nes-balas's warriors shot him through the temple, and he 

 fell back into the water. Then the six canoes pursued them on the 

 way back to their home. Nes-balas's men cut off the head of Txa- 

 dzl'°kik, and they hung his body on a tree. 



On the following morning a great number of canoes of Txa-dzl'°kik's 

 tribe came to make war, because their master's head was in Nes-balas's 

 house; and there was a great battle on that day between the tribes 

 of these two brothers, and Txa-dzi'°Mk's people were driven to flight 

 that day. There was a great slaughter of Txa-dzl'°kik's men. 



Txa-dzl'°kik's old mother was weeping, walking along the street; 

 and she said, "My son, my only son left to me, made a mistake, 

 for they said in their song that good weather would follow the dark 



