boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 363 



bear skins were hung up at the door — one outside, and the other one 

 inside. Two of Haimas's warriors stood outside of the door, and 

 two others inside. The two men outside would lift the grizzly-bear 

 skin, and those who stood inside had each a war-club in his hand ; and 

 when the great chief Nes-balas came in first, these two men who hfted 

 the grizzly-bear skin outside shouted, "Now the great chief goes in!" 

 Then, as he went in, they dropped the grizzly-bear skin behind him, 

 and those who stood inside lifted the other skin which was hung up 

 inside; and as the great chief's head passed through the door, they 

 clubbed him, killed him, and threw his body into the deep ditch 

 which they had prepared. This was done to all the princes and 

 warriors; and when the ditch was full of dead bodies of Nes-balas 

 and his princes and his warriors, the last man, whose name was Gik, 

 heard groans through the uproar that was in the house. He ran 

 away, and arrived among Gul-qa'q's remaining people. They took 

 their canoe and went to Nes-balas's people to bring the news. He 

 said that he had come from Haimas's feast, that he had shut the door 

 of his feasting-house, and that he had destroyed all the chief's princes 

 and warriors. He said, "I am the only one who has escaped." 



Therefore all the tribes assembled — the G"i-spa-x-la'°ts, G"it!anda', 

 G - id-wul-ksE-ba'°, and the G"i-lu-dza'r. And they went against the 

 Wuts !En-a'luk, and there was a great battle on that day; but the 

 people from up the river fled before the tribe of Wuts !En-a'luk, 

 because no warrior was left among them, and they had no chief to 

 command them in battle. Few of the Wuts ten-a'luk were killed, 

 but many of the people from up river were slain, and many were 

 wounded. The battle raged for many days. 



Then all the people of the G"i-spa-x-la'°ts were in mourning because 

 they had no chief, only Nes-wa-ma'k. Nobody would go to him, 

 because he had not rescued any of Nes-balas's family. Therefore 

 the G"i-spa-x-la'°ts would not go to him. 



Three days after the battle Chief Haimas came with four large 

 canoes loaded with his warriors. They stopped in front of Nes-balas's 

 fishing-camp, singing in their canoes, and happy because they had 

 gained a great victory over their enemies. Therefore they mocked 

 them; and as they arrived in front of Nes-balas's camp, they stopped 

 there; and one of Haimas's men said, "Who will come to my great 

 chief, Chief Haimas, for he has won a great victory over his ances- 

 tors' enemy? Who will stand up against him? All the tribes that 

 made war against him are his slaves and in his power." 



Then one of Nes-balas's nephews, the eldest son of Wl-n!e'°x, the 

 chief wife of the new Dzeba'sa, the boy named Hats!Eks-n!e'°x, who 

 was about ten years of age, was lifted up by one of Nes-balas's war- 

 riors, and said, "I shall stand up against Haimas. Don't speak 

 proudly before me!" Then Haimas laughed at the little boy, and his 



