372 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [bth. an*. 31 



water ran through one corner of the square house. They hung the 

 heavy gate at the doorway. Then they carved human forms of 

 decayed wood and spread garments over them, and put them down 

 so that they looked hke men lying in bed. In some beds there were 

 two people. Then they took fresh large kelp and put it down from 

 the second floor, and they made noise through it, as though the 

 people that were lying on the ground were snoring. When every- 

 thing was ready, they took down pitch wood and split it up, and 

 scattered it all over the house. 



Very early the following morning they made a large smudge, so 

 that the Tlingit should see them. As soon as the smoke ascended 

 and the Tlingit saw it, all their tribes assembled to come out and fight 

 them. That very day many canoes went up from the mainland and 

 came across to Dundas Island. Late in the evening they arrived at 

 the south end of Metlakahtla Strait, and all the Tlingit canoes came 

 secretly. When they saw the large square house, they all came ashore 

 in front of it, but the brave young men in the house did not care 

 about these people who came to fight with them. They had their 

 door covered with old mats, and they had made a large fire. They 

 took their wooden drum, and the father of the young men sang to 

 show their enemies that they were not afraid of them. 



Late in the night one of the young men from the square house took 

 his pail and went to fetch water. When he was doing so, he saw all 

 the people round about. He went back to his brothers and told 

 them that their enemies were about. In the evening, after they 

 finished singing, they all went secretly up to the upper floor, ready 

 to fight their enemies; and when the fire in the house had died down, 

 all these brave young men blew into the kelps, and it sounded as 

 though the wooden figures were snoring. 



Then the enemies came one by one secretly toward the sleepers; 

 and when all were in, the leader of the warriors gave his order, and 

 said with a loud voice, "Go ahead!" and all the Tlingit stabbed the 

 wooden images with their knives. They could not get them out 

 again, and could not remove their hands, because the knife-handles 

 were tied to their wrists. Now, all the enemies were in the house; 

 and when the people pressed in at the door, the heavy gate of fir 

 wood slid down and pressed the people down, and none of them could 



Then the ten brave men took their spears and killed everybody, 

 stabbing them from the upper floor. After they had killed them, 

 they went out. 



A few canoes full of people had made their escape. The Tsimshian 

 men took one canoe and pursued them. The canoes of the Tlingit 

 went towards Dundas Island.- They shot them with arrows, and 

 those in one canoe were all killed by these ten brave men. They con- 



