374 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. ann ::i 



Metlakahtla to Nass River for fishing olachen, and from Nass River 

 to Skeena River for salmon fishing and for berrying. 



Some of the Tlingit remained in their hiding-places. They made a 

 village at the mouth of some creeks at K-don and Lax-maxl and 

 K-ts !Em-adl'°n and at other places in the channel. Some of the 

 people found hunting-grounds at various places along the coast, 

 between Nass and Skeena Rivers. One tribe, the G , it-dzi'°s, took a 

 creek north of Skeena River called Kiyaks, and they made a village 

 there for the summer. 



They had homes in three places. Metlakahtla was their winter 

 home; Nass River was their spring home, for olachen fishing; and 

 Skeena River was their summer home, for salmon fishing; and their 

 hunting-grounds for the fall were on the creeks. 



A tribe of the G*it-dzi'°s lived at the village Lax-lgu-sbo'il. In 

 olden times the people were expert gamblers, and so it was with one 

 man of the G - it-dzI'°s. He was a head man in that tribe. His posi- 

 tion was near that of the great chief named Galksak. This man was 

 called Lax-anl's (On The Branch). He belonged to the Wolf Clan. 



In the winter this man's wife died. They had a son about twelve 

 years old. The man kept him, and they were living at Lax-lgu- 

 sbo'il. One day early in the fall he gambled with another man, and 

 he lost all he had. There was nothing left to him who was living with 

 his son. Some of his relatives gave him and his son a little food. 

 Therefore Lax-anl's took his little canoe and went down the river 

 with his son. They camped at the mouth of Kiyaks, and took the 

 little canoe up into the woods. They went inland to look for some 

 beavers in the lake on the other side of Kiyaks Valley. They went to 

 the first lake, and did not find any beavers, but they found some fresh 

 footprints of people. They went to the second lake, and they did not 

 find any. Here the man said to his son, "Maybe some strange people 

 killed off all the beavers in these two lakes." He continued, "Let us 

 go on!" So they went down the stream that runs out of the last lake, 

 and soon came to a small trail that led down along the river. When 

 they were going down, Lax-anl's heard the noise of some one chopping 

 wood. Therefore they climbed a hill on the side of the valley, because 

 they were afraid. When they reached the top of the hill, he said to 

 his son, "My dear, stay here alone! Do not be afraid, and do not 

 cry, lest some misfortune befall us ! Wait for me until I come back ! 

 I want to go down and see who is chopping wood there. Do not make 

 any noise while I am away." 



Then the man went down secretly toward the noise, and he saw a 

 tall man who was making a canoe. He was using a copper hammer 

 and copper wedges to take chips out of the canoe that he was making. 

 He had tied his hair in a knot on top of his head. Before sunset the 



