boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 375 



tall man put his hammer and his wedges under the log and went 

 down. 



Lax-ani's went back to where his son was, and said to him, "Let 

 us stay here over night!" They remained there; and early the next 

 morning, when he woke up, he saw a small village below, and many 

 small canoes at the mouth of another creek on the north side of the 

 little village. When all the little canoes had gone, he said to his son, 

 "Stay here! I will go down and see who lives in that village." 

 There was nobody outside the houses. He ran down and entered the 

 first house. There he saw women and children, who were covered 

 with mats of red cedar. He went to another house, and there it was 

 the same. 



Then Lax-ani's went back secretly to where he had left his son. 

 Then he went down to the place where the man was making a canoe, 

 and took the three copper wedges and the copper hammer. 



Then they went down quickly, and soon he reached his own canoe, 

 went back, and on the same day they arrived at their village. 

 Another man was making a canoe there. His name was Wa-di-dax. 

 He was working at a narrow strait, Lu-tgi-na-baulkwa. He also 

 belonged to the tribe of the G'it-dzl'os. This man invited all the 

 people of his tribe into his house. After the food had been served, he 

 told them that he wished the young people to help him take down 

 his new canoe from the woods. Then Lax-ani's said in the same 

 house, "I want to speak to the wise men." 



After the young men had gone out, he said, "I discovered a little 

 village on the other side of Kiyaks Valley, on the seashore, not very 

 far from the lake. A trail leads from the lake to the seashore. I have 

 discovered that camp, and it is very easy to overcome the enemies." 

 Thus said Lax-ani's, and all the wise men of the G"it-dzl'°s agreed to 

 go and fight them on the following day. 



They started, and Lax-ani's guided them through the valley of 

 Kiyaks. They camped on top of the hill where Lax-ani's and his son 

 had been in camp before; and very early the following morning, 

 before the sun rose, they saw many little canoes. One by one they 

 went to the north side of the village. Lax-ani's counted the canoes, 

 as he had done before; and when they were all gone, the brave men 

 came down to the village and took all the women and children cap- 

 tive. Some of the G'it-dzl'°s took them over the trail, and many 

 remained in the village waiting for the Tlingit to come home. When 

 it was nearly sunset, the canoes came back filled with seals. When 

 the canoe men came back to the house, the G'it-dzl'°s killed them; 

 and when another canoe came in, they killed these also, when they 

 came to the house. They cut off their heads. Then all the other 

 canoes came in one by one. Last of all one canoe came in with four 

 men. Before they went ashore one of them shouted in his own 



