swANTONj HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 151 



A-SLENDEH-ONK-WIIO-WAS-GIVEN-AWAY 



[Told by John Sky of Tliose-born-at-Ski'dnns] 



Once there was ji chief ,s child, they sa}', a g'ivl, for whom they 

 often huMu- out liawk (h)wnK)n the end of a p<)h\^ Her father loved 

 her. She had two l)rothers; one was large and the other had just 

 l)egiin growing. 



Once people came in front of her father's town in ten canoes, danced 

 while coming and stopped in front of the town. Then one of her 

 father's slaves inquired: "What are these come for?" "The}'^ are 

 come to get the chief's child." And when the}^ said "The woman 

 refuses," the}' went away weeping. 



The next da}^ others came dancing on ten canoes. Then again thej' 

 asked: "What are these come for ? " "The}^ are come to get the chief's 

 daughter." And those, too, they refused, and they went weeping 

 away. 



Now, the da}' after a certain one in a hair-seal canoe, ^ wearing a 

 broad hat, stood there early in the morning. He had a surf -bird for a 

 hat. After they had looked at him in his hair-seal canoe for a while, 

 they asked him: "Why does the canoe come?" He said nothing. 

 They did not want him. They said to him: "The woman refuses." 

 A round white thing was on top of his hat. This was a foamy wave. 

 The foam was turning round and round rapidly. As soon as they 

 had refused him the earth changed. Out of the earth water boiled up. 

 Then, when this island was half covered, the frightened town people 

 thought of giving the woman up. She had ten servants, they say. 

 And they dressed up one of these just like her. And they painted her. 

 And they put red cirrus clouds on her and two clear-sky blankets'' and 

 sent her down to the chief. Then he absolutely refused her. He 

 would take none ))ut the chief's child. They dressed up still another 

 [slave] with dark mottled clouds which lie seaward, and they put two 

 marten-skin blankets on her and had her go down. Her, too, he 

 refused. He refused all ten in the same way. 



Now, all of the town people with their children had gone into her 

 father's house. Then they all cried, and, without painting her, let her 

 go. And the ten servants all went with her. When she stood near the 

 salt water the canoe came quickly to her of itself. [Then the stranger 

 gave them his father's hat covered with surf -birds (tcIigA'klAX.uaii), 

 which would keep flying out from it and back again.] Now, when she 

 got in, the ten servants got in with her. What caused the canoe to 

 move could not be seen. When the chief's child had got in they dis- 

 covered him floating at the place where he had been before. 



