swANTON] HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 155 



and brought out a whale on the end of a sliarpened stick. He put it 

 into the basket. Now, when he had tried it with a stick and it had 

 become soft, he put the whale into a disli th(^ shape of a chiton and 

 laid it down before them. 



Now he again said something, and he (the youth) gave her old clam 

 shells to drink the soup out of. She was unable to drink with these. 

 Now she got her own basket and took out two large clam shells and 

 two mussel shells, whereupon the people all stopped in a moment as 

 when something is dropped. ^'^ And the chief, too, looked at nothing 

 but those mussel shells. When his e3^es were fastened upon them she 

 noticed it and stopped. 



Then she handed the shells to her husband's slave and had him give 

 them to her son-in-law. He made a place for them [on his blanket]. 

 Now, after he had looked at them for a while, he said something, where- 

 upon they went to him to get them and put them awa}^ behind the 

 screen. 



In the evening those in the house went to sleep, and the}' (the visit- 

 ors) also went to sleej). 



When day broke a young hair seal was crying in the corner of the 

 house, they say. At daylight they started off by canoe. 



Now the canoe lay on top of the retaining planks. There he 

 fastened the chiefs wife, and he fastened himself in the stern. The 

 thunderbolt dropped behind the screens which pointed toward each 

 other. When the feathers came out from it in a point toward the 

 fire and struck them they forgot themselves. When they came to 

 themselves they were on the ocean. 



Now he untied himself, went to the chief's wife, and untied her. 

 And when they went off' it was the middle of summer when the j^oung 

 hair seal cry. He picked up his paddle and started paddling. After 

 he had made two strokes he reached his master's town. 



The chief's wife went in and sat down. She related to her husband 

 how his daughter was situated. Then the slave also went to his mas- 

 ter and told him what those thought who had had a fire for salt water. 

 He repeated what they said to him word for word. 



At once he spoke to the one who had charge of the fire. Two per- 

 sons went through the town summoning the people. Immediately 

 the}" entered. The house was full. Then he opened supplies of good 

 food. He fed them. He fed them all. When the food was all gone 

 he told the town people what he had in mind. He told the town peo- 

 ple that he was going to look for his daughter. All were well pleased. 

 He told all the chiefs to start in ten canoes. They agreed. 



But the next morning his oldest boy had disappeared. When they 

 began to get ready the next day the youngest also was gone. 



For the chief and the chief's wife each they drew the figures of 

 cunudus clouds upon ten clam shells. As many mussel shells were 



