sw ANTON] HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 327 



Stories of the Pitch-people 



[Told by Walter McGregor, of the Seiilion-town people] 



Some persons went out hunting from Songs-of-victory town/ And 

 one of them put on the skin of a hair seal and hiy on a reef. Then 

 some went hunting from Food-steamer's' town. One of them speared 

 tlie hair seal lying on the reef with his bone spear. But a human 

 being screamed. 



Tliey used to put on the skin of a hair seal, lie on a reef and make 

 the cry of a hair seal, and, when a hair seal came up, one sitting behind 

 him speared it. Thej' speared him (the man) while he was doing that 

 way. Then they went off in terror. 



And then they began fighting with one another. The Songs-of-' 

 victory people went out first, and they killed Food-steamer's wife with 

 arrows. Then they fought continuall}" with one another. At that 

 time they killed each other otf. 



Falling-tide was a brave man among the people of Songs-of-victory 

 town. One time, when he got back from fighting, he threw his kelp 

 fish line into the fire. Then he occupied a fort. At that time he had 

 nothing to eat. He spoiled himself.'' After that they also killed him, 

 and onh" the town of Kaisun was left. 



One day they stretched out a black-cod fishing line upon the beach 

 in front of Kaisun with the intention of seeing how far down the house 

 of The-one-in-the-sea was. But, when they went out fishing, they 

 never came back. Then that town was also gone,* 



They used to go fishing at night, because they said that the black 

 cod came to the surface of the sea during the night. 



Before this, when the town people were still there, a child refused 

 to touch some black cod. And, after he had cried for a while, some- 

 thing moving burning coals about called him through the doorway;^ 

 "Come here, nn' child; grandmother has sonie roots mixed with 

 grease which she put away for you." 



Then his parents told him to go out, and he went thither. It 

 stretched its arm in to him into the house, and the child said: "Hor- 

 rors,® something with large, cold hands grasped me." Then it said: 

 "Grandfather has just come in from fishing. I have been washing- 

 gills. That is why he says my hands are cold." 



Then his parents again told him to go out, and he went out to it. It 

 threw him into a ])asket made of twisted boughs. Then the child cried, 

 and thev went out to look at him. He was crying within the earth. 



