swANTON] HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS- 371 



War between the West Coast and Ninstints Haida and the 



GlTl'SDA 



[Told by Richard of the MidiUc-giti'iis] 



The Ninstints people* came to Kaisun in four canoes to ask us^ to 

 ^o to war in their company. We then went along- in four canoes. 

 And, after we had oone across, we entered LAlgl'mi.^ During- the night 

 we went in opposite to a fort. Some people were then camping in 

 the iidet. We began to shoot at them. There Amai'kuns was killed. 

 Gayi'ns* was wounded. Qoya'^ was also wounded. He was one of 

 the brave men among us. There we took two slaves. 



We went out from there. And those who went in advance came 

 upon some who were sailing along. The sound of two guns was heard. 

 Afterward an empty canoe drifted away. They enslaved two women. 

 And we went thither. And, while we were close to land, rejoicing 

 over the slaves, some persons came sailing round a point near us, and, 

 when they saw us, they jumped off. Then some landed behind them. 



I then prepared myself and got off. And I pursued one who was 

 running along near the sea. After 1 had chased him about for a while 

 in the woods he jumped into the ocean. I took from him his yellow 

 cedar blanket with some of his hair. And, when he emerged farther 

 out, he held up his hands before my face. He then swam to me. 

 When he came near me he dove again. And he came to the surface 

 out at sea. I then began to shoot at him. And he swam landward 

 and squeezed himself tight against the face of a cliff'. After 1 had 

 shot twice at him there, I stopped. He then climbed up a tree that 

 stood against the face of the cliff. And, although there was some 

 space between its top and the cliff', he bent it over, got a hold on the 

 face of the cliff, and went into a hole there. He could not climb 

 thence either down or up. We said one to another that he would die 

 there. 



We then went away. We next made a fire and began to give each 

 other food. And after we left we began to fight against the fort. 

 We could not get away then. We could not get away." But after- 

 ward they got us back [into the canoe]. And they shot one who was 

 crawling about on the top of the house so that he fell down. And 

 after the}- lay out to sea for a while a man wearing a dancing skirt 

 and cedar-bark rings dragged down a canoe. A woman also came 

 after him. She came to us and talked to those who were in Ldo'gwan's 

 canoe. Thev told her then to come closer. And some called to them 

 to shoot the man so that he would fall into the water. Ldo'gwan 

 refused to allow it and started away from them. They then went off 

 in fright. We ran out of ammunition. Then we went away. 



