1252 ETHNOLOGY OF THE KWAKIUTL Ietu. ann. 35 



After some time Q !6mg' ilaxya^o said to his wife and to her sister, 

 "Your brothers are coming to look for you, therefore I must hide in 

 the woods," for he could see everything from far away. He went into 

 hiding, and before long the four brothers of his wife arrived. They 

 were surprised when they saw the house full of meat. The young 

 woman asked her four brothers to sit down, for she wanted to feed 

 them, because she knew that they were hungry, and she gave them 

 mountain-goat meat. And after they had eaten, they rested that 

 day. In the morning of the next day they went home, each taking a 

 load of smoked meat with them. As soon as they had left the house, 

 Q!omg"ilaxya^o came in, and his wife told him that her brothers 

 wanted her and her sister to return home, and that they were coming 

 back the next day to fetch her. Then he laughed, and said, " Then 

 we shall have to part. Go to your home, and I shall return to my 

 home." He staid with his wife that night, and told her to take care 

 of herself ; for, if she broke one of the rules he gave her, great trouble 

 would come to her. Early in the morning he disappeared, and very 

 soon the four brothers of his wife and many other people came. 

 While they were packing up all the meat, the son of the young woman 

 came in. He seemed to be very glad to see his uncles, and he was 

 wilhng to go with them. The people took up their loads and went 

 home to XEkwek'En. The people were stiU without food: therefore 

 they brought dressed elk-skin blankets, slaves, and canoes, to buy 

 mountain-goat meat. The chiefs even sold their daughters for food. 



The young man kept on hunting bears and mountain-goats, and 

 he was getting rich very fast. Very soon he gave away property to 

 his people. Thus he became a head chief of the tribe. 



A supernatural being in heaven saw that Ex' sokwi^lak" was a great 

 hunter. The supernatural being tried to capture the hunter: there- 

 fore he called one of his slaves and threw ashes over him. Then the 

 slave was transformed into a grizzly bear. His master sent him up 

 the river of XEkwek'En. Wlien he was going up, he came out on the 

 beach near the house of Ex"sokwi^lak", because he wanted to be seen 

 by the great hunter. As soon as Ex'sokwi^lak" saw the bear, he 

 gave chase. The bear went up a steep mountain: and the hunter 

 put on his snowshoes, took his dogs and his long pole, and ran after 

 him. The bear climbed up to a point called Frog Point (Wuxetbe^). 

 There is a very steep and shppery cliff without a footing. Neverthe- 

 less the hunter passed the dangerous place, and saw the great bear 

 ahead of him going into a large house. Then the hunter went to the 

 outside of the house and hstened. He heard many people singing 

 inside. They sang: "Prettiest-Hunter is picking the bone of my 

 neck ("Ex'sokwi^lax"sa ^naxwa hauLlenox" ebELElalaxg'in xaqlE- 

 xawek')." He could not enter the house, and had to go home. He 



