S wanton] TLINGIT myths AND TEXTS " 217 



lying in wait for you. Since we have fought for you so much, it is 

 better that you should get to your home safely." GAmna'tck'.i did 

 so, and some time later they said, "Go straight along by the way 3"ou 

 came, and you will find your way out easily." lie did this and 

 reached his home in safety. 



GO. THE HiN-TAYFCl 



There is a fish, called hin-tayi'ci, which is shaped like a halibut 

 but has very many "legs." 



Early one spring a KiksA'di shaman at Sitka named Face-of- 

 mountain (Ca'daq) began singing, and the people did not know why. 

 Another morning he got up very early and 1>egan to sing again, 

 while the spirits talked to him. Then all of the KiksA'di also rose. 

 When his possession was over the shaman said to them, "Take the 

 canoe down and let us start off." They tlid so, placing the shaman 

 in the bow under a mat, and, as they went along, his spirits talked 

 under it. Finally they came to a deep bay in front of Sitka and the 

 spirits said, "This is the place," so they started shoreward. When 

 they came to a spot just beyond a steep cliff which runs do^\^l pre- 

 cipitously into the sea, the spirits said, "Here is the place whej-e we 

 are to land." Then the shaman went up from the canoe and sat in 

 a hollow on top of a rock, while all watched him. By and by his 

 spirit said that the people must do likewise, so they found similar 

 places and seated themselves there. 



Now the shaman seemed to be watching for something, so all of the 

 people looked in the same direction, and sutldenly they saw a school 

 of killer whales coming along, making noises like yelping dogs. The 

 people wondered what was the matter and looked closely. Finally 

 right out from the cliff they saw something very black and shiny. 

 It was the hin-tayl'ci, and, when a killer whale ran up against it, he 

 would be cut in two. The killer whales fought very hard, but, 

 when they were through, only three remainetl, who went off barking 

 like dogs. After that the hin-tayi'ci came uj) in front of the ])lace 

 where the men were sitting and made a great noise. They wondered 

 at this and were frightened, but the shaman understood it and said 

 to them, "It is saying 'Don't feel badly for me if I should get killed. 

 I should not have fought those people, but I had to do it, for they 

 were coming here to eat all of my food.' " 



Now the people went home, but, after some time had passed, the 

 shaman asked them to take the canoe down once more and go out 

 again. They did so willingly, for they were anxious to ^ee what more 

 would happen. The shaman had learned that all the killer-whale 

 people were going against the hIn-tayi'ci and that the sculpin (weq!) 

 had come to him sa3'ing, "The people are coming after you again." 



