ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 639 
He cried: ‘ There is a deer that has been struck by a Shushwap arrow.’ 
The old man at once despatched him to the main party, and told him to 
inform the chief of what he had seen. The boy obeyed, but the chief did 
not believe him. He merely made a gesture indicating that the Shush- 
wap would not dare to show their backs in this country. (He closed the 
thumb and the third and fourth fingers of his right hand, bent the first 
and second fingers towards the thumb, holding them apart, the palm 
directed towards his face.) The two women heard what was going on. 
They thought that their brothers might have followed them, and at 
nightfall went back to see whether they might discover anyone. They 
met the Shushwap, who instructed them to keep their husbands—for 
they had been married to two men of the Seka/umQ—awake until early in 
the morning. They obeyed, and when the men had fallen asleep in the 
morning the Shushwap made an attack upon the camp and killed all but 
three, who had succeeded in putting their snow-shoes on and fled. The 
Shushwap pursued them, and one of the Seka/umQq jumped into a hole 
formed by the melting of the snow around a tree. From his hiding 
place he wounded a Shushwap called Ta/leqiin, when passing by. Two 
of the fleeing Seka’umg were killed, the third escaped. Ta’leqin died 
of his wound when they were returning homeward. His body was burnt 
and his bones taken along, to be buried in the burial ground of his native 
village. 
Sian Lancuace. 
On the coast of British Columbia the extensive use of the Chinook 
jargon has almost entirely superseded the use of the sign language; but 
there is little doubt that it has been in use in former times. The only 
instance of the use of signs—except in making tales more vivid and graphic 
—that came under my observation was when an old Haida, who did not 
understand Chinook, wanted to tell me that he could not speak the 
jargon. He introduced the first finger of his right hand into his mouth, 
acted as though he attempted to draw out something, and then shook his 
finger. 
; is the interior of the province the sign language is still used 
extensively. The following signs were collected among the Shushwap. 
1. All.—Right hand held in front of breast, palm downward, moved 
around horizontally. 
2. Bear.—Both fists held in front of breasts, knuckles upward, the 
thumbs touching the bent first fingers; fists pushed forward alternately 
in circular motions, imitating the movements of a bear. 
3. Bear’s hole—Second, third, and fourth fingers of both hands closed ; 
thumbs and first fingers extended, points of both thumbsand of both first 
fingers touch, so that they form a circle. 
4, Beaver.—Right hand drops, palm downward, between the extended 
thumb and first finger of left, so that the wrist rests on the interstice. 
Imitation of beaver’s tail. 
5. Boy, about fifteen years of age-——Open hand raised in front of 
breast to the height of the chin, palm turned toward face. 
6. Bush.—Open .hands placed against each other, so that both 
thumbs and both fourth fingers touch, 
7. Daylight.—Hands half opened, first finger slightly extended held 
upward in front of body, palms inward at height of chin, hands then 
moved outward, describing circles. 
