THE CHINOOK INDIANS. 29 



elder brother who had himself created it for the occasion. The fore- 

 most of them had no sooner driven in his spear than he found it 

 impossible to disengage his hand from the handle or to draw it out ; 

 the two others drove in their spears and with the like effect. The 

 seal now took to the water, dragging them after it, and swam far out 

 to sea. Having travelled on for many miles they saw an island in the 

 distance, towards which the seal made ; on nearing the shore they 

 found that they could, for the first time, remove their hands from 

 their spears ; they accordingly landed, and supposing themselves in 

 some enemies' country, they hid themselves in a clump of bushes from 

 observation. While lying concealed the}'' saw a diminutive canoe 

 coming round a point in the distance, paddled by a very little man, 

 who, when he came opposite to where they were, anchored his boat 

 with a stone attached to a long line, without perceiving them. He 

 now sprang over the side, and diving down, remained a long time 

 under water, at length he rose to the surface and brought with him 

 a large fish, which he threw into the boat ; this he repeated sever- 

 al times, each time looking in to count the fish he had caught. The 

 three brothers being very hungry, one of them offered to swim out 

 while the little man was under water and steal one of the fish ; this 

 he safely accomplished before the return of the fisherman, but the 

 little fellow no sooner returned with another fish than he discovered 

 that one of those already caught was missing, and stretching out his 

 hand he passed it slowly along the horizon, until it pointed directly 

 to their place of concealment. He now drew up his anchor and 

 paddled to the shore, and immediately discovered the three bro- 

 thers ; and being as miraculously strong as he was diminutive, he tied 

 their hands and f3et together and throwing them into his canoe, 

 jumped in and paddled back in the direction from whence he had 

 come. Having rounded the distant point where they first descried 

 him, they came to a village inhabited by a race of people as small as 

 their captor, their houses, boats, and utensils being all in proportion 

 to themselves. The three brothers were taken out and thrown bound 

 as they were into a lodge, while a council was convened to decide 

 upon their fate. During the sitting of the council an immense flock 

 of birds resembling geese, but much larger, pounced down upon the 

 inhabitants and commenced a violent attack. These birds had the 

 power of throwing their sharp quills like the porcupine, and though 

 the little warriors fought with great valour they soon became cover- 

 ed with the piercing darts, and all sunk insensible on the ground • 

 when all resistance had ceased the birds took to flight and disap- 



