150 B GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



that of a newly born child, which gradually became louder, and at last 

 a little female child was seen, which growing by degrees larger and 

 larger, was finally married by the raven, and from this union all the 

 Indians were produced and the country peopled.* 



Origin of water. The people, however, had many wants, and as yet had neither fire, 

 daylight, fresh water, or the oolachen fish.f These things were all in 

 the possession of a great chief or deity called Setlin-ki-jash, who lived 

 where the Nasse Eiver now is. "Water was first obtained in the follow- 

 ing manner by Ne-kil-stlas. The chief had a daughter, and to her 

 Ne-kil-stlas covertly made love, and became her accepted lover, and 

 visited her by night many times unknown to her father. The girl be- 

 gan to love Ne-kil-stlas very much, and trust in him, which was what 

 he desired ; and at length when he thought the time ripe, he said that 

 he was very thirsty and wanted a drink of water. This the girl 

 brought him in one of the closely woven baskets in common use. He 

 drank only a little, however, and setting the basket down beside him 

 he waited till the girl was asleep, when, quickly donning his coat of 

 feathers, and lifting the basket in his beak, he flew out by the opening 

 made for the smoke in the top of the lodge. He was in great haste, 

 fearing to be followed by the people of the chief. A little water fell 

 out here and a little there, causing the numerous rivers which are now 

 found, but on the Haida country a few drops only, like rain fell, and so 

 it is that there are no large streams there to this day. 



Origin of fire. Ne-kil-sltas next wished to obtain fire, which was also in the posses- 

 sion of the same powerful being, or chief. He did not dare, however, 

 to appear again in the chief's house, nor did the chief's daughter 

 longer show him favour. Assuming, therefore, the form of a single 

 needledike leaf of the spruce tree, he floated on the water near the 

 house, and when the girl — his former lover — came down to draw water, 

 was lifted by her in the vessel she used. The girl drinking the water, 

 swallowed, without noticing it, the little leaf, and shortly afterwards 

 became pregnant, and before long bore a child who was no other than 

 the cunning Ne-kil-stlas, who had thus gained an entry into the lodge. 

 Watching his opportunity, he one day picked up a burning brand, and 

 flying out as before by the smoke-hole at the top of the lodge, carried 

 it away and spread fire everywhere. One of the first places where he 

 set fire, was near the north end of Vancouver's Island, and that is the 

 reason why so many of the trees there have black bark, j 



* In another form of the story, it is said that Ne-kil-stlas by impregnating two live cockles, 

 and keeping them warm, hatched out both a man and a woman, who were the progenitors of 

 the human race. 



t As sometimes related, it is taken for granted that the sun always was, the moon alone 

 being wanting. 



t Probably refers to the Douglas fir, which here finds its northern limit on the coast, and 

 is very often blackened by fires from the underbrush running up the thick, dry bark of its trunk. 



