And at daybreak his father-in-law warned him. He told him not to touch a thing which stuck out of the water at Skedans point. And one day, when he flew out with them, he looked at a whale, thought it easy, and seized it in his talons. He did not feel it. At that time his father-in-law was still more pleased with him.
And when day broke he told him all the places upon this island where they get things. Then he sat with them in front of the house, and even to the south end of the island the things under the waters, fish and sea mammals,[4] were plainly visible to him.
One day he flew downward and nearly touched the thing sticking out. And, when he did the same thing again, he seized it. He flapped his wings to pull it up. It acted like a solid object and nearly carried him under the water. Another took hold of the end of his wing. He, [[273]]too, was drawn under, and another seized his wing. As soon as they saw him they flew toward him from the south end of the island and from the north end of the island. All flew about above him. They also saw him from the town. The first were drawn in. They were nearly all pulled in one after the other, holding each other’s wings, when the town people, too, came flying thither. Those, too, were at once drawn in.
Then his father-in-law and his wife dressed themselves. And, when those also were almost drawn under, and his wife was nearly drawn under with them, his wife’s grandmother also dressed herself. She sharpened her claws which were dull. At the same time she said: “Ha-i ha-i, what things happen by means of the claws of my child’s husband, ha-i ha-i.” She was very old, they say.
By and by she flew out and seized her. After she had flapped her wings for a while she saw one coming up. As she saw another one come up something cracked at the bottom of the island. Then she pulled them out. The thing came up with them. That was Greatest-clam (stᴀn),[5] they say.
Then the town was restored. And he again began getting food for his father-in-law as formerly. But Skedans continued to lie empty. That is why the same thing keeps happening to it, they say.[6]
[Another version of this story, obtained by Prof. Franz Boas from Charlie Edenshaw, chief of the Stᴀ′stas, a prominent Masset family.]
At Lāltg·iwas,[7] near Skidā′ns, lived a chief and his sister, who had a son. This young man loved the chief’s wife. When the chief discovered this he became jealous and thought of killing his nephew. He sent his slaves to fetch gum. The slaves went and bought a canoe load of gum, which the chief boiled. Then he covered the board which covers the bow of the canoe with the gum. After this was done he sent his slaves to shoot eagles, and he spread the down over the gum so as to make it invisible. After he had thus prepared his canoe he called his nephew. His slaves went into his house to call him. He obeyed their summons, and went to his uncle’s house, who requested him to go out to sea, hunting. The young man took his quiver, which contained two bows and many arrows. The young man asked his uncle: “What kind of a blanket shall I wear when I go hunting?” Then the chief gave him two marten blankets. He continued: “What kind of ear ornament shall I wear when I go hunting?” His uncle gave him ear ornaments made of caribou skin (tsʼᴇnʟqal = caribou).
When the weather was clear and calm he started hunting seals (xōt). Before they started the chief said to his slaves: “When he harpoons a seal push him so that he will fall on the board in the bow of the [[274]]canoe. He will stick to it, and then throw him overboard.” They went out to sea, and, when the young man was about to harpoon a seal, the slave pushed him so that he fell down on the board. He was unable to free himself because the gum was holding him. Then the slaves took the board, threw it overboard, and returned home. They said that the young man had fallen overboard and that they had been unable to save him. Then all the people were sad.
The young man drifted about on the sea, and the wind drifted the board ashore near a town. He crawled up toward the houses, but, when the sun was shining warmly, the gum softened, and he was able to free himself. He dried his blankets in the warm sunshine.