Haida texts and myths

by Unknown

And, after he had done this for a while, one day they went thither, let him off first, and abandoned him. But his youngest brother-in-law paddled toward him. When he was far off he (the youngest brother-in-law) tried to take away their paddles. He was fighting to do so. He saw it. He called after them. They paid no attention to him. They were unable to kill the sea lions. He only could kill them. That is why they left him.

Then he cried for his children on top of the island. After he had cried for a time he lay down near the pond. As he slept there something said to him: “The chief asks you to come in.” He looked for the cause of it. He saw not a sign of a thing. He saw something dive into the lake. And, after he had lain a while longer, something spoke to him as before. Then he looked through the eyeholes in his marten-skin blanket. He saw a grebe[1] come to the surface of the pond. After it had swum about for a while it said: “The chief asks you to come in.” Then it dove.

Then he took a whetstone he had and jumped into the pond. He stood in front of a big house, and they asked him to come in. He entered, and they inquired of him: “Why did you kill my servants?” And he said: “I did it to feed my two children.”

And he saw two small killer whales blowing about in a pool of water in the corner of the house. Those were the chief’s two children at play. He saw killer-whale fins hung up in bunches in the four corners.

Then they gave him something to eat. They dragged a sea lion sitting on the side toward the door to the fire and put hot stones that were in the fire into its mouth. And they also put halibut into its mouth. When [the latter] was cooked they gave it to him to eat.

And after he was through eating they brought one of the fins which were in the corner. And they warmed the lower end of it. And, after they had bent him over, he put a whetstone on his back. When they struck it on it fell off. On top of the stone floor planks the fin lay shaking. They went to get another. After they had warmed that in the same way at the fire they had him bend over. And he [[283]]placed the whetstone on his back. When they struck it upon him that also slipped off. That, too, fell upon the stone floor planks.

And they got another one. When the same thing happened to that they got a long one. After they had warmed that, also, for a while they bent him over. He again placed the whetstone on his back. When they struck that one on, it also fell to the stone floor planks. After four attempts they gave it up.

Then the chief said: “Let him out. He refuses the fins. Put him into a sea lion’s stomach.” And the chief said to him: “After you have floated about and have struck against land four times, get out. You will have floated ashore on good ground.” At once they put him into a sea lion’s stomach, and he tied it together from inside. They threw him out.

And, after he had floated shoreward and had floated against the land four times, he got out. He had floated ashore upon a nice beach. Then he again tied up the sea lion’s stomach air-tight and threw it out. The stomach vanished seaward against the wind.

Then he started toward the town and stayed at the end of it until evening. And in the evening he looked in at his wife. He saw that his wife’s hair was burnt short and pitch was upon her face. He also saw his two children sitting there. Then he tapped on the wall opposite his wife, and his wife went out. Then he said to his wife: “Bring me my tools.” Then she gave them to him. And he said: “Do not let anyone know about me. Conceal it even from my children.”