Then the nephew of Supernatural-being-at-whose-voice-the-ravens-sit-on-the-sea went out and said: “You are not the only one who has supernatural power. I have supernatural power. My uncle also has supernatural power. So you better not come in.” Then he (the nephew) entered, and, when he untied a little something against the roof of the house, which was like a hollow tube closed with knots at both ends, Pestilence’s canoe was quickly turned about. Then he said he would enter. “I will go in.” Presently he entered. Nothing happened. [They say it was Tidal-wave[17] who owned that.] All that time a space was left vacant in the rear of the house. No one sat there. By and by the one who came in first sang. And, after he had finished singing, he acted with a mask on from behind the screen they had stretched across. After he had acted with the mask on for a while, it split crosswise[18] on his face, and snow came out of it in a broad sheet. Then it fell first by the vacant seat. After that it fell in front of the chief’s house. And after that his face also split vertically.[18] Out of the split the same substance fell. That was property, they say.
Big-tail was guessing. “I guess it is he on whom we live [for whom the vacant space is left]. It is for The-one-below.”[19]
The next one who came in also started to sing. Afterward he also came out from behind the screen wearing a mask. After they had sung a “Power-song” for him a while and put words into it, his face also split open. Something white and broad fell down around the house in front of the chiefs. Again it fell first by the vacant seat. When they put words into it again it split vertically. Then it again fell first by the vacant seat. After that it fell in front of the chiefs.
All the supernatural beings did the same thing. Sometimes one stood up with his fins on. In that way the sleight-of-hand performances went on. [[300]]
After some time had passed Supernatural-being-at-whose-voice-the-ravens-sit-on-the-sea also began to dance. Then he made a good speech to the supernatural beings, after which he also sang. When he had got through singing he, too, came out wearing a big mask. He also wore a big fin. When they put words into the power song his mask also split. Out of that, too, something white fell. Some fell first by the vacant seat. Then they stopped singing the power song.
There was a great pile of property for those in the house. Before they entered their provisions came rolling in before them through the door. They had two [boxes] or, if chiefs, four. Now they began to eat. It was a whale. And they cut it around and around right from its head and stretched it around in front of the supernatural beings. They spliced another to that also, and then they all began to eat.[20] After all had eaten for some time they stopped. All the big beings went off.
Then Big-tail also went to Skidegate. After he had performed for a time in the same way as formerly, and, when they were starving, all began giving him the food they had saved up. Cranberries, wild crabapples, sīg̣ā′n,[21] roots put up in cakes,[22] berries put up in cakes, and grease, they gave him. They gave these quietly to him while he slept. There was also a quantity of Indian tobacco with them.
And, after he had slept for a while, he spoke again in the same way as formerly, “Tcōxō′.”[11] Then he got up carefully and gave away all off of the top into the fire.[23] Then he also spilled out fresh water around the fire. He gave these to Supernatural-being-at-whose-voice-the-ravens-sit-on-the-sea. After that he ate all of it. That night he performed.
And next day he said: “Go out to hunt.” Then they found a whale floated ashore near by. And on account of that the Skidegate people ceased being hungry.
Some time later Supernatural-being-people-always-go-to begged him to accompany him. “Big-tail, go with me to see my elder brother.” And he did not know where he wanted him to go. Then he went with him as he requested. Then he launched a square canoe, he put Big-tail inside of his clothing, and they started off.