And they remained there still. And, after they had talked for a while about parting company with the other canoe, I said: “My father-in-law is a chief. If those who have been in your company kill people and he receives nothing, you will feel sorry for it. Let us go down the inlet after them.”
We then followed them down. After we had gone along for a while Gana′-i’s canoe passed out of the inlet around a point. I then said: “Let us paddle after them. Paddle after. Paddle after. They might meet somebody.”
And, when they had nearly rounded another point, they pulled back. Some time after that guns sounded, and they went ashore. Some Tlingit came then in a big canoe. They stood in lines in the middle. There were a great number of guns in this. We then started out to head them off.
As they paddled away from us they shot at us twice, when something struck me in the head and I lost consciousness. I came to myself lying in the canoe. By and by, after I grew stronger and had fastened my knife upon my hand, they said to me: “G̣ᴀ′nx̣oat was killed.” I then looked at him. He was hanging over into the water. And I told them not to let him fall in. [[366]]
The Tlingit then shouted at us. They made a noise on the edges of their canoe: “A′lala a′lala.” Upon this Gā′ala stood up in ours, and he shot the man in the stern, so that he fell into the water. Then we said the same. We, too, said: “A′lala a′lala.” When they shot me two bullets went through the skin of my head.
And, when Skᴀ′ngwai’s father stood up and aimed at the one next to the stern, who was paddling and moving his head as he did so, and shot him, he also fell upon his face in the bailing place. We then again said the same thing. We rapped on the edges of our canoe, saying at the same time: “A′lala.” And, when he shot again, another cried out in it. They stood in lines in the middle of the canoe. Others paddled at the sides. They then bade us cease shooting. They motioned us away with their hands. We did then accordingly. The canoe was so large that the people in it could not be counted.
Then Gana′-i’s canoe went quickly to it. And, when they got close by, a Tlingit in the middle stood up with a gun. He pointed at this one and that one among them. Someone in Gana′-i’s canoe speared him with a bone spear that had a short handle. He dropped the gun. The Tlingit then quickly sat down. He pulled out the spear. His intestines came out at the same time. He broke it. And, when he started to shove the spear back into the wound, someone in Gana′-i’s canoe jumped in to him, and the people in the canoe stood up.
Then our canoe went thither. And I went to the bow and jumped into it. All had long knives. I fell in the stern. And the one I fell near stabbed me. When he struck my shoulder I felt my insides come together [with pain]. Nevertheless I struck him in the side, and his insides fell upon me. After that another one came toward me from the bow. I stabbed him also in the side. When I struck him again he died.
After that another came at me. When he tried to stab me I dodged him. And when I struck him he grew pale. I told Gā′ala, who came behind me, to kill him. A youth having no knife then made with his hands the motion of surrender to me from the bow. And I picked him up, and I threw him into our canoe. When another came at me I struck him. It grazed him. He went at once into our canoe. He let himself be enslaved. I made a cut down his back. He was a brave man. People did not pass in front of his town. They were afraid of him. When it was reported that he had let himself be enslaved the Tlingit became boneless [with astonishment]. They did not believe it. His name was Yāñ.
After we had fought for a while some one called to me from the middle: “So-and-so’s grandfather, they are too much for me.” I then ran to him. And they had one of our friends in the bottom of the canoe. A Tlingit whose knife had dropped from him was moving it toward himself with his feet when I struck him. [[367]]