[16] The people of Skidegate, when they had an opportunity, were wont to intercept West Coast war parties on their return through the channel and take their slaves away from them. [↑]
[17] A camping place on Maude island. [↑]
[18] See the story of “[Sacred-one-standing-and-moving, Stone-ribs, and Upward],” note [31]. [↑]
War between the West Coast and Ninstints Haida and the Gîtî′sda
[Told by Richard of the Middle-gîtî′ns]
The Ninstints people[1] came to Kaisun in four canoes to ask us[2] to go to war in their company. We then went along in four canoes. And, after we had gone across, we entered Lᴀlgī′mi.[3] During the night we went in opposite to a fort. Some people were then camping in the inlet. We began to shoot at them. There Amai′kuns was killed. Gayî′ns[4] was wounded. Qoyā′[5] was also wounded. He was one of the brave men among us. There we took two slaves.
We went out from there. And those who went in advance came upon some who were sailing along. The sound of two guns was heard. Afterward an empty canoe drifted away. They enslaved two women. And we went thither. And, while we were close to land, rejoicing over the slaves, some persons came sailing round a point near us, and, when they saw us, they jumped off. Then some landed behind them.
I then prepared myself and got off. And I pursued one who was running along near the sea. After I had chased him about for a while in the woods he jumped into the ocean. I took from him his yellow cedar blanket with some of his hair. And, when he emerged farther out, he held up his hands before my face. He then swam to me. When he came near me he dove again. And he came to the surface out at sea. I then began to shoot at him. And he swam landward and squeezed himself tight against the face of a cliff. After I had shot twice at him there, I stopped. He then climbed up a tree that stood against the face of the cliff. And, although there was some space between its top and the cliff, he bent it over, got a hold on the face of the cliff, and went into a hole there. He could not climb thence either down or up. We said one to another that he would die there.
We then went away. We next made a fire and began to give each other food. And after we left we began to fight against the fort. We could not get away then. We could not get away.[6] But afterward they got us back [into the canoe]. And they shot one who was crawling about on the top of the house so that he fell down. And after they lay out to sea for a while a man wearing a dancing skirt and cedar-bark rings dragged down a canoe. A woman also came after him. She came to us and talked to those who were in Ldō′gwañ’s canoe. They told her then to come closer. And some called to them to shoot the man so that he would fall into the water. Ldō′gwañ refused to allow it and started away from them. They then went off in fright. We ran out of ammunition. Then we went away. [[372]]