After that his mother-in-law kept cutting up and bringing in mountain goats and grizzly bears. Afterward she cooked them. He took his quiver and his bow. He put on his hat, took up his wife, and went away with her. He was the son of One-who-goes-along-above (i.e., the moon).
After he had lived with her in his father’s house for a while he had a child by her. She bore a boy. Again she gave birth to a boy. [She gave birth to eight.] Again she gave birth. She gave birth to [two] girls. The eldest son was called “Puncher” (X̣ᴀtagī′a).[31] The youngest girl was called “One-who-sucks-arrow-points-from-wounds.” The next one he named “One-who-heals-the-place-where-the-arrows-strike.” His grandfather called the eldest boy to him, took out his bones, and put stones in in place of them. He filled up all parts of his body with stones. [[169]]
One day he gave ten slaves to the eldest. To the next he also gave ten slaves. He gave ten apiece to all eight. He made a row of houses for them, all sewed together with cedar limbs. On the house front of the eldest he put the figure of a thunder-bird. On that of the next one he put the figure of a sculpin. On that of the next he put the figure of a rainbow. On that of the next he put the figure of a killer whale. On that of the next he put the figure of a human being. On that of the next one he figured stars. On that of the next he put the figure of a cormorant. On that of the next he put the figure of a sea gull. To the eldest brother he gave a spear box. Along with it he gave an arrow box. He gave to all eight of them in the same way. Then he put two marten-skin blankets around each of their two sisters.
He sat in front of his grandchildren’s town and called for them. Then they picked up their weapons and practised fighting each other. By and by one was shot. Then the elder sister went out and sucked the arrow out of him. The younger sister went thither, spit on her palms, and rubbed them on him. Immediately he was fighting among the ten. Both [of the women] walked about among them. They tried particularly to shoot them. Instead of penetrating, the weapons rebounded from the blankets. That was why he gave the blankets to them. Thus they turned out good [warriors], and he had them cease fighting.
One day he began to let his grandchildren’s town down. He pulled apart the heavy floor planks, looked down, and saw the houses of Metlakahtla and [the site of] Qꜝadō′ among human beings. At midnight he let down the house of the eldest. When it struck the ground there was a sound of rattling planks. From the town of Metlakahtla one cried “Wā-ā-ā-ā-ā, ghosts are settling down”. So he heard some one cry. He let down two of them. He let down three.
The youngest received the following directions from his grandfather: “When you run away because they are too much for you put a wooden wedge having a drawing on it into the fire for me. Say to it ‘Tell my grandfather.’ ”
All that time the Metlakahtla people shouted “Wā-ā-ā-ā-ā, ghosts are coming down.” Eight had come down. It was wonderful to see smoke rolling from them in the daylight. In front of the town people walked about in crowds. They wore feathers in their hair. They longed much to see them. Then they sent a slave across in a canoe for live coals. They told him to go into the middle house, which had the figure of a thunder-bird on it.
He landed in front and shoved his coals into the fire. To his surprise he recognized Ga′oax there cooking parts of an animal. It was she whose sons they had killed. From rear to front gambling was in progress. Those watching the gambling stood about in crowds. He [[170]]looked on. She (i.e., Ga′oax) threw a fat piece of meat to him [saying]: “Here is some ghosts’ food for you to taste.”
He went out. Then he threw away the burning coals and paddled across. He reached home, but instead of eating the fat he carried it up. He entered his master’s house and said: “Say! did you kill Ga′oax?” At once they called all the town people, and they questioned one another: “Did you kill Ga′oax?” Some said “Yes;” some, “No.” Some thought that she had got safely into the woods.
While they were still in the house one, full of mischief,[32] bit off some of the mountain goat meat. They looked to see him drop dead where he stood. Presently he said: “Why, it passed into me all right. All of you taste it. Swallow it. This is human beings’ food.”