[Told by Richard of the Middle-gîtî′ns.]
The Pebble-town people warred with the people of Ninstints. The East
Coast people [762] were also at war with them. They were all at
G̣ētgā′ñ. [763]
From that place the father of Qꜝaolga′s went to hunt. Then they saw a
war canoe pass a place named Gia′g̣ēs lying toward the south. It came
along close to the shore and passed behind an islet. And they did not
know those who were in it.
And when it was far off he started straight out to sea. And, when the
rocky shore had nearly passed out of sight, he turned about. At evening
they heard the sound of his guns at G̣ētgā′ñ. He had seen the enemy.
Then they went for two shamans who were there. And they whipped the
souls of the enemy. At that time they said that a white raven flew into
the inlet. After they had drunk salt water for two nights all the
warriors went out to meet the enemy.
After they had crept along close to the shore for a while they feared
to round ʟuqā′łgᴀłdᴀs. [764] So they stopped there. Some of them said
that Kaisun could be seen from there. By and by, however, they went
thither. They then saw some persons walking on the beach at Kaisun.
After some time had passed the canoe came in front of them (those at
Kaisun). They got into it and went seaward. In the middle was a shaman
whipping the souls of his enemies. Then one [Ninstints man] in it saw a
strange sight. “Look at the cormorant flying about. It has no head.”
And, when they looked at it, its head was lacking. Kꜝadja′-i alone
[765] did not see this.
After they had gone on for a while a shot was fired at them. At once
[the guns shooting] downward resounded everywhere. It (the canoe)
turned bottom up. And as they came alongside they shot at them. And
after they had destroyed them and had turned the canoe over one person
was in it. He alone they saved. When the first gun sounded, the war
chief said: “Sqas, take the gun away. It is not time for that.”
They then went away. Now they sang war songs. And the next day they
went to get the heads. They then cut them off and dried them in the
sunshine. The shaman who had whipped the souls of his enemies had his
hair bunched together. [766] He had told them to go back. On the way
they (the Ninstints people) saw portents. They heard the sound of
drying frames dropping from above. And Tia [767] also called near them.
He called, and blood spurted out of his neck.
This encounter was referred to by others. See Memoirs of the American
Museum of Natural History, volume V, part 1, page 31.