362 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

lessened. This ill-will has continued up to the present time. In 1920
word reached Bella Coola that Tewisa had approached a Quatsino chief
and asked him to spread the rumour that the missing party had been
drowned at sea, at the same time admitting what had taken place. A year
later a half-breed Kwatcino, hunting on Virgin Rocks, happened to un-
earth the bones buried beneath the log. There the matter rests for the
moment as far as the Bella Coola are concerned, but they express the
opinion that the continued ill-will may cause bloodshed at any time.
It must be remembered that the above account of this recent friction
with the Kitkatla is of a partisan nature. No attempt was made to learn
the Kitkatla side of the matter, so that the version here given may or
may not be the truth. It has been inserted as an illustration of Bella
Coola attitude, and of the manner in which, formerly, doubts, fears and
suspicions led to war. This would certainly have been the case in the
present instance but for the restraining influence of the white man’s rule.

KWAKIUTL WAR

Only slightly less feared than the Kitkatla were the Kwakiutl-speaking
peoples, especially those inhabiting Knight’s Inlet, Kingcome Inlet, and
Blunder Harbour, who were known collectively as Djoldéumx. As Teuusa
was feared among the northern raiders, so was Siwid among the south-
erners. Bella Coola itself was too difficult of access and too densely
populated to be successfully attacked, but Ta/-io was subject to constant
raids. Even more disconcerting was the constant danger of lurking
foemen; one year it would be a hunter who was surprised and killed, the
next a party of women would be carried off while picking berries.

The raiders became so bold that the inhabitants of one of the Té/-io
villages decided to defend themselves by building a stockade. Everyone
assisted in the task, so that the fortification was soon completed. It
consisted of a fence of vertical logs with a platform running around near
the top, on the inner side, on which the defenders could stand, and a
water-gate through which canoes could enter at high tide. It surrounded
five or six houses and was planned as a place of refuge for all the Tél-io
villages. One of the tree-trunks brought for the stockade was hollow,
and there was considerable discussion as to whether it should be used,
but finally it was set up with the others. A Kwakiutl who was visiting
Tal-io at the time took notice of this weakness, but no one seems to have
suspected that he would inform his friends of it when he went home.

The summer after the stockade had been completed the Kwakiutl
discussed the usual raid on Ta/-io; one of the principal chiefs opposed
an expedition on the ground of the reputed strength of the defence, but