Cn

482 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

bark, both dyed and undyed, roots, and other articles whirh they could
not obtain in their own land. Next day the people, willing to oblige the
salmon, gave Anukkd/snam large quantities of the Provisions named,
which he cast into the river to the grateful fish.

When twelve years old, Anukkélsnam, strong as a man, began to build
a salmon-weir, to the great gratification of his neighbours. Wishing to
obtain good cedar logs from SuxwWk, on Dean Channel, he set off in his
canoe at dawn, before anyone was stirring. He travelled a little distance
down the fiord to a bend where many salmon were lying, and at that point
he sank his craft beneath the surface of the water, though he continued
in human form, nor did the canoe change as it passed amongst the salmon.
Their chief recognized Anukkélsnam, whom he greeted by name, and
informed him that he was sending four salmon youths to assist him in his
task. With their aid the craft sped on, without visible means of pro-
pulsion, at a tremendous rate of speed, and soon reached Suxwuk, eighteen
miles down the fiord, where the four salmon, previously invisible, took on
human form and helped the salmon-boy drag the heavy logs to his canoe.
Swiftly they went back towards Kimsquit, and at the same point where
he had gone beneath the surface, 4nukkalsnam brought his canoe from
below, and paddled home, normally.

The people of the village, who were just getting up, were amazed at
the celerity with which he had accomplished his task, but Anukkalsnam
explained that it was due to help which he had received from his salmon
friends, and counting on that he had not desired any human aid. Buthe
gladly accepted assistance from everyone in the construction of his fish-
weir, so that it was soon finished. In it he caught many salmon, as his
knowledge of their habits enabled him to set his trap in a suitable place.
The youth repeated to his friends what he had learnt from the fish: that
they should have respect for their prey, should never catch more than
they could use, and especially should never throw any away.

One December a party of Kimsquit people, among them Azukkdl-
Snam, journeyed to Bella Coola for some ceremony. Returning, they
encountered a gale from the northwest in Labouchere Channel which
detained them for a whole month. At the end of that time their food was
almost exhausted and they were at the point of starvation, having left but
one dried dog salmon. One of the party, a man named Lék/aékis, whose
children were starving, begged Anukkélsnam to help them, promising him
a canoe, if he stopped the wind. The salmon-boy agreed to do so, and
asked for the single dog salmon left. It had been slit along the backbone
and opened for drying, but he spread it out carefully, and placed within
it two small stones. Then he bent up the edges of the fish, as they had
been in life, and tied them in this position, so that the whole roughly.