ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 87

He cried: ‘There is a deer that has been struck by a Shushwap arrow.’
‘The old man at once despatched him to the main party, and told him to
snform the chief of what he had seen. The boy obeyed, but the chief did
not believe him. He merely made a gesture indicating that the Shush-
wap would not dare to show their backs in this country. (He closed the
thumb and the third and fourth fingers of his right hand, bent the first
and second fingers towards the thumb, holding them apart, the palm
directed towards his face.) The two women heard what was going on.
They thought that their brothers might have followed them, and at
nightfall went back to see whether they might discover anyone. ‘hey
met the Shushwap who instructed them to keep their husbands—for
they had been married to two men of the Seka/umQ—awake until! early in
the morning. They obeyed, and when the men had fallen asleep in the
morning the Shushwap made an attack upon the camp and killed all but
three, who had succeeded in putting their snow-shoes on and fled. ‘ihe
-Shushwap pursued them, and one of the Srka’ume jumped into a hole
: formed by the melting of the snow around a tree. From his hiding
place he wounded a Shushwap called Ta/leqin, when passing by. ‘Two
of the fleeing Seka/umea were killed, the third escaped. Ta’leqin died

_of his wound when they were returning homeward. His body was burnt
and his bones taken along, to be buried in the burial ground of his native
| village.

Sign LANGUAGE.

On the coast of British Columbia the extensive use of the Chinook
jargon has almost entirely superseded the use of the sign language ; but
there is little doubt that it has been in use in former times. The only
instance of the use of signs—except in making tales more vivid and graphic
__that came under my observation was when an old Haida, who did not

| understand Chinook, wanted to tell me that he could not speak the

jargon. He introduced the first finger of his right hand into his mouth,

acted as though he attempted to draw out something, and then shook his

finger.

In the interior of the province the sign language is still used
extensively. The following signs were collected among the Shushwap.

1. All.—Right hand held in front of breast, palm downward, moved
around horizontally.

2 Bear.—Both fists held in front of breasts, knuckles upward, the
thumbs touching the bent first fingers ; fists pushed forward alternately
in circular motions, imitating the movements of a bear.

3 Bear's hole-—Second, third and fourth fingers of both hands closed ;
thumbs and first fingers extended, points of both thumbs and of both first
fingers touch, so that they form a circle.

4, Beaver.—Right hand drops, palm downward, between the extended
thumb and first finger of left, so that the wrist rests on the interstice.
Imitation of beaver’s tail.

5. Boy, about fifteen years of age.-—Open hand raised in front of
breast to the height of the chin, palm turned toward face,

6. Bush.-Open hands placed against each other, so that both
thumbs and both fourth fingers touch.

7. Daylight.— Hands half opened, first finger slightly extended held
upward in front of body, palms inward at height of chin, hands then
moved outward, describing circles.