WARFARE 341

asawarrior. Sucha chief had no command over his followers.
If he were a man of great prestige, many would be willing to
serve under him, but he could not compel the services of any-
one except his own slaves. A few individuals often declined to
follow their fellows to war, although the force of public opinion
usually prevented a too individualistic course. Inhabitants of
other towns used their own discretion whether or not to join
the party. If some of their relatives had been slain in the
previous attack, revenge influenced them to share in the retali-
ation, otherwise only the prestige of a mighty chief could
attract them. No case is known in which all the Bella Coola
villages joined in a single expedition; there were often tem-
porary alliances between neighbouring settlements, but com-
plete lack of central organization. The course of events was
similar when a chief wished to raid without the motive of
avenging an attack. For example, if a Bella Coola had been
enslaved by a foreign tribe and slain by his owner, a brother
of the victim might decide on revenge. The usual course was
to kill a slave belonging to the murderers, though sometimes
he led a raiding party if he could gain the necessary support.

Each warrior provided his own weapons, frequently the
same as those used for hunting. Bows with obsidian-tipped
arrows were most relied upon for offence, though slings were
also used from canoes. Every man carried a spear, pointed
like an arrow, for hand-to-hand fighting, although there was
relatively little of this, most of the combats being fought at a
distance with much noise, boasting, and expletives, but few
casualties. Spears were, however, useful if the attackers suc-
ceeded in surprising a village at night. Hostilities are a thing
of the past, consequently it was impossible to obtain detailed
information respecting offensive weapons. Armour consisted
of maple or birch slats reinforced with moosehide and worn
around the body and chest; this rendered quick movement
dificult but was effective against arrows. Muskets were intro-
duced many years ago and armour consequently became use-
less. Large shields of moosehide were carried in all canoes,