62 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

watch without being seen. The creature acted as if frightened;
it kept looking backwards, then hurriedly scraped up some
clams with its forepaws, dashed off with these into the forest,
and came back for more. The chief decided to attack the
animal. A frontal approach was impossible owing to lack of
cover, so he landed and crept stealthily through the forest,
armed with his Hudson’s Bay Company’s musket. Presently
he stumbled upon a heap of clams which the animal had col-
lected. He waited until it returned with another load, then
raised his musket and fired. Instead of killing the 0¢s, its
supernatural power was so great that the hunter’s musket
burst in his hands, though he himself was not injured. The
bogs shrieked and whistled as if in anger, and at once hordes
of its mates came dashing out through the forest. The fright-
ened chief rushed out on the beach and called to his comrades
to save him. They brought the canoe close to the shore so
that he could clamber aboard, and then paddled away un-
harmed.

The Bella Coola believe that dogs, unlike most supernatural
animals, have not abandoned the country since the coming of
the white man. One man was most insistent that they still
lived on King Island, and promised to point one out if a visit
were made to that spot. This man refuses to camp at the
place where, he afirmed, dogs arecommon. Another informant
stated that though he had never seen one of the monsters, a
horde of them surrounded his camp near Canoe Crossing for a
week. Every night he heard them roaring and beating on
trees and branches. A curious blending of old and new beliefs
was recorded in connection with this statement. This man
remarked that he was once gathering firewood when he heard
the creatures closing in upon him. His head swam with terror,
until he remembered that he was a Christian; he called on
Jesus to help him, grasped his axe, and dashed towards the
place from which the loudest sounds were coming. He heard
the animals moving off all round him, but failed to see any of
them.