WARFARE 363

he was over-ruled by the popular wish and the raiders set out. They had
chosen an opportune time, since most of the people were absent hunting
and fishing; in fact, three men and three children were the sole occupants
of the fortified village. They saw the approaching marauders in the
distance, closed all openings, and prepared to defend themselves. The
Kwakiutl felled a large tree and with this as ram attempted to batter
down the gate. It was too strongly built, and while struggling with it,
the attackers offered excellent targets to those within. One of them,
Snug, was a good shot and took heavy toll. Convinced that the gate
was too strong for them, the Kwakiutl turned their attention to the
hollow log; their ram failed to shatter it and they again suffered heavy
casualties. Nor had the defenders escaped scatheless. One of the three
was struck by an enemy bullet, another fell from the fighting-platform
and accidentally shot himself, while Swizug’s powder began to fail. Fear-
ing that all was lost, he told one of the little boys to open a concealed rear
door" and flee into the woods with the two smaller children. The three
managed to escape unobserved from the village and hid themselves under
leaves. The Kwakiutl did not know how weakly the stockade was de-
fended, and Swimg disguised the fact by rushing from one part of the
platform to another and calling out in various tones as if a number of
people were speaking. He could fire oaly occasionally on account of
shortage of powder, but the ruse was effective and at last the raiders
withdrew, carrying their dead with them. Two of them wandered into
the forest instead of accompanying their comrades; they must have died
of starvation, since their corpses were found in an emaciated condition
several weeks later.

Not content with defeating the raiders almost single-handed, Smug
embarked in a small canoe and cautiously followed the course which he
knew they must havetaken. His children had been slain by the Kwakiutl
during a previous raid, a circumstance which had so embittered him that
he regretted the escape of a single one of them, and was determined to
treat even their dead with ignominy. At length he noticed a number of
crows congregated on a sandy beach, and rightly judged that this indi-
cated the spot where the vanquished had buried their slain. Smug
exhumed one of the corpses and impaled it on a stake in a crouching
position.

Meanwhile the relatives of the raiders, expecting the usual easy
success, had gathered near their leader’s house. They were filled with
apprehension when they heard a mourning song from the returning
canoes, and anxiously called out to learn the fate of different members

Probably a mere chink in the stockade.