84 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

saw it, and despatched one of his Snuiswktdls to fetch it. He chose
Nunusmaoak, “He Who Carries One,” the Snuisiktals able to lift one of
anything. Down swooped Nunusmaoak, and seized the dummy in his
talons, but, as he flapped his wings in an effort to rise, they became stuck
in the gum so that he could neither lift his quarry nor escape. When the
whale dived he was drowned. Many people on the shore watched the
struggle. Then Azgunitiim despatched another Snuisiktéls, Nunutnusek,
“He Who Carries Two,” who is able to carry two of anything. Nunutnusek
likewise gripped the whale with his claws and succeeded in raising it
slightly before his wings stuck in the gum and he, too, fell back and was
drowned. Then Afguntim sent down Nunudsmusek, “He Who Carries
Three,” the Sxuiswkidls able to lift three of anything. Nunudsmusek
gripped the whale as his predecessors had done, and lifted it about ten
feet in the air before his wings became stuck like those of the others, and
he, too, fell back and was drowned. Afguntim, much worried, called to
him Nunumu-sek, “He Who Carries Four,” the Snuisiwktdls able to carry
four of anything, and despatched him after telling him how his three
brothers had been overcome in their efforts to carry the monster away.
Nunumu-sek swooped down with a powerful rush, gripped the whale
firmly at the back of its neck, and carried it far aloft into the sky. Grad-
ually the gum interfered with his wing-beats; they became more rapid
and strained, until slowly he began to fall, still struggling. All the while
his wings were being more and more hampered, till finally he, too, was
powerless, and with a resounding splash fell with the whale into the water
where he, likewise, was drowned. When no more Snuisuktals appeared,
the helmsman inside guided his strange craft back to the beach, where
he exhibited his prey to the spectators. The story does not record how
he was able to disengage them from the gum and take them into his
whale. All the people were amazed at the dead SxuiswWktdls, for their
huge bony wings resembled nothing ever seen before.

Raven was not satisfied with his success, because, though he had
slain the Snuisi/ktdls, he had not recovered O’miet?#mai. He went to his
house still weeping at the loss of his child. A/guntdim and Ormiettmai
had seen Raven’s sorrow, and the former sent the boy back. When
O’mietimai entered the house he said to Raven:

“Don’t cry. Herel am. I saw your grief and have returned.”

Raven looked at the speaker and replied: “No. You are not my son.
He had beautiful flowing locks.”

O’miet?mai had indeed appeared without any hair on his head, but he
explained his loss by saying:

“Truly I am your son, O»mietimai. I have been up in Nusmdt-a where
there was such a gale that my hair was blown away.”