WARFARE 359

dwelling in spite of the fact that a Cannibal dance was taking place there.
All the messengers were kusiut in Bella Coola, while three had Bella Bella
rights as well; Tewisa allowed the latter to take part in the ceremony
while the former were treated as uninitiated. They were greatly inter-
ested in the details of the Kitkatla rites, which were exceedingly strict
and included the eating of a corpse. At the conclusion, the envoys re-
ceived their share of the small presents which were distributed.

At this juncture one of the envoys, Xemxemilotta, fell seriously ill and
was cured only through the attention and care of one of Tetdisa’s Wives.
This delayed their departure so that it was a long time before they and
the invited guests finally set out, much to the envy of two Bella Coola
slaves who greatly desired to return home.

Meanwhile the long absence of the messengers had filled the Bella
Coola with fear that they had been massacred, and there was great
rejoicing when a large flotilla was seen approaching. The guests landed
on the shore at Qomgo-ts where the customary ceremonious greetings were
exchanged. Many of the Bella Coola, inflamed by ancient wrongs,
endeavoured to break the canoes of the guests and in other ways to
threaten them, but Poffes finally succeeded in restraining them and
establishing some kind of discipline. The ceremony that took place
that night in the house of Pof#es is said to have been the most spectacu-
lar ever witnessed in Bella Coola. One old man who, as a mere lad, had
attended, grew eloquent as he spoke of the lavish display. Unfortu
nately, he had had no part in the rites and could remember none of the
details except that his childish mind was amazed at a dance in which
a masked performer, representing a whale, vomited grease on the fire
to give light. Teusa did not return home immediately, but remained
in Bella Coola until spring when the weather was more suitable for
travelling.

This exchange of hospitality virtually ended all hostility, although
the Bella Coola and other tribes of the central coast stil] regard their
northern neighbours with dislike and suspicion. Between 1880 and 1890
a party of Rivers Inlet people went to Kitlobe to prepare olachen grease,
for which purpose a number of Kitkatla had also camped there. Among
them was Tcidsa, a descendant of the warrior chief whose exploits have
been recounted, and his nephew. One day the latter was gambling with
Mutan-a, a Rivers Inlet youth who had recently been initiated into the
kusiut society and was consequently decorated with a cedar-bark collar.
Mutan-a’s lack was amazing and some of the Kitkatla’s friends asked
him why he continued to play with a man who was clearly in such close
contact with the supernatural that he could not lose. Heedless of this
advice, Teidisa’s nephew continued until finally, losing his temper, he