WARFARE 357

Tcidisa remained encamped for several days, during which time he sent
word to the Bella Coola that he regretted the death of Qo?xweliot? and
had come to make peace. He added that his followers had tried to
dissuade him, saying that he would be killed, but he had answered that
he was too great a man to allow fear to influence his actions.

Having waited for several days, the party came up the Bella Coola
River, their canoe loaded with presents and eagle down, while Teidisa’s
brother, Ne-s/o-s, wore the mask of his tutwinam as further proof of
friendly intentions. It was unusual to display one except in a sisaok
ceremonial, but this was an unprecedented event; he knew that he might
soon be killed and he preferred to die while bearing the obvious mark of
incorporation with some incident of an ancestral myth. The canoe was
beached opposite the house of Potfes where the crew blew eagle down into
the air to mark their peaceful mission. Men had gathered from all parts
of the Bella Coola valley and several hot-heads wished to disregard the
safe-conducts and slay their enemies, a course which they had recom-
mended for several days and had tried to precipitate by overt acts against
the Kitkatla. Portes himself had not spoken, but he now appeared and
advised the people not to harm Tcbisa, since everlasting hostility would
result. Though his wishes did not entirely quiet the angry ones, they
virtually assured the Kitkatla of a welcome. Portes brought forward a
moose-skin, and told some of his people to hold it spread so that, when
Tcvisa leapt from his canoe, he would land upon it, and could be carried
to the house without putting foot to the ground. Tewu.sa answered
proudly that there was nothing on earth strong enough to support him,
since his many potlatches had made him incomparably heavy. None the
less, he accepted the honour, an assistance to landing shown only to
mighty chiefs, and was carried into the house where he was seated in the
far right-hand corner, an honourable location. Pottes invited all the
people in the vicinity, slaves as well as Bella Coola, and the inner parti-
tions of the house had to be removed to provide space for the throng.

Though Potles had decided against the immediate killing of the
Kitkatla, he had concocted a scheme to test their bravery and the sin-
cerity of their desire for peace. No one knew of this except his nephew,
Ne-xtnkai, who was to carry it out. When all were seated, the latter
appeared, his face smeared with ashes, and his hair tied up in a top-knot
with weasel skins as is customary during war. Ne-xwinkai moved sun-
wise around the house, brandishing a musket and repeatedly pointing it
at Tevisa in a threatening manner. If the Kitkatla had shown nervous-
ness, particularly if one of them had fired his own musket, a massacre
would have resulted. But they remained unmoved, confident in the
Prestige of their leader, while he knew that though his body might be