156 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

for a rehearsal. The box is placed on top of the concealed
opening; X enters it, raises the flap in the bottom, and opens
the trap-door through which he squeezes into the space be-
tween the floor of the house and the ground beneath. The false
body, clothed like himself, has been placed in readiness and X
passes it up into the box which he has just left. Water is then
poured in upon it and the movable section of bottom fits suffi-
ciently tightly that none flows out. If everything is satis-
factory, the box is returned to its owner for safe-keeping.

When the time for the ceremony comes, the senior kukusiut
meet for a final rehearsal after the gotim of a kusiut. Cases
are remembered of intentional tampering with the box by
some malicious individual, hence the necessity for careful
testing. The following night the call comes to X, and he goes
to every house of the village with his cry:

“Please speak plainly; I will do what you want.”

The ritual of the next four days is identical with that
already described and the uninitiated keep wondering what
is going to happen. If they should ask any kusiui, the answer
given is:

“We don’t quite understand what it is. Something dread-
ful has fallen upon X, but the details are not yet clear.”

So the time passes until the night when X is to be drowned.
As in other kusiotem dances, the uninitiated are guided to their
places in inky darkness and sit there until the weird stillness
and awe of it all has had time to take effect upon them. At last
the fire is kindled and one of the marshals announces that X
wants to borrow a large boiling box from so-and-so, naming the
man to whom the prepared one has been entrusted. The owner
says that he is willing to lend it and two kukusiut are sent to
bring the receptacle. It is placed over the trap-door, and:
X circles the fire four times while the kukusiut beat time
frenziedly with sticks. Suddenly he cries out:

‘““My patron bids me enter this box and have water poured
upon me.”

The kukusiut women drone out in fear and the dnuyer