WARFARE 373

the first time that two girls were missing. Then they set forth on the
track of the Carriers. The raiders, knowing that their assault could not
have been heard in any village, and unaware of the three young people
hidden in the woods, took no precautions. The first night the pursuers
reached the camp where the Carriers had built a long, narrow fire of some
kind of wood which emitted no sparks, on either side of which they had
placed a long tree-trunk on which to rest their feet as they dried their
moccasins at the flames. One of the Bella Coola girls was placed near one
end of the fire, the other at the other end on the opposite side. Neither
could sleep, but kept watching silently in the hope of being able to escape.
Towards dawn one of them was overjoyed to see a Bella Coola scout
peering around a tree-trunk. He motioned her to keep silent and she
nodded to show that she understood his signal; then he went away. He
told his waiting companions how the Carriers were resting with their feet
over logs beside the fire, and suggested that they prepare heavy clubs.
Having done this, the Bella Coola stole up behind the drowsing enemy.
Each selected a victim and broke his leg, or legs, with a crack of the club.
Not one of the raiders escaped, the cripples being killed without difficulty.
In some manner this event was made the theme of a sisaok song.

The following unrelated incident is probably historically
correct, in outline at least, since it is said to have taken place
about 1860, and two of the participants were great-uncles of
the man from whom the account was obtained.

One October a number of Carriers were staying at Nusgalst. Their
chief was a certain Q¢md?xem who was distantly related to the people of
that village, though he had long since ceased to be regarded as anything
but a Carrier. The river was running full and though there were many
cohoe and dog salmon in it, they were difficult to catch on account of the
roaring torrent. A Nusga/st man, Qo?xwe/iot?, had laid in an abundant
store of fish for the winter, but his bad-tempered wife urged him to get
her some fresh salmon and he ventured forth. A drifting log struck his
canoe; he called out for help, but before it reached him, his craft capsized
and he was drowned. Qo#xweliot? was a popular man and there was
great grief at his untimely death.

_ As was so often the case, jealousy was rife in Nusgalst, where a certain
Néné#? had become wealthy. He wasa good carpenter, and his riches had
been amassed as rewards for making kusiut masks, but of course such
payments had been made in secret and many people wondered how he
had acquired his fortune. This was enough to cause a certain amount
of suspicion, and a rival determined to take advantage of it. This man
approached Qaméd?xem and said that he believed Nandi? was responsible