STORIES 507

especial mark of gratitude, the father gave a piece of Bella Coola land to.

the Kimsquit man. This is one of the few instances known of outright bestowal of land at marriage.

THE ADVENTURES OF A BELLA BELLA CREW

One April, a few years after the establishment of white settlements on the coast, a party of Bella Bella set out in a single canoe to hunt sea- otters. Planning to be absent for several months, they carried with them considerable supplies of food and water, while their mat sail lessened the work of the paddlers. They reached their first destination, Goose Island, without difficulty, and then continued in a north-westerly direction to- wards a barren islet of hard sand where sea-otters were usually to be found. All went well until they were in sight of this, when they encoun- tered Xai-ui7, the steady north wind, against which they could make no headway. In spite of the efforts of the paddlers, the canoe was driven southward and westward, out of sight of land. Steady winds prevailed for months, preventing the crew from heading their craft east towards the shore; fortunately, they had ample supplies, though these finally began to run low. Rain kept them supplied with fresh water, and they were able to eke out their food with fish, which had to be eaten raw. It was the end of September before they saw land, a small, isolated island with moderately high hills and, more important, running water. They beached the canoe and tried to leap ashore, but long sitting in narrow quarters had so cramped them that they could only crawl. After they had rested and regained the use of their legs, the captain climbed to the top of a hill from which he could see the other side of the island where smoke was rising. The mariners paddled around, and found themselves near a settlement of people whose language was unknown to them. They resembled In- dians, though their mouths were exceedingly small, and the wanderers could see that they were eating raw worms picked out from rotten salmon. The Bella Bella feared to land among these strangers, but some of the latter swam out and passed their hands in wonder along the sides of the foreign canoe. Their own craft were smaller and narrower than any used on the coast, and all were tied together in pairs to prevent tipping.

As the party was leaving the island, a strong west wind sprang up before which they made such headway that three days later they reached the mainland. None of the crew knew where they were, but they realized that their home must be far to the north, so they cautiously proceeded in that direction. The wind changed to the south, again assisting them, and they sailed on for four or five days until they were suddenly pursued by hostile canoes as they neared the point of what seemed to be a large