Q!â'nêqi?lax^u marries the Daughter of Gwâ'?nâlâlis. 1

He arrived at Gwâ'?nâlâlis. Then Q!â'nêqi?lax^u pretended to be an old man. He sat down by a water. "Wash, wash, child of Gwâ'?nâlâlis!" (he thought). Then the children of Gwâ'?nâlâlis came. They were four girls. They saw Q!â'nêqi?lax^u. Then one of the children of Gwâ'?nâlâlis said, "A nice little one is sitting on the beach. He shall be my slave." Thus said the oldest child of Gwâ'?nâlâlis. She took water and washed herself. Then she called Q!â'nêqi?lax^u. "Come, wash my back," said the oldest child of Gwâ'?nâlâlis. Then Q!â'nêqi?lax^u washed the back of the girl. Then Q!â'nêqi?lax^u took gum and put it on his first-finger. Then he touched with his first-finger the womb of the child of Gwâ'?nâlâlis. He touched three of them from behind with his finger, but he did not want to touch the one. "Why is this one so daring? Do I know where you come from?"--"You will have her for your wife," said Q!â'nêqi?lax^u (referring) to the youngest child of Gwâ'?nâlâlis. Then he married the child of Gwâ'?nâlâlis 2. Then the older sisters of the wife of Q!â'nêqi?lax^u became pregnant. Then the wife of Q!â'nêqi?lax^u became pregnant, and she had a child.

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Then Gwâ'?nâlâlis spoke. "Let us go and split boards." Thus said Gwâ'?nâlâlis. Then they paddled. They saw what was to be split. Then Gwâ'?nâlâlis drove in wedges, and the cedar-tree opened. Then the hammer dropped. It fell into the cedar-tree. "Come get our hammer. It dropped in," (said Gwâ'?nâlâlis). Then Q!â'nêqi?lax^u took the hammer. Gwâ'?nâlâlis knocked out (the spreading sticks. The tree) clapped together, and blood came out, and Q!â'nêqi?lax^u was dead. Then he saw the blood of Q!â'nêqi?lax^u. He took the wedge and put it into the wedge-bag. "Serves you right! You came to make me ashamed." Gwâ'?nâlâlis started, carrying his wedge-bag. Then Q!â'nêqi?lax^u, came, carrying the hammer. "Why are you going away?" said Q!â'nêqi?lax^u. Gwâ'?nâlâlis said, "Come, let us go and do our work!" Gwâ'?nâlâlis came and began to drive in his wedges. Then the cedar tree opened. It was spread out. Then the hammer dropped in. "Come get it! My hammer dropped in." Then Q!â'nêqi?lax^u went into the cedar and got it, and Gwâ'?nâlâlis knocked out the spreading-stick of the cedar tree. It clapped together, and blood came out. "Serves you right! You came to make me ashamed. You did not see what I was going to do to you." Gwâ'?nâlâlis started. "Don't go away!" said Q!â'nêqi?lax^u. "I am bringing your hammer."--"Oh, that is good, my dear!" said Gwâ'?nâlâlis. "I thought you were dead." Then they finished their work and paddled home.

Then Q!â'nêqi?lax^u threw rotten wood into the water. Q!â'nêqi?lax^u said to the rotten wood, "You shall become dolphins." Then the rotten wood began to jump and became dolphins. They came and jumped at the head of Gwâ'?nâlâlis. Then his face began to swell. His eyes could not be seen because he was swollen. That was done by the dolphins. Then Q!â'nêqi?lax^u took salmon

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berries, and put the berries into a bucket. Then he paddled, going home. He took the salmon-berries and gave them to his mother-in-law [his parent-in-law; namely, his woman parent-in-law] to eat. Then Gwâ'?nâlâlis was hurt.

Q!â'nêqi?lax^u lay down in the house. "Why are you downhearted?" said the wife of Q!â'nêqi?lax^u; and Q!â'nêqi?lax^u spoke, and said, "The reason that I am downhearted is that Only-One is probably dead." Thus said Q!â'nêqi?lax^u. Then Gwâ'?nâlâlis spoke. "Go and see him," Gwâ'?nâlâlis said to his child, "only take your chamber-vessel." Thus said Gwâ'?nâlâlis to his child, the wife of Q!â'nêqi?lax^u. Then he started to see his younger brother. Now Only-One was dead. Then Q!â'nêqi?lax^u cried on account of his younger brother, when he was dead. The flesh of Only-One was all gone. There were only bones. Then the wife of Q!â'nêqi?lax^u took her chamber-vessel and sprinkled Only-One. He came to life. "Hë!" said Only-One, "I have been asleep for a long time." Thus said Only-One. "You did not sleep," said Q!â'nêqi?lax^u to his younger brother Only-One, "you were dead."

Then Lord Q!â'nêqi?lax^u spoke. I am going to start again. I have seen much that is wrong, that I will set right," That is the end.

Footnotes

195:1 See Publications of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, Vol. X, pp. 196 et seq.

195:2 "That means I will have you for my wife," thought Q!â'nêqi?lax^u in regard to the youngest daughter of Gwâ'?nâlâlis.