inform their brother of their lucky find. They were puzzled as to how
this might be managed without awakening jealousies among the other
members of the tribe, and they were fearful to face their father's
wrath who surely would expect their craft well laden with the cedar
bark. They reasoned long and then decided on a stratagem. One of the
three would cut her foot with a mussel shell, and mark her tunic with
the blood, and tell the story, that when they landed on the Toquaht
shore an open mussel shell had cut her foot, therefore they could not
go for cedar bark. They carried out this plan, and paddled slowly to
Ho-moh-ah. The people saw them come, and wondered much what evil had
befallen them, but when they saw the blood upon the kutsack of the
youngest girl and saw her bound up foot, they guessed the trouble.
Before the sun had set, the brother had been told of the wolf pups,
and secretly that night he had taken from them the precious parts,
and when he went hunting, he rubbed the medicine on his canoe, and
had such wondrous luck he soon became the chief of all whale hunters.
Such is the story told by that weird painting, which could be seen
some years ago adorning the dark walls of the great potlatch house
of Shewish, Seshaht chief on Ho-moh-ah but better known as Village
Island, Barkley Sound.

[Illustration: HALIBUT HOOK AND CLUB FOR STUNNING FISH]



THE FINDING OF THE TSOMASS


NAMES AND WORDS OCCURRING IN THE LEGEND "THE FINDING OF THE TSOMASS"