Kwakiutl Tales: 1. Q!â'nêqê?laku and Xatê'tsEn

(Dictated by Wa'nuk^u, 1893.)

Xatê'tsEn was sitting in his house when his attendant came and said, "Don't sit here in the house, for somebody is coming to the beach here."--"Maybe this is what I am expecting, that will make things right on the beach." Then Xatê'tsEn went out of his house to invite Q!â'nêqê?lak^u. Then (Q!â'nêqê?lak^u) entered the house of Xatê'tsEn, and he was given dried (salmon to eat. It was dried) meat of the double-headed serpent. Q!â'nêqê?lak^u began to eat it, and his body became contorted. Then Xatê'tsEn spoke. "Don't urge our friend here (to eat)." Then Xatê'tsEn and Q!â'nêqê?lak^u went out of the house. Xatê'tsEn looked at his salmon-weir. Then Q!â'nêqê?lak^u transformed him into stone. Xatê'tsEn became a man again, because he also had supernatural power. (He said,) "Go on, take warning, friend! Now I will also do something to you." Then Xatê'tsEn transformed his friend into stone, but Q!â'nêqê?lak^u became a man again.

Then he warned Xatê'tsEn. "Take warning, friend! Now I will try you again." They took hold of each other, and Q!â'nêqê?lak^u held Xatê'tsEn by his sides. He lifted him up. Then Xatê'tsEn was transformed into fog. He became a man again. Then Xatê'tsEn spoke. "Go on, take warning, friend! Now I will do something to you also." Then Xatê'tsEn lifted Q!â'nêqê?lak^u and threw him upward. Then Q!â'nêqê?lak^u also became fog. Q!â'nêqê?lak^u became a man again.

Then Xatê'tsEn spoke. "Oh, indeed, you have supernatural power, friend! Come, let us go to my playground." Then they went aboard his canoe, and they paddled, going to Xatê'tsEn's play-round. They were dressed quite with the same kind of belts; namely, double-headed serpents. Double-headed serpents also were their canoes. Then they arrived at the playground.

Then Xatê'tsEn spoke. "Take care, friend! else you might have a mishap on my playground. Nobody who ever tried to come and play on it has succeeded a single time. This is what makes it slippery, the blood of those who came from time to time to play here." Then Xatê'tsEn spoke. "You go on first, friend!" Thus Q!â'nêqê?lak^u was told by his friend. "(No,) you first," said Q!â'nêqê?lak^u. "You said that it is your playground."--"Let me go first, friend," said Xatê'tsEn, on his part. Then he (Q!â'nêqê?lak^u) clapped on the gunwale of his canoe with his paddle, and Xatê'tsEn ran up. Xatê'tsEn ran straight up. He did not rest on his resting-place halfway up: he just turned round and came down again and jumped into his canoe.

Then Xatê'tsEn spoke. "Now you go, friend!" Thus he said to Q!â'nêqê?lak^u. "Take care, fasten your belt well, else it might (drag) behind you!" Then Q!â'nêqê?lak^u ran. He had nearly reached the top when he

Xatê'tsEn waited in vain for Q!â'nêqê?lak^u to show himself, but Q!â'nêqê?lak^u just did mischief to Xatê'tsEn's land. Q!â'nêqê?lak^u transformed into stone a beaver that was sitting by the river. Then Q!â'nêqê?lak^u caught sight of the watchman at the salmon-weir of Xatê'tsEn. He transformed into stone him and his pole. Then he also transformed into stone the watchman of Xatê'tsEn. Then Xatê'tsEn was vanquished by Q!â'nêqê?lak^u, for Xatê'tsEn did not know what Q!â'nêqê?lak^u was doing.