The KîksA'dî used to live at Daxê't, where they dried salmon. After they had gotten through drying it they tied it up there. So he (a small boy) was baiting a snare for sea gulls. When he came into the house afterward he was very hungry. "Mother, I am hungry. Give me some dried salmon." So she, gave him a piece of dried salmon which had begun to mold on the corner. Then he said, "You always give me moldy-cornered ones." They always began tying up from the corner of the house. He spoke to the dried salmon. Just then some one shouted out, "There is a sea gull in your snare." So he ran down to it. He ran out into the water to his snare. When he got out into the midst of the water he looked as if he were pulled down into it. Then all of the drying salmon ran down to him. Now
The salmon people all knew the salmon month had come up here which was their month for returning. They always spawn up here among us. At once they started back with him. They started up this way. Then the cohoes people broke their canoe. This is why the cohoes come up last. The L!ûk!nAxA'dî were going to have the cohoes as an emblem, and this is why the L!ûk!nAxA'dî are also very slow people. At once all started, dog salmon and humpbacks. They started up this way with Lively-frog-in-pond (the boy's name). The big salmon people started up thither. Very soon the salmon tribe came to the "sît." It is this sît which gives scars to whichever one happens to get caught
Now they saw his father plainly coming down from far up the creek. They said to him (the boy), "Stand up." He jumped up. "Very fine," said his mother. His mother called him a fine salmon. They took their things out of all of the houses. When they brought what had been a salmon inside a man went out and spoke to the many
Next morning the noise of shamans' sticks was heard at the mouth of the creek. The raft came up from underneath. Meanwhile the one that had saved himself came among his friends and told them that the KîksA'dî were all destroyed. Therefore the women were all weeping. When the shaman saw them he spoke. His spirits said that the people were not hurt at all. Nor were their clothes even torn. This is why a KîksA'dî is very brave. The man who jumped out, however, was very much ashamed. Then they brought the people up from [the place where they had come out]. Now the spirits worked in him, and he sang for another land otter so that the people could see his strength. He sent out his clothes-man to a point that could be seen below. "Take a spear" [he said]. He went to it. He saw nothing, and stayed there that night. Then he
301:a This is the Sitka version of the story. 304:a An exchange of taunts. 308:a That is, the tabus. 310:a By a mere motion of his paddle he cut off the land otter's tongue.
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