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Many years ago an
Indian chief, living on the West Coast, was one day walking along the
beach, looking for a suitable tree to make into a canoe. He saw, lying,
a small round log, with one end smaller than the other and without any
bark on, and quite smooth ; round the middle was a hard black substance.
He examined it closely and found that this piece of black stuff could be
taken off this smooth log, so he went to work and succeeded in loosening
it, and at length it lay in his hand. Could he use this hard stuff to
cut with ? He took a large stone and began to hammer away at this thing,
and at last he broke it and flattened it out straight. Then he tried to
cut wood with it, and found that he could easily drive the bhick thing
into the wood. Overjoyed with his discovery, he tied a handle to this
wonderful thing and called it his power. He told none of his friends
about his discovery. He then began to make a canoe, and when it was
finished, the inside and out were so smooth that his friends inquired of
him how he had made such an" improvement. He only laughed and said that
the spirits had given him a great power. So his friends asked to be
allowed to see this wonder; but he refused to show it to them. They kept
a close watch on him, but could not find out what it was he used. So at
last they left him alone. One day, whilst out hunting, he lost his
power, and was inconsolable. He was afraid to ask his friends to help
him look for his power, lest they might find it and keep it.
This great loss preyed upon his mind so much that he lost heart in
everything; even his appetite had gone, and he decided that it was
better to die than to live. So, climbing the high mountain at the back
of the village, and then on down the valley to a very high mountain he
saw in the distance, he reached the top just as the moon was rising over
the sea. What was his amazement to see the moon carrying on her breast a
beautiful canoe, but larger than he had ever seen or dreamt of, and it
had large white wings, spread out like a bird’s. “Ah! It must be the
children of the moon that have come down to earth. What is going to
happen? Perhaps we are going to die, or our enemies are coming to attack
us.”
He watched this marvellous sight, and saw the moon’s canoe glide away
and out of sight. He was so full of fear and astonishment that he forgot
completely that he had come up the mountain to die a lonely death; So
eager was he to tell his people what he had seen that he rushed down the
mountain side, leaping from stone to stone, like a young deer, and
reached the village, breathless. He told them that he had seen the
moon’s canoe; but the people laughed at the wonderful tale, and said
that he had dm med it, and his spirits were deceiving him.
Early next day, when they awoke, what should they see, lying in their
harbour, but this wonderful canoe that the chief had seen.
“How, then, did I not tell you the truth? Here, this canoe has come to
visit us. Come, let us go and see the moon’s children.”
They were afraid, and called a council meeting to decide what had better
be done. So, after much talking, they decided to send twelve young men,
who were pure in heart and body, to go and visit the moon’s canoe. So a
large war canoe was got ready, and these twelve youths stepped in. As
they were pushing off, our friend jumped in. His curiosity was so great
he could not resist the temptation of being one of the first to see
these wonderful things. They paddled round this big canoe. It was so
high and long! How could they get on it? So the moon children let down
pieces of stuff, like cedar bark rope, and made signs for them to catch
hold of these ropes and come up. They did so, and when they reached the
deck, the chief of the moon children came to meet them. He had a very
white face and eyes like the blue skies, and hair like grass when it is
yellow. He made signs to them not to be afraid, and made them sit down,
and placed before them blight, shining dishes, filled with blood and
bones, and made signs for them to eat. They shook their heads and talked
among themselves, asking, how could they eat such stuff as blood and
bones. Then one of the moon children took a piece of bone and thrust it
into the blood and put it into his mouth and eat it. One of the young
men took heart and followed his example. How good it was! He told his
companions to eat it, for, he said, “It is sweet, just like our mother’s
milk.” So they fell to and enjoyed it, as they had never done anything
before.
After they had finished, the moon’s people came and felt their dresses,
which were made of sea-otter furs. The people seemed to like the feel of
their clothes so much that one of the young men suggested that they make
them a present of their furs. So the young men took off their clothes
and laid them down on the deck, and made signs that they meant the skins
as a gift for the wonderful men. Now the men took long sticks, and,
pointing at a flock of ducks flying overhead, a loud noise was made, and
smoke came pouring out of the fire-stick. The poor fellows fell down and
were almost beside themselves with fear. The men then picked up a duck
that had fallen on the deck, and showed it to them. The young men were
struck with wonderment, and made signs that they wished to have a
fire-stick. The moon people made signs that they would give the
fire-stick for furs, so some of the young men went ashore and told these
things, and they were laden with bales of sea-otter skins, which they
took to the ship, and laid down by the fire-stick, which was held up as
a measure. Then they were given the fire-stick and shown how to handle
it, and great was their satisfaction.
“Now we have something better than our bows and arrows, and can kill all
the bears we need.”
The chief was given the moon dishes, which he hung up afterwards in his
lodge. How brightly they shone, and were just as round as the moon.
This was the first time that they had seen white men, or tasted molasses
and biscuit, or handled a gun, or seen a tin dish. |
