28. Bluejay (Kwo'kskwa or Kauwe'yaats).
(Lower Uta'mqt)
(cont.)At last Bluejay killed the man, and drew the body out on the sandy lake-shore. Then he sang and danced around the body of his victim because of his victory. He called on his nephews to come; and when they arrived, he cut off the man's scalp. Then they took the hair of the scalp and tied some of it to their spears, to the handles of their knives, and to the heads of their arrows.
At last they came within sight of the abode of their enemies. It was a large, long house of stone, situated at the bottom of a high cliff, and it had three doors. They hid themselves until near day-break next morning, when they made an attack and burst in the doors. Bluejay entered by the middle door, while his nephews entered by the two end ones. They took the people by surprise and killed a great many, but the survivors soon armed themselves and drove the intruders out. The two nephews were slain, and Bluejay had to flee for his life. His pursuers rapidly gained on him, and he took refuge in the middle of a thicket of bushes. Here he was surrounded. Some of the people began to cut down the bushes,1 while others kept thrusting at him with their spears between the bushes. In his extremity he called2 on the bird bluejay to help him. The bird came to his rescue, and, attacking the enemy fiercely, made them take flight. They fled to the cliffs for safety. Then Bluejay and the bird revived the nephews by walking past their heads or jumping over their bodies. They came to life again, and said, "We must have slept a long time!" But Bluejay said, "Yes! you have been asleep, have you, why: you were dead and we have brought you to life again."
After this they all started on their journey home. As soon as they had safely passed beyond the boundaries of the enemies' country, the bird bluejay left them. The others continued their journey, and when near home, Bluejay said, "Let us go hunting! You go up over that hillside and look for name, while I will go in this other direction.' To this proposition the nephews assented, and accordingly they separated. They went up over opposite hillsides; but before they had ascended very far, they turned around towards each other, and tried to transform each other. In this they succeeded at last; for Bluejay changed his nephews into wolves, saying, "You shall be wolves and hunt all your days, and your offspring shall always be wolves and shall always hunt.' The nephews changed Bluejay into a bird, saying; "You and your offspring shall always be bluejays, and you shall never be able to kill game by hunting, but will always have to depend on what you can steal, and on the refuse of game left by hunters."
1. Some say the bushes were cut by the enemy thrusting their spears at Blueiay.
2. Some say he prayed to Bluejay to come to his aid.
