40. The Origin of the Spuzzum People.
(Lower Uta' mqt)
(cont.)On reaching home, they showed their wonderful purchase to their friends ; and the people of all the houses, including the xaxa' people, flocked to see it. After all had examined it, they repaired to their respective houses and went to sleep ; but none of those who had looked at or had touched the copper hammer awoke again. They all died that night.
Now it happened that at the time there were two young men1away training in the mountains. They belonged to one of the houses on the south side of the creek; and on their return home, they found all the people dead. They entered the other house, and found all the people dead there also, then they crossed the creek to the house of the -raxa', but found them dead likewise. Then they repaired to the remaining house, where the people were also dead excepting an old woman and her two young grand-daughters, who were the only- people who had not gone to see the wonderful copper hammer and the chisel. The two young men were very glad to find some one alive, and took up their abode with the survivors. They all lived together in one house.
After the Girls, had come of age and had finished their training, their grandmother said to them, "You must marry these two men who have helped to support you so long. You must become their wives and beget children, so that we may not become extinct in this place.' Therefore the girls married the two men, and they had numerous children, from whom it is said most of the Spuzzum people are descended.2
41. The Dog People.3
(Lower Uta'mqt.)The Dog people lived in an underground lode near Spuzzum. Their house was called kaxae'lx ("dog-house''), and had a false floor. Strangers upon entering, and when about to leave the bottom of the ladder to step on the floor, tumbled down into a pit of greath depth, where they were killed and eaten by the Dog people, who never came forth except at night.
1 Some say they were brothers.
2 Some say that all the real Spuzzum people are descendants of these two couples; but some of the people now living at Spuzzum belonged originally to further up the river and are not real Spuzzum people.
3 These may be the same people as those described in the story of the deep underground house, (see p- 277).
