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The Indian chief,
Statloth, and his wife lived many years without being blessed with
children, but at last the great spirit sent them a beautiful boy— the
joy and pride of their lives. As he grew beyond babyhood, they found
that he was only content to roam in the forest by himself. No children
were ever taken as his companions. All day would the child be absent. At
nightfall, however, he would return. His parents could not make out this
strange silent child. At last his father followed him one day, and after
a long hunt Statloth tracked his son as far as Shawnigan Lake, where, in
a clear space, he saw his son playing with an immense wolf. How
frightened he was ! He dared not move, for fear they would see him, and
the charm would be spoilt, as the wolf was evidently a great power. So
the father watched the two playing, and then crept away as silently as
he could. When he got back to Saanich and his wife, he told her what a
marvel he had seen. “Oh, my wife, our son is destined to become a great
chief; the Great Spirit has taken him and put his spirit in the child.
How, when our son comes back do not say anything to him, and ask him not
where he has been these many days.”
The evening of the next day the young son appeared and brought deer’s
flesh in abundance, and told his father that in future he need not go to
the forest to hunt, as he was able now to keep them supplied with food.
When the lad had reached his sixteenth year, he bade his father call all
his kinsmen to a big feast, so word was sent to Hew Westminster,
Semiahmoo (or Mud Bay), Cowichan, Kuper Island, Salt Spring Island,
Chemainus and Hanaimo that Chief Statloth would give a feast in honor of
his son, and also that the son might receive a name. Indian children do
not receive names till they reach a certain age. The lad told his father
not to trouble himself about getting food, as his own friends would
bring in what he wished. The day before the feast the mother was getting
anxious as to where the food was to come
CHIEF STATLOTH AT SHAWNIGAN LAKE
from. During the night
wolves from all parts came to Saanich, each carrying a deer slung over
his back. Five thousand wolves were employed in this service, and such a
mountain of deer-meat was never seen before or since. Chief Statloth was
so terrified at hearing the wolves that he shut the lodge door fast, and
could scarcely be persuaded to come and look at the meat. At last he
came out, and such a sight met his eyes ! His beloved son standing by
the side of a huge wolf, who kept guard of the boy. The wolf then spoke
to the father.
“Oh, chief, this, your child, has been taken by our chief to be his son,
and he wishes him to be called Sernmelth. He is to be a very great
warrior, and our future king.” With that the wolf bounded away to the
forest.
During the day the visitors and guests began to arrive, and all were
taken up to see this wonderful sight. Their wonder and amazement, also
fear, cannot be described. When they had all come, then the cooking and
feasting commenced. They ate till they nearly burst, then slept, and
continued eating till the mountain of flesh had been consumed. Then the
ceremony of christening the young man took place. When the people heard
that he was to be called Sernmelth, which was not a tribal name, they
murmured and asked the reason why he should have such a name. So the
young man told the reason and the story of his adoption by the wolves,
and how they had given him power over all men and animals.
“Now,” said Sernmelth, “call upon me if you wish to go to war, and I
will, by myself, conquer your enemies.”
They laughed at him, but he begged them to let him show his powers. Now,
they had a grudge against the Quatsino tribe, but the latter in the old
days numbered thousands of people, and the Cowichans and their friends
were rather afraid of attacking them ; but, inspired by the words of
Semmclth, they called a war council and decided to attack the Quatsinos.
They made their preparations and got their war canoes ready, and, with
Semmelth as head of the expedition, started off. After eighteen days’
paddling they reached Quatsino Sound.
“Now, my friends,” said Semmelth, “I wish you to remain in your canoes,
as I am going to kill these, our enemies, by myself. Don’t follow, but
wait till I call you.”
So off he started, and not long after they heard such howling and baying
of wolves, and then the screams of men and women. The people were being
chased by wolves, pulled down and destroyed. It was a terrible scene.
This carnage went on all day, and at night all was quiet. Then they took
heart and crept into the village. Oh, what an awful sight met their eyes
! All the people were killed except the children. These had been spared.
After burning the dead, they fed the children and left them to go back
to the canoes and wait for Semmelth. lie did noi return, and after long
waiting they went home and there found him. Semmelth had run all the
way. Ilis running was like a wolf’s for swiftness, and his strength was
enormous. They asked the hero how he had conquered the Quatsinos.
“Oh,” said he, “my good brothers, the wolves, did the deed for me.”
Then the people feared him greatly, and his fame went all over the
world. The time came when he desired to marry.
“My father, I hear that Chief Heachwistan has a very fine daughter, and
I would like to marry her!"
So, after much talking and voyaging, the maiden was brought to Saanich
and given to Semmelth as his wife. The maiden did not like her husband,
and ran away from him and took a canoe and paddled back to her father.
The second wife came from Salt Spring Island, and the day after the
great wedding feast Semmelth did not rise, so his father went to call
him, but no answer from Semmelth, and on looking at his son he found
'that Semmelth’s throat had been cut, that the young wife had escaped,
and that she had dene the deed. Mw, it happened that the second wife was
a young man dressed as a woman and had been used by Semmelth’s enemies
to destroy the great wolf man.
Poor old Statloth was heart-broken—his only son to meet such a terrible
death. So to the forest he went, after putting the body in a box, and
that into a tree, and called for the great wolf, so that he might have
revenge. On his way back the poor old man was met by a bear, and killed
and eaten.
The poor mother was now by herself. One morning early she heard
scratching sounds at her door, and, getting up, what should she see but
a large wolf, who leaped on her, licked her face and whined, expressing
as much joy as he could. Then he spoke.
"Oh, my mother, I am your son, Semmelth, and have now become a great
chief over the wolves. You will never want for meat till you die, for
every day
STETALHT
I will bring you food.
I will watch over you, so don’t be afraid any more, for we are all about
you.” With these words he ran to the forest.
The mother never had to beg meat from any of her people, and when she
died she was taken to the woods by her son and buried, wolf fashion.
Not long after this the Nootka Indians heard that Semmelth was dead, so
they came to dance and burn Semmelth’s village in Saanich; but the
Saanich people had rushed into the woods, and the Nootkas were having a
splendid dance, when down came the wolves and chased them into their
canoes. The people were so alarmed, that they paddled off, and got as
far as Chemainus, and there camped, when down came the wolves, killing
numbers of the people. The rest pushed off and went on to Nanaimo, where
they landed, and the wolves chased them again, this time leaving only a
few people alive. At last they reached home, and there the wolves came
down on them and killed every one. Thus was Semmelth revenged. |
