WS - The Young Man Who Turned into a Seal - Part2
st’e’ ’u tthey’ ’i’ ni’ wulh qwal tu tsuli’tsut.
After a time, the parents spoke out.
qwul’qwul’ tthuw’ne’lulh slhiyemun mustimuhw, “m’i ’ewu ’u tun’a skwthe’s.”
The Sliammon people were talking things over and said, “They (the seals) always come to these islands.”
yuthustum tu shhwuw’welis.
They told the parents.
suw’ qwals tu sa’suqwut[5], “skw’ey wa’lu kws kwunnewut, ni’ wulh qux kwu ni’ t’ut’a’thut kws kwunutewut kwu nushuyulh ’u tu hwule’hwe’ suw’wuy’qe’ ’i’ skw’ey kws kwunnewut.”
The younger brother says, “I guess we can’t catch him, since there have been many of the fastest men runners that tried to capture my older brother, and they couldn’t capture him.”
suw’ qwul’qwulstuhws tu mens, “tsustuhw tst tse’ kwu’elh, ’u me’, kwunu shuyulhulh.
So, he went to talk it over with his father, “What are we going to do, Father, with my older brother?
ni’ p’uw’ulh hwu nets’ mustimuhw.
He is no longer human anymore.
’uwu ’u tst ’uw’ kwe’tut ’al’.
Shall we just let him go?
ni’ p’uw’ sthuthi’ ’u kwu ni’ shni’s,” xut’u ts’u tu sa’suqwut.
He is all right where he is,” said the younger son.
suw’ qwals tu tsi’tsut, “’uwu, mun’u. ’uwu nu stl’i’us kws nem’s ni’ ’u kwey’ kwun’ shuyulh.”
The father says to his son, “No, my son. I don’t want your brother to stay with them (the seals).”
“’a.a.a, me’, ni’ kwu’elh stsekwul’ kwuni’ un’shqwaluwun ’u kwey’ ni’ un’sqwal?”
“Oh, Father, what are you thinking about that made you say that?”
[suw’] qwulmut-s ts’u tu mun’us, “’a.a.a, mun’u, ’a.a.a, kw’uw’ xulh p’e nu shqwaluwun ’u kwun’ shuyulh ’u kwu ni’ hwu shni’s.
The father says to his son, “Oh, my son, my feelings are very hurt because of where your older brother is at.
’i’ ’uwu te’ wa’lu un’stsle’t kwun’ skwunnuhw.
There isn’t any way that we can capture him, though.
’uw’ skw’ey kwu’elh nusqwal.
I don’t like what I am about to say.
’i’ kw’uw’ nustl’i’ p’e’ kwu nuskwunnuhw kwunu mun’u.
I do want to get my son home.
’uw’ hay ’ul’ kwu’elh nusqwal.
This is all I have to say.
kwthu hay tse’ ’ul’ stsuw’et kws kwulushs ’i’ kwulustum un’smi’ t’ukw’stuhw.”
It will have to be the person with the best shot that shoots him [dead,] and then you bring him home.”
suw’ tus ’u kwthey’ skweyul suw’ huye’ tu sqwul’qwul’ nem’ hwu’alum’ nem’ ’u tnanulh slhiyemun.
Then, the day finally came, the word was sent out to return, to go to that place, Sliammon.
suw’ se.e.ew’q’tum’ sew’q’tum’.
So, they looked and looked.
ni.i.is kw’in lhqelts’ kwsus sew’q’tum’ tthuw’nilh swiw’lus hwi’ skw’ey kws lumnewut.
It was not known how many months they looked for the young man, and yet they couldn’t find him.
ni’ hwi’ wilt ’u kwu ni’ shni’s ’i’ ni’ tl’e wulh huye’.
He would show up at one place, and he would leave again.
st’e ’uw’ ni’us shtatul’stuhwus kws q’aytewut tse’.
It was as if he knew they were going to kill him.
he.e.e, tus ’u kwu skweyuls ’i’ ni’ tl’e wulh sqwul’qwul’.
Yes, it was another day again, and there was news about him.
ni’ ni’ ’u kwthey’ ’i’ ni’ tl’e wulh n’umnusum kwu ni’ shni’s kwsus qw’iqw’um’.
On that day, they went after him where the seals go onto the shore.
tus ’al’mutstum’ ’i’ ’uwu te’.
Upon arriving (at the little island), they waited, but they (the seals) didn’t show up.
tetsul ’uw’ hwun’ yu ’i.i.i’shul’ tu’i swaw’lus sew’q’tum’ suw’ qwals tu na’nuts’a’, “’i ’i ’u kwu’inulh kwu tl’uw’ shqwiqw’um’s tu ’es-hw ’i’ wawu ’i ’i ’u kwu’i.
It was a group of young men that was paddling along, looking for him, and one of them said, “It was on the other side of this place where the seals go ashore; maybe he is there.
’i’ skw’ey’ kwsun’s tusnehw.
We can’t get close, though.
hay ’uw’ yu sqwuqwisuhw ’i’ yelh un’s nem’ ts’umul’nuhw.”
Only if you go into the water and drift close.”
suw’ qwals tthey’ na’nuts’a’ swiw’lus, “’uy’, ’en’thu p’e hay ’ul’ stsuw’et kwsunus kwulush.
So, one of the young men said, “Okay, I am the one that’s best in shooting
ha’ tsun tse’ kwu’elh nem’ tuw’ ts’imulnuhw nilh nus’uw’ kwulusht.”
When I get close enough, I will shoot him.”
suw’ nem’s tthuw’ne’lulh ’u tthey’ ni’ shni’s tthey’ swiw’lus sus ’uw’ t’a.a.anthut.
They then all went closer to where that young man was and concealed themselves.
suw’ lhuw’tth’e’ums tthey’ swiw’lus.
The young man then undressed himself.
kwunutus tu skwul’eshs suw’ ts’e’tum ’u tu qwlhey’ suw’ t’i.i.itsum nem’ ’u tthey’ skwthe’s.
He took his weapon and put it on top of a log and started swimming to that island.
’uwu te’ stem shst’et’un’s.
They [the seals] weren’t hidden.
suw’ sqw’im’qw’um’ tthuw’ne’lulh ’es-hw.
They were on shore.
’uw’ hay ’ul’ kwsuw’ ni’s tu thithus smunmeent.
The island they were on had big boulders.
wulh tsulel ’i’ xuytl’that, nuw’ kw’aythut tthuw’nilh swiw’lus.
It was close to winter when the young man went for a bath.
suw’ huye’ t’itsum nem’ yu kwun’etus tu qwlhey’ yu sts’uts’e’st-hwus tu skwul’eshs.
He then swam, holding on to the log and holding his weapon on top of it.
’uwu ni’us yu stitum’.
He was not going very fast.
st’e ’uw’ niis ’uw’ yu huw’qw’ ’ul’ kwsus wulh huye.e.e’.
It was like he was drifting with the tide as he was going.
stutu’e tthuw’ne’lulh ’es-hw sq’uq’a’ tthuw’nilh ’a’mut ts’u tahw ’uw’ ’unwulh ’u tu hay ’ul’ qux ’es-hw.
Meanwhile, the seals were still there, and the one captured was sitting right in the middle of the group of seals.
[sus] ne.e.em’ ’uw’ yu huw’qw’utum’ tthuw’nilh swiw’lus ni’ wulh tul’nuhwus ni’ wulh t’en.
The young man that was sneaking up to the seals just drifted past the seals until he was out of sight.
suw’ lheel suw’ qw’im [suw’] kwunutus thu skwul’eshs.
He then came ashore out of the water and took his weapon with him.
ni’ ’uw’ shtatul’st-hwus nuw’ stl’atl’um’, “xwum tsun ’uw’ ts’uqw’nehw tuni’ ’u tun’u.”
He knew he was close enough, and he thought, “I can shoot and hit him right from here.”
ni’s ts’u ’uw’ nem’ ’u tu tha.a.as smeent suw’ lhxilushs.
He got on top of a big boulder and stood on it.
’a’mut ts’u tthuw’nilh nu’as.
The captured young man was sitting there facing away from him.
[suw’] kwulushtus suw’ ’uw’ yeq’.
When he shot him, he just fell.
xwchenum tthuw’nilh suw’ tl’uy’q’ustus.
The young man ran to him and held him down with his foot.
huye’ tthey’ thi p’uq’ ’es-hw yath nuw’ sq’a’s nilh nuw’ huy’ustuhw nem’ taal qwsuthut.
The great big white seal that he was always with left; it was the one that had captured him, and it was going out to sea.
’i’ ’uwu kws nem’s hwu tsakw ’i’ m’i p’ukw m’i hwu’uhas le’lum’utum’.
It wouldn’t go very far, and it would surface and turn to look at them.
kwunnuhwus tthuw’nilh swiw’lus.
The young man caught what he was after.
suw’ te.e.emutus tu shhw’a’luqw’a’s ... ’ey’, tu swaw’lus, ’ey’.
He then called his relatives to come over.
hun’lhelt ... lemutum tthuw’nilh [swiw’lus] ’i’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ulh hwu ’es-hw.
When they reached there, they looked at what used to be the young man but was now a seal.
ni’ ’uw’ulh hwu st’e ’u tu ’es-hw tu (yunuss) [s’athusth] ’i’ tu’i smustimuhws ni’ wulh ts’isum tu shu’ituns.
He had turned completely into a seal, his face and his whole body; he had grown seal hair.
suw’ q’uynum ’a.a.alhstum ’u tu snuhwulh.
After he was killed, he was put onto a canoe.
suw’ tl’hwutstum hwu lukw’tum ’u tu luxwtun.
[But before,] he was bundled up, wrapped in a blanket.
t’ukw’st-hwus tthuw’ne’lulh tun’ni’ ’u tnanulh hwulmuhw slhiyemun hwulmuhw.
It was the Indian people from Sliammon that took him home.
’uw’ sq’uq’a’ tthey’ sqe’uqs.
That young man’s younger brother was among them.
tus ’u tthey’ ’i’ nuw’ ni’ tu shhwuw’welis.
When they reached their destination, the young man’s parents were there.
hun’lhelt, qwul’qwul’s, “’i tst p’e’ kwunnuhw.”
Reaching shore, they said, “We have caught him.”
t’ahw tthuw’ne’ullh lumutum.
They went down to the beach to look.
kwunutum suw’ qul’et hwu lukw’tum suw’ t’ukw’stum.
They again wrapped him and took him home.
nilh kwu’elh ’uwu te’ ni’ nushtatul’stuhw ’uw’ni’us ts’twa’ ’untsu kwsus punutum kwthey’ swiw’lusulh ’i ’u tthey’ tsuw’tsuw’ ’u tthey’ pun’e’luxutth’.
What I don’t know is where they buried that young man on one of the islands close to Kuper Island.
ni’us ts’twa’ ’untsu ’u tthey’.
I don’t know which one over there.
nilh shni’s ’i’ ni’ hay kwthey’.
This is where the story ends.
’uw’ hay ’ul’ ni’ statul’sthween’ kwthey’ kwsus m’i t’ukw’stum.
All I know is that they took him home.
kwthey’ swiw’lusulh ’a’luxut tu s’ulhtuns tu s’ul’eluhws sus ’uw’ kwunutum nets’tum ’u tthuy’ ni’ ’a’luxutusulh.
This was that young man that used to hunt for food for his Elders, and he was captured and changed by the one he used to hunt for food.
’uw’ hay ’ul’ kwu’elh shtatul’sthwen’ kwthey’ nilh kwu’elh shni’s ’i’ ni’ hay kwey’ sqwul’qwul’s kwey’ swiw’lus.
This is the only thing I know I was told about that young man.