rtunately he
continued without waiting for a reply. He well knew that I had never
heard of Yaada, so why not begin without preliminary to tell me of
her?--so--

"Yaada was the loveliest daughter of the Haida tribe. Young braves
from all the islands, from the mainland, from the upper Skeena country
came, hoping to carry her to their far-off lodges, but they always
returned alone. She was the most desired of all the island maidens,
beautiful, brave, modest, the daughter of her own mother.

"But there was a great man, a very great man--a medicine man, skilful,
powerful, influential, old, deplorably old, and very, very rich; he
said, 'Yaada shall be my wife.' And there was a young fisherman,
handsome, loyal, boyish, poor, oh! very poor, and gloriously young, and
he, too, said, 'Yaada shall be my wife.'

"But Yaada's mother sat apart and thought and dreamed, as mothers will.
She said to herself, 'The great medicine man has power, has vast
riches, and wonderful magic, why not give her to him? But Ulka has the
boy's heart, the boy's beauty, he is very brave, very strong; why not
give her to him?'

"But the laws of the great Haida tribe prevailed. Its wise men said,
'Give the girl to the greatest man, give her to the most powerful, the
richest. The man of magic must have his choice.'

"But at this the mother's heart grew as wax in the summer sunshine--it
is a strange quality that mothers' hearts are made of! 'Give her to
the best man--the man her heart holds highest,' said this Haida mother.

"Then Yaada spoke: 'I am the daughter of my tribe; I would judge of men
by their excellence. He who proves most worthy I shall marry; it is
not riches that make a good husband; it is not beauty that makes a good
father for one's children. Let me and my tribe see some proof of the
excellence of these two men--then, only, shall I choose who is to be
the father of my children. Let us have a trial of their skill; let
them show me how evil or how beautiful is the inside of their hearts.
Let each of them throw a stone with some intent, some purpose in their
hearts. He who makes the noblest mark may call me wife.'

"'Alas! Alas!' wailed the Haida mother. 'This casting of stones does
not show worth. It but shows prowess.'

"'But I have implored the Sagalie Tyee of my father, and of his fathers
before him, to help me to judge between them by this means,' said the
girl. 'So they must cast the stones. In this way only shall