Title: Halq'eméylem / Story: Life On Herrling Island

hal: O kwikwexetem tetha ... tetha stl'chas...kw'e 'Herrling's Island'.
english: [That island,] that's what they called 'Herrling's Island'.

hal: Qe [uh...] qe Smemeqw'o kw'e skwixs te sxwelmexwelh skwixs.
english: They used to call that 'Smomeqw'o',

hal: i tetha kw'es kw'ekw'is te..., kw'ekw'is the mel:es li te theqat.
english: That's where the coons climb the tree.

hal: Halp'exes te te... pas mekw' o stam halpexes.
english: Eating all the pears, they eat everything--all the fruit.

hal: Osu li te chichelh te tals qesu i chokwultes ye...
yutl'etl'elom te tals li te theqat.
english: They were following their mother up on the tree.

hal: Qe stl'is kw'es kwutes thel mamele q'ami.
english: The girls wanted the coons so bad.

hal: Tl'is alhtel kw'es kwelates.
english: I had to go out and help them.

hal: Olsu la mayt.
english: So I went out and helped them.

hal: Olsu la mayt yutl'olem la... la kwutes the emémel.
english: So I went out and helped them, to get the little ones.

hal: Osu li thetha kw'es i:lhtels yutl'etl'elom.
english: That's where they were eating, the little ones.

hal: Su lay kw'ekw'i... la kw'ekw'i thel mele.
english: My daughter kept climbing up, climbing up till she got
pretty near where the baby coons were.

hal: Osu la ch'imel [kw'e...] la tes te chichelh.
english: They were pretty near right to the top.

hal: Osu la me a:y yutl'etl'elom lasu la xwel xwa chichelh.
english: They kept on going until they got too high.

hal: Osu chokwultes the tals.
english: They were following their mother.

hal: Qesu..osu... Olsu x_et'estexw thutl'o "mechxwcha chelq".
english: I told my daughter she was gonna fall off the tree.

hal: Qe ewe stl'ises, kw'es mes kwates.
english: She didn't want to give up/She didn't care,
long as she got the coon.

hal: Osu ch'atl'em yutl'etl'elom, lam te shxwelis te xwixwel.
english: They were jumping from one limb to the other.

hal: Osu x_etstexw thutl'o, osu[?] x_etstexw thut'o mecha chelq.
english: I told her that they will fall down.

hal: Olsu li te tl'ep kw'els xwilex, olmetset, olmetst mischa...
mischa... chelq yutl'etl'elom.
english: I was standing down the bottom waiting for them to fall down.

hal: Osu li tetha kw'es o:mets tutl'etl'om...
english: They were both sitting on one limb...

hal: kw'elsu...olsu thetstexw "Xwisetchexw te theqat qachasu mes chelq.
english: "Shake the limb," I says, "And they'll both come down."

hal: "Matselchu i te tl'ep kw'els kwut, la ehot i tel ipel."
english: I'll be down the bottom to catch them."

hal: Qelsu x_tastexw tetha qe... osetu kwel:exw te isa:le.
english: And we did that, and that's how we got two of them.

hal: I tetha kw'els xwilex kwelat thel ipel.
english: I was standing down the bottom holding my apron out
[to catch them when they fell off the tree].

hal: Ats'el tsu sesi:se [?we] q'eykw'ethoxescha [?tha]
mes chelq-- qe ewe yutl'etl'elom.
english: I was scared of them, I thought they'd bite me.

hal: Olsu xwe'i kwelexw... kwelexw te isale qesu ehot i tel ipel.
english: We got two of them, and I had them wrapped up in my apron.

hal: Olsu le... le'amestexw te lalem.
english: And I took them to the house.

hal: Olsu lewexw li te shxwelis kw'e skwtaxwstemet te ...
tl'o qe ew sitels... skwtaxws te... [uh... stam ?kwixet]... mimoqw.
english: I put them in the bird-cage
(for the time being, till we got a cage ready for them).

hal: a'a... shxwelis kw'es kwetaxws te mimoqw, sitel,
li tetha kw'els e lewex.
english: I got them, and then I put them in the bird cage.

hal: Olsu thiyt te shxwelischa kw'es kwetaxstexwtset
li te tl'o qe ew chekels, chekels, shxwe'is kw'e
kwetaxwtemet ye chekels.
english: I made a pen with chicken-wire, the real fine chicken-wire.
We made a pen for them so they don't get out.

hal: O se tu qex_ te emémel sqweqwas.
english: [There were lots of little holes.]

hal: Osu li tetha kw'eset kwetaxwt yutl'etl'elom.
english: (Made a pen for them) so we put them in there.

hal: O cha kwa su stams kw'es alhtelestexwtset yutl'etl'elo:m?
english: What are we gonna feed them with?

hal: Osu eweta slheq'el:exwtset.
english: We don't know (what we're gonna feed them with).

hal: Os se tu axwet te... axwet te lets'e [s] pas tutl'o.
Qe ewe stl'ises kw'es lep'exes.
english: [We gave then a pear, but] they didn't want to eat the pears...

hal: Ewe lis ye th'ex_wotes. Sawqtes o yutl'etl'elom
(sh)xwelischa kw'e th'ex_wotes.
english: ...'Cause they didn't have a place to wash it.
[They always look for a place to wash it.]

hal: Olsu te axwet te melk qesu qoqetes yutl'etl'elom.
english: We gave them some milk, and they drank it.

hal: Elsu [olxe..] axwet ... testole "peas". Osu lep'exes.
english: We gave them some peas, and then they ate it.

hal: Skw'ay kw'es lep'exes kw'e stames, ewete shxwe'is ew
stames kw'as oxest loy kw'es ew th'ex_wotes yutl'etl'elom.
english: It doesn't matter what you give them,
they'll have to wash it before they'll eat it.

hal: Os e tu oxwest te lothel sliw te qo, ew ste'a te
shxwelis kw'es qeqo qos.
english: [You give them a dish filled with water,
at the (same?) place that they drink their water.]

hal: Let'se te shxwelis kw'es qoqes qas qe lets'e te sth'ox_wi:ls.
english: You have to give them two dishes, one with water that
they could drink, and the other one for
washing--washing their food.

hal: El sqwalewel kw'es q'eykw'ethoxescha te.. tutl'etl'elom
qesu mi ay, tasthoxes, tastes tel chalex.
english: They were coming close to me, I put my hand out to them,
I thought they were going to bite me.

hal: Osu stl'is o kw'es th'oqwetes tel chalex.
english: But all they wanted to do was suck my finger.

hal: Osu me kw'iles, kw'iles kw'set kwelex yutl'etl'elom.
english: It was early in the Spring, when we got them.

hal: Osu la ts'imel tem x_eytl' qeyalh... tem x_eytl' qesu
toti:ltset we stamescha kw'es i:lhtelestexwtset
english: And we were wondering what are we gonna be
feeding them in the winter time.

hal: Osu loy te sqawth qas te... qas te xaweq qesu s'axwet yut'letl'elom.
english: [We just gave them potatoes and carrots.]

hal: Eystexwes te sth'oqwi. Osetu lam o qw'iqw'emothel mekw'
swayel kw'eset u me kwolex te sth'eth'eqway.
english: We went every fishing every day, just to catch little
trouts for them, 'cause they like eating them.

hal: Osu kwixetes [?ye] sta:xwelh, kwixetes alhtel kw'e
'Paddy' qe 'Jeff' te lolets'e.
english: They named both of them 'Paddy' and 'Jeff'.

hal: Osu me xwa hikw yutl'etl'elom.
english: [They got big.]

hal: Olsu thet, thestexw ye q'alemi "Iyolem kw'es kwat-tset o.
Ocha su la sa suq'tes kw'e s'alhtels."
english: I told the girls, "we better just let them goes,
so they could go and hunt for their own food."

hal: Ose tu xwmax te... xwemax te shxwelis kw'e kwtawxs.
english: We opened the place where they were.

hal: Sosu lam o atl'qel qes o me o q'o:lthet.
english: And they go out, and then they come back again.

hal: Osu tl'o... tl'os te [uh] xwelitems sqwemqwemay.
Tl'is alhtel kw'es a:ystexwes.
english: The neighbours dogs wouldn't leave them alone.

hal: Mewk'stam a:ystexwes yutl'olem. Osu kw'ay kw'es kwates.
english: Every time we let them out and then the neighbours
dogs would try to chase them. They won't stay away.
[They couldn't get them.]

hal: Osu lhalhew yutl'etl'elom.
english: [So they ran away.]

hal: Osu la kw'iy the lilts'e le te theqat, la lhaw.
english: The dog chased the little coon up the tree.
[One climbed a tree, running away.]

hal: Osu la is tw'a su me chelq ew is xwe'it qesu, osu... osu la...
lekw te lol-- lilts'e slex_wtses
english: And he fell down somehow, and when he fell down he
lost one of his little fingers.

hal: Osu skw'ay kw'es kwates ye... [uh] sqemqwemays ye
xwelitem stetis-tset ...kw'ay kw'es kwates kw'es a:ystexwes
english: Our [white] neighbour's dogs can't leave them alone,
they keep chasing them.

hal: O qesu la ts'e lets'e swayel qesu la thex_w.
english: One day they just disappeared.

hal: Tsu o:met o li te kechel kw'els o:met kw'elh
ts'its'lhamet the... [uh] i te xalh.
english: I was sitting in the kitchen, and I heard something at the door.

hal: "Tam kw'e li kw'e xalh?" Olsu me hakw'eles tutl'etl'elom.
english: So I thought about the coons, so I though 'Oh, maybe it's them'.

hal: Qelsu la kw'atset qesu me ay kw'etxwilem--
xwomxelem kw'etxwilem.
english: So I went and opened up the door, and they ran right
into the house--two of them.

hal: "Oh kwe tel sqwalewel kw'as le a:ylesoxw!" x_et'estexw.
english: "Oh, I thought you left us!" [(I) told (them).]

hal: Olsu axwet te s'alhtels, qesu lep'exes.
english: I gave them some of their food, and they ate it.

hal: Osu... olsu xwemas te xwe te xalh. Osu kw'okw'ets te s'olh sqwema:y.
english: I just leave the door open. They just look at our dog (they don't even bother).

hal: Osu kw'okw'etstes te s'olh sqwema:y.
english: And she was looking at OUR dog.

hal: Qe qe ewelh, ewelh... ewelh iyates. Ey siyayes.
english: Our dog never chases them, 'cause they're good friends.

hal: ...a'a'... osu... uh... la... ley... uh... thexw yutl'etl'elom is tw'a xwchal la tw'a la, la hawe
english: They disappeared for quite a long time, but I guess they just went out hunting, for food, wherever they went.

hal: Osu la thexw, qesu tu hi::th o xwi a q'olthet te
sqwema:y qe ewete, ewete the meles.
english: The dog went with the coons for quite a while,
and when he came back he didn't have the coons with him.

hal: Qesu stames tw'a... stames tw'a hikw kwe...
kw'e kwelexw tutl'etl'elom qesu thexw o.
english: Something big must of got them, they disappeared altogether,

hal: Osu skw'ay kw'es et ew kwelexw.
english: We never seen them no more.

hal: Olsu... olsu t'ayeq'emet the s'olh sqwema:y.
english: I got mad at our dog.

hal: "Tl'o telewe le x_t'astexw tetha!"
english: I bawled him out. I asked him if he did that,
made them disappear. ["It was you that did that!"]

hal: O... qosu... kw'okw'etsthoxes thutl'o sqwema:y.
english: The dog was just looking at me.

hal: O tw'a stames tw'a kw'e la kwel:exw.
english: Something (big) must have got them.