144 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 190 



this country was only for souls. He answered, "I know that well and 

 that is why I came here to seek the soul of my sister." "Oh indeed," 

 replied the other, "well and good. Come, take courage, you will be 

 presently in the village of souls, where you will find what you desire. 

 All the souls are now gathered in a cabin, where they are dancing to 

 heal Aataentsic [see below], who is sick. Don't be afraid to enter. 

 Here is a pumpkin, you can put into it the soul of your sister." He 

 took the pumpkin and bid good-bye to his host. But, before he left, 

 he asked his host his name. He replied, "Be satisfied that I am he 

 who keeps the brains of the dead." Wlien he arrived at the village of 

 the souls, he entered the house of Aataentsic and found that they were 

 dancing to cure her. He could not see the soul of his sister, however, 

 for the souls were so startled to see the living man they vanished. In 

 the evening, as he was sitting by the fire, they returned. At first, 

 they appeared at a distance, but slowly they approached and began 

 to dance. He recognized his sister in the group and tried to seize her, 

 but she fled from him. He withdrew. Finally, he chose his time so 

 well that she could not escape his grasp. He struggled with her all 

 night and in the contest she grew so small that he put her into the 

 pumpkin without any difficulty. He immediately returned to the 

 house of his host, who gave him his sister's brains in another pumpkin 

 and told him what he should do in order to resuscitate her. "Wlien 

 you reach home," he said, "go to the cemetery, take the body of your 

 sister, bear it to your house, and make a feast. When all your guests 

 are assembled, carry it on your shoulders, and take a walk through 

 the house holding the two pumpkins in your hands. You will no 

 sooner have resumed your place than your sister will come to life 

 again, provided you give orders that all keep their eyes lowered, and 

 that no one shall look at what you are doing, else everything will go 

 wrong." The man returned to his village. He took the body of his 

 sister, made a feast, and carried out the instructions that had been 

 given him. He felt motion in the half-decayed corpse, but when he 

 was two or three steps from his place, a curious person raised his eyes. 

 At that moment, the soul escaped. He could only take the corpse back 

 to her tomb ( JR 10 : 149-153) . 



In another of the Huron myths, a young man of highest standing 

 became ill. After much entreaty he said that his dream showed a bow 

 rolled in bark and that if anyone wanted to go with him, there was 

 but one man on earth who had such a bow. A group of resolute men 

 started on the journey with him to get it, but at the end of 10 days all 

 except six had turned back because of hunger. The six traveled with 

 him many days. Following the tracks of a little black animal, they 

 came upon the house of the man they sought. T]iis man warned them 

 not to take what a woman who was there offered them the first time. 

 They obeyed him and found when they had upset the dishes on the 



