HEWITT) MYTH OF THE EARTH-GRASPER 479 



matter. Now then verily thou must at once depart hence, going to 

 the place where stands the lodge of thy husband, Hoda"he'." Then 

 the girl departed. 



Now verily she traveled along all alone. Then when she had not 

 gone very far there stood a man — one might think it was her husband. 

 He said, "Art thou now on thy way back home? Behold this, I 

 have come to meet thee on the way." She did not stop and the girl 

 did not make answer. Then when she looked up he transformed 

 himself. He became a fox.'' She looked there until it ran away 

 yonder. Now again she had not gone very far when verily again 

 another man she saw standing there beside the road. Then again 

 he said, "Now thou and I have met. For behold, I have come to 

 meet thee on the way." Again she did not stop. Also she did not 

 make answer. Then again she looked and she saw him transform 

 himself. This one became a wolf again. There she kept on looking 

 until it ran away yonder. Thus it was she continued to travel con- 

 tinually. Now again she had not gone very far when she was sur- 

 prised to see a man coming toward her along the path. And this 

 one she recognized, this one now coming was the owner of the lodge 

 to which she was then going. Now verily they met and then the 

 man said, "At home I became anxious that thou shouldst again 

 return there, and that is the reason I have come to meet thee." 

 Again she did not stop and again she did not make answer. Then 

 again she looked and she saw there that he transformed himself, and 

 as to that one he became again a bear. She saw him run away 

 yonder. There it disappeai-ed. 



Then when she arrived home again she at once said, "Now, behold 

 this, I have returned." At that time the owner of the lodge said, 

 "I am thankful that now thou hast passed through the ordeal." 

 Now verily at that time she remained there for some time. It was 

 the custom that when again they lay down to sleep that there when 

 they lay down that they placed their feet sole to sole, that there 

 when they arose to a sitting posture what they kept breathing 

 met and commingled. 



Suddenly then her body gave evidence that she would become a 

 mother. When the time was near at hand when she would become 

 possessed of a child, then the owner of the lodge said, "I have dreamed 

 a dream. So then verily I desire that the people should seek'" my 

 word. And the reason for this action is that the kind of thing of 

 which my soul has visions should become manifest. For, as is well 

 known, it is a specified dream." 



Then at that time verily he gave a feast to the inhabitants. Now 

 then it began that they sought for his word. The time was long 

 and perhaps all, men and women and game animals, made the attempt. 

 Owing to evil influences it was not possible to give satisfaction to 



See note on p. 609. 



