808 IROQUOIAN COSMOLOGY |eth. ann. 43 



and destroy this being, for it is possessed of very powerful orenda, 

 or magic power." 



Thereupon, De'ha§°'hyo'w§°'s replied, "It is, of course, perhaps 

 true, that that should come to pass, that we accompany you to learn 

 what manner of being that may be." 



So, all the men of the lodge started on their journey, and went 

 dii'ectly to the place where the being, the otkon, had its lair. Hav- 

 ing gone a long distance, the men of Thunder finally said to their 

 guests, "There, indeed, is the place where we have kept saying, 

 'an otkon abides.' You must stand in yonder place, quite safely 

 removed from any danger from this being. And then you shall see 

 it as we shall cause it to come forth from its lair." 



Thereupon the party of De'ha6'"hyo'w6'"s withdrew to the des- 

 ignated position. Then they saw one of their hosts go forward and 

 strike one of the trees several sharp blows with his club; then they 

 saw the'being come forth from its lair, and they concluded that 

 it was what they themselves called a squirrel. But the Being, or 

 Squirrel, in turn, thrust its body only partly out of its hiding-place; 

 at once the Men of Thunder hurled their shots at it; there were loud 

 thunderings and the lightning flashes were vivid, and there arose a 

 great tumult and a terrific hurricane of wind. 



But, in a short time, the Men of Thunder ceased for a moment, 

 having failed to hit the Being. At once the Squirrel, or Being, 

 quickly descended the tree on which it then was, and running to 

 another tree climbed it in an effort to escape its tormentors. But, 

 in a very short time, the Men of Thunder shivered this tree, and the 

 Squirrel fled back to the tree in which was its lair and it swiftly 

 climbed back into it. And the Men of Thimder said, "Now, indeed, 

 you have seen what we call otkon (daimon). And the time is now, 

 indeed long, since we have been making vain efforts to destroy this 

 Being, this great Otkon." 



In replying De'hae°'hyo'we°'s said, "It is now our turn; we will 

 now attempt to kill the Otkon." But the Men of Thunder answered, 

 "We fear that the attempt will not result favorably; you may be 

 injured, for, indeed, this is an Otkon endued with power beyond 

 measure." 



But De'hae°'hyo'we'"s assiu-ingly replied, "We know that we our- 

 selves can do this task." Then the Men of Thunder replied, "If you 

 are determined to make the attempt, we will assist you, should you 

 fail in your attempt." 



At once one of the party of De'hae°'hyo'we'"s went up to the tree in 

 which the Squirrel had its lair and tapped on it with his club. As 

 soon as he began to tap on the tree the Squirrel again thrust out its 

 head and half its body and gazed at the men. Then, De'hae°'hy- 

 o'we°'s taking a knob-headed arrow from his quiver, shot at it, hitting 



