86 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [btu. ANN. 32 



At last the Dagwanoenyent ate until their jaws could move no 

 loiij^er and their tongues refused to stir. They said, " We have had 

 enough. Mother, mother, enough." When he heard these words the 

 young son-in-law motioned to the walls and roof, saying, " I want 

 the roof and walls of this lodge to become flint." The old woman and 

 the Dagwanoenyent, seeing that they were caught, flew around in 

 every direction. The old woman begged for mercy. "Mother-in- 

 law, you had no mercy on me, so I will not let you out," answered 

 Djogcon. Then he said, " I want this house to become red hot." As 

 it grew hot the Dagwanoenj'ent flew about with terrible speed, 

 Icnoclving around the walls and making such a noise as had never 

 been heard in the world before. At last all was still in the lodge. 



Then the nephew with his wife and her three sisters and their 

 husbands set out for the lodge of Djogeon's uncle. They went by 

 the road over which he and his wife had come. When they reached 

 the lake it was covered with thin ice, which could barely hold up 

 a small bird. The young man took eight puffballs from an oak 

 tree and, making himself and his friends small, each one entered 

 a ball; and when the eight balls stood side by side on the ice by the 

 edge of the lake, he said, " Let the west wind blow," and the west 

 wind obeyed, sweeping them over the lake to the other side. Then 

 they came out of the balls and, resuming their natural size, con- 

 tinued their way until they reached the lodge of Djogeon's uncle. 



4. The Woman Who Makried a Great Serpent 



A woman and her only daughter lived together in a fine bark 

 lodge on the outskirts of a village. The daughter was attractive in 

 form and feature, but haughty and proud in her bearing. Many 

 young warriors had made proposals of marriage to her through her 

 mother. Her customary reply was, " That man is not as fine looking 

 and handsome as I want a man to be." Her mother, however, 

 remonstrated with her often on her too haughty manner and selfish 

 pride, but she disdainfully disregarded her mother's advice. 



One day the mother and daughter started off into the forest to 

 gather wood. When they were far from home darkness came upon 

 them, which was so intense that the mother said to her daughter, "I 

 think we may as well gather bark to make a temporary shelter and 

 wood to make a fire, so that we can remain overnight in this place." 

 So they constructed a temporary lodge and kindled a cheerful fire, 

 and made the necessary preparations to stay there overnight. After 

 pieparing and eating their evening meal they sat down on opposite 

 sides of the fire to rest and converse together. 



Suddeidy, while the mother was dozing, a man came and stood 

 beside the girl. When she looked up at him she was amazed and 



