88 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MVTirS [etii.ann.32 



was not afi'aid at all."' The next day he went iiuntiiiji: again. As he 

 started out of the lodge and closed the door she again heard the same 

 strange sounds that she had heard the day before. About midday 

 ■.^he went forth to get fuel for the fire ivnd to bring water to the lodge. 

 Wliile thus engaged she saw a huge serpent sunning himself upon the 

 rocks: then another, and soon another; and she l)egan to be very 

 homesick and disheartened. 



In the evening her husl>and came home as before. After he had 

 gone out to hunt the third time she began seriously to think of escap- 

 ing from the terrible place in which she found herself, and firmly 

 lesolved to try to do so. She went into the forest to gather wood, 

 and while standing there she heard a voice; turning toward the 

 direction from which it seemed to come she saw a very old man. 

 When she looked into his face he said : " My poor grandchild, you are 

 very unfortunate. The seeming man to whom you are married is evil 

 and wicked. We have tried many times to kill him, but he is very 

 cunning and crafty, hence we have not yet been able to destroy him. 

 He is one of seven brothers. They are all great sorcerers, and like all 

 such evil persons their hearts are not in their bodies. Their hearts 

 ;;re tied in a bunch of seven, which is carefully hidden " under the 

 couch of the eldest one. You must now get it and escape with it. 

 Mv friends and I will help you all we can. Do as I have instructed 

 you." 



Going (juickly to the lodge, she found indeed the seven hearts 

 tied in a bunch, which hung under the couch as the old mar^ had 

 said. Placing it under her robe, she fled out of the lodge as rapidly 

 as possible and ran at top speed. Soon she heard a voice calling to 

 her. "Stop! Come back!" but she rushed on as' fast as she could. 

 Then the voice said, " You may think that you can, but you can not 

 escape me, no matter how you may try." All her strength seemed to 

 leave her: but at that moment her grandfather was at her side, say- 

 ing, "I siiall aid you now, my grandchild," and. taking hold of Iier 

 robe, he pulled her (uit of the water. Then for the first time she 

 saw that she had been in the water all the time. A great black cloud 

 was above them, and she saw the Lightning flash, and the Thunder 

 began to shoot liis arrows, and the AA'ind lashed the water into great 

 foaming waves. In a few moments the young woman saw that her 

 grandfatlier had killed a great and terrible serpent. She saw also 

 standing on the shore men resembling her grandfather, who thanked 

 her for the aid she had been to them in killing the great .serjient and 

 his progeny : for the old grandfather had blasted the l)unch of hearts 

 with the liglitnings and had shot them with his arrows, tlius killing 

 the serpent and his offspring. The.se otlier men drew the great ser- 

 pent out of the water and cut him in pieces. Thej^ stuck the head 

 f)n a pole, whereupon the head ai)])earcd to liei' more fierce auti ugly 



