108 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [bth. ann. « 



place." The hunter, still dissembling, said, "Yes; I did cross right 

 there where I have shown you." AVhile he talked to them he reached 

 the conclusion that these women were not human beings, but that 

 they must be Genonsgwa, of wliom he had heard so much in the 

 traditions of his people. Nevertheless, they were clothed like the 

 women of his people, and one of them was quite beautiful in form 

 and feature. 



One of the women asked hini if she could not stop with him 

 overnight. The young hunter replied, " Yes; if you will come across 

 the stream." After looking at them more closely, he was firmly 

 convinced in his mind that they were not women of the human 

 species. Then one of the women said to her companion, " We will 

 go on a little farther; perhaps we may find a ford." Ascending 

 the stream a short distance, they came to a footbridge consisting of 

 a fallen log, on which the man had crossed. One of the women said 

 to the other, " This is surely the place where he crossed." 



When the hunter saw them crossing on the footbridge, he went 

 quickly some distance downstream and then, crossing at a ford, he 

 again ascended the stream to a spot opposite his camp. 



The moment that the women arrived at his camp fire the hunter 

 became afraid, because of their actions. On looking across the 

 stream they soon saw that the man was then where they themselves 

 had just been, and one of them at once called to him : " Why do you 

 run from us? Nothing will happen to you, so come back here. We 

 will do you no harm." Making no reply to these challenges, the man 

 saw one of the women pick up his tomahawk and draw her finger 

 across its edge, saying, " I do wonder whether this would kill a per- 

 son or not? " The hunter shouted to her, "Yes; it can take a per- 

 son's life, so put it down at once, lest it do you harm." She laid 

 down the tomahawk and became very angry, because she saw that 

 the hunter was determined to keep out of her way. As these women 

 showed so great anger, the hunter felt sure they were in fact Genon- 

 sgwa. 



Realizing that they were determined to reach him, the hunter told 

 them to come across the stream directly to the point where he then 

 stood, assuring them that he would remain there until they arrived. 

 One of the women had requested him several times to return to the 

 opposite side of the stream, but his only reply was, " You, yourself, 

 come here." This answer only made her angry. Finally the two 

 women started for the footbridge, telling the hunter to wait for 

 them, and again he assured them that he would do so. But when he 

 saw them crossing he descended the stream and recrossed it at the 

 ford; so when they arrived at the place where he had said he would 

 await them, he was back at his own camp. 



