112 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ann. 38 



He usually asked his wife to go with him. She replied always that 

 she would be very glad to go and to have a good time there; there- 

 upon he said, " Let us make ready and go." They would set out 

 on their journey and would reach the place in the evening. After 

 making a fire and cooking their supper they would spend the evening 

 pleasantly. 



The day after one such night the man went out and found plenty 

 of game. He had like success on the second and thii'd days. Every- 

 thing seemed to be auspicious. 



On the fourth day, while the man was gone, the woman saw many 

 fish in the neighboring stream when she went for water and decided 

 that she could catch some. So she caught several in the water 

 basket. "What good luck I have had," said she; "my husband will 

 be surprised to have fish for supper." She cooked and ate half of 

 the fish and put the rest away for her husband. After a while she 

 began to be thirsty. Going to the water basket she found it empty, 

 so getting down on her hands and knees she began to drink from 

 the stream. After a while she thought that she would stop drinking, 

 but being still very thirsty, she drank more ; then she drank still more, 

 and, on raising herself, she saw that she was tm-ning into a snake. 



Meanwhile her husband came home. He did not find his wife in 

 the lodge and .seeing no water basket, he thought she had gone for 

 water. Hurrying to the stream, he arrived there just in time to see 

 her lower parts become those of a snake. She told him what had 

 happened with regard to the fish — that she had had such a hunger 

 for them that she had eaten a good many; and that she was sorry, 

 very sorry, to leave him, but that she must go to the lake into which 

 the stream flowed. She said, further, that in the lake was a serpent 

 with which she had to fight a great battle, and that he might go to 

 look on, and that he should burn tobacco for her success in the fight. 



The woman floated down the stream, and her husband followed her. 

 He saw the great battle in the lake. During this struggle the ser- 

 pents would raise their heads from the water higher than a great 

 lodge, and they fought and fought fiercely. She conquered the other 

 serpent, but her husband did not wait to see the end. He went home. 



After a while the husband was told in a dream that he must make a 

 Dasswood woman and dress her up. He did this, using his wife's 

 clothes. The figure became just like his former wife. In another 

 dream he was told that he must not touch the basswood woman for 

 ten days. He refrained from touching her for nine days. But on 

 the tenth day — she was so like his former wife — he touched her. 

 whereupon she disappeared forever, there being nothing left in her 

 place but a basswood stick. 



