114 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ann. 32 



up boldly and took all their meat and hid it in the woods, saying, 

 " This is the kind of man I am." 



The next morning the four hunters missed their meat. One said, 

 " Who has stolen our meat ? " Another said : " I dreamed that I .saw 

 Gaqga around here. I saw him go off toward the southwest." Then 

 all said, "Let us follow the direction given by the dream." They 

 started and soon came to the place where Ga(|ga was camped. He 

 had been out all night and was now sleeping. One of the men said, 

 "Let us kill him." "No," said another; "let him live; he did not 

 kill us while we were asleep." They took the meat and went away. 



When Gaqga awoke he was very hungry, but the meat was gone. 

 "Well," thought he, "I must go and hunt for more meat," but he 

 could find none. About midday he heard the noises made by people. 

 He listened and then went on to a lodge. Some one inside was sing- 

 ing and the song said: 'Gaqga is coming. Look out. Be careful, 

 Gaqga is coming." " Why does he sing about me'^ " thought Gaqga ; 

 " I will go inside and find out." He found a man and his wife and 

 four children. Gaqga said, " I have come to stay a few days with 

 you." " Very well," replied the man of the lodge. During the night 

 Gaqga ate all the children ; then he lay down and slept. The next 

 morning the old people said, " AVhere are our children ? " Gaqga 

 replied: "I dreamed somebody carried off your children, and my 

 dream told which way he went. I will go with you to hunt them." 

 After they had gone some distance Gaqga said: "The man lives on 

 that high cliff. I can not go with you for I do not like the man who 

 lives there. I will wait here." As soon as the father was out of 

 sight Gaqga went away. . Now he went on until he came to a place 

 where he found many of his own people; they were having a great 

 dance, and he sat down to watch them. 



Soon Hanisheonon ^^ [the Muckworm] came from the east. The 

 people stopped dancing and ran in every direction, but Hanisheonon 

 pursued them, and, catching them one after another by the neck, threw 

 them off dead. Gaqga, who sat watching, said : " What sort of a man 

 is that ^ I wish he would see me ; he can not throw me off dead in that 

 way." After killing many of the Gaqga people, Hanisheonon started 

 toward the west, with Gaqga following him, but Hanisheonon kept 

 on his course and did not regard the noise behind him. At last he 

 stopped and, looking back, asked, "What do you want? " " I do not 

 want anything," said Gaqga; "I have just come to be company for 

 you." " I do not want your company," said Hanisheonon. Gaqga 

 was frightened. Both stood still. Suddenly Hanisheonon sprang at 

 Gaqga and caught him, but Gaqga screamed so loudly that all his 

 people who had run away from Hanisheonon heard the call and came 

 to his aid. They flew at Hanisheonon and pecked him until he was 

 (load. 



