122 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS (bth.anm.m 



One morning he came to a steep precipice ; here he began to wonder 

 how he might be able to descend its face with so large a pack on his 

 back. At last he placed his pack on the ground, and, hastening to 

 a basswood tree standing some distance away, he stripped all the 

 bark from it, which he slit into fine strands. Tying the strips 

 together, end to end, he made a long strand, one end of which he 

 fastened to a hemlock tree standing on the brink of the precipice 

 and the other he let down over the brink. Then taking hold of the 

 strand near the hemlock tree, he carefully lowered himself over the 

 edge of the cliff. He was soon at the end of the strand and there 

 he hung. His bundle pulled down the upper part of his body until 

 he was in an. almost horizontal position, with his face turned up- 

 ward, so he could not see just where he was. Although he was near 

 the ground he did not know it. Feeling that his situation was 

 critical, he thought : " What shall I do now ? Would it not be better 

 for me to kill myself by letting go of the strand, for I can not get up, 

 nor can I in any manner descend." Finally he decided to let go of 

 the rope of basswood bark and fall to the bottom of the precipice; 

 but, as he released his grip, his pack touched the ground and his 

 head rested on the pack. He thought, however, that he was falling 

 all the time. At last he felt weary of falling, and said, " I will try 

 to turn over on one side, so that I can see whither I am going." 

 So turning himself on one side he found that he was on the ground, 

 and he exclaimed, " I have been greatly delayed by not Icnowing 

 that the ground was at the end of the strand of basswood bark." So 

 saying he arose and went on. 



When darkness came he found, after diligent search, a hollow tree, 

 in which he spent the night. In this manner he traveled for many 

 days. Finally he decided to find a place in which to dwell, and he 

 resolved that it must be a place where the trees stood only a short 

 distance apart. Having found such a spot, he built a small cabin, in 

 which he put his pack. Then he began to arrange his things in 

 order — skins and furs, ladles and bark bpwls, pouch and weapons. 



The next morning he went out very early to hunt for food. Soon 

 he saw a deer walking along, and on pointing his finger at it the deer 

 fell dead. Then he carried its carcass home on his back. He then 

 oi'dered that it skin itself, and this it did. He cut the carcass into 

 suitable portions, some of which he hung up around the inside of the 

 cabin and some he roasted for his meal. That night he found that 

 he had no firewood. Going out of doors, he said in a loud voice, 

 " Let wood for fuel come and pile itself beside my doorway." The 

 wish thus expressed was immediately accomplished. 



This remarkable man had an influence over every kind of game. 

 "WHien he desired a particular animal, all that he iiad to do was to 

 point his finger at it, and the victim would fall dead. In this way 



