136 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ANN. 82 



never see them. There is a man dwelling far away in the east who 

 carries off people and devours them. His name is Deadoeiidjadases, 

 and it is he who has eaten all our friends and relations." The lad 

 with impatience replied: " Make me four pairs of moccasins. I will 

 fetch them back." His grandmother^ weeping, refused his request, 

 yet she prepared him for the journey. 



When he was ready he went eastward, traveling many days and 

 niglits until he arrived at a broad clearing in the forest. In the mid- 

 dle of it he saw a long lodge and a person who looked like the in- 

 flated skin of a man, watching this clearing, which was occupied by 

 a large strawberry patch. ^'^ This sentinel guarded the field night and 

 day. Oddly enough, the long lodge extended from north to south 

 instead of from east to west. 



The lad. standing concealed within the edge of the woods and call- 

 ing a mole, said to it, " I want to borrow your skin for a while." The 

 mole agreed to his request, and then the lad removed his own gar- 

 ments and laid them back of a tree. Then, after reducing his size 

 sufficientl3^ he crawled into the skin of the mole. Making his way 

 under the leaves and underground until he came to the spot above 

 which was the skin man, he shouted to the sentinel : " Come down, my 

 friend ! I want to talk with you." 



After the lad had promised to liberate the skin man, Hadjoqda, 

 and to give him back his flesh body, Hadjoqda related to him all the 

 secrets of this 'mysterious clearing and of the people who lived in it. 

 He told him: "The man who dwells in that long lodge is called 

 Deadoeiidjadases. He goes around the world every day, seizing and' 

 killing people, whose bodies he brings home to eat. Living in the 

 lodge with him are three sisters, who are all great witches. Every 

 day they are engaged in preparing human flesh and pounded green 

 corn, for their ferocious brother will eat nothing else. When not so 

 occupied, the three sisters spend their time driving elks out of the 

 clearing, which is covered with the most beautiful strawberries." 

 Hadjoqda continued: "Neither Deadoendjadases (nor his sisters, for 

 that matter) has a heart in his- body; and no one can kill them by 

 beating or cutting them up, for their lives are in another place. In 

 the corner of the lodge is a bed; under this bed is a lake; in this 

 lake a loon swims about; and under the right wing of this loon are 

 the four hearts (the lives) of Deadoendjadases and his sisters. The 

 largest heart is his own, the next in size is that of his eldest sister, 

 and the smallest is that of his youngest sister. If you squeeze these 

 hearts their owners will faint away; but if you crush them they 

 will die." ^8 



The lad gave Hadjoqda a piece of false wampum which he had 

 made from a small reed and colored with strawberry juice, saying: 

 "The sisters are calling you now. You must tell them that you 



