192 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS. AND MYTHS Tbth. ann.sj 



As he was packing up liis game to return home, a woman's voice 

 said. " Sto]>! Wait a while, for you must be tii'ctl." They sat down 

 on a log, and she, drawing his head on her hvp, began Ibolung for 

 vermin. The man was soon asleej). Putting him into a baslcot. the 

 woman carried him off to a great ledge of rocks, where there was only 

 a small foothold. Taking him out of the basket, she asked. " Do 

 you know this place?" "I will tell you soon," said he, looking 

 around. But at that instant the woman disajDpeared. He soon saw 

 some one faitlier along on the rock, and heard him say, " I am fish 

 hungry. I will fish a while." Then, throwing out his line into the 

 water below, he began singing while he pulled up one fish after 

 another. At last he said; "I have enough. I shall take a rest now 

 and have something to eat. This is what we people eat when we 

 are out all night in the rocks." Then he took a baked squash out of 

 his basket. 



The young man said to the rock, "Stand back a little, so that T 

 can string my bow." The rock stood back. Stringing his bow and 

 saying, " Now boast again ! " he shot the fisherman. The young man 

 soon heard a loud noise, and looking in the directicm from which it 

 came, he saw an enormous bat pa.ss a little to one side of him. Taking 

 from his pouch a hemlock leaf, and dropping it over the rocks, he 

 began to sing. "A tree must grow from tho hemlock leaf." Soon a 

 tree came in sight. Then he talked to the triie, saying, '' Come near to 

 me and have many limbs." As the tree came to a level with the j>lace 

 on the rocks where the young man was sitting, it stopped growing. 

 He had seen along the narrow shelf on the roclcs many other men. 

 He called to the nearest one. asking him to tell all to come, so they 

 could escape. Slowly creeping up, one after another, they went down 

 tlie hemlock tree. 



When all had reached the gi-ound. the young man. taking a straw- 

 berry leaf out of his pocket and laying it on the ground, said, '' (ii-ow 

 and bear berries." Then he l)egan singing, "Eipen berries, ripen 

 berries." The \ines grew, and were filled with berries, which ripened 

 in a short time.''" When they had all eaten as many berries as they 

 wanted the young man picked ofi' a leaf and put it into his pouch, 

 whereupon all the vines and berries disaj^peared. 



Then he said, " Tjot us go to our wife" (meaning tlie woman). 

 After traveling some distance the young man killed an elk. Cutting 

 into strings the hide they made a " papoo.se board," but big enougii 

 for an adult; then they started on. Soon they came near a lodge, 

 where they saw a woman pounding corn. When she noticed them 

 coming she began to .scold and, holding up the corn pounder, was 

 going to fight with them. When the young man said, however, " Let 

 the corn pounder stop right there," it stopped in the air, half raised. 



