198 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [bth. ann. 32 



whom he had sent to entice him into the den. He continued, " 1 

 want to send word to the eldest man at your camp to tell him that 

 his friend is here and wants some tobacco, and that tomorrow as 

 many of his warriors as wish may come to see me here." So the 

 warrior went back to the camp of his comrades and reported what 

 he had heard. 



The next day, accompanied by five of his companions, each bear- 

 ing a pouch of native tobacco, he returned to the den of the bears. 

 When they gave the tobacco to the old man, he was very glad, and 

 said to them : " I am thankful to you for this present of tobacco. 

 I shall enjoy it a long time, for it will last me many days." While 

 in the den one of the warriors remarked, " Oh ! I am very tired 

 and sleepy." Overhearing this remark, the old man said to him, 

 " Lie down, then." 



When the others also had laid themselves down the old man arose, 

 and going over to the spot where the first warrior lay, rubbed his 

 body from his feet to his head. Then setting down a vessel which 

 he held in one hand he proceeded to dismember this warrior's body 

 joint by joint until he had taken him to pieces. Placing each piece 

 in a mortar, with a pestle he pounded the bones to a jelly, which 

 he poured into a bowl. Then he took the bowl and the other vessel 

 into another part of the den, where he left them. Returning and 

 sitting down, he began to smoke. 



After a while he called out : " My nephew, come out now. You 

 have been there long enough." When the young warrior came out, 

 he appeared as light, fresh, and lithe as a boy. Then another of the 

 Seneca warriors said, " Can you do this for me, too? " The old man 

 answered, " Yes, if you wish me to do so." 



Then the warrior laid himself down, and the old man went 

 through the same process as he had with the other warrior. After 

 he had carried the two vessels into the remote part of the den, the 

 old man, returning, began to smoke. Shortly he called out " Oh, my 

 nephew, you have now slept long enough ! " At once the warrior 

 arose and came forth so fresh and lithe that he felt no weight in his 

 body. Thereupon another Seneca warrior asked the old man to 

 treat him in the same manner. The latter man consented and, after 

 going through the same process as that which renewed the others, 

 this warrior, too, was made young and as light as a feather, and 

 consequently was very happy. 



Then a fourth warrior asked the old man to transform him like- 

 wise, but the old man refused, saying: " I have now done enough. I 

 will tell you why I have taken the trouble to do this to four of your 

 people. There is a large opening extending from one end of the 

 world to the other. In this opening is a great rock, and in this rock 

 is a man possessed of enormous horns. We have tried to kill him, 



