S>wi^J FICTIOX 223 



" That is too much to say. You might as well kill me. You should 

 not talk that way." 



The next morning Ongwe las said : " I shall not go hunting on that 

 island again. I shall go to the other side of the country." Then he 

 went away, much to the relief of his prisoners. 



After he had been gone some time the woman said, " He must be 

 at his destination by this time, so you may come out." Hodadeiion 

 came out from under the couch and went with the woman to the lake. 

 There he raised the canoe; getting aboard, the two paddled away as 

 quickly as possible. When they had reached the middle of the lake 

 they suddenly heard Ongwe las shouting to them, " You can not escape 

 from me ! You can not escape from me ! " Running into the lodge, 

 he seized a hook and line, which he hurled at Hodadeiion, at the 

 some time saying, " Catch the canoe ! " At once the hook did so and 

 Ongwe las was pulling the canoe swiftly back to shore. Suddenly the 

 woman saw that the foi-est on the shore seemed to be coming nearer 

 and nearer, and then she saw the hook and line and Ongwe las at 

 the other end of the line. She screamed to Hodadeiion to break the 

 hook. This he quickly did and they were again free; tiiereupon 

 they speedily paddled back to the middle of the lake. Then Ongwe 

 las, in a great rage, screaming, " You shall not escape from me," 

 started to run along the bottom of the lake toward his intended vic- 

 tims; but at the moment he was at the bottom Hodadeiion said, " Let 

 there be ice all over the lake so thick that nothing can break through 

 it, and let our canoe be on the top of the ice." 



When Ongwe las thought that he was under the canoe he sprang 

 upward toward the surface with all his might, striking the ice with 

 such force that it cracked all over the lake. The force of the blow 

 crushed the head of Ongwe las, so that he died. 



At once Hodadenon willed that the ice melt away as rapidly 

 as it had formed. When the ice was gone he and his sister paddled 

 to the shore. On landing, they traveled on homeward. When they 

 reached home they entered the lodge by the western doorway; then 

 going around by the way of the south to the eastern side, Hodade- 

 iion took his sister to the last couch, which was at the northwestern 

 corner, where he seated her. The family was now complete and 

 happy. 



42. The Unci.e and His Nephew 



An uncle and his nephew lived together in a bark lodge in the 

 woods. They had no neighbors. 



The uncle went every day to hunt and to dig wild potatoes. Dur- 

 ing the day and evening the boy sat by the fire and parched corn to 

 eat. Though the uncle brought home plenty of good potatoes, he 

 gave his nephew only small, poor ones to eat. 



