232 SEKKCA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ann.82 



must return it." So, taking it back, the little dog placed it with the 

 torn side down, near the woman's head. The next morning when the 

 woman shook the skins she found the pouch torn and laid the blame 

 on the mice. 



A few days after this the little dog said to tlie man, " We are going 

 to punish our sister-in-law for tlie bad treatment she gives us." The 

 man decided that he would say nothing, and that they might punish 

 her if they wished. The next moining he said to his dogs, " You 

 must stay at home, for I shall be away all night." After he had 

 gone the woman began cooking, and the little dog watched all her 

 movements. When she took the meat down his mouth watered for 

 a piece of it. The dogs sat around watching her as she cut it up, 

 but she did not give them even a mouthful. It so chanced that sho 

 cut her finger badly and was not able to stanch the bleeding. In at- 

 tempting to do so she even thrust the finger into her mouth and began 

 sucking it. She found that she liked the taste of her own blood, and 

 later even the meat she was cooking did not taste so good. So she 

 sucked all the blood out of that finger; then she cut another finger 

 and sucked that, for she had forgotten all about the cooking. Next 

 she cut one arm and sucked it, then the other; then one leg and then 

 the other. Finally, when she had sucked all the blood out of her 

 body, she cut off her flesh, piece after piece, and ate it. The dogs 

 sat around watching her, and her little girl also was looking on. 

 After she had eaten all her own flesh she seized her daughter and, 

 though the child cried and begged for mercy, the unnatural mother, 

 paying no heed to her pleadings, killed her and ate her. 



Then the woman ran off in the direction her husband had taken. 

 Suddenly the hunter heard something behind him. Turning, he 

 saw the little dog, who said to him: "I have come to tell you that 

 your wife has become a man-eater; she has eaten the flesh off her 

 own body and has eaten your child, and is now on your trail. We 

 must run for our lives. We will go to the settlement and j'ou must 

 tell the people to leave the place and run, for one is following us who 

 will devour them all. Those who believe you will escape, but those 

 who do not will die. We must run with all speed, for she is following 

 us fast." 



Now, it was through the orenda of the dogs and their influence 

 that the woman had become a man-eater. 



When they reached the settlement, the man told the people of 

 their danger. Some escaped, but the woman quickly ate all who 

 remained. Again she followed on her husband's trail. The little 

 dog told the man when the woman reached the .settlement, and soon 

 after said, " Now do your best, for she is coming with greater speed 

 than before; we are near a large river." The fugitives reached the 

 river and the man, making a small raft, quickly got on it with hi< 



