256 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ann.S2 



clearings and little hillocks where corn had grown were still to be 

 seen where formerly grass was growing everywhere. The Sun said : 

 " You will find your people 12 ' looks ' farther on ; when you come 

 to the first lodge you must ask the old man whethe;- he had heard 

 years ago of two boys who were lost, and learn the number of years 

 from that time until the settlement moved. If he gives you no in- 

 formation, go to the next lodge, where you will find an old woman ; 

 ask her the same questions. Now we must part." 



The Sun turned back and the boys went forward. After a time 

 they came to a clearing, in which they saw a village. As the Sun 

 had commanded, they entered the first lodge. They called the old 

 man sitting there grandfather and talked with him about many 

 things. At last one asked, " Do you remember that in times past 

 two young men went from your village and were lost?" The old 

 man held his head down for a long time as if thinking; finally, 

 raising it, he said : " For what reason you ask me this question I do 

 not known, but two young men did disappear. It was said that they 

 were lost, but it was never known in what way." " How long ago 

 did this happen? ' the young men asked. "At the time they were lost 

 the settlement was forsaken; it is 10 years ago," said the old man. 

 The old chief told the young men that they must not stay any longer 

 in that place because their grandchildren might suffer the same kind 

 of loss. The old man continued, " There is a woman in the next 

 lodge who can tell you more than I can." The young men went 

 there. " How do you do, grandmother ? We have come on a visit," 

 said one of them. Their first question was, "Why. did the people 

 leave the old village? " "Two young men did not die, but they dis- 

 appeared," replied the old woman ; " the country was blamed for it ; 

 (he people thought it must be inhabited by some evil thing, which 

 took off their children." The young men listened, thinking they 

 could perform what had been given them to do. Then they said, 

 " We are the two whom you lost then, and now we have returned." 

 "How far did you go, and where?" asked the old woman. "It is 

 against our orders to tell you alone, but let an assembly be called, 

 and we will tell there all that we have seen. Let the people know 

 this, and that there will be dancing; then they will be sure to come. 

 There was nothing but mirth where we went." The old woman said: 

 " It is the duty of the man who lives in that lodge yonder to notify 

 the people of such gatherings. I will go and tell him." " Very 

 well," replied the young men ; " the account of our journey is very 

 important, for none of our people will ever see what we have seen 

 and return to tell the tale." "' Thereupon the woman told the old 

 man that two men had entered their village with important news, 

 and that a meeting of the people must be called. The old man 



