llTiri] FICTIOK 257 



started out. and on coming to a certain spot he called, Go'wef Go'we! 

 and continued to call thus until he reached the end of the village. 



Soon all the people assembled, whereupon the chief went to the 

 two strangers. Entering the old woman's lodge, he said, " Let the 

 work be done." As they came to the place of the gathering, the 

 people looked upon the young men, who seemed to them a different 

 kind of people. They did not recognize them. The chief said: 

 ■' These men are here with messages. Whence they have come no 

 one knows, for we are not aware of any people living in the world 

 but ourselves " (this was true, for they did not know that other people 

 existed, and therefore were surprised). The chief having sat down, 

 one of the men rising, said, " Listen all." (He was the one first trans- 

 formed, had been first in all things, afterward, and so was now first 

 to speak.) After thanking the people for assembling, he said: "I 

 wish to ask you a question. Did you, while living in the old village, 

 lose two young men ? " Then he sat down. An old woman, rising, 

 replied : " I will answer that question. Two young men, despised 

 and shunned by all, disappeared and have not been seen since." and 

 she took her seat. Then the old man whom they had visited rose, 

 but he could not say much. The young man last transformed, stand- 

 ing up, said: "We are the two who disappeared. No one cared for 

 us; we felt grieved and we departed. We have been to the other 

 world, and also in the southern world, and we have now returned. A 

 guide came with us to our starting place. It was through your 

 wickedness that you left your old homes. You are like animals of 

 the forest; when their young are old enough they are left to them- 

 selves. As soon as we were large enough, we were left alone and 

 desolate. The birds build homes for their children but soon leave 

 them : you will see that whenever the young bird meets the mother it 

 will flutter its wings, but the mother passes it by. We, like the young 

 bird, were happy to meet you, but* you did not want to see us. At the 

 time we went away we were young, but we are now men. What is 

 your opinion of what has happened? Will it be customary hereafter 

 to desert homeless children?" (It appeared that the two wanted 

 to be received into the gens.) His companion, having listened to 

 his speech, said : " Let this be the starting point. Whenever a poor 

 family are rearing children and the parents die, never forsake them." 

 The men then told all their adventures to the great assembly; that 

 they had visited the Long Lodge and had seen Hawenniio ; that they 

 had been directed to describe to their friends in the lower world all 

 that they had seen. Then they told the people that they must learn 

 the dances which Hawenniyo wishes his children to know, namely, 

 the Green Corn dances. One young man was to sing the songs he 

 had heard in the upper world, while the other was to teach the people 

 94615°— 18 17 



