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



her any longer, for she never gets enough now, and we are tired." 

 The man saw that, do what they might, she woukl not be satisfied. 

 The boys said, " We will go away first if you like." The father 

 answered : " You may go. Your mother has become a man-eater. 

 You may escape." The next morning the boys started westward 

 with the dogs. The father said he would not go just then, but 

 that he would follow. He had to go in another direction and 

 therefore would go southward first. When the children were a 

 short distance from the lodge the dogs looked at them, and thinking 

 how hard it was for them to trudge along, the larger dog said to 

 the larger boy, "Come! get on my back;" and the smaller dog said 

 to the smaller boy, " Come ! get on my back." Both mounting the 

 dogs, away they went. The dogs ran so swiftly that the hair of 

 the boys' heads streamed backward, and they enjoyed the ride so 

 much that the woods were full of their laughter. After they had 

 gone a long distance, for the dogs went like the wind, they saw 

 traces of human beings. There were places where the trees had 

 been cut down. The dogs said, " Now you would better slip off 

 and go on foot to the settlement." The boys were unwilling to go, 

 but the dogs were determined, and shaking themselves, as if they 

 had just been in water, the children tumbled off. Telling the chil- 

 dren again to go on to the settlement, the dogs went back to their 

 master. He had told them that he would leave in two days, for 

 then the Head would come out of the tree and go into the lodge; 

 then climbing up to the place where the meat was kept, the Head 

 would eat it all. 



The boys had told their father that by going southward he would 

 find uncles who might help him escape, for they were just such 

 powerful men as his old uncle was. When the dogs got back to their 

 master they said that he must make every effort he could to escape: 

 that they would remain until the last piece of meat was gone, but that 

 he must go at once. The lives of all were in danger, for when the 

 meat was all eaten the Head would fly in the direction of her people, 

 although they (the dogs) would stay and detain the Head as long as 

 possible. " In three days all the meat will be devoured ; flee for your 

 life; go south toward your other uncles, for she will follow you," the 

 dogs said. 



The man did as the dogs advised, starting off southward and go- 

 ing with great speed, for he was a good runner. Two days after he 

 had left home one of the dogs overtook him and said: "The meat is 

 all gone and she is now trying to find the trail of her children. She 

 can follow it as far as they walked, but no farther, for we took them 

 on our backs at a certain distance from the lodge and carried them 

 far away. They are now in the west. Be on your guard. She will 

 soon strike your trail and pursue you. Follow me! The Head is 



