294 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ann. 32 



yreat tumult. When the Head flew into the lodjre, it bit at every- 

 thing with wiiich it came in contact, tearing it to pieces. The women 

 attacked the Head with chibs, and there came to his ears the sound of 

 the blows of the clubs on the skull. When halfway to the other place, 

 all was still at his aunts' lodge. 



Suddenly he heard his brother calling out, " Kun ! or we are lost." 

 The invisible brother who urged him forward pushed him by the 

 neck whenever he was near, and then they seemed to run faster. 

 They were in a great hurry to reach the lodge, and he pushed him 

 on until they were there. Thereupon the man called on his mothers, 

 saying, " Mothers, help me ! help me ! "' " Oh, poor son ! you are in 

 trouble; go on — we will do what we can." He hurried thi'ough 

 the lodge. The Head came in as he went out, and the dog, running 

 around the lodge, urged him on. The brother was invisible when 

 they passed through the lodge. The mothers called out to all their 

 children, " Kill the Head if you can ! " All got their most deadly 

 and potent weapons, and the two brothers heard the old mothers 

 urge their children to fight with all their strength. The dogs 

 remained outside the door, ready to fly at the Head when she came 

 out. One of the women stumbled and fell, whereupon the Head, 

 after catching and hurling her out, devoured her in an instant. 



The old mothers now cautioned their children again to. take great 

 care and make no missteps. Now the youngest one thought of some 

 bear's fat they had in the lodge, and the idea came to her that the 

 only way they could kill the Head was by use of this. After the 

 Head had eaten the first girl and was chasing the others through the 

 lodge the bear's oil began to boil."* As they threw the boiling oil, 

 it singed and burned the Head, killing it (the animated Head was 

 merely the skull with long projecting teeth). 



All wishing to give thanks, the mothers said: "We ought to h:ive 

 a game of ball. Your brother is free. It is our duty to give thanks. 

 The ball shall be this Head." Picking up the Head, she carried it 

 out, calling in a loud voice, " Here, warriors ! is a ball you can have 

 to play with." Soon a great crowd of people came together with 

 their netted clubs and began to play. All the players were wild 

 beasts of the woods. The man stood near and saw the wild beasts 

 playing ball with his wife's head. All tried to get the ball, and in 

 this way they wore it out. 



The dog now came up to his master and told him that his wife 

 ■was dead; and when it said "Your wife is dead," his strength 

 seemed to leave him ; his arms dropped down, and he was sad. The 

 invisible brother said: "You feel grieved; for my part I am glad. 

 I do not see why you .should be sad ; she would have devoured you 

 if they had not killed her. Now there is nothing to harm us Your 



