uewitt] fiction 315 



"AVhere has he gone?" asked Tsodiqgwadon. "We do not know," 

 said they, "he did not stay here; he went oif the first night you left 

 him." " Pshaw ! let him go," said he, and Tsodiqgwadon went home. 



At the end of 10 days Doonongaes came to a large village in which 

 all the people wore feather headdresses. The thief of the village, 

 Gasaisdowanen,' '* asked Doonongaes, " What did you come here for ? " 

 "To make a visit," replied Doonongaes. "Who will take this man 

 to his lodge?" asked the chief. "He may go with me," called out 

 one man, so Doonongaes lived with him. After a few dayb news 

 came to the chief that the people from the far west were going to 

 make war on him; then a challenge came. The chief asked his peo- 

 ple to volunteer to fight the western people. In two days he had 

 500 volunteers, among whom was Doonongaes. They started, women 

 going with them until the night of the first day. The next morning 

 when the warriors went on the women returned to their honies. The 

 warriors continued their journey until they began to see signs of 

 danger and to hear war whoops here and there in the distance. 

 When they stopped for the night the chief said, " Let one man be on 

 guard all night." Doonongaes volunteered to do this sentinel duty. 

 He kept the fires burning and watched. About midnight he heard a 

 great war whoop and, saying to himself, "I do not want to die," he 

 ran off. The western people, who were Dagwanoenyents," came to 

 the spot where the people were asleep and killed and scalped every 

 one of them. After getting away to a safe distance Doonongaes lay 

 down and slept. In the morning he said, " I will go and see what 

 has happened to my friends." He found them all dead and scalped, 

 v.-hereupon he thought, " I will go to the wives of these men and 

 take them all." 



AA^hen Doonongaes returned to the village he called the women 

 together, and said, " I wish to tell you that your husbands are killed, 

 and that I will marry all of you." After talking the matter over 

 all the women except one were finally willing to accei)t the proposal. 

 Doonongaes said, " Very well ; I will settle with the unwilling one." 

 He stayed one night at each woman's lodge. When he came to the 

 unwilling one he said, " If you do not marry me, I will cut your 

 head off." " AVell," she answei-ed, " you will have to overpower me 

 first." She was a great woman ; her name was Diagoisiowanens.'^^ 

 Doonongaes continued. "I am magically the most powerful man in 

 the world," referring to his orenda. or magic power. "Well, 

 you must try me," said she. Thereupon he went out, saj'ing, " I 

 will be ready in the afternoon," but he never returned. 



Going southward, Doonongaes traveled until evening. That 

 night he spent in a hollow tree. He went on for eight da}'s. The 

 ninth night he said, " Diagoisiowanens thought she could over- 

 power me, but I am too far otf now." He was just going to sleep 



