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



when he heard someone walking on the leaves who, coming to the 

 opening of his camp, said : " Doonongaes, are you here ? What 

 would you do if Hononeowanen '" should come here ? " " Oh ! I should 

 like it," answered Doonongaes. The man went off, as it seemed, and 

 soon a great noise of falling trees was heard — a terrible noise — the 

 earth was torn up on every side. When Hononeowanen reached the 

 tree he said, "Come out ! " Turning himself into a snake," ^" Doonon- 

 gaes went out. When the other one saw him, he said, "Why, you 

 are one of my people." "Yes, I am the chief of our people, the 

 most powerful person on earth," was the reply of Doonongaes. "I 

 think not," said Hononeowanen. " Yes, I am. In the west lives a 

 man of our kind, pretending to })e the most powerful person mag- 

 ically in the whole world. I met and overpowered him (Doonon- 

 gaes lied; he meant Tsodiqgwadon). "Well," said Hononeowanen, 

 " that man has more orenda than I, so if you have more orenda than 

 he, I do not want to meddle with you, so I will go away." So say- 

 ing, he went off. Doonongaes stood a while thinking: "Why did 

 Hononeowanen come over here? I suppose he forgot that I am sec- 

 ond in magic power among my people. Well, I will go back to my 

 wives, but there is no use in doing that, as Diagoisiowanens might 

 kill me. I will go southward." 



Doonongaes then walked two nights and days without sleep, until 

 he came to a great plain on the eastern side of which there was 

 smoke arising. Thereupon he turned himself into a man.^'* Soon he 

 reached a village, but he saw no one, though smoke was rising from 

 every lodge. Entering a lodge, he found a kettle full of meat over 

 a good fire, but there was no one at home. Going around the vil- 

 lage, he waited. Just at noon he thought, " I would better go again 

 and see whether anyone has come back." He found no one. " This 

 is very mysterious." said he. " I will go away — perhaps this is a 

 place of the arts of scorcery." 



Doonongaes next went westward. In the evening he saw another 

 " opening " and smoke arising, as before. " If I do not find anyone 

 here," said he. " I will go back to the two women whom Tsodiqgwadon 

 gave me." He reached the place, where he had been but a short 

 time when he saw coming toward him a splendid-looking man with 

 great feathers on his head. This was Hostoyowanen,'" the chief of 

 th« village. Doonongaes greeted him with, " Do you know the vil- 

 lage off there in the east? Where have all the peojile gone? " " They 

 are desKl," answered the man. " Niagwaihe has eaten them all. To- 

 morrow, perhaps, he will come here and destroy us." "I should like 

 to stay here a few days," said Doonongaes. " Very well," replied the 

 chief. " tomori-ow I will show you my village." The next day they 

 went all around. Doonongaes saw that the peoj^le had beautiful 



