348 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. anx. sr. 



birds. AVhen these things were done they two ate tlieir evening 

 meal. 



The next morning the gi'andmother again gave her grandson 

 parched corn to eat, and when he had eaten she cantioned him once 

 more against going northward. By the middle of the day he had 

 killed a larger string of birds than on the previous day. so he went 

 home to his grandmother. She greeted him at the dooi'way with the 

 words, *' I thank you, grandson, for your success, for we are well oft' 

 now and shall have plenty to eat." That night, however, she talked 

 seriously with him, cautioning him in these words: "My grandson, 

 you must always hunt only to the southward from here. You must 

 never go to the northward, for many dangers lurk there which may 

 cut us both off, for you and I are the only persons of our family who 

 are left from destruction by sorcery. So if you are obedient and 

 listen to my words of caution to you, we shall probably live." 



The next morning aftei- his usual breakfast of parched cornmeal 

 the grand.son started off. On that da}' he ^yent farther away than 

 on any previous daj's, and he saw many different kinds of game, sucli 

 as he had not seen before. While animals of a certain kind were 

 feeding he managed to get around in front of them, and taking good 

 aim, he killed one with an arrow. The rest of these animals escaped. 

 He went up to the dead game animal, and pulling out his arrow, 

 cleaned it in the manner in which he had been instructed by his 

 grandmother. Then stripping off bark from a neighl)oring tree 

 and tying the game animal, so as to carry it the more easily on his 

 shoulders, he started for home. AMien he reached the doorway of his 

 home, he said to his grandmother, "I have larger game this time." 

 She was delighted with what he had brought home and thanked 

 him for his prowess, saying, "This is what is called Ohsoon.""'- 

 Having carefully dressed the game animal, the grandmother, after re- 

 serving part of it for future use, cooked the remainder. When it 

 was cooked they sat down together and ate it, while the grandmotlier 

 continued praising her grandson. 



The next morning she sent hnn off again, as she had done so many 

 mornings before. But he had to go a long way this day before he 

 was able to find any game. By the middle of the day, however, he 

 again met with an Ohsoon, which he killed. Having secured it to 

 his body with a bark sling, he started for home, renuirking to him- 

 self, "Oh! how far away the game animals have gone from home." 



As usual, the next morning he started oft' to hunt. But after he 

 had gone a short distance he began to think and wonder: " AVhy 

 does grandmother forbid my going to the north ? Yet game is get- 

 ting scarce in the south ? " Finally he came to the conclusion that he 

 would then and there disregard the injunction of his grandmother. 

 So he changed his course to the northward. Soon he found a large 



