362 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS Ibth.ann.S2 



smoke-hole of his cabin. There was smoke issuing from it, and again 

 he found supper ready for him. On discovering a partially finished 

 braid of fibers of bark, he knew that a woman had been at work. He 

 saw, moreover, that she had also put a large number of his green 

 deerskins to soak, prepai'atory to making buckskin. Thereupon he 

 thought how good she was, and he resolved to see her, whomsoever 

 she might be, even if he had to give up hunting in order to do so. 



In the morning he started off as though he were going to hunt, 

 but went onij' a short way into the woods to a place whence he could 

 watcli the cabin. He had built no fire that morning, so that he might 

 be able to tell the moment smoke began to rise from the lodge. 

 Stealthilj' creeping back toward his home, he soon saw smoke rising 

 from the cabin. As he drew nearer, he saw what to him was a woman 

 come out of the lodge and take up an armful of wood. When she 

 went into the lodge he followed her as quickly as possible. There he 

 found a beautiful young woman, to whom he said: " You have been 

 very kind to me, and I am very thankful to you." She said in reply, 

 " I knew you were starving for lack of a woman's aid, so I came to 

 see whether you would take me as your wife." He accepted her offer, 

 for he was very happy that she was willing to remain. She never 

 left him after that. Eyery day she tanned the deerskins and cooked 

 for him, working hard all the time. His wife was beautiful and he 

 loved her dearly. 



Before the end of a year a boy was born to them, and they were 

 perfectly happy. When the time was near to fulfill his promise to 

 visit his mother, she said to him : " I know you promised to visit 

 your mother, and the time is now here. I have everything ready 

 for you. I have made moccasins for you and for your mother." He 

 said in reply, " I wonder how I can carry her some meat, for she 

 lives a long way off." " You have only to choose the meat you want," 

 she replied; "I know how you can carry it." He decided to take 

 some of every kind. She warned him to be true and faithful to her 

 while away, for many women when they saw what a good hunter he 

 was would ask him of his mother. She said : " You must be true to 

 me as I will be to you. You must never yield to temptation, for I 

 shall know if you do, and you will never see me again." He 

 promised her everything she asked. Early the ne.xt morning she 

 asked him to go to the river with her; it was not far from the cabin. 

 She knew how he came, and that he would reach his mother's home 

 sooner by going on the river. When they reached the bank, she took 

 out of her bosom a tiny canoe. He wondered what she was going to 

 do with so little a plaything. She told him to take hold of one end 

 and to pull away from her. On doing so, the canoe stretched out 

 until it was a very large one. Then they brought on their backs 

 basketful after basketful of meat, which they packed away in the 



