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



out, 'I, Ot'hegwenhda, am on this high rock.' You will find very 

 sharp flint stones up there; take a handful of these and throw them 

 this way, saying, ' I want it to he hot.' This is your only course to 

 succeed." As Ot'hegwenhda put back the fetish in his belt, he heard 

 the old men talking. " It seems Ot'hegwenhda is about here," said 

 the old man in the northwest corner to the one in the southeast. 

 " Oh ! " replied the other, " I thought you said all that family were 

 killed." Then the old man in the southwest remarked, " It was my 

 opinion that one was left." "Well, I think they are all gone 

 except the old woman Hongak," said the old man in the northeast. 

 "Well," added the old man in the northwest, "it seems to me that 

 Ot'hegwenhda is lurking around here somewhere." " If you think 

 so, you should look for him," replied the old man of the southwest. 

 " Yes, I must look to see if I can find him," rejoined the man of the 

 northwest. Ot'hegwenhda, leaping on the lodge, sat with his feet 

 hanging through the smoke-hole. The old man looked everywhere 

 but could not see him. 



Ot'hegwenhda with his bow and arrows now shot down through 

 the smoke-hole at each of the four old men, the arrows piercing 

 their bodies deeply, but the old men were not hurt ; they did not even 

 know that they were hit. Leaping off the lodge and landing about 

 forty rods away, Ot'hegwenhda went into the rock, whence he called 

 out, " My name is Ot'hegwenhda." As he stood there a while one of 

 the old men said : " My back is sore. It feels as though my bones 

 were broken." Picking up a handful of sharp fragments of flint, 

 Ot'hegwenhda threw them at the lodge, saying, " I want you to be red 

 hot and burn up these old men and their lodge." The flint went 

 straight to the lodge, a few pieces flying beyond. Those that struck 

 the lodge set it on fire, and those that fell beyond set the forest on fire. 

 Everything was blazing in and around the lodge. Then the boy threw 

 another handfid of flints, saying, " I want you to cut these old men's 

 heads off." whereupon the flints pierced their necks, causing their 

 heads to fall off. 



Ot'hegwenhda stood on the rock, watching the fire burn until 

 nothing but coals remained. Suddenly he heard an explosion — a 

 Dagwanoenyent flew toward him, knocking him oft' the rock; then 

 rising high in the air, it went straight west. Quickly springing to 

 his feet and looking up, the boy saw the Dagwanoenyent going higher 

 and higher. Soon he heard a crash as it struck the Blue (Sky),'"' 

 after which it came rushing down again, soon reaching the earth. 

 Thereupon the youth crushed its head with a white flint. 



Ot'hegwenhda now searched all through the coals with a pointed 

 stick, but he found nothing but fire. At the northwestern corner of 

 the burnt heap he found a trail leading toward the northwest, and 

 following this, he came to an opening in the forest where he saw a 



