384 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [kth. ann. 32 



sent them home. Their mother, thinkmg that they were ghosts, cried ; 

 tlien she drove them out to the rocks, where they foimd their father 

 and brothers. 



Ot'hegwenhda now went along the northern trail until he came to 

 a small opening, where he stopped a moment. At this time a wliirl- 

 wind came straight upon him, causing him to run to the shelter of 

 a great maple tree near by. In a short time he heard the sound of a 

 blow on the other side of the tree. Looking toward the spot, he 

 saw an Onwi (Winged Snake) lying dead, for coming in the whirl- 

 wind, it had struck the tree and in this way had been killed. The 

 boy now went to the edge of the opening, where he heard the noise 

 caused by a second great whirlwind. " I shall die this time surely," 

 thought he, as he saw a multitude of winged snakes borne by the 

 whirlwind. Again as he stood behind a tree, they rushed far beyond. 

 Thereupon he ran to the other side of the opening. Presently the 

 whirlwind of snakes ^^* came back ; this time he lay down on the roots, 

 on the opposite side of the tree, imtil the snakes rushed by and far 

 away. Now, puttmg the fetish on his hand, it stood up alive; he 

 asked, "What am I to do with these snakes that are chasing me?" 

 " Oh ! make a large fire across their trail," was the reply. Gathering 

 boughs and sticks into a great pile, he set fire to the western end of 

 it, saying to the wind, "Oh, my grandfather! send a breeze on the 

 western end of this pile." His grandfather heard him, and soon there 

 was a mighty fire. When well kindled, he said, " Let the breeze be 

 still." Immediately it died out. Very soon the snakes came on 

 again in the whirlwind, and rushing into the fire, every one was 

 killed. 



Now free, Ot'hegwenhda hurried along the northern trail again 

 until he came to a second one leading toward the northeast. Once 

 more taking out the fetish, he asked, "Which way shall I go?" 

 " North," was the answer. So he went on. Soon he saw a trail 

 going toward the noi'thwest, but he kept straight on his own trail 

 to the end. At first he saw nothing there, but after a long search he 

 found an opening near a birch tree which stood at the end of the 

 trail. On entering, he came to a room in which an old man sat 

 smoking. " What can that old man be doing," thought he. Pres- 

 ently the old man straightened up, saying: " I am weak this morning. 

 It seems to me somebody is around here. I thought the man who 

 guarded the opening said the Hongak family were all dead." Rais- 

 ing his head, the old man looked, and as he looked, his eyes .seemed 

 to stand out from his head. x\t length he saw the boy, to whom he 

 said : " My nephew, T am glad you have come to visit me. I am 

 going to try whether I can find what luck (or orenda) you have. So 

 saying, he shook a rattle made of Dagwanoenyent, saying sciwa. 



