420 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. a.nn. 32 



journey, which took an entire day. Having killed a deer on the way, 

 he carried along the venison. He found the lodge of his brothers- 

 in-law, which looked very desolate. Peeping in, he saw all the 

 brothers, who appeared weak and miserable; so he walked in, saying, 

 " How are you, my brothers-in-law ? " One said, " There is our 

 brother-in-law." They answered, " We are nearly starved ; we have 

 found nothing to kill." " Well," was the response, " we have plenty 

 at our place. Come and live with us. I have meat here on my back. 

 Eat and then go with me." Thereupon he gave them the venison, 

 which they ate almost raw. The food made them strong, so they 

 started with him for his home. 



The young man got home very quickly and told his wife, " Your 

 brothers are badly off; they are worse off than you were." During 

 the night the brothers arrived. They were satisfied, and afterward 

 lived with their sister and brother-in-law. Soon all went back to 

 the village, loaded with skins and venison. Now the man and his 

 wife were rich. They lived in the Genesee Valley. 



77. The Great Worm'''* and Hinon 



One day a boy was wandering about hunting in the woods. ■\^Tiile 

 he was looking around for birds he noticed on the limb of a tree a 

 large, many-colored worm. He thought it very beautiful and he 

 watched it for some time. The next day he went to the woods again, 

 thinking all the time of the worm and wondering whether it still 

 would be there. 



When he came to the tree he saw the worm on the branch, but in 

 another place. The boy had a string of birds which he had killed 

 that morning. Tearing off a small bit of the flesh of one and fasten- 

 ing it to a stick, he tried to feed the worm. It ate a little and the 

 boy was greatly amused. The following day the boy again found 

 the worm and fed it. The worm always remained near the place 

 where he had first discovered it. Each day the worm ate a little 

 more and lai'ger portions. After a while the boy gave it a whole 

 bird at a time ; then soon two birds, feathers and all. The worm had 

 now become very large, too heavy for the limb of the tree on which 

 it had been staying, so it fell to the ground. It never looked for 

 food, but seemed to wait for the boy to bring it. 



One day the youth was out with a number of boys hunting. When 

 they started for liome he said, " I shall give all my birds to the 

 woi-m." Thereupon the other boys questioned him about the creature 

 and wanted to see it, so he led them to the worm, and they had great 

 s]5ort seeing it eat. At every turn it seemed to change color and 

 grow more beautiful. The boys were delighted to throw birds at 

 the worm that they might see it snatch and eat them. Finally they 

 said, "Let us go hunting tomorrow and bring it all the birds we can 

 find." This they did. 



