^D«T/N^] TEADITIONS 439 



The Stone Coat Woman then went off alone; the others took to 

 their canoes. As they were pushing out into the river, a man came 

 to the shore, calling to the oarsman to come back a moment ; refusing 

 to do so, he pushed farther out. Thereupon the other man called 

 out, " It is lucky for you that you did not come back, for I came to 

 eat you." So these people had a narrow escape. 



86. Genonsgwa 



A long while ago, while some Seneca were out hunting, a Stone 

 Coat came up to them, saying: "I should lilve to remain here with 

 you. and I think that you will derive good luck from me. You can 

 have all the skins you need and meat enough to live on. I will take 

 the rest." The Seneca agreed to this. 



The next morning the hunters had great luck in hunting. When 

 it was time for them to go home for the season, the Stone Coat said, 

 " I will pack each man's load of meat and skins." They had dried 

 meat, buckskins, and furs. The Stone Coat packed in a single bundle 

 what he thought each man could carry; then he shook each bundle 

 till it became small. He told the men to cast their bundles on the 

 ground when thej' got home, and that they would become as large as 

 when he began to pack them. Bidding them good-by, the Stone Coat 

 said, " I hope you will all come to this place next winter; then we can 

 all be together again." 



The next winter these hxmters went back to the same hunting- 

 ground, whereupon another Stone Coat came to them, who said, 

 "My father has sent me here to bring one of you hunters to his 

 home; he wants him as a son-in-law." One of the men volunteered 

 to go, saying, " Probably we shall be better off; perhaps we shall liA'e 

 longer by doing as he wishes"; so he accompanied the Stone Coat. 

 When they came to the Stone Coat's house, the old man said, " I sent 

 my son to bring you here. I want you to marry my daughter. You 

 must not be afraid. I will make my people understand that they 

 must not touch nor harm you." So the man married the Stone Coat's 

 daughter, although the old man said that his people would be sur- 

 prised at his giving his daughter to a Seneca. 



The Stone Coat rubbed his son-in-law's hands, feet, and body with 

 an object like a bone, and then told him to go out hunting. The 

 young man felt himself growing so strong that he felt he could carry 

 off everything he laid his eyes on. There was a certain young man of 

 the Stone Coats who loved the old Stone Coat's daughter and wanted 

 to marry her. Being angry with the Seneca, he came up to him, 

 saying, " You and I must have a foot race. If I should outrun you, 

 thereby winning, I shall cut your head off and take your wife. If 

 you win you may cut my head off." The appointed day camie, and 



