454 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS Ieth. ANN. S2 



built a fire, and the man started off hunting, telling his wife to boil 

 samp and that he would be back in time to put meat with it. He 

 went up a stream and came back in time with game. Having cut up 

 some of the meat, his wife put it with the samp. About dusk supper 

 was ready and they ate heartily. The man continued to hunt every 

 day, killing one to three deer, and also bear, so they soon had a great 

 deal of dried venison and bear meat, whereupon the man said. " We 

 ■shall soon have plenty of meat." 



One night he said that he dreamed there were other hunters near by 

 who could kill nothing. Now this man had four dogs. One day he 

 met a man who said that he could kill nothing; that he had three 

 companions who could find no game in the wood ; and that the three 

 had nothing to eat. Another day the man met the same three hunters 

 in the woods. They asked him whether he would not give them some 

 meat, something to eat. "No; I will not," said he; " I have told my 

 wife that we would stay long enough to get a sufficient quantity of 

 meat. I have nothing to give away." So saying, he went home. 



The next morning his wife went for a load of wood, leaving her 

 child in a swing in the lodge. When she returned she heard some- 

 body talking to her baby. She was frightened at this, for she thought 

 it must be Genonsgwa. The words were, " You look very sweet to 

 me." • On going in, the mother saw a large naked woman sitting by 

 the swinging cradle, who said : " I laiow just what you thought when 

 you heard me singing. You gave yourself up for lost. I am not 

 going to harm you. I came in to get something to eat. Perhaps you 

 would give me some meat." She replied, " I will give you some, for 

 you seem very kind and good." With these words she took two or 

 three pieces of meat from the side of the lodge, saying, " I will cook 

 them for you." " No," said the naked woman ; " I will eat the meat 

 as it is." After eating three hams of venison she asked for more, 

 " For," said she, " I eat a great deal when I get started." When she 

 had eaten enough, she said, " I have finished now. I shall go and 

 come again." The woman watched her as she went out, saying to 

 herself, " That woman looks very savage." The naked woman, turn- 

 ing to her, said, " I am Genonsgwa." When he came the woman told 

 her husband what had happened. 



Early the next morning her husband went hunting. At night the 

 dogs began to bark and became terribly frightened. The husband 

 said, " I think that Genonsgwa is going to come and kill us. You 

 would better go home with the child." " I will stay with you and will 

 be killed, if necessary," replied the woman. She begged her hus- 

 band to go with her, b>it he said, " No ; I will stay and save our 

 meat." Then he heard the bushes around the lodge breaking and a 

 wind blowing down the smoke-hole. 



