510 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. anx.82 



thing which the women had done to you, and you shall be restored to 

 the likeness of a living human being." So saying, he proceeded to 

 rub her entire body with his hands reenforced by his great orenda 

 (magic power). She soon was restored to her normal figure and 

 condition, and she again had the appearance of a human being. 



Then the old man, Oiigwe' Haiiges"ha', said to her and his nephew, 

 "Come now, let us start for home"; and after making suitable 

 preparations, they departed. They stopped to camp many places on 

 the way, but in due time they arrived at their home, whereupon the 

 old man said to his nephew : " We have now returned to our home. 

 You have now also grown to manhood, and it is a custom that when 

 one attains to manhood, he marries. Marriage must take place in 

 your case now. You must start on a 10-days' journey. There are 

 on the way 10 camping places with fireplaces, which are visible. 

 That is the distance which you must go. To reach this place you 

 must go eastward, and there you will find a valley. You must go 

 along the path leading thither. You must summon all your courage 

 and resolution in midertaking this journey, for along this path there 

 are found all manner of difficulties and dangers. Along this path 

 you will find one who is called S'hodie'o"sko"' (the Abuseful Trick- 

 ster), who continually haunts this pathway. Come, now! I will 

 dress you for the occasion." So he anointed him abundantly with 

 sunflower oil over his entire body. He said to him : " You must 

 take along with you this pouch of human skin, in which there is a 

 smoking pipe which was the skull of a human being; and for a 

 lighter there are a flint and a piece of tinder, or punk; and also an 

 awl and a knife. These are the things this pouch contains, and with 

 these you will provide for your needs on the way. You must now 

 start. The trees along the way have been blazed, and you will find 

 the camping places, although it is not certain that they are still 

 easily discovered. But you must find them, and there j'ou must 

 spend the night. This you must do for 10 nights, and then your 

 pathway will lead you to the valley. There you shall find assembled a 

 large concourse of people, and you shall see there also the home of 

 a woman who has a tall tree, on the top of which are perched mys- 

 terious Hawks (?), three in number, which are her servants and which 

 obey her thaumaturgic commands ; but these are three of her daugh- 

 ters. He who will hit one of these mysterious birds shall be privi- 

 leged to marry her youngest daughter, who is a "down-fended"*'" 

 virgin ; that is to say, a noble virgin. So the fortunate one shall marry 

 her. And so you shall go thither. It is known that in the days that 

 have gone by no one has hit one of these mysterious birds, although 

 those who shoot at them daily are very numerous. You it is who 

 will be able to hit the bird. Come, then, now depart. But perhaps 

 it might be better that another day should break on us together j 



