520 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ann. 32 



Finally the time came when the old man said to his grandson : " 1 

 will now free you from my tutelage and now you must depend on 

 yourself. No matter where you may be you must keep saying ' Ga- 

 jihsondis' whenever you may hit any object — even this foot of the 

 raccoon." Therefore the old man paid no more attention to the 

 welfare of his grandson. The latter ran around at pleasure for a 

 long time. At last he asked his grandfather this question : " My 

 grandfather, where are our kinsmen?" In answering him the old 

 man told his grandson a number of things. Pointing off a long 

 distance he replied: "They have gone far away to a place where 

 lives a great beast. It is impossible for anyone to reach this place 

 in seven years." Without replying the youth kept on playing, as 

 was his custom. Some time after while at play he arose and, going 

 to his old grandfather, asked " What is the exact direction of that 

 place whither our kinsmen have gone? " Going out of the lodge and 

 standing beside the doorway the old man pointed far away straight 

 toward the place where their relations had gone. He said : " There 

 in that distant place is a spring of water in which lives the great 

 beast, and in that place all our former kinsfolk perished." 



The youth answered, " Now, my grandfather, I will go to that 

 place." Very early the next morning, it is said, the youth, taking 

 his bow and arrows, started on his long journey, saying, " Oh, my 

 grandfather! I stait now." After a while the old man went out of 

 the lodge, and, standing beside the Hoorway, said, " Ku' ; he is indeed 

 going a very long way off. It may be that he will be able to go 

 there." With these words the old man reentered the lodge. 



How now with regard to the youth? Starting at a slow running 

 gait, finally he reached a place which his grandfather had indicated 

 to him, and after going over a mountain which was on his way he 

 came to a lake, in the middle of which he was surprised to see float- 

 ing about a white waterfow'l. Taking aim, the youth at once shot at 

 this strange fowl; the shot went so true that the fowl merely fell 

 on its side dead. Pulling hairs from his head, the youth spliced them 

 together until he had produced a cord sufficiently long for his piu'- 

 pose. This he cast out on the lake, and by this means was enalded 

 to draw the body of the waterfowl to shore. At once he rushed 

 up to the body and fell upon it. Soon he had i^repared it so it could 

 be borne on his back by means of the forehead strap. Then the 

 youth started for home, and when he arrived at his grandfather's 

 lodge he said. " There now. I bring a very large animal." 



After looking at the body, his grandfather said, in reply : " Oh ! 

 this is not the right thing on which to be avenged." The youth 

 answered, " So be it, then. I will take it back to its home, as it 

 seems proper to do." Having packed the body by means of the 

 forehead strap, he started for the place whence he had brought the 



