^y-S] LEGENDS 521 



creat animal. On arriving at the shore of the lake he cast the animal 

 down on the ground, saj'ing, "As to you, I shall leave you here, and, 

 furthermore, you must come to life again." Then, starting for home, 

 the youth was not long in reaching the lodge of his grandfather, to 

 whom he said : " I have now released the animal." He did not delay 

 in resuming his sports around the lodge, and continued them for 

 a time. 



One day when weary with playing he went up to his old grand- 

 father, with the words, " Come now, just tell me the exact direction 

 to take to go to the lair of the great animal of which you have told 

 me such awful things." The old man replied, " So be it." Going 

 out of the lodge he stood there. As soon as he had taken a suitable 

 position he said to the youth: "Here it is: it is just here. As soon 

 as you start and have gone quite a distance, then verily you will 

 see that thjs pathway has the habit of shrinking back.*'" This will 

 be taking place continually, and this is the reason that it will require 

 seven years to reach the place where is the spring which you are 

 seeking. This path is one, too, of great danger and difficulty, for 

 in that place dwell female beings which feed on human flesh, and it 

 is they who devoured all the kinsfolk we had." 



After hearing this and following with his eyes the direction shown 

 by his old grandfather, the youth started. After the lapse of some 

 time the old man again said, " Let me see where he is." Going out 

 t)f the lodge, he stood looking around for his grandson, whom he 

 finally saw disappearing in the distance. He mused with himself, 

 saying : '' It is certain, I believe, that he will be able to accomplish 

 the feat of reaching the place where are the pitfalls set by the 

 eaters of human flesh." 



When the youth arrived at the spring, he was indeed very thirst}'. 

 At once he decided to inspect the place in order to see how true was 

 the saying of his gi-andfather that there lived in the spring a num- 

 ber of female beings (women?) possessed of great orenda (magic 

 power). Thereupon the youth deliberately put his feet into the 

 water. As soon as he did so the hideous being covered with scales 

 quickly darted forward and snapped off his leg far above the knee. 

 The youth merely laughed, saying, i7a'A«', and wondered what 

 would happen if he placed his other leg in the water. On doing so, 

 the being at once snapped off this leg also; but the youth merely 

 laughed and said nothing. Finally he said, "Let it be so. Kow 

 perhaps I will fish with a line." This he proceeded to do. For the 

 purpose of carrying out his design he i-emoved portions of flesh from 

 his thighs, which he fastened on his hook. Just as soon as he cast 

 the hook into the water the great being seized it, whereupon the 

 youth pulled his adversary out of the water and cast its body aside. 

 It is said that now the great being began to whimper, " My grandson, 



