528 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ANN. 32 



Then the elderly man said to her, " My granddaughter, prepare 

 some food and set it before him who has entered our lodge, for he is 

 probably hungry. With dried green corn as it cooks in the pot you 

 must mix dried venison pounded fine, and into this mixture you 

 must put a sufficient quantity of maple sugar and a (luantity of bear's 

 grease or fat, to make the whole savory and appetizing." The old 

 man's granddaughter at once obeyed, and after kindling the fire to 

 make it burn briskly, she set a pot of water over it containing a 

 quantity of dried sweet green corn. Bringing maple sugar from her 

 store in a bark case, she put it into the pot with the corn. Then, 

 procuring the dried venison and the bear's grease, having pounded 

 them fine, she put these ingredients also in the pot to cook with the 

 other things. When she found that the corn soup was cooked she 

 removed the pot from the fire and set it aside to pei'mit the contents 

 to cool. When it was sufficiently cooled the young maiden, taking 

 up a portion of the soup with a ladle, placed it in a bark bowl and, 

 setting it before Honenhineh, said to^ him, " Take this and eat it. 

 1 have prepared it for you." Honenhineh. being quite hungry, will- 

 ingly ate what was set before him. 



It was not long after Honenhineh had finished eating that night 

 came. Before the evening was far advanced the old maii said, " Let 

 us now retire for the night. Our guest has come here tired out in 

 all probability, for he has traveled a long distance." So they lay 

 down for the night. Then the old man said, "My granddangliter, 

 let me tell my story,'" and he began to sing. " It is said that there 

 were eight brothers who lived in a lodge.'" This was the topic of 

 the story which he chanted three times. 



After waiting a few moments he said in a stage whisper to the 

 sleeping visitor, "My grandson, are you listening to my story?" 

 The only reply he received was the loud snoring of the guest. Pres- 

 ently the old man exclaimed, "The game animals are just toying 

 with me. Why, one has even come into my lodge (to show its con- 

 tempt for me)." So saying, the old man arose and took down his 

 war club from its resting place, and approaching the sleeping visitor, 

 he killed him with blows on the head. Then, replacing his club, 

 lie got out a huge clay pot, which he set over the fire after placing 

 some water in it. Next he quartered the body of* his victim and 

 placed all the pieces in the pot to cook. AVhile engaged in this grue- 

 some work he kept saying, "I still can deal with the game animals 

 which visit my lodge in my a])proved way, and so I am still able 

 to eat the flesh of the most rare game animals." 



In the meantime, when night came on the lodge of Hohenhineh 

 and his younger brothers, the brothers returned one by one until all 

 were there except the eldest, Honenhineh, who of course did not re- 



