542 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS Iktii. ann. 32 



outdistiince his fleet-footed pursuers, for just as soon as he would relax 

 his ert'orts in the least, the sound of their voices could be heard not 

 tar behind him. The serious injunctions of his aged host urged him 

 onward as rapidly as it was possible for him to go. Thus closely 

 pursued, he finally reached the hut and lost no time in ascending 

 to it by means of the tree ladder, which he drew up after him. as he 

 had been directed to do by the old man. Having entered the hut 

 and secured its bark flap door as well as he could from the inside, he 

 anxiously awaited events. Soon the four wretched women ai'rived 

 and clamorously asked him to let down the ladder to enable them to 

 climb up to his room, but the young man gave no heed to their im- 

 portunities. Through small crevices in the walls of the hut he 

 watched them while they attempted to climb the posts, but as these 

 were greased the women were unable to do so. Throughout the night 

 they remained at the foot of the posts clamoring for the ladder. At 

 daybreak the women ceased their attempts and noise, and the young 

 man fell asleep from exhaustion. When he awoke he arose, and un- 

 fastening the door flap of bark, he went out on the platform around 

 the hut. On looking down, he saw at the foot of each of the posts 

 a huge female rattlesnake, coiled and asleep; these he divined were 

 the four wretched women who had pursued him the previous night. 

 His movements over their heads awakened them, and at once they 

 crawled away into the neighboring thickets without indicating in 

 any manner that it was they who had ju.st tormented him. 



Having gathered up his few belongings and let down the ladder, 

 he descended to the ground and hastened to the lodge of his aged 

 hosts, which stood not far away. On entering, he was astonished 

 to find the aged host, in the form of a huge rattlesnake, coiled up on 

 the couch, but he was reassured by seeing the old woman, who was 

 up, and who had taken the precaution of assuming human form 

 again. Though at first somewhat nonplused by what he had just 

 seen, the young hunter asked the old woman. •' Where is my grand- 

 father? I suppose he has gone out into the forest? " Without show- 

 ing any perturbation, the old woman replied, " Yes; he has gone out, 

 but he will soon retui-n. Back of the ledge you will find water Avith 

 which you may wash j'our face and hands. The morning meal is 

 now ready, and we will eat it just as soon as you return." Having 

 washed, as suggested, in a bark trough in the rear of the lodge, he 

 returned to join the old woman and her husband at the morning meal. 



AVhile eating the young hunter took occasion to examine the fur- 

 nishings of the lodge more thoroughly than he had had an oppor- 

 tunity of doing sooner. In the room he saw numerous bark vessels 

 of many sizes with various kinds of nuts, dried fruits, and ber- 

 ries; wooden vessels containing honey; and small bundles of the 

 dried twigs of the spicebush shrub for use in making a beverage 



