BEWirr] LEGENDS 543 



to be drunk hot with meals. The youth was further surprised to see 

 in a corner of the room, curled up on a mat, the raccoon which he 

 had pursued so persistently the previous day. He was now fully 

 convinced that he was the guest of a family of rattlesnakes, for 

 when he returned from washing himself at the back of the lodge 

 lie found that the old man had again assumed human form, appearing 

 to him us he liad the day before, and greeting him with, " Well, my 

 grandson, did you rest well last night?" The young man replied, 

 " Yes ; I rested quite well." When the old woman had placed the 

 food on the bench, she addressed the young man, saying, '' My grand- 

 son, now you must eat your fill, for there is plenty here. So do not 

 be afraid of eating all you wish." 



Having finished his meal, the young hunter thanked his rattle- 

 snake hosts, and after bidding them farewell he started for his own 

 home. He returned to the mouth of the cavern, for such was this 

 place, and crawling back through the passage he reached the surface 

 of the earth in his own country, where he found his bow and arrows 

 and his walking stick just as he had left them. He quickly made his 

 way home to his family, to whom he related his experiences in the 

 cavern. He was so astonished at ^^hat had befallen him while in 

 pursuit of a raccoon that he had the chiefs call a council of their 

 chiefs and people to hear the strange recital. He told them that he 

 had indeed visited the rattlesnake people, and that they assumed at 

 will human form and attributes and lived under human institu- 

 tions. He was thanked by the council and people for his recital. 

 But the young hunter never afterward took advantage of the invi- 

 tation of the old rattlesnake chief to revisit him and his wife. 



114. The Twins: Grandsons of Gaho^'d.ii'da"ho^'k^-^ 



In ancient times a certain family, consisting of seven brothers and 

 one sister, lived together contentedly in a large bark lodge. It was 

 the duty of this sister while her brothers were out hunting to cut in 

 tiie neighboring forest the firewood used by the family and to bring 

 it to the lodge. 



It is said that the sister was uncommonly comely, although her size 

 and stature were above the average for women, and that she posses.sed 

 unusual strength. In the performance of her duties she was accus- 

 tomed to be absent from the lodge during the entire day, returning 

 with her burden- of firewood in the evening. Now, the youngest of 

 the seven brothers was a recluse — that is to say, he was deanod' do"\*-'- 

 As the duties of the sister did not require her to go far 'from the 

 lodge, she was usually the first to return to it in the evening, while 

 the brothers, who had to go many miles away to find game and fish, 

 did not return at times until very late at night. 



