574 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ann. S2 



Having completed her task, she gave them to him. "Thanii you, 

 elder sister," he said; "now I will hunt. Hereafter you and I will 

 I egularly feed on meat. Now I will go to hunt." She said : " Let 

 it be so." 



Then the boy went out of the lodge. His voice continued to break 

 forth as he went murmuring right there round about the lodge. He 

 did not go far away. In the evening he entered the lodge, saying: 

 " Ho, my elder sister, I come, having killed nothing. Tomorrow, 

 very early in the morning, you must arise and prepare food for me. 

 Then I will go to hunt, for very early in the morning game wanders 

 about in the clearings." In the evening they became quiet and slept. 



At the dawn of day the boy spoke, saying : " Elder sister ! come 

 now, arise. You must prepare food for me. As soon as I finish eat- 

 ing I will go to hunt." Arising, she prepared food, which was soon 

 ready for him. As soon as he finished eating, he said : " Now, elder 

 sister, I will go to hunt." " Let it be so," she said in reply, thinking 

 that he would not go far away, as he was still so very small. 



He went out of the lodge early in the morning. After a long time 

 his voice was no longer heard. Thereupon his sister went out, won- 

 dering, "Where has he gone?" She looked around, going from 

 place to place, but nowhere was he to be found. Then she thought, 

 " He will get lost." Soon after she had reentered the lodge, the sun 

 being nearly set, it happened that all at once a noise again arose, as 

 if something had struck the door — then suddenly Hodadefion pushed 

 his body against it and entered the lodge. He said: "Elder sister, 

 it is a fact that I have been to hunt for game. I have killed a some- 

 thing, I know not what [it is]. Blacklegs, perhaps, it is called; . 

 banded-tail, perhaps, it is called, this thing that I have killed. So 

 to the spot you and I must go, and you must take along the ' burden 

 cradle,' for in that will the body be brought, as it is of great size." 

 " Let it be so ; go on," she said. " You would better take the burden 

 cradle," he said again. " Wah, I will carry its body easily," she, 

 said. " Wah, you must be very strong," he replied. " Go ; let it be 

 so," she admonished him. 



Then the two started. Having arrived at the place, he told her: 

 " Eight there I stood, and there it walked. Thus [I did] with my 

 arrow, saying, ^ si, si, si, si, stop thou, first.' So it did stand, for- 

 sooth. From here I shot, so that I hit it right in the center [of its 

 body], whereupon it fell backward, saying, '</«', </«', da\ da\^ Toward 

 it I ran, crying, ' Do not break my arrow that I prize so liighly,' 

 while it rolled itself about in the dust." While they slowly made 

 their way along Hodadefion did not cease telling what had happened. 

 At times his sister would say : " Come, go thou on." Suddenly he 

 said : " Right there it lies. Do you think you can indeed carry it 

 back? " "Ti'aA," she said, seizing it by the neck and starting home- 



