588 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ann. 32 



But he continued : " You shall do this in your defense. I will 

 assist you. I am the brother of your uncle, who has outmatched 

 to the utmost degree my orenda. I will tell you, moreover, that that 

 lodge, so long, was at one time full of our relations and kindred, 

 who are now no more. This is the reason it is so long and empty. 

 Now go yonder, not far from here, to an old rotten log, lying prone, 

 and in which you will find a raccoon, as it is called. You must kill it, 

 and you must pass by this place on your way home and I will give 

 you further instructions." Going to the place indicated by the 

 skull of the old man, the boy killed the raccoon, returning at once 

 to the place where the skull protruded from the ground. There- 

 upon the skull said to him : " You must not forget the name raccoon, 

 for this is the name of this animal which you have killed. On 

 your way home you must keep on saying, ' Kaccoon, raccoon, rac- 

 coon.' So return home now. And he will again ask, probably, as 

 is his custom, ' AVhat is it that you are bringing home killed?' So 

 do not get into the habit of forgetting. Exert yourself as much as 

 possible." 



Thereupon the young boy started for his home in the long lodge, 

 saying as lie trudged along, " Raccoon, raccoon, raccoon." At first 

 he whispered it, but when nearing the lodge he uttered it loudly. 

 Just as he pushed aside the door flap and stepped inside the lodge 

 he stubbed his foot, and his burden, the raccoon, fell inside and he 

 beside it. At that moment his uncle, the old man, said: "Oh, my 

 nephew ! now you are bi'inging back, killed, a large game animal ; 

 what is its name and what kind of animal is it? " Now, after his 

 mishap at the doorway, the boy had entirely forgotten the name of 

 the animal, so he reluctantly answered : "I do not know the name 

 of it." At this his uncle demanded the game, saying : " Hand the 

 body to me, then, for you do not know what kind of thing you are 

 bringing home killed." The nephew did as he was told, whereupon 

 his uncle, taking a seat aside, began to skin the animal, at the same 

 time saying: "The name of this animal is raccoon." The nephew 

 took a seat on the oppo.site side of the fire. 



Then the old man set a kettle over the fire, with the remark: " The 

 only way to prepare this game is to cook it with corn-meal mush, 

 which should be eaten with it. I shall skim off the grease and pour 

 it over the mush." The youth did nothing but watch his uncle. 

 When the meal was cooked the uncle kept saying: "This will indeed 

 taste very good to 'tis two." Then he took out a share for his nephew, 

 putting into a bark dish som - of the mush and a portion of the meat. 

 Going to the edge of the fireplace, he said, " Oh, my nephew ! here 

 is a portion for you to eat," again holding it over the fire. The 

 youth arose quickly to receive it and took the bark bowl in his hands. 

 Just as before, the old man grasped his hands and drew him into 



