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



just as your uncle did, and as soon as he strikes you a blow with 

 his war chib, you must say: 'It is now ceased. Difficult and sinis- 

 ter is what the dream commanded me to do.' Then your uncle will 

 ask: 'What did it command you to do?' In reply you must say 

 that it commanded you to have your uncle seek for the wish [word] 

 of your dream; and it said, too, that a direful thing should hap- 

 pen to your uncle should he have failed to divine your dream's 

 desire by midday. A small round squash, which is growing on a 

 vine planted by your uncle beneath his bed, is what you must de- 

 sire in your dream. He prizes this squash very much, believing 

 that his life depends on it. You must say, ' Yes ' only when he 

 names this squash as the thing desired for you by your dream. 

 So now quickly return to the lodge and get ahead of him in making 

 the preparations for kindling a great fire tonight. You must make 

 the fire, and you must gather large logs to maintain it in full blaze 

 during the night, for you must have a fine fire." 



So the youth returned to the lodge, and when he arrived in- 

 doors he said to his uncle : " It is now my turn to make a good 

 fire, and I will kindle it well, because I think we shall have a very 

 cold night." Then gathering together many large logs and pieces of 

 wood, he proceeded to put them on the fire in order to have a fine 

 blaze for the night, as he had been told to do. Nighttime having 

 come, they lay down to sleep. No word of conversation passed be- 

 tween them. About midnight the youth began to moan and to groan, 

 saying. 't'/T', 'e/T', 'e/I'. In a short time he arose from his bed groan- 

 ing then very loudly, and without further act, he cast himself on 

 the fire, scattering in all directions with his feet and hands the 

 blazing fii-ebrands, some of which went in the direction of the bed 

 of his uncle. The latter, having been awakened by the groaning, 

 quickly arose to avoid the firebrands. Then saying, " What has 

 happened to you"? took down his war club, and seeing the head 

 of his nephew moving about close to him, struck it a blow with 

 the club, which resounded with a ha"", very loud. Immediately 

 he raised the club to strike another blow, but at that moment the 

 youth said : " Oh, imcle, it has now ceased." After regaining his 

 composure, he continued : " Now, what the dream commanded me 

 to do is very difficult of fulfillment, although a severe and cruel 

 penalty is the price of failure to perform its mandate." There- 

 upon the old man asked: " What did it command you to do?" The 

 nephew replied : " It ordered me to have my uncle seek for the de- 

 sire of my dream, to divine its word in other terms; and if my 

 uncle is not able to divine the word of the dream by midday, some- 

 thing cruel and sinister will befall his body." The uncle's answer 

 was : " So be it. It has no great significance." Then the two lay 

 down again to sleep. 



