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



The old man said to his nephew, ''At no time must you lay the 

 heavy hand of punishment on me; " but he would not admit defeat. 

 The youth answered, " The time is now nearly up, and I can not 

 change in any manner the command given me by the dream." With 

 these words he again began to walk to and fro, singing his wonted 

 song, at which the flames burst forth once more from the ground all 

 around the place in which the old man moved, burning his hair and 

 even his eyelashes. 



At this moment the old man cried cut, "I have now divined the 

 ' word of your dream.' I have thought all along that perhaps what 

 you desired is the small woman in a bark case standing under the bed 

 whereon I usually rest. She is, indeed, very small. That is, per- 

 haps, what you desire ? " The youth replied : " I am thankful. Set 

 her in the place where people usually sit in the lodge." For answer 

 the old man said: "You would agree, perhaps, that I make a bark 

 case, a very small one, and also make a small doll which I should 

 fasten in the bark case. This is just the way they do when they 

 ' divine the dream word ' *^* of anyone." 



Combating his uncle's attempt to have the command of the dream 

 changed and therefore made entirely void, file nephew said to him, 

 " The dream did not tell me that the command should be carried out 

 by means of an artificial thing." At this he again began to walk to 

 and fro in his own part of the lodge, singing, as before, the potent 

 song, which caused the flames again to burst out of the gi-ound and 

 completely cover the old man, S"hogo""gwa's, as he sat on his bed. 

 At once he exclaimed, " I will now give up what you desire." The 

 flames went down with a roar. 



Still attempting to thwart his nephew by sly cunningness, the old 

 man said: "It is the custom to make something resembling that 

 which the ' word of the dream ' commanded to be produced and 

 which customarily is given to the one who has dreamed; and it is 

 now my purpose to make a bark case resembling the one which is 

 lying under my bed, and in which shall be the representation of a 

 woman. I shall make it fine and beautiful. I will give it to you." 

 The youth replied : " You know that now the time is up for you to 

 do your part, and yet you delay, although you have asked me not to 

 be too heavy handed with you. So at once give me what is required 

 by the ' word of the dream.' " 



Seeing that it was of no use trying to outwit his nephew, the uncle 

 went over to his bed and, raising it up on one side, drew fi-om under 

 it a small bark case, in which was the small woman. She was indeed 

 very small. As he drew her forth, she was winking her eyes, and as 

 she saw her brother she smiled pleasantly. The old man gave the 

 case to his nephew without further resistance. Then the youth pre- 

 pared her to take her away. It w/as very cold, being winter, so he 



