COl SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ANN. 32 



On coming out the old man had told him, " You must lie down upon 

 this thing." It was winter and very, very cold. The wind was 

 severe, and the snow was blustering. When the youth lay down 

 on the bark sledge the old man wrapped him up with the bark 

 sides and tied him therein securely, saying as he did so, " I am doing 

 this lest you should fall when I start to run." Finally he said, " Oh, 

 my nephew ! I am now ready." The nephew, Gadjis'dodo', answered, 

 "So be it." 



Next the old man drew a starting line and began drawing the 

 sledge around the lodge very swiftly. While running, the old man 

 sang : " I am dragging him in a sledge, I am dragging him in a 

 sledge, I am dragging him in a sledge. He is Gadjis'dodo', you who 

 are a nephew. I am dragging him in a sledge, I am dragging him 

 in a sledge," etc. Having gone around the lodge once and having 

 returned to the doorway of the lodge, S'hogo""gwa's said, " Oh, my 

 nephew! are you alive?" Gadjis'dodo' answered, "I am alive." 

 At this the old man said, " This is once around," and started again 

 drawing the sledge around the lodge, singing, as before, while he ran. 



Having gone around the lodge a second time, the old man said, 

 "Oh, my nephew! ai'e you alive?" The nephew replied, "Z7(i', I 

 am alive." Saying, "This is the second time," the uncle again 

 started around the lodge. The weather was indeed very cold, and no 

 one who was entirely naked could possibly live in weather so severe 

 (except he be a very great sorcerer). 



Having returned to the doorway of the lodge, the old man again 

 asked, "Oh, my nephew! are you alive?" and the youth replied 

 as before, " Yes ; I am alive." Every time the old man started to 

 drag the sledge he began singing the same song with the same 

 words. Thus they made a circuit of the lodge nine times, when 

 the youth in his reply to his uncle's usual question pretended to 

 be nearly dead, answering in a very feeble voice, that he was still 

 alive. To this his uncle exultingly rejoined, "'ew"Aen.'" meaning 

 by this exclamation, " I thought you would not last." So the old 

 man gleefully started dragging the sledge around the lodge again, 

 and he sang the same song with the same words. When they had 

 returned to the doorway of the lodge they had completed the tenth 

 circuit of the lodge, as decreed by the old man's ' dream word.' 

 Again the old man asked, "Oh, my nephew! are you still alive?" 

 With a strong voice the nephew answered, " I am alive." To this 

 the old man rejoined in surprise, TFw".' (an exclamation of wondfer). 



Then the old man proceeded to unfasten the youth from the 

 sledge and from the bark wrappings with which he had so closely 

 secured him. ostensibly to keep him from falling off the sledge. As 

 they two reentered the lodge the old man said, " Oh, my nephew ! 

 now that which was commanded me by the dream has been fulfilled." 



