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



fro from place to place. It would, indeed, be most unfortunate 

 for us all should this species of being be permitted to travel from 

 place to place upon the earth. Hence such beings are doomed to abide 

 beneath the surface of the ground in tlie interior of the earth. 



"And now concerning the origin of these beings: It was he whom 

 ■we call the Evil-minded Oaie ^^* that formed their bodies; and it came 

 to pass that he whom you call Hawenniyo (i. e., the Disi^oser, or 

 Ruler) decided that so long as the earth endures these beings shall 

 abide under the surface of the earth. Furthermore, we ourselves 

 believe that He who charged us with the performance of this task 

 of keeping them beneath the surface of the earth will cause it to 

 come to pass, perhaps when the earth is nearing its end — then, and 

 not until then — that these beings shall be permitted to come forth 

 upon the earth. So is it, indeed, to come to pass that when the event 

 is not distant — the end of the earth — He will bring to an end the 

 duties with which we are severally charged, to be performed for the 

 benefit of the things that live upon the earth. Not until then shall 

 the waters which are held in their several places become polluted; 

 finally all other things shall likewise become old and decayed upon 

 the earth; and all things that grow out of the ground, too, shall gi-ow 

 old and sear; indeed, all things shall become withered and decayed. 

 Now let us turn back homeward." 



Then the party, turning homeward, retraced their steps. On 

 reentering their lodge the spokesman of the party said to the old 

 woman who presided over the lodgehold (household), " AVe have 

 now completed the task of making moist and mellow all things 

 that grow upon the face of the earth." Arising from her seat, the 

 aged matron 'went into the adjoining room of the lodge and said to a 

 person who occupied that room, " Now, they have, indeed, returned." 

 With these words the old woman withdrew and resumed her accus- 

 tomed seat. 



In a short time the door flap separating the adjoining room was 

 thrust aside and a man {hen' g we'' *^'), thrusting his head through the 

 doorway, asked the men who had returned, " Have you now, indeed, 

 completed the work? Have you made moist and mellow all things 

 that grow on the earth beneath this one? " The men replied in uni- 

 son, " We have indeed accomplished our task as we were charged to 

 do." Thereupon the person from the adjoining room said, " Now 

 you must rest imtil there shall be another day; then you shall again 

 recommence the performance of the duties with which you are sever- 

 ally charged." 



This conversation gave Dehaenhyowens and his party the oppor- 

 tunity of seeing the speaker. They were convinced that he was 

 human ; that he was, in fact, a hen'gwe''. But they were amazed to 

 see that while half of the body of this strange person was in all 



