638 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ANN.si 



to prepare it for cooking, she said : " I have indeed cleared out the 

 bins ; all are empty, and not a cob is left on the poles on which hung 

 the corn strings. Before this terrible rain came we had an abun- 

 dance, but now we have not even a kernel for seed; all has indeed 

 strangely disappeared." The brother insisted, however, on her going 

 to the bins, saying : " Go to see what you can. I heard a strange 

 sound at dawn this morning, the sound of falling grains of corn." 

 To satisfy him the sister went to the bins where she was so fortunate 

 as to find enough to fill both hands full. Delighted at finding even 

 this small quantity, the girl returned and set to work preparing the 

 corn for pounding into meal. It was not long before she had pre- 

 pared and cooked a loaf of corn bread about two spans of the hand 

 in circumference. 



Wnen the bride wife was informed that the loaf and the fish 

 were ready to eat she said: " You must invite all your neighbors, so 

 that each may have a portion of what you have cooked. You will 

 cut the loaf into as many portions as there are persons in this village, 

 and you must divide the fish in the same manner." This was done. 

 When the people who had gathered together in response to the in- 

 vitation were all seated, the elder son of the family, the bridegroom, 

 arose to speak. He said : " The Master of Life has gladdened our 

 hearts with this loaf of bread and with this fish, the kind of food 

 we ate before this water surrounded us. It must indeed be the will 

 of the Master of Life that we should live. Before this young 

 woman came to our lodge we expected to starve to death, and it is 

 she who has invited every one in this village to come here to eat 

 this food. In the future, therefore, it shall be the custom that when 

 anyone shall have good fortune in his hunting or fishing he shall 

 prepare a feast to which all his neighbors shall be made welcome." 

 His sister was told to serve all the people who had come. It seemed 

 impossible, however, that even a small mite of fish or bread could be 

 given to each of so many persons. But after she had begun to serve 

 out the bread and the fish, she found that she could do this with 

 what she had; and all were satisfied. There indeed seemed to be 

 only a spoonful of broth in which the fish was cooked, but all were 

 given a drink out of it and grew strong. The woman received the 

 thanks of the people for the food which she had brought to them. 

 What they had received seemed enough, and it was their opinion that 

 this was an example for them to follow, so they declared : " Here- 

 after, if w-e obtain anything good to eat, it shall be shared equally 

 by all. Such shall be our custom." 



Then the bridegroom's brother informed the people that the bride 

 desired the people to go to their homes and clear out their corn bins, 

 just as if they were expecting to fill them with grain, and that they 

 must act at once in this matter. iSo the people quickly returned to 



