688 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [ lth. an.n. 32 



our enemies dwells" Then a certain man said, "I am willing to 

 go." "So be it," replied the chief; "who else is willing to go? 

 There is one lacking." Then another man said, " I am willing to 

 go." The chief accepted him by saying, "So let it be." Then the 

 liist volunteer asked the chief: "I ask you, who art the chief, what 

 must be done, should they perhaps kill us, and you would not 

 liear anything about it? Should we become angry should they 

 attack us there, even though by doing so we should probably lose 

 our lives? So there (is what I have to say)." 



Then the chief arose, and addressing the two ambassadors, said : 

 " You have asked me a question. I shall tell both what you must 

 do when you discover that the people whom you are going to visit 

 dwell not far ahead of you. When you make this discovery you must 

 leave there in safety your scalping-knife and j^our bows and arrows 

 and your battle-axes; and you two must also carefully wash your 

 faces so that there shall be no more paint on your faces. Then 

 you must go to the village of the people; and according to custom 

 they will not kill you because you have not your scalping-knives, your 

 bows and arrows, or your battle-axes, and liecause you will not 

 have your faces painted." "^ 



Then the warrior answered: "So be it. I think that my friend 

 and I may perhaps start this evening just as soon as it becomes quite 

 dark." During the entire day they made their preparations so 

 they would be able to start in the evening. In the early part of the 

 evening they came together, whereupon one said : " My friend, now 

 let us start, and you will leave directly from here in your own way, 

 and I, too, will leave here directly in my own way." The friend 

 replied : " Do j' on feel that you have sufficiently potent orenda ? " 

 He answered : " I think so." The other continued : " What kind of 

 thing does it (your body) usually pretend to be as it flies along? " 

 His friend replied : " Oh, just the night owl, saying wu, wu, wu, 

 10U, M, hu-u." At this the other, laughing, said : " My friend, 

 you are indeed a brave man (a male)." His companion an- 

 swered : " With regard to yourself, what kind of thing does it 

 (your body) usually pretend to be as it goes along? Now I have 

 iisked you." In replying the other maft said: "As to myself, I shall 

 ho a fox, and I will go along barking; and we shall keep apart just 

 the distance that I can hear the hooting of the night owl. How far 

 do you say? " He replied: "Let us be just so far apart that it will 

 be possible for me to hear the barlring of the fox. And this, too, 

 must be done. As daylight approaches we must draw nearer to each 

 other, and when it is morning we will rejoin at some convenient 

 place." Then they started. 



They observed their order of going, and when they had concluded 

 that the}' had arrived in the neighborhood of the people whom they 



