708 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [kth. ANN. 32 



selves to it. Then the strange nuin again got aboard of the canoe 

 and invited his friend, the young man, to accompany him. "When 

 the hitter had also boarded the canoe his companion said to the wild 

 geese : " Come, now, do you go to the place where the island floats 

 in the water. At this command the geese began paddling, thus pro- 

 pelling the canoe very swiftly toward the place designated. Then 

 the strange man began to sing: "Now, now, now, it seems true, I 

 have started, indeed." This song he kept singing as the canoe sped 

 along toward the isl^md of his promised sports. 



They finally arrived at the island, and the two men having landed 

 the strange man said to the wild gee-se: " Come, now, my servants, go 

 now to find something for food for yourselves"; thereupon they 

 flew away. He continued : " Whenever I say to you ' Come hither ' 

 you must return here at once. But it must be I who shall say this." 



Drawing the canoe up on the shore he said to his young com- 

 panion : " Now, we will go to the place where I am accustomed to 

 amuse myself," and they two started. Having arrived at the spot, 

 the young man saw lying there a very large white stone. His com- 

 panion said : " It is, indeed, here that I have my playground ; and 

 now you shall see what I will do." 



Then the stranger undressed, making himself entirely naked. 

 Then raising the great white rock he cast it into the water, which was 

 very deep. Down it went with the sound huh\ huh\ htih\ huh'. 

 The strange man next dived into the lake after the rock and remained 

 under water for a long time. The youthful nephew of Okteondon 

 was watching anxiously what his strange companion was doing. 

 Finally, the youth was surprised to see his companion come to the 

 surfaceof the water bearing the great white rock in his arms. When 

 he had got on dry land he set the rock down, saying to the young; 

 man : " Thus now you, too, must do as I have shown you." The 

 latter replied: "So be it. I will try at once. After removing all 

 his raiment and being naked he took up the great white rock and 

 going to the edge of the lake he cast it far from shore into the 

 depths. Again the rock sank Avith the sound huV, huh'', huh'', huh'', 

 as in the first instance, and the young man dived after it. 



As soon as the young man had plunged into the waters of the lake 

 the strange man, taking up not only his own garments but also all 

 those belonging to his companion, returned to the point where the 

 canoe had been left. Arriving there, he called out : " Come, now. 

 my servants. Come you hither," and shoving the canoe into the 

 •water he boarded it. The v.ild geese soon alighted alongside of 

 the canoe and attaching themselves to it began to paddle it along. 

 Their master merely said to them, "Go directly back to the place 

 whence we started," and the geese obeyed him, causing the canoe to 

 move swiftly thither. 



