hoffma-] ADVENTURES OF THE TUKTLE 219 



youiig woruen and select a wife. Finding a woman whom be thought 

 he would like, he asked her to be his wife, but she replied, " How are you 

 goiug to provide for a family ". — you can not keep up with the rest of the 

 people when they move." 



To this the Turtle replied, "I can keep up with the best of your 

 people." 



The woman, to delay the marriage as long as possible, then agreed to 

 marry the Turtle in the spring. At this he was vexed, so, in order to 

 get away for some time to meditate, he told her, "I shall go to war and 

 take some captives, and when I return in the spring, I shall expect you 

 to marry me." 



The Turtle then made preparations to depart. Calling together all 

 his friends, the Turtles, he left the camp followed by a curious throng. 

 The woman who had promised to marry the Turtle, but who really had 

 uo intention of doing so, watched the Turtles as they went away, and 

 laughed heartily because they moved so slowly. When the Turtle saw 

 this expression of merriment, he said to his promised spouse, "In four 

 days from now you will surely mourn for me, because I shall be a great 

 distance from you." 



"Why," responded the girl, "in four days from this time you will 

 scarcely be out of sight!" 



Thereupon the Turtle corrected himself by saying, "I did not mean 

 four days, but four years; then I shall return." 



The Turtles, continuing to travel, came one day to the trunk of a large 

 tree lying across their path. Then the Turtle said to his companions, 

 "This we can not pass unless we go around it, and that will take too 

 long; what shall we do?" 



Some of the others then said, "Let us burn a hole through the 

 trunk;" but in this they did not succeed. They therefore were com- 

 pelled to turn homeward, but it took them a long time ere they neared 

 the village wheuce they had set out. To give their return the appear- 

 ance of a successful excursion, they set up a war song. The villagers 

 heard them and went out to see what spoils were to be had, but when 

 they got near, the Turtles each grasped someone by the wrist, saying, 

 "We take you prisoners; you are our spoils." The people who were 

 thus captured were angry and determined to avenge the insult. The 

 chief of the Turtles happened to capture his betrothed, and he said 

 to her, "Now that I have you I shall keep you." 



It was necessary to organize a dance to celebrate the victory over the 

 villagers, and when the time arrived everybody had donned his best 

 clothing. While the Turtle sang, the participants kept going around, 

 dancing, until the Turtle repeated the words, "Whoever comes here to 

 see me will die; will die; will die." 



At this the dancers became alarmed, and gathering up their clothes 

 and other things returned to the village. They were frightened, for 

 they did not know what to expect next. The Turtle remained for some 



