244 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19 



saying II woi'd ho went down into the ciU'e and kicked the covers oil 

 four jars in one corner, when out swarmed bedbugs, fleas, lice, and 

 gnats, and got all over the boys. They screamed with pain and fright 

 and tried to beat otf the insects, but the thousands of vermin crawled 

 over them and hit and stung theui until both dropped down nearly 

 dead. Kana'ti stood looking on until he thought they had been pun- 

 ished enough, when he knocked oti' the vermin antl made tlie boys a 

 talk. "Now, you i-ascals," said he, "you have always had plenty to 

 eat and never had to work for it. Whenever you were hungry all I 

 had to do was to come up here and get a deer or a turkey and bring it 

 home for your mother to cook; but now you hiive let out all the ani- 

 mals, and after this when you want a deer to cat vou will have to luuit 

 all over the woods for it, and then maybe not tind one. Go home now 

 to your mother, while I see if I can tind soiuething to eat for supper." 



When the boys got home again they were ver_v tired and hungry and 

 asked their mother for something to eat. "There is no meat," said 

 Selu, "but wait a little while and I'll get you something." So she 

 took a basket and started out to the storehouse. This storehouse was 

 built upon poles high up from the ground, to keep it out of the reach 

 of animals, and there was a ladder to climb up by, and one door, but 

 no other opening. Every day when Selu got ready to cook the diimer 

 she would go out to the storehouse with a basket and bring it back 

 full of corn and beans. The boys had never been inside the storehouse, 

 so wondered where all the corn and beans could come fi'om, as the 

 house was not a very large one; so as soon as Selu went out of the 

 door the Wild Boy said to his brother, "Let's go and see what she 

 does." They ran around and climbed up at the back of the storehouse 

 and pulled out a piece of claj' from between the logs, so that they 

 could look in. There they saw Selu standing in the middle of the room 

 with the basket in front of her on the floor. Leaning over the basket, 

 she rubbed her stomach — so — and the basket was half full of corn. 

 Then she rublied imder her armpits — so — and the basket was full to 

 the top with beans. The boys looked at each other and said, "'This 

 will never do; our mother is a witch. If we eat any of that it will 

 poison us. We must kill her." 



When the boys came back into the house, she knew their thoughts 

 before they spoke. " So you are going to kill mei " said Selu. " Yes," 

 said the boys, "you are a witch." "Well," said their mother, "when 

 you have killed me, clear a large piece of ground in front of the house 

 and drag my l)ody seven times around the circle. Tlien drag me seven 

 times over the ground inside the circle, and stay up all night and watch, 

 and in the morning you will have plenty of corn." The boys killed 

 her with their clubs, and cut ott' her head and put it up on the roof of 

 the house with her face turned to the west, and told Inu- to look for her 

 husband. Then they set to work to clear the ground in front of the 



