258 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE (kth.ann.19 



wondered and watched until the lijiht disappeared on tlie other wide. 

 The next nii>ht, and the next, thev .saw the liohts ayain moving: alonsr 

 the ridge, and after talking over the matter decided to go on the mor- 

 row and try to learn the eause. In the morning they started out and 

 went until they eame to the ridge, where, after searching some time, 

 they found two strange creatures about so large (making a circle with 

 outstretched ai'ms), with round bodies covered with tine fur or downy 

 feathers, from which small heads stuck out like the heads of teri'apins. 

 As the breeze played upon these feathers showers Of sparks flew out. 

 The hunters carried the strange creatures back to the camp, intend- 

 ing to take them home to the settlements on their return. The}- kept 

 them several days and noticed that every night they would grow 

 bright and shine like great stars, although liy day they were only balls 

 of gray fur, except when the wind stirred and made the sparks tly out. 

 They kept very quiet, and no one thought of their trying to escape, 

 when, on the seventh night, they suddenly rose fi'om the ground like 

 balls of tire and were soon aliove the tops of the trees. Higher and 

 higher they went, while the wondering hunters watched, until at last 

 they were only two bright points of light in the dark sky, and then 

 the hunters knew that they were stars. 



lo. ORIGIN OF THE PLEIADES AND THE PINE 



Ijong ago, when the world was new, there were sev^en boys who 

 used to spend all their time down by the townhouse playing the 

 gatayu'sti game, rolling a stone wheel along the ground and sliding a 

 curved stick after it to strike it. Their mothers scolded, but it did no 

 srood, so one dav thev collected some gatavu'sti stones and boiled 

 them in the pot with the corn for dinner. When the boys came home 

 hungry their mothers dipped out the stones and said, "Since you like 

 the gatayu'sti better than the corntield. t;ike the stones now for your 

 dinner." 



The boys were very angry, and went down to the townhouse, say- 

 ing, "As our mothers treat us this way, let us go where we shall 

 never troul)le them any more." They })egan a dance — some say it 

 was the Feather dant'C — and went round and round the townhouse, 

 praying to the spirits to help them. At last their mothers were 

 afraid something was wrong and went out to look for them. They 

 saw the bovs still dancing around the townhouse, and as they watched 

 they noticed that their feet were otf the earth, and that with every 

 round they rose higher and higher in the air. They ran to get their 

 children, but it was too late, for they were already above the roof of 

 the townhouse — all but one. whose mother managed to pull him down 

 with the gatayu'sti pole, liut he struck the ground with such force 

 that lie sank into it and the earth closed over iiim. 



The other six ciivled hiii'her and higher until tliev went up to the 



