324 MYTHS OF THE CHKROKEE [eth. ann. 19 



he had seen Selu, the wife of Kaua'ti. He did as the spirit liad directed, 

 and from that time was noted as the most successful of all the hunters 

 in the settlement. 



73. THE UNDERGROUND PANTHERS 



A hunter was in the woods one day in winter when suddenly he saw 

 a panther coming toward him and at once prepared to defend himself. 

 The panther continued to approach, and the hunter was just about to 

 shoot when the animal spoke, and at once it seemed to the man as if 

 there was no difference between them, and they were both of the same 

 nature. The panther asked him where he was going, and the man 

 said that he was looking for a deer. "Well," said the panther, "we 

 are getting ready for a Green-corn dance, and there are seven of us out 

 after a buck, so we may as well hunt together." 



The hunter agreed and they went on together. They started up one 

 deer and another, but the panther made no sign, and said only "Those 

 are too small; we want something better." So the hunter did not 

 shoot, and they went on. They started up another deer, a larger one, 

 and the panther sprang upon it and tore its throat, and finally killed 

 it after a hard straggle. The hunter got out his knife to skin it. but 

 the panther said the skin was too nuich torn to be used and they must 

 try again. They started up another large deer, and this the panther 

 kill(>d without trouble, and then, wrapping his tail around it. threw 

 it aci'oss his back. "Now, come to our townhouse," he said to the 

 hunter. 



The panthin- led the way, carrying the captured deer upon his back, 

 up a little stream branch until they came to the head spring, when it 

 seemed as if a door opened in the side of the hill and they went in. 

 Now the hunter found himself in front of a large townhouse, with the 

 finest detsanuii'li he had ever seen, and the trees around were green, 

 and the air was warm, as in summer. There was a great company 

 there getting ready for the dance, and they were all panthers, but 

 somehow it all seemed natural to the hunter. After a while the others 

 who had been out came in with the deer they had taken, and the dance 

 began. The hunter danced several rounds, and then said it was grow- 

 ing late and he must be getting home. So the panthers opened the 

 door and he went out, and at once found himself alone in the woods 

 again, and it was winter and very cold, with snow on the ground and 

 on all the trees. When he reached the settlement he found a party 

 just starting out to search for him. They asked him where he had 

 been so long, and he told them the story, and then he found that he 

 had been in the panther townliouse several days instead of only a very 

 short time, as he had thought. 



He died within seven days after his return, because he had already 

 begun to take on the panther nature, and so could not live again with 

 men. If he had stayed with the panthers he would have lived. 



