41-4 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19 



its lien in tlie gulch, and that yearly he deniandeil of the red men ten of their nio8t 

 beautiful maidens as a sacrifii-ial offering. Fearful of extermination, the demand 

 was always complied with by the tribe, amid weeping and wailing by the women. 

 On the day l)efore the tribute was due the serpent announced its presence by a 

 demoniacal hiss, and the next morning the fair ones who had been chosen to save the 

 tribe were taken to the summit of a cliff and left to be swallowed by the scaly 

 Moloch. 



Chilhowee: A niountaiii and .station on the north .side of Little 

 Tennessee river, in Blount county. The correct Cherokee form is 

 TsiVh'ifiwe'i, applied to the lower part of A))ram.s creek, which enters 

 the river from the north just alcove. The meaning- of the word is 

 lost, although it may possibly iiave a connection with txilM, "king- 

 fi.sher." It has been incorrectly rendered "fire deer," an interpretation 

 founded on the false assumption that the name is compounded from 

 afsi'la, "fire," and a'wi', "deer," whence Chil-howee. For legends 

 localized in this vicinit3% see the stories noted above. Chilhowee 

 occurs also as the name of a .stream in the mountains of southwestern 

 Virginia. 



Lenoir: On the north bank of the main Tennessee, at the junction 

 of the Little Tennessee, in Loudon county. The Cherokee name is 

 Wa'ginsi', of wliich the meaning is lost, and was applied originally to 

 an eddy in the stream, where, it was said, there dwelt a large serpent, 

 to see which was an omen of evil. On one occasion a man cro.ssing 

 the river at this point saw the snake in the water and soon afterward 

 lost one of his children. 



Morganton: On a rocky hill on the old Indian trail on the west side 

 of Little Tennessee river, above and nearly opposite Morganton, in 

 Loudon county, are, or were a few years ago, four trees blazed in a 

 peculiar manner, concerning which the Indians had several unsatisfac- 

 tory stories, the most common opinion being that the marks were very 

 old and had been made by Indians to indicate the position of hidden 

 mines. 



Nashville: The state capital, in Davidson county. The Cherokee 

 name is Dagii'nawela'hi, "Mussel-liver place," which would seem to 

 have originated in some now forgotten les'end. 



Nickajack: A creek entering Tennessee river from the south about 

 15 miles ])elow Chattanooga. Near its mouth is a noted cave of the 

 same name. The Cherokee form is Nikutse'gi, the name of a former 

 settlement of that tribe at the mouth of the creek; Imt the word lias 

 no meaning in that language, and is probably of foreign, perhaps 

 Chickasaw, origin. The derivation from a certain "Nigger Jack," 

 said to have made the cave his headquarters is purely fanciful. 



Savannah: A farm on the north bank of Hiwa.ssee river at a ford 

 of the same name, aljout 5 miles above C<;)nasauga creek and Columlms, 

 in Polk county. Here are extensive remains of an ancient settlement, 

 including mounds, cemetery, and also, some seveutv years ago, a small 



