cosHiNf)] MEETING OF THE DEW PEOPLE. 391 



place, liiid touch of war — but challenged them rudely, to kuow, for- 

 sooth, who they were and why there. 



THE GENERATION OF THE SEED OF SEEDS, OR THE ORIGIN OF 



CORN. 



" We are the People of Seed," said these strangers, replying to our 

 fathers of old, "born elder brothers of ye, and led of the gods!" 



"Nay," contended our fathers, "verily, we are led of the gods and 

 of us are the Seed people and the substance of seed whereof our 

 wise elders carry the potencies." Whereupon they grew yet more 

 angry, so dark were they of understanding! 



The people who called themselves "Of the Seed" — who were none 

 others than the " Drinkers of the Dew of Grasses" — bade them pause. 

 " Behold !" said they, " we have powers above yours, yet without your 

 aid we can not exert them ; even as the mothers of men may not be fer- 

 tile save of the fathers. Ye are our younger brothers, for verily so are 

 your People of Seed, and more jjrecious than they know, are they and 

 their sacred keepings, ye — unwittingly, alack ! — so boast of ; even as 

 we are more wise than ye are and in ourselves (juickening withal, for 

 ye are, like virgins, unthinking, yet fertile. Now go to ! Let us look 

 ])eaicefully upon one another. Do ye, therefore, try first your powers 

 witli the sacred things ye carry according as ye have been instructed 

 or may best devise; then will we according to our knowledge of these 

 things and our own practices try our powers with them also, showing 

 forth our customs unto you." 



At last, after much wrangling and council, the people agreed to this. 

 And they set apart the time, eight days (as now days are numbered) 

 wherein to make their preparations, which was well; for therefrom 

 resulted to them great gain, yea, and the winning of these stranger 

 villagers, and by wise and peaceful acts rather than by war and the 

 impetuosity of right hands. In the holders of the ))lain in the midst 

 of cedars (fuel furnishers of the food maturing fire, these!) and under 

 the shade of Hemlocks (Tree-goddesses of the food-growing water, 

 these!) they encamped. And at the foot of the Hemlocks, facing 

 the sunlight, they builded them of cedar boughs a great bower: like 

 to it, only lesser, are those whence we watch and foster the ripening 

 of our corn; for from their bower thus fashioned, our fathers and 

 mothers, the priests and priest-matrons of old, watched and labored 

 for the first birth of corn, and in this wondrous wise, as young parents 

 watch for the birth of their children, though not knowing of what kind 

 or favor they will be, nevertheless expectantly of heart; and as we now 

 watch the fulfilment of our harvests. 



So, the seed-priests and master-keepers of the possessions, and 

 their fathers (those of the house of houses) fasted and intently con- 

 templated their sacred substances to divine the means thereof. And 

 it seemed good to them to cut wands of the spaces, painting them 



