20 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



he journeyed onward and when evening came he camped in a hick- 

 ory grove. This he named O-nea-no-ka-res-geh, and it was on 

 the morning he came to a place where round jointed rushes grew. 

 He paused as he saw them and made three strings of them and 

 when he had built a fire he said : " This would I do if I found 

 anyone burdened with grief even as I am. I would console them 

 for they would be covered with night and wrapped in darkness. 

 This would I lift with words of condolence and these strands of 

 beads would become words with which I would address them." 



So at this place he stayed that night and he called the spot O-hon- 

 do-gon-wa, meaning Rush-land. 



When daylight came he wandered on again and altering the 

 course of his journey turned to the east. At night he came to a 

 group of small lakes and upon one he saw a flock of ducks. So 

 many were there and so closely together did they swim that they 

 seemed like a raft. 



" If lam to be truly royaneh (noble)," he said aloud to himself, 

 " I shall here discover my power." So then he spoke aloud and 

 said : "Oh you who are ' floats ' lift up the water and permit me 

 to pass over the bottom of the lake dryshod." 



In a compact body the ducks flew upward suddenly and swiftly, 

 lifting the water with them. Thus did he walk down the shore and 

 upon the bottom of the lake. There he noticed lying in layers the 

 empty shells of the water snail, some shells white, and others pur- 

 ple. Stooping down he filled a pouch of deer skin with them, and 

 then passed on to the other shore. Then did the ducks descend 

 and replace the water. 



It was here that Hayonwhatha desired for the first time to eat. 

 He then killed three ducks and roasted them. This was the evening 

 of the fifth day. 



In the morning he ate the cold meat of the roasted ducks and 

 resumed his journey. This was the sixth day and on that day he 

 hunted for small game and slept. 



On the morning of the seventh day he ate again and turned his 

 way to the south. Late in the evening he came to a clearing and 

 found a bark field hut. There he found a shelter and there he 

 erected two poles, placed another across the tops and suspended 

 three shell strings. Locking at them he said : " Men boast what 

 they would do in extremity but they do not do what they say. If 

 I should see anyone in deep grief I would remove these shell strings 

 from the pole and console them. The strings would become words 

 and lift away the darkness with which they are covered. More- 

 over what I say I would surely do." This he repeated. 



