THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FIVE NATIONS 21 



A little girl discovered smoke arising from the field lodge and 

 she crept up and listened. She advanced and peered in a chink in 

 the bark. Then she ran homeward and told her father of the 

 strange man. 



" The stranger must be Hayonwhatha," said the father, " I have 

 heard that he has departed from Onondaga. Return, my daughter, 

 and invite him to our house." 



The girl-child obeyed and Hayonwhatha went to her house. ' We 

 are about to hold a council," the father said. " Sit in that place on 

 one side of the fire and I will acquaint you with our decisions." 



The council was convened and there was a great discussion. 

 Before darkness every evening the council dissolved and at no time 

 was Hayonwhatha called upon for advice nor was anything officially 

 reported to him. 



On the tenth day of his journey during the debate in the council 

 Hayonwhatha quietly left and resumed his wandering. Nothing 

 had been asked of him and he felt himself not needed by the people. 

 Late in the evening he came to the edge of another settlement and 

 as was his custom he kindled a fire and erected a horizontal pole 

 on two upright poles. On this he placed three strings of the 

 wampum shells. Then he sat down and repeated his saying : " Men 

 boast what they would do in extremity but they do not do what 

 they promise. If I should see any one in deep grief I would re- 

 move these shells from this pole and console him. The shells would 

 become words and lift away the darkness with which they are 

 covered. Moreover, I truly would do as I say." This he repeated. 



The chief man of the village saw the smoke at the edge of the 

 forest and sent a messenger to discover who the stranger might be. 

 Now when the messenger reached the spot he saw a man seated 

 before a fire and a horizontal pole from which three strings of small 

 shells were suspended. He also heard the words spoken as the 

 stranger looked at the strings. So then when he had seen all he 

 returned and reported what he had seen and heard. 



Then said the chief man, " The person whom you describe must 

 truly be Hayonwhatha whom we have heard left his home at Onon- 

 daga. He it is who shall meet the great man foretold by the 

 dreamer. We have heard that this man should work with the man 

 who talks of the establishment of peace." 



So then the chiefs sent a messenger who should say, u Our prin- 

 cipal chief sent me to greet you. Now then I wish you would come 

 into our village with me." 



