IROQUOIS MYTHS AND LEGENDS 



61 



darkened the wood paths, and the speeding O-je-a-neh-doh seemed 

 one of its shadows; still the light footed So-son-do-wah followed. 

 The new risen moon looked down and the stars faltered forth in 

 the red west trail of the sun, when O-je-a-neh-doh quickened his 

 race and leaped up the white headed hills of the sky; but So-son-do- 

 wah, still following, caught on the wing of a swift bird of the night, 

 which hastened its flight and soared to the farthermost part of the 

 sky where the sun wakes up for the earth; yet O-je-a-neh-doh, 

 the Sky Elk, more fleet in his own free fields, ever eluded the dumb 

 arrows which sighed from So-son-do-wah 's bow, until day feathered 

 the sky with its plumes of red light, when the night bird shook 

 So-son-do-wah from its wings back to the earth. But Dawn, 

 pitying the sky stranger, rescued him as he was falling, and 

 carrying him to her lodge in the east sky, created him her sentinel 

 to guard its door. 



One other duty which she assigned him was to watch from the 

 sky hights the earth forest, the forest where the sky night hunters 

 follow the game. And these hunters often escorted So-son-do-wah 

 back to the earth, to guide them in their paths. 



In his travels the heart of So-son-do-wah yearned back to the 

 earth, and he would have fled from the hunters but he could not 

 escape. Once when Day had already hinted her coming, So-son- 

 do-wah saw a beautiful maiden standing by a low river where she 

 had gone in search of water. Swift as an arrow of light a tender- 

 ness quivered within his heart and, forgetting his sky life, he 

 gently approached her, but the wary hunters drew him back to 

 the lodge of Dawn. There the heart of So-son-do-wah moaned in 

 its vigils. He could not forget the river maiden, and frequenlty 

 saw her face in the river mists that rose to the sky. 



Although a celestial prisoner and a watcher of the night, Dawn 

 had endowed him with dominion to enter within some other life 

 during the day when he could revisit the earth, and one spring 

 morning, So-son-do-wah, who in his love for the maiden had deter- 

 mined to find her, entered the heart of a bluebird which had dipped 

 its wings in the azure hues of the southern sky. 



With the bird, So-son-do-wah followed the course of the river, 

 singing " ji-nya-ah, ji-nya-ah, ji-nya-ah," and the forests echoed 

 " ji-nya-ah, ji-nya-ah, ji-nya-ah " until the maiden, who was 

 standing by the river, heard the plaintive song. 



" It is the bluebird," said she, " spring is herelj'^and in a glad 

 voice she too called "ji-nya-ah, ji-nya-ah, ji-nya-ah" and the 

 bluebird came at her call and sat on her shoulder and nestled its 



