Chapter XXXIX: Part 2 (7)

Then the youth, having made the necessary preparations, departed, going to the place where the skull of his other uncle protruded out of the ground. On his arrival there, the uncle said to him: “Well, what happened?” The nephew answered him: “Oh! we completed the exchange, and I passed through the test without mishap.” To this the uncle rejoined: “Now you must hasten to return to the lodge. It is your turn to have a dream of that kind. You, too, must kindle the fire by gathering great logs, so that you may have a great fire. As soon as midnight comes it is for you to do just as your uncle did, and as soon as he strikes you a blow with his war club, you must say: ‘It is now ceased. Difficult and sinister is what the dream commanded me to do.’ Then your uncle will ask: ‘What did it command you to do?’ In reply you must say that it commanded you to have your uncle seek for the wish [word] of your dream; and it said, too, that a direful thing should happen to your uncle should he have failed to divine your dream’s desire by midday. A small round squash, which is growing on a vine planted by your uncle beneath his bed, is what you must desire in your dream. He prizes this squash very much, believing that his life depends on it. You must say, ‘Yes’ only when he names this squash as the thing desired for you by your dream. So now quickly return to the lodge and get ahead of him in making the preparations for kindling a great fire tonight. You must make the fire, and you must gather large logs to maintain it in full blaze during the night, for you must have a fine fire.”

So the youth returned to the lodge, and when he arrived indoors he said to his uncle: “It is now my turn to make a good fire, and I will kindle it well, because I think we shall have a very cold night.” Then gathering together many large logs and pieces of wood, he proceeded to put them on the fire in order to have a fine blaze for the night, as he had been told to do. Nighttime having come, they lay down to sleep. No word of conversation passed between them. About midnight the youth began to moan and to groan, saying, ʼĕñʻ, ʼĕñʻ, ʼĕñʻ. In a short time he arose from his bed groaning then very loudly, and without further act, he cast himself on the fire, scattering in all directions with his feet and hands the blazing firebrands, some of which went in the direction of the bed of his uncle. The latter, having been awakened by the groaning, quickly arose to avoid the firebrands. Then saying, “What has happened to you?” took down his war club, and seeing the head of his nephew moving about close to him, struck it a blow with the club, which resounded with a băʼʻ, very loud. Immediately he raised the club to strike another blow, but at that moment the youth said: “Oh, uncle, it has now ceased.” After regaining his composure, he continued: “Now, what the dream commanded me to do is very difficult of fulfillment, although a severe and cruel penalty is the price of failure to perform its mandate.” Thereupon the old man asked: “What did it command you to do?” The nephew replied: “It ordered me to have my uncle seek for the desire of my dream, to divine its word in other terms; and if my uncle is not able to divine the word of the dream by midday, something cruel and sinister will befall his body.” The uncle’s answer was: “So be it. It has no great significance.” Then the two lay down again to sleep.

Very early in the morning the youth arose and, after making his usual preparations, said to his uncle: “The time has now come for us to begin.” The uncle replied: “So be it; I am ready.” While they were taking their places the old man remarked: “Verily, you must give me a clue to the ‘word’ of your dream.” But the nephew answered: “That is not at all the custom in such cases, and it is certain that the reason it is called ‘the seeking of one’s dream word’ is that no clue shall be given.” At this reply the old man exclaimed with mock surprise, “Wuʻʹ! this is indeed an astonishing thing”; but he failed to make his nephew agree to give him a small clue to the thing he had dreamed.

Thereupon the old man began to ask the questions necessary to ascertain the dream desire of his nephew. He asked: “It may be that you desire my pouch?” His nephew answered: “No; that is not what I desire.” The old man continued: “It may be that you desire, possibly, my raccoon-skin robe?” The answer came: “No; that is not what I desire.” The next question was: “It may be that you desire flesh of the bear?” In disgust the nephew answered: “Wāʻʹ. No, no! I do not want that.” The uncle ventured: “It may be, it is probable, you desire the flesh of the raccoon?” The youth answered: “No; that is not what the dream indicated.” Another question from the uncle: “It may be, perhaps, that you desire the flesh of the turkey?” His nephew said: “No; that is not what is required.” Again the uncle asked: “It may be, perhaps, that you desire the flesh of the deer?” The nephew rejoined: “No; that is not what the dream indicated.” Meanwhile the uncle and his nephew kept walking up and down in their respective places. Again the old man asked: “It may be, perhaps, that you desire my war club?” But his nephew replied: “No; that is not what I desire.” At last the old man spoke, saying: “Well, what, indeed, will take place? I moreover have the thing, but I would like to know what I have asked?” The nephew answered in disgust: “Wuʻʹ, you know that it is not the custom that there should be a lot of talk about such things when one is seeking the ‘dream word’ of another.” He did not give any intimation to his uncle as to what his dream had indicated to him, but he kept looking up at the sun to see how near midday it was. On resuming the struggle of questioning and replying, the uncle said: “It may be, perhaps, that you desire what I prize very highly—my fetish, which is very fine and with which I hunt,” at the same time showing it to his nephew to cause him to desire it. But the nephew answered merely: “No; that is not what my dream indicated to me.” It was then nearly midday. The old man, going to and fro and stopping now and then to ask the questions, would hang his head, saying to himself: “I wonder what can be the thing that my nephew desires.” Addressing the youth, he said: “It may be, perhaps, that you desire what I have prized highly, too, for a long time, namely, the otter fur which is white in color?” But the nephew replied: “No; that is not what I desire as answer to the demand of my dream.” Again looking up at the sun to see how near midday it was, and finding that it was very near the time for the contest to close, the old man said: “It may be, perhaps, that you desire what, too, I have prized and kept carefully in divers places, namely, my marten fur?” The nephew impatiently answered: “No; that is not what I desire at all.” At once he began to sing, for the time was about up. He said as he sang, “Yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, he and I are bartering by exchange; yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs, my uncle, yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ.” Now the uncle was moving around on the opposite side of the fire. Suddenly, after the singing had commenced flames burst up all around the old man with the sound dauñʻʹ! At once he protested to his nephew, saying, “Go slow, go slow, with that, oh, nephew!” As the time had not quite expired, the nephew permitted the flames to go down again, whereupon the uncle said, “Oh, my nephew! you have been exceedingly rude with me.” But the nephew replied: “I can do nothing in this matter, for this has all been planned for me in advance. So I can do nothing.” As the time (midday) was soon to expire, the nephew again began to sing the song he sang at first, “Yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, he and I are bartering by exchange; yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs, my uncle, yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ.” As before, flames at once burst all around the uncle as he stood on the opposite side of the fire. At once he exclaimed, “Oh, my nephew! do not be so hard in this thing.” But the youth again began singing: “The time is now up. Yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, he and I are bartering by exchange; yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, my own uncle, yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ.”

Thereupon the old man fled to the top of his bed, on which he jumped around in an effort to avoid the pursuing flames. From that spot he spoke to his nephew, saying, “Oh my nephew! I have now overtaken your ‘dream word.’ You indeed desire—I have thought so all along—what I have planted, native squashes called djisgoñtʼăʻ, which has now its fruit.” At once the youth said, “Kuʻʹ, I am thankful for this fulfillment of what my dream word required.” Thereupon each resumed his seat in his wonted place, and the uncle said, “Do you know the history of the custom of ‘seeking for one’s dream word’?” The youth replied, “Yes, I know it—one shall give up at once what the dream has indicated when he shall have divined what it desires.” The old man, in an attempt to outwit his nephew, said, “It is customary too, I know, for me to make something identical with what you demand as your dream word.” But the youth could not be moved, saying, “Now; that is not at all right.” The old man persisted, however, saying: “It is, nevertheless, customary that one should make an object resembling the thing desired. So I will do this, and that, too, I will give to you.” The youth did not agree to this, but answered, “That is not in the remotest sense what the dream commanded, that you should give me something artificial.”

With these words the youth again arose and began to sing again, “Yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, he and I are bartering by exchange; yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ.” With a loud dauñʹ! the flames once more burst forth around the old man, and a scene similar to the former took place. Finally the old man was forced to surrender, saying, “I shall now give you what your ‘dream word’ desired.” Thereupon both resumed their seats. The uncle then said to his nephew, “It is, indeed, a fact that I live by it; so now I shall give it to you.” With these words he uncovered the plants by raising and removing his bed. The nephew on his side was watching intently what was going on in the apartment of his uncle. He was surprised to see planted there under the bed a patch of squashes, and he saw his uncle gather a squash. Covering the plant again, he gave the squash to his nephew, with the remark, “You must carefully preserve this thing.” The youth answered: “So be it. Now, the matter which was at issue has been settled.”

After making his usual preparations the nephew went to the place where his other uncle’s skull protruded out of the ground. When he arrived there the skull said to him, “Well, what happened?” The nephew answered, “Everything that you said came to pass just right, and I have brought here what he gave up to me.” Drawing it forth, he showed it to his uncle, who said: “That thing, in fact, is what I meant. There is still another thing. It is a fact that a sister of yours is there too, inclosed in a bark case which is set up under his bed whereon he is accustomed to lie down—under your uncle’s bed. That, also, you can remedy by overcoming him in this matter; so you must set your desire on this thing. This must be what your ‘dream word’ shall command you to obtain for your health and welfare. So return home at once and make the necessary preparations for having another great fire tonight. You must collect large logs and place them on the fire. Hasten and do not permit him to be quicker than you are. Be brave. Have no pity on him, for he will overmatch your orenda (magic power) if you fail to exert it to the utmost.”

The youth hastened back. Having arrived in the lodge, he said to his uncle, “Now I think I will again kindle a good fire, because we may be going to have a very cold night.” So, gathering together a number of logs and large pieces of dry wood, he placed them in a pile, and with smaller pieces of wood he kindled a great fire for the night.

Night having come, the two retired to rest, each on his own side of the fire. About midnight the youth again began to moan and groan loudly, and the moaning became louder and louder. In a short time he got off his bed and crawled around on his hands and knees. Next, without further warning, he threw himself on the fire, scattering the firebrands over the place where lay his uncle, who at once arose, saying, “What has happened?” Taking down his war club and seeing the head of his nephew close to him, he struck it a blow with the club, which resounded with a very loud băʼʹ! As he raised the club for a second blow, the youth exclaimed, “Oh, my uncle! it has now ceased,” whereupon the uncle addressed him, saying, “What is causing you to see visions?” His nephew replied, “What it commanded me to do is baleful unto death if not fulfilled.” The uncle asked further, “What did it command you to do?” The nephew answered: “The thing it commanded is that you shall again ‘seek to divine the word of my dream’ tomorrow; and if you shall not have divined the ‘word of my dream’ before the sun shall have reached the zenith evil shall befall your person.” The old man mockingly retorted, “Let it be so,” drawing out the expression. Thereupon they both returned to their beds, on which they again lay down for the rest of the night.

The next morning the youth arose, and after making his usual morning preparations, said to his uncle, “The time has now arrived for what I have been commanded to do; so let us begin.” As before, the uncle mockingly said, “So let it be,” once more drawing out the expression to indicate his contempt for his nephew.

After a moment of silence the old man said, “Oh, my nephew! you will just give a small clue to the ‘word of your dream.’” His nephew replied, “You know that is not the custom on such occasions, for the reason that it would be of no use to make ‘seeking the word of a dream’ a test if one should furnish a clue. Come, then, let us begin.” This he said with some impatience, knowing full well that the uncle was only seeking to cause him to make some error in the test.

So the old man began by asking, “Perhaps you may mean in your desire, suggested by the ‘word of the dream,’ the flesh of the moose?” But the youth replied, “No; that is not what is desired.” The old man asked again, “Perhaps you mean in your desire, suggested by the ‘word of the dream,’ the flesh of the bear?” And the youth answered, “No; that is not what is desired.” The uncle once more asked, “Perhaps you may mean in your desire, suggested by the ‘word of the dream,’ the flesh of the raccoon?” But the youth answered, “No; that is not what is desired.” Then the uncle asked the same question regarding the flesh of the deer, the turkey, the fat entrails of the bear, the liver of the bear, and various other substances, receiving from his nephew in each instance a negative answer. Finally, he asked, in an attempt to throw the youth off of his guard, “Oh, my nephew! what can you mean? What is it you desire?” But the youth, alert and crafty, replied, “Pshaw! are you not seeking to divine the ‘word of my dream,’ and still you want me to give you a clue to it?” The old man replied, “But I have now named all the things that I own.” He kept walking up and down in his own part of the lodge. Again the time was nearly up—it was almost midday. So the old man said, “Well, so be it; perhaps you may mean in your desire, suggested by the ‘word of the dream,’ my leggings?” His nephew answered, “No; that is not what is desired.” Once more the uncle suggested, “My breechclout?” The nephew answered as before, “No; that is not what is desired.” Then the old man, seeking to gain time, remarked, “I am wondering, Oh, my nephew! what it is that you desire?”

Then the nephew, becoming wearied with the dilatory tactics of his uncle, began to sing, as before, “Yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, he and I are bartering by exchange; yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, he is my uncle, yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ.” Again the flames burst up out of the ground all around the place where the uncle was standing, with the sound dauñʻʹ. Thereupon the old man exclaimed, “Oh, my nephew! do not be too hasty with that thing.” As the time had not yet fully arrived to end this test, the youth willed that the flames subside, and with the sound dauñʻʹ they quickly subsided.

Then the old man resumed his questions, saying “Perhaps you may mean in your desire, suggested by the ‘word of the dream,’ my otter-skin robe?” The nephew replied, “No; that is not what is desired.” Next the old man named “my bow and arrows, which I so dearly prize?”

The nephew, Gādjisʹdodoʻ, was walking to and fro in his own part of the lodge, looking every now and then to see whether the sun had reached the meridian, for he knew well that the time was almost up. Finally, to test the endurance of the old man, he again began to sing, using the words of the song for this kind of a ceremony: “Yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, he and I are bartering by exchange; yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ, and he is my uncle, yuʹʻhĕñ, yuʹʻhĕñ.”

With a loud dauñʻʹ the flames again burst forth from the ground all around the old man, who now climbed up the bark wall of the lodge to escape them, at the same time crying out, “Oh, my nephew! do not be too hasty with that thing.” Knowing his mastery of the old man, the youth willed once more that the flames should subside, and they did so. Whereupon the old man descended from his place of refuge on the bark wall.

The old man said to his nephew, “At no time must you lay the heavy hand of punishment on me;” but he would not admit defeat. The youth answered, “The time is now nearly up, and I can not change in any manner the command given me by the dream.” With these words he again began to walk to and fro, singing his wonted song, at which the flames burst forth once more from the ground all around the place in which the old man moved, burning his hair and even his eyelashes.

At this moment the old man cried out, “I have now divined the ‘word of your dream.’ I have thought all along that perhaps what you desired is the small woman in a bark case standing under the bed whereon I usually rest. She is, indeed, very small. That is, perhaps, what you desire?” The youth replied: “I am thankful. Set her in the place where people usually sit in the lodge.” For answer the old man said: “You would agree, perhaps, that I make a bark case, a very small one, and also make a small doll which I should fasten in the bark case. This is just the way they do when they ‘divine the dream word’ [434] of anyone.”

Combating his uncle’s attempt to have the command of the dream changed and therefore made entirely void, the nephew said to him, “The dream did not tell me that the command should be carried out by means of an artificial thing.” At this he again began to walk to and fro in his own part of the lodge, singing, as before, the potent song, which caused the flames again to burst out of the ground and completely cover the old man, Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs, as he sat on his bed. At once he exclaimed, “I will now give up what you desire.” The flames went down with a roar.

Still attempting to thwart his nephew by sly cunningness, the old man said: “It is the custom to make something resembling that which the ‘word of the dream’ commanded to be produced and which customarily is given to the one who has dreamed; and it is now my purpose to make a bark case resembling the one which is lying under my bed, and in which shall be the representation of a woman. I shall make it fine and beautiful. I will give it to you.” The youth replied: “You know that now the time is up for you to do your part, and yet you delay, although you have asked me not to be too heavy handed with you. So at once give me what is required by the ‘word of the dream.’”

Seeing that it was of no use trying to outwit his nephew, the uncle went over to his bed and, raising it up on one side, drew from under it a small bark case, in which was the small woman. She was indeed very small. As he drew her forth she was winking her eyes, and as she saw her brother she smiled pleasantly. The old man gave the case to his nephew without further resistance. Then the youth prepared her to take her away. It was very cold, being winter, so he wrapped her up in furs in a close bundle and replaced her in the bark case, which he carried on his shoulder out of the lodge.

The youth directed his course toward the place where the skull of his other uncle protruded out of the ground. He arrived there bearing on his shoulder the case of bark. His mysterious uncle said to him, “Well, nephew, what has happened since you were here the last time?” The nephew replied, “Everything you said has come to pass as you desired.” The uncle answered: “Now it is your other uncle’s turn to kindle the fire, and he is gathering the necessary fuel for it. This is what your uncle is now doing. So perhaps you will return there never to come back here alive. When you reach your lodge he will have completed his preparations, and the fire too will be a great one. It shall be your duty to watch him carefully during the night. Just at your back—behind you—shall stand the case of bark containing your sister. At midnight your uncle will be suddenly roused again, I know, by an evil dream, and will again scatter the firebrands in all directions. Some will fall over your bed, and so you must be up and out of the way. At the first symptoms of his dream you must leap up and, going over to the opposite side of the fire, you must take down his war club and strike him a blow with it; then at once raise it for a second blow. When he shall say, ‘Now it has ceased,’ you must ask, ‘What thing is causing you to see marvels?’ Then he will answer, ‘The thing that the dream has commanded me is baleful and difficult of accomplishment.’”

The nephew asked, “Well, what did the dream command you to do?” The uncle replied, “It said that when daylight came again I must haul you around in a sledge made of green, fresh-peeled bark, ten times around this lodge, and that you must be entirely naked. You know that this lodge is very long. It said also that something evil would befall you, should you, my nephew, fail to see that this desire is carried out as the dream has declared it.”

The nephew, Gādjisʹdodoʻ, answered, “Let it be so.” The two thereupon returned to their respective beds, and there they lay down to rest and sleep.

Very early the next morning Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs arose, saying to his nephew, “Oh, my nephew! I am now going to fetch the bark sledge required for our purpose.” To this the youth Gādjisʹdodoʻ replied, “So be it.” The old man went out, and it was not long before he reentered the lodge, saying, “I have now completed my preparations out of doors; now we two will go out there.” They went forth, and the old man at once began to wrap the youth in the newly stripped bark which he had prepared for the purpose and to bind him very closely with bark cords. After coming out of the lodge the old man had said, “Now undress yourself fully,” and there in front of the doorway the youth undressed himself. There stood the bark sledge. On coming out the old man had told him, “You must lie down upon this thing.” It was winter and very, very cold. The wind was severe, and the snow was blustering. When the youth lay down on the bark sledge the old man wrapped him up with the bark sides and tied him therein securely, saying as he did so, “I am doing this lest you should fall when I start to run.” Finally he said, “Oh, my nephew! I am now ready.” The nephew, Gādjisʹdodoʻ, answered, “So be it.”

Next the old man drew a starting line and began drawing the sledge around the lodge very swiftly. While running, the old man sang: “I am dragging him in a sledge, I am dragging him in a sledge, I am dragging him in a sledge. He is Gādjisʹdodoʻ, you who are a nephew. I am dragging him in a sledge, I am dragging him in a sledge,” etc. Having gone around the lodge once and having returned to the doorway of the lodge, Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs said, “Oh, my nephew! are you alive?” Gādjisʹdodoʻ answered, “I am alive.” At this the old man said, “This is once around,” and started again drawing the sledge around the lodge, singing, as before, while he ran.

Having gone around the lodge a second time, the old man said, “Oh, my nephew! are you alive?” The nephew replied, “Hōʹ, I am alive.” Saying, “This is the second time,” the uncle again started around the lodge. The weather was indeed very cold, and no one who was entirely naked could possibly live in weather so severe (except he be a very great sorcerer).

Having returned to the doorway of the lodge, the old man again asked, “Oh, my nephew! are you alive?” and the youth replied as before, “Yes; I am alive.” Every time the old man started to drag the sledge he began singing the same song with the same words. Thus they made a circuit of the lodge nine times, when the youth in his reply to his uncle’s usual question pretended to be nearly dead, answering in a very feeble voice, that he was still alive. To this his uncle exultingly rejoined, “‘ĕñʻʹhĕñ!” meaning by this exclamation, “I thought you would not last.” So the old man gleefully started dragging the sledge around the lodge again, and he sang the same song with the same words. When they had returned to the doorway of the lodge they had completed the tenth circuit of the lodge, as decreed by the old man’s ‘dream word.’ Again the old man asked, “Oh, my nephew! are you still alive?” With a strong voice the nephew answered, “I am alive.” To this the old man rejoined in surprise, Wuʻʹ! (an exclamation of wonder).

Then the old man proceeded to unfasten the youth from the sledge and from the bark wrappings with which he had so closely secured him, ostensibly to keep him from falling off the sledge. As they two reentered the lodge the old man said, “Oh, my nephew! now that which was commanded me by the dream has been fulfilled.” The nephew replied, “So be it,” and taking up the bark case in which was his sister, he placed it on his back, carrying it by means of the forehead strap. He then went directly to the place where his uncle’s skull protruded from the ground. When he arrived there bearing his sister on his back, his uncle of the skull asked him, “Well, my nephew, how have things gone?” The nephew replied, “Everything that you advised me to do has been satisfactorily accomplished.” Thereupon the uncle said to him: “You must hasten back to the lodge, for it is now your turn to kindle a great fire. You must say to your uncle, ‘I am gathering wood and fuel to build a great fire, for I think that tonight we shall have a very cold night.’ And tonight about midnight you must dream and groan; then, quickly arising, grope on your hands and knees, and finally cast yourself on the fire, scattering the firebrands in all directions, especially toward the bed on which your uncle lies. When he arises and strikes you a blow on the head with his war club, you must quickly say, ‘It has now ceased,’ for he will raise the club at once to strike a second blow. He will then ask you, ‘What is it that is causing you to see marvels?’ You must answer, ‘Compliance with what my dream has commanded me is most difficult, and the command is accompanied with evil portent.’ When he asks you, ‘What did it command you to do?’ you must say, ‘It commanded me to draw you, my uncle, in a bark sledge 10 times around this lodge, and to require you to be naked, entirely so.’ This is what you shall tell him when he asks what you have dreamed.” The youth replied, “So let it be.” Continuing his advice, the uncle said: “You must carefully guard the person of your sister. Be brave and do not waver; do not agree to his proposal that he may not undergo the test entirely naked, claiming this exemption on account of his great age. This is what he will say, but do not consent to this proposition. Now hasten back to the lodge.”

Having returned to the lodge, the youth said to his uncle, “It is my turn to kindle the fire today, for we shall have a very cold and stormy night.” The uncle merely said, “I will care for your sister, of course, for it is very cold.” But the youth replied, “Carrying her along with me will in no wise interfere with what I am about to do.” So, carrying his sister on his back by means of the forehead strap, he went forth to gather wood. He kindled a great fire for the night and did not leave his sister alone for a single moment.

When night came, they all retired to their beds. The sister of the youth remained in the bark case, which the youth placed between himself and the bark wall of the lodge. About midnight he began to groan and moan and utter incoherent words. Then, having arisen, groped around on his knees, and finally cast himself into the fire, scattering the firebrands in all directions, especially over the bed of his uncle. Thereupon the old man leaped up, and seizing his war club, went across the lodge and struck the youth a blow on the head, at the same time asking, “What is it that is causing you to see marvels?” The youth quickly answered: “It has now ceased. Compliance with what my dream commanded me is most difficult, and the command is accompanied with an evil portent.” The uncle at once asked, “What did it command you to do?” The youth answered, “It commanded me to drag you, my uncle, in a bark sledge 10 times around this lodge very early tomorrow morning. The evil portent is that if this be not accomplished before midday some great calamity shall befall your person.” The uncle merely replied, “So let it be.” Then they retired to their respective beds.

Very early the next morning the youth, Gādjisʹdodoʻ, arose and said in a loud voice, “Oh, my uncle! I am now going after the bark sledge.” The uncle answered, “So be it; it is well.” The youth went out, and soon returning to the doorway, said, “Oh, my uncle! I am now ready; let us go out and begin at once.” With these words he laid his bark sledge down in front of the doorway. When his uncle came out the youth said, “You must undress yourself.” But the old man said, “Just let me remain dressed, for I am so very old.” His nephew, Gādjisʹdodoʻ, replied: “I did not say that. So come, undress yourself.” And he began at once to undress the old man. When the old man was undressed he lay down on the bark sledge, and the youth quickly bound him fast to it with bark cords. The old man kept saying, “You are binding me too closely; you have made the cords too taut.” But his nephew replied, “Oh! I am a swift runner, you know, and I fear that you may fall off. Oh! uncle, I am now ready.”

Then the nephew started dragging the sledge very swiftly around the lodge, singing as he ran, “I am dragging him on a bark sledge, I am dragging him on a bark sledge; Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs, who is my uncle, I am dragging him on a bark sledge; I am dragging him on a bark sledge.” The uncle kept saying, “Oh, my nephew! the sledge is now going too fast.” The youth did not slacken his terrific pace, however, and the sledge at times turned over and over. Meanwhile the old man kept saying, “Oh, my nephew! do not be so rude in this matter; it is going too fast.” But the youth only answered, “That is, however, my speed.” When they got back to the doorway the youth asked, “Oh, my uncle! are you alive?” The uncle answered, “I am alive.” At this the youth at once started on the run, singing the same song as that he used on the first trip.

It now came to pass that all the great sorcerers and past masters in wizard craft who dwelt on the borders of the land of this old man said, “He has now overmatched his orenda, or magic power,” meaning that the youth had overcome the orenda of his uncle. Thus spake the great wizards.

Having returned the ninth time to the doorway, the old man’s nephew asked again, “Lo, my uncle! are you still alive?” Receiving no reply, he looked down on the upturned face and saw that his uncle’s eyes were frozen hard. Thereupon, he exclaimed, “Now, Oh, my uncle! you will enjoy the bark sledge,” and without any hesitation he started on the tenth circuit. Exerting all his speed and strength, he sped to the end of the lodge, the sledge flying high in the air with the great speed, turning over and over in its course. Turning away from the lodge, the youth with a mighty effort swung the sledge far off to one side and let it strike the ground, where he left it. It was so cold that when the sledge struck the ground there was only a crackling of ice.

Then the youth, Gādjisʹdodoʻ, returned to the lodge in which his sister was still fastened in her case of bark. When she saw her brother entering the lodge she smiled, and said, “Oh, my elder brother! I am thankful that we both are still alive, having gone through what we have.” The brother, taking up the bark case, placed it on his back, carrying it with the forehead strap. Then the two went to the place where their other uncle’s skull protruded from the ground.

Having arrived there, this uncle said, “Well, my nephew, what came to pass?” Gādjisʹdodoʻ replied: “Verily, I have overcome his orenda—the evil potency of my old uncle, who is now no more. Let us all go back to the lodge.” Reaching down, he drew his uncle up and caused him to stand, and he stroked his body in order to restore his flesh, which had been withered by the magic power of his evil-minded brother. When he had accomplished this task, the youth said, “Now let us return to the lodge.”

Having arrived there, the youth unbound his sister and disengaged her from the bark case. Then he stroked her body to restore it to its normal size—to the size of a normal woman. When this task was accomplished Gādjisʹdodoʻ said: “We now are again united in our full number. We shall remain here in our lodge in peace and contentment, for he who was in his time a mighty sorcerer has departed.”

There, in that lodge, they dwell to this day. This is the end of the legend of Gādjisʹdodoʻ and Sʻhogoⁿʻʹgwāʼs.

119. THE LEGEND OF DEODYATGAOWEN

In the long ago, in the times of the elder people, there lived in the land toward the place of sunrise a wonderful tribe of human beings, at a place called Dyohnyowanen (at the Great Lowland).

It so happened that one of the young men dwelling there resolved to make an expedition into the distant West, into the region through which lay the path of the sun. The name of this young man was Dehaenhyowens (He-Who-Cleaves-the-Sky-in-Twain).[435] To promote his design, he persuaded his friends to prepare a great feast, to which all the people should be bidden and at which, as was the custom of the country, he should announce to the public his purpose of making an expedition into the West to the end of the earth, in order to slaughter unknown men and to obtain the scalps of the alien peoples whom he might encounter, since the scalps would serve as tokens of the victors’ prowess and craft in warfare.

The feast having been prepared, the people were bidden to it. When they had all gathered together in their ganonses (long lodge of public assembly), and while they were enjoying the good things provided for their entertainment the host, Dehaenhyowens, arose to make the speech in which he announced his purpose with respect to the expedition, at the same time calling for volunteers from among the young men to accompany him and share his fortunes. He asked only for young men, those who had just arrived at manhood (at the age of puberty). Further, he informed those who might volunteer to accompany him that they would have to renounce their lives, their kith and kin; that they must agree on adherence to a unanimity of purpose and to continue their journey forward no matter what kind of obstacles might present themselves; that his own brother, Gaenhyakdondye (Along-the-Side-of-the-Sky), had already volunteered to go with him; and that they two in the capacity of war chiefs would lead the party should one be formed. Beside the two brothers 28 others volunteered to share the lot of the two reckless adventurers. So Dehaenhyowens appointed a time to start and a rendezvous for the party, earnestly urging all to be prepared to depart at the appointed time.

When the day arrived, Dehaenhyowens notified by a messenger all the volunteers, who eagerly presented themselves at the rendezvous. When they had completed all their preparations, they set out, directing their course toward the place of the sunset.

As these warriors traveled on they finally came to a place in which they found the habitations of a people whom they did not know. These unoffending people they ruthlessly killed and scalped, and after this bloody exploit they continued their journey toward the West.

Having journeyed a short distance farther, they suddenly came to the settlement of another people. At the dawn they attacked these people, slaying all the males who did not escape in the darkness, and, having scalped the slain, they passed on, still following the course of the sun.

A day’s journey farther on they came to the dwelling place of a third people, whom they dealt with as before. Next morning they resumed their march. They repeated their bloody exploits wherever they found a village on the line of their march, continuing this slaughter for many moons.

After pursuing this course for a long time, the packs of scalps which they carried on their backs became so heavy as to be burdensome. Of course, a number of the band had been killed by the people whom they had attacked, so it now happened that those who remained began to complain of the weight of the scalps. One and all said, “It seems advisable that we should now leave our packs of scalps here in some out of the way place for safekeeping.” Finally their chief, Dehaenhyowens, said: “It is probable also that we may now see what we are seeking—the scalp of all scalps. This we could use to cover all we have. Moreover, the kind of thing(s) which we bring with us would not spoil.”

It was about this time that they fell in with a man so tall that one-half the height of the tallest trees was the measure of his towering stature. Then it was that Gaenhyakdondye (Along-the-Edge-of-the-Sky, i.e., the Horizon) said: “Our good fortune has brought about the accomplishment of the purpose of our expedition upon which we had agreed—namely, that we should see in our hands a large quantity of scalps. I think the next thing to be done is to resolve to kill this man, whom we have met in this place. We shall then become possessed of the large scalp about which my brother has already prophesied. So let us attack him at once.” Immediately deploying, they began to assault him, shooting arrows at him, and struck him with their war clubs and stone hatchets, but they could make no impression on him and failed to harm him in the least. At last the strange man said to them, kindly: “What is it you desire to do? Do you imagine that you can kill me?” They answered, “That is indeed our purpose, as it has been our purpose on the journey hither to kill all who fall in our way, no matter who they may be.” To this frank admission the strange man replied: “The purpose for which you are banded together is not good. From this time forward you must utterly renounce it and carefully refrain from carrying it out. Know that it is quite impossible for you to kill me. The reason I came to meet you here was to give you this counsel. I watched you as you made your way to this place, and saw with grief that you killed many people. I want you to know that the reason I have come to meet you is that you have now committed wrongs enough on innocent people; and I want you to know further that if you do not cease from doing these wrongs you also shall die.” To this the leader of the band, Dehaenhyowens, answered: “We are very thankful to you for this good counsel, and we will try to abide by it. We will pass beyond this point, as we have bound ourselves by a vow to attempt to reach the place where the sun regularly sinks from view—the spot where the sun goes to and fro.” Then the stranger said merely, “Do you, then, start on your journey.” While they listened to him with bowed heads he vanished, and they did not know nor see whither he went.

When they realized that they were again alone they departed from that place. After traveling a long time, finally they saw before them a very large lake, which barred their progress straight ahead. When they saw that there was apparently no means of crossing the lake, Dehaenhyowens, the leader of the band, said, “What should we do to pass over this lake?” Thereupon one of the band, who seldom uttered a word, said: “We have made an agreement bound with a vow that no matter what the circumstances or the obstacles might be, we would nevertheless pass through them as we have done in the past. Now the time has indeed come for us to fulfill our agreement.” Dehaenhyowens answered, “It is indeed even as you have stated it. Come, then, it is thou who must take the lead.”

Then the man addressed started ahead, going out alone on the surface of the lake. Thither did he go unflinchingly. Thereupon in turn each of the others started in his wake, and crossed the lake safely.

When they reached dry land on the farther shore, they stood still, looking around and examining the new country. They were surprised to see that the visible sky rose and fell at regular intervals.[436] As they conjectured, it rose to the height of the tallest pine tree known to them, and they saw, too, that the place from which it rebounded was so smooth that it glistened. While they watched the rising and falling of the sky they saw a large number of pigeons, which flew out from the other side of the sky, and after flying around returned whence they had come.

Then Dehaenhyowens, the leader of the band, said: “What manner of thing shall we now do? To be sure, here seems to be indeed the end of the earth. It is evident, of course, that there is another country beyond this sky barrier which is thus continually rising and falling.” Again that member of the band who was never in the habit of speaking much said, “You are of course well aware of the nature of the agreement by which we bound ourselves together before we started away from home; moreover, you know that those of us who are still alive number only five. The opportunity now presents itself for us to do that on which we all agreed; its fulfilment is now demanded of us; it is for us to act in accordance with our agreement.”

Thereupon the leader of the band, Dehaenhyowens, said, “Come, then; let us now lay aside our burden of scalps in this place for safekeeping until our return.” So each of the band carefully concealed his pack of scalps in such manner that he would be able to find it should he ever have the opportunity of passing that spot again. When they had concealed the scalps Dehaenhyowens, addressing himself to him who had last spoken, said, “Now, it is thou who must take the lead in passing this obstacle in our path, for our path leads directly into that farther country. We must pass so quickly under the sky as it rises that we shall not be caught by it when it falls back again.”

So the man who had been designated to take the lead, having reassured himself, selected a favorable starting point for his dash under the sky. Carefully timing the rising and the falling of the sky, he finally dashed forward as swiftly as possible. His friends watched him run onward until he had disappeared from view on the farther side of the barrier. As the sky kept on rising and falling a second man, making like dispositions, dashed forward, clearing the barrier as the first had done, and disappearing from view on the other side. The third and the fourth man had like success in clearing this obstacle. The sky, however, did not cease from rising and falling back on its resting place.

It was then the turn of the fifth and last man to make the perilous attempt. His four companions anxiously watched him making his dispositions to clear the danger which they had safely passed. They did not see him start, but as the sky arose they saw him still far from the passage, and just as he entered it the sky fell back crushing him to death. He had miscalculated the distance he had to run to reach the passageway, and thus his career ended.

Then the leader of the band, Dehaenhyowens, said: “Let us be thankful that we have been fortunate enough to go through this danger, which has taken one of our number. We now number only four, and we are without arms or other means of defense. We know not whether we shall require them or not. Now, I believe that we must depart hence and go forward. It is very evident that we have arrived in a land quite different from the one known to us. The light of this world is unequaled in its brightness; the daylight of the land whence we started is like the light of a starlight night compared with it. Now, let us depart hence. We will go, seeking to find human beings, if there be such, who may have a settlement here.”

Without further parleying they started forward. As they traveled along they saw that the trees of all kinds were very large and tall, and that they were in full bloom; these trees were of surpassing beauty. The travelers were greatly surprised to learn that the flowers supplied the light of that world, and they also observed that all the beasts and animals and birds possessed exceptionally fine bodies and presence. They remarked, too, that they had seen nothing during their journey thither so wonderful and strange. They saw with astonishment also the exuberance of the growing grasses and plants, among which they beheld in rich profusion the fruited stalks of the strawberry plants, which were as tall as the grasses. During their entire journey thither never had they found such large, luscious berries.

Having gone some distance into the new country they were surprised to see in the distance a great multitude of human beings, who were assembled on the heath, which was the playground of that people; they appeared to the travelers to be occupied with games of amusement. Dehaenhyowens, the leader of the band, said, “What is to be done now, my friends, seeing that we have arrived at the dwelling place of strange human beings, and that we have nothing with which to defend ourselves should they attempt to do us harm?” Thereupon, Gaenhyakdondye said: “We have indeed made an agreement, as you know, that we should forsake our kindred and our lives in order to accomplish the purpose of this expedition. You know that each of us volunteered by ‘notching the rod’ to carry out that agreement. If we are to die here, we can do nothing to avoid such an end; we must not break our resolution and compact to follow the path of the sun to the last. The only thing that is certain in the case of our death is that our careers would end here.” His brother, Dehaenhyowens, replied, “The matter stands even as you have stated it; so then let us go forward to meet this people.” At this they started toward the place where they saw a great multitude assembled. In a very short time the anxious travelers came to a standstill not far from the others. Looking around, they saw that the inhabitants of the settlement were in readiness to witness a game of lacrosse, and that the players were even then standing in their accustomed places.

In a short time the game commenced, and the vast multitude drew near as interested spectators. As soon as it was fairly under way there arose a great tumult; there was shouting and loud cries of excitement and approbation caused by the varying fortunes of favorite players. The great multitude rejoiced, and the new arrivals were greatly delighted with what they saw.