Page:Myths of the Iroquois.djvu/59

wnTH.] "Ah!" said the father, "that was what I was waitiug for. The chief of a distaut village seuds his two daughters to see us. Run half way back and see if you can hear them again." So he went and heanl again the same song.

Hft-hAm-weh, &c.

He returned at once and told his uncle. "Now," said the old man, "they are almost here. Sit down by the ashes." And he took the shovel and threw ashes all over the boy's bed and put on him his best feathers and astonished the boy very much by saying, "Do not look at the maidens when they come in; they come to see me, not you; hold your head down while they stay."

Then they heard the song: Hft-hAm-weh. Ha-hftui-weh. Srft-giiri-he.

The feathers were all on his head ; still the old man repeated, "Now, keep still."

Soon the maidens arrived and the old man opened the door. The younger of the two carried a beautiful basket on her back; this she set down near the old man. The boy looked around a little, and his father called out, "Dirty boy; hold your head down." The visitors looked around and thought, "What a place! what a place!" "Sit down, sit down," said the old man to the visitors, but although they removed the blankets they stood still. So he smokexl on quietly.

When they saw how dirty it was where the boy sat they began to go around and clear up, and as the evening [)assed the lad did not know what to do with himself. They fixed themselves a cleai^ bed on the other side of the wigwam. They refused to sit by the old man, and when at last the boy went to sleep they lifted him out of his dirty bed, strewn with ashes, and put him into their clean bed.

In the morning the younger one admired him and said, " What a beautiful young man!" Then they said, "We had better cook some- thing." So they cooked corn and rice, and the boy ate with them, and the old father smoked. After a while he said, " Good woman ; can clean up, can cook, can miike good wife." Then he let the boy look up. The younger visitor sang again ;

Harbftm-weh. HiVbAra-weh.

So the old man smoked his pipe and the sisters went back to their I)eople. Then the two lived quietly together, but the young man often thought of the beautiful maidens.

One day as they were conversing the old man said, "Now you have become a young man you must go." "Which way," asked he, and the uncle replied, "You must go where those young maidens are who are chief's daughters. You must have fine bows and arrows; here they are — try them before you go. They give luck in hunting." Then he looked where he kept all the fine things for the young warriors and dressed