Page:Myths of the Iroquois.djvu/63

SMITH.] I am coming, I am coming 5. stop your mourning." His uncle thought it was an animal on the outside, and he called out, '^ Put your hand through the hole." So the nephew put his hand through and caught hold of the rope and pulled it out and tied it to a post, and then opened the door. And when the old man saw his nephew he called out, '^So you have got home safe; where have y.ou been!" and he made many inquiries. And the young man explained^ everything to him, and told how, at last, he had returned safely to his home with plenty of corn.

This is another version of the foregoing tale :

A man lived with his younger brother alone in the deep wilder- ness. Game was plentiful — very plentiful. The elder brother hunted It ; the younger staid home to gather sticks and build the fire against the hunter's return. When he came, bringing deer, the younger one said, " I will cook the venison ; give it to me to prepare for supper." The elder one replied, " I will smoke before I eat." When he had smoked he went to lie down. " I should think," said the younger, " you would want to eat now." But no, he slept instead of tasting the food, and when he awakened he bade his brother go to bed, and leave him to help himself.

The lad wondered, but he obeyed. Still he found the same thing happened every day. In the mornings the elder brother left without eating ; in the evenings he bade the boy leave him alone. This awak- ened the curiosity of the younger. ''I will watch," said he; and he watched. " He must eat something," he added to himself, " or he would die. He must eat at night." So he pretended to take no notice. At bedtime he lay down and made believe to sleep, but he kept one eye open, although he seemed to be sound asleep.

After a while the elder brother rose and opened a trap-door, and, when below the ground, he began to make strange motions, and presently drew out a kettle and commenced scraping it on the bottom. Then he poured water onto it, and at last he took a whip and struck the kettle, saying, as he placed it over the burning wood, ''Now, my kettle will grow larger"; and a-s he struck it, it became bigger with every blow; and at length it was very large, and he set it to cool, and began greedily to eat the contents. "Ah," thought the younger brother, as he watched, "now, tomorrow, I will find out what he eats;" and he went to sleep content.

At daylight the elder set off to hunt. Now was the opportunity. Cautiously the boy lifted the trapdoor, and there he at once saw the kettle. In it lay half a chestnut. " Now I know," said he, "what my brother eats;" and he thought to himself, "I will fix it all ready for him