Page:Myths of the Iroquois.djvu/70

104 passed away. One day when he came home from hunting there was a fire and wood by the door. The next night there was wood and fire and a piece of meat all cooked in the kettle. He looked all over to see who had done this, but could find no one. The next time he went hunt- ing he did not go far and went back quite early, and when he came in sight of the cabin he saw a woman going into the house with wood on her shoulders; he saw, and opened the door quickly, and there was his wife sitting in a chair and the wooden doll was gone. Then she spoke to him, saying, "The Great Spirit felt sorry for you, so he let me come back to see you, but you must not touch me till we have seen all of our people ; if you do, you will kill me.'' So they lived along for some time, when one day the man said, "It is now two years since you died. Let us go home. So you will be well.'' So he prepared meat for the jour- ney — a string of deer meat for her to carry and one for himself; and so they started. It was going to take them six days to get to the rest of their tribe 5 when they were within a day's journey of the camp it began to snow, and as they were very weary they lighted fire and partook of •food and spread their skins to sleep; but the desire of the man to once more clasp his wife in his arms was too great, and he went up to her and put out his hands ; but she motioned him away and said, " We have seen no one yet." He would not listen to her, and he caught her in his arms, and, behold, he wa« holding the wooden doll! His sorrow was very great. He pushed on to the camp and there he told them all that had befallen him. Some doubted, and they went back with him and found the doll; they also saw the track of the two people in the snow, and the track just like the foot of the doll. The man was ever after very unhappy. Far in the ages of the past, a tribe of the Senecas settled upon the banks of Lake Erie. One eventful winter their enemies, the Illinois, came in great numbers upon the peaceful settlement, surprised the people in their homes, and, in spite of a stout resistance, killeil a large number of them and took a middle aged woman and a boy captive. They started off with the prisoners, and the first day's journey was one of pain and restlessness to the captives. They were foot-sore and weary when camp was pitched for the night. Then around a roaring fire the warriors gloat- ed over the bloody deed. They called the boy and bid him join them in their songs of triumph, adding that they had no desire to hurt him; if he sang well he might enjoy himself. The lad pretended that he could not sing their language, but said that he would sing their song in his tongue, knowing that they could not comprehend a word of it. To this they agree^l, and while they shouted out their jubilant delight he repeated, again and again, " I shall never forget what you have done to my people.