111. The Legend of Honenhineh and His Younger Brothers
In times long past Honenhineh and his younger brothers dwelt in a lodge together; the lodge was constructed of bark and was very long, according to the custom of the country. There were three fires occupying the place provided for fire along the midway of the lodge.
These brothers dwelt thus together for a long time in this long lodge. It was their custom to go out into the forests daily to hunt game animals, and every evening those who had gone out that day to hunt returned, bearing each his burden of venison or other flesh, which would be cast down in the middle of the floor space of the lodge. It was usually dressed when packed for carrying; this was done for convenience. Then one of the brothers who had not been out hunting would unpack the bundle and proceed at once to cut up the meats and to hang them up for drying all along the sides of the lodge. This was the daily routine of these hunters of the lodge of Honenhineh. Thus they traveled much in many places in the forests.
At times, when all but the youngest brother, who was still very small, started out to hunt, one of the elder brothers would produce the foot of a raccoon, and throwing it to the end of the lodge, he would say to the youngest brother, “Here! This is something with which you can amuse yourself.” Then, when he would be ready to start he would scatter ashes around the doorway in such manner that no person or thing could enter the lodge without leaving tell-tale tracks to betray the intruder. Afterward he would say to the small boy, “Oh, youngest brother! You must not leave the lodge; you must not go outside of it.” So it was that this youngest brother never went outside of the lodge and did not know what the light of outdoors was like. The name of this boy was Little Burnt Belly.[418] The youngster amused himself daily by tossing up the raccoon’s foot and shooting at it while it was in the air. It is said that he never missed the foot, for he had become an expert bowman from his daily practice. So the days went by for some time.
Then there came a day when the Honenhineh returned from hunting without bringing back anything in the way of game, but the [[526]]other brothers returned, bringing large packs of venison and other meats and furs and skins. As each brother returned he saw the eldest brother Honenhineh lying on his couch in silence, but not one of them paid any further attention to him, for they had returned with heavy packs while he had brought back nothing. Remaining thus for some time, Honenhineh finally arose and unpacked the packs of his brothers and hung up the quarters of venison and bear’s meat and the flesh of other animals to dry, and he hung up also the skins and furs properly prepared to dry—some to be made into buckskin and others into furs for robes and other useful articles.
This state of affairs in the lodge continued for many days and nights, and Honenhineh continued to fast rigorously. At last one evening one of his younger brothers said to him, “Oh, elder brother! you should take some food.” But Honenhineh replied: “No, I will not do so now. Do you help yourselves and take what food you may need. In a short time I myself shall take some food. There has come a change in the manner of my life. The land over which I hunted has become deserted of all life. Tomorrow I shall start from here, going in a northerly direction this time.”
So, without breaking his fast, Honenhineh lay down on his couch and his brothers retired for the night. But late at night Honenhineh arose and, going to the fire, he gathered together the embers and firebrands to stir up the flames, close beside which, it is said, lay Little Burnt Belly. Honenhineh having stirred up the fire, the rising flames caused many sparks to fall on the uncovered legs of Little Burnt Belly, who passively bore the pain. The elder brother, after watching the effect of the sparks, finally said, “Oh! my younger brother is very sleepy.” But in this he was deceived, for his younger brother, having made a small aperture in the skin with which he was covered, was watching all that he was doing. It is said that the skin was that of an old she-bear. Thus deceived, the elder brother prepared some food for himself and ate what he wanted of it. While watching him the youngest brother fell asleep. In the morning the youngest brother arose after his brothers had gone out on their hunting trips, and was very anxiously watching for the proposed departure of his brother Honenhineh after his long fast. When he had made all his preparations he said to his youngest brother, “Now I have started,” adding, “Do not, my brother, go outside of this lodge.” Then, taking out of his pouch suddenly a bear’s foot and casting it into the middle of the lodge, he said, “Here! Thou shalt amuse thyself with this object by using it as a target continuously.” On going out of the lodge, he scattered ashes all about the entrance so that nothing could enter without disturbing the ashes and so showing what it was that entered the lodge. On starting away, he said to his youngest brother, “For this journey I [[527]]am going toward the north to hunt.” So saying, he departed from the lodge.
Honenhineh kept on his northward course for a long time. When the day was past the meridian, on looking ahead he saw what appeared to him a number of clearings. When he emerged from the forest into these clearings he stopped and looked around; then he walked along slowly for some time.
Ahead of him a great deep gorge or valley yawned.
Scarcely had he taken a good look at this gorge when he heard in the distance an ominous tapping on a tree and the voice of a man singing: “It is a fortunate thing for me. A human being is walking along on the farther side of the valley.” Somewhat surprised, Honenhineh exclaimed: “Wūʼʹ! A man has discovered me. I suppose that he has treed a bear. Well, so be it; I will go thither.” So saying, he started down into the valley on a brisk run. As he ran along he came to a ridge, or shelf, leading into the valley, and he was startled by seeing pieces of bark fall all about him several times. Stopping and raising his head to look up into a tree standing in front of him, he saw a flicker, or yellowhammer, clinging to the tree trunk far above the ground, looking at him. As he looked at the flicker it began to smile at him and audibly said, “He who has the bow is well known to be a fairly bad shot,” and continued to smile at him. Honenhineh at once strung his bow and shot an arrow at this smiling yellowhammer, but the arrow flew wide of the mark, sticking harmlessly into the tree trunk. He shot all his arrows away in this manner without disconcerting the yellowhammer in any way.
Withdrawing a short distance, Honenhineh broke his bow and threw away the pieces. Then he said: “So be it. Let me pass on in my way yonder.” He continued onward until he reached the bottom of the valley, when he stopped to look around; ahead of him he saw a lodge out of which arose smoke. He resolved at once to go up to the lodge and started toward it. Going along slowly, he finally reached the side of the lodge, where he stood still. But he had not come to a halt before he heard from within the lodge the voice of a man saying to him: “My grandson, thou hast visited my lodge; so come in.” Honenhineh, at once obeying the summons, entered the lodge.
On looking around, he saw before him a young maiden seated, who was engaged in weaving a pack strap from the strands of slippery-elm bark prepared for this purpose. The man of the lodge said to the maiden, “Do thou make room on thy mat for the man who has entered our lodge, for you and he do now become husband and wife.” Complying with this request, the young maiden made room on her mat for Honenhineh to sit beside her. [[528]]
Then the elderly man said to her, “My granddaughter, prepare some food and set it before him who has entered our lodge, for he is probably hungry. With dried green corn as it cooks in the pot you must mix dried venison pounded fine, and into this mixture you must put a sufficient quantity of maple sugar and a quantity of bear’s grease or fat, to make the whole savory and appetizing.” The old man’s granddaughter at once obeyed, and after kindling the fire to make it burn briskly, she set a pot of water over it containing a quantity of dried sweet green corn. Bringing maple sugar from her store in a bark case, she put it into the pot with the corn. Then, procuring the dried venison and the bear’s grease, having pounded them fine, she put these ingredients also in the pot to cook with the other things. When she found that the corn soup was cooked she removed the pot from the fire and set it aside to permit the contents to cool. When it was sufficiently cooled the young maiden, taking up a portion of the soup with a ladle, placed it in a bark bowl and, setting it before Honenhineh, said to him, “Take this and eat it. I have prepared it for you.” Honenhineh, being quite hungry, willingly ate what was set before him.
It was not long after Honenhineh had finished eating that night came. Before the evening was far advanced the old man said, “Let us now retire for the night. Our guest has come here tired out in all probability, for he has traveled a long distance.” So they lay down for the night. Then the old man said, “My granddaughter, let me tell my story,” and he began to sing, “It is said that there were eight brothers who lived in a lodge.” This was the topic of the story which he chanted three times.
After waiting a few moments he said in a stage whisper to the sleeping visitor, “My grandson, are you listening to my story?” The only reply he received was the loud snoring of the guest. Presently the old man exclaimed, “The game animals are just toying with me. Why, one has even come into my lodge (to show its contempt for me).” So saying, the old man arose and took down his war club from its resting place, and approaching the sleeping visitor, he killed him with blows on the head. Then, replacing his club, he got out a huge clay pot, which he set over the fire after placing some water in it. Next he quartered the body of his victim and placed all the pieces in the pot to cook. While engaged in this gruesome work he kept saying, “I still can deal with the game animals which visit my lodge in my approved way, and so I am still able to eat the flesh of the most rare game animals.”
In the meantime, when night came on the lodge of Honenhineh and his younger brothers, the brothers returned one by one until all were there except the eldest, Honenhineh, who of course did not return. [[529]]His absence was duly noted. The brother next in age said, “I met him just this side of the Great Valley.” The following morning the brother next in age to Honenhineh started out on his brother’s trail to seek for him. He had gone along for some time when he was surprised to find the tracks of his brother, which he at once followed. Before long he saw ahead of him light through the trees from clearings in the forest, and he found also indisputable evidence that his brother had stood there. So he started forward slowly and finally came to the top of a hill overlooking the Great Valley, where he stood still for a moment. While standing there he heard the sound of a blow struck by a war club on the opposite side of the valley, and he heard the voice of a man singing, “I am indeed fortunate, for on the opposite side of the valley a human being walks along.” After thinking a few moments, he exclaimed: “Pshaw! This is all right. There is where my elder brother is moving about from place to place. Perhaps he has treed some animal or has found an animal in its lair. It must be a bear, I think. So be it; I shall go thither.”
In pursuance of his resolution, he resumed his brother’s trail and descended into the valley until he came to a bench, or terrace, where he stopped for a moment. Here he was surprised to see pieces of bark fall several times around him. Looking up into a tree near by, he saw clinging to the trunk far above the ground a small flicker, or yellowhammer. The bird smiled at him, exclaiming, “He has a bow in his hand just as if he could use it, for it is well known that he is quite a poor marksman.” At this the young man at once strung his bow and shot an arrow at the bird, whereupon he was surprised to see the arrows of his brother stuck in the tree. His first shot missed the bird, as did all the others. When all his arrows had been shot away, stuck fast in the tree top, he broke his bow and cast it away. Now, he was greatly surprised to see the pieces of his bow fall beside those of his brother’s bow. While he was shooting at the bird, it merely smiled and said, “It is curious that one who is a poor marksman generally goes about with a bow and arrows,” and it was only when he had lost all his arrows that he drew aside in disgust and destroyed his bow as a token that he did not care about what had happened to him. After casting away his bow the young man exclaimed: “Pshaw! I will go on farther, for I now hear my brother singing in the distance,” for he heard the voice of a man singing on the opposite side of the Great Valley.
Starting on a run down into the valley, he had not gone far before he saw ahead of him a field. When he reached the border of this he stood there a moment, but seeing in the distance a lodge and smoke issuing from it, he exclaimed: “So be it. Let me go [[530]]to that lodge to see what I may find. My elder brother has gone there.”
When he reached the lodge the young man came to a halt, but he had no sooner done so than he heard the voice of a man inside say to him: “Oh, my grandson! come in; you have visited my lodge at this time.” Accepting this challenge, the young man entered, whereupon the old man said to him: “I am thankful that you have now paid our (two) lodge a visit.” In front of him the young man saw a young maiden seated on a couch, weaving a forehead pack strap from slippery-elm-bark fiber. Then the old man said to her: “Make room on your mat for our visitor, for you and he are to become husband and wife. I am so delighted by this visit, for we two are to be pitied, living alone in this lodge, I and my granddaughter.” Obeying her grandfather, the young maiden made room on her mat for the young man. Next the old man said to the young man: “You have come here looking for your elder brother, Honenhineh. He passed here. Yonder, not far away, stands another lodge. There is where your brother has gone; he will return soon, I think.” Turning to his granddaughter, the old man said: “Oh, granddaughter! prepare food for our visitor; he is perhaps hungry, having come a long distance. You must pound up dried green sweet corn and dried venison, and place these in a pot to cook, to make corn soup; and you must put into the pot also maple sugar and bear’s grease. When the soup is cooked, place a bowlful before our visitor and let him eat his fill.”
The maiden set to work preparing the corn soup, as she had been instructed to do. First she pounded up dried sweet green corn and then dried venison. Then, having placed a large clay pot over the fire with water in it, she put in the dried corn and venison, which soon began to cook. Presently she added maple sugar to her soup. While these were cooking, the old man got for her some bear’s grease, which he brought to her in a bowl, saying: “Oh, granddaughter, put this also in the pot of soup.” When the soup was cooked, the maiden removed the pot from the fire and the contents were then placed in bark bowls to cool. When ready, the young woman placed a large bowl of the soup before the young man, telling him to eat his fill. When he had eaten what was set before him he thanked the old man, his “grandfather,” who acknowledged the compliment by saying, “My grandson, you were to be pitied, for you were very hungry when you visited my lodge.”
It was not long after this that night came. Before night had fully settled down the old man said: “Let us retire to sleep. Our visitor has come to us very tired, I suppose. You should prepare a separate couch of bark. I am very anxious concerning the probable return of his elder brother tonight. At all events, I suppose [[531]]he will probably return by tomorrow.” Having said this, the old man lay down, saying to the young man and the young woman: “Do ye two retire to sleep. I my own little self am asleep” (i.e., lying down to sleep).
After they had all retired for the night the old man said aloud, “Let me tell a tale,” and thereupon he began to sing, “They (masc.) have a lodge as a home, it is said; they are eight in number; they are lost (devoted to destruction).” He sang this song through three times. Now the young man began to snore loudly, for he had fallen sound asleep. In a short time the old man arose, and carefully readjusting his robe, said: “I am greatly perturbed in my mind. A game animal has come into my lodge on a visit.” Then taking down his war club and approaching his sleeping guest, he killed him by blows on the head.
Going to a corner of the lodge, he obtained there a great clay pot and, after putting water in it, he set it over the fire. Having quartered the body of his victim, he put it into the pot to cook. While he was engaged in this gruesome work he kept saying, “There is still no lack of power to do things in my manner of living, for I have no trouble to live. Game animals habitually come to my lodge.” So spake the old man, who was then cooking the entire body of a human being, and was happy. (It is said that he gave to his granddaughter the flesh of leeches to eat and putrid things also. She was not aware of what she was eating, for he had hypnotized her to think these things were proper and good. This granddaughter was a prisoner whom he had taken in one of his raids. But he himself ate human flesh in his lodge, and in order to satisfy his unnatural appetite he was engaged in killing people from all the neighboring settlements; this conduct agitated the entire country around.[419])
In the meanwhile the brothers of Honenhineh, it is said, were not very much surprised when night came and the next younger brother had not returned, for they suspected some harm had befallen both their missing brothers. Then the eldest of the remaining brothers said, “Well, it is now for me to go to find my brothers who have not returned from the north.” So in the morning when they had eaten their morning meal he started out alone on the northward trail to seek for his missing brothers. After having gone some distance from the lodge he found the tracks of the eldest of the two brothers and followed their lead.
While running along he suddenly saw ahead of him the light in the forest from clearings near by. Keeping on his course, he finally came to a large clearing or field, where he stopped to look around, because the tracks of his two brothers led him to this point. While examining the country he saw in the distance the Great Valley, and as the trail led thither he followed it until he came to the brink of [[532]]the valley, where he stopped again to view the country around. At this point he heard a sound coming from the farther side of the valley, made by the blows of a club on a dead tree, and also the voice of a man who sang: “I am indeed lucky. On the opposite side of the valley there is a human being going along.” This song was repeated by the unknown singer. Thereupon the younger brother of Honenhineh said to himself: “It is strange that my two brothers have not given notice of this thing. It indeed seems certain that they have chased a bear to its lair; let me, then, go thither.”
So the young man started on a run down the slope leading into the valley along the trail made by his two brothers. Having run some distance, he suddenly noticed pieces of bark falling around him. At this he came to a halt and, looking up into a tree which stood near, saw high up on the trunk a small bird, a flicker or yellowhammer, now clinging to the tree trunk, and now flitting from place to place. As he raised his eyes to it the flicker, smiling, said, “He carries a bow and arrows pretentiously (as if he knew how to use them), although he is notoriously a very bad marksman.” Quickly stringing his bow the young man said to his tormentor, “Do not say anything more.” But the flicker only laughed, saying, “There is nowhere on this whole earth among the inhabitants a person living who has the ability to kill me.” The young man replied, “Be careful of thyself,” and he at once nocked his arrow. The flicker became visibly agitated and kept glancing at the young man furtively as it slowly crept around the tree trunk. Thereupon the young man shot at it, and then he saw not far from the spot occupied by the flicker the two shocks of arrows which belonged to his two brothers. The aim of the young man and his orenda were such that the arrow hit its mark, becoming fixed in the body of the flicker, which uttered a loud wail of despair and fell to the ground.
The young man did not withdraw his arrow, but took it up with the flicker’s body transfixed by it and placed it on his shoulder, thus to carry his victim. In the meantime the flicker kept saying, “You should let me go free again. I am doing nothing wrong.” But the young man replied, “No. I will not let you go free. I desire to show you to my two brothers.” With these words he resumed his journey.
He had not gone very far when he reached a clearing, at the border of which he stopped to look around. He saw at some distance a lodge, out of which smoke arose, whereupon he said, “I will go thither to the lodge. My two elder brothers are certainly idling away their time, for I believe that they are both there in that lodge.” He came to this conclusion because he noticed that the tracks of his two brothers led to the lodge. Having reached the side of the lodge, he came to a halt. He had no sooner stopped walking than a man’s [[533]]voice inside challenged him, saying, “Come, my grandson. Thou hast come to visit me in my lodge.” On entering, the youth was greatly surprised to see before him a fine-looking young maiden, who was seated on her couch weaving a forehead pack strap from the prepared fibers of slippery-elm bark. The old man said to his young visitor: “It has been, indeed, a very, very long time that I have been looking for you to pay me a visit. I have been saying that a great hunter is on his way here. There sits my granddaughter whom you are to marry. Granddaughter, move along on your mat to give him room to sit beside you.” As the young man passed him the old man noticed that he was carrying something that he had killed, and he quickly arose, saying: “Give me the body that you are carrying. That is indeed a very fine game animal which you have killed on your way here.” The young man replied, “No. I will not give it up until I first see my two brothers.” To this the old man rejoined, “They passed here, and so they will return here, perhaps very soon.” Then, turning to the young maiden, he added: “Prepare some food for him. He has come here hungry, perhaps. You must procure a quantity of dried green sweet corn, which you must pound in a mortar, and also dried venison, which likewise must be pounded fine. Set a pot containing water over the fire, and into this you must put the pounded corn and venison, adding a quantity of maple sugar, dried huckleberries, and lastly bear’s grease.”
The young woman hastened to prepare the corn soup in the manner in which she had been instructed by her old “grandfather,” and it was not long before the soup was cooked and ready to be eaten. At this time the old man brought from an adjoining room a bowl of bear’s grease, which he gave to the young woman, who put it into the pot of soup. Having done this, she removed the pot from the fire and set it where the contents would cool. Presently she placed a large bowlful before the young man, who ate it with a good appetite, and he gave thanks to his host for what he had eaten. Night coming on shortly after this, the three persons began to get ready for retiring. At this time the old man said to his guest, “You should give me the body of the bird which you have brought with you. You will leave it with me to keep for you.” But the youth replied, “I will not give it up to you.” To this the old man answered, in a threatening manner, “I am greatly agitated in my mind. Let us retire for the night. A game animal has indeed come into my lodge. I am now an old man. Still there is nothing that curbs my orenda (I am unaffected by any influence). I am bound to get back my own bird at any cost.”
So saying, he arose and, going aside, he took down his war club. Then, returning to the side of the young man, he said, “Do thou [[534]]give up to me the body of the bird which you have.” The answer came, “I will not give it up to you.” The old man, now in a great rage, retorted: “You are risking your life. You are about to die, and you can not escape from it.” With these words he raised his war club, shouting, “Will you hand me the bird, or not?” But the young man still replied, “No. I will not give it up to you.” Then the old man struck the youth on the head with the club and killed him. Thus he recovered the body of the bird and gave back its life[420] (which was that of a female relation of the old man).
These events gave great pleasure to the old man, who went around saying: “There is nothing that yet affects my orenda; I am not suffering in any manner; no one from any place can come here who is able to treat me lightly.” So the old man was quite happy. Having brought out his great clay pot, with water in it, he set it over the fire, and after quartering the body of the young man, he placed it all in the pot to cook. After a suitable time he remarked, “It is perhaps cooked now.” He kept on looking into the pot from time to time to see whether the flesh was done. As it seemed not to cook thoroughly, the old man was greatly concerned about it, and continued saying, “There is something wrong; otherwise it would be possible to cook this thoroughly.” Finally, getting out of patience, the old man removed the pot from the fire and ate the raw flesh.
Now, in the lodge of the brothers there was anxiety when night came and none of the brothers who had gone northward had returned, and the five remaining brothers were wondering what had befallen them. When those who were left were back in their lodge Little Burnt Belly said, “Oh, elder brother! you must go tomorrow to bring them back.” Then they retired for the night and went to sleep. In the morning they arose and all except Little Burnt Belly went to hunt, as usual. The latter seated himself beside the fire and there he sat all day long without moving. When evening came the two missing brothers had not returned, and the hunting brothers came back empty handed, having killed nothing during the day. They all saw Little Burnt Belly seated beside the fire, silent and motionless.
The brothers retired for the night and slept soundly. When daylight came and they arose they saw Little Burnt Belly still seated beside the fire. He maintained the one position and said nothing to any of his brothers. When they ate their breakfast he did not arise to have his share. The other brothers then left the lodge to go out hunting for game animals for food. After they had gone Little Burnt Belly arose, saying, “Let me amuse my elder brothers.” Thereupon he then took down his bow and arrows, and shot two arrows up out of the smoke-hole of the lodge. [[535]]
As the brothers were engaged in the chase at no great distance one from another, they were greatly surprised to see a very large deer rush up to them and fall dead at their feet, and soon another deer did likewise. They saw that an arrow protruded from the body of each deer—a circumstance which was very mysterious to them. As quickly as possible one of the brothers rushed up to the stricken deer, and breaking off a leaf, wrapped it around the arrow before touching it with his hand to draw it forth, saying, “I do not desire to uncharm my youngest brother’s arrow.” Then drawing out the arrow, he carefully laid it up in the fork of a tree. Having done this he started at once for home, carrying the whole body of the deer. Before it was dark Little Burnt Belly saw his elder brother bringing back the deer. Not long afterward the other brother came into the lodge bearing on his back the other deer properly packed for carrying. The other two brothers returned with them as guards.
They found Little Burnt Belly still seated before the fire. But when they were back in the lodge he said to them, “Our missing brothers have not yet returned home. Tomorrow I myself will go on their trail to seek for them.” After eating their evening meal they retired for the night and slept soundly. When morning came they prepared their usual breakfast and then started out to hunt. Thereupon Little Burnt Belly arose, and going to his couch procured such articles of apparel as he needed for his journey. He took also his bow and arrows, which were his immediate trust and dependence for accomplishing his task, for they were full of orenda (magic power), which he could control for his own use. He ate no breakfast; he needed none, for he desired to have all his faculties clear and alert. While seated beside the fire he had been taking suitable medicine to make him sound and clear visioned that he might be able to cope with the wizard whom he suspected of having destroyed his missing brothers.
Leaving the lodge, Little Burnt Belly shaped his course northward to find the trail of his three brothers. It was not long before he struck this, and he followed it on the run, presently entering a vast forest whose great trees made it dark and gloomy. He had been running for a large portion of the day when he saw daylight through the trees, from which he inferred that there must be a clearing ahead of him. Keeping his course, finally he came to the edge of a large clearing or field. As he saw the tracks of his brothers there, he stopped to look around. Immediately he heard a peculiar sound of tapping, and looking in the direction whence the sound seemed to come he perceived that it proceeded from the opposite side of a great valley just ahead of him. Making his way along to the brink [[536]]of the valley he heard the voice of a man saying, “It seems that I am in luck, for on the opposite side of the valley a human being walks along.” He heard this voice three times. As the trail led him in the direction of the sound he said, “I think it my duty to follow this trail, for the voice may be that of one of my brothers (said ironically).”
So descending into the valley he came to a terrace or bench, along which he was following his brother’s tracks, when his attention was attracted by pieces of bark falling around him. Halting and looking up into a tree standing just at his side, he saw a small bird high up on the trunk, clinging to it and flitting at times from place to place. He saw that the bird pretended to be a flicker, or yellowhammer. When the flicker saw him looking up, it said with a laugh, “Some people who believe themselves possessed of orenda go about with bow and arrows just as if they knew how to use them, although they may be the poorest of marksmen.” Pointing an arrow at it, Little Burnt Belly said: “Be careful of thyself. Some people trust their orenda too far, for they lay claim to too much power for their own good.” At once the flicker became visibly agitated, and kept glancing at Little Burnt Belly furtively, as it slowly crept around the tree trunk. At an opportune moment he let fly an arrow, which pierced the body of the flicker, causing it to fall to the ground without uttering a sound. Little Burnt Belly did not fail to notice the shocks of arrows sticking in the tree trunk near the spot where the flicker was clinging and to recognize them as belonging to his brothers; he saw also their broken bows, and knew that they were in the power of some wizard.
Taking up his arrow with the flicker still pierced by it, and placing it over his shoulder, he resumed his journey. He was not long in coming to the lodge which he had seen in the distance, and to which the trail of his brothers had led him. As he drew near, a man’s voice within said, “Oh, my grandson! come in; I am thankful that you have come to visit me.” On entering the lodge he saw an old man whom he recognized as a cannibal, and he saw also before him, seated on her couch, a fine-looking young maiden. The old man exclaimed: “I have been looking for you for a very, very long time. I have said all along that a great hunter was on his way to visit me. There sits my granddaughter whom you are to marry. Granddaughter, move along, and give him some room by you.” As Little Burnt Belly passed the old man the latter saw that he was carrying something which he had killed, and he arose quickly, saying: “Do give me the body of that thing which you have killed, for it is indeed a very fine game animal.” But Little Burnt Belly replied: “I will not give it up. I will first see my missing brothers.” The old man [[537]]persisted, however, saying: “You should give me that bird. I am greatly agitated in my mind. Nothing yet has curbed my orenda. I will get back that bird at any cost. A game animal has now come to my lodge.” Little Burnt Belly retorted: “You are boasting of the invulnerability of your orenda, but this bird contains your life, and I am your master, and you know it. You have long ago forfeited your life by all your murders and cannibalism, so now you shall die.” So saying, Little Burnt Belly crushed his head with the blows of his war club. Then he liberated the slave, or prisoner, of the cannibal from the effects of drugs which had been given her by her master, and after bringing back to life his own brothers, who had been devoured by the cannibal, they all returned to the lodge of Honenhineh.