87. Genonsgwa
Once while a man was out hunting in the woods he saw that a Genonsgwa was following him, and thereupon he began to run for his life. Finally, when closely pressed, he ran up on a tree trunk which in falling had become lodged on another. The Stone Coat stopped and stood looking around, but he could not find the man, for his body was rigid on account of his Stone Coat, so he could not look upward. Then the man saw him draw from his pouch a magical finger, which he placed in the palm of his hand. The finger at once raised itself, pointing to the man in the tree. When the man, who was a fast runner, saw the magical finger pointing at him he knew that he could slip down from the tree, snatch the magical finger, and escape with it. He did so. Stone Coat shouted after him, begging, praying, and promising to be his friend forever if he would give back the magical finger. The man was afraid to go near Stone Coat lest the latter might deceive and seize him; so finally he threw the magic finger back to the Stone Coat. Ever after this particular man and the Stone Coat were on friendly terms.
88. Genonsgwa
At times men got lost while hunting in the forest, and it was supposed by their friends that Stone Coats ate them.
Once three Seneca went out on the warpath against some other tribes. They journeyed directly westward from the place where the Seneca lived. After a day’s journey they encamped in a deep ravine at the head of a stream. When they had made their fire they saw a fine-looking man coming toward them. When he came up, he said: “I think it well to do what I am going to do. I have come to tell you that there are hundreds of people on the warpath who intend to eat people. Tonight you must camp here. They will make their camp in sight of yours. One of you three must go to their fire and say: ‘Hallo, I have discovered your fire. Where are you going?’ They will answer: ‘We are on the warpath.’ Your man must reply: [[441]]‘I, too, am on the warpath,’ to which they will respond: ‘Well, we must fight.’ Then your man must leave them and come back to your camp.”
The Seneca soon afterward saw men come and make a camp a short distance away. Thereupon one of the three hunters, drawing near them, said: “Hallo, I have discovered your fire. Where are you going?” “We are on the warpath,” they replied. “So am I,” he answered. Looking around, he saw stone clothing lying against one of the trees, while the owner of the clothes was resting on the ground. The people were all Stone Coats. The next morning the Stone Coat army went up the ravine toward the Seneca camp. They made a terrible noise, for all the army sang, “We are going to eat the Seneca tribe.” When the Stone Coat force had gone about halfway up the ravine, filling the entire space between them and the Seneca, with a great whoop they rushed forward. But at that moment great rocks rolled down on them and great trees fell on them, killing them, and the Seneca saw a strange, wonderful man running along on the top of the rocks and trees. Whenever he saw a Stone Coat head in sight, he would hit it, killing its owner. Only one Stone Coat was left alive, and he, having escaped, was never seen again. The man who was throwing down the rocks sang all the time that the Seneca tribe could stand against anything—against the world. When the contest was over, the strange man came to the three men, saying: “I am the one whom you call Hawenniyo. It is I who saved you. I did not make these Stone Coats. Something else made them.” And Hawenniyo said further: “I want you, the Seneca people, to be the most active of all tribes in every kind of game or contest and in hunting.”