Then the boy left on a very swift run, carrying only his bow and arrows. Again, after having gone a long distance, he heard sounds in the distance. Having reached the place whence came the sounds, he was surprised to find there a great bear just beside the path, and, looking on the other side of the path, he saw another of equal size and ferocity; they were in ambush and barred the passage of the path. The noises that he had heard were made by the tusks of these animals, which projected far from their jaws and could be heard at a long distance, thus—dūʼ, dūʼ, dūʼ, dūʼ.
Then the boy, taking his bow and arrows, went aside to hunt. He killed two fawns, one of which he threw to the one bear, and the other to the other bear, in order to occupy their minds and mouths. He said to these guarding beasts: “It is too bad that you two are barring the way. One might think you would be glad to eat this food which I now offer you.” The bears ate what had been given to them and were quiet for the time being. The youth then gave them this command: “You must withdraw from this place; what you are now eating is abundant, as is well known; and you must eat this kind of food regularly hereafter. You shall be free to go and come as you choose, for He who made our lives did not intend that you should be enslaved by sorcerers and confined to one place.” The two bears at once fled from the spot, one going in one direction and the other in another. [[506]]
Then the boy went on his way. He had not gone very far when he heard other sounds—dūmʻ, dūmʻ, dūmʻ. He soon came to the place where the sounds were made, and he was indeed frightened, for then the sounds were fearful in volume and rapidity. He was astonished to see two great firedragons in ambush, guarding the pathway. Thereupon the boy said, “So let it be; I will make the attempt.” Running aside, he killed a large deer, and having dragged the body back to the place where the two firedragons were, he divided it into two portions. Then saying, “You two are guarding this pathway, and one would think that you might eat what I am offering you.” He threw a piece to each of them. They were pleased to get this food, which they ate ravenously; after doing this they were quiet for the time being. Then the boy again spoke, saying, “You two beings must withdraw from this place. This is food good to eat; it is called deer meat. You now go to some other place. You are indeed slaves, are you not? But He who completed our lives did not intend that anyone should be a slave to a sorcerer.” He ceased speaking, and the two firedragons fled from the spot, as they had obtained their liberty.
Now the boy passed on. After having run a long way from his home, he suddenly saw in the distance openings in the forest, which seemed to indicate that there might be people dwelling in those places. So he went along slowly and craftily, concealing himself as much as possible; he arrived at the edge of the clearing, where he stood for a while. He looked around to learn, if possible, what other antagonists he had to meet. Suddenly he saw hanging up not far away the skin of a dead woman watching the pathway. This woman’s skin[409] was guarding the trees of chestnuts which grew in the clearing into which the boy had come. In performing this duty the skin kept saying, “I espy (out-eye) you. You who are a human being, I suppose.” But the boy kept very still, standing at the edge of the clearing. He saw in the distance a lodge that stood on the farther side of the clearing, and he saw women going in and coming out of it. Most of these were maidens. On looking around the boy saw the chestnut trees that grew there, and he noticed that they bore many burs. He realized at once that within these burs were the chestnuts. And as he watched he saw some of the chestnuts fall from the trees.
But while he was thus engrossed he was surprised to hear the woman’s skin begin to sing, Giʹ-nu, giʹ-nu, giʹ-nu, giʹ-nu; “I espy a human being,” and then out of the lodge in the distance the boy saw three women and their mother emerge. The mother, addressing her daughters, exclaimed, “Exert yourselves, my children! I suppose, now, that some one has come to rob us of our chestnuts.” The skirts of these women reached to a point just above their knees, and they [[507]]carried war clubs. They ran toward the place where hung the woman’s skin, which was guarding their chestnut trees. When they arrived there they found no human being. Thereupon the old woman angrily said, “Indeed, you have told a falsehood,” and struck the hanging skin with her war club, and each of her daughters, running up, did likewise. Then all the women went back to their lodge, and the boy said to himself, “How may I deceive this woman on the watch?” At last he hit upon a scheme which he thought would accomplish his purpose. Stripping off a piece of basswood bark as wide as his person, he removed the outside rough portion of suitable length. Spreading this out on the ground, he drew thereon with a piece of charcoal the outlines of many kinds of animals, all true to nature. He then filled the outlines with the animals he had drawn—the bear, the deer, the wolf, the fox, and the raccoon; in fact, with the forms of all the animals.
Then the youth returned to the edge of the clearing, where he again took his stand. He found the skin of the dead woman still hanging there, watching, looking this way and that, to detect, if possible, the approach of any stranger. In full readiness to execute his design, he finally started toward the skin, and, running swiftly, reached the spot before she was aware of his approach. Seizing it at once, the skin ceased swinging. Thereupon the boy said to it: “Do not report my taking this pile of chestnuts away with me. I will pay you for this favor; indeed, I will pay you a very high price; it is of the value of a man’s life. I will pay you with what is called a wampum belt, which is made of wampum beads.” Saying this, he gave her what he had made, and she accepted it. She opened her eyes wide in looking at it, exclaiming, “Oh! it is beautiful,” for it looked fine to her, and she laughed with delight. Then she said, “So be it; I will not give the alarm.” Answering, “Do not give the alarm,” he proceeded to take a bark case of chestnuts which had been left there temporarily. Placing this on his back by means of a forehead strap, he departed at once. He had not gone very far when suddenly he heard the voice of the hanging skin of the woman singing, “Giʹ-nuʻ, giʹ-nuʻ, giʹ-nuʻ; one has closed my mouth with a belt of wampum. Giʹ-nuʻ; at the edge of the clearing goes the pack of chestnuts.”
On hearing this, the old woman, the mother of the three women in the distant lodge, said urgently, “Take courage! Bestir yourselves, my children! I suppose some one has now robbed us of our chestnuts.” In a moment they rushed out of the lodge and ran toward the place where the woman’s skin hung swinging to and fro, singing the notes of alarm. They soon arrived there, and, lo! the skin swung to and fro, gazing intently at a wampum belt, and saying, “It is of the value of a human life, and by it one closed my mouth.” The women rushed up, and their mother snatched the so-called belt [[508]]from her hands, exclaiming: “This is not a wampum belt; it is a piece of bark, and still you say it is a belt of wampum. You, indeed, have no sense.” And throwing the piece of bark away she struck the skin of the woman a cruel blow with her war club. Continuing her rebuke, she said, “It is too true that you have no sense. It is entirely your fault that one has robbed us of our chestnuts.” Then the woman, looking far away in the distance, saw the pack, consisting of the case of chestnuts, disappearing in the forest beyond the edge of the clearing. Then the old woman said: “Come! Let us pursue him. It is distressing to think that he has robbed us. On the other hand, it seems that he is a person who has more orenda (magic power) than his uncle Oñgweʻ Hañgesʹʻhäʼ (“Human Skin”), this Gajihsondis. So, therefore, let us pursue him and kill him with blows of our war clubs. If, perchance, we may be able to overtake him, we will surely kill him.”
It so happened that Gajihsondis heard the footsteps of the women as they drew near in pursuit of him, and without further ado, he took his pack from his back and laid it down, and seated himself beside it.
When the women came close to him on the run, he struck the case of chestnuts with his arrow, saying: “It seems that I should sing you a song so that you may dance, because you come in so great anger. It is fine, indeed. The song that I will sing is pleasant to hear. So, now, you must dance.”
Then he sang: “One shall not return from the upper side of the sky. One shall not return from the upper side of the sky. One shall not return from the upper side of the sky. One shall not rob me of my song (the orenda of my song).” He kept on singing this song; and the women, the mother and her daughters, danced without ceasing as they circled around the spot where he was seated; and the mother kept on saying, “Exert yourselves my children; this is a very fine song.” But Gajihsondis kept on singing, “On the upper side of the sky, on the upper side of the sky, on the upper side of the sky, one shall not return thence”; and the women kept on rising in the air. Before long they had ascended half the height of the tallest trees, and they still danced on. Then Gajihsondis suddenly ceased his singing, and taking up his pack and slinging it on his back by the forehead strap, started on homeward leisurely. He had not gone very far when suddenly he saw the body of a woman falling, followed in quick succession by the bodies of three other women, all falling, head foremost, to the earth.