Then the young man started for home, but he stopped along the way to rest at times. Without further adventure he reached his uncle’s lodge, bearing the bark case full of chestnuts. On reaching the lodge he called out, “Oh, my uncle! Are you still living?” [[509]]The old man, who was indeed feeble, replied: “Alas, my nephew, it can still be said I am yet alive, my nephew—you who are called Gajihsondis.” His nephew answered: “I have now returned, and I bring with me what I sought to obtain; I have a large quantity. So now you can eat again, and now I will prepare mush of chestnuts for you, and you will again become satisfied with a sufficiency of food, and will recover your health.” So saying, the young man set to work making a very large quantity of the mush for his poor old uncle. When it was cooked, he removed the kettle containing it from the fire and poured the mush on a piece of bark. Then he went to the side of his uncle, and raising him up and urging him to be of good cheer, fed him the mush, although his uncle could hardly move. The old man ate the mush, for he was nearly famished; his privations had reduced his body to a mere skeleton—just skin and bones. He ate a large quantity before he had enough. He did indeed recover his strength and health.
Later the old man said to his nephew: “My nephew, I am very thankful indeed that you were able to accomplish this great task. The only thing I did was to watch the branch, which was the index of your state and situation. I could only think that you were still alive. I now again thank you for being able to accomplish this great task. On my part, I am much delighted with our fortune.
“Now I am going to ask you by what unheard-of means did you accomplish this great task.” The young man answered: “I, of course, know, but I will tell you only this: That I have destroyed all those women, possessed of great orenda and moved by evil purposes.” The uncle said, “So be it. What a wonderful thing this is. You and I will return to that place.” To this the youth replied: “So let it be,” and then, after making their usual preparations, they departed. They stopped along the route and finally reached the spot where the women dwelt who had planted chestnut trees. The only one who was alive was the skin of the woman which was hung up to swing to and fro and to watch and to give the alarm should any person make his appearance.
When they arrived at the empty lodge of the women they unfastened and uncovered the bark cases containing chestnuts, which the women had stored and guarded from all mankind. Taking up a handful of the chestnuts, the old man exclaimed in a loud voice: “All people shall eat this food. Never shall it again be the possession of a single family, but it shall be for all human beings”; and they scattered the chestnuts in all directions by handfuls. When they had completed their task they went to the place where the skin of the woman was swinging to and fro. Arriving there, they took down the skin, and the old man said to her: “You shall go together with us to our home. You will recover, indeed, from that awful [[510]]thing which the women had done to you, and you shall be restored to the likeness of a living human being.” So saying, he proceeded to rub her entire body with his hands reenforced by his great orenda (magic power). She soon was restored to her normal figure and condition, and she again had the appearance of a human being.
Then the old man, Oñgweʻ Hañgesʹʻhäʼ, said to her and his nephew, “Come now, let us start for home”; and after making suitable preparations, they departed. They stopped to camp many places on the way, but in due time they arrived at their home, whereupon the old man said to his nephew: “We have now returned to our home. You have now also grown to manhood, and it is a custom that when one attains to manhood, he marries. Marriage must take place in your case now. You must start on a 10-days’ journey. There are on the way 10 camping places with fireplaces, which are visible. That is the distance which you must go. To reach this place you must go eastward, and there you will find a valley. You must go along the path leading thither. You must summon all your courage and resolution in undertaking this journey, for along this path there are found all manner of difficulties and dangers. Along this path you will find one who is called Sʻhodieʹoⁿskoⁿʼ (the Abuseful Trickster), who continually haunts this pathway. Come, now! I will dress you for the occasion.” So he anointed him abundantly with sunflower oil over his entire body. He said to him: “You must take along with you this pouch of human skin, in which there is a smoking pipe which was the skull of a human being; and for a lighter there are a flint and a piece of tinder, or punk; and also an awl and a knife. These are the things this pouch contains, and with these you will provide for your needs on the way. You must now start. The trees along the way have been blazed, and you will find the camping places, although it is not certain that they are still easily discovered. But you must find them, and there you must spend the night. This you must do for 10 nights, and then your pathway will lead you to the valley. There you shall find assembled a large concourse of people, and you shall see there also the home of a woman who has a tall tree, on the top of which are perched mysterious Hawks (?), three in number, which are her servants and which obey her thaumaturgic commands; but these are three of her daughters. He who will hit one of these mysterious birds shall be privileged to marry her youngest daughter, who is a “down-fended”[410] virgin; that is to say, a noble virgin. So the fortunate one shall marry her. And so you shall go thither. It is known that in the days that have gone by no one has hit one of these mysterious birds, although those who shoot at them daily are very numerous. You it is who will be able to hit the bird. Come, then, now depart. But perhaps it might be better that another day should break on us together; [[511]]that you and I should again eat together, for we know that it is very doubtful whether you shall return in health and peace. All manner of difficulties and dangers fill the way which you must follow.
“If it be so that you become a son-in-law, then you must say to your mother-in-law, ‘I shall now smoke my pipe.’ And when you have lighted your pipe you shall inhale the smoke twice, and your mother-in-law must spread a buckskin on the ground. Then you shall inhale the smoke only twice and shall expectorate wampum beads thereon. Together in one place you and I shall eat again and also sleep again.”
So they spent the night in the lodge together, and in the morning they ate together. When they had finished their meal the young man said: “I am all ready now. Oh, uncle! I start now. Put forth, therefore, your orenda (magic power = hope, in modern usage) that in peace and health you and I may see each other again.” The old uncle answered, “So let it be as you have said.” The young man replied, “Indeed, you did say that there are 10 camping sites indicated by signs of fireplaces on the way, and that it is 10 days’ journey.” So saying, he started on his journey.
After leaving the lodge the young man ran very swiftly. He had not gone very far, as he judged, when he was surprised to see the ashes and the dead coals of a former fire—the signs of a camping place. At this he exclaimed, “Ah! he did not say that some of the camping places were quite near.” He stopped and thought seriously for some moments, finally deciding to return to the lodge for further information from his old uncle. So he ran homeward, going to the place where lived his uncle, his mother’s brother. On arriving there the uncle said to him, “Well, what has happened to you?” The young man answered, “I have come to ask you again about my journey. You did not say that one of the camping places was near by.” The old uncle exclaimed, “Wuʻʹ! Did you go as far as that?” “I went as far as that,” replied the young man. The uncle answered, “Ho, you are indeed quite immune to the spells of sorcery. These camping places are all like this one along the way.” The young man replied, “So be it. I will stop there again. It does not matter, does it, that you and I see daylight together?” The old man was much discouraged. Daylight came upon them, and they ate their morning meal together. When they had finished eating, the old man, addressing his nephew, said, “You shall hereafter be called Oñgweʻ Hañgesʹʻhäʼ. It shall be your custom when anyone asks you your name to say, Oñgweʻ Hañgesʹʻhäʼ.” The young man answered, “So be it. I now start,” and he left the lodge of his uncle.
The youth came to the place marked for the first camping place, but he passed it and kept on, and thus he did with all the others, until he arrived at the tenth camping place, although the sun was [[512]]low in the west when he had reached the first one. At the tenth camping place he saw that the forest edges were wreathed in long films of dew clouds, and he stopped there for the night. Quickly arising in the morning, he was startled to hear the voices of a number of men, who were laughing as they went eastward, and who passed by on the path.
The young man got ready and went on. When he reached the pathway he saw that all the tracks indicated that these persons were going eastward. He continued his journey along the path in the same direction. Suddenly he saw ahead of him a man, who was very old in appearance and very, very small in size. Just before overtaking him the young man decided that this must be Sʻhodieʹoⁿskoⁿʼ, who was in tatters. When the young man came up with him, the small man exclaimed; “Oh, my nephew! you have overtaken me, so now you and I will go on together. For all are going in pairs. All those who are going to the place where the Hawks (?), perched on the woman’s tree, forthtell for her. I shall follow you, as you can go so much faster than I.” Then Oñgweʻ Hañgesʹʻhäʼ answered: “It is impossible for me to agree to that proposition. You yourself take the lead, because I am fleeter than are you.” The only reply the old man made was, Wuʻʹ, and then they two went on with the old man in the lead. All at once he began to run. Hohoʻʹ, he ran on ahead. He kept on for a long distance, and then suddenly he turned aside into the forest. In a short time he began calling, “Hō! come hither, my nephew. I have treed a fisher here, and you must get its skin for me. Come, come!” he kept on saying; “you must shoot it, too, and this is a good place to stand when you are about to shoot at it. Come on, come on!” he kept on saying. Finally, the young man said, “I will shoot it.” Then he went thither and shot at it, striking it fairly through the heart, and with the arrow still sticking into it the fisher fell dead to the ground. The old man exclaimed, “Come on! Come this way. I forbear touching your arrow.” Then Oñgweʻ Hañgesʹʻhäʼ said, “My arrow has lost its orenda (magic power).” Overhearing this remark, the old man said, “Wuʻʹ. One would think perhaps that he is a sorcerer,” and he then drew out the arrow from the dead fisher, and carried it to his companion, saying, “I am free from (magical) taint, you know, and so I can not de-magic-ize[411] your arrow. Here, take it!”