The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1878-12-07
A TRADITION OF THE SENECA
INDIANS.

Hsrno. ,ths great Thunder.Spirit, had
his lodge behind the sheet of water
which pours down at the Falls of Mag
IRA. For very long time he had dwelt
there. astonishing the Indians with his
stunning peals, but never venturing
forth to practice this strange ert before
their eyes. They could hear him, and
knew he was there; but never as yet,
had been seen; nor is it at all likely that
he, or the effects of the sun, ever would
have been seen, but for little incident,
the result of which brought him forth.
A young and beautiful maiden, resid-
ing at the Seneca village, just above the
Falls, had been contracted in marriage
by her father to an old man of disagree.
able manners and hideous person. She
at once resolved to seek death rath er
than drag out the life of misery which
such union must bring about; aud
with this object in view she launched
forth from the village in bark canoe,
and swept down the mpids of Niagara.
singing her own death song, until she
took the awful leap.
But death was not yet ready for her
Herno, the Thunder-Spirit, happened to
be wide awake; and when be saw her
coming down among the foaming waters.
he cooly caught her in his blanket, and
conveyed her to his home behind the
falls. &.
OF course, the maiden had romance
enough about her to be grateful for all
this, more especially when she found she
was entirely beyond the reach of the
monster her "cruel pa-ri-ent" had select
ed to comfort her through life. She fell
upon the neck Of the Thunderer, and
wept sweet tears. The tears softened
his stern heart, and led him to smooth
back, If not to toy with her golden tresse 8.
In short, to hurry through long story,
they got to billing and cooling; they fell
in love, they made the Interesting affair
known to each other; and the wronged,
though beautiful maiden became the
wife OF Herno, tho Thunder-Spirit. And,
as matter of course, she was very
happy.
About this time, the Ssnecas of the
village above the Falls were visited with
a pestilence which swept them off by
hundreds; and while some prayed to the
Great Spirit for help. others gathered
around the great cataract. and sent in
their petitions to Herno. The tale of
their sufferings moved the Thunderer,
and he sent the maiden forth to tell her
people that monstrous serpent was
dwelling beneath their village, just be-
low thel surface OF the ground; that it
was depending upon their bodies for
food, and that it came forth at the end of
every moon. and poisoned the waters,
In order that they might die, aud be
buried within its reach.
As soon as the Indians learned this, they
pulled up, and moved to another locality
consequently when the great serpent
poisoned the water AZ usual, tno earth
brought him no food, this was an affair
so strange, that he orawled forth to see
what 1t meant, when to his surprise, he
discovered that the village was deserted.
With many curses on the head of the
Thunderer. as the author of his mis-
fortune, the serpent took the trail OF the
retreating Indians, and started away in
hot pursuit.
The maiden still loved her people; and
when she saw the serpent move on to
effect their further destruction, she ap-
pesled to her husband to arrest him
Herno was not deaf to her entreaties; and
80 he stepped forth from his hiding
place, aud launched hissing-bolt after
the reptile. which struck him just as be
was endeavoring to cross the narrows
come distance above the falls.
The wound produced was fatal one;
and the green monster foated down the
stream. and lodged upon the verge of a
cataract stretching from shore to shore.
The swift waters were damned up by
the obstruction, but they finally broke
through the rocks behind. and thus the
whole top of the falls upon which the
serpent rested were precipitated into the
abyss below, excepting q portion now
known as Goat Island.
1t almost entirely ruined the home OF
the Thunderer, for il reduced the great
space behind the waters to very mar
row compass. He occupies it as sleep.
Ing apartment, however, and you may
now hear him snoring under there, II
you stand on the shore; but ii he would
exercise himself in his favorite pastime
of throwing thunderbolts, lie is forced tc
come forth into space less limited.
Unreasonable as this myth may sound
there can be no doubt but that the Sen.
ecas believed every word of it. When
they were to be met with in the Niagars
country. they pointed out place neal
the mouth Of Cayugs creek where th.
banks were shelvsd out in o semi circular
form and declared that 1t had been done
oy the serpent, in its death throes, aitel
having been wounded by Herno'i
tnonderbolt. And to this tradition may
% attributed their custom OF putting
away their dead upon scaffolds abovs
sround, instead OF burying them.