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Show 244 MYTH8 OF THE CHEROKEE [ ETH. ANN. 19 saying a word he went down into the cave and kicked the covers off four jars in one corner, when out swarmed bedbugs, fleas, lice, and gnats, and got all over the boys. They screamed with pain and fright and tried to beat off the insects, but the thousands of vermin crawled over them and bit and stung them until both dropped down nearly dead. Kana'tl stood looking on until he thought they had been punished enough, when he knocked off the vermin and made the boys a talk. aNow, you rascals," said he, " you have always had plenty to eat and never had to work for it. Whenever you were hungry all I had to do was to come up here and get a deer or a turkey and bring it home for your mother to cook; but now you have let out all the animals, and after this when you want a deer to eat you will have to hunt all over the woods for it, and then maybe not find one. Go home now to your mother, while I see if I can find something to eat for supper." . When the boys got home again they were very tired and hungry and asked their mother for something to eat. " There is no meat," said Selu, " but wait a little while and I'll get you something." So she took a basket and started out to the storehouse. This storehouse was built upon poles high up from the ground, to keep it out of the reach of animals, and there was a ladder to climb up by, and one door, but no other opening. Every day when Selu got ready to cook the dinner she would go out to the storehouse with a basket and bring it back full of corn and beans. The boys had never been inside the storehouse, so wondered where all the corn and beans could come from, as the house was not a very large one; so as soon as Selu went out of the door the Wild Boy said to hia brother, " Let's go and see what she does." They ran around and climbed up at the back of the storehouse and pulled out a piece of clay from between the logs, so that they could look in. There they saw Selu standing in the middle of the room with the basket in front of her on the floor. Leaning over the basket, she rubbed her stomach- so- and the basket was half full of corn. Then she rubbed under her armpits- so- and the basket was full to the top with beans. The boys looked at each other and said, " This will never do; our mother is a witch. If we eat any of that it will poison us. We must kill her." When the boys came back into the house, she knew their thoughts before they spoke. ' 4 So you are going to kill me ?" said Selu. 44 Yes," said the boys, " you are a witch." " Well," said their mother, " when you have killed me, clear a large piece of ground in front of the house and drag my body seven times around the circle. Then drag me seven times over the ground inside the circle, and stay up all night and watch, and in the morning you will have plenty of corn." The boys killed her with their clubs, and cut off her head and put it up on the roof of the house with her face turned to the west, and told her to look for her husband. Then they set to work to clear the ground in front of the k |