ms. This
Corn Maiden was one of three sisters, and was called _Ona tah_.

[Footnote 1: _Myths and Legends of the Iroquois_, by Harriet Maxwell
Converse.]

The three sister vegetables--the corn, the bean, and the squash--were
called the _Di o he ko_, which means "those we live on," since they are
the life-giving vegetables.

These sisters lived together on a hill and were very happy. But one day
_Ona tah_ wandered away in search of dews for her kernels.

The Evil Spirit was watching. He seized _Ona tah_, the Spirit of the
Corn, and sent one of his monsters to blight her fields. The killing
winds swept over the hill, and the spirits of the squash and bean fled
before them.

_Ona tah_ was held for some time a prisoner in the darkness under the
earth, by the Evil Spirit.

[Illustration]

At last a sun ray found her and guided her back to her lost hilltop.
There she found that her sisters had fled. She was alone.

Then _Ona tah_ made a vow to the sun that she would never again leave
her fields. But she sighs for her lost sisters, and mourns the blight
that came upon her beautiful fields. For since the time when _Ona tah_
wandered away and left her fields, the corn has not grown so tall or so
beautiful as once it did.

[Illustration]

A FIREMAKER AND A PEACEMAKER

[Illustration]

In the olden times, tribes of Indians did not always live in one place
as they do now. They sometimes wandered from one valley or woodland to
another. When they came to a sheltered place, where there was pure
running water, and where plenty of game and wood were to be found, they
would build their lodges and light their council fires.

There they might camp for one moon, or for many moons. As long as their
arrows brought game on the hunting trails near, they would not break
camp. But if game grew scarce, or if for any reason they did not like
the camp ground, they would move farther on.

Sometimes they would go several days' journey, before they found a
camping place such as they liked.

The first thing that was done in making a camp was to secure fire and
light the council fire. This fire was always kept burning. It never went
out while they remained.

The Indians loved the fire. It was the gift of the Great Spirit to the
Red Children. It kept them warm and cooked their food by day, and
protected them by night.

A line of fires was kept burning around the camp. This protected the Red
Children from the wild animals, fo