Lastly, the birds and the insects, with the smaller animals, gathered together for a similar purpose, the grub-worm presiding over the meeting. Each in turn expressed an opinion, and the consensus was against mankind. They devised and named various diseases. When the plants, which were friendly to man, heard what had been arranged by the animals, they determined to frustrate their evil designs. Each tree, shrub, and herb, down even to the grasses and mosses, agreed to furnish a remedy for some one of the diseases named. {251} Thus did medicine come into being. When the _shaman_ is in doubt as to what treatment to apply for the relief of a patient the spirit of the plant suggests a fitting remedy. The Wonderful Kettle A story is told among the Iroquois of two brothers who lived in the wilderness far from all human habitation. The elder brother went into the forest to hunt game, while the younger stayed at home and tended the hut, cooked the food, and gathered firewood. One evening the tired hunter returned from the chase, and the younger brother took the game from him as usual and dressed it for supper. "I will smoke awhile before I eat," said the hunter, and he smoked in silence for a time. When he was tired of smoking he lay down and went to sleep. "Strange," said the boy; "I should have thought he would want to eat first." When the hunter awoke he found that his brother had prepared the supper and was waiting for him. "Go to bed," said he; "I wish to be alone." Wondering much, the boy did as he was bidden, but he could not help asking himself how his brother could possibly live if he did not eat. In the morning he observed that the hunter went away without tasting any food, and on many succeeding mornings and evenings the same thing happened. "I must watch him at night," said the boy to himself, "for he must eat at night, since he eats at no other time." That same evening, when the lad was told as usual to go to bed, he lay down and pretended to be sound asleep, but all the time one of his eyes was open. In this cautious fashion he watched his brother, and saw {252} him rise from his couch and pass through a trap-door in the floor, from which he shortly emerged bearing a rusty kettle, the bottom of which he scraped industriously. Filling it with water, he set it on the blazing fire. As he did so he struck it with a whip, saying at every blow: "Grow larger, my kettle!" The obedient kettle became of gigantic proportions, and after setting it aside to cool the man ate its contents with evident relish. His watchful younger brother, well content with the result of his observation, turned over and went to sleep.