The legends almost all commence in the same way: "Na meskeek oodům kăspĕmků" ("On the borders of a lake stood a large Indian village "); or,

"Weegigijik kesegook" ("The old people are encamped "). They generally terminate abruptly, as though wonder-provoking incidents were sought rather than a well-executed plot, though this may be the fault of individual narrators. The fertility of invention is very small, for the same marvels are told over and over again, with slight variations to suit the conditions of different stories. Many of the legends record the adventures of some young man who went to a distant place to look for a wife. He has a great many dangers to encounter, generally meets with Glooscap and gets his advice and assistance, reaches a large village where an old chief resides who has in most cases three daughters, of whom the youngest is by far the fairest. Nothing less than a chief's daughter will satisfy the adventurer, and the fairest is promised him if he will perform certain tasks; these, of course, are soon accomplished, and the successful wooer starts for home, carrying off the maiden. Most of the magicians have the power of assuming the form of some animai, and in many of the stories there are men and women with the names of animals who are spoken of as real animals. The quality of their knowledge of natural history may be judged from the following: An Indian named Keekwajoo the Badger had the woods to hunt, taking with him his little brother. They had been very successful and had laid in a large supply of food for the winter. About midwinter a little fellow named Abistănãooch, the Marten, pays them a visit, evidently with a desire to share in the good things of which there is such an abundance in the wigwam. He is kindly received, according to the rules of Indian hospitality. Another visitor soon after arrives, · Abléegumooch, the Rabbit. They all dwell pleasantly together, telling stories to pass away the time.

gone

into

Abistǎnãooch gives them a full account of the land where he dwells, and of his people. He tells them about Teeam the moose, Movin the bear, Kâleboo the caribou, Suntook the deer, Boktusum the wolf, Utkogwech the wild-cat, not forgetting such NO. 230.

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humble personages as Adoodooech the squirrel, and Abukcheech the mouse.

Abléegumooch also has a good deal to say about the people he knows. He is a little inclined to boast; indeed, he pretends that he has once moved in high circles, lived among the aristocracy where they drink wine and eat biscuit and other nice things.

So one day Abistanaooch undertakes to quiz him a little.

"What is the cause of that slit in your lip?" he says, looking at Abléegumooch.

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O," is the reply, "where I live we eat with knives, and one day my knife slipped and I cut my lip."

"And why is it that your mouth and whiskers are always going when you are still?"

"O, I keep meditating and talking to myself,

that 's our

"What makes you always hop? Why don't you run and walk sometimes as we do?"

"Ah, that's our style, we gentlemen don't move as the vulgar do."

"But pray, why do you scamper away so fast, jumping so far and so rapidly when you move?"

“Well, you see, I used to be employed carrying despatches (weegâdegunn) and got into the way of moving fast, and now it comes natural.”

The story of the two weasels gives more of the same kind. Concerning the exact age of these legends I say nothing. They were translated from the Micmac by the gentleman who made the collection. Some of them bear evidence of contact with the Europeans, others may even have been learned from the French; but however that may be, they are most of them evidently Micmac in style and incident. In many instances they present striking resemblances to our own folk-lore, while at the same time their genuineness cannot be questioned; still the direct evidence they are capable of giving for or against a belief in the unity of the race is seemingly very unimportant.

The being with whom we are here brought in contact is rather a remarkable one. He possessed a keenness of obser

vation and a shrewdness in interpreting appearances which are wonderful, and these are joined to a surprising narrowness of range. He could follow the trail of an enemy or lost child for days, with unerring certainty, and would lie down to sleep without setting a watch, when in imminent danger of being surprised and tomahawked. He lived in the very innermost temple of Nature, by river and lake side, mountain and bay, and was taken to the warm heart of the forest in winter; but his chief ideas of the beautiful seem to have been plenty of moose meat and a good opportunity for scalping an enemy.

The powers which he represented his magicians as possessing seem to be just such as a human being subjected to the conditions of savage life- uncertain supplies of food, inadequate means of defence against enemies would be likely to desire; while alternate want and plenty, triumph and terror, would furnish groundwork for many stories, which, told with fanciful additions to the wondering ears of childhood, would in the next generation be looked upon as facts.

Far back in the woods, remote from any other dwelling, lived an old couple and their only son. The boy had grown up without seeing any one but his father and mother, and in fact ignorant that there were any other human beings. The old man's name was Kâ'ktoogwâk, - Thunder, — and, according to a common custom among the Indians, the son was called Kâktoogwâ'sees, - Little Thunder.

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One day Kâktoogwâ'sees notices that his mother is losing her eyesight, and asks her, in surprise, what is the matter. She tells him that she is growing old, and can no longer attend to her domestic duties, and that he must go and find some one with good eyesight, to keep the wigwam. She then gives him the necessary directions concerning the preparations to be made and the journey to be taken. She assists him in preparing a wedding suit,-"kelóolkul âk weltĕ'gul," - pretty and well made; and when he inquires which way he is to go, she sends him away towards the setting sun. He must go west. Day after day he travels on, carrying in his hand a bundle containing his fine clothes, which are to be put on only when he has reached the village in which dwells the maiden

who is to be his wife. At last he has come almost to the place of sunset, when he hears in the distance, up a long valley, the sound of the altestâkun, and soon comes upon the wigwam where the play is going on. He finds the chief, Keekwâjoo, just in the excitement of completing the game. Keekwâjoothe Badger-invites him to a seat in his wigwam, treats him very kindly, and he remains there for the night. Kâktoogwâsees tells where he is going, and the nature of his business. In the morning, after breakfast, the chief says to his comrades, "Friends, cannot some of you accompany our young brother on his expedition?" They tell him that he is himself at leisure, and advise him to go. This he resolves to do, promising himself great sport on the expedition.

The two go on together, and soon reach a large point of land, where stands a man with one of his feet doubled up to his side, and tied there. Keekwâjoo, who now takes the lead throughout the tale, inquires of the stranger why his leg is tied. He replies that this is done to prevent him from running away. If he were to keep both feet free, he would run so swiftly that he would go round the world in a short time. The chief says to him, "I and my friend here are going to attend a great celebration; will you join us? You will make an important addition to our party." He replies that he is at leisure, and will go. The three now go on together, till they reach another great point of land, where they see a man with his nostrils tied up. On inquiry, they are informed that his breath is so strong, that if he were to unclose his nostrils, such a hurricane would be raised as would sweep them all away. Keekwâjoo, however, will not be satisfied without an illustration of this remarkable power, but has good cause to repent of his unbelief; for no sooner does the stranger open his nostrils, in compliance with his request, than poor Badger is lifted from the ground and whirled about with the greatest violence by the storm thus raised. Clinging to a rock, with all his might, to prevent himself from being blown away, he calls to the mighty man to close his nostrils, which he does, and it is calm again. The adventurers now request their new acquaintance to join their party, and he accepts the invitation. They go on together, and their next remarkable adven

ture is an encounter with a wood-chopper of such great prowess that he cuts down the loftiest pines, and uses them for his fencing-poles. He, too, is invited to join the expedition, and would like very much to do so, but there is one objection. Gooowa'get the Pinechopper has a large family to support, and if he were to leave them for any length of time they might suffer. Keekwâjoo proposes a plan by which this difficulty may be obviated. They remain all night at the wigwam of Gooōwa'get, and next morning make a raid upon a neighboring town, and so satisfactory are the results of their expedition that Pinechopper agrees to join the wedding party.

The five friends now proceed together, and when night comes on they encamp. Gooōwa'get is directed to gather wood and make a fire, while the others go out in quest of game. They soon return, having killed several rabbits, and find that their comrade, always accustomed to do things on a large scale, has built an enormous fire. Keekwâjoo informs him that he has quite overdone the matter, and that next time he is to make only a small fire. So they remain all night. They roast their meat before the fire, stuck on sticks, eat their suppers, and lie down and sleep.

Next morning the party are again astir, and push on till it is time to halt again for the night. This time Pinechopper is left to prepare the wigwam, while the rest go into the woods to look for something to eat. The hunting party soon return with a caribou; and when they bring in the meat ready to roast, they find that their friend has felled huge trees and built a mighty lodge, and has kindled in the centre a very small fire. The chief tells him that he has overdone his work in another way this time, and that in future he need not build any shelter, but merely kindle a small fire.

Next night they arrive at the lodge of the celebrated Glooscap, and are kindly received. Keekwâjoo wishes to smoke, and Glooscap gives him a pipe so small that he can hardly see it. But he smokes away with it, and to his great surprise finds that it answers the purpose admirably. The host next sends Little Marten for a supply of water, and the kettle is put over the fire. The old woman brings out a small beaver bone and scrapes it into a wooden dish. These scrapings are put into