^'^ [74] TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



is described above under ''Migration Legends." The passage in 

 our legend merely hints at it. 



In perusing this passage all our readers must have instinctively 

 thought of the Hebrew^ camp-signal, described in Exodus and 

 Numeri as "the pillars of cloud and of fire," vv^hich answered the 

 same purpose as the restless pole among the Maskoki nations. A 

 fevv^ quotations from the Bible will put this in evidence : 



Exodus xiii. 22 : "The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of 

 cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them 



light; he took not away the pillar by day nor by night," etc. Exod. 



xl. 37 : "When the cloud was not taken up from over the tabernacle, then 

 they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up." 



The other passages referring to the pillar are Exod. xiv. 19. 20; 

 xxxiii. 9; xl. 34-36. 38. Num. ix. 15-23; x. 34; xiv. lo; xvi. 

 42. 43. The leading idea is the supernatural guidance of the mi- 

 grating people through the perils of the countries traversed. 



Father P. J. de Smet, "Missions of Oregon," p. 114 (Gand, 

 1844), relates an interesting custom in vogue among the Cree 

 Indians of Canada, involving a superstitious belief not unlike that 

 of the Maskoki : 



The Crees in their expeditions against the Black-feet will band the eyes 

 of a girl, put her at the head of their armed force, and follow her south or 

 north, in fact anywhere and to whatsoever point of the compass they see 

 her going; for the manitou of war is supposed to guide her, and this in- 

 spires them with full confidence. 



An oracular fetish giving to the Huronsor Wendat the direction 

 in which they had to migrate is described in a curious and very 

 ancient legend of that people, published by Mr, H. Hale in the 

 "Magazine of Amer. History," N. Y., 18S3, p. 479. They then 

 lived near Qiiebec, where their forefathers first "came out of the 

 ground." Their 'king" Sastaretsi led them on their westward 

 journey as far as Lake Huron and died there. 



He had left orders that the people should make an image of him, to be 

 set on his grave. They did as ordered, carved an oaken image exactly 

 resembling the defunct chief, clothed it in his dress of deerskin, adorned 

 the head with plumes, painted the face like the face of a chief, and planted 

 the image upon his grave. When the rays of the rising sun'first struck the 

 carved block, the assembled people saw it turn with such force from the east 

 to the south, that the timbers between which it was fastened groaned and 



