[gakongJ PLA.CE-NOMENCLATURE OF NEW BRUNSWICK 195 



would show tluit some names considered by us aborii^inal ai'e taken by 

 them from the French. 



A very interesting phase of their place-nomenclature is its explan- 

 ation by legends, which at the same time explain curious or striking 

 features of the landscape. In fact there is hardly a marked topographical 

 feature for which they have not an explanation, usually found in some 

 act of their demi-God Glooscap, in whom centres an elaborate mythology. 



Of these stories some of the most interesting explain resemblances, 

 which we call accidental, between topographical features and animals. 

 Thus Moose Mountain, above Florenceville, is said by them to resemble a 

 moose lying down, and the}' say it is the one which Glooscap slew when 

 it became so large as to endanger the lives of men. The Old Friar at 

 Campobello is Skee-ta-bess'-uk, the Witch. At the mouth of Keswick, and 

 at other places as well, are clay banks from which concretions of remark- 

 able shapes are washed out ; these are the counters with which the Oo-na- 

 gess-ook play. (See also Little Eiver, Kings). In some cases a single story 

 explains several features at once, and one of the best of these is as follows : 

 In old times Kennebecasis Bay was a big beaver-pond, flooded by a great 

 dam which, now turned to stone, is the ridge at the falls (^Kchee-quah- 

 beet-au-week-pa-lie'-<ian = the great beavei's' dam). In the pond the great 

 beavers had built their house which is now the Minister's Face (Qua-beet- 

 a-wo-sis'-ek = the beavers' nest). But the beavers by bad actions brought 

 on them the wrath of Glooscap, and he came to destroy" them. With a 

 huge handspike he broke the dam, making thus the gorge at the falls. 

 The rush of waters carried out a great piece which is now Partridge 

 Island (Qi(ak-)n ka j/'-c/an-i k = a piece cut out), and his hand-spike which 

 he dropped is Split Eock. As the water fell Glooscap seized Kchee.- 

 quah'-beet, the great beaver, and flung him to the foot of Kennebecasis 

 island, where his blood still stains the rocks. But another escaped and 

 fled away up the St. John so fast that Glooscap could not catch him. So 

 he took two big rocks from the beach at Bay Shore, and threw them 

 after the beaver, and they fell into the river, just below the Tobique (the 

 " Tobique Eocks," Haw-men-oijs'-kok). but the beaver escaped into Temi- 

 scouata and built himself a new house, which is now Mount Wissik (from 

 Wo-sis-ek ="a nest), opposite the Cabano. This story is here given only 

 in bai-est outline ; it has many additions from individual narrators. It 

 has, of course, arisen to explain the features it mentions, the remarkable 

 ridge at the falls, the rock and islands, the rounded hills somewhat re- 

 sembling beaver-houses at Minister's Face and Mount Wissik, and the 

 presence of the black slate rocks in the river at Tobique, which really do 

 resemble those at the Fern Ledges in Carleton. Stories of this kind are 

 often told of different localities, for instance this one is told also by the 

 Passamaquoddies of Oak Bay ; and Cooksons Island was the Beaver's 

 house, and he fled up the Waweig. It appears as if sometimes both local- 



