1891-92. ] THE ABENAKIS OF SAINT JOHN RIVER. 199 
Indian potatoes here,” said my friend, as he pushed his canoe ashore, 
landing at a spot shaded by alders, where he began to dig with his hands, 
and soon brought to light what seemed to be a lot of very small potatoes 
strung together at equal distances ; we wanted to see the plant of which 
they were the roots. After a good deal of looking among the tops of 
the alders, the Melicite brought us some leaves of the common bind 
weed, which had climbed up among them; it is of the same family I 
believe as the sweet potatoe. “There is another root,” said the Melicite, 
“\vhich our fathers used, we call it Indian rice, I often use it, it is very 
white and nice and is excellent in soup.” From the description which he 
gave of the plant it must have been the yellow lily, which grows in 
rich damp ground on the shores of the St. John. “ We use, in medicine, 
among other plants the root of the sweet flag (said the Indian). Long 
ago a great sickness fell upon the Abenakis, and many of their women 
and children died. One night there appeared to one of the braves a 
strange figure, as of a man all covered with joints and bars, I am, said 
he, Ke-Whis-Wask, muskrat root, (the Indian name for the sweet flag), 
and can heal you all; dig me up, steep me in water and drink me, and 
I will cure you. After saying this he disappeared, and the next morning, 
the brave doing as he was told, all of the sick on drinking it, recovered.” 
Leaving the island where we were shown the Indian potatoe, as the 
Melicite poled his canoe towards Savage Island, the water became 
quicker, there, said he, pointing to the west side of the St. John River, is 
Augh-Pa-Hack, and here once stood our church and village, the English 
destroyed them long ago. Pointing towards Savage Island he continued, 
“There was in former times on this island a race course, which extended 
all around it; here after ball playing the young Indians tried their 
speed, I have seen when a boy, marks of this race course in the sod. In 
old times the young Indians were carefully trained, they were kept by 
themselves and everything was done to make them strong and supple. 
The Indian boys were every day practised in the use of the bow, by some 
old man whose duty it was, so that at fifteen years of age they became 
good hunters, the old teacher having taught them how to make traps and 
catch game of various kinds. The young Abenaki was not allowed to 
choose his own wife, the parents did this; when they saw a young squaw 
who was considered a suitable match for their son, they sent bracelets and 
a piece of wampum to the girl. Her relatives then met and consulted 
over the matter, and if the match was approved of the presents were 
kept, if not, they were returned.” (The old Abenaki who gave me this 
information, said to the writer), ““My old woman and I never spoke to 
each other before we were married, my father and step-mother made the 
