March 1, 1889.] 



♦ KNO^A^LEE)GE ♦ 



10- 



remarkable little pillars of wet sand, which increase in 

 height as the more rapidly dried sand is blown away. The 

 drifting sand and wind together eat out the bases of these 

 little pillars, causing them to point in the direction of the 

 wind ; as these increase in length the weight of the sus- 

 pended particles overcomes the cohesion of the wet sand, and 

 they fall to the ground. These pillars vary from one to two 

 or three inches in height, according to the size of the 

 capping stone or shell. Reference to the accompanying 

 diagram will show three stages in the growth of these 

 pillars. 



The abrading action of sand when conveyed by a current 

 of air has been taken advantage of in the construction of 

 the " sand-blast," in which sand is carried up a pipe ter- 

 minating in a nozzle from which a jet issues with great 

 force, and eats away any hard substance with which it 

 comes in contact. Glass is by this means engraved, 

 especially gas-globes, the " frosted " appeai-ance of which is 

 due to the impinging sand ; that p:irt of any glass article 

 which is to remain untouched is coated with some soft, 

 elastic substance such as glue or gelatine ; into this the 

 diiven sand becomes embedded, and, consequently, has no 

 effect on the glass. Only hard substances are abraded ; the 

 workmen can hold their hands in the jet of sand with im- 

 punity, but the nails of the fingers would very quickly 

 be destroyed if exposed to the blast. Files are by this 

 means cleaned of the softer metals embedded between their 

 teeth. 



The sand-blast is now brought to such a state of per- 

 fection that even the pattern of a delicate lace can be repro- 

 duced on glass, while the power of the blast is such that 

 wood, marble, granite, and even steel can be perforated in a 

 few minutes. 



NORTH AMERICAN-INDIAN FAIRY-LORE. 



By Miss Mary Proctor (Stella Occidens). 



T is well known by all Indians who still keep 

 the faith of the olden time that there are 

 wondrous dwellers in the lonely woods, called 

 liy the Micinacs Mikumwessos." They were 

 created from the bark of an ash tree by the 

 great Algonquin god, Cllooskap, a hero who 

 is somewhat like the Scandinavian gods Thor 

 and Odin. His name means " the liar," because when he 

 left the earth, like King Arthur, for Fairyland, he promised 

 to return, and has not as yet kept his promise. 



Before man was, he created the Mikumwess, or small 

 elves, dwellers in rocks. They are fond of playing on magic 

 flutes, and a maiden who hears the melody is bewitched with 

 love, and if the fairies are sufficiently pleased with her, they 

 make her a fairy like themselves. Tiiey play all day long in 

 the woods, among the sunlight and shadows. Onti day 

 when Glooskap was walking through a forest ho suddenly 

 came upon a group of these dancing elves. Their queen. 

 Summer, was so beautiful that Glooskap caught hold of her 

 and ran away with her in his arms as fast as he could. The 

 fairies threw a rope after hini, which coiled itself ai'ound his 

 neck; but as he ran it unrolled, and he was soon out of 

 sight. He took Summer to the lodge of Winter, and 

 presently Winter melted away, and hia wigwam too. 

 " Then everything awoke ; tlie grass grew, the fairies came 

 out, and the snow ran down the mountain-side into the 

 rivers, carrying away the dead autumn leaves. Then 

 Glooskap left Summer with them and went home."* 



On another occasion some of the fairies were invited to a 



* Charles Leland, "Algonquin LegemU," P- 1^'- 



wedding, and one of them astonished the people very much 

 by his dancing. " As he danced ai'ound the circle upo n the 

 hard beaten floor, they saw his feet sink deeper at every 

 step, ploughing the ground up as the dance went on, into a 

 trench, until at length only his head was to be seen." This 

 ended the dancing for that evening, for the ground could 

 only be danced on after that by fairies and witches. 



Sometimes mortals have married fairies, and lived with 

 them in their forest home. If a man sees a ftiiry, he has 

 but to tap her lightly on the head with a small stick, and, 

 .according to the laws of Fairyland, this makes her his wife. 

 The custom, on being captured, is for the maiden to faint 

 away; then she is carried off quietly to her new home. 

 Apparently she has not much choice in the matter. 



In the olden times there were two hunters, who lived by 

 themselves in a lonely forest. When winter-time came, and 

 their snow shoes and mocassins gave out, they wi.shed that 

 a woman was there to mend them. Now, by means of 

 sorcery a bright little fairy knew their wLsh, .and one even- 

 ing, on theii- return from the woods, the younger brother 

 found the wigwam cleaned and swejst, a fire built, and the 

 pot boiling for supper. The hunter did not tell his brother, 

 and took all the credit to himself. The .same thing took 

 place next da}-, and the day after ; the hunter watched the 

 door from a hidden place. Presently a beautiful and grace- 

 ful girl entered the wigwam, and was soon busy with the 

 housework. The hunter walked into the hut, and the girl 

 was at first alarmed when she saw him, but he calmed her, 

 and they were soon the best of friends. When all the work 

 was done, they played together, like two children, in the 

 sunlight and shadows of the forest, for they were both 

 young. When the sun's shadows became long, the gu'l 

 said, " I must go now, I hear j'our brother coming, and I 

 fear him. But I will return to-morrow. Adieu." This 

 continued for many days, and when at last the j'ounger 

 brother told the older brother, he said, " Truly I should be 

 glad to have some one here to take care of the wigwam 

 and mend our snow-shoes." So the winter passed away 

 very pleasantly, until summer came and melted the snow, 

 and it was time for the hunters to return to their village. 



As they approached their home the fairy left them, for 

 she knew by sorcery that their father would not be pleased 

 to see her. Indeed, when he heard about her, he was very 

 angry, and said, " All my life have I feared this. Know 

 that this woman was an imp of the woods, a witch of the 

 Mitche-hant, a sister of the Oonahtjamess." Then the.se 

 ungrateful brothers wei'e afraid, and went forth to slay her, 

 and the elder brother shot an arrow at her. " Then there 

 was a strange fluttering of scattered feathers, and they saw 

 her fly away as a partridge." When they told their father, 

 he said, " You did well. I know all about these female 

 imps who seek to destroy men." Now the younger brother 

 longed to see the fairy again. He found her in the woods, 

 and they wei'e soon friends again, and played together as 

 before. And when evening came the boy Siiid, '• I must 

 return." 



" Whenever you would sae me," the maiden replied, 

 " come to the woods. And remember what 1 say. Do not 

 marry any one else, for your father wishes you to do so, and 

 ho will speak of it to you, and that soon. Yet it is for your 

 sake only that I tell you this." She told him that, if ho 

 married another, he would surely die. And all came to 

 pass, for the father compelled his son to marry a bride from 

 a distant land. The bride came, and for four days they 

 feasted and held a wedding dance. But on the evening of 

 the fourth day the bridegroom said, " This is the end of it 

 all," and he laid him down on a white beai-skin and died. 

 Then the father loft the place for ever, and wandered far 

 awav brokenhearted. 



