faces of sachems and braves as they sat smoking the calumet and listening to the voice of the Che-nee-ga-ha, the story teller, as he sings of their wars and their deeds of valor.

All but one of the hunters hastened onward, seeing all this awaiting them at the end of their wearisome march; but he, the dreamer, the one who saw where there was naught, he, looking skyward beheld a star falling swiftly through the darkness. All its paleness is gone now and it flames in ruddy splendor across the sky.

"See," he cried, "it is the Wakendendas, the meteor!"

Then they turned to look in wonder, and the wonder grew as the star flamed downward. Nearer, nearer it came until at length it rested upon the bosom of a sleeping lake; when, lo! straightway it blossomed forth an earth flower with slowly-unfolding silvery petals and heart of gold, lying rocked in blessed rest and peace upon the softly murmuring water that whispered of many tender secrets to it.

Thus was born the beautiful O-kun-dun-mo-ge, the Water Lily.

THE PROVINCE OF MICHILIMACKINAC.

BY DR. JOHN R. BAILEY.*

We know the land surface of the earth lies mainly between the equator and the north pole, and is, to all intents and purposes, continuous. The only so-called, separation being the shallow Strait of Behring, a mere depression of the uplift of 36 miles between the headlands of Asia and America, with an intervening island. Behring strait is frozen over from October to April and the ice bridge can be crossed with facility in sledges, and in summer with canoes and larger craft. Hundreds of years before Columbo with his caravals was sighted by the natives of the Bahama islands, the Indian roamed the land from the steppes of Asia to Patagonia. But Spain in 1492 or soon after claimed all America by asserted discovery. That power was not strong enough to keep her holdings and other nations. France, Britain, Holland and Portugal seized portions of the territory and planted colonies. They too, claimed by right of discovery, and, like vandals, had little respect for the natives.

Our province Michilimackinac being a large part of New France afterwards a subdivision of Canada, like the rest of the vast area, was inhabited by the Aborigines, since called Indians, who came from Asia at a period unknown.

Esquimaux is understood by all the tribes bordering the Arctic ocean for 10,000 miles through Asia and North America. The Nulato Indians within the Arctic circle and the Apaches of New Mexico, speak the same language. The Esquimaux style themselves Enyuin people, and the beginning of their winter is the first of the year. It is divided into four seasons and twelve moons.

Kingegan, Alaska, has long been a trading place with the Asiatic tribes who cross the strait from East cape in boats in summer, by way of the Diomede island. They meet the natives of the west coast and those of the Mackenzie and Yukon river basins who come far from the south to trade. In July the Mackenzie is navigable for large vessels into Great Slave lake, more than 1,000 miles south of the "Frozen Ocean" and the Yukon as far. Fish and game are abundant in all this territory and barley, oats, and potatoes will grow to maturity at Fort Morman, latitude 64° 31' north.

In Arctic climes the days of summer are long, the heat of the sun often intense, nights are short, and the face of nature develops rapidly. The rivers and even the streamlets become irresistible moving floods. They teem with terrestrial life along their borders and aqueous life within, and winged aerial life upon their waters. Therefore there is food enough and to spare for the Tartar Indian nomads.

There is a mixed-blood Indian woman, about 68 years old, on Michilimackinac island who went there at the age of 17, of the Kilistinoux or Cree tribe. She was * John Read Bailey was born in New York City, July 23, 1833, and was the oldest son of Captain Joseph H. Bailey, U. S. Army Medical Corps. From 1834 to 1850, during the Florida and Mexican wars, his father was stationed in Arkansas and Indian Territory. The family were on a plantation, worked by slaves, near Fort Smith, Ark., and from 1852 to 1854 they were stationed at Fort Mackinac. John R. graduated from the medical department of the University of Michigan in 1854, and was appointed acting assistant surgeon U. S. army, Fort Mackinac, and Indian physician, Michilimackinac agency. Since 1854 he has been post surgeon over 20 times, also at Fort Snelling, Minn., and Fort Hamilton, N. Y. In June, 1861, he formed a company, and, "either with sword, musket, or scalpel," proffered his services to Gov. Blair, which were accepted. Events directed him to St. Louis, Mo., to assist his mother in influencing his father and brothers to side with the government, and father, four sons, and two sons-in-law served in the Union army. He was commissioned surgeon 8th Missouri Infantry, and brevetted Lt. Col. U. S. Volunteers, serving on the staff of Gen. William T. Sherman and others, and as chief of several general and many field hospitals, and was special medical purveyor of the army of Tennessee. Dr. Bailey has been a resident of Mackinac Island for 50 years.

born in the Churchill river country, between Hudson's bay and Great and Little Slave lakes. She says her people went to the north in summer, by way of Great Slave lake, to barter with the tribes on the "Frozen Sea." They started early in March, and did not return until the next year. They met the people from the "Sea" coming up the river "half way;" some of her people returned and others went north and did not come back. Other parties from the south went north by way of the Red river of the north, to trade and sell furs. They, also, would go one year, start in March and not come back until the next season. Time then was no object. This woman, Madam Cadreaux (Cadro), is part French. Her people gave her in marriage to Cadreaux when she was only 12 years old. He was a coureur de bois, and an "engager" of the Hudson's Bay Company. Madam Cadreaux (now Cadotte) is an intelligent, industrious, hard-working woman, and is generally respected. She relates this story as a part of her life, without the slightest idea it has any bearing of importance.

The Kilistinoux have their more ordinary place of abode in the vicinity of the "Sea of the North," and are allied with the Assineboines. They are the Siour of the north, and of the bands of Sioux far to the south of them.

Buddhist priests from China were in "Fusang," 120,000 li, about 2,500 miles, east of Kamtchatka, and due east of China, before the Christian era. Images of the God, Guatama, sitting cross-legged, are found in Mexico and some are in their national museum. There is no mystery about the origin of the native American. The Indian came from Asia, the cradle of the human race. He is American, truly and we are Unistats, inhabitants of the United States, and then there are Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians, etc. The Indian may have been Aryan or Mongolian, or other extraction; that is of no consideration. Time, climate, food, habits, and environment, with all their influences, have effaced his lineage and made him a distinctly marked type. So Columbus was not far out of the way when he called the natives Indians.