This story was related to
me by Tomah Josephs, now Indian governor at Princeton, Maine.
Among various notes I find the following:--
"The weewillmekq' becomes human at times, even now."
"Six years ago," said T. J., "I was in the woods collecting boughs, and
I saw a _weewillmekq'_ on a tree. The thunder kept approaching the
tree on which it was, and finally struck it. It seemed to me as if the
worm had attracted the lightning." (August 26, 1883.)
"The Weewillmekq' is a small worm, sometimes two or three inches long.
It is seen sometimes in the water as large as a horse. Then it has
horns. It is a very horrible-looking little worm."]
_II. Muggahmaht'adem, the Dance of Old Age, or the Magic of the
Weewillmekq'._ [Footnote: This mysterious being is called
_Wee-wil-li-ah-mek_ in Penobscot The correct pronounciation is very
nearly _Wee-wil-'l-mekqu'_ for both Penobscot and Passamaquoddy,
but this would be a difficult utterence for any one who has never
listened to the Algonquin soft gutturals.
Mrs. W. Wallace Brown informs me that "the _Weewillmekqu'_ is a
snail." This would account for its being thought to inhabit both land
and water.]
(Passamaquoddy.)
Of old times. There lived in a village many Indians. Among them was a
handsome young man, very brave, a great hunter. And there was a
beautiful girl. What was her name? Mahli-hahn-sqwess, or Kaliwahdazi,--
I don't remember which.
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