A CRAWLING STONE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19996, 13 January 1927, Page 15

A CRAWLING STONE.

JOURNEYING HOME. There is a crawling stone in the lake region of northern Wisconsin (U.S.A.), in a lake which bears its name, Crawling Stone Lake. This lake is near the Lac du Fiambeau Indian reservation. Crawling Stone is a large boulder which used to stand far out in the lake, but each year it moves in toward the shore, sometimes a few inches, sometimes several feet (says the Christian Science Monitor). An old Indian who has lived nil his life in this part of the country said ( that he himself had known it to “crawl” as much as 6ft in one season 1 The- water ef this beautiful lake is often crystal clear, and it is said that if one looks down into it at such a time ho can see the path clearly defined which Crawling Stone las taken in its progress toward the -bore. The explanation is that the icc, freezing solid during Ihe long. cold, lortaotn winter, clasps Ihe stone firmly in its grasp. With the coming of the spring the ice begins to melt and expand toward shore, carrying Crawling Slone with it. Many times natural phenomena, inexplicable to primitive men, have given rise to beautiful legends, which account m their own way for these wonders of Nature. So in this case there is a legend among tilei Indians to explain Crawling Stone which nt one time, at least, was generally believed by them. According to this story, tho Great Spirit has called to Crawling Stone to come, and to this summons it is leaving the lake and iourneying home.