Notes on Aboriginal Antiquities. 443 



sate downe on the ground round about us, as if we would have 

 shewen and rehearsed some comedie or other shew : then presen- 

 tly came the women againe, every one bringing a fouresquare 

 matte in manner of carpets, and spreading them abroad on the 

 ground in that place, they caused us to sit upon them. That done, 

 the Lord and King of the country was brought upon 9 or 10 

 men's shoulders, (whom in their tongue they call Agouhanna) sit- 

 ting upon a great stagges skinne, and they laidehim downe upon 

 the foresaid mats neere to the capitaine, every one beckning unto 

 us that hee was their Lord. This Agouhanna was a man about 

 fifde yeeres old : he was no whit belter apparelled then any of 

 the rest, onely excepted, that he had a certain thing around his 

 head made of the skinnes of Hedo-elioofs * like a red wreath. He 

 was full of the palsie and his members shronke together. After 

 he had with certaine signes saluted our captaine and all his com- 

 panie, and by manifest tokens bid all welcome, he shewed his 

 legges and armes to our capitaine, and with signes desired him 

 to touch them, and so he did, rubbing them with his owne hands : 

 then did Agouhanna take the wreath or crowne he had about 

 his head, and gave it unto our capitaine, that done they brought 

 before him diverse diseased men, some blinde, some criple, some 

 lame and impotent, and some so old that the haire of their eyelids 

 came downe and covered their cheekes, and layd them all along 

 before our capitaine, to the end they might of him be touched ; 

 for it seemed unto them that God was descended and come down 

 from heaven to heale them. Our capitaine seeing the misery and 

 devotion of this poore people, recited the Gospel of St. John, 

 that is to say, " In the beginning was the Word," making the 

 signof the cross upon the poor sick ones, praying to God that it 

 would please him to open the hearts of this poore people, and to 

 make them know our holy faith, and that they might receive 

 baptisme and christendome, that done, he tooke a service-booke 

 in his hand, and with a loud voice read all the passion of Christ, 

 word by word, that all the standers by might heare him, all which 

 while this poore people kept silence, and were marvellously atten- 

 tive, looking up to heaven, and imitating us in gestures. Then 

 he caused the men all orderly to be set on one side, the women 

 on another, and likewise the children on another, and to the 

 chiefest of them he gave hatchets, to the other knives, and to the 



* Porcupines. 



