NORTHERN OCEAN. 
‘When thefe jugglers take a diflike to, and 
threaten a fecret revenge on any perfon, it often 
proves fatal to that perfon; as, from a firm be- 
lief that the conjurer has power over his life, he 
permits the very thoughts of it to prey on his 
fpirits, till by degrees is brings on a diforder 
which puts an end to his exiftence*: and fome- 
times 
* As a proof of this, Matonabbee, (who always thought me poflefled of 
this art,) on his arrival at Prince of Wales’s Fort in the Winter of 1778, 
informed me, that a man whom £ had never feen but once, had treated him 
in fuch a manner that he was afraid of his life; in confequence of which 
he prefled me very much to kill him, though I was then feveral hundreds 
of miles diftant: On which, to pleafe this great man to whom I owed fo 
much, and not expeéting that any harm could poffibly arife from it, 1 
drewa rough {ketch of two human figures on a piece of paper, in the atti- 
tude of wreftling : in the hand of one of them, I drew the figure of a bay- 
onet pointing to the breaft of the other. This is me, faid I to Matonab- 
bee, pointing to the figure which was holding the bayonet; and the other, 
is your enemy. Oppofite to thofe figures I drew a pine-tree, over-which 
I placed a large human eye, and out of the tree projected a human hand. 
This paper I gave to Matonabbee, with inftruétions to make it as public- 
ly known as poffible. Sure enough, the following year, when he came in 
to trade, he informed me that the man was dead, though at that time he 
was not lefs than three hundred miles from Prince of Wales’s Fort. He 
affured me that the man was in perfeét health when he heard of my defign 
- againft him; but almoft immediately afterwards became quite gloomy, 
and refufing all kind of fuftenance, in a very few days died. After this I 
was frequently applied to on the fame account, both by Matonabbee and 
other leading Indians, but never thought proper to comply with their 
requefts; by which means I not only preferved the credit [ gained on the 
firft attempt, but always kept them in awe, andin fome degree of refpect 
and obedience to me. In fact, ftrange as it may appear, it is almoft abfo- 
Jutely neceffary that the chiefs at this place fhould profefs fomethinga 
little fupernatural, to be able to deal with thofe people. The circum- 
{tance here recorded is a faé& well known to Mr. William Jefferfon, 
who fucceeded me at Churchill Fadtory, as well as to all the officers and 
many of the common men who were at Prince of Wales’s Fort at the 
time. 
22 
177%. 
es ed 
November. 
