ylzahki, a tale. 22 ^ 



s uu ijc, •■ thou hast saved ray lifej and, what is still dearer 

 to me,i^fhou hast twice preserved to me Azakia : She 

 thcrefdre belongs more to thee than to me j — I belong to 

 thee myself: See whether Oie be enough to acquit us 

 botli. I yield her to thee through gratitude, but would nof 

 lia\ c yielded her, to deliver myself from the fire kindled 

 by tlic I.-,'|uois." 



W hat Ihis discourse made St Castins feel, is hard to be 

 efsed.j not that it seemed so ridiculous and strange 

 to hint, as it might to many Europeans : He*\new that 

 <livorces were very frequent among the savages. They 

 separate, as easily as they come together.^ But, persua- 

 ded that Azakia could not be yield^d^Mp to him without 

 a supernatural effort — ^he believed himself obliged to evince 

 equal generosity. He refused what he desired^jiost, and 

 refused in vain — Ouabi's perseverance in his resollition was 

 not to be conquered. As to the faithful Azakia, who had 

 been seen to resist all St Castins' attacks, and to refuse sur- 

 viving the hufhand. whom fhe believed to be dead, it might 

 perhaps be expected that flie would long hold out against 

 the separation her hufhand had proposed. To this Ihe 

 made not the least objection. She had hitherto complied 

 only with her duty ; and thought Ihe was free to listen to 

 her inclination, since Ouabi required it of her. The 

 pieces of the rod of union were brought forth, put toge- 

 ther, and burnt. Ouabi and Azakia embraced each other 

 for the last time, and, from that moment, the young and 

 beautiful Huron was reinstated in ail the rights of a maid- 

 en. It is also said, that, by the help of some mifsionaries, 

 St Castins put her in a condition of becoming his wife ac- 

 cording to the rules prescribed to christians. Ouabi on 

 his side, broke the rod with young Zisma} and these twg 

 marriages, so different in the form, were equally happy, 

 Each hufbanc!, well afsured that there were no competi- 

 Jtors, forgot that there had been any predecefsors. 



