1634-35.] THE JESUITS AND THEIR GUESTS. 61 



There was no lack of visitors, for the house 

 of the black-robes contamed marvels ^ the fame of 

 which was noised abroad to the uttermost confines 

 of the Huron nation. Chief among them was the 

 clock. The guests would sit in expectant silence 

 by the hour, squatted on the ground, waiting to hear 

 it strike. They thought it was alive, and asked 

 what it ate. As the last stroke sounded, one of tlie 

 Frenchmen would cry " Stop ! " — and, to the ad- 

 miration of the company, the obedient clock was 

 silent. The mill was another wonder, and they 

 were never tked of tui'ning it. Besides these, 

 there was a prism and a magnet ; also a magni- 

 fying-glass, wherein a flea was transformed to a 

 frightful monster, and a multiplying lens, which 

 showed them the same object eleven times repeated. 

 "All this," says Brebeuf, "serves to gain their 

 affection, and make them more docile in respect to 

 the admirable and incomprehensible mysteries of 

 our Faith ; for the opinion they have of our genius 

 and capacity makes them believe whatever we tell 



them."^ 



" What does the Captain say T' was the frequent 

 question ; for by this title of honor they designated 

 the clock. 



1 "Us ont pense qu'elle entendoit, principalement quand, pour rire, 

 quelqu'vn de nos Francois s'escrioit au dernier coup de marteau, c'est 

 assez Sonne', et que tout aussi tost elle se taisoit. lis I'appellent le Capi- 

 taine du iour. Quand elle sonne, ils disent qu'elle parle, et deraandent, 

 quand ils nous viennent veoir, combien de fois le Capitaine a desia parle. 

 lis nous interrogent de son manger. lis demeurent les heures euti^res 

 et quelquesfois plusieurs, afin de la pouuoir ouyr parler." — Bre-beut, 

 Relation cles Hurons, 1635, 33. 



2 Brebeuf. Relation des Hurons, 1635, 33. 



6 



