354 THE HURON CHURCH. [1648. 



warn her countrymen against the wiles of the mis- 

 sionaries.^ 



In the spring of 1648 the excitement of the 

 heathen party reached a crisis. A young French- 

 man, named Jacques Douart, in the service of the 

 mission, going out at evening a short distance 

 from the Jesuit house of Sainte Marie, was toma- 

 hawked by unknown Indians,^ who proved to be 

 two brothers, instigated by the heathen chiefs. A 

 great commotion followed, and for a few days it 

 seemed that the adverse parties would fall to blows, 

 at a time when the common enemy threatened to 

 destroy them both. But sager counsels prevailed. 

 In view of the manifest strength of the Christians, 

 the pagans lowered their tone ; and it soon be- 

 came apparent that it was the part of the Jesuits to 

 insist boldly on satisfaction for the outrage. They 

 made no demand that the murderers should be 

 punished or surrendered, but, with their usual good 

 sense in such matters, conformed to Indian usage, 

 and requhed that the nation at large should make 

 atonement for the crime by presents.^ The num- 

 ber of these, their value, and the mode of delivering 

 them were all fixed by ancient custom ; and some of 

 the converts, acting as counsel, advised the Fathers 

 of every step it behooved them to take in a case of 

 such importance. As this is the best illustration 

 of Huron justice on record, it may be well to ob- 



1 Ragueneau, Relation cles Hurons, 1646, 65. 



2 Ibid., 1648, 77. Compare Lettre du P. Jean de Br^beuf au T. R. P. 

 Vincent Cam/a, G€n€ral de la Compagnie de J^sns, Sainte Marie, 2 Juin, 

 1648, in Carayon. 



3 See Introduction. 



