358 THE HURON CHURCH. [1648. 



these were merely preliminary. One was to open 

 the door, another for leave to enter ; and as 

 Sainte Marie was a large house, with several in- 

 terior doors, at each one of which it behooved 

 them to repeat this formality, their stock of gifts 

 became seriously reduced before they reached the 

 room where Father Ragueneau awaited them. On 

 arriving, they made him a speech, every clause of 

 which was confirmed by a present. The first was 

 to wipe away his tears ; the second, to restore his 

 voice, which his grief was supposed to have im- 

 paired ; the third, to calm the agitation of his 

 mind ; and the fourth, to allay the just anger of 

 his heart. ^ These gifts consisted of wampum and 

 the large shells of which it was made, together 

 with other articles, worthless in any eyes but those 

 of an Indian. Nine additional presents followed : 

 four for the four posts of the sepulchre or scaffold 

 of the murdered man ; four for the cross-pieces 

 which connected the posts ; and one for a pillow 

 to support his head. Then came eight more, cor- 

 responding to the eight largest bones of the victim's 

 body, and also to the eight clans of the Hurons.^ 

 E-agueneau, as required by established custom, now 

 made them a present in his turn. It consisted of 

 tliree thousand beads of wampum, and was de- 

 signed to soften the earth, in order that they might 

 not be hurt, when falling upon it, overpowered by 



1 Ragueneau himself describes the scene. Relation des Hurons, 

 1648, 80. 



2 Ragueneau says, " les huit nations " ; but, as the Hurons consisted 

 of only four, or at most five, nations, lie probably means the clans. For 

 the nature of these divisions, see Introduction. 



