Chap. r. A N T I E N T M E T A P H YS I C S. jS 



water of the dam run ofF very faft, which, fays he, gave the Beavers 

 much uneafinefs ; and he obferved one of them come pretty near to 

 him, at different times, in order to examine what pafled. Ahcv this. 

 he liiys, he and his companions went and hid themfelves- near to the 

 pond, and then they obferved, that one Beaver ventured to go upon 

 the breach, after having feveral times approached it, and returned a- 

 gain Uke a fpy. * I lay in ambufli, in the bottom,' continues he,' at the 

 ' end of the dam. I faw him return. >He furveyed the breacli, then 



* ftruck four blows, which Hived his life ; for I then aimed at him : 



* But thefe four blows, fo w^ell ftruck,made me judge it was the fi^nal 

 ' of call for all the reft, juft as the night before. This made me 

 *- alfo think he might be the overfeer of the work ; and I did not 

 ' chufe to deprive the republic of Beavers of a member who ap- 

 ' peared fo neceflary to it. I therefore waited till others fhould ap- 



* pear. A little after, one came and pafled clofe by me, in order 



* to go to work. I made no fcruple to lay him at his full knrrth 



* on the perfuafion he might only be a common labourer *.' The 

 Author of this Narrative is a French gentleman, who had ferved in 

 the army. In the year 17 19, about the time of the Miffifippi 

 fcheme, he was fent to Louifiana, in quality of fuperintendant of 

 the French fettlement there, and remained in the country 16 years. 

 He appears to have been a man of fenfe and accurate obfervation. 

 There is nothing in any part of his work that is marvellous, except 

 to thofe who think every thing ftrange and incredible, that is different 

 from what is to be feen at home or in other nations of Europe. I 

 cannot, therefore, fee the leaft reafon to believe that he would have 

 told a lie, (for fo the ftory muft be if it is not true), merely to make 

 the reader ftare : Nor could I eafily be perfuaded that, for a much 

 better reafon, a French man of quality would tell a lie. The reader 

 will obferve in this narrative, that, befides the fignal which this 



overfeer 



* Ibid, page 144. 



