376 The Natural Historic 



also report that they have seen one of these Conjurers take 

 a Hollow Cane about two Feet long, in his Mouth, and stand 

 by a Creek side, where he called with the Reed two or three 

 times, at last opened his Arms, and flew over a Creek about 

 a quarter of a Mile broad, as if he had been running upon 

 Terra Firma. I shall urge no Man's belief in this, having 

 never seen it done by any of them, and only give it as re- 

 ported above ; but some of the former I have been a Witness 

 to, therefore dare boldly assert as Fact. 



As to their Religion, it is impossible to give any true De- 

 scription of it, for as they can neither read nor write, what- 

 ever they have of this kind is founded meerly upon Tradi- 

 tion. There are a great many Customs, or rather Absurd- 

 ities amongst them, which they keep as the most profound 

 Secret; that they never will acquaint any of the Christians 

 with the Knowledge thereof, notwithstanding the many Meth- 

 ods used, such as making them Drunk, the promise of Re- 

 wards, (&c. but to no purpose, for so subtile and cunning are 

 they, that it is next to an impossibility to make them discover 

 it, or to fathom out their secret Designs, whether they do 

 this because they are sensible of their own Weakness in 

 practicing them, or any other Motive they may have to 

 induce them so to do, is known to none but themselves, let 

 other Writers pretend what they will to give a true l^otion 

 of their Worship; you shall see them amongst their Idols 

 and dead Kings in their Quiogoson or Charnel House, where 

 the Bones of the deceased are laid (a Custom like this we 

 read of practiced by the Indians in the Kingdom of Pegu in 

 the East Indies) into which place the King, with the Cyn- 

 jurers and some few old Men are admitted to go, but as for 

 the young Men, and the chiefest ]N"umber of the Indians, 

 they are kept as ignorant of what the Elders are as any 



European, 



