146 TRAVELS THROUGH 



that the French, who endeavoured to impofc 

 upon them, have deceived themfelves. About 

 forty years ago, when thefe Americans did not 

 yet know the Europeans, a traveller or hunter 

 penetrated into their country, made them ac- 

 quainted with fire-arms, and fold them mulkets 

 and gunpowder : they went out a-hunting, and 

 got great plenty of game, and of courfe many 

 furs. Another traveller went thither fome time 

 after, with ammunitions ; but the Indians being 

 Hill provided, they did not care to barter with 

 the Frenchman, who invented a very odd trick, 

 in order to fell his powder, without much trou- 

 bling his head with the confequences that mighc 

 refult from his impofture to his countrymen. He 

 thought he had done a great action in deceiving 

 thefe poor people. 



As the Indians are naturally curious, they 

 were defirous of knowing how powder, which 

 they called grain^ was made in France. The 

 traveller made them believe, that it was fown ia 

 favannahs^ and that they had crops of it as of 

 indigo or millet in America, 



The Mijouns were pleafed with this difcovery, 

 and fowed all the gun-powder they had left^ 

 which obliged them to buy that of the French- 

 man, 



