20 VOYAGE PROM OKHOTZK 



my intention to give him a few for his trouble* on his 

 delivering to me the quantity entire. On this he exprefied 

 the mofi extreme furprize, perfuaded as he was that 

 the letter had feen him eat them. However, returned 

 he, I know how I fhall prevent the fame thing hap- 

 pening for the future. Now, in order to try how far 

 his fhrpidity would go, I fent him a fecond time, and 

 found in like manner, by the letter and the weight, 

 that there was a deficiency of more than half; he 

 frankly conferred the fraud, but was ftruck with frill 

 greater amazement than before ; as this time he had 

 the precaution to keep the letter buried in the fand all 

 the while he was eating the fruit ; however, the only 

 conclufion he made from it was, that the letter muft 

 have fpied him through the fand *. 



A farther example of this dulnefs of apprehenfion 

 was exhibited on occafion of a looking-glafs, that I 

 had put up in my room, before which the favages ne- 

 ver flood without inexpreffible admiration at feeing 

 perfons in it exactly like themfelves. That they them- 

 ielves produced thefe perfons was what they could not 



* I fhould not have tranftated this anecdote, had I not hoped 

 that many of my readers would not be difpleafed to fee that this 

 tranfaction, which they will recollect to have read in their youths 

 and which almoft every jeft book relates, is properly appropriate 

 to an ill and of North America. The credibility however of my 

 traveller I think cannot well be leflened by this little flip 5 efpe- 

 cially if we confider how natural it is to every narrator, pn co- 

 rn ng to a favourite anecdote, to bring himfelf intoplaj by the little, 

 preface of *• I favv it I myfelf was prefent, &c." 



by 



