Travels in Mort h Jmerîca. 265 



without any Motion, and without touching them, finging 

 and foretelling Things that Ihould come to pafs. The Let- 

 ters of the antient Mifiionaries are full of Fa6ls, which leave no 

 Room to doubt that thefe Seducers have a real Correfpondence 

 with the Father of Deceit and Lies. Many of the French have 

 talked to me in the fame Manner. I will only relate to you one 

 Story which I have from its Source. 



You have feen at Paris Madam de Mar/on^ and fhe is there flill. 

 This is what the Marquis de Faudreuil, her Son-in-Law, at pre- 

 fent our Governor-General, told me this Winter, and which he 

 learnt of this Lady, who is very far from being fufpeéled of 

 Weaknefs and Credulity. She was one Day very uneafy about 

 her Hufband, M. de Mar/on, who was Commandant of a Poll 

 which we have in Acadia : He was abfent, and the Time was 

 paft which he had fet for his Return. A Woman Savage, who 

 faw Madam de Mar/on was troubled, afked her the Caufe of it ; 

 and being told it, fhe faid, after pauling a little on the Matter, 



Don*t trouble your/elf any longer ; your Hujhand ^ill come hack on 



fuch a Day y and at fuch an Hour y (which fhe named) rearing a 

 " grey Hat,^^ As fhe perceived that the Lady gave no Heed to 

 her Prediction, on the Day and at the Hour fhe had foretold, fhe 

 came again to the Lg,(iy, and afked her if fhe would come and 

 fee her Hufband arrive, and prefTed her in fuch a Manner ta 

 follow her, that fhe drew her to the Side of the Pdver. They 

 had hardly got thither, when M. de Mar/on appeared in a Canoe, 

 wearing a grey Hat ; and being informed of what had pafTed, 

 he declared that he could not conceive how the Savage could 

 have foreknov/n the Hour and the Day of his Arrival. 



This Example, Madam, and many others that I know, which 

 p are equally certain, prove that the Devii is 



f y om ay. fometimes concerned in the Magic of the 

 Savages ; but it belongs only, they fay, to the Jugglers to raife 

 up Spirits, when public Affairs are concerned. It is faid that 

 ail the Algonquins and Abenaquis formerly pradifed a Kind of 

 Pyromancy, of which this was the whole Myâ:eiy : They re- 

 duced to a very fine Powder fome Coals of Cedar Wood ; they 

 placed this Powder after a particular Manner, then they fet Fire 

 to it, and by the Turn the Fire took in running on this Powder, 

 they difcovered, as it is faid, what they fought for. They add, 

 that the Abenaquis, on their Converfion to Chrifiianity, could 

 hardly be brought to forfake a Cuflom, which they looked upon 

 as a very innocent Means of knowing what pafTed at a Diflance 

 from them. 



I never heard that private Perfons, who defired to be ac- 

 Inliallation f ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ thefe Secrets, were obliged, 

 th ^L-^ Purpofe, to go thro' any Ceremony j 



/ ^ J^gg but the Jugglers by ProfefTion are never inveiled 



M m with 



