Travels in North Âmerîca^ 283 



sïiake the SuiFerer get upon the firft crofs Piece, to which thfty 

 faften his Feet, at a little Diftance from each other : Then they 

 tie his Hands to the upper Angles of the Frame ; and in this 

 Pofture they burn him in all Parts of the Body. 



All the Village, Men, Women, and Children, gather round 

 Kim ; and every one has a Right to torture him as they pleafe. 

 If no one prefent has any particular Reafon to prolong liis Suf- 

 ferings, his Punifhment|iis foon over ; and commonly they dif- 

 patch him with their Arrows, or elfe they cover him with the 

 Bark of Trees, which they fet on Fire. Then they leave him in 

 his Frame, and towards Night they run through all the Cabins, 

 llriking with little Sticks on the Furniture, on the Walls, and on 

 the Roofs, to hinder his Soul from ftaying there to revenge the 

 Injuries they have done to his Body, The reft of the Night h 

 pafTed in Rejoicings. 



If the Party has met no Enemy, or if it has been 



SomeParticula. '° «^'/^ Village by Day. 



keeping: a profound Silence ; but if it hzù 

 rtttes concermng been beaten, it enters by Night, after having O 

 their Parties of ^.^^^ ^^^.^^ ^j^^.^ ^^^^^^ ^ X 



Death, and named all thofe they have loft, J 

 either by Diftcmpers, or by the Sword of the Enemy. Sometimes ?" 

 the Prifoners are condemned and executed before they arrive at 

 the Village ; efpecially when they have any Room to fear they " 

 will be refcued. Some Time finee a Frenchman being taken by 

 the Outagamis, thefe Barbarians held a Council on their Route, 

 to know how they ftiould difpofe of him. The Refult of the 

 Deliberation was to throw a Stick up in the Tree, and if it 

 lodged there, to burn their Prifoner ; but to throw it only a qqt^ 

 tain Number of Times. By good Fortune for the Prifoner, 

 though the Tree was very thick of Branches, the Stick always 

 fell to the Ground. 



I ftayed twenty-four Hours at the Rock, and to pleafe the Sz^ 

 cr'i J 1 r TO vaees, and to fhew my entire Confidence in 

 The dolefulSongs ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ Conduftors were en- 



of toe iiiinois. camped on the other Side of the River, I lay 

 in a Cabin in the midft of the Village, I paft the Night quiet 

 enough ; but I v/as waked very early by a Woman, who lived in 

 the next Cabin; when ftie awoke, the Remembrance of her Son, 

 whom ftie had loft fome Years before, came intQ her Mind, and 

 immediately Ihe began to weep, and to fmg in a very doleful 

 Tone. 



The Illinois have the Charaéler of being cunning Thieves^ 

 for this Reafon I caufed all my Baggage to be carried over to the 

 other Side ; but in fpite of this Precaution, and the Vigilance 

 of my People^ at our Departure we niifted a Gun, and fome 

 Oo 2 Trifles, 



