' 2 86 An Hijîorical Journal of 



feem to take any Notice of me. It is the Cuftom of the War-, 

 f iors to falate no Perfon when they are in a Body for War : But 

 almoil as foon as they had got into their Cabins, the Chief having 

 direfTed himfelf, came and paid me a Vifit of Ceremony. He is 

 about forty Years old, pretty tall, and fomething lean, of a 

 mild Charader, and very rational. He is alfo the braveft Sol- 

 dier of his Nation, and there is no Illinois that deferves better 

 than he the Sirname (q) that Homer gives by Way of Preference 

 to the Hero of his Iliad, This is faying a great deal, for the 

 Illinois are perhaps the fwifteft Runners in the World : The 

 Mijfourim are the only People that can difpute this Glory with 

 them. 



As I perceived a Crofs of Copper, and a little Figure of the 

 A remarkable Virgin hanging about the Neck of this^^^^^^^ 

 §t.ryofthe Chtef ""^^^^ ^^^î^g^5 h^tn ^ Chr^Jltan, 



^rPimiteoav allured me that he had only put 



^ ^ ' himfelf in this Equipage out of Refped to 



me. They told me farther what I am going to relate, without 

 requiring you to believe more of it, than the Credit of my Au- 

 thors dcferve : They are Canadian Travellers, who certainly 

 did not invent what they told me, but who heard it reported as 

 U- certain Fad. This is the Story. 



The Image of the Virgin, which the Chief wore, having 

 lallen into his Hands, I know not how, he was curious to know 

 who it reprefented : They told him it was the Mother of God, 

 and that the Child vyhich Ihe held in her Arms, was God him- 

 felfy who made himfelf Man fbr the Salvation of Mankind. 

 They explained to him in few Words the Myftery of this 

 inelFable Incarnation ; itnd farther told him, that the Chriftiam 

 always addrelTed themfelves to this divine Mother when they 

 were in any Danger, and that they feldom did it in vain. The 

 Savage liftened to this Difcourfe with much Attention ; and 

 fqme Time after, as he v/as hunting alone in the W"oods, an 

 Out agami y who had laid in Ambufh, (liewed himfelf the Moment 

 after he had difcharged his Gun at fome Game, and took Aim at 

 Wm. Then he remeiïtbered what had been told him of the Mother 

 of God : He invoked her, and the Oufaga?ni attempting to Ihoot, 

 |iis Gun miffed Fire : He cocked it again, and the fame Thing hap- 

 pened five Times together. During this Time, the Illinois charged 

 his own, and in his Turn took Aim at his Enemy, who chofe ra- 

 ther to furrender than be Ihot. Since this Adventure, the Chief 

 never goes out of the Village without carrying his Safeguard with 

 him, with which he thinks himfelf invulnerable. If the Story is 

 true, it is very probable that it was the Fault of the Miflionary 



(a) Swift-footed, 



