( 1*4 ) 



us, that we ought never to form our judgment of 

 things by appearance, and that every one is the beft 

 judge of his own wants. 



There is therefore but little courfing necefTary to 

 catch the bear the point is only to find his burrow, 

 and the places which they haunt. When the huntf- 

 men imagine they have come near fuch a place, 

 they form themfelves into a large circle, a quarter 

 of a league in circumference, more or lefs, accord- 

 ing to the number of fportfmen *, they then move 

 onwards, drawing nearer and nearer, every one 

 trying as he advances to difcover the retreat of fome 

 bear. By this means, if there are any at all in this 

 fpace, they are certain of difcovering them, for our 

 Indians are excellent ferrets. Next day they go to 

 work in the fame manner, and continue fo to do all 

 £he time the hunting lafts. 



As foon as a bear is killed, the huntfman places 

 his lighted pipe in his mouth, and blows the beafts 

 throat and windpipe full of the fmoke, at the fame 

 time conjuring his fpiric to hold no refentment for 

 the infult done his body, and to be propitious to 

 htm in his future huntings. But as the Ipirit makes 

 no anfwer, the huntfmen to know whether his pray- 

 ers have been heard, cuts off the membrane under 

 his tongue, which he keeps till his return to the vil- 

 lage, when every one throws his own membranes 

 into the fire, after many invocations, and abundance 

 of ceremony, if thefe happen to crackle and fhri- 

 vel up, and it can hardly be otherwife, it is looked 

 vpon as a certain fign, that the manes of the bears 

 are appeafed ; if otherwife, they imagine the de- 

 parted bears are wroth with them, and that next 

 year's hunting will be unprofperous, at lea ft till fome 



means 



