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gler then makes trial of them ; he begins with 

 bleeding his own lips ? he applies his remedy ; the 

 blood which the impoftor fucks in very dextroufly 

 ceafes to flow, and the whole auditory cries out, A 

 miracle^ a miracle. After this, he takes a dead ani- 

 mal, and leaves the fpe&ators as much time to con- 

 iider as they chufe, when by means of a canule or 

 pipe inferted under the tail, he caufes it to move by 

 blowing his herbs into its throat when the exclama- 

 tions of admiration are redoubled. Laftly, the 

 whole company of jugglers makes the tour of the 

 cabbins, finging the praifes and virtues of their re- 

 medies. Thefe tricks at bottom deceive no one, 

 but ferve to amufe the multitude, and cuftom muft 

 be obeyed. 



The following is another ufagepeculiart o the Mi- 

 amis, and perhaps to fome other nations in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Louifiana. I have extracted it from 

 the memoirs of a Frenchman who was eye-witnefs 

 of it. After a folemn feaft they placed, fays he, 

 on a kind of altar, fome figures of pagods, made 

 of bears ikins, the heads of which v/ere painted 

 green. All the Indians palled before this altar, 

 making their genuflexions, or bending their knees, 

 and the quacks led the band, holding in their hand 

 a fack, in which were inclofed all thefe things which 

 were wont to be uled in their invocation or wor- 

 fhip. He was the cleverer! fellow who made the 

 moft extravagant contortions, and in proportion as 

 any one diftinguifhed himfelf this way, he was ap- 

 plauded with great fliouts. After they had thus 

 paid their firft homage to the idols, they all danced 

 in a very confufed manner, to the found of the 

 drum and chichicoue •, and during this the jugglers 

 pretended to bewitch or charm feveral Indians, who 



feemed 



