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their blood ferves only to infpirc them with new 

 ftrength and courage. They have been feveral times 

 in action in company with our bravoes, who have 

 feen them perform exploits almoft incredible. 



A miflionary being accompanied by fome Abe- 

 naquis in an expedition againft New England, and 

 perceiving that they were purfued by a great body 

 of Engiifh in their retreat, did all he could to 

 caufe them to make more hafte, but to no pur- 

 pofe ; all the anfwer he received was, that they did 

 not fear fuch people as thefe, The Engiifh at 

 length appeared, and were at leaft twenty to one. 

 The Indians, without being at all intimidated, firft 

 placed the father in fafety, and afterwards went 

 to wait for the enemy in a field, in which there 

 was only the trunks of fome trees. The combat 

 lafted almoft the whole day ; the Abenaquis loft 

 not a man, and put the Engiifh to flight, after 

 having covered the field with dead bodies. I had 

 this fact from father Vincent Bigot, who was the 

 nufiionary in queftion. 



But what is infinitely flirprizing in men, whofe 

 whole exterior difcovers nothing but the barbarian, 

 is to fee them treat one another with a gentlenefs 

 and a refpect unknown to the common people in 

 the moft polite nations. This no doubt proceeds 

 from this, that meum and tuum, thefe ccld words, 

 as St. Chryfoftom calls them, but which whilft 

 they extinguish in our hearts the fire of chanty, 

 kindle up in them that of covetoufnefs, are not as 

 yet known amongft thefe Indians. We are no lefs 

 charmed with that natural and unaffected gravity, 

 which reigns in all their actions, and even in moft 

 <pf their diver fions, as well as with that franknefs, 

 and that deference they difcover towards their- 



ecruals, 



