( 209 ) 



know not how, he was curious to know what it re* 

 predated : he was told that it was the mother of 

 God, and that the child lhe held in her arms was 

 God himfelf, who had made himfelf man for the 

 falvation of the human fpecies : the myftery of this 

 ineffable incarnation was explained to him in a few 

 words, and he was further told, that in all dangers; 

 the Chriftians conftantly addrelTed themfelves to this 

 holy mother, who feldom failed to extricate them. 

 The Indian liftened to this difcourfe with a great 

 deal of attention, and fometime afterwards being 

 hunting by himfelf in the woods, an Outagami, 

 who had been lying in ambufh came upon him juft 

 as he had difcharged his piece, and levelled it at his 

 head. Then recollecting what he had been told a- 

 bout the Mother of God, he invoked her protec- 

 tion, and the Outagami endeavouring to difcharge 

 his piece it miffed fire. He cocked it a fecond 

 time, but the fame thing happened five tirrres run- 

 ning. In the mean time, the Illinois having loaded 

 his piece, levelled in his turn at the head of his e- 

 nemy, who chofe rather to furrender than to fuffer 

 himfelf to be mot. Ever fince this adventure, the IUi~ 

 nois chief will never ftir out of the village without 

 carrying his fafeguard with him, by means of which 

 he believes himfelf invulnerable. If this fa£b be true, 

 there is good reafon to believe that it has only been 

 thro' the neglecl of the miflionary that he has not 

 as yet become a Chriftian, and that the Mother o£ 

 God having thus preferved him from a temporal 

 death, will likewife procure him the grace of a fin* 

 cere converfion *. 



* He has in reality been fmce converted. 



Vol. II. P 



Scarce 



