( m ) 



and perfectly indifferent. When an eclipfe hap- 

 pens, they imagine there is a great battle in hea- 

 ven, and moot arrows in the air, in order to drive 

 away the pretended enemies of the fun and moon. 

 The Hurons in an eclipfe of the moon, were per- 

 fuaded me was indifpofed, and in order to recover 

 her out of her diftemper, ufed to make a great 

 noife, accompanied with abundance of ceremonies 

 and with prayers. Particularly, they never failed to 

 throw ftones at the dogs and beat them cruelly with 

 flicks to make them cry, imagining the moon to be 

 fond of thefe animals. 



Thefe Indians, as well as many others, could ne- 

 ver be brought to believe, that an eclipfe was an 

 indifferent thing and purely natural : they drew 

 good or bad auguries from it according to the place 

 of the fky in which that ftar happened to be ob- 

 fcured. Nothing aftonimed them more than to 

 fee with what exactnefs the miffionaries foretold 

 thefe phenomena, and they concluded from thence, 

 that they ought likewife to forefee their confequen- 

 ces. 



Thefe people are equally ignorant of the na- 

 ture of thunder ; fome taking it to be the voice 

 of a particular fpecies of men, who fly in the air, 

 while others imagine this noife proceeds from cer- 

 tain unknown birds. According to the Montag- 

 nais, it is the effort of a certain genius, in order 

 to vomit up a ferpent he had fwallowed, and they 

 fupport this opinion by alledging that when thun- 

 der falls on a tree they difcover a figure on it, fome- 

 thing refembling that animal. 



All 



