56 



WANDERINGS IN 



First Tliougli this and other precautions are taken, such as 



Journey. 



frequently washmg the face and hands, still the Indians 



think that it aifects the health ; and the operator either 

 is, or what is more probable, supposes himself to be, sick 

 for some days after, 



Indian Tlius it appears that the making the wourali poison is 



superstition. 



considered as a gloomy and mysterious operation ; and 

 it would seem that they imagine it affects others as well 

 as him who boils it ; for an Indian agreed one evening to 

 make some for me, but the next morning he declined 

 having any thing to do with it, alleging that his wife was 

 _ with child ! 



Here it might be asked, are all the ingredients just 

 mentioned necessary, in order to produce the wourali 

 poison ? Though mir opinions and conjectures may 

 militate against the absolute necessity of some of them, 

 still it would be hardly fair to pronounce them added 

 by the hand of superstition, till proof positive can be 

 obtained. 



We might argue on the subject, and by bringing forward 

 instances of Indian superstition, draw our conclusion by 

 inferencCv and still remain in doubt on this head. You 

 know superstition to be the offspring of ignorance, and 

 of course that it takes up its abode amongst the rudest 

 tribes of uncivilked man. It even too often resides with 

 man in his more enlightened state. 



The Augustan age furnishes numerous examples. A 



