[ 33 ] 
his body after the moft violent manner, till 
nature has almoft loft all her faculties before 
the ftubborn fpirit will become vifible to him, 
which they say is generally in the shape of 
fome bird. There is usually a ftake drove into 
the ground about four foot high and painted. 
I fuppofe this they defign for the winged airy 
Being to perch upon, while he reveals to the 
invocant what he has taken fo much pains to 
know. However, I find different nations 
have different ways of obtaining the pretended 
information. Some have a bowl of water, 
into which they often look, when their 
ftrength is almost exhaufted, and their fenfes 
failing, to fee whether the fpirit is ready to 
anfwer their demands. I have feen many of 
thefe places in my travels. They differ from 
their fweating coops, in that they are often 
far from water, and have a ftake by the cage, 
yet both have a heap of red hot ftones put in. 
At n we dreffed our dinner, and found an 
Indian by the river fide, refting himfelf; all 
his provifion was a dried eel ; this he made us 
a. prefent of, and we gave him a fhare of our 
dinner. Their way of roafting eels is thus ; 
they cut a ftick about three foot long, and as 
thick as one’s thumb, they fplit it about a 
foot down, and when the eel is gutted, they 
coil it between the two fides of the ftick, 
and bind the top clofe, which keeps the eel 
flat, ana then ftick one end in the ground be- 
fore a good fire. 
F 
At 
