58 
Relation 
[1671 
first portion which they cut from the beasts which they 
sacrifice to the Devil, as the Evil-one, in order to appease 
him, & the second to God. 
Religion . All these Blacks believe that they will rise again & 
come back to the world, to lead the same life there; ’tis 
this which causes them whilst living to bury & hide 
whatever they have of greatest value, whether gold, silver, 
ambergris, coral, cornelians, glass trinkets, beads & other 
merchandises, believing they will find again these things 
when they shall be again risen from the dead ; they say 
that if they have nothing they will be slaves. 
Unless they did these things, the French would not find 
any trade with them, because they have more than suffi¬ 
cient of merchandise which they have purchas’d ever since 
the time that the French settl’d in the Island & that the 
Portuguese, English and Dutch have traded here. 
A number of these Natives occupy themselves with 
predicting things to come, and with knowing those things 
which have pass’d. They form a number of characters on 
the sand, & draw their conclusions from thence. They 
call this Mesquiller. 
’Tis a very true thing that there are many of these 
Blacks who devote themselves to the ministry of the 
demon, also they are oft beaten by him. These things 
are known by the French who have stay’d several years in 
the Island, not by hearsay only, for there are a few who 
have seen it. 
These Sorcerers, or Magicians, are fear’d & respected 
by the other Blacks, to whom they give the characters 
which they call Olfys, to guard them against many things, 
but they are deceiv’d. 
In fact all the Blacks are subject to be beaten & 
maltreated by the devil. Those who are baptis’d are 
beyond this danger: but there are many who, although 
they may be domicil’d with the French, & who see that 
