Genii, or makers of Light, induce them to believe that they greatly love their Nation, but that the wicked Manitou prevents them from procuring for it the blessings they would desire.

They imagine that he who longs for, or desires the death of another, especially if he be a sorcerer, will often have his wish gratified; but also the sorcerer who has had this wish dies after the others. It is strange to see how these people agree so well outwardly, and how they hate each other within. They do not often get angry and [159] fight with one another, but in the depths of their hearts they intend a great deal of harm. I do not understand how this can be consistent with the kindness and assistance that they offer one another.

One of these Sorcerers or Jugglers told me that occasionally the devil speaks to some Savage, who hears only his voice, without seeing any one. He will say to him, for example, "Thou wilt find a stone upon the snow, or in such a place, or in the heart, or the shoulder, or some other part of an Elk, or of another animal; take this stone, and thou wilt be lucky in the chase.” He assured me that he had found one of these stones in the heart of an Elk, and that he had given it to a Frenchman. "Hence I shall kill nothing more," said he.

He also said that the Devil made himself known

through dreams. A Moose will present itself to a man in his sleep, and will say to him, "Come to me." The Savage, upon awaking, goes in search of the Moose he has seen. Having found it, if he hurls or launches his javelin upon it, the beast falls stonedead. Opening it, he occasionally finds some hair or a stone in its body, which he takes and keeps with

s'il lance ou darde fur luy son espee, la beste tombe roide mort: l'ouurant il trouue par fois du poil ou quelque pierre dans fon corps, il le prend & le gardent foigneufement pour eftre heureux à rencontrer & tuer force animaux.

[160] De plus il adiouftoit que les Demons leur enfeignoyent à faire des vnguens de crapaux & de ferpens pour faire mourir ceux qu'ils ont en hayne. S'il dit vray, il n'y a point de doute qu'ils n'ayent communication auec le Diable. Ie croy que de cefte fuperstition ou refuerie eft prouenuë vne coustume qu'ont les Sauuages d'auoir vn fac fi particulier pour eux, que pas vn autre n'oferoit regarder dedans, ils s'en offenferoyent peut-eftre iufques à s'entretuer. Ils ne veulent pas qu'on voye ceste pierre ou chofe femblable s'ils en ont: & l'vn d'eux me dit vn iour, en ce poinct tu cognoiftras fi vn Sauuage veut croire veritablement en Dieu, s'il te donne ceste pierre s'il en a quelqu'vne.

Makheabichtichiou m'a raconté qu'eftant encor jeune garçon & chaffant tout feul dans les bois, il vit venir à foy vn Genie du iour: il eftoit veftu & paré comme vn Hiroquois, il eftoit porté par l'air: Ie m'arrestay, difoit-il, tout remply de peur: il s'arresta auffi vn peu loing de moy, toute la terre à l'entour de luy fembloit trembler: il me dit que ie ne craigniffe point, que ie ne mourrois pas fi toft, mais qu'il n'en feroit pas de mefme de mes gens. En fin, ie le vy enleuer [161] en l'air difparoiffant de deuant mes yeux. le retourne en la Cabanne tout efpouuanté, ie raconte ce que i'auois veu à mes compatriotes: ils prirent cela à mauuais augure, & dirent que quelqu'vn d'eux feroit tué par leurs ennemis. Incontinent apres

great care, that he may be fortunate in finding and killing many animals.

[160] Moreover, he added that the Demons taught them to make ointments from toads and snakes, to cause the death of those whom they hate. If he tells the truth, there is no doubt they have communication with the Devil. I believe that from this superstition or notion has sprung a custom the Savages observe, of having a little bag so especially for their own use, that no one else would dare look inside of it; they would be greatly offended thereat, perhaps even so much as to kill the other. They are unwilling that any one should see this stone, or similar object, if they have one; and one of them said to me one day, "In this way thou wilt know whether a Savage really desires to believe in God, if, having one of these stones, he gives it to thee."

Makheabichtichiou has related to me that once, when he was still a young lad, and was hunting all alone in the woods, he saw coming toward him a Genie of light; he was dressed and adorned like an Hiroquois, and was borne through the air. "I halted," said he, "filled with fear. He stopped also, at a little distance from me, and all the earth around him seemed to tremble. He told me that I should not fear; that I would not die so soon, but that it would not be the same with my people. last I saw him rise [161] into the air, and disappear before my eyes. I returned to the Cabin, thoroughly frightened, and related to my countrymen what I had seen; they took it as a bad sign, and said that some one of them would be killed by their enemies. Immediately after this, some one came to tell them that one of their fasters, being separated from the

At

on leur vint dire que l'vn de leurs jeufneurs feparé des autres auoit esté furpris & maffacré des Hiroquois : Si la crainte qui fait voir à l'imagination ce qui n'est pas, ne troubloit point la fantasie de cét homme, fans doute le Diable luy eftoit apparu, quoy qu'il n'eftoit point Sorcier.

Ie me fuis laiffé dire par vn Sauuage que ils croient que les Genies du Iour ont les yeux de trauers, l'vn haut & l'autre bas. Come i'ay parlé d'eux aux autres Relatios, ie n'en dirai point dauantage en ce lieu. Respondons à la question propofee en teste de ce Chapitre, fçauoir, fi ces Sorciers ont vraiement communication auec le Diable? Si ce que ie viens de dire eft veritable, il ne faut point douter que les Demons ne se manifestent par fois à eux: mais i'ay creu iufques à maintenant qu'en effect le diable les abufoit, rempliffant leur entendement d'erreurs, & leur volonté de malice. Mais ie me perfuadois qu'il ne fe [162] defcouuroit point fenfiblement, & que tout ce que faifoyent leurs Sorciers n'eftoient que des Iongleries qu'ils inuentoient, pour en tirer quelque proffit. Ie commance maintenant à douter, voire à pancher de l'autre costé, pour les raisons fuiuantes.

I'ay dit autresfois que voulans confulter les Genies du Iour, ils dreffoient des Tabernacles, fichans des pieux en terre, les lians & arreftans auec vn cercle, puis les entourans de robes ou de couuertures: quãd le forcier eft entré là dedans & qu'il a chanté & inuoqué ces Genies ou Demons, le Tabernacle commance à branfler: Or ie me figurois que le Sorcier l'esbranfloit, mais Makheabichtichiou me parlant à cœur ouuert, & le Sorcier Pigarouich me defcouurant auec grande fincerité toutes fes malices, m'a protesté que

others, had been surprised and murdered by the Hiroquois." If fear, which makes the imagination see what is not there, did not trouble this man's fancy, then doubtless the Devil appeared to him, although he is not a Sorcerer.

I have been told by a Savage that they think the eyes of the Genii of Light are in an oblique line, one above and the other below. As I have spoken of them in other Relations, I will say no more about them here. Let us answer the question proposed in the heading of this Chapter, namely, whether these Sorcerers really have communication with the Devil. If what I am about to tell is true, there is no doubt that the Demons sometimes manifest themselves to them; but I have believed until now that in reality the devil deluded them, filling their understandings with error and their wills with malice, though I persuaded myself that he did not [162] reveal himself visibly, and that all the things their Sorcerers did were only Deceptions they contrived, in order to derive therefrom some profit. I am now beginning to doubt, even to incline to the other side, for the following reasons:

I have said before that, when they intended to consult the Genii of Light, they prepared Tents by driving stakes into the ground, binding and fastening them with a hoop, then covering them with robes or blankets. When the sorcerer has entered therein, and has sung and invoked these Genii or Demons, the Tent begins to shake. Now I imagined that the Sorcerer shook it; but Makheabichtichiou, speaking to me frankly, and the Sorcerer Pigarouich, revealing to me with great sincerity all his knaveries, protested to me that it was not the Sorcerer who moved this