The prince all this while hearken'd with great attention, (and one of our Abenaguis having given him to understand what I said,) einbraced me, and, with a smiling countenance, told me, that after the account I had given him of our great monarch, he could not but conceive the greatest respect and veneration for him; that he should the next day see M. de la Salle, and that he would give him more particular assurances of it. Whereupon I presented him in M. de la Salle's name, with a sword inlaid with gold and silver, some cases of razors, cizars, and knives, and some bottles of aqua vita. I cannot express the joy and satisfaction he receiv'd these small presents with. But I took notice, at the same time, that one of his wives, who had a pair of the cizars in her hand, admir'd very much the neatness of the work, and would now and then give me a smile, which I fancied might be a modest way of asking me for a pair too. I took an opportunity to draw near to her, and pulling out of my pocket a small steel case of filigreenwork, wherein was a pair of cizars, and a little tortoise-shell knife, and pretending to admire the whiteness and fineness of her garment, I slipt the case into her hand, and she received it, squeezing my hand pretty hard, which gave me reason to think, that these women have not hearts altogether so savage, but that they might easily be tamed by us, and taught the politer arts of conversation. Another of the company, who was not less pretty, and neatly accoutred, drawing nearer to us, gave me to understand by the thorns she shewed me, which she made use of to fasten her train, that some pins would be very acceptable to her. I gave her a paper of 'em, together with a case of needles and a silver thimble. These little trinkets she received with a wonderful joy; and then I gave as much to the two others. She who was the

finest and most agreeable of 'em, having taken notice that I admir'd a collar of large pearl that she had about her neck, took it off, and made an offer of it to me, with abundance of civility. I refus'd it a good while, but reflecting upon the plenty of pearls that is among them, and that the fishing for 'em was in the seas thereabouts, I made no further difficulty, and after a few more offers, I accepted of it. But, in return, I gave her ten yards of blew ribbon, which she valued at least at as high a rate.

The night now drawing on, I was going to take my leave of the prince, but he very earnestly desired me to stay 'till the next day, and gave the charge of me to an officer, to let me want for nothing. I did not want much courtship, and the desire I had to see a little of their manners and behaviour, made me readily enough accept of the kind offer. I was conducted into an apartment furnished much after the rate of that the prince was in. There they brought me a collation of wild-fowl, and fruit, and some liquors, of which I tasted. All that while there was an old gentleman with me, who was very good company, and especially because he resolved me all the questions I put to him. As for what concerns their politicks, he informed me that they were intirely govern'd by their prince's absolute will. That they obey'd him as their soveraign; that they own'd his children his lawful successors; that when he died, they sacrificed his first or chief wife, the first steward, and twenty men of his nation, to be his retinue and wait upon him in the other world. That during his life, no man drunk in his cup, nor eat out of his dish, or walk'd as he was passing by; that care was always taken, not only to clean the way for him, but also to strew it with sweet herbs and flowers. I observ'd in that little time I was in

his presence, that when he spoke to any body, they made a loud kind of humming before they answer'd him; and I begg'd this old gentleman to tell me the reason of it; he told me that this was lookt upon as a token of admiration and respect. As to their religion, he told me that they worship the sun; that they had their temples, their altars, and their priests. That in that temple, there was a fire which burnt perpetually, as the proper emblem of the sun. That at the decrease of the moon, they carried a great dish of their greatest dainties to the door of the temple, as an oblatory sacrifice; which the priests offer'd to their god, and then they carried it home, and feasted themselves with it.

As to their customs, every spring they go in a body to some retir'd place, and there turn up a large space of land, which they do with the druins beating all the while. After this, they take care to call it the desart, or the field of the spirit. And thither they go in good earnest, when they are in their enthusiastick fits, and there wait for inspiration from their pretended Deity. In the mean while, as they do this every year, it proves of no small advantage to them, for by this means they turn up all their land insensibly, and it becomes abundantly more fruitful. In autumn they gather their Indian corn, and they keep it in great baskets 'till the new moon in the next month of June: then the families get together, and every one invites his friends and neighbours to come and eat cakes, and some meat they get likewise; and thus they spend the day in feasting.

This is all I could learn that day of their religion, their government, and customs. The next day I had the curiosity of seeing their temple, and the old gentleman had me thither. The structure of it was exactly the same with that of the prince's house. As to the out-side, it is encompassed with

a great high wall, the space betwixt that and the temple forming a kind of court, where people may walk. On the top of the wall are several pikes to be seen, upon which are stuck the heads of their own most notorious criminals, or of their enemies. On the top of the frontispiece, there is a great knob raised, all covered round with hair, and above that, an heap of scalps in form of a trophy.

The inside of the temple is only a Nave, painted on all sides, at top with all sorts of figures; in the midst of it is an hearth instead of an altar, upon which there is continually three great billets burning, standing up on end; and two priests drest in white vestments, are ever looking after it, to make up the fire and supply it. It is round this that all the people come to say their prayers, with strange kind of hummings. The prayers are three times a day; at sun rise, at noon, and at sun set. They made me take notice of a sort of closet cut out of the wall, the inside of which was very fine: I could see only the roof of it, on the top of which there hung a couple of spread eagles, which look'd towards the sun. I wanted to go into it; but they told me it was the tabernacle of their God, and that it was permitted to none but their high priest to go into it. And I was told that this was the repository of their wealth and treasures; as pearls, gold and silver, precious stones, and some goods that came out of Europe, which they had from their neighbours.

After I had seen all these curiosities, I took my leave of all those that were with me, and went back with my two interpreters, to M. de la Salle, to whom I gave a faithful account of the good entertainment I had received from the Prince of the Tacucas; of his magnificence, and especially of his good inclinations to acknowledge the king's

authority. Some time after we saw him coming towards us, in a very magnificent barge, with drums beating, and the women that attended him playing on several instruments; some of them were in his own barge, some in others that went along by the side of it. M. de la Salle received him in a respectful manner, and yet with that gravity as best became him, considering the character he bore. He thanked him for the honour he did him, and told him he did not receive it but in the name of the prince his master; and that as he did not doubt but he was willing to acknowledge his power, so he might safely assure him of his royal friendship and protection. The Prince of the Tacuca's made answer, that what he had heard of the grandure of the French king, and of the valour of his subjects, would not permit him to hesitate, in paying him in person the hommage which he was perswaded was due to him whom he represented; and that tho' he was a soveraign, he chearfully submitted to our great king's power; and that he should be glad to merit our alliance and protection by his services. After these mutual protestations of friendship, they made each other their presents. M. de la Salle presented him with two pieces of ribbon, and some trinkets for his wives. The prince gave him six of his richest robes, a collar of pearl, a piroque or barge filled with ammunition and provision; after which, there was brought a dozen of bottles of aqua vita, prepar'd with sugar and almonds, and apricock kernels. Then the king's health was drunk, with a discharge of all our guns, after that of the Prince of the Tacuca's in like manner; after which he went again into his piroque, and went away very well satisfied.

We continued all that day on that shore, where we took the altitude, and found our selves at the 25th degree of latitude, the next day being the