suffered his victim to escape, would have tarnished his manhood. Uttering a terrific yell, he rushed on, and attempted to stab the exhausted ranger; while the latter, warding off the spear with one hand, brandished his rifle barrel in the other. The Indian, unwounded, was now, by far, the most powerful man, but the moral courage of our hero prevailed; and the Savage-unable to bear the fierce glance of his untamed eye-began to retreat slowly towards the place where he had dropped his rifle. Tom knew, that if the Indian recovered his gun, his own case was hopeless, and, throwing away his rifle barrel, he drew his huntingknife, and rushed in upon him. A desperate strife ensued, and several deep gashes were inflicted, but the Indian succeeded in casting Higgins from him, and ran to the spot where he had thrown down his gun, while Tom searched for the gun of the other Indian; thus, the two, bleeding and out of breath, were both searching for arms, to renew the conflict. By this time, the smoke that lay between the combatants and the main body of the Indians, had passed away, and a number of the latter having passed the hazel thicket, were in full view. It seemed, therefore, as if nothing could save our heroic ranger;-but relief was at hand. The little garrison, at the station, six or seven in number, bad witnessed the whole of this unparalleled combat. There was among them a heroic woman, a Mrs. Pursley, who, when she saw Higgins contending singly with the foe, urged the men to go to his rescue. The Rangers, at first, considered the attempt hopeless; as the Indians outnumbered them, ten to one. But Mrs. Pursley declaring that so fine a fellow as Tom should not be lost for want of help, snatched a rifle out of her husband's hand, and jumping on a horse, sallied out. The men-who, not to be outdone by a woman-followed at full gallop towards the place of combat. A scene of intense interest ensued:the Indians at the thicket had just discovered Tom, and were rushing down towards him, with savage yells; his friends were spurring their horses to reach him first. Higgins, exhausted with the loss of blood, had fallen and fainted, while his adversary, too intent on his prey to observe any thing else, was looking for a rifle. The Rangers reached the battle-ground first. Mrs. Pursley, who knew Tom's spirit, thought he had thrown himself down, in despair for the loss of his gun, and tendered him the one she carried; but Tom was past shooting. His friends lifted him up, threw him across a horse before one of the party, and turned to retreat, just as the Indians came up. They made good their retreat, and the Indians retired. We repeat this adventure just as it was related to us, and have not the least doubt that it is literally correct, or as nearly so as Mr. Higgins's opportunities for observation. would admit. For, as he very properly observes, he was in a desperate bad fix,' just about that time, and it was a 'powerful bad chance' for a man to take notice of what was going on around him. After being carried into the fort, he remained insensible for some days, and his life was preserved with difficulty by his friends, who extracted all the bullets but two, which remained in the thigh; one of which gave him a great deal of pain for several years, although the flesh was healed. At length he heard that a physician had settled within a day's ride of him, who he went to see. The physician was willing to extract the ball, but asked the moderate sum of fifty dollars for the operation.* This Tom flatly refused to give, as it was more than half a year's pension. As he rode home, he turned the matter in his mind, and determined upon a cheaper plan;-when he reached home, he requested his wife to hand him a razor,-the exercise of riding had so chafed the part, that the ball, which usually was not discoverable to the touch, could be felt. With the assistance of his helpmate, he very deliberately laid open his thigh, until the edge of the razor touched the bullet, and inserting his two thumbs into the gash, flirted it out,' as he termed it, 'without costing a cent.' The other ball remains in his limb yet, but gives him no trouble, except when he uses violent exercise. He is now one of the most successful hunters in the country, and it still takes the 'best kind of a man' to handle him. * The name of this unfeeling man ought to have been published to the world.-Ed. LA HONTAN'S ACCOUNT OF CANADIAN INDIANS. The following is a translation from the Baron La Hontan's Letters, written in 1690, shortly after the settlement of Canada by the French: These people (the Indians) cannot conceive how the Europeans who attribute to themselves so much wit and capacity-can be so blind or ignorant, as not to perceive that marriage is to them a constant source of uneasiness and pain. This engagement for life causes them a surprise, which they cannot overcome; they regard it a monstrous thing, for people to bind themselves together, without the slightest hope of breaking the knot;-in fine, they think, that we deserve no other lot but that of slavery. Amongst themselves, it is permitted to man and wife to separate when they please. Generally, they give notice eight days beforehand, and give reasons for leaving each other, honourably. But sometimes, they say nothing more than that they are unwell, and that single life is more suitable to their health than marriage. The presents which have been given to the parents of the couple are brought to the cabin where the ceremony takes place, and burnt in their presence. It is worthy of remark, that these separations are without complaint, dispute, or contradiction. The women are as free as the men to marry again, when they please; but commonly they wait three months, and sometimes six, before they contract a second engagement. When they separate, the children are divided equally-for children are the riches of the Indian-if the number is unequal, the wife has one more than the husband. Although they have the complete liberty of changing, there are many Indians who have but one wife, whom they protect through life; they observe towards each other an inviolable fidelity, during the time of their marriage. One of the Savages, reasoning most absurdly, said to me, "You have an idea of GOD, as of a man, who, having a small arm of the sea to pass, takes a round-about journey of five or six leagues." This remark could not but embarrass me. "Why," said he, "does not your GOD-who can easily conduct men to eternal happiness, to reward merit and virtue-take this short way, and not conduct a just man by the road of pain, to the goal of eternal happiness?" What a strange mania affects these people, who will not absolutely believe any thing but what is probable or visible to the senses,--this is the principle of their abstract religion' There is one passage of the Scriptures which shocks them, 'Multi vocati pauci vero electi ;'-many are called, but few are chosen. "If GOD has said it, it must be so; nothing can prevent it. But, if from three men, one is saved, and the other two damned, then the condition of a deer is better than that of man, even if the chances were equal;—that is to say, if but one of them were damned." This is the objection which The Rat, an ingenious and politic Chief, made to me. One day, during the chase, he observed, with regard to the incarnation and crucifixion, "that God told GOD that God must die, to satisfy God." When we placed before their eyes the revelations of Moses and the other prophets, they asked us-If my father or my grandfather had seen these events; and whether I was so credulous as to imagine that our Scriptures were true, when we knew that the relations of their countryeven but a few days after the events-were full of fables. "The faith which the Jesuits want to cram into our heads, is nothing else but what we call Tirerigan, that is to say, conviction. To be convinced, we must see a thing with our own eyes, or be satisfied of its existence by clear and solid proofs." * * * The priests and I-far from being able to explain and prove to them our mysteries-did nothing more than increase the darkness and obscurity of their minds. In short, I have found myself fifty times puzzled to answer their impertinent objections. They suppose that man ought never to deprive himself of the privileges of reason, since it is the most noble faculty with which God hath endowed him! and as the Christian religion is not consistent with this reason, then it follows, that God must have deceived men, in enjoining men to consult this reason, to discern between right and wrong. SUPERSTITION OF A SOUTH AMERICAN INDIAN. Among the more innocent superstitions of the Indians— of which (says our author) there are as many as among my countrymen in the Emerald Isle,-I shall relate the following, as I happened to be personally concerned in it. A fine Indian youth, of shining copper colour, with hair of jet flowing down his shoulders, called at the great gate of the house at which I lodged, and requested, 'for the love of Maria Santissima,' to be permitted to pass into my room, for he had a subject of infinite importance (suma importancia) to communicate. He passed on, and, entering my room, threw himself on his knees, in an attitude of supplication, from which I with difficulty raised him, saying, that was the posture for addressing heaven, but not me. He replied, that I could now be of more use to him than heaven; and implored, with tears in his eyes, that I might assent to his prayer. I was all amazement. He said he was a servant of the Condeva, who had turned him out of the house, in consequence of a silver dish having been stolen last night, and his fellow servant having accused him of being the thief. He knew, he said, that I possessed an armadillo, which had discovered to me, on a former occasion, the thief who had stolen my silver plates. He now threw himself again on his knees, and prayed that I would consult the armadillo, as to the facts, and thereby relieve him from a charge, of which I must have known that he was altogether innocent. Aware of the strange superstitions of the Indians, respecting these little animals, and having heard several curious stories concerning them, this application was not altogether a surprise to me. I, however, assured the Indian, that I did not possess an armadillo, but only the shell of one-which I produced, in the hope of satisfying him on that point. But I was mistaken; for he insisted that it was well known that I had one alive, and that, by means of it, I had detected the thief that stole the pick-axe, and had also laid open several other evil deeds done in Potosi, and |