Page:Life and journals of Kah-ke-wa-quo-na-by.djvu/61

 that he had eighteen native scholars, and that the Indians were quite friendly to him. In our evening devotions we had a solemn time; our party prayed fervently for the conversion of these Indians. Turkey himself appeared very devout.

Saturday 27th. — Started to visit an Ojebway settlement of Indians, called Tumeko's Camp, about twelve miles down the river. Arrived there at 3 o'clock, ; after saluting old Tumeko, the Chief, and others, they showed us an empty wigwam, where we could stay, and gave us some green corn to roast; presently after they brought in a kettle of soup, upon which, we feasted. Here we were so beset with those little tormentors, puhbig (fleas), that sleep was out of the question; to obtain any rest, I made strings of basswood bark and tied my wrists and ankles tightly round. By this means I partly defeated their attacks.

Sunday 28th. — In the afternoon, we assembled the Chiefs and men together, in order to ascertain the state of their minds; we commenced by singing and prayer. I then endeavoured to point out to them the nature of the Christian religion, and the necessity for them to embrace it; they listened with great attention, and after I finished, they made their objections, stating that when God made the world he placed the Indians in this land and gave them their way of Worship; that the Hats (meaning the white people), were placed in another land over the great waters with their own way of worship, and concluded by saying that they would never quit their own way. They brought forward many other objections of a feeble nature. I answered some of them, but I saw that they were so determined to resist the Christian religion that all arguments for the present would be ineffectual. In my opinion one thing that made them oppose so strongly, was that they were making great preparations to hold a great pow-wow, or magic dance, when they intended to display all their magical arts and offer