Page:Narrative of the Discoveries on the North Coast of America.djvu/346

316 myself at the telescope. But, before noon, the heavens cleared, the sun shone out, shorn of half his beams, and the natives were struck with amazement when I pointed out to them the moon-like form of the more glorious luminary. Then their chief conjuror, Zāedhi, confessed that he was but a child in knowledge. This reminds me of a singular coincidence in a prediction of that same personage, at Fort Confidence, regarding us, during our absence on the coast. After working himself up to the prophetic pitch with the aid of his drum and other mysteries, he suddenly exclaimed, in presence of the inmates, "I am afraid, I am afraid—I see Esquimaux dogs in their camp," &c. He afterwards assured his wondering auditory that he had been with us "in the spirit," and exhibited some balls belonging to my percussion gun, the first of that sort he had ever seen, which he pretended to have taken out of my pocket while asleep, though he had in reality abstracted them from my apartment, probably for this express purpose. The more horrible parts of his prediction were disproved by our safe return; but his single hit, regarding the dogs, was amply sufficient to secure him an enduring reputation among his credulous countrymen. The professions of conjuror and physician are among all savage nations united.