Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/98

 86 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

If a two-years drought happens, the fynhedrim, at the earneft felicitation of the mortified finners, convene in a body, and make proper enquiry into the true caufe of their calamities-, becaufe (fay they) it is better to fpoil a few roguilh people, than a few roguifh people fhould fpoil Hottuk Oretoopah : The lot foon falls upon Jonas, and he is immediately fwallowed up. Too much rain is equally dangerous to thole red prophets. I was lately told by a gentleman of diftinguifhed character, that a famous rain-maker of the Mufkohge was mot dead, becaufe the river over-flowed their fields to a great height, in the middle of Auguft, and deftroyed their weighty har- veft. They afcribed the mifchief to* his ill-will, as the Deity, they fay, doth not injure the virtuous, and defigned him only to do good to the beloved people,

In the year 1747, a Nachee warrior told me, that while one of their prophets was ufmg his divine invocations for rain, according to the faint image of their ancient tradition, he was killed with thunder on the fpot ; upon which account, the fpirit of prophecy ever after fubfided among them, and he became the laft of their reputed prophets. They believed the holy Spirit of fire had killed him with fome of his angry darting fire, for wilful impurity; and by his threatening voice, forbad them to renew the like attempt and juftly concluded, that if they all lived well, they mould fare well, and have proper feafons. This opinion coincides with that of the Ifraelites, in taking fire for the material emblem of Yo- hewah ; by reckoning thunder the voice of the Almighty above, according to the fcriptural language ; by efteeming thunder-flruck individuals under the difpleafure of heaven and by obferving and enforcing fuch rules of purity, as none of the old pagan nations obferved, nor any, except the Hebrews.

As the prophets of the Hebrews had oracular anfwers, fo the Indian magi, who are to invoke YO HE WAH, and mediate with the fupreme holy fire, that he may give feafonable rains, have a tranfparent (lone, of fup- pofed great power in aflifting to bring down the rain, when it is put in a bafon of water j by a reputed divine virtue, imprefled on one of the like fort, in time of old, which communicates it circularly. This ftone would fufFer a great decay, they affert, were it even feen by their own laity ; but if by foreigners, it would be utterly defpoiled of its divine

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