these scouts return, and then all lie down to sleep,
without leaving any pickets or sentries on duty. When
Champlain remonstrated with them for such gross
carelessness, they replied that they worked hard enough
during the daytime. The normal formation of an Indian
war-party embraced three divisions--the scouts, the main
body, and the hunters, the last always remaining in the
rear and chasing their game in a direction from which
they did not anticipate the appearance of the enemy.
Having arrived at a distance of two or three days' march
from their enemies, they united in a single party (save
for the scouts) and advanced stealthily by night. At this
juncture their food became baked Indian meal soaked in
water. They hid by day and made no fire, save that required
to smoke their tobacco.

Thus does Champlain describe the savage as he is about
to fall upon his foe. He gives special prominence to the
soothsayer, who on the eve of battle enters into elaborate
intercourse with the devil. Inside a wooden hut the
necromancer lies prostrate on the ground, motionless.
Then he springs to his feet and begins to torment himself,
counterfeiting strange tones to represent the speech of
the devil, and carrying on violent antics which leave
him in a stream of perspiration. Outside the hut the
Indians sit round on their haunches like apes and fancy
that they can see fire proceeding from the roof, although
the devil appears to the soothsayer in the form of a
stone. Finally, the chiefs, when they have by these means
learned that they will meet their enemy and kill a