sorceries, the unparalleled calamities that afflicted them; and in
support of his charge he adduced a prodigious mass of evidence. When he
had spent his eloquence, Brebeuf rose to reply, and in a few words
exposed the absurdities of his statements; whereupon another accuser
brought a new array of charges. A clamor soon arose from the whole
assembly, and they called upon Brebeuf with one voice to give up a
certain charmed cloth which was the cause of their miseries. In vain the
missionary protested that he had no such cloth. The clamor increased.

"If you will not believe me," said Brebeuf, "go to our house; search
everywhere; and if you are not sure which is the charm, take all our
clothing and all our cloth, and throw them into the lake."

"Sorcerers always talk in that way," was the reply.

"Then what will you have me say?" demanded Brebeuf.

"Tell us the cause of the pest."

Brebeuf replied to the best of his power, mingling his explanations with
instructions in Christian doctrine and exhortations to embrace the Faith.
He was continually interrupted; and the old chief, Ontitarac, still
called upon him to produce the charmed cloth. Thus the debate continued
till after midnight, when several of the assembly, seeing no prospect of
a termination, fell asleep, and others went away. One old chief, as he
passed out said to Brebeuf, "If some young man should split your head,
we should have nothing to say." The priest still continued to harangue
the diminished conclave on the necessity of obeying God and the danger of
offending Him, when the chief of Ossossane called out impatiently,
"What sort of men are these? They are always saying the same thing,