Of Virgil, for instance, Parson Amen knew
but little; though in the progress of a very loose, but industrious
course of reading, he had learned that the soothsayers put great
faith in bees. His answer was given in conformity with this fact,
and in the most perfect good faith, for he had not the smallest
suspicion of what Boden wished to establish.
"Certainly--most certainly," answered the well-meaning missionary--
"the fortune-tellers of old times often went to their bees when they
wished to look into the future. It has been a subject much talked of
among Christians, to account for the soothsaying, and witchcraft,
and other supernatural dealings of those who lived in the times of
the prophets; and most of them have held the opinion that evil
spirits have been--nay, still are permitted to work their will on
certain men in the flesh. But bees were in much favor with the
soothsayers of old."
This answer was given in English, and little of it was comprehended
by Peter, and the others who had more or less knowledge of that
language, beyond the part which asserted the agency of bees in
witchcraft. Luckily, this was all le Bourdon desired, and he was
well satisfied at seeing that the idea passed from one chief to
another; those who did not know the English at all, being told by
those who had some knowledge of the tongue, that "bees were thought
to be 'medicine' among the pale-faces.
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