It is a notion generally prevailing among them, that it was not the same _God_ made them, who made us; but that they were made after the white people. And they suppose their God gained some special skill by seeing the white people made, and so made _them_ better: for they look upon themselves, and their methods of living, (which they say, their god expressly prescribed) as vastly preferable to the white people, and their methods. And hence they will frequently sit and laugh at them as being good for nothing but to fatigue themselves, with hard labour; while _they_ enjoy the satisfaction of stretching themselves on the ground, and sleeping as much as they please; and have no other trouble than now and then to chase the deer. Hence, many of them look upon it as disgraceful for them to become Christians, as Christians do to become a Pagan: and though they suppose our religion will do well enough for us, because prescribed by our God, yet it is no ways proper for them, because not of the same original. *They seem to have some confused notion of a future state, and many of them imagine that the _chichang_, (_i. e._ the shadow,) or what survives the body, will at death go _southward_, and in an unknown but curious place, will enjoy some kind of happiness, such as hunting, feasting, dancing. And what they suppose will contribute much to their happiness in that state is, that they shall never be weary of those entertainments. Some of them have some faint notion of _rewards_ and _punishments_, or at least of _happiness_ and _misery_ in a future state; others seem to know no such thing. Those that suppose this, imagine that most will ♦be happy, and those that are not so, will be punished only with _privation_, being excluded the walls of that good world where happy souls shall dwell. ♦ “he” replaced with “be” These rewards and punishments they suppose to depend entirely upon their behaviour towards mankind, and not to have any reference to God. I once consulted a very ancient Indian upon this point, whether the Indians of old times had supposed there was any thing of the man that would survive the body? He replied yes. I asked him, further, whether it would be happy there? He answered, after some considerable pause, that the souls of good folks would be happy, and the souls of _bad_ folks miserable. I then asked who he called _bad folks_? His answer was, those who lie, steal, quarrel with their neighbours, are unkind to their friends, and especially to aged parents, and in a word are but a plague to mankind. These were his bad folks; but not a word was said of their neglect of divine worship, and their badness in that respect.