He ceased, began to talk with us and saying he was afraid it would not answer. Thus he did three times, and the bark moved every time with the same violence. Now he desired, in the beginning, that if his familiar would have compassion on him, he would render these three moose foolish that they might not be possessed of their usual cunning.
The next day we went out, the old man, his son and myself, a hunting. We were hungry; we walked till late in the day, and finding no tracks, I proposed our return. But he told me we ought to proceed, for in the low ground beyond a small ridge then near in sight of us we may perhaps find some tracks. "I am never deceived when I am answered (my bark dances)."
We soon reached this low ground and shortly after heard a noise: jumping, running, and breaking of sticks. "Ah! Here they are!" said the old man. "See how their head is turned! What a noise they make, how they play. They are foolish."
We killed them all. If you doubt me, ask any of the Indians, and see if they won't all tell you that he does so when he wants to kill.
[As Love Potions (Baptiste's Stories)]
Another story: for love potions or philters are also composed of this.
There were several young men (half-breeds) of us together, and also some young women who came with us to await the arrival of their husbands from Fort William at that place. Two of our party wanted to pay them a visit in the night. And I endeavoured to dissuade them, but to no purpose. They went, and met with the reception I foretold. They began bawling out, and on purpose, to awake every one near and shame us, for we were lodging by ourselves. And then [they] took good cudgels and pursued them into our place. We enjoyed this confusion of the others though partly at our own expense.
One of them then addressed me. "Come Baptiste, this bitch has vexed me. I know you have good medicine. Give me some of it that I may laugh at her in my turn." (I must tell you that one of them I have known many years back was, and is still, a bitch—i.e. according the Indian acceptation (as well as our own) of the term. And the man is the same one I mentioned little above, at the conclusion and beginning of p p. 30 and 31.)
I gave him some with the directions. He returned again very soon after (in the same night) [and] found her asleep. He then rubbed her forehead, opposite her heart, the pit of the stomach, and the palms of both hands. Then he awoke her. The next day as my comrades were desirous of revenging themselves, they broached the conversation publicly and had the laugh in their turn. The women had the best at the offset, but as they could not deny the other charges, they became extremely confused and vexed. A quarrel ensued, but my comrads exultingly told them, "We can turn and twist you now about our fingers as we please!" And they did too. For the women both giving suck at that time, thought it was their children that were handling them, as they used but one finger, and gently.
The other story is thus.