he
is divorced from her husband, and may then prostitute herself without
any scandal. If she has no inclination or relish for this way of life,
they compel her to it, in regard to their young men, who do not care to
marry, till they are arrived at full-ripe years, and for whom, on their
return from their warlike or hunting expeditions, they think it
necessary to provide such objects of amusement. They pretend withal,
that they are subject to insupportable pains in their loins, if such a
remedy is not at hand to relieve them. But once more you are to
remember, that I am only speaking of those people not yet converted to
Christianity, by which this licentiousness is not allowed. And yet,
notwithstanding the maxims we inculcate to them, the natives continue no
other than what they were before, that is to say, as much addicted to
venery as ever, and rarely miss an occasion of gratifying their appetite
to it. The only way we can think of to prevent their offending religion,
is to have them married as soon as they begin to feel themselves men.
The restraint however in this point is, what they can least endure.

In their unconverted state, their manner of courtship and marriage is as
follows: When a youth has an inclination to enter into the connubial
state, his father, or next relation, looks out for a girl, to whose
father the proposal is made: this being always transacted between the
parents of the parties to be married. The young man, who is commonly
about thirty years of age, or twenty at the least, rarely consults his
own fancy in this point. The girl, who is always extreamly young, is
never supposed to trouble her head about the measures that are taking to
marry her. When the parents on each side have settled the matter, the
youth is applied to, that he may prepare his calumet as soon as he
pleases.

The calumet used on these occasions, is a sort of spungeous reed, which
may furnish, according to its length, a number of calumets, each of
which is about a foot long, to be lighted at one end, the other serving
to suck in the smoak at the mouth, and is suffered to burn within an
inch of the lips.

The speech made to the youth on this occasion is as follows: "Thou
may'st go when thou wilt, by day or by night, to light thy calumet in
such a cabbin. Thou must observe to direct the smoak of it towards the
person who is designed for thee, and carry it so, that she may take such
a taste to this vapor, as to desire of thee tha