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182 REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND.
archives of the city, the fact turned out to be as was related, the merchant having
alterwards confefled, that, agreeably to the forcerer’s information, he had, on fuch a
day, flept with a girl. Asthe Laplander had mentioned a thoufand other facts of this
nature, which had been related to me in the country, by fo many men worthy of
credit, I confefs to you, Sir, that I could not help believing them.
Whether thefe things which I have mentioned to you be true or falfe, this is certain,
that the Laplanders have an implicit faith in the effects of the tabor, in which they are
ftregthened every day by the ftrange fuccefs which they obferve to attend it. If they
had no other inftrument but this to exercife their diabolical art, it would do harm to
none but themfelves; but they have befides this, another method of inflicting danger,
grief, difeafe, and even death itfelf, on thofe whom they wifh to injure. For this pur-
pofe, they employ a little ball of the fize of a pigeon’s egg, which they fend forth to
every part of the world, within a certain diftance, according to the extent of their
power; and when it happens, that this animated ball meets with any one on its road,
whether man or beaft, it goes no farther, but produces the fame effect upon the per-
fon whom it has ftruck, as it would have done on thofe for whom it was intended.
The Frenchman who was our interpreter during our journey in Lapland, and who had
refided thirty years at Swapavaray aflured us, that he had feveral times feen thefe balls
pals clofe by him. He told us, that it was impoffible to know the form which they
might aflume, he could only affure us, that they flew with remarkable {wiftnefs, and
left behind them a little blue track, which it was eafy to diftinguifh. He told us,
alfo, that one day, while croffing over a mountain, his dog, who clofely followed him,
was {truck by one of thefe gants, (for fo thefe balls are called) in confequence of
which he expired onthe fpot, although he was in good health the moment before.
He tried to difcover the place where his dog had been wounded, and obferved a hole
under his throat, without being able to find in his body that which had ftruck him.
They preferve thefe gants in leather bags, and, thofe among them who are malicious
{carcely fuffer aday to pafs, without throwing fome of thefe gants, and when they have
no perfon whom they wifh to injure, they throw them at random into the air, and when
it happens, that a Laplander, engaged in this profeflion, has any refentment againi{t
another of the fame fraternity, and wifhes to injure him, his gant will have no power,
fhould the other be more expert than him at the bufinefs, and a greater devil. All the
inhabitants of this country dread very much thefe emiflaries, and thofe who are known
to have the power of throwing them, are highly refpected, and no one dares to moleft
them. Such, Sir, is the whole information which I have been able to acquire, (refpect-
ing their magical arts,) by my own experience, as well as by the intelligence which I
have received from all the people of the country, whom I believed extremely worth
of belief, and particularly from the priefts, whom I have confulted on all thefe
fubjects. oi 5
As foon as our Laplander became intoxicated with fpirits, he wifhed to counterfeit
the forcerer; he took his tabor, and beginning to {trike it with the agitations and con-
torfions of a perfon pofleffed, we afked him, whether our fathers and mothers were yet
alive. It was very diflicult to fpeak with certainty on this fubjeCt; we were three in
number; the father of one, andthe mother of another were alive, while the third had
neither father nor mother. Our forcerer told us all this: and extricated himfelf very
well from the difficulty. Although thofe with whom we were, confifted of Finlanders
and Swedes, and could not have any knowledge of this matter which they might have
communicated to the Laplander, yet as they had to do with thofe who were not eafily
fatisfied, and who wifhed to have fomething more palpable, and more precife re
imple
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