CHAPITRE XIII.

[66] CONTENANT VN IOURNAL DES CHOSES QUI N'ONT PEU ESTRE COUCHÉES SOUS LES CHAPITRES PRECEDENS.

SI ce Chapitre estoit le premier dans ceste relation, il donneroit quelque lumiere à tous les suiuans: mais ie luy ay donné le dernier rang, pource qu'il se grossira tous les iours iusques au depart des vaisseaux, par le rencontre des choses plus remarquables qui pourront arriuer, n'estant qu'vn memoire en forme de Iournal, de tout ce qui n'a peu estre logé dans les Chapitres precedens.

CHAPTER XIII.

CONTAINING A JOURNAL OF THINGS WHICH COULD NOT BE SET FORTH IN THE PRECEDING CHAPTERS.

IF this Chapter were the first in this relation, it would throw some light upon all the following ones; but I have given it the last place, because it will continue to increase every day until the departure of the ships, through the occurrence of more noteworthy events which may happen. It is only a memoir, in the form of a Journal, of all the things that could not be given in the preceding Chapters.

Apres le depart de nos François qui sortirent de la rade de Kebec, le 16. d'Aoust de l'an passé 1633. pour tirer à Tadoussac, & de là en France, cherchant [210] l'occasion de conuerser auec les sauuages, pour apprendre leur langue; ie me transportay delà le grand fleuue de sainct Laurens dans vne cabane de fueillages, & allois tous les iours à l'escole dans celles des sauuages, qui nous enuironnoient, alleché par l'esperance que i'auois, sinon de reduire le Renegat à son deuoir, du moins de tirer de luy quelque cognoissance de sa langue: ce miserable estoit nouuellement arriué de Tadoussac, où il s'estoit mõstré fort contraire aux François, la faim qui pressoit l'Apostat & ses freres, les fit monter à Kebec pour trouuer dequoy viure: estãs donc occupez à leur pesche, i'estois fort souuent en leur cabane, inuitant par fois le Renegat [68] de venir vne autre fois hyuerner auec nous dans nostre maisonnette, il s'y fust aysément accordé n'estoit qu'il auoit pris femme d'vne autre nation que la sienne, & qu'il ne la pouuoit pas renuoyer pour lors: voyant donc qu'il ne me pouuoit pas suiure, ie luy iettay quelque propos de passer l'hyuer auec luy, mais sur ces entrefaictes vne furieuse tempeste nous ayant battu en ruine certaine nuict, le [211] Pere de Noüe, deux de nos hommes, & moy, dans nostre cabane, ie fus saisy d'vne grosse fiéure, qui me fit chercher nostre petite maisonnette pour y trouuer la santé.

After the departure of our French,—who left the roadstead of Kebec on the 16th of August of last year, 1633, to sail for Tadoussac and thence to France,—in order to have [210] opportunity of conversing with the savages, and thus learning their language, I crossed the great saint Lawrence river to a cabin of branches, and went every day to school in those of the savages, who were encamped around me,—allured by my hopes, if not of bringing the Renegade to a sense of his duty, at least of drawing from him some knowledge of the language. This poor wretch had newly arrived from Tadoussac, where he had shown great repugnance to the French. The famine which afflicted this Apostate and his brothers caused them to come up to Kebec in search of food. Now, as they were occupied in fishing, I was very often in their cabin, and occasionally invited the Renegade to come again and pass the winter with us in our little house. He would very readily have agreed to this, had he not taken a wife from another nation than his own, and he could not send her away then. Therefore, seeing that he could not follow me, I threw out some hints about passing the winter with him; but during these negotiations, a furious tempest having one night swept down upon us, [211] Father de Noüe, two of our men, and myself, in our cabin, I was seized with a violent fever, which made me go back to our little home to recover my health.

L'Apostat ayant veu mon inclination traicta de mon dessein auec ses freres, il en auoit trois, l'vn nommé Carigonan, & surnommé des François l'Espousée, pource qu'il fait le grand comme vne espousée, c'est le plus fameux sorcier, ou manitousiou, (c'est ainsi qu'ils appellent ces iongleurs) de tout le pays, c'est celuy dont i'ay fort parlé cy-dessus: l'autre se nómme Mestigoït, ieune homme âgé de quelque trente-cinq ou quarante ans, braue Chasseur, & d'vn bon naturel: le troisiesme se nommoit Sasousinat, c'est le plus heureux de tous: car il est maintenant au Ciel, estãt mort bon Chrestien, comme ie l'ay fait voir au Chapitre second. Le sorcier ayant appris du Renegat que ie voulois hyuerner auec les Sauuages, me vint voir sur la fin de ma maladie, & m'inuita de prendre sa cabane, me donnant pour raison qu'il aymoit les bons, pource qu'il estoit bon, qu'il auoit [212] tousiours esté bon dés sa tendre ieunesse: il me demanda si Iesus ne m'auoit parlé de la maladie qui le trauailloit: viens, me disoit-il, auec moy, & tu me feras viure maintenant: ie suis en danger de mourir: [70] or comme ie le cognoissois comme vn homme tres-impudent, ie l'éconduy le plus doucement qu'il me fut possible, & tirant à part l'Apostat, qui taschoit de m'auoir de son costé, ayant tesmoigné au Pere de Noüe quelque desir de retourner à Dieu, ie luy dy que i'hyuernerois volontiers auec luy, & auec son frere Mestigoït, à condition que nous n'irions point de la le grand fleuue, que le sorcier ne seroit point en nostre compagnie, & que luy qui entend bien la langue Françoise m'enseigneroit: ils m'accorderent tous deux ces trois conditions, mais ils n'en tindrent pas vne.

The Apostate, seeing how I was inclined, discussed my plan with his brothers. There were three of them; one named Carigonan, and surnamed by the French the Married Man, because he made a great deal of the fact that he was married. He was the most famous sorcerer, or manitousiou, (thus they call these jugglers) of all the country; it is he of whom I have spoken above. The other was called Mestigoït, a young man about thirty-five or forty years of age, a brave Hunter, and endowed with a good disposition. The third was called Sasousinat, who is the happiest of all, for he is now in Heaven, having died a good Christian, as I stated in the second Chapter. The sorcerer, having learned from the Renegade that I wished to pass the winter with the Savages, came to see me toward the end of my sickness, and invited me to share his cabin,—giving me as his reason that he loved good men, because he himself was good, and had [212] always been so from his early youth. He asked me if Jesus had not spoken to me about the disease which tormented him. "Come," said he, "with me, and thou wilt make me live now, for I am in danger of dying." But as I knew him for a very impudent fellow, I refused him as gently as I could; and, taking the Apostate aside, who also wished to have me, as he had shown to Father de Noüe that he had some desire to return to God, I told him that I would be glad to winter with him and with his brother Mestigoït, on condition that we should not go across the great river, that the sorcerer should not be of our party, and that he, who understood the French language well, would teach me. They both agreed to these three conditions, but they did not fulfill one of them.

Le iour du départ estant pris, ie leur donnay pour mon viure vne barrique de galette, que nous empruntasmes au magazin de ces Messieurs, vn sac de farine, & des espics de bled d'Inde, quelques pruneaux, & quelques naueaux, [213] ils me presserent fort de porter vn peu de vin, mais ie n'y voulois point entendre, craignant qu'ils ne s'enyurassent: toutesfois m'ayans promis qu'ils n'y toucheroient point sans ma permission, & les ayant asseuré qu'au cas qu'ils le fissent, que ie le ietterois dans la mer, ie suiuy l'inclination de ceux qui me conseillerent d'en porter vn petit barillet; ie promis en outre à Mestigoït que ie le prenois pour mon hoste: car l'Apostat n'est pas Chasseur, & n'a aucune conduite, que ie luy ferois quelque present au retour, comme i'ay fait: c'est l'attente de ces viures qui leur fait desirer d'auoir vn François auec eux.

On the day of our departure I gave them, for my support, a barrel of sea biscuit, which we borrowed from the storehouse of those Gentlemen, a sack of flour, some ears of Indian corn, some prunes, and some parsnips. [213] They urged me very strongly to take a little wine, but I did not wish to yield to them, fearing they would get drunk. However, having promised me they would not touch it without my permission, and having assured them that, if they did, I would throw it into the sea, I followed the advice of those who counseled me to carry a little barrel of it. Also I promised Mestigoït that I would take him for my host, for the Apostate is not a Hunter, and has no management; but I promised to make him a present upon our return, which I did. It was the expectation of this food which made them wish to have a Frenchman with them.

Ie m'embarquay donc en leur chalouppe, iustement le 18. d'Octobre, faisant profession de petit écolier à mesme iour que i'auois autrefois fait profession de maistre de nos écoles, estãt allé prendre congé de [72] Monsieur nostre Gouuerneur, il me recommãda tres-particulieremẽt aux Sauuages, mon hoste luy repartit, si le Pere meurt ie mourray auec luy, & iamais plus on ne me reuerra en ce pays icy, nos Frãçois me tesmoignoient [214] tout plein de regret de mon depart, veu les dangers esquels on s'engage en la fuitte de ces Barbares. Les Adieu faits de part & d'autre, nous fismes voile enuiron les dix heures du matin, i'estois seul de François auec vingt Sauuages, comptant les hommes, les femmes, & les enfans, le vent & la marée nous fauorisans, nous allasmes descendre au delà de l'Isle d'Orleans dans vne autre Isle nommée des Sauuages Ca ouahascoumagakhe, ie ne sçay si la beauté du iour se respandoit dessus ceste Isle, mais ie la trouuay fort agreable.

So I embarked in their shallop on the 18th of October precisely, making profession as a little pupil on the same day that I had previously begun the profession of master of our schools. When I went to take leave of Monsieur our Governor, he recommended me very particularly to the Savages; and my host answered him, "If the Father dies, I will die with him, and you will never see me in this country again." Our French people showed [214] the most profound regret at my departure, knowing the dangers that one encounters in following these Barbarians. When all our Farewells were said, we set sail about ten o'clock in the morning. I was the only Frenchman, with twenty Savages, counting the men, women and children. The wind and tide were favorable, and we turned to go down past the Island of Orleans to another Island called by the Savages Ca ouahascoumagakhe; I know not whether it was the beauty of the day which spread over this Island, but I found it very pleasant.

Si tost que nous eusmes mis pied à terre, mon hoste prend vne harquebuse qu'il a acheté des Anglois, & s'en va chercher nostre souper: cependant les femmes se mettent à bastir la maison où nous deuions loger. Or l'Apostat s'estãt pris garde que tout le monde estoit occupé, s'en retourna à la chalouppe qui estoit à l'anchre, prit le petit barillet de vin & en beut auec tel excez, que s'estãt enyuré comme vne souppe, il tomba dedans l'eau, & se pensa noyer: enfin il en sortit apres auoir bien barbotté, il s'en vint vers le lieu où on dressoit la cabane, [215] criant & hurlant comme vn demoniaque, il arrache les perches, frappe sur les écorces de la cabane, pour tout briser: les femmes le voyant dans ces fougues s'enfuyent dans le bois, qui deçà qui delà, mon Sauuage que ie nomme ordinairemẽt mon hoste, faisoit boüillir dans vn chauderon quelques oyseaux qu'il auoit tuez: cet yurogne suruenãt rompt la cramaillere, & renuerse [74] tout dans les cendres: à tout cela pas vn ne fait mine d'estre fasché, aussi est ce folie de se battre contre vn fol, mon hoste ramasse ses petits oyseaux, les va luy-mesme lauer à la riuiere, puise de l'eau, & remet la chaudiere sur le feu, les femmes voyant que cét homme enragé couroit ça & là sur le bord de l'Isle, écumant comme vn possedé, viennent viste prendre leurs écorces, & les emportent en vn lieu écarté, de peur qu'il ne les mette en pieces comme il auoit commencé: à peine eurent-elles le loysir de les rouler qu'il parut aupres d'elles tout forcené, & ne sçachant sur qui descharger sa fureur: car elles disparurent incontinent à la faueur de la nuict qui commençoit à nous cacher, il s'en vint [216] par le feu qui se descouuroit par sa clarté, & voulant mettre la main sur la chaudiere pour la renuerser vne autre fois, mon hoste son frere, plus habile que luy, la prit & luy ietta au nez toute boüillante comme elle estoit, ie vous laisse à penser quelle contenance tenoit ce pauure homme, se voyant pris à la chaude, iamais il ne fut si bien laué, il changea de peau en la face, & en tout l'estomach, pleust à Dieu que son ame eust changé aussi bien que son corps: il redouble ses hurlemens, arrache le reste des perches, qui estoient encor debout: mon hoste m'a dit depuis qu'il demandoit vne hache pour me tuer, ie ne sçay s'il la demanda en effect, car ie n'entendois pas son langage, mais ie sçay bien que me presentant à luy pour l'arrester il me dit, parlant François, Retirez-vous, ce n'est pas à vous à qui i'en veux, laissez-moy faire, puis me tirant par la sotane, Allons, disoit-il, embarquons-nous dans un canot, retournons en vostre maison, vous ne cognoissez pas ces gens cy, ce qu'ils en font, c'est [76] pour le ventre, ils ne se soucient pas de vous, mais de vos viures, [217] à cela ie répondois tout bas à part moy, in vino veritas.

As soon as we had set foot on land, my host took an arquebus he had bought from the English, and went in search of our supper. Meanwhile the women began to build the house where we were to lodge. Now the Apostate, having observed that every one was busy, returned to the boat that was lying at anchor, took the keg of wine, and drank from it with such excess, that, being drunk as a lord, he fell into the water and was nearly drowned. Finally he got out, after considerable scrambling, and started for the place where they were putting up the cabin. [215] Screaming and howling like a demon, he snatched away the poles and beat upon the bark of the cabin, to break everything to pieces. The women, seeing him in this frenzy, fled to the woods, some here, some there. My Savage, whom I usually call my host, was boiling in a kettle some birds he had killed, when this drunken fellow, coming upon the scene, broke the crane and upset everything into the ashes. No one seemed to get angry at all this, but then it is foolish to fight with a madman. My host gathered up his little birds and went to wash them in the river, drew some water and placed the kettle over the fire again. The women, seeing that this madman was running hither and thither on the shores of the Island, foaming like one possessed, ran quickly to get their bark and take it to a place of security, lest he should tear it to pieces, as he had begun to do. They had scarcely had time to roll it up, when he appeared near them completely infuriated, and not knowing upon what to vent his fury, for they had suddenly disappeared, thanks to the darkness which had begun to conceal us. He approached [216] the fire, which could be seen on account of its bright light, and was about to take hold of the kettle to overturn it again; when my host, his brother, quicker than he, seized it and threw the water into his face, boiling as it was. I leave you to imagine how this poor man looked, finding himself thus deluged with hot water. He was never so well washed. The skin of his face and whole chest changed. Would to God that his soul had changed as well as his body. He redoubled his howls, and began to pull up the poles which were still standing. My host has told me since that he asked for an ax, with which to kill me; I do not know whether he really asked for one, as I did not understand his language; but I know very well that, when I went up to him and tried to stop him, he said to me in French, "Go away, it is not you I am after; let me alone;" then pulling my gown, "Come," said he, "let us embark in a canoe, let us return to your house; you do not know these people here; all they do is for the belly, they do not care for you, but for your food." [217] To this I answered in an undertone and to myself, in vino veritas.

La nuict s'auançant bien fort ie me retiray dedans le bois pour fuir l'importunité de cet yurongne, & pour prendre quelque repos; comme ie faisois mes prieres aupres d'vn arbre, la femme qui faisoit le ménage de mon hoste me vint trouuer, & ramassant quelques feüilles d'arbres tombées, me dit; couche toy là, & ne fais point de bruit, puis m'ayant ietté vne écorce pour me couurir, elle se retira: voila donc mon premier giste à l'enseigne de la Lune qui me découuroit de tous costez, me voila passé Cheualier dés le premier iour de mon entrée en ceste Academie, la pluye suruenant vn peu auant minuict, me donna quelque apprehension d'estre moüillé, mais elle ne dura pas long temps: le lendemain matin ie trouuay que mon lict, quoy qu'on ne l'eut point remué depuis la creation du monde, n'estoit point si dure qu'il m'empeschat de dormir.

As the night was coming on rapidly, I retired into the woods, to escape being annoyed by this drunkard, and to get a little rest. While I was saying my prayers near a tree, the woman who managed the household of my host came to see me; and, gathering together some leaves of fallen trees, said to me, "Lie down there and make no noise," then, having thrown me a piece of bark as a cover, she went away. So this was my first resting place at the sign of the Moon, which shone upon me from all sides. Behold me an accomplished Chevalier, after the first day of my entrance into this Academy. The rain coming on, a little before midnight, made me fear that I might get wet, but it did not last long. The next morning I found that my bed, although it had not been made up since the creation of the world, was not so hard as to keep me from sleeping.

Le iour suiuant ie voulu ietter le barillet & le reste du vin dans la riuiere, comme ie leurs auois dit que ie ferois, [218] au cas qu'on en abusast, mon hoste me saisissant par le milieu du corps, s'écria eca toute, eca toute, ne fais pas cela, ne fais pas cela, ne vois tu pas que Petrichtich (c'est ainsi qu'ils nomment le Renegat par derision) n'a point d'esprit, que c'est vn chien, ie te promets qu'on ne touchera plus au barillet que tu ne sois present: ie m'arrestay auec resolution d'en faire largesse, afin de me deliurer de la crainte qu'vn peu de vin ne nous fit boire beaucoup d'eau: car s'ils se fussent enyurez pendant que nous faisions voile, c'estoit pour nous perdre.

The next day I wanted to throw the barrel, with what was left of the wine, into the river, as I had told them I would do, [218] in case any one abused it; but my host, seizing me around the waist, cried out, eca toute, eca toute, "Do not do that, do not do that. Dost thou not see that Petrichtich" (it is thus they call the Renegade in derision) "does not know anything, that he is a dog? I promise thee that we will never touch the barrel unless thou art present." I yielded, and made up my mind to distribute it liberally, in order to free myself of the fear that a little wine might make us drink a great deal of water; for, if they were to get drunk while we were sailing, we would be lost.

[78] Nous voulions sortir le matin de ceste Isle; mais la marée se retirant, plustost que nous ne pensions, nostre Chalouppe s'échoüa: si bien qu'il fallut attendre la marée du soir, en laquelle nous nous embarquasmes, & voguans à la faueur de la Lune aussi bien que du vent, nous abordasmes vne autre Isle nommée Ca ouapascounagate. Comme nous arriuasmes sur la minuict, nos gens ne prirent pas la peine de nous bastir vne maison, si bien que nous couchasmes au mesme lict, & logeasmes à la mesme enseigne que la nuict precedente, [219] abriez des arbres & du ciel.

We intended leaving this Island in the morning; but the tide fell sooner than we expected, and stranded our Boat. Hence we had to wait for the evening tide, upon which we embarked, and sailed away by the aid of the Moon as well as of the wind. We reached another Island, called Ca ouapascounagate. As we arrived about midnight, our people did not take the trouble to make a house; and we slept in the same bed and lodged at the same sign as the night before, [219] under the shelter of the trees and sky.

Le lendemain nous quittasmes ceste Isle pour entrer dans vne autre appellée Ca chibariouachcate, nous la pourrions nommer l'Isle aux Oyes blanches, car i'y en vis plus de mille en vne bande.

The next day we left this Island to go to another one, called Ca chibariouachcate; we might have called it the Island of the white Geese, for I saw there more than a thousand of them in one flock.

Le iour d'apres nous la voulions quitter, mais nous fusmes contraints pour le mauuais temps de relascher au bout de ceste mesme Isle, elle est deserte comme tout le pays, c'est à dire qu'elle n'a des habitans qu'en passant, ce peuple n'ayant point de demeure assurée: elle est bordée de rochers si gros, si hauts, & si entrecouppez & peuplée neantmoins de Cedres & de Pins si proprement, qu'vn Peintre tiendroit à faueur d'en auoir la veüe pour tirer l'idée d'vn desert affreux pour ses precipices, & tres agreable pour la varieté de quantité d'arbres qu'on diroit auoir esté plantez par la main de l'art plustost que de la Nature. Comme elle est entre-taillée de bayes pleines de vases, il s'y retire si grande quantité de gibier & de plusieurs especes que ie n'ay point veu en France, qu'il le faut quasi voir pour le croire.

The following day we tried to leave, but the bad weather compelled us to land again at the end of this same Island. It is a solitude, like all the country; that is, it has only temporary inhabitants, for these people have no fixed habitation. It is bordered by rocks so massive, so high, and so craggy, and is withal covered so picturesquely with Cedars and Pines, that a Painter would consider himself favored to view it, in order to derive therefrom an idea of a desert frightful in its precipices and very pleasing in the variety and number of its trees, which one might say had been planted by the hand of art rather than of Nature. As it is indented by bays full of mud, there hides here such a quantity and variety of game, some of which I have never seen in France, that it must be seen in order to be believed.

[220] Sortans de ceste Isle au gibier nous nauigeasmes tout le iour & vinsmes descendre sur la nuict [80] dans vne petite Islette nommé Atisaoucanich etagoukhi, c'est à dire lieu où se trouue la teinture, ie me doute que nos gens luy donnerent ce nom, pource qu'ils y trouuerent de petites racines rouges, dont ils se seruent pour teindre leurs Matachias. I'appellerois volontiers ce lieu l'Islette mal-heureuse: car nous y souffrismes beaucoup huict iours durant que les tempestes nous y retindrent prisonniers. Il estoit nuict quand nous l'abordasmes, la pluye & les vents nous attaquoient, & ce pendant à peine peut on trouuer cinq ou six perches pour seruir de poultres à nostre bastiment, qui fut si petit, si estroit, & si decouuert, & par vn temps si fascheux, voulant euiter vne incommodité on tomboit dans deux autres, il se falloit racourcir, ou se rouler en herisson, sur peine de se brusler la moitié du corps pour nostre souper, & pour nostre disner tout ensemble: car nous n'auions point mangé depuis le matin, mon hoste fit ietter à chacun vn morceau de la galette que ie luy auois [221] donnée, m'aduertissant que nous mangerions sans boire, car l'eau de ce grand fleuue commence en ce lieu d'estre salée, le lendemain nous recueillismes de l'eau de pluye, tombée dans des roches fort sales, & la beusmes auec autant de plaisir qu'on boit le vin d'Aï en France.

[220] Leaving this Island of game, we sailed all day and toward nightfall landed at a small Island, called Atisaoucanich etagoukhi, that is, place where dyes are found; I am inclined to think that our people gave it that name, for they found there some little red roots which they use in dyeing their Matachias.[1] I would like to call it the Isle of misfortune; for we suffered a great deal there during the eight days that the storms held us prisoners. It was night when we disembarked; the rain and wind attacked us, and in the meantime we could scarcely find five or six poles to serve as beams for our house,—which was so small, so narrow, and so exposed for such weather as this, that in trying to avoid one discomfort we fell into two others. We had to shorten ourselves, or roll up like hedgehogs, lest we scorch the half of our bodies. For our supper, and dinner as well, because we had eaten nothing since morning, my host threw to each one a piece of the biscuit I had [221] given him, informing me that we were not to drink anything with our food, as the water of this great river began to be salty in this place. The next day we collected some rainwater, which had fallen into dirty rocks, and drank it with as much enjoyment as they drink the wine of Aï in France.

Ils auoient laissé nostre Chaloupe à l'anchre dans un grand courant de marée, ie les aduerty qu'elle n'estoit pas bien, & qu'il la falloit mettre à l'abry derriere l'Islette; mais comme nous n'attendions qu'vn bon vent pour partir, ils n'en tindrent conte. La nuict la tempeste redoublant, on eust dit que les vents deuoient deraciner nostre Islete, mon hoste se doutant de ce qui arriua éueille l'Apostat, & le presse de le venir ayder à sauuer nostre Chaloupe, qui s'alloit [82] perdre: or soit que ce miserable fust paresseux, ou qu'il eust peur des ondes, iamais il ne se voulut leuer, donnant pour tout réponse, qu'il estoit las: dans ce retardement les vents rompent l'amare, ou la corde de l'anchre, & en vn instant font disparoistre nostre Chaloupe, mon hoste voyant ce beau [222] ménage, me vint dire Nicanis, mon bien-aymé, la Chalouppe est perduë, les vents qui l'ont enleuée la briseront contre les roches qui nous enuironnent de tous costez. Qui n'eust entré en verue contre ce Renegat, dont la negligence nous iettoit dans des peines inexplicables, veu qu'il y auoit quantité de paquets dans nostre bagage, & beaucoup d'enfans à porter. Mon hoste cependant, tout barbare & tout sauuage qu'il est, ne se troubla point à cet accident, ains craignant que cela ne m'attristast, il me dit, Nicanis, mon bien-aymé, n'es-tu point fasché de ceste perte, qui nous causera de grands trauaux? ie n'en suis pas bien ayse, luy repartis-ie, ne t'en attriste point, me fit-il: car la fascherie ameine la tristesse, & la tristesse ameine la maladie, Petrichtich n'a point d'esprit, s'il m'eust voulu secourir ce malheur ne fust point suruenu, voyla tous les reproches qu'on luy fit. Veritablement cela me confond, que l'interest de la fanté arreste la cholere, & la fascherie d'vn Barbare, & que la loy de Dieu, que son bon plaisir, que l'espoir de ses grandes recompenses, que la crainte de ses [223] chastimens, que nostre propre paix & consolation ne puisse seruir de bride à l'impatience & à la cholere d'vn Chrestien.

They had left our Shallop at anchor in a strong tidal current. I told them it was not safe, and that it ought to be placed under shelter behind the Island; but, as we were only waiting for a good breeze in order to depart, they did not heed me. During the night the tempest increased, so that it seemed as if the winds were uprooting our Island. Our host, foreseeing what might occur, roused the Apostate, and urged him to come and help him save our Shallop, which threatened to go to pieces. Now either this wretch was lazy, or he was afraid of the billows; for he did not even try to get up, giving as his only reason that he was tired. During this delay, the wind broke the fastening, or cable of the anchor, and in an instant carried away our Shallop. My host, seeing this fine [222] management, came and said to me, "Nicanis, my well-beloved, the Shallop is lost; the winds, which have loosened it, will break it to pieces against the rocks which surround us on all sides." Who would not have been vexed at that Renegade, whose negligence caused us untold trials, considering that we had a number of packages among our baggage, and several children to carry? Yet my host, barbarian and savage that he is, was not at all troubled at this accident; but, fearing it might discourage me, he said to me, "Nicanis, my well-beloved, art thou not angry at this loss, which will cause us so many difficulties?" "I am not very happy over it," I answered. "Do not be cast down," he replied, "for anger brings on sadness, and sadness brings sickness. Petrichtich does not know anything; if he had tried to help me, this misfortune would not have happened." And these were all the reproaches he made. Truly, it humiliates me that considerations of health should check the anger and vexation of a Barbarian; and that the law of God, his good pleasure, the hope of his great rewards, the fear of his [223] chastisements, our own peace and comfort, cannot check the impatience and anger of a Christian.

Au malheur susdit en suruint vn autre, nous auions outre la Chaloupe vn petit Canot d'écorce, la marée se grossissant plus qu'à l'ordinaire par le souffle des [84] vents nous le déroba, nous voila prisonniers plus que iamais, ie ne vis ny larmes ny plaintes, non pas mesme parmy les femmes, sur le dos desquelles ce desastre tomboit plus particulierement, à raison qu'elles sont comme les bestes de voiture, portant ordinairement le bagage des Sauuages, au contraire tout le monde se mit à rire.

The above misfortune was soon followed by another. In addition to the Shallop, we had a little bark Canoe, and the tide, rising higher than usual through the force of the wind, robbed us of that; and there we were, more than ever prisoners. I neither saw tears nor heard complaints, not even among the women, upon whose shoulders this disaster fell more particularly, as they are like beasts of burden, usually carrying the baggage of the Savages; on the contrary, everybody began to laugh.

Le iour venu, car ce fut la nuict que la tempeste commit ce larcin, nous courusmes tous sur les riues du fleuue, pour apprendre par nos yeux des nouuelles de nostre pauure Chaloupe, & de nostre Canot, nous vismes l'vn & l'autre échoüez fort loing de nous, la Chaloupe parmy des roches, & le Canot au bord du bois de la terre continente, chacun pensoit que tout estoit en pieces: si tost que la mer se fut retirée les [224] vns courrent vers la Chaloupe, les autres vers le Canot, chose estrange; rien ne se trouua endommagé, i'en demeuray tout estonné: car de cent vaisseaux fussent-ils d'vn bois aussi dur que le bronze, à peine s'en sauueroit-il pas vn dans ces grands coups de vent & sur des roches.

When morning came, for it was at night when the tempest committed this theft, we all ran along the edge of the river, to learn with our own eyes some news of our poor Shallop and our Canoe. We saw both of them stranded a long distance from us, the Shallop among the rocks and the Canoe along the edge of the woods of the mainland. Every one thought they were all in pieces; as soon as the sea had receded [224], some ran toward the Shallop, and others toward the Canoe. Wonderful to relate, nothing was harmed; I was amazed, for out of a hundred ships made of wood as hard as bronze, scarcely one would have been saved in those violent blasts of wind, and upon those rocks.

Pendant que les vents nous tenoient prisonniers dans ceste malheureuse Islete, vne partie de nos gens s'en allerent visiter quelques Sauuages qui estoient à cinq ou six lieuës de nous, si bien qu'il ne resta que les femmes & les enfans, & L'hiroquois dans nostre cabane. La nuict vne femme estant sortie s'en reuint toute effarée criant qu'elle auoit oüy le Manitou, ou le diable, voila l'allarme dans nostre camp, tout le monde remply de peur garde vn profond silence, Ie demanday d'où procedoit ceste épouuente: car ie n'auois pas entendu ce qu'auoit dit ceste femme, eca titou, eca titou, me dit on, Manitou, tais-toy, tais-toy, c'est le diable: ie me mis à rire, & me leuant en pied [86] ie sors de la cabane, & pour les asseurer i'appelle en leur langage le Manitou, criant tout haut que ie [225] ne le craignois pas, & qu'il n'oseroit venir où i'estois: puis ayant fait quelques tours dans nostre Islete, ie rentray, & leur dis, ne craignez point, le diable ne vous fera aucun mal tant que ie seray auec vous, il craint ceux qui croyent en Dieu, si vous y voulez croire il s'enfuïra de vous. Eux bien estonnez, me demandent si ie ne le craignois point, ie repars pour les deliurer de leur peur, que ie n'en craignois pas vne centaine, ils se mirent tous à rire, se rasseurans petit à petit: or voyant qu'ils auoient ietté de l'anguille dans le feu i'en demanday la raison, tais-toy, me firent-ils, nous donnons à manger au diable afin qu'il ne nous fasse point de mal.

While the wind held us prisoners in this unhappy Island, a number of our people went to visit some Savages who were five or six leagues from us, so that there only remained in our cabin the women and children, and the Hiroquois. During the night, a woman who had gone out, returned, terribly frightened, crying out that she had heard the Manitou, or devil. At once all the camp was in a state of alarm, and everyone, filled with fear, maintained a profound silence. I asked the cause of this fright, for I had not heard what the woman had said; eca titou, eca titou, they told me, Manitou, "Keep still, keep still, it is the devil." I began to laugh, and rising to my feet, went out of the cabin; and to reassure them I called, in their language, the Manitou, crying in a loud voice that I [225] was not afraid, and that he would not dare come where I was. Then, having made a few turns in our Island, I reëntered, and said to them, "Do not fear, the devil will not harm you as long as I am with you, for he fears those who believe in God; if you will believe in God, the devil will flee from you." They were greatly astonished, and asked me if I was not afraid of him at all. I answered, to relieve them of their fears, that I was not afraid of a hundred of them; they began to laugh, and were gradually reassured. Now seeing that they had thrown some eels in the fire, I asked them the reason for it. "Keep still," they replied; "we are giving the devil something to eat, so that he will not harm us."

Mon hoste à son retour ayant sceu ceste histoire, me remercia fort de ce que i'auois rasseuré tous ses gens, me demandant si en effet ie n'auois point de peur du Manitou, ou du diable, & si ie le cognoissois bien, que pour eux qu'ils le craignoient plus que la foudre; Ie luy répondis, que s'il vouloit croire, & obeïr à celuy qui a tout fait, que le Manitou n'auroit nul pouuoir sur luy: pour nous qu'estans assistez de celuy que [226] nous adorions, le diable auoit plus de peur de nous, que nous n'auions de luy; il s'estonna, & me dit qu'il eust bien voulu que i'eusse eu cognoissance de sa langue: car figurez vous que nous nous faisions entendre l'vn l'autre plus par les yeux, & par les mains, que par la bouche.

My host, upon his return, having learned this story, thanked me very much for giving courage to his people, and asked me if I really had no fear of the Manitou, or devil, and if I knew him very well; as for them, they feared him more than a thunderbolt. I answered that, if he would believe and obey him who had made all, the Manitou would have no power over him; that for ourselves, being helped by him whom [226] we adored, the devil had more fear of us than we had of him. He was astonished, and told me that he would be very glad if we knew his language, for you must be aware that we were making each other understand more through our eyes and hands than through our lips.

Ie dressay quelques prieres en leur langue, auec l'ayde de l'Apostat: or comme le Sorcier n'estoit pas encore venu, ie les recitois le matin, & auant nos repas, eux-mesmes m'en faisans souuenir, & prenans [88] plaisir à les ouīr prononcer; si ce miserable Magicien ne fust point venu auec nous ces Barbares auroient pris grand plaisir de m'écouter: mon hoste me faisoit mille questions, me demandant pourquoy nous mouriõs, où alloient nos ames, si la nuit estoit vniuerselle par tout le monde, & choses semblables, se monstrant fort attentif à mes réponses. Changeons de discours.

I arranged a few prayers in their language, with the help of the Apostate. Now, as the Sorcerer had not yet come, I repeated them in the morning and before our meals, they themselves reminding me of them, and taking pleasure in hearing them pronounced; if the wretched Magician had not come with us, these Barbarians would have taken great pleasure in listening to me. My host asked me a thousand questions,—why we died, where our souls went, if night was universal all over the world, and similar things,—and was very attentive to my answers. Let us change the subject.

Ie remarquay en ce lieu cy, que les ieunes femmes ne mangent point dans le plat de leurs marys: i'en demanday la raison, le Renegat me dit que les ieunes [227] filles à marier, & les femmes qui n'auoient point encore d'enfans, n'auoient rien en maniement, & qu'on leur faisoit leur part comme aux enfans, de là vient que sa femme mesme me dit vn iour, Dis à mon mary qu'il me donne bien à manger: mais ne luy dis pas que ie t'ay prié de luy dire.

I observed in this place that the young women did not eat from the same dish as their husbands. I asked the reason, and the Renegade told me that the young [227] unmarried women, and the women who had no children, took no part in the management of affairs, and were treated like children. Thence it came that his own wife said to me one day, "Tell my husband to give me plenty to eat, but do not tell him that I asked you to do so."

Pendant certaine nuict, tout le monde estant dans vn profond sommeil, ie me mis à entretenir ce pauure miserable Renegat, ie luy fis voir qu'estant en nostre maison, rien de tout ce que nous auions ne luy manquoit, qu'il y pouuoit passer sa vie doucement, & qu'en quittant Dieu il s'estoit ietté dans vne vie de beste, qui enfin abboutiroit à l'enfer, s'il n'ouuroit les yeux, que l'eternité estoit bien longue, & que d'estre à iamais compagnon des diables, c'estoit vn long terme. Ie voy bien, me fit-il, que ie ne fais pas bien; mais mon malheur est que ie n'ay pas l'esprit assez fort pour demeurer ferme dans vne resolution, ie croy tout ce qu'on me dit; quand i'ay esté auec les Anglois, ie me suis laissé aller à leurs discours; quand ie suis auec les Sauuages ie fais comme eux; [228] quand ie suis auec vous ie tiens vostre creance pour veritable, pleut [90] à Dieu que ie fusse mort quand i'estois malade en France, ie serois maintenant sauué, tant que i'auray des parens ie ne feray iamais rien qui vaille: car quand ie veux demeurer auec vous, mes freres me disent que ie pouriray demeurant tousiours en vn endroit, cela est cause que ie quitte tout pour les suiure. Ie luy apportay toutes les raisons, & luy fis toutes les offres que ie peus pour l'affermir: mais son frere le Sorcier qui sera bien tost auec nous renuersera tous mes desseins, car il manie comme il veut ce pauure Apostat.

One night, when every one had sunk into a deep sleep, I began to talk to this poor miserable Renegade. I showed him that while he was in our house he had lacked for nothing of whatever we had, and that he might have spent his life there peacefully; that in forsaking God he had rushed into the life of a brute, which would finally end in hell if he did not open his eyes; that eternity was very long, and to be a companion of devils forever was a long term. "I see clearly," he replied, "that I am not doing right; but my misfortune is that I have not a mind strong enough to remain firm in my determination; I believe all they tell me. When I was with the English, I allowed myself to be influenced by their talk; when I am with the Savages, I do as they do; [228] when I am with you, it seems to me your belief is the true one. Would to God I had died when I was sick in France, and I would now be saved. As long as I have any relations, I will never do anything of any account; for when I want to stay with you, my brothers tell me I will rot, always staying in one place, and that is the reason I leave you to follow them." I urged all the reasons and made him all the offers I could to strengthen him; but his brother, the Sorcerer, who will soon be with us, will upset all my plans, for he does whatever he wills with this poor Apostate.

Le trentiesme iour d'Octobre nous sortismes de ceste malheureuse Islete, & vinsmes aborder sur la nuict dans vne autre Isle qui porte vn nom quasi aussi grand comme elle est, car elle n'a pas demy lieuë de tour, & voicy comme nos Sauuages me dirẽt qu'elle se nommoit, Ca pacoucachtechokhi chachagou achiganikhi, Ca pakhitaouananiouikhi, ie croy qu'ils forgent ces noms sur le champ, ceste Isle n'est quasi qu'vn grand rocher affreux, comme elle n'a point de fontaine d'eau douce nous fusmes contrains de [129 i.e., 229] boire des eauës de pluyes fort sales que nous ramassions dans des fondrieres, & sur des roches; on ietta le voile de nostre chalouppe sur des perches quand nous y arriuasmes, & nous nous mismes à l'abry là dessous, nostre lict estoit blanc & verd, c'est à dire qu'il y auoit si peu de branches de pin dessous nous, que nous touchiõs la neige en plusieurs endroits, laquelle auoit commencé depuis trois iours à couurir la terre d'vn habit blanc.

On the thirtieth day of October, we went away from this unhappy Island, and toward nightfall disembarked at another Island which bears a name almost as big as it is, for it is not half a league in circumference; and this is what our Savages tell me it is called, Ca pacoucacktechokhi chachagou achiganikhi, Ca pakhitaouananiouikhi; I believe they forge these names upon the spot. This Island is nothing but a big and frightful rock; as there was no spring of fresh water, we had to [129 i.e., 229] drink very dirty rainwater that we collected in the bogs and upon the rocks. The sail of our shallop was thrown over some poles, on our arrival at this place, and this formed our shelter; our beds were white and green, I mean there were so few pine branches under us that in several places we touched the snow, which three days before had begun to cover the earth with a white mantle.

Nous trouuasmes en ce lieu la cabane d'vn Sauuage, que nostre hoste cherchoit, nommé Ekhennabamate, il apprit de luy que son frere le Sorcier estoit [92] passé depuis peu, & qu'ayant eu le vent contraire, il n'estoit pas loing, il n'attendit pas qu'il fut iour tout à fait pour le suiure, son Canot poussé par trois rameurs alloit comme le vent: bref le beau premier iour de Nouembre dedié à la memoire de tous les Saincts, il nous ramena ce Demon, i'entends ce Sorcier. Ie fus bien estonné quand ie le vis: car ie ne l'attendois pas, me figurant que mon hoste estoit allé à la chasse, fut-il ainsi, & que ceste miserable proye [230] luy eust eschappé des mains.

We found here the cabin of a Savage, named Ekhennabamate, whom our host was seeking. He learned from him that his brother, the Sorcerer, had passed, a short time before; and that, having the wind against him, he had not gone far. He did not wait until broad daylight to follow him; his Canoe, paddled by three men, went like the wind; and, in short, on the first of November, a beautiful day, dedicated to the memory of all the Saints, he brought back this Demon, I mean the Sorcerer. I was very much surprised when I saw him, for I was not expecting him, imagining that my host had gone hunting; would that he had, and that this miserable prey [230] had escaped from his hands.

Si tost qu'il fut arriué ce n'estoient plus que festins dans nos cabanes, nous n'auions plus que fort peu de viures de reste, ces Barbares les mangeoient auec autant de paix & d'asseurance, comme si les animaux qu'ils deuoient chasser eussent esté renfermez dans vne estable.

As soon as he came, there was nothing but feasting in our cabins; we had only a little food left, but these Barbarians ate it with as much calmness and confidence as if the game they were to hunt was shut up in a stable.

Mon hoste faisant vn iour festin à son tour, les conuiez me firent signe que ie haranguasse en leur langue, ils auoiẽt enuie de rire: car ie prononce le Sauuage comme vn Alemant prononce le François, leur voulant donner ce contentement, ie me mis à discourir, & eux à s'éclatter de rire: eux bien aises de gausser, & moy bien ioyeux d'apprendre à parler: Ie leur dis pour conclusion, que i'estois vn enfant, & que les enfans faisoient rire leurs peres par leur begayement: mais qu'au reste ie deuiendrois grand dans quelques années, & qu'alors sçachant leur langue ie leur ferois voir qu'eux-mesmes sont enfans en plusieurs choses, ignorans de belles veritez, dont ie leur parlerois, & sur l'heure mesme ie leur demãday si la Lune estoit [231] aussi hautemẽt logée que les Estoilles, si elle estoit en mesme Ciel, où alloit le Soleil quãd il nous quittoit, quelle figure auoit la terre, (si ie sçauois leur [94] langue en perfection ie leur proposerois tousiours quelque verité naturelle deuant que de parler des points de nostre creãce: car i'ay remarqué que ces curiositez les rendent attentifs) pour ne m'éloigner de mon discours, l'vn d'eux prenant la parole apres m'auoir ingenuëment confessé qu'ils ne pouuoient répondre à ces questions, me dit: mais comment pourrois-tu toy mesme cognoistre ces choses, puis que nous les ignorons? ie tiray aussi tost vn petit cadran que i'auios dans ma pouche, ie l'ouure, & luy mettant en main, ie luy dis: nous voyla dans la nuict profonde, le Soleil ne nous paroist plus, dis moy maintenãt enuisageant ce que ie te presente, en quelle part du monde il est; designe moy le lieu où il se doit demain leuer, où il se doit coucher, où il sera en son midy, marque moy les endroits du Ciel, où il ne va iamais: mon homme répondit des yeux me regardant sans dire mot: ie prens le cadran & luy fais [232] voir en peu de mots tout ce que ie venois de proposer, adioustant en suitte; hé bien comment se peut-il faire que ie cognoisse ces choses, & que vous les ignoriez? i'ay bien d'autres veritez plus grandes à vous dire quand ie sçauray parler. Tu as de l'esprit, me dirent-ils, tu sçauras bien tost nostre langue, ils se sont trompez.

One day, when my host had a feast in his turn, the guests made me a sign that I should make them a speech in their language, as they wanted to laugh; for I pronounce the Savage as a German pronounces French. Wishing to please them, I began to talk, and they burst out laughing, well pleased to make sport of me, while I was very glad to learn to talk. I said to them in conclusion that I was a child, and that children made their fathers laugh with their stammering; but in a few years I would become large, and then, when I knew their language, I would make them see that they themselves were children in many things, ignorant of the great truths of which I would speak to them. Suddenly I asked them if the Moon was [231] located as high as the Stars, if it was in the same Sky; where the Sun went when it left us; what was the form of the earth. (If I knew their language perfectly I would always propose some natural truth, before speaking to them of the points of our belief; for I have observed that these curious things make them more attentive.) Not to let me wander from my speech, one of them beginning to speak, after having frankly confessed that they could not answer these questions, said to me: "But how canst thou thyself know these things, since we do not know them?" I immediately drew out a little compass that I had in my pocket, opened it, and, placing it in his hand, said to him, "We are now in the darkness of night, the Sun no longer shines for us; tell me now, while you look at what I have given you, in what part of the world it is; show me the place where it must rise to-morrow, where it will set, where it will be at noon; point out the places in the Sky where it will never be." My man answered with his eyes, staring at me without saying a word. I took the compass and explained [232] to him with a few words all that I had just asked about, adding, "Well, how is it that I can know these things and you do not know them? I have still other greater truths to tell you when I can talk." "Thou art intelligent," they responded; "thou wilt soon know our language." But they were mistaken.

Ce que i'escris dans ce iournal n'a point d'autre suitte, que la suitte du temps, voila pourquoy ie passeray souuent du coq à l'asne, comme on dit, c'est à dire que quittant vne remarque ie passeray à vne autre qui ne luy a point de rapport, le temps seul seruant de liaison à mon discours.

What I write in this journal has no other order except that of time, and hence I shall frequently be telling cock-and-bull stories, as the saying is; that is, I shall pass from one observation to another which has no connection with it, time alone serving as a link to the parts of my discourse.

Comme l'arc & la fleche semble des armes inuentées par la Nature, puis que toutes les Nations de la terre en ont trouué l'vsage, de mesme vous diriez [96] qu'il y a de certains petits ieux que les enfans trouuent sans qu'on leur enseigne; les petits Sauuages ioüent à se cacher aussi bien que les petits François, ils font quantité d'autres traits d'enfance, que i'ay remarqué en nostre Europe, entre autres i'ay veu les petits Parisiens [233] ietter vne balle d'arquebuse en l'air, & la receuoir auec vn baston vn petit creusé, les petits Sauuages montagnards font le mesme, se seruans d'vn petit faisseau de branches de Pin, qu'ils reçoiuent ou picquent en l'air auec vn baston pointu: les petits Hiroquois ont le mesme passe-temps iettans vn osselet percé qu'ils enlassent en l'air dans vn autre petit os: vn ieune homme de ceste nation me le dit, voyant ioüer les enfans montagnards.

As the bow and arrow seem to be weapons invented by Nature, since all the Nations of the earth have made use of them, so you might say there are certain little games that children find out for themselves without being taught. The little Savages play at hide-and-seek as well as the little French children. They have a number of other childish sports that I have noticed in our Europe; among others, I have seen the little Parisians [233] throw a musket ball into the air and catch it with a little bat scooped out; the little montagnard Savages do the same, using a little bunch of Pine sticks, which they receive or throw into the air on the end of a pointed stick. The little Hiroquois have the same pastime, throwing a bone with a hole in it, which they interlace in the air with another little bone. I was told this by a young man of that nation as we were watching the montagnard children play.

Mõ Sauuage & le Sorcier son frere, ayãt appris qu'il y auoit quãtité de Mõtagnais és enuirõs du lieu où ils vouloiẽt hyuerner, prirent resolution de passer du costé du Nord, craignans que nous ne nous affamassions les vns les autres: les voyla donc resolus d'aller où m'auoit promis mon hoste & le Renegat; mais à peine auiõs nous fait trois lieuës sur le grand fleuue pour le trauerser, que nous rencontrasmes quatre canots qui nous ramenerent au Sud, disans que la chasse n'estoit pas bonne du costé du Nord, si bien que ie fus contraint de demeurer auec le sorcier, & d'hyuerner au delà de la grande riuiere, quoy que ie peusse [234] alleguer au contraire. Ie voyois bien les dangers dans lesquels ils me iettoient, mais ie ne voyois point d'autre remede que de se confier en Dieu, & le laisser faire.

My Savage and the Sorcerer, his brother, having learned that there were a great many Montagnais near the place where they wished to pass the winter, decided to turn Northward, lest we should starve each other. They decided to go to the place where my host and the Renegade had promised me they would go; but we had scarcely made three leagues in crossing the great river, when we met four canoes which turned us back to the South, saying the hunting was not good up North. So I was obliged to remain with the sorcerer, and to winter beyond the great river, in spite of all I could [234] urge to the contrary. I realized well the dangers into which they were throwing me, but I saw no other remedy than to trust in God and leave all to him.

Si tost que les nouueaux Sauuages venus dans ces quatre canots eurent mis pied à terre, mon hoste leur fit vn bãquet d'anguilles boucanées, car nous n'auions [98] déja plus de pain. A peine ces conuiés furent-ils de retour en leur cabane, qu'ils dresserent vn festin de pois qu'ils auoient acheté passans à Kebec, mais afin que vous voyez les excez de ce peuple, au sortir de ce banquet, on vint à vn troisiesme, que le sorcier auoit preparé, composé d'anguilles, & de la farine que i'auois donnée à mon hoste: cet homme me pressa fort d'estre de la partie, il auoit fait faire vn retranchemẽt dans nostre cabane auec des peaux, & des couuertures, tous les conuiez entrerent là dedans, on me donna ma part dans vne petite écuelle, mais comme ie n'estois pas encor tout à fait accoustumé à manger de leur boüillies si sales & si fades, apres en auoir gousté i'en voulu donner le reste à la parẽte de mon hoste, [235] aussi tost on me dit Khita, Khita, mange tout, mange tout, acoumagouchan, c'est vn festin à tout manger, ie me mis à rire, & leur dis qu'ils ioüoient à se faire creuer, veu qu'ayans desia esté à deux festins, ils en faisoient vn troisiesme à ne rien laisser, mon hoste m'entendant me dit, que dis tu Nicanis? Ie dis que ie ne sçaurois tout manger, donne moy, ce fit-il, ton écuelle ie t'ayderay, luy ayant presenté il auala tout ce qui estoit dedans en deux tours de gueule, tirant vne langue longue de la main pour la lecher au fond & par tout, afin qu'il n'y restast rien.

As soon as these new Savages, who had come in the four canoes, had landed, my host made them a banquet of smoked eels, for we were already out of bread. Hardly had these guests returned to their cabin, when they made a feast of peas which they had bought in passing through Kebec. But that you may understand the excesses of these people, [I will add that] in emerging from this banquet, they went to a third, prepared by the sorcerer, composed of eels, and of the flour I had given to my host. This man gave me a hearty invitation to be one of the party. He had made a little apartment in our cabin with skins and blankets, and all the guests entered this place. They gave me my share in a little bark plate; but, as I was not altogether accustomed to eating their mixtures, so dirty and insipid, after having tasted it, I wanted to give the rest to one of the relations of my host; [235] but they immediately cried out, Khita, Khita, "Eat all, eat all," acoumagouchan. "It is an eat-all feast." I began to laugh, and told them they were playing a game of "burst themselves open," seeing they had already had two feasts, and were making a third at which nothing was to be left. My host, hearing me, said, "What art thou saying, Nicanis?" "I am saying that I cannot eat all." "Give it to me," he answered, "give me thy plate, I will help thee." Having presented it to him, he gulped down all it contained in two swallows, thrusting out a tongue as long as your hand to lick the bottom and sides, so that nothing might remain.

Quand ils furent saouls quasi iusqu'à creuer, le Sorcier prit son tambour & inuita tout le monde à chanter, celuy là chantoit le mieux qui heurloit le plus fort; à la fin de leur tintamarre les voyans d'vne humeur assez gaye, ie leur demanday permission de parler, cela m'estant accordé, ie commençay à leur déclarer l'affection que ie leur portois, vous voyez, disois-ie, de quel amour ie fuis porté en vostre endroit, i'ay [100] non seulement quitté mon pays, qui est beau, & bien agreable pour venir dans vos [236] neiges & dans vos grands bois; mais encore ie m'esloigne de la petite maison que nous auons en vos terres pour vous suiure & pour apprendre vostre langue. Ie vous chery plus que mes freres puis que ie les ay quittez pour vostre amour, c'est celuy qui a tout fait qui me donne ceste affection enuers vous, c'est luy qui creé le premier homme d'où nous sommes tous issus, voyla pourquoy n'ayans qu'vn mesme pere nous sommes tous freres, & nous deuons tous recognoistre vn mesme Seigneur & vn mesme Capitaine, nous deuons tous croire en luy, & obeïr à ses volontez, Le Sorcier m'arrestant dit tout haut, quand ie le verray, ie croiray en luy, autrement non, le moyen de croyre en celuy qu'on ne void pas? Ie luy répondis, quand tu me dis que ton pere, ou l'vn de tes amis a tenu quelque discours, ie croy ce qu'il a dit, me figurant qu'il n'est point menteur, & ce pendant ie n'ay iamais veu ton pere: de plus tu crois qu'il y a vn Manitou & tu ne l'as pas veu. Tu crois qu'il y a des Khichicouakhi, ou des Genies du iour, & tu ne les a pas veus: d'autres les ont veus, me dit-il, Tu ne me sçaurois dire, luy reparty-ie, [237] ny quand, ny comment, ny en quelle façon, ou en quel endroit on les a veus, & moy ie te puis dire commẽt se nommoient ceux qui ont veu le Fils de Dieu en terre, quand il l'ont veu, & en quel lieu, ce qu'ils ont faict, & en quels pays ils ont esté. Ton Dieu, me fit-il, n'est point venu en nostre pays, voila pourquoy nous ne croyons point en luy, fais que ie le voye, & ie croiray en luy. Escoute moy & tu le verras, luy repliquay-ie, Nous auons deux sortes de veuë, la veuë des yeux du corps, & la veuë des [102] yeux de l'ame, ce que tu vois des yeux de l'ame peut estre aussi certain que ce que tu vois des yeux du corps: Non, dit-il, ie ne vois rien sinon des yeux du corps, si ce n'est en dormãt, mais tu n'approuue pas nos songes. Escoute moy iusqu'au bout, luy fis-ie, Quand tu passe deuant vne cabane delaissée, que tu vois encor toutes les perches en rond, que tu vois l'aire de la cabane tapissée de branches de Pin, quand tu vois le fouyer qui fume encore, n'est-il pas vray que tu cognois asseurément, & que tu vois bien qu'il y a eu là des Sauuages? & que ces perches & tout le [238] reste que vous laissez quand vous decabanez, ne se sont point rassemblées par cas fortuit? ouy, me dit-il, or ie dis le mesme quand tu vois la beauté & la grandeur de ce monde, que le Soleil tourne incessamment sans s'arrester, que les saisons retournent en leur temps, & que tous les Astres gardent si bien leur ordre, tu vois bien que les hommes n'ont point fait ces merueilles, & qu'ils ne les gouuernent pas, il faut donc qu'il y ait quelqu'vn plus noble que les hommes qui ait basty & qui gouuerne ceste grande maison: or c'est celuy là que nous appellons Dieu, qui void tout, & que nous ne voyons pas maintenant; mais nous le verrons apres la mort, & nous serons bien-heureux à iamais auec luy si nous l'aymons & si nous luy obeïssons. Tu ne sçais ce que tu dis, me repart-il, apprends à parler & nous t'entendrons.

When they were full almost to bursting, the Sorcerer took his drum and invited everyone to sing. The best singer was the one who howled the loudest. At the end of this uproar, seeing that they were in a very good humor, I asked permission to talk. This being granted, I began to affirm the affection I had for them, "You see," I said, "what love I bear you; I have not only left my own country, which is beautiful and very pleasant, to come into your [236] snows and vast woods, but I have also left the little house we have in your lands, to follow you and learn your language; I cherish you more than my brothers, since I have left them for love of you; it is he who has made all who has given me this affection for you, it is he who created the first man from whom we have all descended; hence see how it is that, as we have the same father, we are all brothers, and ought all to acknowledge the same Lord and the same Captain; we ought all to believe in him, and obey his will." The Sorcerer, stopping me, said in a loud voice, "When I see him, I will believe in him, and not until then. How believe in him whom we do not see?" I answered him: "When thou tellest me that thy father or one of thy friends has said something, I believe what he has said, supposing that he is not a liar, and yet I have never seen thy father: also, thou believest that there is a Manitou, and thou hast never seen him. Thou believest that there are Khichicouakhi, or Spirits of light, and thou hast not seen them." "Others have seen them," he answered. "Thou couldst not tell," said I, [237] "neither when, nor how, nor in what way, nor in what place they were seen; and I, I can tell thee the names of those who have seen the Son of God upon earth,—when they saw him, and in what place; what they have done, and in what countries they have been." "Thy God," he replied, "has not come to our country, and that is why we do not believe in him; make me see him and I will believe in him." "Listen to me and thou wilt see him," said I. "We have two kinds of sight, the sight of the eyes of the body, and the sight of the eyes of the soul. What thou seest with the eyes of the soul may be just as true as what thou seest with the eyes of the body." "No," said he, "I see nothing except with the eyes of the body, save in sleeping, and thou dost not approve our dreams." "Hear me to the end," I said. "When thou passest a deserted cabin, and seest yet standing the circle of poles, and the floor of the cabin covered with Pine twigs, when thou seest the hearth still smoking, is it not true that thou knowest positively, and that thou seest clearly, that Savages have been there, and that these poles and all the [238] rest of the things that you leave when you break camp, are not brought together by chance?" "Yes," he answered. "Now I say the same. When thou seest the beauty and grandeur of this world,—how the Sun incessantly turns round without stopping, how the seasons follow each other in their time, and how perfectly all the Stars maintain their order,—thou seest clearly that men have not made these wonders, and that they do not govern them; hence there must be some one more noble than men, who has built and who rules this grand mansion. Now it is he whom we call God, who sees all things, and whom we do not see; but we shall see him after death, and we shall be forever happy with him, if we love and obey him." "Thou dost not know what thou art talking about," he answered, "learn to talk and we will listen to thee."

Là dessus ie priay l'Apostat de déduire mes raisons & de les expliquer en Sauuage: car i'en voyois de fort attentifs: mais ce miserable Renegat, craignant de deplaire à son frere, ne voulut iamais ouurir la bouche. Ie le prie, [239] ie le coniure auec toute douceur, en fin ie redouble ma voix, & le menace de [104] la part de Dieu, luy protestant qu'il seroit responsable de l'ame de la femme de son frere le Sorcier, laquelle ie voyois fort malade, & pour laquelle i'estois entré en discours, esperant que si les Sauuages goustoient mes raisons, qu'ils me permettroient aisément de l'instruire; ce coeur de bronze ne flechit iamais, ny à mes prieres, ny à mes menaces; Ie prie Dieu qu'il luy fasse misericorde, mon hoste me voyant parler d'vn accent assez haut, me dit, Nicanis ne te fasche point, auec le temps tu parleras comme nous, & tu nous enseigneras ce que tu sçais, nous te presterons l'oreille plus volontiers qu'à cet opiniastre qui n'a point d'esprit, auquel nous n'auons nulle creance, voila les eloges qu'il donnoit à ce Renegat. Ie luy repliquay, si ceste femme se portoit bien ie serois consolé, mais elle est pour mourir dans peu de iours, & son ame faute de cognoistre Dieu sera perduë, que si ton frere me vouloit prester sa parole ie l'instruirois en peu de temps, sa réponse fut que ie le laissasse, & que ie sçauois bien que c'estoit [240] vn lourdaut, pour conclusion on dit les mots qui terminent le festin, & chacun se retira, moy bien dolent de voir ceste ame se perdre en ma presence sans la pouuoir secourir: car le Sorcier ayant commencé à leuer le masque & l'Apostat à m'éconduire en sa cõsideration, toutes les esperances que ie pouuois auoir d'ayder ceste femme malade d'instruire les autres commencerent à s'éuanoüir, i'ay souuent souhaitté qu'vn Sainct fust en ma place pour operer en Sainct, les petites ames crient beaucoup & font peu, il se faut contenter de la bassesse: poursuiuons nostre voyage.

Thereupon I asked the Apostate to enumerate my reasons and to explain them in the Savage tongue, for I saw that they were very attentive; but this miserable Renegade, fearing to displease his brother, would not even open his mouth. I begged him, [239] I conjured him with all gentleness; finally I spoke harshly, and threatened him in the name of God, insisting that he would be responsible for the soul of the wife of his brother, the Sorcerer, who I perceived was very sick, and for whose sake I had begun this discourse, hoping that if the Savages approved of my explanations, they would readily allow me to instruct her. This heart of bronze melted neither at my prayers nor at my threats. I pray God that he may be merciful to him. My host, seeing me speaking earnestly to him, said, "Nicanis, do not get angry; in time thou wilt speak as we do, and thou wilt teach us what thou knowest, we will listen to thee more willingly than to this stubborn fellow who has no sense and in whom we have no faith." These were the eulogies he passed upon the Renegade. I replied to him that, if this woman were well, I would feel consoled; but that she was going to die in a few days, and her soul, not knowing God, would be lost; if his brother wished to lend me his tongue I would instruct her in a little while. His answer was that I should leave him alone, for I knew very well that he was [240] a blockhead. In conclusion, they pronounced the words which ended the feast, and we all withdrew; I very sad at seeing this soul lost in my presence, without being able to help it. For the Sorcerer having begun to lift the mask, and the Apostate to refuse me his consideration, all the hopes I had of helping this sick woman, and of teaching the others, commenced to vanish. I have often wished that a Saint were in my place, to act the Saint; small souls cry out a great deal, and do very little, but one must be content with one's own insignificance. Let us continue our voyage.

Le douziesme de Nouembre nous commençasmes en fin d'entrer dedans les terres, laissans nos Chalouppes [106] & nos Canots, & quelqu'autre bagage dans l'Isle au grand nom, de laquelle nous sortismes de mer basse, trauersans vne prairie qui la separe du continent: iusques icy nous auons fait chemin dans le pays des poissons, tousiours sur les eauës, ou dans les Isles, doresnauant nous allons entrer dans le Royaume des bestes sauuages, ie veux dire de beaucoup plus d'estẽduë que toute la Frãce.

On the twelfth of November we at last began to go into the country, leaving our Shallops and Canoes, and some other baggage, in the Island with the long name, which we left at low tide, crossing the meadow which separated us from the mainland. Up to this time we had journeyed through a country where fish abound, always upon the water or on Islands. From this time on, we were going to invade the Kingdom of wild beasts, I mean a country far broader in extent than all France.

[241] Les Sauuages passent l'hyuer dedans ces bois, courans çà & là, pour y chercher leur vie; au commencement des neiges ils cherchent le Castor dans des petits fleuues, & le Porc-espic dans les terres quand la neige est profonde ils chassent à l'Orignac & au Caribou, comme i'ay dit.

[241] The Savages pass the winter in these woods, ranging here and there to get their living. In the early snows, they seek the Beaver in the small rivers, and Porcupines upon the land; when the deep snows come, they hunt the Moose and Caribou, as I have said.

Nous auons fait dans ces grands bois, depuis le 12. Nouembre de l'an 1633. que nous y entrasmes, iusques au 22. d'Auril de ceste année 1634. que nous retournasmes aux riues du grand fleuue de sainct Laurens, vingt-trois stations, tantost dans des valées fort profondes, puis sur des montagnes fort releuées; quelque fois en plat pays, & tousiours dans la neige: ces forests où i'ay esté sont peuplées de diuerses especes d'arbres, notamment de Pins, de Cedres, & de Sapins. Nous auons trauersé quantité de torrens d'eau, quelques fleuues, plusieurs beaux lacs & estangs marchans sur la glace; mais descendons en particulier & disons deux mots de chaque station, la crainte que i'ay d'estre long me fera retrancher quãtité de choses que i'ay iugé assez legeres, [242] quoy qu'elles puissent donner quelque iour à ces memoires.

We made in these vast forests, from the 12th of November of the year 1633, when we entered them, to the 22nd of April of this year 1634, when we returned to the banks of the great river saint Lawrence, twenty-three halts,—sometimes in deep valleys, then upon lofty mountains, sometimes in the low flat country; and always in the snow. These forests where I was are made up of different kinds of trees, especially of Pines, Cedars and Firs. We crossed many torrents of water, some rivers, several beautiful lakes and ponds, walking upon the ice. But let us come down to particulars, and say a few words about each station. My fear of becoming tedious will cause me to omit many things that I have considered trifling, [242] although they might throw some light upon these memoirs.

A nostre entrée dans les terres nous estions trois cabanes de compagnie, il y auoit dixneuf personnes en la nostre, il y en auoit seize en la cabane du Sauuage [108] nommé Ekhennabamate, & dix dans la cabanne des nouueaux venus. Ie ne conte point les Sauuages qui estoient à quelques lieuës de nous, nous faisions en tout quarante cinq personnes, qui deuions estre nourris de ce qu'il plairoit à la saincte Prouidence du bon Dieu de nous enuoyer; car nos prouisions tiroient par tout à la fin.

Upon our entrance into these regions, there were three cabins in our company,—nineteen persons being in ours, sixteen in the cabin of the Savage named Ekhennabamate, and ten in that of the newcomers. This does not include the Savages who were encamped a few leagues away from us. We were in all forty-five persons, who were to be kept alive on what it should please the holy Providence of the good God to send us, for our provisions were altogether getting very low.

Voicy l'ordre que nous gardions leuans le camp, battans la campagne, & dressans nos tentes & nos pauillons. Quand nos gens remarquoient qu'il n'y auoit plus de chasse à quelques trois ou quatre lieuës à l'entour de nous, vn Sauuage qui cognoissoit mieux le chemin du lieu où nous allions, crioit à pleine teste, en vn beau matin hors de la cabane, Escoutez hommes ie m'en vais marquer le chemin pour decabaner demain au point du iour, il prenoit vne hache & marquoit quelques arbres qui [243] nous guidoient: on ne marque le chemin qu'au commencement de l'hyuer: car quand tous les fleuues & les torrens sont glacez & que la neige est haute on ne prend pas ceste peine.

This is the order we followed in breaking up our camps, in tramping over the country and in erecting our tents and pavilions. When our people saw that there was no longer any game within three or four leagues of us, a Savage, who was best acquainted with the way to the place where we were going, cried out in a loud voice, one fine day outside the cabin, "Listen, men, I am going to mark the way for breaking camp to-morrow at daybreak." He took a hatchet and marked some trees which [243] guided us. They do not mark the way except in the beginning of winter; for, when all the rivers and torrents are frozen, and the snow is deep, they do not take this trouble.

Quand il y a beaucoup de pacquets, ce qui arriue lors qu'ils ont tué grand nombre d'Eslans, les femmes en vont porter vne partie iuīqu'au lieu où l'on doit camper le iour suiuant; quand la neige est haute, ils font des traisnées de bois qui se fend, & qui se leue comme par fueilles assez minces & fort longues, ces traisnées sont fort estroites à raisõ qu'elles se doiuent tirer entre vne infinité d'arbres fort pressez en quelques endroits, mais en recompense elles sont fort longues. Voyant vn iour celle de mon hoste dressée contre vn arbre, à peine peus ie atteindre au milieu estendant le bras autant qu'il me fut possible. Ils [110] lient leur bagage là dessus, & auec vne corde qui leur vient passer sur l'estomach, ils traisnent sur la neige ces chariots sans rouës.

When there are a number of things to be carried, as often happens when they have killed a great many Elk, the women go ahead, and carry a part of them to the place where they are to camp the following day. When the snow is deep, they make sledges of wood which splits, and which can be peeled off like leaves in very thin, long strips. These sledges are very narrow, because they have to be dragged among masses of trees closely crowded in some places; but, to make up for this, they are very long. One day, seeing that of my host standing against a tree, I could scarcely reach to the middle of it, stretching out my arm as far as I could. They fasten their baggage upon these, and, with a cord which they pass over their chests, they drag these wheelless chariots over the snow.

Pour ne m'éloigner dauantage de mon chemin, si tost qu'il est iour chacun se prepare pour déloger, on commence [244] par le desieuner s'il y a dequoy; car par fois on part sans desieuner, on poursuit sans disner & on se couche sans souper, chacun fait son pacquet le mieux qu'il peut, les femmes battent la cabane pour faire tomber la glace & la neige de dessus les écorces qu'elles roulent en faisseaux, le bagage estant plié ils iettent sur leur dos ou sur leurs reins de longs fardeaux qu'ils supportent auec vne corde, qui passe sur leur front, soubs laquelle ils mettent vn morceau d'écorce de peur de se blesser; tout le monde chargé on monte à cheual sur des raquettes qu'on se lie aux pieds afin de ne point enfoncer dans la neige, cela fait on marche en campagne & en montagnes, faisant passer deuant les petits enfans qui partent bien tost & n'arriuent par fois que bien tard, ces pauures petits ont leur pacquet, ou leur traisne pour s'accoustumer de bonne heure à la fatigue, & tascheon de leur donner de l'emulation à qui portera ou traisnera dauantage, de vous depeindre la difficulté des chemins, ie n'ay ny plume ny pinceau qui le puisse faire, il faut auoir veu cét obiect pour le cognoistre, & [245] auoir gousté de ceste viande pour en sçauoir le goust, nous ne faisions que monter & descendre, il nous falloit souuent baisser à demy corps pour passer soubs des arbres quasi tombez, & monter sur d'autres couchez par terre, dont les branches nous faisoient quelques fois tomber assez doucement, mais tousiours froidement, car c'estoit sur la neige. S'il [112] arriuoit quelque dégel, ô Dieu quelle peine! il me sembloit que ie marchois sur vn chemin de verre qui se cassoit à tous coups soubs mes pieds: la neige congelée venant à s'amollir tomboit & s'enfonçoit par esquarres ou grandes pieces, & nous en auions bien souuent iusques aux genoux, quelquefois iusqu'à la ceinture, que s'il y auoit de la peine à tomber, il y en auoit encor plus à se retirer: car nos raquettes se chargeoient de neiges & se rendoient si pesantes, que quand vous veniez à les retirer il vous sembloit qu'on vous tiroit les iambes pour vous démembrer. I'en ay veu qui glissoient tellement soubs des souches enseuelies soubs la neige, qui ne pouuoient tirer ny iambes ny raquettes sans secours: or figurez vous [246] maintenant vne personne chargée comme vn mulet, & iugez si la vie des Sauuages est douce.

But not to wander farther from my subject, as soon as it is day each one prepares to break camp. They begin [244] by having breakfast, if there is any; for sometimes they depart without breakfasting, continue on their way without dining, and go to bed without supping. Each one arranges his own baggage, as best he can; and the women strike the cabin, to remove the ice and snow from the bark, which they roll up in a bundle. The baggage being packed, they throw it upon their backs or loins in long bundles, which they hold with a cord that passes over their foreheads, beneath which they place a piece of bark so that it will not hurt them. When every one is loaded, they mount their snowshoes, which are bound to the feet so that they will not sink into the snow; and then they march over plain and mountain, making the little ones go on ahead, who start early, and often do not arrive until quite late. These little ones have their load, or their sledge, to accustom them early to fatigue; and they try to stimulate them to see who will carry or drag the most. To paint to you the hardships of the way, I have neither pen nor brush that could do it; they must be experienced in order to be appreciated, and [245] this dish must be tried to know how it tastes. We did nothing but go up and go down; frequently we had to bend halfway over, to pass under partly-fallen trees, and step over others lying upon the ground whose branches sometimes knocked us over, gently enough to be sure, but always coldly, for we fell upon the snow. If it happened to thaw, Oh God, what suffering! It seemed to me I was walking over a road of glass, which broke under my feet at every step. The frozen snow, beginning to melt, would fall and break into blocks or big pieces, into which we often sank up to our knees, and sometimes to our waists. If there was pain in falling, there was still more in pulling ourselves out, for our raquettes were loaded with snow, and became so heavy that, when we tried to draw them out, it seemed as if somebody were tugging at our legs to dismember us. I have seen some who slid so far under the logs buried in the snow, that they could not pull out either their legs or their snowshoes without help. Now imagine [246] a person loaded like a mule, and judge how easy is the life of the Savage.

En France dans la difficulté des voyages encor trouue-on quelques villages pour se rafraischir, & pour se fortifier; mais les hostelleries que nous rencontrions, & où nous beuuions, n'estoient que des ruisseaux, encor falloit il rompre la glace pour en tirer de l'eau; il est vray que nous ne faisions pas de longues traites, aussi nous eust il esté tout à fait impossible.

In the discomforts of a journey in France, villages are found where one can refresh and fortify one's self; but the inns that we encountered and where we drank, were only brooks; we even had to break the ice in order to get some water. It is true that we did not make long stages, which would indeed have been absolutely impossible for us.

Estans arriuez au lieu où nous deuions camper, les femmes alloient couper les perches pour dresser la cabane, les hommes vuidoient la neige, comme ie l'ay plus amplement déduit au Chapitre precedent: or il falloit trauailler à ce bastiment, ou bien trembler de froid trois grosses heures sur la neige en attendant qu'il fut fait, ie mettois par fois la main à l'œuure pour m'échauffer, mais i'estois pour l'ordinaire tellement glacé que le feu seul me pouuoit dégeler; les [114] Sauuages en estoient estonnez: car ils suoient soubs le trauail, leur témoignant quelquefois que i'auois grãd [247] froid, ils me disoient, donne tes mains que nous voyons si tu dis vray, & les trouuans toutes glacées, touchez de compassion ils me donnoient leurs mitaines échauffées, & prenoient les miennes toutes froides: iusque là que mõ hoste apres auoir experimenté cecy plusieurs fois, me dit Nicanis n'hyuerne plus auec les Sauuages, car ils te tuëront; il vouloit dire, comme ie pense, que ie tõberois malade & que ne pouuant estre traisné auec le bagage, qu'on me feroit mourir, ie me mis à rire, & luy reparty qu'il me vouloit épouuenter.

When we reached the place where we were to encamp, the women went to cut the poles for the cabin, and the men to clear away the snow, as I have stated more fully in the preceding Chapter. Now a person had to work at this building, or shiver with cold for three long hours upon the snow, waiting until it was finished. Sometimes I put my hand to the work to warm myself, but usually I was so frozen that fire alone could thaw me. The Savages were surprised at this, for they often sweat under the work. Assuring them now and then that I was very [247] cold, they would say to me, "Give us thy hands that we may see if thou tellest the truth;" and, finding them quite frozen, touched with compassion, they gave me their warm mittens and took my cold ones. This went so far, that my host, after having tried it several times, said to me, "Nicanis, do not winter any more with the Savages, for they will kill thee." I think he meant that I would fall ill, and, as I could not be dragged along with the baggage, they would kill me; I began to laugh, and told him that he was trying to frighten me.

La cabane estant faite, ou sur la nuit, ou vn peu deuant, on parloit de disner & de souper tout ensemble: car sortant le matin apres auoir mangé vn petit morceau, il falloit auoir patience qu'on fut arriué & que l'hostellerie fust faite pour y loger, & pour y manger, mais le pis estoit que ce iour là nos gens n'allans point ordinairement à la chasse, c'estoit pour nous vn iour de ieusne aussi bien qu'vn iour de trauail. C'est trop retarder venons à nostre station.

The cabin finished, either toward nightfall or a little before, they began to talk about dinner and supper all in one, for as we had departed in the morning after having eaten a small morsel, we had to have patience to reach our destination and to wait until the hotel was erected, in order to lodge and eat there. But, unfortunately, on this particular day, our people did not usually go hunting; and so it was for us a day of fasting as well as a day of work. We have delayed long enough, let us come to our station.

Nous quittasmes les riues du grand fleuue le 12. de Nouembre, comme i'ay [248] desia dit, & vinsmes cabaner pres d'vn torrent, faisans chemin à la façon que ie viens de dire, chacun portant son fardeau. Tous les Sauuages se mocquoient de moy de ce que ie n'estois pas bon cheual de male, me contentant de porter mon manteau qui estoit assez pesant, vn petit sac où ie mettois mes menuës necessitez & leurs gausseries, qui ne me pesoient pas tant que mon corps, voila ma charge: mon hoste & l'Apostat portoient sur des bastons croisez en forme de brancard la [116] femme du Sorcier qui estoit fort malade, ils la mettoient sur la neige en attendant que la cabane fut faite, où elle passoit plus de trois heures sans feu, & sans iamais se plaindre, & sans monstrer aucun signe d'impatience, ie me mettois plus en peine d'elle qu'elle mesme: car ie criois souuent qu'on fit faire pour le moins vn peu de feu aupres d'elle, mais la réponse estoit qu'elle se chaufferoit la cabane estant faite: ces barbares sont faits à ces souffrances, ils s'attẽdent bien que s'ils tombent malades qu'on les traittera à mesme monnoye. Nous seiournasmes trois iours en ceste station, pendant lesquels [249] voicy vne partie des choses que i'ay marqué dans mon memoire.

We left the banks of the great river on the 12th of November, as I have [248] said, and pitched our camp near a torrent, traveling in the way I have just described, each one carrying his pack. All the Savages made sport of me because I was not a good pack horse, being satisfied to carry my cloak, which was heavy enough; a small bag in which I kept my little necessaries; and their sneers, which were not as heavy as my body; and this was my load. My host and the Apostate carried upon poles, crossed in the form of a stretcher, the wife of the Sorcerer, who was very sick; they placed her on the snow, while waiting for the cabin to be made, and there she passed more than three hours without fire, and did not once complain nor show any sign of impatience. I was more troubled about her than she was about herself, for I often appealed to them to make at least a little fire near her; but the answer was that she would get warm when the cabin was made. These savages are hardened to such sufferings; they expect if they fall sick to be paid in the same coin. We sojourned three days at this station; and the following [249] are some of the things I noted down in my memoirs during this time.

C'est icy que les Sauuages consulterent les genies du iour, en la façon que i'ay couché au Chapitre quatriesme: or comme ie m'estois ris de ceste superstition, & qu'à toutes les occasions qui se rencontroient, ie faisois voir que les mysteres du Sorcier n'estoient que ieux d'enfans, m'efforçant de luy rauir ses oüailles pour les rendre auec le temps à celuy qui les a rachetées au prix de son sang, cét homme forcené fit le iour d'apres ceste consulte, que ie vay décrire.

It was here that the Savages consulted their genii of light, in the manner I have described in Chapter four. Now as I had always shown my amusement at this superstition, and on all possible occasions had made them see that the mysteries of the Sorcerer were nothing but child's play,—endeavoring to carry off his flock so that, in time, I might deliver them up to him who had bought them with his blood,—this unscrupulous man, the day afterward, went through with the performance I am going to describe.

Mõ hoste ayãt inuité au festin tous les Sauuages nos voisins, comme ils estoiẽt desia venus, & assis à l'entour du feu & de la chaudiere, attendans l'ouuerture du banquet, voila que le Sorcier qui estoit couché vis à vis de moy se leue tout à coup, n'ayant point encor parlé depuis la venuë des conuiez, il paroist tout furieux, se iettant sur vne des perches de la cabane pour l'arracher, il la rompt en deux pieces, il roule les yeux en la teste, regardant çà & là comme vn homme hors de soy, puis enuisageant les [250] assistans, il leur dit Iriniticou nama Nitirinisin, ô hommes [118] i'ay perdu l'esprit, ie ne sçay où ie suis, esloignez de moy les haches & les espées, car ie suis hors du sens. A ces paroles tous les Sauuages baissent les yeux en terre, & ie les leue au ciel, d'où i'attendois secours, me figurant que cét homme faisoit l'enragé pour se vanger de moy, en m'ostant la vie, ou du moins pour m'épouuenter, afin de me reprocher par apres que mon Dieu me manquoit au besoin, & de publier parmy les siens, qu'ayant si souuent témoigné que ie ne craignois pas leur Manitou, qui les fait trembler, ie pallissois deuant vn homme. Tant s'en faut que la peur qui dans les dangers d'vne mort naturelle me faisoit quelquefois rentrer dans moy-mesme, me saisit pour lors, qu'au contraire i'enuisageois ce forcené auec autant d'asseurance que si i'eusse eu vne armée à mes costez, me representant que le Dieu que i'adorois pouuoit lier les bras aux fols & aux enragez aussi bien qu'aux demons: qu'au reste si sa Majesté me vouloit ouurir les portes de la mort, par les mains d'vn homme qui faisoit l'endiablé, que [251] sa Prouidence estoit tousiours aymable. Ce Thrason redoublant ces fougues fit mille actions de fol, d'ensorcelé, de demoniaque, tantost il crioit à pleine teste, puis il demeuroit tout court comme épouuanté: il faisoit mine de pleurer, puis il s'éclattoit de rire comme vn diable follet; il chantoit sans regles ny sans mesures, il sifloit comme vn serpent, il hurloit comme vn loup, ou comme vn chien, il faisoit du hibou & du chathuan, tournant les yeux tout effarez dedans sa teste, prenant mille postures, faisant tousiours semblant de chercher quelque chose pour la lancer, i'attendois à tous coups qu'il arrachast quelque perche pour m'en assommer, ou qu'il se iettast sur moy, ie ne laissay [120] pas neantmoins pour luy monstrer que ie ne m'estonnois pas de ses diableries, de faire toutes mes actions à l'ordinaire de lire, d'écrire, de faire mes petites prieres, & l'heure de mon sommeil estant venuë ie me couchay & reposay aussi paisiblement dans son sabbat comme i'eusse fait dans vn profond silence, i'estois déja aussi accoustumé de m'endormir à ses cris, & à ses bruits de [252] tambour, qu'vn enfant aux chansons de sa nourisse.

My host having invited all the neighboring Savages to the feast, when they had come and seated themselves around the fire and the kettle, waiting for the banquet to be opened, lo, the Sorcerer, who had been lying down opposite me, suddenly arose, not yet having uttered a word since the arrival of the guests. He seemed to be in an awful fury, and threw himself upon one of the poles of the cabin to tear it out; he broke it in two, rolled his eyes around in his head, looked here and there like a man out of his senses, then facing those [250] present, he said to them, Iriniticou nama Nitirinisin, "Oh, men, I have lost my mind, I do not know where I am; take the hatchets and javelins away from me, for I am out of my senses." At these words all the Savages lowered their eyes to the ground, and I raised mine to heaven, whence I expected help,—imagining that this man was acting the madman in order to take revenge on me, to take my life or at least to frighten me, so that he could reproach me afterwards that my God had failed me in time of need, and to proclaim among his people, that I, who had so often testified that I did not fear their Manitou, who makes them tremble, had turned pale before a man. So far was I from being seized by fear which, in the dangers of a natural death, makes me shrink within myself, that, on the contrary, I faced this furious man with as much assurance as if I had had an army at my side, reflecting that the God whom I adored could bind the arms of fools and madmen as well as those of demons; that besides, if his Majesty wished to open to me the portals of death by the hands of a man who was acting the devil, [251] his Providence was always loving and kind. This Thraso [braggart], redoubling his furies, did a thousand foolish acts of a lunatic or of one bewitched; sometimes he would cry out at the top of his voice, and then would suddenly stop short, as if frightened; he pretended to cry, and then burst into laughter like a wanton devil; he sang without rules and without measure, he hissed like a serpent, he howled like a wolf, or like a dog, he screeched like an owl or a night hawk,—rolling his eyes about in his head and striking a thousand attitudes, always seeming to be looking for something to throw. I was expecting every moment he would tear up one of the poles with which to strike me down, or that he would throw himself upon me; but in order to show him that I was not at all astonished at these devilish acts, I continued, in my usual way, to read, write and say my little prayers; and when my hour for retiring came, I lay down and rested as peacefully through his orgies, as I would have done in a profound silence; I was already as accustomed to go to sleep in the midst of his cries and the sound of his [252] drum, as a child is to the songs of its nurse.

Le lendemain au soir à mesme heure il sembla vouloir entrer dans les mesmes fougues, & donner vne autrefois l'alarme au camp, disant qu'il perdoit l'esprit, le voyant desia demy fol, il me vint vne pensée qu'il pourroit estre trauaillé de quelque fiévre chaude, ie l'aborde & luy prens le bras pour luy toucher l'artere, il me regarde affreusemẽt, faisant de l'estõné, comme si ie luy eusse apporté des nouuelles de l'autre monde, il roule les yeux çà & là comme vn insensé: luy ayant touché le poulx & le front ie le trouuay frais comme vn poisson, & aussi éloigné de la fiévre comme i'estois de France, cela me confirma dans mon opinion qu'il faisoit de l'enragé pour m'estonner, & pour tirer à compassion tous ses gens qui dans nostre disette luy donnoient ce qu'ils pouuoient auoir de meilleur.

The next evening, at the same hour he seemed disposed to enter into the same infuriated state, and to again alarm the camp, saying that he was losing his mind. Seeing him already half-mad, it occurred to me that he might be suffering from some violent fever; I went up to him and took hold of his arm to feel the artery; he gave me a frightful look, seeming to be astonished, and acting as if I had brought him news from the other world, rolling his eyes here and there like one possessed. Having touched his pulse and forehead, I found him as cool as a fish, and as far from fever as I was from France. This confirmed me in my suspicion that he was acting the madman to frighten me, and to draw down upon himself the compassion of all our people, who in our dearth, were giving him the best they had.

Le 20. du mesme mois de Nouembre ne se trouuans plus de Castors, ny de Porcs-espics en nostre quartier, nous tirasmes pays, & ce fut nostre deuxiesme station, on porta la femme du Sorcier [253] sur vn brancart, & la mit-on, comme i'ay desia dit, dessus la neige en attendant que nostre palais fût dressé, ce pendant ie m'approchay d'elle luy témoignant beaucoup de compassion: il y auoit desia quelques [122] iours que ie taschois de gagner son affection, afin qu'elle me prestast plus volontiers l'oreille, cognoissant bien qu'elle ne pouuoit pas viure long-temps, car elle estoit comme vne squelette, n'ayant quasi plus la force de parler, quand elle appelloit quelqu'vn la nuit, ie me leuois moy mesme, & l'éueillois, ie luy faisois du feu, ie luy demandois ce dont elle auoit besoin, elle me cõmandoit de petites chosettes, comme de fermer les portes ou boucher quelque trou de la cabane qui l'incõmodoit, apres ces menus discours & offices de charité, ie l'aborday, & luy demãday si elle ne vouloit pas bien croire en celuy qui a tout faict, & que son ame apres sa mort seroit bien-heureuse. Au commencement elle me répondit qu'elle n'auoit point veu Dieu, & que ie luy fisse voir, autrement qu'elle ne pouuoit croire en luy, elle auoit tiré ceste réponse de la bouche de sõ mary, Ie luy repartis qu'elle [254] croyoit plusieurs choses qu'elle ne voyoit pas, & qu'au reste son ame seroit bruslée pour vne eternité si elle n'obeïssoit à celuy qui a tout fait; elle s'adoucit petit à petit, & me témoigna qu'elle luy vouloit obeïr, ie n'osois l'entretenir long temps, mais seulement par reprises, ceux qui me voyoient me crians que ie la laissasse.

On the 20th of the same month of November, finding no more Beavers and Porcupines in our quarter, we resumed our journey, this being our second station. The Sorcerer's wife was carried [253] upon a stretcher, and they placed her, as I have already said, upon the snow until our palace was erected. Meanwhile I approached her, showing how greatly I sympathized with her; already for some days I had been trying to gain her affection, that she might more willingly listen to me; I knew that she could not live long, as she was like a skeleton, hardly having strength enough to talk. When she called some one in the night, I arose and awoke him, I made fires for her, I asked her if she was in need of anything; she had me do little things for her, such as closing the door, or stopping up a hole in the cabin which annoyed her. After these little conversations and acts of charity, I approached and asked her if she did not want to believe in him who has made all, so that her soul after death would be blest. At first she answered that she had not seen God, and that I should make her see him, otherwise she could not believe in him. She got this answer from the lips of her husband. I told her that she [254] believed in a great many things she had not seen, and besides, her soul would be burned through eternity if she did not obey him who has made all. She softened, little by little, and testified to me that she wished to obey him. I did not dare confer with her long, and only at intervals, for those who saw me would cry out that I should leave her alone.

Sur le soir estãs tous dãs nostre nouuelle cabane, ie m'approchay d'elle, l'appellant par son nom, iamais elle ne me voulut parler en la presence des autres, ie priay le Sorcier de luy dire qu'elle me répondist, & de m'ayder à l'instruire, luy representant qu'il ne pouuoit arriuer que du bien de ceste action, il me répond non plus que la malade, ie m'addresse à l'Apostat le pressant auec de tres humbles prieres de me prester sa parole, point de répõse; ie retourne à la malade, [124] ie l'appelle, ie luy parle, ie luy demande si elle ne vouloit pas aller au Ciel, à tout cela pas vn mot: Ie solicite de rechef le Sorcier son mary, ie luy promets vne chemise & du petun, pourueu qu'il dise à sa femme qu'elle m'écoute, comment veux-tu, me dit-il, que nous [255] croyõs en ton Dieu ne l'ayãs iamais veu? ie t'ay desia respondu à cela, luy fis-je, il n'est pas temps de disputer, cette ame se va perdre pour vn iamais si tu n'en as pitié: Tu vois bien que celuy qui a faict le Ciel pour toy, te veut donner de plus grands biens, que d'aller manger des escorces en vn village qui ne fut iamais, mais aussi te punira il seuerement si tu ne crois en luy, & si tu ne luy obeis. Ne pouuant tirer aucune raison de ce miserable homme, ie pressay encor vne fois la malade, mon hoste me l'entendant nommer par son nom me tança, tais toy me dit-il, ne la nomme point, elle est desia morte, son ame n'est plus dans son corps. C'est vne grande verité que personne ne va à Iesvs-Christ que son pere ne luy tende la main, c'est vn grãd present que la foy, quãd ces pauures Barbares voyẽt qu'vn pauure malade ne parle plus, ou qu'il tombe en syncope, ou en quelque phrenesie, ils disent que son esprit n'est plus dans son corps, si le malade retourne en son bon sens, c'est l'èsprit qui est de retour: en fin quand il est mort il n'en faut plus parler, ny le nommer en aucune façon: pour conclurre ce point, il [256] me fallust retirer sans rien faire.

Toward evening, when we were all in our new cabin, I approached and called her by name. She never would talk with me in the presence of the others. I begged the Sorcerer to tell her to answer me, and to help me teach her, showing him that nothing but good could come of this action. He would not answer me any more than the invalid. I addressed the Apostate, urging him with very humble prayers to lend me his voice, but no answer; I return to the sick woman, I call her by name, I speak to her, I ask her if she does not wish to go to Heaven; to all this not a word. I again beg her husband, the Sorcerer; I promise him a shirt and some tobacco, if he will tell his wife to listen to me. "How canst thou ask us," he said, "to [255] believe in thy God, never having seen him?" "I have already answered that question for thee," I returned; "this is no time to argue, this soul is going to be forever lost if thou dost not have pity. Thou seest well that he who has made the Heavens for thee, wishes to give thee greater blessings than to go about eating bark in a village which never existed; but he will also severely punish thee if thou dost not believe in him and obey him." Not being able to draw any answer from this miserable man, I again urged the sick woman. My host, hearing me call her by name, chided me, saying, "Keep still, do not name her; she is already dead, her soul is no longer in her body." It is a great truth that no one goes to Jesus Christ until the father extends to him the hand. How wonderful a gift is this faith! When these simple Barbarians see that a poor invalid no longer speaks, or that he has fainted, or been seized by a frenzy, they say that the spirit is no longer in the body; and, if the invalid returns to his senses, it is the spirit which has returned. Finally, when he is dead, they must no longer speak of him, nor name him in any way. To finish this story, [256] I had to retire without accomplishing anything.

On tint conseil en ce lieu de ce qu'on deuoit faire pour trouuer à manger, nous estions desia reduits à telle extremité que ie fasois vn bon repas d'vne peau d'anguille boucannée, que ie iettois aux chiens quelques iours auparauant. Deux choses me toucherent [126] ici le cœur: jettant vne fois vn os, ou vne arreste d'anguille aux chiens, vn petit garçon fut plus habile que le chien, il se jetta sur l'os & le rongea & mangea: vne autre fois vn enfant ayant demandé à manger, comme on luy eust respõdu qu'il n'y en auoit point, ce pauure petit s'en prit à ses yeux, les larmes rouloient sur sa face grosses commes des pois, & ses souspirs & ses sanglots me touchoient de compassion, encor taschoit il de se cacher: c'est vne leçon qu'on fait aux enfans de se monstrer courageux dans la famine.

They took counsel in this place as to what they should do to get something to eat. We were already reduced to such extremities that I made a good meal on a skin of smoked eel, which a few days before I had thrown to the dogs. Here two incidents occurred which touched my heart. Once when I threw a bone or remnant of an eel to the dogs, a little boy, more nimble than they, threw himself upon the bone, and gnawed and bit into it. Another time, a child having asked for something to eat, when he was told there was nothing at all, the poor little fellow's eyes filled, and tears as big as peas rolled down his cheeks, and his sighs and sobs filled me with pity, although he tried to suppress them. One lesson they teach their children is to be brave in time of famine.

Le 28. du mesme mois, nous decampasmes pour la troisiesme fois, il neigeoit fort, mais la necessité nous pressant le mauuais temps ne peut nous arrester. Ie fus bien estonné en cette troisiesme demeure que ie ne vis point apporter la malade, ie n'osois demander ce qu'elle [257] estoit deuenuë, car ils ne veulent pas qu'on parle des morts: sur le soir i'accostay le Renegat, ie luy demanday parlant François où estoit ceste pauure femme, s'il ne l'auoit point tuée, voyant qu'elle s'en alloit mourir, cõme il auoit autrefois assommé à coups de bastons vne pauure fille qui tiroit à la mort, ainsi que luy mesme l'auoit raconté à nos François. Non, dit-il, ie ne l'ay pas tuée: qui donc, luy fis ie, est-ce le ieune Hiroquois? Nenny, me répond-il, car il est party de grand matin: c'est donc mon hoste, ou le Sorcier son mary; car elle parloit encor quand ie suis sorty ce matin de la cabane, il baissa la teste, m'aduoüãt tacitement que l'vn des deux l'auoit mise à mort: vn vieillard m'a ceneãtmoins dit depuis, qu'elle mourut de sa mort naturelle vn peu apres que ie fus party, ie m'en rapporte à ce qui en est, quoy que s'en soit ayant refusé de recognoistre le Fils de Dieu pour son Pasteur pendant [128] sa vie, il n'est que trop probable qu'il ne l'a pas recogneuë pour vne de ses oüailles, après sa mort.

On the 28th of the same month, we broke camp for the third time. It was snowing hard; but, with necessity urging us on, the bad weather could not stop us. I was surprised, in this third halt, not to see them bring the invalid; but I did not dare ask what [257] had become of her, for they do not want any one to mention the dead. In the evening, I went to the Renegade, and asked him in French where this poor woman was,—if he had not killed her, seeing her about to die, as he had once before killed with blows from a club a poor girl who was on the point of death, which he himself had related to our French. "No," said he, "I have not killed her." "Who has then," said I, "is it the young Hiroquois?" "No, no," he answered, "for he went away very early this morning." "It is then my host, or the Sorcerer her husband, for she was still able to talk when I left the cabin this morning." He bowed his head, admitting tacitly that one of them had put her to death. But, since then, an old man has told me that she died a natural death a little while after I departed. I am unable to say which is correct; but, at all events, as she refused to recognize the son of God as her Shepherd during her life, it is no more than probable that he refused to recognize her as one of his flock after death.

I'ay remarqué iusques icy de trois sortes de medecines naturelles parmy les [258] Sauuages, l'vne c'est leur suërie, dont i'ay parlé cy-dessus, l'autre consiste à se taillader legerement la partie du corps qui leur fait mal, la mettant toute en sang qu'ils font sortir de ces decoupeures en assez grande abondance, ils se seruirent vne fois de mon canif pour taillader la teste d'vn enfant de dix iours. La troisiesme de ces medecines est composée de racleure d'écorces interieures de bouleau, du moins cet arbre me sembloit tel, ils font boüillir ces racleures dans de l'eau, qu'ils boiuent par apres pour se faire vomir, ils m'ont souuent voulu donner ceste potion pendant que i'estois malade, mais ie ne la iugeois pas à mon vsage.

Up to the present I have observed three kinds of natural medicines among the [258] Savages. One of these is their sweat-box, of which I have spoken above; the second consists in making a slight gash in the part of the body where the pain is, covering it with blood which they make issue from these cuts quite abundantly. They once made use of my penknife to cut the head of a child ten days old. The third of these medicines is composed of the scrapings of the inside bark of the birch, at least it seems to be this tree. They boil these scrapings in water, which they afterwards drink to make them vomit. They often wanted me to drink this potion when I was sick, but I did not think it would agree with me.

Le iour de sainct François Xauier, nostre pretendu Magicien ayant sur le soir battu son tambour, & bien hurlé à l'ordinaire, car il ne manquoit point de nous donner ceste aubade toutes les nuits à nostre premier sommeil, voyant que tout le monde estoit endormy, & cognoissant que ce pauure homme faisoit ce tintamare pour sa guarison. I'entray en discours auec luy, ie commençay par vn témoignage de grand amour [259] en son endroit, & par des loüanges que ie luy iettay comme vne amorce pour le prendre dans les filets de la verité. Ie luy fis entendre que si vn esprit capable des choses grandes comme le sien cognoissoit Dieu, que tous les Sauuages induis par son exemple le voudroient aussi cognoistre, aussi tost il prit l'essor, & se mit à declarer la puissance, l'authorité & le credit qu'il a sur l'esprit de ses compatriotes, il dit que dés sa ieunesse les Sauuages luy donnerent [130] le nom de Khimouchouminau, c'est à dire nostre ayeul & nostre maistre, que tout passe par ses aduis, & que chacun suit ses conseils, ie l'aydois à se loüer le mieux que ie pouuois: car il est vray qu'il a de belles parties pour vn Sauuage: enfin ie luy dis que ie m'estonnois qu'vn homme de iugement ne peut recognoistre le peu de rapport qu'il y a entre ce tintamare & la santé. Quand tu as bien crié & bien battu ton tambour, que fait ce bruit sinon de t'estourdir la teste, pas vn Sauuage n'est malade, qu'on ne luy batte les oreilles de ce tambour, afin qu'il ne meure point, en as-tu veu de dispensez de la mort; ie te veux faire [260] vne proposition: Escoute moy patiemment, luy dis-ie, bas ton tambour dix iours durant, chante & faits chanter les autres tant que tu voudras, fais tout ce qui sera en ton possible pour recouurer ta santé, si tu n'en guary dans ce temps-là, confesse que ton tintamare, que tes hurlemens, & que tes chansons ne te sçauroient remettre en santé, abstiens toy dix autres iours de toutes ces superstitions, quitte ton tambour, & tous ces bruits dereglez, demande au Dieu que i'adore, qu'il te donne sa cognoissance, pense & crois que ton ame doit passer à vne autre vie que celle-cy, efforce toy d'aymer son bien cõme tu ayme le bien de ton corps, & quand tu auras passé ces dix autres derniers iours en ceste façon, ie me retireray trois iours durant en oraison dans vne petite cabane qu'on fera plus auant dans le bois, là ie prieray mon Dieu qu'il te donne la santé du corps & de l'ame, toy seul me viendras voir au temps que ie diray, & tu feras de tout ton cœur les prieres que ie t'enseigneray; promettant à Dieu que s'il luy plaist de te rendre la santé, tu appelleras tous les Sauuages de ce [132] lieu, & en [261] leur presence tu brusleras ton tambour, & toutes les autres badineries dont tu te sers pour les amasser, que tu leur diras que le Dieu des Chrestiens est le vray Dieu, qu'ils croyẽt en luy, & qu'ils luy obeïssent, si tu promets cecy veritablement & de cœur, i'espere que tu seras deliuré de ta maladie, car mon Dieu est tout puissant.

On the day of saint François Xavier, our pretended Magician began in the evening to beat his drum and to utter his howls as usual; for he did not fail to give us this entertainment every night at our first sleep. I saw that every one was asleep, and, knowing that this poor man made all this racket in order to cure himself, I entered into conversation with him. I began by expressing a great deal of affection [259] for him, and by heaping praises upon him, as bait to draw him into the nets of truth. I made him understand that if a mind as capable of great things as his was, should know God, that all the Savages, influenced by his example, would like to know him also. He immediately began to soar, and to talk about the power, the authority, and the influence he had over the minds of his fellow-savages. He said that since his youth they had given him the name, Khimouchouminau, meaning, "our sire and our master;" that everything was done according to his opinion, and that they all followed his advice. I helped in this self-praise as well as I could, for he has indeed some good qualities for a Savage. I finally told him that I was surprised that a man of judgment could not realize that there was little connection between this uproar and health. "When thou hast screamed and beaten thy drum with all thy might, what good does it do except to make thy head dizzy? No Savage is sick, whose ears they do not deafen with this drum, to keep him from dying; yet hast thou ever seen it dispel death? I am going to make a proposal [260] to thee, listen to me patiently," I said to him. "Beat thy drum for ten days, sing and make all the others sing as much as thou wilt, do all thou canst to recover thy health, and if thou art not cured in that time confess that thy din, howls and songs cannot restore thee to health. Now abstain ten more days from all these superstitions; give up thy drum, and all these wild noises; ask of the God whom I adore that he give thee knowledge of himself; reflect, and believe that thy soul must pass to a life other than this; endeavor to interest thyself in its welfare as thou dost in the welfare of thy body; and when thou shalt have passed these last ten days in this way, I will withdraw for three days to pray in a little cabin that shall be made farther back in the woods. There I will pray my God to give thee health of body and of soul; thou alone shalt come to see me at the time I shall indicate, and thou shalt say with all thy heart the prayers I will teach thee—promising God that, if it pleases him to restore thee thy health, thou wilt call together all the Savages of the place, and in [261] their presence thou wilt burn thy drum and all the other silly stuff that thou usest to bring them together, saying to them that the God of the Christians is the true God, that they must believe in him and obey him. If thou promise this truthfully and from thy heart, I hope that thou wilt be delivered from thy disease, for my God is all-powerful."

Or comme cét homme est tres desireux de recouurer sa santé, il ouurit les oreilles, & me dit, ton discours est fort bon, i'accepte les conditions que tu me donne; mais commence le premier, retire toy en oraison, & dis à ton Dieu qu'il me guarisse, car c'est par là qu'il faut commencer, & puis ie feray tout ce que tu m'as prescrit: ie ne cõmenceray point, luy reparty-ie, car si tu estois guary, pendant que ie prierois tu attribuerois ta santé à ton tambour, que tu n'aurois pas quitté; & non pas au Dieu que i'adore, lequel seul te peut guarir; non, me dit-il, ie ne croiray pas que cela vienne de mon tambour, i'ay chanté & fait tout ce que ie sçauois, & n'ay peu sauuer la vie à pas vn; moy-mesme estãt malade ie fais ioüer pour me guarir tous [262] les ressorts de mon art, & me voila plus mal que iamais; i'ay employé toutes mes inuentions pour sauuer la vie à mes enfans, notamment au dernier qui est mort depuis peu, & pour conseruer ma femme qui vient de trespasser, tout cela ne m'a point reüssi, & partant si tu me guaris, ie n'attribueray point ma santé à mon tambour, ny à mes chansons. Ie luy répondis que ie ne pouuois pas le guarir; mais que mon Dieu pouuoit tout, qu'au reste il ne falloit point faire de marché auec luy, ny luy prescrire des conditions comme il faisoit, disant qu'il me guarisse premierement, & puis ie croiray en luy: [134] dispose toy, luy fis ie, de ton costé, & sa bonté ne te manquera pas, que s'il ne te donne la santé du corps, il te donnera la santé de l'ame qui est incomparablement plus à priser. Ne me parle point de l'ame, me repart-il, c'est de quoy ie ne me soucie pas: voila (me monstrant sa chair) ce que i'ayme, c'est le corps que ie cheris, pour l'ame ie ne la voy point, en arriue ce qui pourra. As tu de l'esprit, luy fis-ie? tu parle comme les bestes, les chiens n'ayment que les corps; celuy qui a fait le Soleil [263] pour t'éclairer, n'a-il rien preparé de plus grand à ton ame, qu'à l'ame d'vn chien? Si tu n'ayme que ton corps tu perdras le corps & l'ame, si vne beste pouuoit parler elle ne parleroit que de son corps & de sa chair, n'as-tu rien par dessus les bestes qui sont faites pour te seruir? n'ayme-tu que la chair & le sang? ton ame est-elle l'ame d'vn chien que tu la traite auec vn tel mépris? peut estre que tu dis vray, me répond-il, & qu'il y a quelque chose de bon en l'autre vie: mais nous autres en ce pays-cy n'en sçauons rien, que si tu me rends la santé ie feray ce que tu voudras. Ce pauure miserable ne peut iamais releuer sa pensée plus haut que la terre: ne voyant donc aucune disposition en cét esprit superbe, qui croyoit pouuoir obliger Dieu, s'il croyoit en luy, ie le quittay pour lors, & me retiray pour reposer, car il estoit bien auant dans la nuit.

Now as this man is very desirous of recovering his health, he opened his ears, and said to me, "Thy discourse is very good, I accept the conditions that thou givest; but thou begin first, go away and pray, and tell thy God to cure me, for with that we must begin; then I will do all that thou hast prescribed for me." "I shall not begin it," I replied to him, "for if thou get back thy health while I would be praying, thou wouldst be attributing thy recovery to thy drum, which thou wouldst not have given up, and not to the God whom I adore, who alone can cure thee." "No," he replied, "I shall not think it has come from my drum; I have sung and have done all I could, yet I have not been able to save the life of one man; I myself am sick, and to cure myself have made use of all [262] the resources of my art; and behold I am worse than ever. I have used all my inventions to save the lives of my children, especially of the last one who died only a short time ago, and to save my wife, who has just passed away, yet all this has not succeeded; so if thou curest me I shall not attribute my health to my drum nor to my songs." I answered him that I could not cure him, but that my God could do all, and besides we must not make bargains with him, nor prescribe to him the conditions upon which he was to act, saying, "Let him cure me first, and then I will believe in him." "Prepare thyself," I continued, "on thy part, and his goodness will not fail thee; for, if he does not give thee health of the body, he will give thee health of the soul, which is of incomparably higher value." "Do not speak to me about the soul," he replied, "that is something that I give myself no anxiety about; it is this (showing his flesh) that I love, it is the body I cherish; as to the soul, I do not see it, let happen to it what will." "Hast thou any reason?" I asked, "thou speakest like a brute, dogs love only their bodies; he who has made the Sun [263] to shine upon thee, has he not prepared something better for thy soul than for the soul of a dog? If thou lovest only the body, thou wilt lose both thy body and thy soul. If a brute could talk, it would talk about nothing but its body and its flesh; hast thou nothing above the brute, which is made to serve thee? Dost thou love only flesh and blood? Thy soul, is it only the soul of a dog, that thou dost treat it with such contempt?" "Perhaps thou sayest truly," he replied, "and there is something good in the other life; but we here in this country know nothing about it. If thou restorest my health, I will do what thou wishest." This poor wretch is never able to raise his thoughts above earth. Seeing then no inclination in this haughty spirit, who thought he was obliging God by believing in him, I gave him up for the time being, and retired to rest, for it was well along into the night.

Le 3. de Decembre nous cõmençasmes nostre quatriesme station, ayans délogé sans trompette, mais non pas sans tambour: car le Sorcier n'oublioit iamais le sien, nous plantasmes nostre camp proche d'vn fleuue large & rapide, [264] mais peu profond, ils le nomment Ca pititetchiouetz, il se va dégorger dans le grand [136] fleuue de sainct Laurens, quasi vis à vis de Tadoussac, nos Sauuages n'ayans point icy de viandes pour faire des festins, ils faisoient des banquets de fumée, s'inuitans les vns les autres, dans leurs cabanes, & faisans la ronde à vn petit plat de terre remply de Tabac, chacun en prenoit vne cornetée qu'il reduisoit en fumée, remettant la main au plat s'il vouloit petuner dauantage: l'affection qu'ils portent à ceste herbe est au delà de toute créance, ils s'endormẽt le cabanet en la bouche, ils se leuent par fois la nuit pour petuner, ils s'arrestent souuent en chemin pour le mesme sujet, c'est la premiere action qu'ils font rentrant dans leurs cabanes: ie leur ay battu le fusil pour les faire petuner en ramants dans vn canot, ie leur ay veu souuent manger le baston de leur calumet, n'ayans plus de petun, ie leur ay veu racler & pulueriser vn calumet de bois pour petuner, disons auec compassion qu'ils passent leur vie dans la fumée, & qu'ils tombent à la mort dans le feu.

On the 3rd of December we began our fourth station, having broken camp without trumpets, but not without drums, for the Sorcerer never forgot his. We pitched our camp near a broad and rapid, [264] but rather shallow river, which they called Ca pititetchiouetz; it flows into the great river saint Lawrence, almost opposite Tadoussac. Our Savages, having no food for a feast here, made a banquet of smoke; each inviting the others to his cabin, they passed around a little earthen plate containing Tobacco, and every one took a pipeful, which he reduced to smoke, returning his hand to the dish if he wanted to smoke any more. The fondness they have for this herb is beyond all belief. They go to sleep with their reed pipes in their mouths, they sometimes get up in the night to smoke; they often stop in their journeys for the same purpose, and it is the first thing they do when they reënter their cabins. I have lighted tinder, so as to allow them to smoke while paddling a canoe; I have often seen them gnaw the stems of their pipes when they had no more tobacco, I have seen them scrape and pulverize a wooden pipe to smoke it. Let us say with compassion that they pass their lives in smoke, and at death fall into the fire.

[265] I'auois porté du petun auec moy, non pour mõ vsage, car ie n'en prends point, i'en donnay largement selon que i'en auois à plusieurs Sauuages; m'en reseruant vne partie pour tirer de l'Apostat quelque mot de sa langue; car il ne m'eust pas dit vne parole qu'en le payãt de ceste monnoye, quand nos gens eurent consommé ce que ie leur auois donné, & ce qu'ils auoient en leur particulier, ie n'auois plus de paix, le Sorcier me pressoit auec vne importunité si audacieuse, que ie ne le pouuois souffrir, tous les autres sembloient me vouloir manger, quand ie leur en refusois: i'auois beau leur dire qu'ils n'auoient point de consideration, que ie leur en auois plus donné trois fois que ie ne m'estois reserué; vous voyez, [138] leur disois-ie, que i'ayme vostre langue, & qu'il faut que ie l'achepte auec cét argent, que s'il me manque on ne m'enseignera pas vn mot, vous voyez que s'il me faut vn verre d'eau, il faut que i'en aille chercher bien loing, ou que ie dõne vn bout de petun à vn enfant pour m'en aller querir; vous me dites que le petun rassasie, si la famine qui nous presse cõtinuë, i'en [266] veux faire l'experience, laissez moy ce peu que i'ay de reserue, il me fut impossible de resister à leur importunité, il fallut tirer iusques au bout, ce ne fut pas sans estonnement de voir des personnes si passionnées pour de la fumée.

[265] I brought some tobacco with me, but not for myself, as I do not use it. I have given liberally, according to my store, to several Savages, saving some to draw from the Apostate a few words of his language, for he would not say a word if I did not pay him with this money. When our people had consumed what I had given them, and what they had of their own, I had no more peace. The Sorcerer was so annoying in his demands for it, that I could not endure him; and all the others acted as if they wanted to eat me, when I refused them. In vain I told them that they had no consideration, that I had given them more than three times as much as I had reserved for myself. "You see," I said to them, "that I love your language and that I must buy it with this money, for if it is lacking no one will teach me a word; you see if I have to have a glass of water, I must go a long way to get it, or I must give a bit of tobacco to a child to get it for me; you tell me that tobacco satisfies hunger; if the famine which now presses us continues, I wish [266] to experiment with it, so leave me the little I have in reserve." It was impossible to resist their teasing, and I had to draw out the last bit, not without astonishment at seeing people so passionately fond of smoke.

Le sixiesme du mesme mois, nous délogeasmes pour la cinquiesme fois, il m'arriua vne disgrace au départ, au lieu de prẽdre le vray chemin, ie me iettay dans vn autre que nos chasseurs auoient fort battu, ie vay donc fort loing sans prendre garde que ie me perdois, ayant fait une longue traitte, ie m'apperceu que mon chemin se diuisoit en cinq ou six autres, qui tiroient qui deçà, qui delà, me voila demeuré tout court, il y auoit vn petit enfant qui m'auoit suiuy, ie ne l'osois quitter, car auss-tost il se mettoit à pleurer, i'enfilay tantost l'vn, tantost l'autre de ces sentiers, & voyant qu'ils tournoient çà & là, & qu'ils n'estoient marquez que d'vne sorte de raquette, ie concluds que ces chemins ne conduisoient point au lieu où mes Sauuages alloient cabaner, ie ne sçauois que faire du petit garçon: car s'estant apperceu de nostre erreur il ne m'osoit [267] perdre de veuë sans se pasmer; d'ailleurs n'ayant qu'enuiron six ans il ne me pouuoit pas suiure, car ie doublois mes pas: ie m'aduisay de luy laisser mon manteau pour marque que ie retournerois, si ie trouuois nostre vray chemin, luy faisant [140] signe qu'il m'attendist, car nous ne nous attendions pas l'vn l'autre: ie iettay donc mon manteau sur la neige, & m'en reuay sur mes brisées criant de temps en temps pour me faire entendre de nos gens, si tant est que le bon chemin ne fust pas loing de moy; ie crie, i'appelle dans ces grands bois, personne ne répond, tout est dans vn profond silence, les arbres mesme ne faisoient aucun bruit, car il ne faisoit point de vent: le froid estoit si violent que ie m'attendois infailliblemẽt de mourir la nuit au cas qu'il me la fallust passer sur la neige, n'ayant ny hache ny fusil pour faire du feu; ie vay, ie viens, ie tourne de tous costez, ie ne trouue rien qui ne m'égare dauantage: la derniere chose que l'homme quitte c'est l'esperance, ie la tenois tousiours par vn petit bout, me figurant à toute heure que i'allois trouuer mon chemin; mais enfin apres [268] auoir bien tourné, voyant que les creatures ne me pouuoient donner aucun secours, ie m'arrestay pour presẽter mes petites prieres au Createur dont ie voyois ces grands bois tout remplis aussi bien que le reste du monde: il me vint vne pensée que ie n'estois pas perdu, puis que Dieu sçauoit bien où i'estois, & ruminant ceste verité en mon esprit, ie tire doucement vers le fleuue que i'auois trauersé au sortir de la cabane, ie crie, i'appelle de rechef, tout le monde estoit desia bien loing; ie commençois desia à laisser cheoir de mes mains le petit filet de l'esperance que i'auois tenu iusques alors, quand i'aduisay quelques vestiges de raquette derriere des broussailles, ie m'y transporte, & vidi vestigia virorum, & mulierum & infantium, en vn mot ie trouue ce que i'auois cherché fort long-temps, au commencement ie n'estois pas asseuré que c'estoit là vn [142] bon chemin, voila pourquoy ie me diligentay de le recognoistre: estant desia bien auancé ie trouue l'Apostat qui nous venoit chercher, il me demanda où estoit ce petit enfant, ie luy repars que ie l'auois laissé [269] aupres de mon manteau: i'ay, me dit-il, trouué vostre manteau & l'ay reporté à la nouuelle cabane; mais ie n'ay point veu l'enfant: me voila bien estonné, de l'aller chercher, c'estoit me perdre vne autre fois; ie prie l'Apostat d'y aller, il fit la sourde oreille, ie tire droit à la cabane pour en donner aduis, où enfin i'arriuay tout brisé & tout moulu pour la difficulté & pour la longueur des chemins que i'auois fait sans trouuer hostellerie que des ruisseaux glacez: si tost que les Sauuages me virent ils me demandent où estoit le petit garçon, crians que ie l'auois perdu, ie leur raconte l'histoire, les asseurants que ie luy auois laissé tout exprez mon manteau pour l'aller retrouuer, mais ayant quitté ce lieu là, ie ne sçauois où l'aller chercher, veu mesmement que ie n'en pouuois plus, n'ayant point mangé depuis le grand matin, & deux ou trois bouchées de boucan tant seulement, on me donna pour reconfort vn peu d'eau glacée, que ie fis chauffer dans vn chaudron fort sale, ce fut tout mon souper: car nos chasseurs n'ayans rien pris il fallut ieusner ce iour là. [270] Pour l'enfant, deux femmes m'ayans ouy depeindre l'endroit où ie l'auois laissé, coniecturant où il auoit tiré, l'allerent chercher, & le trouuerent. Il ne faut pas s'estonner si vn François se perd quelquesfois dans ces forests, i'ay veu de nos plus habiles Sauuages s'y esgarer plus d'vn iour entier.

On the sixth of the same month we broke camp for the fifth time. I had a mishap at our departure, for, instead of taking the right road, I started upon another that had been well beaten down by our hunters, and so I went some distance without perceiving that I was lost. After a long stage, I observed that the way divided into five or six others, which led in several directions. So I was brought to a standstill. There was a little child who had followed me, and whom I did not dare to leave, for it would at once begin to cry. I followed first one and then another of these paths; and seeing that they wound here and there, and that they were marked by only one kind of snowshoe, I concluded that these ways did not lead to the place where my Savages were going to encamp. I did not know what to do with the little boy; for, having found out our mistake, he did not dare [267] lose me out of his sight without going into spasms; and besides, as he was only about six years old, he could not keep up with me as I increased my speed. I decided to leave him my cloak, to show that I intended to return, if I found the right way, making him a sign that he should wait, for we did not understand each other. So I threw my cloak upon the snow, and retraced my steps, crying out from time to time to make myself heard by our people, in case the right road was not far away from me. I shout and halloo in these great forests, but no one answers; the silence is profound, for even the trees do not rustle, as there is no wind. The cold was so severe that I was sure I would die during the night, if I had to pass it upon the snow, having neither axe nor tinder with which to make a fire. I go, I come, I turn on all sides; but I find nothing which does not confuse me still more. The last thing that a man abandons is hope; I continued to hold on to it by the little end, imagining every moment that I was going to find my way; but at last, after [268] many windings, seeing that human beings could give me no help, I stopped in order to offer my little prayers to the Creator, with whom I saw these great woods all filled as well as the rest of the world. The thought came into my mind that I was not lost, since God knew where I was; and, turning over this truth in my mind, I slowly approached the river I had crossed on leaving the cabin. I cried out, I called again, but everybody was already far away. I was beginning to loosen my hold upon the little thread of hope that I had held up to that time, when I perceived some snowshoe tracks behind the brushwood. I betook myself thither, et vidi vestigia virorum, et mulierum et infantium. In a word, I found what I had so long been seeking. At first I was not sure this was a good road, hence I reconnoitred it very carefully. When I had advanced some distance, I met the Apostate, who was coming in search of us. He asked me where the little child was; and I replied that I had left it [269] near my cloak. "I have found your cloak," he said, "and have carried it to the new cabin; but I have not found the child." This was a great shock to me; to go in search of it would be to lose myself a second time. I prayed the Apostate to go, but he turned a deaf ear to my entreaties. I started directly for the cabin, to advise them of the matter, and finally reached it, sore all over and bruised from the hardships and length of the journey, which I had made without finding other hostelry than the frozen brooks. As soon as the Savages saw me, they asked where the little boy was, crying out that I had lost him. I told them the story, assuring them that I had left my cloak with him purposely, that I might go back and find him; but, as he had left that place, I did not know where to look for him, especially as I had no more strength left, having eaten nothing since early morning, and then only two or three mouthfuls of smoked meat. They comforted me with a little frozen water, which I melted in a very dirty kettle, and this was all the supper I had; for our hunters had not taken anything, so we had to fast that day. [270] As to the child, two women having heard me describe the place where I had left it, guessing where it had wandered, went in search of and found it. You must not be astonished if a Frenchman sometimes loses himself in these forests; for I have known some of our cleverest Savages to wander about in them more than a whole day.

Le 20. de Decembre, quoy que les Sauuages ne se mettent pas ordinairement en chemin pendant le mauuais [144] temps si fallut-il decabanner durant la pluye, & desloger à petit bruit sans desieuner, la fin [faim] nous faisoit marcher, mais le mal est, qu'elle nous suiuoit par tout où nous allions; car nous ne trouuions par tout, ou fort peu, ou point de chasse: En ceste station, qui fut la sixiesme, le Renegat me vint dire que les Sauuages estoient fort espouuantez, & mon hoste m'abordant tout pensif, me demanda si ie ne sçauois point quelque remede à leur mal-heur, il n'y a pas, me disoit-il, assez de neige pour tuer l'Orignac, des Castors, & des Porcs-espics, nous n'en trouuõs quasi point, que ferons nous? ne sçais tu point ce qui nous doit arriuer? ne sens tu point dans toy-mesme ce qu'il [271] faut faire? Ie luy voulus dire que nostre Dieu estoit tres-bon, & tres-puissant, qu'il falloit que nous eussions recours à sa misericorde, mais cõme ie ne parlois pas bien, ie priay l'Apostat de me seruir de truchement; ce miserable est possedé d'vn diable muet, iamais il ne voulut parler.

On the 20th of December, although the Savages do not usually take the road in bad weather, yet we had to break up during the storm, and move away quietly without any breakfast, for hunger drove us onward; the trouble is it followed us everywhere we went, for we found no game anywhere, or at least very little of it. At this station, which was the sixth, the Renegade came to tell me that the Savages were greatly terrified; and my host, addressing me seriously, asked if I did not know some remedy for their misfortune. "There is not," said he, "enough snow to kill Moose, Beavers, and Porcupines; we find almost no game; what shall we do? Dost thou not know what may happen to us? Dost thou not see within thyself what [271] ought to be done?" I wanted to tell him that our God was very good and very powerful, and we ought to have recourse to his mercy; but as I did not speak well, I begged the Apostate to be my interpreter, but this wretch is possessed of a mute devil, he never wants to talk.

Le 24. Decembre, veille de la naissance de nostre Sauueur, nous decampasmes pour la septiesme fois, nous partismes sans manger, nous cheminasmes vn assez long temps; nous trauaillasmes à faire nostre maison, & pour nostre souper N. S. nous donna vn Porc-espic gros comme vn cochon de lait, & vn liéure, c'estoit peu pour dix-huict ou vingt personnes que nous estions, il est vray, mais la saincte Vierge & son glorieux Espoux sainct Ioseph, ne furent pas si bien traictez à mesme iour dans l'estable de Bethleem.

On the 24th of December, the evening before the birth of our Savior, we broke up for the seventh time. We departed without eating, and journeyed for a long, long time, then worked at house-building; and for our supper Our Lord gave us a Porcupine as large as a sucking pig, and a hare. It was not much for our eighteen or twenty people, it is true; but the holy Virgin and her glorious Spouse, saint Joseph, were not so well treated on the same day in the stable at Bethle[h]em.

Le lendemain iour de resiouyssance parmy les Chrestiens, pour l'enfant nouueau né, fust pour nous vn iour de ieusne, on ne me donna rien du tout à manger; la faim qui fait sortir le loup du bois, m'y [146] fit entrer plus auant, pour chercher [272] des petits bouts d'arbres que ie mãgeois auec delices, des femmes ayant ietté aux chiens par mesgarde ou autrement, quelques rongneures de peaux dont on fait les cordes des raquettes, ie les ramassay, & en fis vn bon disner, quoy que les chiens mesmes, quand ils auoient tant soit peu à manger, n'en voulussent pas gouster: I'ay souuent mangé, notamment ce mois cy, des raclures d'escorces, des rongneures de peaux, & autres choses semblables, & cependant ie ne m'en suis point trouué mal.

The next day, a day of rejoicing among Christians on account of the newborn child, was for us a day of fasting. I was given nothing at all to eat. Hunger, which makes the wolf come out of the woods, made me go farther in to seek [272] the little ends of the trees, which I ate with delight. Some women, having thrown to the dogs, either unintentionally or otherwise, some bits of hide from which they make the strings for their snowshoes, I gathered them up and made a good dinner of them; although the dogs themselves, when they have ever so little else to eat, will not touch them. I have often eaten, especially during that month, scrapings of bark, bits of leather, and similar things, and yet they have never made me ill.

Le mesme iour de Noël ie m'en allay sur le soir visiter nos voisins, nous n'estions plus que deux cabanes, celle du Sauuage Ekhenneabamate auoit tiré d'vn autre costé depuis cinq ou six iours, à raison qu'il n'y auoit pas assez de chasse pour nourrir tout le monde, ie trouuay deux ieunes chasseurs tout tristes, pour n'auoir rien pris ce iour là, ny le precedent, ils estoient comme tous les autres maigres & defaits, taciturnes & fort pensifs, comme gens qui ne pouuoient mourir qu'à regret, cela me toucha le cœur, apres leur auoir dit quelque parole de consolation, & donné quelque [273] esperance de chose meilleure, ie me retiray en ma cabane pour prier Dieu, l'Apostat me demãda quel iour il estoit? il est auiourd'huy la feste de Noël, luy respondis-je; Il fut vn peu touché, & se tournant vers le Sorcier, il luy dit, qu'à tel iour estoit né le Fils de Dieu que nous adorions nommé Iesvs: Remarquant en luy quelque estonnement, ie luy dis que Dieu vsoit ordinairement de largesse en ces bons iours, & que si nous auions recours à luy qu'il nous assisteroit infailliblement; à cela point de parole, mais aussi point de contrarieté: prenant donc [148] l'occasion au poil, ie le priay de me tourner en sa langue deux petites Oraisons, dont i'en dirois l'vne, & les Sauuages l'autre. Esperant que nous serions secourus, l'extremité où nous estions reduits luy fit accorder que de bond, que de volée ce que ie demandois. Ie composay sur l'heure deux petites prieres, qu'il me tourna en Sauuage, me promettant en outre qu'il me seruiroit d'interprete si i'assemblois les Sauuages, me voila fort content. Ie recommande l'affaire à N.S. & le lendemain matin ie dresse vn petit Oratoire, ie pends aux [274] perches de la cabane vne seruiette que i'auois portée, sur laquelle i'attachay vn petit Crucifix & vn Reliquaire, que deux personnes fort Religieuses m'ont enuoyé: ie tire encore quelque Image de mon Breuiaire, cela fait ie fais appeller tous les Sauuages de nos deux cabanes, & ie leur fais entendre tant par mon begayemẽt, que par la bouche d'vn Renegat, que la crainte de mourir de faim faisoit parler, qu'il ne tiendroit qu'à eux qu'ils ne fussent secourus, ie leur dis que nostre Dieu est la bonté mesme, que rien ne luy estoit impossible, qu'encore bien qu'on l'eust mesprisé, que si neantmoins on croyoit, & si on esperoit en luy d'vn bon cœur, qu'il se monstreroit fauorable: Or comme ces pauures gens n'auoient plus d'esperance en leurs arcs, ny en leurs flesches, ils me tesmoignerẽt vn grand contentement de ce que ie les auois assemblez, m'asseurant qu'ils feroient tout ce que ie leur commanderois; ie prens mon papier & leurs lis l'Oraison que ie desirois qu'ils fissent, leur demandant s'ils estoient contens d'addresser au Dieu que i'adorois ces paroles de tout leur cœur, & sans feintise; ils me [275] respondent tous nimiroueritenan, nimiroueritenan, nous en sommes cõtens, nous en sõmes contens. Ie me mets le premier [150] à genoux, & eux tous auec moy, iettans les yeux sur nostre petit Oratoire, le seul Sorcier demeuroit assis, mais luy ayant demandé s'il n'en vouloit pas estre aussi bien que les autres, il fit comme il me voyoit faire, nous estions testes nuës, ioignans tous les mains & les esleuans vers le Ciel, ie commençay donc à faire ceste Oraison tout haut en leur langue.

In the evening of this same Christmas day I went to visit our neighbors. We were now only two cabins, as the Savage Ekhenneabamate had gone off in another direction five or six days before, because there had not been enough game for all of us. I found there two young hunters, in deep distress at not having captured anything that day, nor the one before. They were like all the others, wasted and thin, silent and very sad, like people who parted with life regretfully. It made my heart bleed to see them. After having said a few words of consolation, and cheered them with the [273] hope of better things, I withdrew into my cabin to pray to God. The Apostate asked me what day it was. "To-day is the Christmas festival," I answered him. He was slightly touched, and, turning toward the Sorcerer, said that on this day was born the son of God, called JESUS, whom we adored. Observing that he showed some wonder, I told him that God was generally very bountiful on these days; and, if we had recourse to him, he would surely help us. To this there was not a word, neither was there any opposition. So seizing the opportunity, I begged him to translate for me two little Prayers into his language, and I would say one of them and the Savages the other. Hoping that we would be succored, the extremity to which we were reduced made him grant, in pure recklessness, what I asked. I immediately composed two little prayers, which he turned into Savage, promising me besides that he would serve me as interpreter if I would call the Savages together, so I was very happy. I commended the matter to Our Lord and the next morning I erected a little Oratory. I hung to the [274] poles of the cabin a napkin I had brought with me; to this I attached a small Crucifix and a Reliquary that two very Religious persons had sent me, also I took from my Breviary one of the Pictures. When this was done, I had all the Savages from our two cabins called, and made them understand, partly through my stammering and partly through the lips of the Renegade, whom the fear of dying from hunger made speak, that it depended upon them alone whether or not they should be relieved. I told them that our God was goodness itself, that nothing was impossible to him; that even though a person had despised him, yet if he believed in him and hoped in him with a sincere heart, he would show himself favorable. Now as these poor people had no more hope in their bows or arrows, they showed much gladness that I had thus called them together, assuring me they would do all I commanded them. I took my paper and read to them the Prayer I wished them to offer, asking if they were content to address to the God whom I adored these prayers from their hearts, and without dissimulation. They all [275] responded, nimiroueritenan, nimiroueritenan, "We are satisfied, we are satisfied." I knelt down first and the others followed, fixing our eyes upon our little Oratory. The Sorcerer alone remained seated; but, when I asked him if he did not wish to be like the others, he did as he saw me do. We were bareheaded, our hands all clasped and raised toward Heaven; and in this attitude I began to repeat the following Prayer aloud in their language.

Mon Seigneur qui auez tout fait, qui voyez tout, & qui cognoissez tout, faites nous misericorde. O Iesvs, fils du Tout-puissant, qui auez pris chair humaine pour nous, qui estes né pour nous d'vne Vierge, qui estes mort pour nous, qui estes resuscité & monté au Ciel pour nous, vous auez promis que si on demandoit quelque chose en vostre nom que vous l'accorderiez: ie vous supplie de tout mon cœur de donner la nourriture à ce pauvre peuple, qui veut croire en vous, & qui vous veut obeïr, ce peuple vous promet entierement que si vous le secourez qu'il croira parfaitement en vous, & qu'il vous obeïra [276] de tout son cœur, Mon Seigneur, exaucez ma prieré, ie vous presente ma vie pour ce peuple tres content de mourir à ce qu'ils viuent, & qu'ils vous cognoissent. Ainsi soit-il.

"My Lord, you who have made all, who see all and who know all, have pity upon us. O Jesus, son of the All-powerful, you who have taken human flesh for us, who were born of a Virgin for us, who have died for us, who were resurrected and ascended into Heaven for us, you have promised that if anything is asked in your name, you will grant it. I beseech you with all my heart to give food to these poor people, who wish to believe in you and to obey you. These people promise you faithfully that, if you will help them, they will believe entirely in you, and that they will obey you [276] with all their hearts. My Lord, hearken to my prayer; I offer you my life for these people, content to die that they may live and acknowledge you. Amen."

A ces paroles de mourir pour eux que ie proferois pour gagner leur affection, quoy qu'en effect ie le disois de bon cœur, mon hoste m'arresta & me dit; retranche ces paroles, car nous t'aymons tous, & ne desirons pas que tu meure; ie vous veux témoigner, leur repartis-ie, que ie vous ayme, & que ie donnerois volontiers ma vie pour vostre salut, tant c'est chose grande que d'estre sauué. Apres que i'eus faict ceste Oraison, chacun d'eux à mains iointes, teste nuë, & les genoux en terre, comme i'ay remarqué, profera [152] la suiuante, que ie prononçois deuant-eux fort posément.

At these words, "to die" for them, which I used to gain their affection, although really I said it with a sincere heart, my host stopped me and said, "Take back those words, for we all love thee, and do not wish thee to die for us." "I wish to show you," I answered, "that I love you, and that I would willingly give my life for your salvation, so great a thing is it to be saved." After I had offered this Prayer, all of them with hands joined, heads bare, and knees upon the ground, as I have observed, repeated the following, which I pronounced to them with great solemnity.

Grand Seigneur qui auez fait le ciel & la terre, vous sçauez tout, vous pouuez tout, ie vous promets de tout mon cœur (ie ne sçaurois vous mentir) ie vous promets entierement, que s'il vous plaist nous donner nostre nourriture, que ie vous obeïray cordiallement, que ie croiray asseurément en vous, ie vous [277] promets sans feintise, que ie feray tout ce qu'on me dira deuoir estre fait pour vostre amour, aydez nous, vous le pouuez faire, ie feray asseurément ce qu'on m'enseignera deuoir estre fait pour l'amour de vous, ie le promets sans feintise, ie ne ments pas, ie ne sçaurois vous mentir, aydez nous à croire en vous parfaictement, puis que vous estes mort pour nous. Ainsi soit il.

"Great Lord, you who have made heaven and earth, you know all, you can do all. I promise you with all my heart (I could not lie to you) I promise you wholly, that, if it pleases you to give us food, I will obey you cheerfully, that I will surely believe in you. I promise [277] you without deceit that I will do all that I shall be told ought to be done for love of you. Help us, for you can do it; I will certainly do what they shall teach me ought to be done for your sake. I promise it without pretence, I am not lying, I could not lie to you; help us to believe in you perfectly, for you have died for us. Amen."

Ils firent tous ceste priere, & l'Apostat & le Sorcier aussi bien que les autres, c'est à Dieu de iuger de leurs cœurs, ie leur dis après cela qu'ils s'en allassent à la chasse auec confiance, ce qu'ils firent, la plus part témoignans par leur visage & par leurs paroles qu'ils auoient pris plaisir en ceste action; mais auant que d'en voir le succez couchons en leur langue ces deux Oraisons, afin qu'on voye l'œconomie de leurs paroles, & leur façon de s'énoncer.

They all offered this prayer, the Apostate and the Sorcerer as well as the others; God alone can judge of their hearts. After this I told them that they should go to the chase with confidence, as they did, the greater part showing by their faces and words that they had taken pleasure in this act. But, before finding out what success they had, let us couch in their language these two Prayers, in order that you may see the arrangement of their words, and their way of expressing themselves.