Chapter M: DC XXXIV (3)

Voyant vn Sauuage qui traisnoit sa mere apres soy sur la neige. Les chariots & carrosses de ce pays-cy font des traisnes faictes d'escorce ou de bois, les cheuaux sont les hommes qui les tirent apres eux: voyant donc ceste pauure vieille liée sur vne d'icelles, son fils ne la pouuant commodement faire descendre par le sentier ordinaire d'vne montagne qui borde la riuiere où il alloit, la laissa rouler à bas par l'endroict le plus roide, & s'en alla la requerir par vn autre chemin. Ne pouuant supporter cette impieté, ie le dy à quelques Sauuages qui estoient auprés de [64] moy: ils me respondirent, Que veux-tu qu'il en fasse, aussi bien s'en va elle mourir, prens la & la tuë, puis que tu en as compassion, tu luy feras du biẽ, car elle ne souffrira pas tãt, peutestre que son fils la laissera au milieu des bois, ne la pouuãt ny guerir ny traisner apres soy, s'il ne trouue point dequoy manger. Voila comme ils soulagent les malades qu'ils croyent deuoir mourir, ils leur aduancent la mort par quelque coup de baston ou de hache, quand ils ont beaucoup de chemin à faire, & cela par compassion.

I saw a Savage dragging his mother behind him over the snow. The
coaches and wagons of this country are sledges made of bark or
wood, the horses are the men who draw them. Now this poor old woman
was tied upon one of these sleighs; and her son, being unable,
conveniently, to take her down by the common path of a mountain
which borders the river along which he was going, let her roll down
the steepest place to the bottom, and then went by another route
to find her. As I could not bear this act of impiety, I said so to
some of the Savages who were near [64] me. They answered: "What
wouldst thou have him do with her? She is going to die any way;
take her and kill her, since thou hast pity for her; thou wilt do
her a service, because she will not suffer so much; perhaps her son
will leave her in the midst of the woods, as he is unable either to
cure her or to drag her after him, if he does not find something
to eat." This is the way they take care of the sick that they think
are going to die. They hasten death by a blow from a club or an
axe, when they have a long journey to make, and do this through
compassion.

Le troisiesme du mesme mois, la femme de nostre Sauuage estant malade, il me vint demander mon canif pour la saigner. Les Sauuages se tirent du sang de la teste. Estant vn iour en vne cabane, vne Sauuage regardant vne escritoire que ie tenois, prit dextrement le canif sans qui ie [65] m'en apperceusse, & s'en fit quelques ouuertures au hault du frond, puis elle me le rendit: ie fus estonné la voyant saigner; elle me dit qu'elle auoit mal à la teste, & qu'elle se vouloit guerir. Or comme ils ont veu nostre façon de saigner, & qu'ils la trouuent bonne, La Nasse me vint prier d'aider en cela sa femme. Ie luy respondis que ie n'y entendois rien: & comme il vouloit prendre mon canif, ie luy dis qu'il attendist au iour suiuant, & que ie prierois le Chirurgien de la venir voir; ce qu'il fit. Ce pendant ie l'allay visiter en sa cabane: il faisoit vn grãd froid, elle estoit teste nue à leur accoustumee, mordant dans vn peloton de nege; c'estoit seulement pour guerir vn gros rhume qui l'estouffoit. Voila les delicatesses du païs. Le lendemain estãt saignee elle ne tarda gueres à aller querir du bois à son ordinaire. Voiez [66] si ceux qui font profession de souffrir quelque chose pour Dieu, ne doiuent pas estre confus voyans de tels exemples.

On the third of the same month, the wife of our Savage being sick,
he came to ask me for my knife with which to bleed her. The Savages
draw blood from the head. One day when I was in a cabin, a Savage
Woman, looking at a writing case, I was holding, adroitly took my
penknife, without my [65] perceiving it, and made several openings
in the upper part of her forehead, then returned it to me. I was
astonished when I saw her bleeding. She told me she had a headache,
and wanted to cure it. Now that they have seen our way of bleeding,
and believe it to be good, La Nasse came and begged me to aid his
wife in the same way. I told him that I knew nothing about it; and,
as he wanted to take my knife, I told him to wait until the next
day, when I would beg the Surgeon to go and see her, which he did.
In the meantime I went to see her in her cabin; it was very cold;
she was bareheaded, according to their custom, biting a lump of
snow, trying to cure a bad cold which almost choked her! Such are
the delicate usages of the country. The next day, after having been
bled, she went out to gather wood as usual. Think [66] if those who
make a profession of suffering something in the cause of God ought
not to feel ashamed, when they see such examples.

Nous n'auons point esté solitaires tout l'hiuer, nombre de Sauuages nous sont venus voir, ils sont passez à grosses bandes deuant nostre maison s'en allans à la chasse de l'Orignac.

We have not been lonely all winter, as a number of Savages have
been to see us. They pass by our house in large crowds, going Moose
hunting.

Le Prince, & sa mere la Princesse, c'est ainsi que les François appellent vn Sauuage de bonne façon: Vous diriez que ceste famille a ie ne sçay quoy de noble; & s'ils estoient couuerts à la Françoise, ils ne cederoient point en bonne mine à nos gentils-hommes François.

[Among them were] the Prince and his mother, the Princess. It is
thus that the French call a fine looking Savage. You would say that
this family has something inexpressibly noble about it; and, if
they were dressed in the French style, they would not yield in good
appearance to our French gentlemen.

Ce ieune homme nous estant venu visiter, ie luy demanday s'il auoit vn fils, & s'il ne seroit pas bien content de nous le donner pour l'instruire, il me dit que ouy; sa mere [67] conduisant vne petite fille, moy croyant que ce fut vn garçon, ie l'appelle, disant à sa grand'mere qu'elle nous le donnast, elle se mit à rire: me doutant que c'estoit vne fille, ie luy dis que nous ne les prenions point, mais qu'il y viendroit quelque iour d'honnestes filles de Frãce pour enseigner leurs filles: alors, me dit-elle, ie donneray celle-cy.

When this young man came to see us, I asked him if he had a son,
and if he would not like to give him to us to teach. He answered me
"yes." His mother [67] had a little girl with her; and I, thinking
that it was a boy, called her, asking her grandmother to give him
to us. She began to laugh. Thinking that it might be a girl, I said
that we did not take them, but that some day some worthy women
would come from France, who would teach their daughters. "Then,"
said she, "I shall give her to them."

Ie preuois qu'il est tout à fait necessaire d'instruire les filles aussi bien que les garçons, & que nous ne ferons rien ou fort peu, si quelque bõne famille n'a soin de ce sexe; car les garçons que nous aurons éleuez en la cognoissance de Dieu venans à se marier à des filles ou femmes Sauuages accoustumées à courre dans les bois, leurs maris seront obligez de les suiure, & ainsi retomber dans la barbarie, ou bien de les quitter, qui seroit vn autre mal fort dangereux.

I see that it is absolutely necessary to teach the girls as well
as the boys, and that we shall do nothing or very little, unless
some good household has the care of this sex; for the boys that we
shall have reared in the knowledge of God, when they marry Savage
girls or women accustomed to wandering in the woods, will, as their
husbands, be compelled to follow them and thus fall back into
barbarism, or to leave them, another evil full of danger.

[68] N'y a-il point quelque Dame en France, qui ait assez de cœur pour fonder icy vn Seminaire de filles, dõt la conduitte seroit premierement donnée à quelque bõne veufue courageuse, accompagnée de deux braues filles, qui demeureroient en vne maison qu'on pourroit dresser proche de ceste honneste famille qui est icy? Il y a des Dames dans Paris qui emploient tous les ans plus de dix mille francs en leurs menus plaisirs: si elles en appliquoient vne partie pour recueillir les gouttes du sang du Fils de Dieu respandu pour tant d'ames qui se vont perdans tous les iours faute de secours, elles ne rougiroient pas de honte au iour qu'elles paroistront deuant Dieu, pour rendre compte des biens dont il les a faits œconomes: cela est bien plus aisé à dire, qu'à exécuter.

[68] Is there not some Lady in France who has enough courage to
found here a Seminary for girls, to be under the care of some good
courageous widow, assisted by two brave young women, who would live
in a house which might be built near the home of that estimable
family that is here? There are Ladies in Paris who yearly spend
over ten thousand francs in pocket-money; if they would apply a
part of this to gather in the drops of blood that the son of God
shed for so many souls that are going astray daily for want of
help, then they would not be put to shame when they appear before
God, and must give an account of the goods of which he has made
them stewards. That is a great deal easier to say than to do.

Le 10. de Ianuier le froid estoit [66 i.e., 69] fort violẽt, Ie ne voy le iour la plus part de l'hyuer qu'au trauers des glaces: il se fait vne crouste de glace sur les chassis de ma cellule ou chambrette, laquelle tombe comme vne losange ou carreau de verre quand le froid se vient à relascher: C'est au travers de ce crystal que le Soleil nous communique sa lumiere. I'ay souuent trouué de gros glaçons attachez le matin à ma couuerture, formez du souffle de l'haleine; & m'oubliant de les oster le matin, ie les trouuois encore le soir: I'en ay quelquefois veu en France, mais peu souuent & bien petits, à comparaison de ceux-cy.

On the 10th of January the cold was [66 i.e., 69] very severe.
I see daylight a great part of the winter only through ice. The
crusts of ice gather upon the windows of my cell or little room,
and fall like a lozenge, or a piece of glass, when the cold
relaxes. It is through this crystal that the Sun sends us his
light. Several times I have found large pieces of ice, formed by
my breath, attached to my blanket in the morning; and, forgetting
to shake them off, I found them there still in the evening. I have
sometimes seen them in France, but rarely, and they were very small
compared with these.

Comme nous n'auons ny fontaine, ny puy, il nous faut aller tous les iours puiser de l'eau à la riuiere, de laquelle nous sommes esloignez enuiron 200 pas: mais pour en auoir, il faut fendre la glace à grands coups [70] de hache, & encor faut-il attendre que la mer monte, car le marée estãt basse, on ne peut auoir d'eau pour l'espaisseur des glaces. Nous iettons ceste eau dans vn poinçon qui n'est pas loing d'vn bon feu; & cependãt il faut auoir vn grand soin tous les matins de rompre la crouste de glace qui se forme dans ce vaisseau, autrement en deux nuicts tout ne seroit qu'vn glaçon, le poinçon fut-il plein.

As we have neither a spring nor a well, we are obliged to go for
water every day to the river, from which we are distant about 200
steps. But to get it, we must first break the ice with heavy blows
[70] from an axe; and after that we must wait until the sea comes
up, for when the tide is low you cannot get water because of the
thickness of the ice. We throw this water into a barrel, which is
not far from a good fire; and yet we must be careful to break the
layer of ice every morning, otherwise, in two nights, it would be
one mass of ice, even if the barrel were full.

Vn de nos François ayant soif dãs les bois, & voulant lescher vn peu de neige qui estoit sur vne hache qu'il tenoit, venãt à toucher le fer, sa langue se cola & gela si promptement & si fortement, que venant à retirer soudainement la hache pour le froid qu'il sentoit, il enleua quant & quãt toute la peau de sa langue.

One of our countrymen was thirsty, when in the woods, and so
thought to lap a little snow from the axe which he held; when he
touched the iron his tongue stuck fast, and froze so quickly and
so solidly, that in suddenly withdrawing the axe, on account of
the cold that he felt, he at the same time tore almost all the skin
from his tongue.

Tout cecy m'auroit quasi fait croire en France que ce pays est insupportable: [71] i'aduouë qu'il y a quelques iours bien serrans & pressans, mais ils sont peu en nombre, le reste est plus que tolerable. On se roule icy sur la neige, comme en France sur l'herbe de nos prairies, pour ainsi dire, ce n'est pas qu'elle ne soit aussi froide comme elle est blanche, mais les iours sont beaux, le Soleil plus chaud qu'en plusieurs endroicts de France; nous sommes, dit-on dans le mesme parallelle que la Rochelle; la moindre action qu'on fait la pluspart du temps bannit la rigueur du froid.

All of this would have almost made me believe in France that this
country is unbearable. [71] I admit that some days are very cold
and penetrating, but they are few, and the rest are more than
tolerable. Here they roll on the snow as they do in France upon the
grass of our meadows, so to speak; I do not mean to say that it is
less cold than it is white, but the days are fine, and the Sun is
warmer than in many parts of France. We are, they say, on the same
parallel with la Rochelle. The least exercise we take generally
dispels the rigor of the cold.

Combien de fois trouuant quelque colline ou montagne à descendre, me suis-je laissé rouler à bas sur la neige, sans en receuoir autre incommodité, sinon de changer pour vn peu de temps mon habit noir en vn habit blanc, & encore cela se fait-il en riant; car si on ne se soustient bien assis sur ses raquettes, on se blãchit [72] aussi bien la teste, que les pieds.

How often, when coming to a hill or a mountain which I must
descend, I have rolled down to the bottom on the snow, experiencing
no other discomfort than to change for a little while my black
habit for a white one, and all this is done with much laughter. For
if you do not stand firmly upon your raquettes, you will whiten
[72] your head as well as your feet.

Combien de fois ay-ie fait le mesme sur des glaces fort hautes, qui bordoient la riuiere sur laquelle ie voulois aller? Ce fut vn Sauuage qui m'apprit ce secret cognu de tout le monde: il passoit deuant moy, & voyant que sa teste estoit en danger d'arriuer à la riuiere plustost que ses pieds, il se laissa rouler tout du long des glaces, & moy apres luy: le bon est qu'il ne faut que faire cela vne seule fois, pour sçauoir le mestier. I'auois peur au commencement, car la marée montant, & sousleuant ces grands corps de glaces, les ouure en plusieurs endroits: & quelques boüillons rejallissans sur les bords de la riuiere, font vne glace assez mince sur la plus épaisse: quand vous venez à marcher sur cette premiere glace, elle rompt sous vous: si bien qu'au commencement ie pẽsois que [73] tout alloit fondre, mais ie ne croy pas que des canons fissent bransler la plus grosse glace. Quand on vient sur le printemps, c'est alors qu'il y a du danger de rencontrer quelque ouuerture qui vous fasse couler là dessous.

How many times have I done this also upon the icy heights of the
river banks along which I was going. It was a Savage who taught
me this trick, known to everybody here; he went ahead of me, and,
seeing that his head was in danger of reaching the river before
his feet, he let himself roll the whole length of the ice, and I
after him. The best of it is that you have only to do it once, in
order to understand the trick. I was afraid, at first; for the
rising tide, lifting up those great blocks of ice, cracks them
in many places, and the water, splashing up on the banks of the
river, makes a thin layer of ice over the thicker one. When you try
walking upon the thin ice, it breaks under you. The first time I
tried it, I thought it [73] was all going to sink under me. But
I do not believe that a cannon could crack the thickest ice. When
you walk upon it in the spring, it is then that there is danger of
stepping into a hole and going under.

Le 12. du mesme mois, vn Sauuage me vint dire que le Pere de Nouë estoit cause d'vn vent qui souffloit: ie luy en demanday la raison; il me dit qu'encore bien que le ciel fut fort rouge au matin, le Pere n'auoit point laissé d'aller trauailler au bois de bõne heure, & que cela estoit cause du vent: Que les Montagnaits voyans le ciel enflammé, se tiennent en repos dans leurs cabanes, & par ce moyen arrestent le vent. I'aduertiray, dit-il, vne autrefois le Pere de Nouë qu'il ne parte point si matin quand le temps sera rouge, & il verra par experience qu'il ne ventera [74] point. Ie me mis à rire, & tachay le mieux que ie peu d'effacer de sa pensée ceste superstition: en fin il s'en mocqua aussi bien que moy; ce n'est pas pourtant qu'il la quitte si aisément, car les Sauuages vous accordent facilement ce que vous leur dites, mais ils ne laissent pas d'agir tousiours à leur façon.

On the 12th of the same month, a Savage came to me, and said that
Father de Nouë was the cause of a heavy wind which was blowing;
I asked him why. He told me that, although the sky had been very
red in the morning, the Father had not failed to go and work in
the woods at an early hour, and that that was the cause of the
wind; that, when the Montaignaits saw a flaming sky, they remained
at rest in their cabins, and so arrested the wind. "I shall warn
Father de Nouë," said he, "that another time he should not leave
his cabin when the sky is so red; and he will see, by trying it,
that the wind will not [74] blow." I began to laugh, and tried by
every means in my power to drive this superstition from his mind,
and at last he laughed at it just as much as I did. It was not so
easy for him to give it up; for the Savages agree very readily with
what you say, but they do not, for all that, cease to act upon
their own ideas.

Passans de discours en discours, ie luy parlay de Dieu qui a tout fait; car c'est là où ie vise de leur dõner quelque cognoissance de celuy qui leur a donné la vie, afin qu'ils s'en entretiennent les vns les autres, & que les enfans en oyent parler dés leur ieunesse. Luy discourant donc en mon barragoin,& plus souuent par gestes & par signes qu'autrement (car ie parle plus de la main que de la langue) ie luy fis conceuoir quelque chose de la puissance de Dieu: alors il me dit que le Dieu de France estoit [75] bien plus puissant & plus grand Capitaine ou Seigneur que le Dieu de son pays: Car, dit-il, vostre Dieu est grand, & le nostre, ou bien ses enfans viennent d'vn rat d'eau que les Frãçois appellent rat musqué.

Passing on from one subject to another, I talked to him of God, who
has made everything; because it is thus I aim to give them some
knowledge of him who gave them life, in order that they may talk
with each other thereupon, and that the children may hear it spoken
of from their youth. Talking to him thus in my jargon, and more
frequently by signs and gestures than otherwise (for I talk more
with my hands than with my tongue), I made him comprehend something
of the power of God. Then he told me that the God of France was
[75] a great deal more powerful and a greater Captain or Lord than
the God of his country. "For," said he, "your God is great; and
ours, or his children at least, come from a water rat which the
French call the muskrat."

Mais à propos de musc, les Sauuages n'en peuuent supporter l'odeur: Quelqu'vn m'a dit qu'aiant sur soy quelque chose semblable, ils luy disoient qu'il sentoit mal; aussi tiennent ils cét animal puant, & quelque vieux morceau de graisse leur semblera de bonne odeur. Or iugez maintenant s'il y a des obiects plus conformes à l'odorat les vns que les autres, & si nos fantaisies auec l'accoustumance n'ont pas vn grand pouuoir sur nous.

But, speaking of musk, the Savages cannot bear the odor of it. Some
one said to me that once, when he had something about him like
musk, they told him he smelled bad. So they hold that this animal
has a bad smell, while an old piece of fat would seem to them to
have a pleasant odor. Now you may judge if certain things are
not more acceptable to the smell of some people than others, and
whether our fancies and customs have not great power over us.

Puis que ce Sauuage m'a donné occasion de parler de leur Dieu, ie diray que c'est vn grand erreur de croire que les Sauuages n'ont cognoissance [76] d'aucune diuinité: ie m'étonnois de cela en France, voyant que la nature auoit donné ce sentiment à toutes les autres nations de la terre. Ie confesse que les Sauuages n'ont point de prieres publiques & communes, ny aucun culte qu'ils rendent ordinairemẽt à celuy qu'ils tiennent pour Dieu, & que leur cognoissance n'est que tenebres: mais on ne peut nier qu'ils ne recognoissent quelque nature superieure à la nature de l'homme: comme ils n'ont ny loix, ny police, aussi n'ont-ils aucune ordonnance qui concerne le seruice de ceste nature superieure, chacun fait comme il l'entend: ie ne sçay pas leurs secrets, mais de ce peu que ie vay dire, on verra qu'ils cognoissent quelque diuinité.

As this Savage gave me an occasion to speak of their God, let me
say that it is a great mistake to think they have no knowledge [76]
of any divinity. When in France I was astonished at that, knowing
that Nature has given this sentiment to all other nations of the
earth. I confess that the Savages have no public or common prayer,
nor any form of worship usually rendered to one whom they hold as
God, and their knowledge is only as darkness. But it cannot be
denied that they recognize some nature superior to the nature of
man. As they have neither laws nor government, therefore there is
no ordinance which concerns the service of this superior nature;
each one acts according to his own understanding. I do not know
their secrets; but, from the little that I am about to say, it will
be seen that they recognize some divinity.

Ils disent qu'il y a vn certain qu'ils nomment _Atahocan_, qui a tout fait: parlant vn iour de Dieu dans vne cabane, [77] ils me demanderent que c'étoit que Dieu, ie leur dis que c'estoit celuy qui pouuoit tout, & qui auoit fait le Ciel & la terre: ils commencerent à se dire les vns aux autres _Atahocan, Atahocan_, c'est _Atahocan_.

They say that there is a certain one whom they call _Atahocan_,
who made all things. Talking one day of God, in a cabin, [77] they
asked me what this God was. I told them that it was he who could do
everything, and who had made the Sky and earth. They began to say
one to the other, "_Atahocan, Atahocan_, it is _Atahocan_."

Ils disent qu'vn nommé Messou repara le monde perdu dãs les eaux; Vous voyez qu'ils ont quelque tradition du deluge, quoy que meslée de fables, car voicy comme le monde se perdit, à ce qu'ils disent.

They say there is one named Messou, who restored the world when it
was lost in the waters. You see that they have some traditions of
the deluge, although mingled with fables. This is the way, as they
say, that the world was lost.

Ce Messou allant à la chasse auec des loups ceruiers, au lieu de chiens, on l'aduertit qu'il faisoit dangereux pour ses loups (qu'il appelloit ses freres) dans vn certain lac aupres duquel il estoit. Vn iour qu'il poursuiuoit un eslan, ses loups luy donnerẽt la chasse iusques dedans ce lac; arriuez qu'ils furent au milieu, ils furẽt abysmez en vn instant. Luy suruenãt là dessus, & cherchant ses freres de [78] tous costez, vn oiseau luy dit qu'il les voyoit au fond du lac, & que certaines bestes ou monstres les tenoient là dedans: il entre dans l'eau pour les secourir, mais aussi-tost ce lac se desborde, & s'aggrandit si furieusemẽt, qu'il inonda & noya toute la terre.

This Messou, going hunting with lynxes, instead of dogs, was warned
that it would be dangerous for his lynxes (which he called his
brothers) in a certain lake near the place where he was. One day
as he was hunting an elk, his lynxes gave it chase even into the
lake; and, when they reached the middle of it, they were submerged
in an instant. When he arrived there and sought his brothers [78]
everywhere, a bird told him that it had seen them at the bottom of
the lake, and that certain animals or monsters held them there.
He leaped into the water to rescue them; but immediately the lake
overflowed, and increased so prodigiously that it inundated and
drowned the whole earth.

Le Messou bien estonné, quitte la pensée de ses loups, pour songer à restablir le monde. Il enuoye vn corbeau chercher vn peu de terre, pour auec ce morceau en restablir vn autre. Le corbeau n'en peut trouuer, tout estant couuert d'eau. Il fait plonger vne loutre, mais la profondeur des eaux l'empescha de venir iusques à terre. En fin vn rat musqué descendit, & en rapporta: Auec ce morceau de terre il remit tout en estat: il refit des troncs d'arbres, & tirant des fléches à l'encontre, elles se changeoient en branches. Ce seroit vne longue fable de raconter [79] comme il repara tout: comme il se vangea des mõstres qui auoient pris ses chasseurs, se transformant en mille sortes d'animaux pour les surprendre: bref ce beau Reparateur estant marié à vne soury musquée, eut des enfans qui ont repeuplé le monde.

The Messou, very much astonished, gave up all thoughts of his
lynxes, to meditate on creating the world anew. He sent a raven to
find a small piece of the earth, with which to build up another
world. The raven was unable to find any, everything being covered
with water. He made an otter dive down, but the depth of the
water prevented it from going to the bottom. At last a muskrat
descended, and brought back some earth. With this bit of earth, he
[Messou] restored everything to its condition. He remade the trunks
of the trees, and shot arrows against them, which were changed
into branches. It would be a long story to recount [79] how he
reëstablished everything; how he took vengeance on the monsters
that had taken his hunters, transforming himself into a thousand
kinds of animals to circumvent them. In short, this great Restorer,
having married a little muskrat, had children who repeopled the
world.

On voit par ces contes que les Sauuages ont quelque idée d'vn Dieu: Ie dis bien dauantage, qu'ils ont quelque espece de sacrifice. Le Pere Brebeuf m'a asseuré qu'hyuernant auec eux, il leur vit mettre vn petit Eslan ou Orignac souz la cendre, & le brusler. Il cogneut depuis qu'à mesme temps on en auoit brûlé vn en la mesme façon en vne autre cabane, & demandant la raison de cela, ils luy dirent que c'estoit pour la santé d'vn malade.

You see by these stories that the Savages have some idea of a God:
I say even more, they have some form of sacrifice. Father Brebeuf
assured me that, when passing the winter with them, he saw them put
a little Elk or Moose under the ashes and burn it. He has learned
since then that another was burned at the same time and in the
same manner, in another cabin; and, asking the reason for it, they
answered that it was for the recovery of a sick man.

Il y a des hommes parmy eux qui font profession de consulter leur [80] Manitou; il me semble que par ce mot de Manitou ils entendent, comme entre nous, vn Ange, ou quelque nature puissante. Ie croy qu'ils pensent qu'il y en a de bons & de mauuais, i'en parleray plus asseurément quelque iour.

There are some men among them who make a profession of consulting
their [80] Manitou. It seems to me that by this word "Manitou"
they understand, as among us, an Angel or some powerful being.[41]
I believe they think that there are good and bad Manitous; I will
speak of this with greater certainty some day.

Le Gendre de nostre Sauuage voulant aller à la chasse, le consulta tout auprés de nostre maison: Il fit vne petite Cabane de bois, se renferma là dedans. Sur la nuict, chantant, criant, hurlant: les autres estoient à l'entour de luy: ie priay vn François de tirer vn coup d'arquebuse pour les espouuanter par le bruit, mais ie ne sçay s'ils l'entendirent, tant ils se demenoient. Le Manitou luy dit qu'il allast à la chasse d'vn certain costé, qu'il y trouueroit des Orignaux, & point d'Hiroquois; le Manitou fut trouué menteur, car il reuint bien affamé, n'ayant quasi rien trouué. [81] Pour les Hiroquois, il n'en pouuoit rencontrer, car il s'écartoit bien loin d'eux: ie croy que la pluspart de ces consulteurs de Manitou ne sont que des trompeurs & charlatans; neantmoins quand ils recommandent quelque chose, cela est executé de point en point. S'il disoit aux Sauuages que le Manitou veut qu'on se couche nud dans la neige, qu'on se brusle en quelque endroict, il seroit obey & au bout du conte ce Manitou ou Diable ne leur parle non plus qu'à moy.

The Son-in-law of our Savage, wishing to go hunting, took counsel
with him [the Manitou] near our house. He made a little wooden
Cabin, shutting himself inside toward nightfall, singing, crying,
and howling. The others were around him. I begged a Frenchman to
fire a shot of the arquebus, to frighten them with the noise; but
I am not sure that they heard it, so great was the uproar. The
Manitou told him to go hunting in a certain direction, that he
would find Moose there, and no Hiroquois. The Manitou was proved
a liar; for the hunter returned almost starved, having found very
little. [81] As to the Hiroquois, he could not have run against
any, because he kept at a great distance from them. I believe that
the greater number of these consulters of the Manitou are only
deceivers and charlatans. Notwithstanding this, when they advise
anything it is carried out exactly. If one of them should tell the
Savages that the Manitou wanted them to lie down naked in the snow,
or to burn themselves in a certain place, he would be obeyed. And,
after all, this Manitou, or Devil, does not talk to them any more
than he does to me.

Ie me doute neantmoins qu'il y en a quelquesvns qui ont vrayemẽt communication auec le Diable, s'il est vray ce qu'en disent les Sauuages, car on les voit marcher sur leurs cabanes sans les rompre: ils deuiẽnent furieux & comme possedez, dõnent des coups capables d'assommer vn bœuf, & neantmoins la douleur passe [82] en peu de temps: sans grand outrage on les void tout en sang, puis gueris en vn moment. Ils racontent quantité d'autres choses semblables, mais quãd ie les presse, ils m'aduouẽt franchement qu'ils n'ont point veu cela, ains seulement qu'ils l'ont ouy dire. Il ne faut pas leur faire grandes obiections sur leurs fables, pour les arrester, & leur faire perdre terre.

Nevertheless, I am inclined to think that there are some among them
who really have communication with the Devil, if what the Savages
say is true; because some are seen to walk upon their huts, without
breaking them down. They become furious and act as if possessed,
striking blows hard enough to fell an ox, and yet the pain
passes [82] away very soon. Without any great injury, they cover
themselves with blood, and are healed in a moment. They relate
many other similar things; but, when I question them closely, they
frankly admit that they have not seen them, but have only heard of
them. One does not need to offer any very serious objections to
their stories, to interrupt and confuse them.

Le 15. du mesme nostre Sauuage nous vint trouuer, & nous dit qu'vn de ses gendres auoit songé que nous luy donnassions aussi long que la main de petum, ou tabac; Ie luy refusay, disant que ie ne donnois rien pour les songes, & que ce n'estoit que folie, que ie leur expliquerois comme ils se forment quand ie scaurois leur lãgue. Il me repart que toutes les nations auoient quelque chose de particulier, que si nos songes n'estoient pas vrays, si bien les leurs: [83] & qu'ils mourroient s'ils ne les mettoient en execution. A ce conte nos vies dépendẽt des songes d'vn Sauuage, car s'ils resuoiẽt qu'il nous faut tuer, infailliblement ils nous tueroient, s'ils pouuoient. On m'a dit qu'autrefois l'vn d'eux ayant songé que pour estre guery d'vne maladie qui le trauailloit, il luy falloit tuer vn certain François, il l'enuoye appeller. Entré qu'il fut en sa cabane, il luy disoit, approche mon frere, ie te veux parler: sa femme qui scauoit le dessein de son mary, dit au François qu'il se donnast bien garde d'approcher: & de fait ce malade auoit mis vne hache à son costé pour l'assommer. Voila l'vne des risques de nostre vie; cela ne m'estonne point, on peut mourir pour Dieu en mourant par vn songe.

On the 15th of the same [month], our Savage came to see us, and
said that one of his sons-in-law had dreamed that we would give
him a piece of petun, or tobacco, as long as his hand. I refused
him, saying that I did not give anything on account of dreams;
that they were only folly, and that, when I knew his language, I
would explain to him how they originated. He replied to me that
all nations had something especially their own; that, if our
dreams were not true, theirs were; [83] and that they would die
if they did not execute them. According to this idea, our lives
depend upon the dreams of a Savage; because, if they dream that
they have to kill us, they will surely do it if they can. I am
told that, at another time, one of them had a dream that to be
cured of a disease, from which he was suffering, he must kill a
certain Frenchman; so he sent for him. When the Frenchman entered
his cabin, he said to him: "Come nearer, my brother, I want to talk
with you." His wife, who knew the designs of her husband, told the
Frenchman to be on his guard in going near him; and, in fact, the
sick man had placed an axe at hand, with which to kill him. This
shows one of the great risks that we run here; it does not frighten
me; we may die for God in dying because of a dream.

Pour reuenir à nostre Sauuage, ie luy demanday s'il faudroit executer [84] mon songe, au cas que i'eusse songé que ie le deurois tuer? il repart que le songe de son gendre n'estoit point mauuais: & tout ainsi qu'il nous croyoit quãd nous luy disions quelque chose, ou que nous luy monstrions quelque image: de mesme que nous luy deuions croire quand il nous disoit quelque chose propre de sa nation: qu'au reste il s'estõnoit que nous autres qui n'vsions point de tabac, l'aimions tant. En fin il luy en fallut bailler, en luy faisant bien entendre que ce n'estoit point en consideratiõ de son songe, & qu'on luy refuseroit tout ce qu'il demanderoit sous ce pretexte. Il nous dit qu'il ne croiroit plus à ces fantaisies, mais que son gendre estoit libre: ceste superstition est trop enracinée dans son esprit pour la quitter si aisément.

But to return to our Savage; I asked him if it would be necessary
to execute [84] my dream, in case I had dreamed that I should kill
him. He replied that his son-in-law's dream was not bad; and just
as he believed us when we told him something, or when we showed
him a picture, so likewise we ought to believe him when he told
us something that was accepted by his people. More than that, he
was astonished that we, who did not use tobacco, liked it so much.
Finally, we found it necessary to give him some, taking good care
to make him understand that it was not in consideration of his
dream, and that we would refuse him whatever he asked under that
pretext. He said he would no longer believe in such fancies, but
that his son-in-law could do as he liked. This superstition is too
deeply implanted in his mind for him to give it up so easily.

Le 21. du mesme, ie baptisay vn [85] petit Sauuage agé d'enuiron 3 ans, frappé d'vne maladie mortelle: & voyant qu'il estoit en danger de mourir dans les bois, sa grand'mere le traisnant auec soy de part & d'autre, nous luy demandasmes au cas qu'il guerit, si elle ne voudroit pas bien nous le donner pour le nourrir & l'instruire: Elle respondit que s'il n'estoit si malade, qu'elle nous le dõneroit dés lors. Ses parents y consentirent: ce qui nous fit resoudre à le baptiser. Nostre Pierre luy donna son nom: ce pauure enfant pourra traisner quelques années, mais il n'y a gueres d'esperance qu'il puisse iamais recouurer sa santé.

On the 21st of the same [month], I baptized a [85] little Savage
about three years old, stricken with a fatal disease; and, seeing
that he was in danger of dying in the woods, his grandmother had
dragged him about with her from one place to another; we asked her,
if he should recover, if she would not like to give him to us, to
care for and teach. She answered that, if he were not so sick, she
would give him to us at once. His parents consented, so we resolved
to baptize him. Our Pierre gave him his name. This poor child may
drag on a few years, but there is hardly a hope that he will ever
recover his health.

Sur la fin de Ianuier, le fils & les gendres de nostre Sauuage estans vers le Cap de Tourmẽte, manderẽt à leur pere, qui estoit cabané aupres de nous, qu'il y auoit bonne chasse en ce quartier là: Il s'y en alla auec [86] le reste de sa famille: puis nous retournant voir, il nous dit que si nous l'aimions nous l'allassions visiter en sa cabane, qu'il nous donneroit de la chair d'Eslan: Vous m'auez, disoit-il, donné de vos biens quand i'auois faim: mes gens croiront que vous estes faschez cōtre moy si vous ne nous venez pas voir. Il nous donna nouuelle que le Sauuage Brehaut estoit mort, & qu'il auoit laissé deux enfans, vn garçon & vne petite fille. Or comme nous disirerions bien d'en enuoyer quelques-vns en France pour les faire instruire, afin qu'ils peussent par apres secourir leur nation, le Pere de Nouë prit resolution de suiure ce bon Sauuage, ce ne fut pas sans peine, voicy les particularitez de son voyage. Les hostelleries qu'on trouue en chemin sont les bois mesmes: à l'entrée de la nuict on s'arreste pour cabaner; chacun [87] desfait ses raquettes, desquelles on se sert comme de pesle pour vuider la neige de la place où on veut coucher. La place nette, & faite en rond ordinairement, on fait du feu tout au bien milieu, & tous les hostes s'assient à l'entour, estans abriez par le dos d'vne muraille de neige, ayans le Ciel pour couuerture de la maison. Le vin de ceste hostellerie c'est l'eau de neige fonduë dans vne petite chaudiere qu'on porte auec soy, si on ne veut manger la neige pour boisson: Les meilleurs mets sont vn peu d'anguille boucanée. Comme il faut porter sa couuerture auec soy pour se couurir la nuict, on ne se charge que le moins qu'õ peut d'autres choses.

Toward the end of January the son and the sons-in-law of our
Savage, being near Cape de Tourmente, told their father, who was
settled near us, that there was good hunting in that quarter. He
went there with [86] the rest of his family. Then, coming back to
see us, he said that if we loved him, we would go to visit him in
his cabin, and he would give us some Venison. "You have given me,"
said he, "of your store when I was hungry; my people will think you
are very angry with me, if you do not come to see us." He brought
us news that the Savage, Brehault, was dead; and that he had left
two children, a boy and a little girl. Now as we desired very much
to send some children to France to have them educated, that they
might afterward help their people, Father de Nouë made up his mind
to follow this good Savage, a journey not without difficulties.
Here are the particulars thereof: The inns found on the way are the
woods themselves, where at nightfall they stop to camp; each [87]
one unfastens his snowshoes, which are used as shovels in cleaning
the snow from the place where they are going to sleep. The place
cleaned is usually made in the form of a circle; a fire is made in
the very middle of it, and all the guests seat themselves around
it, having a wall of snow behind them, and the Sky for a roof. The
wine of this inn is snow, melted in a little kettle which they
carry with them, provided they do not wish to eat snow in lieu of
drink. Their best dish is smoked eel. As they must carry their
blankets with them for cover at night, they load themselves with as
few other things as possible.

Le Pere estant arriué dans la cabane, on ne scauoit quelle chere luy faire: Il n'y a point icy de complimens, on ne dit ny bon iour, ny [88] bon soir. Tout leur tesmoignage de resioüyssance ou action de graces consiste en ceste aspiration, Ho! ho! ho! ho! &c. On saluë icy le monde par effects. Aussi-tost chacun se met en deuoir, l'vn met de l'eau dans la chaudiere, ou plustost de la neige; l'autre la met sur le feu; l'autre iette dedans de grandes pieces de chair d'Eslan, sans la lauer de peur de perdre la graisse; cela estant cuit à demy, on le retire pour en remettre d'autre. Comme on estoit en cet exercice, voicy l'vn des gendres de la Nasse qui reuient de la chasse, apportant deux Castors: aussi-tost en tesmoignage de resioüyssance de la venuë du Pere, il les met en pieces, & les iette dans la chaudiere. Vn autre luy fait present d'vn ieune Castor fort delicat, mais auec prieres qu'on se donnast bien garde de donner les os aux chiens, autrement ils croient [89] qu'ils n'en prendroient plus: ils bruslent ces os fort soigneusement, si les chiens les mangeoient, la chasse ne vaudroit plus rien. Le Pere me dit qu'il s'estonnoit du degast de viande qu'ils faisoient. Voila vn grand mal pour ce miserable peuple, quand il a dequoy, ce ne sont que festins; & la pluspart du temps il meurt de faim le lendemain. On alla à trois lieuës de là chercher vn Orignac qu'ils auoient tué, pour en donner la chair au Pere, auec mille excuses, en deux mots, que peutestre ne le trouueriõs nous pas bon. Ils pressoient le Pere de demeurer quelques iours auec eux, disans qu'ils auoient veu du bois rongé, & qu'infailliblement ils trouueroient d'autres Elans.

When the Father reached the cabin, they did not know what welcome
to give him. There are no greetings here; they say neither "good
day" nor [88] "good evening." Their manifestations of rejoicing,
or expressions of thanks, consist of this aspiration: "Ho! ho!
ho! ho!" etc. They greet people here by actions. Immediately each
begins his work; one puts water, or rather snow, in a kettle;
another places it on the fire; another throws in large pieces of
Venison, not washing them for fear of losing the grease. This being
half cooked, it is withdrawn in order to put in some more. While so
engaged, one of the sons-in-law of la Nasse returns from the hunt,
bringing two Beavers; he tears them to pieces at once, and throws
them into the kettle, in proof of his joy at seeing the Father.
Another gives him a young and very tender Beaver, with the request
that he should be most careful not to give the bones to the dogs,
otherwise they believe [89] they will take no more Beavers. They
burn these bones very carefully. If a dog should eat them, there
would be no more good hunting. The Father told me that he was
astonished at their waste of meat. This is a great misfortune for
these miserable people, for they have nothing but feasts when they
have plenty, and are generally dying of hunger the next day. They
went a distance of three leagues from there to get a Moose they
had killed, to give the meat of it to the Father, with a thousand
excuses, saying, in short, that perhaps we might not find it good.
They pressed the Father to remain with them a few days, saying that
they had seen wood which had been gnawed, an infallible sign that
they would find more Elk.

Le Pere voulant partir, lon fait trois traisnes qu'on charge de chair; l'vne pour luy, l'autre pour nostre Pierre qui estoit allé là; la troisiesme [90] pour vn François qui accompagnoit le Pere. A peine auoient-ils fait deux cens pas apres leurs adieux, que le Pere demeure tout court, il ne voyoit goutte, & n'entendoit rien: la fumée de la cabane, les neiges de dehors, le défaut de nourriture; car il n'auoit mangé qu'vn peu de ceste chair à demy cruë, le trauail du chemin l'affoiblirent si fort, qu'il fut contraint de retourner d'où il venoit. Il auoit bien porté vn peu de pain & de pois, mais les Sauuages s'en saisirent incontinent, tant ils en sont auides, luy disant qu'il en mangeroit tant qu'il voudrait estant de retour en nostre maison. Le bon Sauuage La Nasse voyant la debilité du Pere, luy demande s'il veut demeurer; Non, dit-il, mais ie ne puis traisner ce fardeau que tu m'as donné. Allons, respond le Sauuage, ie le traisneray pour toy, & ie prendray [91] ceste grande peau de loup marin pour t'enuelopper dedans, & te traisner en ta maison: si tu es malade, prends courage, ie ne t'abandonneray point. Ils s'en reuindrent à la maison le mieux qu'ils peurent: nostre Pierre courrut deuant apporter les nouuelles: Nous enuoyasmes viste vn garçon auec vne bouteille de cidre, & du pain, pour leur donner courage. Le vent leur donnoit si violemment en face, qu'ils furent contraints de laisser leurs traisnes à trois lieuës de Kebec, on les renuoya querir le iour suiuant. Les Pere qui n'estoit malade que de foiblesse & de trauail, ayant trouué le repos, se remit incontinent.

When the Father wished to depart, they made three sledges which
they loaded with meat; one for him, another for our man Pierre,
who was there, and the third [90] for a Frenchman who accompanied
the Father. They had moved scarcely two hundred steps, after their
farewells, when the Father suddenly stopped short; he could see
nothing and could hear nothing. The smoke of the cabin, the snow
outside, the lack of nourishment, for he had eaten only a very
little of that half-cooked meat, and the difficulties of the way
had weakened him so that he was compelled to return whence he came.
He had carried with him a little bread and a few peas; but the
Savages had taken possession of them at once, so fond are they of
them, telling him that he could eat as much as he wanted of these
things on his return to our house. The good Savage La Nasse, seeing
the Father's weakness, asked him if he wished to remain. "No," said
he, "but I cannot drag this load which you have given me." "Very
well," answered the Savage, "I will drag it for thee, and I will
take [91] this great sealskin to wrap thee up in, and draw thee
to thy house. If thou art sick, take courage, I will not abandon
thee." They returned to the house as best they could, our Pierre
running before them to bring the news. We hurriedly sent a boy with
a bottle of cider and some bread to renew their strength. The
wind blew so violently in their faces that they were compelled to
leave their sledges three leagues from Kebec, and send for them on
the following day. The Father, who was sick only from weakness and
overwork, having rested, immediately recovered.

Voila, mon Reuerend Pere, vn eschantillon de ce qu'il faut souffrir courant apres les Sauuages, ce qu'il faut faire necessairement si on les [92] veut ayder à se sauuer: Et partant que, V.R. voye s'il luy plaist qui seront ceux qu'elle destinera pour ceste mission. On ne souffre point ces incommoditez demeurant dans la maison, tout ce qu'on y endure est tolerable: mais quand il faut deuenir Sauuage auec les Sauuages, il faut prendre sa vie, & tout ce qu'on a, & le ietter à l'abandon, pour ainsi dire, se contentant d'vne croix bien grosse & bien pesante pour tout richesse. Il est bien vray que Dieu ne se laisse point vaincre, & que plus on quitte, plus on trouve: plus on perd, plus on gaigne: mais Dieu se cache par fois, & alors le Calice est bien amer.

In this narrative, my Reverend Father, you have an illustration
of what we have to suffer in accompanying the Savages in their
wanderings, and what must necessarily be done if we wish [92] to
aid in saving them. And from this Your Reverence may see, if you
please, what kind of men should be chosen for this mission. We do
not suffer these discomforts while remaining in the house. All that
we have to bear here is endurable. But, when it is necessary to
become a Savage with the Savages, one must take his life and all
that he has, and throw it away, so to speak, contenting himself
with a very large and very heavy cross for all riches. It is true
that God does not allow himself to be conquered, and that the more
one gives, the more one gains; the more one loses, the more one
finds; but God sometimes hides himself, and then the Cup is very
bitter.