The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 26

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 26

 [302] The Apostate, continuing to blaspheme here, asked me, in the

presence of his brothers, in order to turn them against God, why

I prayed to him who neither saw nor heard anything. I rebuked him

very sharply and imposed silence upon him.

 

Le sixiesme iour de Mars nous changeasmes de demeure, le Sorcier, le

Renegat, & deux ieunes chasseurs tirerent deuant nous droit aux riues

du grand fleuue, l'occasion de cette separation fut que mon hoste braue

chasseur ayant descouuert quatre Orignaux, & quantité de cabanes de

Castors, ne pouuant luy seul en mesme temps chasser en tant d'endroits

fort separez, le Sorcier mena ces ieunes chasseurs pour courre les

Orignaux, & luy demeura pour les Castors: cette separation me fit du

bien & du mal. Du bien, pource que ie fus deliuré du Sorcier, ie n'ay

point de paroles pour declarer l'importunité de ce meschant homme. Du

mal, pource que mon hoste ne prenant point d'Orignaux nous ne mangions

que du boucan qui m'estoit fort contraire, que s'il prenoit des Castors

on en faisoit seicherie, [303] excepté des petits que nous mangions,

les plus beaux & les meilleurs estoient reseruez pour les festins

qu'ils deuoient faire au Printemps, au lieu où ils s'estoient donnez le

rendez-vous.

 

On the sixth day of March, we shifted our quarters. The Sorcerer,

the Renegade, and two young hunters, directed their steps before

us straight to the banks of the great river. The cause of this

separation was that my host, a good hunter, had discovered four

Moose, and a number of Beaver lodges; and not being able alone to

hunt in places so widely separated, the Sorcerer took these young

hunters to chase the Moose, and he remained for the Beavers. This

separation was fraught with both good and evil for me. With good,

because I was freed from the Sorcerer; I have no words to describe

the pertinacity of this wicked man. With evil, because my host did

not capture any Moose, and we had nothing to eat but smoked meat,

which was very distasteful to me; for, if he captured any Beavers,

they were smoked, [303] except the little ones, which we ate; the

finest and best ones were reserved for the feasts they were to give

in the Spring, at the place where they had appointed a rendezvous.

 

Le treiziesme du mesme mois nous fismes nostre dix-huictiesme demeure

proche d'vn fleuue dont les eaux me sembloient sucrées apres la

saleté des neiges fonduës que nous beuuions és stations precedentes

dans vn chauderon gras & enfumé, ie commençay à ressentir en ce lieu

l'incommodité du coucher sur la terre bien froide pendant l'hyuer &

fort humide au Printemps, car le costé droit sur lequel ie reposois

s'estourdit tellement par la froidure qu'il n'auoit quasi plus de

sentiment: or craignant de ne remporter que la moitié de moy-mesme dans

nostre petite maison, l'autre demeurante paralytique, ie promis vne

chemise & vne petite robbe à vn enfant pour vn meschãt bout de peau

d'Orignac que sa mere me donna, ceste peau non passée estoit bien aussi

dure que la terre, mais non pas si humide, [304] i'en fis mon lict qui

se trouua si court que la terre qui auoit iusques alors pris possession

de tout mon corps en retint encore la moitié.

 

On the thirteenth of the same month, we made our eighteenth station

near a river, whose waters seemed to me sweet as sugar after the

dirt of the melted snow that we drank at former stations, out of a

greasy and smoky kettle. I began here to experience the discomfort

of sleeping upon the ground, which was cold in winter and damp in

Spring; for my right side, upon which I lay, became so benumbed

from cold that it scarcely had any sense of feeling. Now fearing I

would only carry half of myself back to our little house, the other

being paralyzed, I promised a shirt and a little gown to a child,

for a miserable piece of Moose skin, which his mother gave me; this

undressed skin was about as hard as the ground, but not as damp.

[304] Of this I made my bed, which was so short that the ground,

which had up to that time taken possession of all my body, still

kept the half of it.

 

Depuis le depart du Sorcier, mon hoste prenoit plaisir à me faire des

questions, notamment des choses naturelles, il me demanda vn iour comme

la terre estoit faite, & m'apportant vne écorce & vn charbon, il me la

fit décrire, ie luy despeins donc les deux Hemispheres, & apres luy

auoir tracé l'Europe, l'Asia, & l'Affrique, ie vins à nostre Amerique,

luy monstrant comme elle est vne grande Isle, ie luy d'écriuy la coste

de l'Acadie, la grande Isle de Terre-neufue, l'entrée & golfe de nostre

grand fleuue de sainct Laurens, les peuples qui habitent ses riues,

le lieu où nous estions pour lors, ie montay iusques aux Algonquains,

aux Hiroquois, aux Hurons, à la nation neutre, &c. luy designant les

endroits plus & moins peuplez, ie passay à la Floride, au Perou,

au Brasil, &c. luy parlant en mon jargon de ces contrées le mieux

qu'il m'estoit possible, il m'interrogea [305] plus particulierement

des païs dont il a connoissance, puis m'ayans escouté fort

patiemment, il s'escria prononçant vne de leurs grandes admirations

_Amonitatinanioui_k_hi_! Ceste robbe noire dit vray! parlant à vn

vieillard qui me regardoit, puis se tournant deuers moy il me dit,

_nicanis_, mon bien aymé tu nous donne en verité de l'admiration, car

nous connoissons la plus part de ces terres & de ces peuples, & tu

les a descrit comme ils sont, i'insiste là dessus, comme tu vois que

ie dis vray parlant de ton pays, aussi dois-tu croire que ie ne ments

pas parlant des autres, ie le croy ainsi, me repartit-il, ie poursuy

ma pointe, comme ie suis veritable en parlant des choses de la terre,

aussi tu dois te persuader que ie ne voudrois pas mentir quand ie te

parle des choses du Ciel, & partant tu dois croire ce que ie t'ay dit

de l'autre vie: il s'arresta vn peu de temps tout court, puis ayant

vn peu pensé à part soy, Ie te croiray, dit-il quand tu sçauras bien

parler, nous auons maintenant trop de peine à nous faire entendre.

 

After the departure of the Sorcerer, my host took pleasure in

asking me questions, especially about the things of nature. One

day he asked me how the earth was made; and, bringing me a piece

of bark and some charcoal, he had me describe it. So I drew for

him the two Hemispheres; and, after having traced Europe, Asia and

Africa, I came to our America, showing him that it is an immense

Island. I described for him the coast of Acadia, the great Island

of Newfoundland, the entrance and gulf of our great river saint

Lawrence, the people who inhabit its banks, the place where we

then were. I went up as far as the Algonquains, the Hiroquois,

the Hurons, to the neutral nation, etc., showing him the places

more and less populous. I passed to Florida, to Peru, to Brazil,

etc., speaking to him in my jargon the best I could about these

countries. He asked me [305] more particularly about the countries

of which he had some knowledge. Then having listened to me

patiently, he exclaimed, using one of their words expressive of

great admiration, _Amonitatinaniouikhi!_ "This black robe tells

the truth," speaking to an old man who was looking at me; and

turning toward me, he said, "_nicanis_, my well-beloved, thou dost

indeed cause our wonder; for we are acquainted with the greater

part of these lands and tribes, and thou hast described them as

they are." Thereupon I urge, "As thou seest I tell the truth in

speaking of thy country, thou shouldst also believe that I do not

lie in speaking of the others." "I do believe thus," he replied. I

followed up my point: "As I am truthful in speaking about things of

the earth, also thou shouldst persuade thyself that I am not lying

when I speak to thee about the things of Heaven; and therefore thou

oughtst believe what I have told thee about the other life." He

paused a few moments, and then, having reflected a little, said, "I

will believe thee when thou shalt know how to speak; but we have

now too much trouble in understanding each other."

 

[306] Il m'a fait mille autres questions, du Soleil, de la rondeur de

la terre, des Antipodes, de la France, & fort souuent il me parloit de

nostre bon Roy, il admiroit quand ie luy disois que la France estoit

remplie de Capitaines, & que le Roy estoit le Capitaine de tous les

Capitaines, il me prioit de le mener en France pour le voir, & qu'il

luy feroit des presens, ie me mis à rire luy disant que toutes leurs

richesses n'estoient que pauureté à comparaisson des grandeurs du Roy,

Ie veux dire, me fit-il, que ie feray des presens à ceux de sa suitte,

pour luy ie me contenteray de le voir, il racontoit par apres aux

autres ce qu'il m'auoit ouy dire. Il me demanda vne autrefois s'il y

auoit de grands saults dans la mer, c'est à dire des cheutes d'eau, il

y en a beaucoup dans les fleuues de ce païs cy, vous verrez vne belle

riuiere coulant fort doucement tomber tout à coup dans vn lit plus

bas, les terres ne s'abbaissant pas également, mais comme par degrez

en certains endroits, nous voyons vn de ces sauts proche de Kebec

nommé le saut de [307] Montmorency, c'est vne riuiere qui vient des

terres, & qui se precipite de fort haut dans le grand fleuue de sainct

Laurens, les riues qui le bornent estans fort releuées en cét endroit:

Or quelques Sauuages croyoient que la mer a de ces cheutes d'eau dans

lesquelles se perdent quantité de nauires ie luy ostay cét erreur, ces

inegalitez ne se retrouuans point dans l'Ocean.

 

[306] He asked me a thousand other questions,--about the Sun, the

roundness of the earth, the Antipodes, France, and he frequently

spoke to me about our good King. He was surprised when I told him

that France was full of Captains, and that the King was the Captain

of all the Captains. He begged me to take him to France to see him,

and to make him some presents. I began to laugh, telling him that

all their riches were nothing but poverty compared to the splendors

of the King. "I mean," said he, "that I will make presents to his

followers; as to him, I will be content to see him." He recounted

afterwards to the others what he had heard me say. Another time

he asked me if there were any great falls in the sea, that is,

waterfalls. There are a great many in the rivers of this country.

You will see a beautiful river flowing along peacefully; and

all at once it will fall into a lower bed, as the land does not

slope gradually, but as if by steps in certain places. We see

one of these falls near Kebec; it is called the "falls of [307]

Montmorency." They are formed by a river which comes from the

interior, and falls from a very high level into the great river

saint Lawrence, the banks enclosing it being considerably elevated

at this place. Now some of the Savages believe that the sea has

these waterfalls, and that a great many ships are lost in them. I

removed this error by telling them that these inequalities are not

found in the Ocean.

 

Le vingt-troisiesme de Mars nous repassames le fleuue

_Capititetchioueth_, que nous auions passé le troisiesme de Decembre.

 

On the twenty-third of March, we again crossed the river

_Capititetchioueth_, over which we had passed on the third of

December.

 

Le trentiesme du mesme mois, nous vinsmes cabaner sur vn fort beau

lac, en ayant passé vn autre plus petit en nostre chemin, ils estoient

encore autant glacez qu'au milieu de l'hyuer, mon hoste me consoloit

icy me voyant fort foible & fort abbatu, ne t'attriste point, me

disoit-il, si tu t'attriste tu seras encore plus malade, si ta maladie

augmente tu mourras, considere que voicy vn beau pays, ayme-le, si tu

l'ayme, tu t'y plairas, si tu t'y plais tu te resioüiras, si tu te

resioüis tu guariras, ie [308] prenois plaisir d'entendre le discours

de ce pauure barbare.