The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 13

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 13

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 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 pacoucachtecho_k_hi_ _chachagou achigani_k_hi_, _Ca

pa_k_hitaouananioui_k_hi_, 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 Ek_hennabamate_, il apprit de luy que son frere le

Sorcier estoit 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 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 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.