The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 23
This happened on Monday. On the Wednesday following, my host and a
young hunter killed with arrows the Moose whose tracks we had seen;
they saw others afterwards, but, as [283] there was so little snow,
they could never approach within arrow-shot of them. As soon as
they had captured this game, they divided it up, bringing a large
part of it to our cabins, and burying the rest under the snow.
Now every one was happy, and a great banquet was made, to which I
was invited. Seeing the big pieces of meat they gave to each one,
I asked the Apostate if this was an eat-all feast. He answered,
"yes;" and I said to him, "It is impossible for me to eat all they
have given me." "Indeed you must," he answered, "you must eat
it all; the others have to eat all theirs, and you must eat all
yours." I made him understand that God forbids such excess, and I
would not commit it even if my life depended upon it. This wicked
blasphemer, to arouse the others against me, said that God was
angry because they had something to eat. "I did not say that," I
replied to him in Savage, "but that he prohibits eating to excess."
The Sorcerer answered me, "I am never so well off as when I am
full." Now as I could not come to the [284] end of my portion, I
invited one of my neighboring Savages to take a part of it, giving
him some tobacco as a reward for what he would eat for me. I threw
another piece of it, secretly, to the dogs. The Savages began to
suspect something, from the fight that afterwards took place among
these animals; and commenced to cry out against me, saying that
I was contaminating their feast, that they would capture nothing
more, and that we would die of hunger. When the women and children
heard of this afterward, they looked upon me as a very bad man,
reproaching me disdainfully, and saying that I would be the cause
of their death; and truly, if God had not granted us anything for
a long time, I would have been in danger of being put to death for
having committed such a sacrilege, to such an extent does their
superstition go. To prevent the recurrence of this misfortune,
after that they gave me only a small portion; and they also told me
that I should not eat any more than I wanted to, that they would
eat the rest, but above all I should take care not to throw any to
the dogs.
Le trentiesme du mesme mois de Decembre, nous decabanasmes, faisans
[285] chemin nous passasmes sur deux beaux lacs tout glacez; nous
tirions vers l'endroit où estoit la cache de nostre Orignac, qui ne
dura guere en ceste huictiesme demeure.
On the thirtieth of the same month of December, we broke camp, and
in the course of our [285] journey we passed over two beautiful
lakes covered with ice. We turned toward the place where our Moose
was hidden, which would not last long in this eighth station.
Le Sorcier me demanda si en vérité i'aymois l'autre vie que ie luy
auois figuré remplie de tous biens, ayant répondu que ie l'aymois en
effect; & moy, dit-il, ie la haï: car il faut mourir pour y aller,
& c'est dequoy ie n'ay point d'enuie, que si i'auois la pensée & la
creance que cette vie est miserable, & que l'autre est pleine de
delices, ie me tuërois moy-mesme pour me deliurer de l'vne, & ioüir
de l'autre: Ie luy repars que Dieu nous defendoit de nous tuer, ny de
tuer autruy; & que si nous nous faisions mourir nous descendrions dans
la vie de malheur, pour auoir contreuenu à ses cormmandemens: Hé bien,
dit il, ne te tuë point toy-mesme, mais moy ie te tuëray pour te faire
plaisir, afin que tu ailles au Ciel, & que tu ioüisse des plaisirs que
tu dis: Ie me sousris, luy repliquant que ie ne pouuois pas consentir
qu'on m'ostast la vie sans pecher: Ie vois bien, me fit-il, en se
moquant [286] que tu n'as pas encore enuie de mourir non plus que moy,
non pas repliquay-ie en cooperant à ma mort.
The Sorcerer asked me if I really did love the other life, that I
had described as so full of all blessings; having replied that I
did, indeed, love it, "And I," said he, "I hate it, for to go there
one must die, and that is something I have no desire to do; and yet
if I thought and believed that this life was miserable, and that
the other was full of delights, I would kill myself, to be freed
from the one and to enjoy the other." I answered that God forbade
us to kill ourselves, or to kill any one else, and if we destroyed
ourselves we would go down into a life of misery, for having acted
contrary to his commands. "Oh well," said he, "thou needst not kill
thyself; but I will kill thee, to please thee, that thou mayest
go to Heaven, and enjoy the pleasures that thou tellest about." I
smiled, and replied to him that I could not without sin agree to
have my life taken. "I see plainly," said he, sneeringly, [286]
"that thou hast not yet the desire to die any more than I have."
"None," said I, "to bring about my own death."
En ce mesme temps nos chasseurs ayans poursuiuy vn Orignac, & ne
l'ayans peu prendre, l'Apostat se mit à blasphemer, disant aux
Sauuages, le Dieu qui est marry quand nous mangeons, est maintenant
bien ayse de ce que nous n'auons pas dequoy disner: & voyant vue
autre fois qu'on apportoit quelques Porcs-espics, Dieu, disoit-il,
se va fascher de ce que nous nous saoulerons. O langue impie que
tu seras chastié! esprit brutal que tu seras confus, si Dieu ne
te fait misericorde! que les Anges & les sainctes Ames redoublent
autant de fois leur Cantique d'honneur & des loüanges, que cét athée
le blasphemera; ce pauure miserable ne laisse pas par fois d'auoir
quelques craintes de l'enfer, qu'il tasche d'étouffer tant qu'il peut,
comme ie le menaçois vn iour de ces tourmens, peut estre, me fit-il,
que nous autres n'auons point d'ame, ou que nos ames ne sont pas faites
comme les vostres, ou qu'elles ne vont point en mesme [287] endroit:
qui est iamais venu de ce pays là pour nous en dire des nouuelles? ie
luy reparty qu'õ ne pouuoit voir le Ciel sans cognoistre qu'il y a vn
Dieu, qu'on ne peut conceuoir qu'il y a vn Dieu, sans conceuoir qu'il
est iuste, & par consequent qu'il rend à vn chacun selon ses œuures,
d'où s'ensuiuent de grandes recompenses, ou de grands chastimens: cela
est bon, repliqua-il, pour vous autres que Dieu assiste, mais il n'a
point soin de nous: car quoy qu'il fasse, nous ne laisserons pas de
mourir de faim, ou de trouuer de la chasse; iamais cét esprit hebeté ne
peut conceuoir que Dieu gouuerne la grande famille du monde, auec plus
de cognoissance & plus de soin qu'vn Roy ne gouuerne son Royaume, & vn
pere de famille sa maison; ie serois trop long de rapporter tout ce que
ie luy dis sur ses blasphemes & sur ses resueries.
At this time, our hunters having followed a Moose, and not having
been able to capture it, the Apostate began to blaspheme, saying to
the Savages, "The God who is sorry when we eat, is now very glad
that we have not anything to dine upon." And another time, seeing
them bringing some Porcupines, "God," said he, "will be angry
because we are going to fill ourselves up." Oh, blasphemous tongue,
how wilt thou be chastised! Oh, brutal spirit, how wilt thou be
confounded, if God does not take pity on thee! May the Angels and
holy Spirits redouble their Songs of honor and of praise, as many
times as this atheist will blaspheme them! This poor wretch does
not fail at times to have some fear of hell, which he tries to
suppress as much as he can. As I was threatening him with these
torments one day, "Perhaps," he replied, "we people here have no
souls, or perhaps they are not made like yours, or it may be that
they do not go to the same [287] place. Who has ever come back
from that country to bring us news of it?" I answered him that one
cannot see the Sky, without recognizing that there is a God; that
one cannot conceive that there is a God, without conceiving that
he is just, and that consequently he renders to each one according
to his works, whence it follows that there are great rewards or
great punishments. "That's all very well," said he, "for you others
whom God helps; but he has no interest in us, for, whatever he may
do, we still die of hunger unless we find game." Never will this
besotted mind be able to conceive that God rules the great family
of the world with more wisdom and more care than a King governs his
Kingdom, and the father of a family his household. I would be too
tedious if I reported all I said to him about his blasphemies and
dreams.
Le quatriesme de Ianuier de ceste année mil six cens trente quatre,
nous allasmes faire nostre habitation depuis nostre depart des riues du
grand fleuue cherchant tousiours à viure. I'obiectay en cét endroit au
Sorcier qu'il n'estoit [288] pas bon Prophete, car il m'auoit asseuré
les deux dernieres fois que nous auions decabané, qu'il neigeroit
abondamment aussi tost que nous aurions changé de demeure, ce qui se
trouua faux, i'ay rapportay cecy à mon hoste pour luy oster vne partie
de la creance qu'il a en cét homme qu'il adore, il me répondit que le
Sorcier ne m'auoit pas asseuré qu'il neigeroit, mais qu'il en auoit
seulement quelque pensée; non, dis-ie, il m'a asseuré qu'il voyoit
venir la neige, & qu'elle tomberoit aussi-tost que nous aurions cabané,
_Khi_k_hirassin_, me fit-il, tu as menty, si tost que vous leur dites
quelque chose qu'ils ne veulent point accorder ils vous payent de
ceste monnoye.
On the fourth of January of this year one thousand six hundred
and thirty-four, we started to make our [ninth] settlement since
our departure from the banks of the great river, always seeking
something upon which to live. In this place I reproached the
Sorcerer with not being [288] a good Prophet, for he had assured
me, the last two times when we had broken camp, that it would snow
abundantly as soon as we had changed our dwelling place, which had
proved to be untrue. I reported this to my host, in order to take
away some of the belief that he has in this man, whom he adores. He
answered that the Sorcerer had not assured me that it would snow,
but simply that he thought it would. "No," said I, "he assured me
that he saw the snow coming, and that it would fall as soon as we
had settled down." _Khikhirassin_, he replied, "Thou hast lied." As
soon as you tell them something they do not wish to agree to, they
pay you in this coin.
La veille des Rois, mon hoste me dit qu'il auoit fait vn songe qui luy
donnoit bien de l'apprehension; i'ay veu, dit-il, en dormant que nous
estions reduits en la derniere extremité de la faim, & celuy que tu
nous dis qui a tout fait, m'a asseuré que tu tomberas dans vne telle
langueur, que ne pouuant plus mettre vn pied deuant l'autre tu mourras
seul delaissé au milieu des bois, ie [289] crains que mon songe ne soit
que trop veritable: car nous voila autant que iamais dans la necessité
faute de neige: i'eu quelque pensée que ce songeur me pouuoit bien
ioüer quelque mauuais traict, & m'abandonner tout seul pour faire du
Prophete; voila pourquoy ie me seruy de ses armes, opposant _altare
contra altare_, songe contre songe: & moy, luy dis-ie, i'ay songé tout
le contraire, car i'ay veu dans mon sommeil deux Orignaux, dont l'vn
estoit desia tué, & l'autre encore viuant, bon, dit le Sorcier, voila
qui va bien, aye esperance, tu raconte de bonnes nouuelles, en effect
i'auois fait ce songe quelques iours auparauant, hé bien, dis ie à mon
hoste, lequel de nos deux songes sera trouué veritable, tu dis que nous
mourrons de faim, & moy ie dis que non, il se mit à rire. Alors ie luy
dis que les songes n'estoient que des mensonges, que ie ne m'appuyois
point là dessus, que mon esperance estoit en celuy qui a tout fait,
que ie craignois neantmoins qu'il ne nous chastiast, veu qu'aussi tost
qu'ils auoient à mãnger, ils se gaussoient de [290] luy notamment
l'Apostat, il n'a point d'esprit, dirent-ils, ne prends pas garde à luy.
On the eve of Epiphany my host told me that he had had a dream
which caused him much anxiety. "I have seen in my sleep," said he,
"that we were reduced to the last extremity of hunger; and that he
who thou hast told us has made all, assured me that thou wouldst
fall into such a stupor, that, not being able to put one foot
before the other, thou wouldst die alone abandoned in the midst of
the woods; I [289] fear that my dream will be only too true, for
we are now in as great need as ever for lack of snow." I had an
idea that this dreamer might play some bad trick on me and abandon
me, to prove himself a Prophet. For this reason I made use of his
weapons, opposing _altare contra altare_, dream against dream.
"As for me," I replied, "I have dreamed just the opposite; for in
my sleep I saw two Moose, one of which was already killed and the
other still living." "Good," said the Sorcerer, "that's very nice;
have hope, thou tellest us good news." In truth, I had had this
dream some days before. "Well, then," I said to my host, "which of
our two dreams will be found to be true? Thou sayest we shall die
of starvation, and I say we shall not." He began to laugh. Then
I told him that dreams were nothing but lies, that I placed no
dependence upon them; that my hope was in him who has made all, and
yet I feared he would chastise us, seeing that, as soon as they had
something to eat, they mocked [290] him, especially the Apostate.
"He doesn't know anything," they said, "do not pay any attention to him."
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