The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 19

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 19

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 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, 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[i]-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 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 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