The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 27

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 27

On the thirtieth of the same month, we encamped upon a very

beautiful lake, having passed another smaller one on our way, both

of them still frozen over as hard as in the middle of winter.

Here my host, seeing that I was very weak and cast down, consoled

me, saying, "Do not be sad: if thou art sad, thou wilt become

still worse; if thy sickness increases, thou wilt die. See what a

beautiful country this is; love it: if thou lovest it, thou wilt

take pleasure in it, and if thou takest pleasure in it thou wilt

become cheerful, and if thou art cheerful thou wilt recover." I

[308] took pleasure in listening to the conversation of this poor

barbarian.

 

Le premier iour d'Auril nous quittasmes ce beau lac & tirasmes à grande

erre vers nostre rendez vous, nous passames la nuit dans vn meschant

trou enfumé & dés le matin continuasmes nostre chemin faisant plus en

ces deux iournées que nous n'auions faict en cinq, Dieu nous fauorisa

d'vn beau temps: car il gela bien fort, & l'air fut serain, s'il eust

fait vn degel comme les iours precedens, & que nous eussions enfoncé

dans la neige, comme quelques fois il nous est arriué, ou il m'eust

fallu traisner, ou ie fusse demeuré en chemin tant i'estois mal. Il est

bien vray que la nature a plus de force qu'elle ne s'en fait accroire,

ie l'experimentay en ceste iournée en laquelle i'estois si foible, que

m'asseant de temps en temps sur la neige pour me reposer, tous les

membres me trembloient, non pas de froid, mais par vne debilité qui me

causoit vne sueur au front. Or comme i'estois alteré voulant puiser

de l'eau dans vn torrent [309] que nous rencontrasmes, la glace que

ie cassois auec mon baston tomba dessous moy, & fit vn grand escarre:

quand ie me vis auec mes raquettes aux pieds sur ceste glace flottante

sur vne eau fort rapide, ie sautay plustost sur le bord du torrent,

que ie n'eu consulté si ie le deuois faire, & la nature qui suoit de

foiblesse trouua assez de force pour sortir de ceste grande eau n'en

voulant pas tant boire à la fois, ie n'eus que la peur d'vn peril qui

fut plustost esuité que recognu.

 

On the first day of April, we left this beautiful lake, and drew

rapidly toward our rendezvous. We passed the night in a miserable

smoky hole, and in the morning continued on our way, going farther

in these two days than we had previously gone in five. God favored

us with fine weather, for there was a hard frost, and the air was

clear. If it had thawed as on the preceding days, and we had sunk

down in the snow, as sometimes happened, either they would have

had to drag me, or I would have remained on the way, so ill was I.

It is true that nature has more resistance than she makes believe;

I experienced this that day, when I was so weak that, if I sat down

upon the snow occasionally to rest myself, my limbs would tremble,

not from cold, but from a weakness which caused the perspiration

to come out upon my forehead. Now, as I was thirsty, I tried to

drink some water from a torrent [309] that we were passing. The

ice, which I broke with my club, fell under me and separated into a

big cake. When I saw myself with my snowshoes on my feet, upon this

ice, floating in a very rapid current, I leaped to the edge of the

torrent before consulting as to whether I ought to do it or not,

and nature, which perspired from weakness, found strength enough

to escape from this mass of water, not wishing to drink so much of

it at once; I had nothing but the fear of a peril which was sooner

escaped than realized.

 

Le danger passé ie poursuiuis mon chemin assez lentement, aussi ne

pouuois-ie pas estre bien fort, car outre la maladie qui ne m'auoit

point quitté parfaitement depuis le dernier iour de Ianuier, ie ne

mangeois ces derniers iours que trois bouchées de boucan le matin,

& cheminois quasi tout le reste du iour sans autre rafraichissement

qu'vn peu d'eau quand i'en pouuois rencontrer. Enfin i'arriuay apres

les autres sur les riues du grand fleuue, & trois iours apres nostre

[310] arriuée, sçauoir est le quatriesme du mesme mois d'Auril nous

sismes nostre vingt-troisiesme station allant planter nostre cabane

dans l'Isle où nous auions laissé nostre Chalouppe, nous y fusmes

tres-mal logez: car outre que le Sorcier s'estoit remis auec nous, nous

estions si remplis de fumée que nous n'en pouuions plus, d'ailleurs le

grand fleuue estant icy falé, & l'Isle n'ayant aucune fontaine nous ne

beuuions que des eaux de neige, ou de pluye encore tres sale. Ie ne

fis pas long sejour en ce lieu, mon hoste voyant que ie ne guerissois

point, prit resolution de me remener en nostre maisonnette, le Sorcier

l'en voulut detourner, mais ie rompis ses menées, i'obmets mille

particularitez pour tirer à la fin.

 

The danger passed, I pursued my way quite slowly; indeed I was not

likely to be very strong, for, besides the malady from which I had

been suffering since the last day of January, and which had not

entirely left me, during these last days I had not been eating more

than three mouthfuls of smoked meat in the morning, and would walk

nearly all the rest of the day without any other refreshment than

a little water, when I could get any. At last I arrived after the

others upon the banks of the great river, and, three days later,

[310] namely, on the fourth of the same month of April, we made our

twenty-third station, going to erect our cabin on the Island where

we had left our Shallop. Here we were very badly lodged; for, in

addition to the presence of the Sorcerer who had returned to us,

we were so full of smoke that we could stand no more; besides, as

the water of the great river was salty here, and as there was no

spring in the Island, we could only drink snow or rainwater, and

that very dirty. I did not make a long stay in this place. My host,

seeing that I was not getting well, decided to take me back to our

little house; the Sorcerer wished to dissuade him from this, but I

broke up his conspiracies. I am omitting a thousand particulars in

order to get to the end.

 

Le cinquiesme du mois d'Auril, mon hoste, l'Apostat, & moy, nous

embarquasmes dans vn petit canot pour tirer à Kebec fur le grand

fleuue, apres auoir pris congé de tous les Sauuages: or comme il

faisoit encore froid nous ne fusmes pas loin que [311] nous trouuasmes

vne petite glace formée pendant la nuict, qui feruoit de superficie

aux eaux, voyant qu'elle s'estendoit fort loing, nous donnons dedans,

l'Apostat qui estoit deuant, la brifant auec son auiron: or soit

qu'elle fut trop trenchante, ou l'écorce de nostre gòndole trop foible,

il se fit vne ouuerture qui donna entrée à l'eau dans nostre canot &

à la crainte dans nostre cœur, nous voila aussi tost tous trois en

action, mes deux Sauuages de ramer, & moy de ietter l'eau, nous tirons

à force de rames dans vne Isle que nous rencontrasmes fort à propos,

& mettant pied à terre les Sauuages empoignent leur canot, le tirent

de l'eau, le renuerfent, battent leur fusil, font du feu, recousent

l'escorce fenduë, y appliquent de leur bray, qui est vne espece

d'encens qui decoule des arbres, remettent le canot à l'eau, nous nous

rembarquons & continuons nostre chemin: ie leur dy voyant ce peril que

s'ils croyoient rencontrer souuent de ces glaces tranchantes, [312]

qu'il valloit mieux retourner d'où nous estions partis, & attendre que

le temps fut plus chaud, il est vray me fit mon hoste que nous auons

pensé perir, si l'ouuerture eust esté vn peu plus grande c'estoit

fait de nous, poursuiuons neantmoins nostre chemin ces petites glaces

ne m'estonnent pas. Sur les trois heures du soir nous apperceusmes

deuant nous vn banc de glaces espouuentables qui nous bouchoit le

chemin, s'estendant au trauers de ce fleuue à plus de quatre lieuës

loin: nous fusmes vn peu estonnez, mes gens ne laissent pas pourtant

de les aborder ayant remarqué vne petite esclaircie, ils se glissent

là dedans faisant tournoyer nostre petite gondole, tantost d'vn costé

& puis tantost de l'autre pour gaigner tousjours païs, en fin nous

trouuasmes ces glaces si fort serrées qu'il fut impossible d'auancer

ny de reculer, car le mouuement de l'eau nous enferma de toutes parts,

au milieu de ces glaces s'il y fut suruenu vn vent vn peu violent nous

estions froissez & brisez & [313] nous & nostre canot comme le grain

entre les deux pierres du moulin, car figurez-vous que ces glaces sont

plus grandes & plus espaisses que les meules & la tremuë tout ensemble,

mes Sauuages nous voyant si empressez sautent de glaces en glaces comme

vn ecririeux d'arbres en arbres, & les repoussant auec leurs auirons

font passage au canot dans lequel i'estois tout seul plus prest de

mourir par les eaux que de maladie, nous combattismes en cette sorte

iusques à cinq heures du soir que nous prismes terre: ces barbares sont

tres habiles en ces rencontres, ils me demandoient par fois dans la

plus grande presse des glaces si ie ne craignois point, veritablement

la nature n'ayme point à ioüer à ce jeu là, & leurs sauts de glaces en

glaces me sembloient des sauts perilleux & pour eux & pour moy, veu

mesmes que leür pere, à ce qu'ils me disoient, s'est autrefois noyé en

semblable occasion. Il est vray que Dieu dont la bonté est par tout

aymable, se trouue aussi bien dessus les eaux [314] & parmy les glaces

que dessus la terre, nous eschappasmes encore de ce danger qui ne leur

sembla pas si grand que le premier.

 

On the fifth of the month of April, my host, the Apostate, and I

embarked in a little canoe to go to Kebec upon the great river,

after having taken leave of all the Savages. Now, as it was still

cold, we had not gone far when [311] we found that a little ice had

formed during the night, which covered the surface of the water;

seeing that it extended quite far, we entered it, the Apostate,

who was in front, breaking it with his paddle. But either it

was too sharp, or the bark of our gondola too thin; for it made

an opening which let the water into our canoe and fear into our

hearts. So behold us all three in action, my two Savages paddling,

and I baling out the water. We drew with all the strength of our

paddles to an Island which we very fortunately encountered. When

we set foot upon shore, the Savages seized the canoe, drew it out

of the water, turned it upside down; lighted their tinder, made a

fire, sewed up the slit in the bark; applied to it their resin, a

kind of gum that runs out of trees; placed the canoe again in the

water, and we reëmbarked and continued our journey. In view of

this danger, I told them that, if they expected to encounter much

of this sharp ice, [312] it would be better to return whence we

had come, and wait until the weather was warmer. "It is true,"

replied my host, "that we came near perishing; if the hole had

been a little larger it would have been all over with us. But let

us pursue our way, this little ice does not frighten me." Towards

the third hour of the evening we saw before us a horrible bank of

ice which blocked our way, extending across the great river for a

distance of more than four leagues. We were a little frightened,

but my people approached it nevertheless, as they had noticed a

small opening in it; they glided into this, turning our little

gondola first to one side and then to the other, in order to always

make some headway. At last we found these masses of ice so firmly

wedged together, that it was impossible either to advance or

recede, for the movement of the water closed us in on all sides. In

the midst of this ice, if a sharp wind had arisen, we would have

been crushed and broken to pieces, [313] we and our canoe, like the

grain of wheat between two millstones; for imagine these blocks of

ice, larger and thicker than the millstone and hopper together. My

Savages, seeing our predicament, leaped from one piece of ice to

another, like squirrels from tree to tree; and, pushing it away

with their paddles, made a passage for the canoe, in which I sat

alone, nearer dying from water than from disease. We struggled

along in this way until five o'clock in the evening, and then we

landed. These barbarians are very skillful in such encounters.

They asked me from time to time, in the greatest danger, if I were

not afraid; truly nature is not fond of playing at such games, and

their leaps from ice to ice seemed to me to be full of peril both

for them and for me, especially as their father, as I have been

told, was drowned under similar circumstances. It is true that God,

whose goodness is everywhere adorable, is found as well upon the

waters, [314] and among the ice, as upon the land. We escaped also

from this danger, which did not seem to them as great as the first.

 

Arriuez que nous fusmes à terre nostre maison fut de nous coucher au

pied d'vn arbre, nous mangeasmes vn peu de boucan, beusmes vn peu d'eau

de neige fonduë, ie fis mes petites prieres & me couchay aupres d'vn

bon feu qui contrequarra la gelée & le froid de la nuict.

 

When we reached land, our house was the foot of a tree, where we

lay down, after having eaten a bit of smoked meat and drunk a

little melted snow-water. I repeated my little prayers, and rested

beside a good fire which counteracted the frost and cold of the night.