The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 16

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 16

These little ones have their load, or their sledge, to accustom

them early to fatigue; and they try to stimulate them to see who

will carry or drag the most. To paint to you the hardships of the

way, I have neither pen nor brush that could do it; they must be

experienced in order to be appreciated, and [245] this dish must be

tried to know how it tastes. We did nothing but go up and go down;

frequently we had to bend halfway over, to pass under partly-fallen

trees, and step over others lying upon the ground whose branches

sometimes knocked us over, gently enough to be sure, but always

coldly, for we fell upon the snow. If it happened to thaw, Oh God,

what suffering! It seemed to me I was walking over a road of glass,

which broke under my feet at every step. The frozen snow, beginning

to melt, would fall and break into blocks or big pieces, into

which we often sank up to our knees, and sometimes to our waists.

If there was pain in falling, there was still more in pulling

ourselves out, for our raquettes were loaded with snow, and became

so heavy that, when we tried to draw them out, it seemed as if

somebody were tugging at our legs to dismember us. I have seen some

who slid so far under the logs buried in the snow, that they could

not pull out either their legs or their snowshoes without help. Now

imagine [246] a person loaded like a mule, and judge how easy is

the life of the Savage.

 

En France dans la difficulté des voyages encor trouue-on quelques

villages pour se rafraischir, & pour se fortifier; mais les

hostelleries que nous rencontrions, & où nous beuuions, n'estoient que

des ruisseaux, encor falloit il rompre la glace pour en tirer de l'eau;

il est vray que nous ne faisions pas de longues traites, aussi nous

eust il esté tout à fait impossible.

 

In the discomforts of a journey in France, villages are found

where one can refresh and fortify one's self; but the inns that

we encountered and where we drank, were only brooks; we even had

to break the ice in order to get some water. It is true that we

did not make long stages, which would indeed have been absolutely

impossible for us.

 

Estans arriuez au lieu où nous deuions camper, les femmes alloient

couper les perches pour dresser la cabane, les hommes vuidoient la

neige, comme ie l'ay plus amplement déduit au Chapitre precedent: or

il falloit trauailler à ce bastiment, ou bien trembler de froid trois

grosses heures sur la neige en attendant qu'il fut fait, ie mettois par

fois la main à l'œuure pour m'échauffer, mais i'estois pour l'ordinaire

tellement glacé que le feu seul me pouuoit dégeler; les Sauuages en

estoient estonnez: car ils suoient soubs le trauail, leur témoignant

quelquefois que i'auois grãd [247] froid, ils me disoient, donne tes

mains que nous voyons si tu dis vray, & les trouuans toutes glacées,

touchez de compassion ils me donnoient leurs mitaines échauffées, &

prenoient les miennes toutes froides: iusque là que mõ hoste apres

auoir experimenté cecy plusieurs fois, me dit _Nicanis_ n'hyuerne

plus auec les Sauuages, car ils te tuëront; il vouloit dire, comme ie

pense, que ie tõberois malade & que ne pouuant estre traisné auec le

bagage, qu'on me feroit mourir, ie me mis à rire, & luy reparty qu'il

me vouloit épouuenter.

 

When we reached the place where we were to encamp, the women went

to cut the poles for the cabin, and the men to clear away the snow,

as I have stated more fully in the preceding Chapter. Now a person

had to work at this building, or shiver with cold for three long

hours upon the snow, waiting until it was finished. Sometimes I put

my hand to the work to warm myself, but usually I was so frozen

that fire alone could thaw me. The Savages were surprised at this,

for they often sweat under the work. Assuring them now and then

that I was very [247] cold, they would say to me, "Give us thy

hands that we may see if thou tellest the truth;" and, finding them

quite frozen, touched with compassion, they gave me their warm

mittens and took my cold ones. This went so far, that my host,

after having tried it several times, said to me, "_Nicanis_, do not

winter any more with the Savages, for they will kill thee." I think

he meant that I would fall ill, and, as I could not be dragged

along with the baggage, they would kill me; I began to laugh, and

told him that he was trying to frighten me.

 

La cabane estant faite, ou sur la nuit, ou vn peu deuant, on parloit

de disner & de souper tout ensemble: car sortant le matin apres auoir

mangé vn petit morceau, il falloit auoir patience qu'on fut arriué &

que l'hostellerie fust faite pour y loger, & pour y manger, mais le

pis estoit que ce iour là nos gens n'allans point ordinairement à la

chasse, c'estoit pour nous vn iour de ieusne aussi bien qu'vn iour de

trauail. C'est trop retarder venons à nostre station.

 

The cabin finished, either toward nightfall or a little before,

they began to talk about dinner and supper all in one, for as we

had departed in the morning after having eaten a small morsel, we

had to have patience to reach our destination and to wait until

the hotel was erected, in order to lodge and eat there. But,

unfortunately, on this particular day, our people did not usually

go hunting; and so it was for us a day of fasting as well as a day

of work. We have delayed long enough, let us come to our station.

 

Nous quittasmes les riues du grand fleuue le 12. de Nouembre, comme

i'ay [248] desia dit, & vinsmes cabaner pres d'vn torrent, faisans

chemin à la façon que ie viens de dire, chacun portant son fardeau.

Tous les Sauuages se mocquoient de moy de ce que ie n'estois pas bon

cheual de male, me contentant de porter mon manteau qui estoit assez

pesant, vn petit sac où ie mettois mes menuës necessitez & leurs

gausseries, qui ne me pesoient pas tant que mon corps, voila ma charge:

mon hoste & l'Apostat portoient sur des bastons croisez en forme de

brancard la femme du Sorcier qui estoit fort malade, ils la mettoient

sur la neige en attendant que la cabane fut faite, où elle passoit plus

de trois heures sans feu, & sans iamais se plaindre, & sans monstrer

aucun signe d'impatience, ie me mettois plus en peine d'elle qu'elle

mesme: car ie criois souuent qu'on fit faire pour le moins vn peu de

feu aupres d'elle, mais la réponse estoit qu'elle se chaufferoit la

cabane estant faite: ces barbares sont faits à ces souffrances, ils

s'attẽdent bien que s'ils tombent malades qu'on les traittera à mesme

monnoye. Nous seiournasmes trois iours en ceste station, pendant

lesquels [249] voicy vne partie des choses que i'ay marqué dans mon

memoire.

 

We left the banks of the great river on the 12th of November, as

I have [248] said, and pitched our camp near a torrent, traveling

in the way I have just described, each one carrying his pack. All

the Savages made sport of me because I was not a good pack horse,

being satisfied to carry my cloak, which was heavy enough; a small

bag in which I kept my little necessaries; and their sneers, which

were not as heavy as my body; and this was my load. My host and the

Apostate carried upon poles, crossed in the form of a stretcher,

the wife of the Sorcerer, who was very sick; they placed her on the

snow, while waiting for the cabin to be made, and there she passed

more than three hours without fire, and did not once complain nor

show any sign of impatience. I was more troubled about her than

she was about herself, for I often appealed to them to make at

least a little fire near her; but the answer was that she would get

warm when the cabin was made. These savages are hardened to such

sufferings; they expect if they fall sick to be paid in the same

coin. We sojourned three days at this station; and the following

[249] are some of the things I noted down in my memoirs during this

time.

 

C'est icy que les Sauuages consulterent les genies du iour, en la façon

que i'ay couché au Chapitre quatriesme: or comme ie m'estois ris de

ceste superstition, & qu'à toutes les occasions qui se rencontroient,

ie faisois voir que les mysteres du Sorcier n'estoient que ieux

d'enfans, m'efforçant de luy rauir ses oüailles pour les rendre auec

le temps à celuy qui les a rachetées au prix de son sang, cét homme

forcené fit le iour d'apres ceste consulte, que ie vay décrire.

 

It was here that the Savages consulted their genii of light, in the

manner I have described in Chapter four. Now as I had always shown

my amusement at this superstition, and on all possible occasions

had made them see that the mysteries of the Sorcerer were nothing

but child's play,--endeavoring to carry off his flock so that, in

time, I might deliver them up to him who had bought them with his

blood,--this unscrupulous man, the day afterward, went through with

the performance I am going to describe.

 

Mõ hoste ayãt inuité au festin tous les Sauuages nos voisins, comme

ils estoiẽt desia venus, & assis à l'entour du feu & de la chaudiere,

attendans l'ouuerture du banquet, voila que le Sorcier qui estoit

couché vis à vis de moy se leue tout à coup, n'ayant point encor parlé

depuis la venuë des conuiez, il paroist tout furieux, se iettant sur

vne des perches de la cabane pour l'arracher, il la rompt en deux

pieces, il roule les yeux en la teste, regardant çà & là comme vn

homme hors de soy, puis enuisageant les [250] assistans, il leur dit

_Iriniticou nama Nitirinisin_, ô hommes i'ay perdu l'esprit, ie ne

sçay où ie suis, esloignez de moy les haches & les espées, car ie suis

hors du sens. A ces paroles tous les Sauuages baissent les yeux en

terre, & ie les leue au ciel, d'où i'attendois secours, me figurant que

cét homme faisoit l'enragé pour se vanger de moy, en m'ostant la vie,

ou du moins pour m'épouuenter, afin de me reprocher par apres que mon

Dieu me manquoit au besoin, & de publier parmy les siens, qu'ayant si

souuent témoigné que ie ne craignois pas leur _Manitou_, qui les fait

trembler, ie pallissois deuant vn homme. Tant s'en faut que la peur qui

dans les dangers d'vne mort naturelle me faisoit quelquefois rentrer

dans moy-mesme, me saisit pour lors, qu'au contraire i'enuisageois ce

forcené auec autant d'asseurance que si i'eusse eu vne armée à mes

costez, me representant que le Dieu que i'adorois pouuoit lier les

bras aux fols & aux enragez aussi bien qu'aux demons: qu'au reste si

sa Majesté me vouloit ouurir les portes de la mort, par les mains d'vn

homme qui faisoit l'endiablé, que [251] sa Prouidence estoit tousiours

aymable. Ce Thrason redoublant ces fougues fit mille actions de fol,

d'ensorcelé, de demoniaque, tantost il crioit à pleine teste, puis il

demeuroit tout court comme épouuanté: il faisoit mine de pleurer, puis

il s'éclattoit de rire comme vn diable follet; il chantoit sans regles

ny sans mesures, il sifloit comme vn serpent, il hurloit comme vn loup,

ou comme vn chien, il faisoit du hibou & du chathuan, tournant les yeux

tout effarez dedans sa teste, prenant mille postures, faisant tousiours

semblant de chercher quelque chose pour la lancer, i'attendois à tous

coups qu'il arrachast quelque perche pour m'en assommer, ou qu'il se

iettast sur moy, ie ne laissay pas neantmoins pour luy monstrer que ie

ne m'estonnois pas de ses diableries, de faire toutes mes actions à

l'ordinaire de lire, d'écrire, de faire mes petites prieres, & l'heure

de mon sommeil estant venuë ie me couchay & reposay aussi paisiblement

dans son sabbat comme i'eusse fait dans vn profond silence, i'estois

déja aussi accoustumé de m'endormir à ses cris, & à ses bruits de [252]

tambour, qu'vn enfant aux chansons de sa nourisse.

 

My host having invited all the neighboring Savages to the feast,

when they had come and seated themselves around the fire and the

kettle, waiting for the banquet to be opened, lo, the Sorcerer, who

had been lying down opposite me, suddenly arose, not yet having

uttered a word since the arrival of the guests. He seemed to be

in an awful fury, and threw himself upon one of the poles of the

cabin to tear it out; he broke it in two, rolled his eyes around

in his head, looked here and there like a man out of his senses,

then facing those [250] present, he said to them, _Iriniticou nama

Nitirinisin_, "Oh, men, I have lost my mind, I do not know where

I am; take the hatchets and javelins away from me, for I am out

of my senses." At these words all the Savages lowered their eyes

to the ground, and I raised mine to heaven, whence I expected

help,--imagining that this man was acting the madman in order to

take revenge on me, to take my life or at least to frighten me,

so that he could reproach me afterwards that my God had failed me

in time of need, and to proclaim among his people, that I, who had

so often testified that I did not fear their _Manitou_, who makes

them tremble, had turned pale before a man. So far was I from being

seized by fear which, in the dangers of a natural death, makes me

shrink within myself, that, on the contrary, I faced this furious

man with as much assurance as if I had had an army at my side,

reflecting that the God whom I adored could bind the arms of fools

and madmen as well as those of demons; that besides, if his Majesty

wished to open to me the portals of death by the hands of a man who

was acting the devil, [251] his Providence was always loving and

kind. This Thraso [braggart], redoubling his furies, did a thousand

foolish acts of a lunatic or of one bewitched; sometimes he would