The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 11

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 11

As soon as we had set foot on land, my host took an arquebus he

had bought from the English, and went in search of our supper.

Meanwhile the women began to build the house where we were to

lodge. Now the Apostate, having observed that every one was busy,

returned to the boat that was lying at anchor, took the keg of

wine, and drank from it with such excess, that, being drunk as a

lord, he fell into the water and was nearly drowned. Finally he

got out, after considerable scrambling, and started for the place

where they were putting up the cabin. [215] Screaming and howling

like a demon, he snatched away the poles and beat upon the bark of

the cabin, to break everything to pieces. The women, seeing him in

this frenzy, fled to the woods, some here, some there. My Savage,

whom I usually call my host, was boiling in a kettle some birds

he had killed, when this drunken fellow, coming upon the scene,

broke the crane and upset everything into the ashes. No one seemed

to get angry at all this, but then it is foolish to fight with a

madman. My host gathered up his little birds and went to wash them

in the river, drew some water and placed the kettle over the fire

again. The women, seeing that this madman was running hither and

thither on the shores of the Island, foaming like one possessed,

ran quickly to get their bark and take it to a place of security,

lest he should tear it to pieces, as he had begun to do. They

had scarcely had time to roll it up, when he appeared near them

completely infuriated, and not knowing upon what to vent his fury,

for they had suddenly disappeared, thanks to the darkness which had

begun to conceal us. He approached [216] the fire, which could be

seen on account of its bright light, and was about to take hold of

the kettle to overturn it again; when my host, his brother, quicker

than he, seized it and threw the water into his face, boiling as

it was. I leave you to imagine how this poor man looked, finding

himself thus deluged with hot water. He was never so well washed.

The skin of his face and whole chest changed. Would to God that his

soul had changed as well as his body. He redoubled his howls, and

began to pull up the poles which were still standing. My host has

told me since that he asked for an ax, with which to kill me; I do

not know whether he really asked for one, as I did not understand

his language; but I know very well that, when I went up to him and

tried to stop him, he said to me in French, "Go away, it is not you

I am after; let me alone;" then pulling my gown, "Come," said he,

"let us embark in a canoe, let us return to your house; you do not

know these people here; all they do is for the belly, they do not

care for you, but for your food." [217] To this I answered in an

undertone and to myself, _in vino veritas_.

 

La nuict s'auançant bien fort ie me retiray dedans le bois pour fuir

l'importunité de cet yurongne, & pour prendre quelque repos; comme

ie faisois mes prieres aupres d'vn arbre, la femme qui faisoit le

ménage de mon hoste me vint trouuer, & ramassant quelques feüilles

d'arbres tombées, me dit; couche toy là, & ne fais point de bruit,

puis m'ayant ietté vne écorce pour me couurir, elle se retira: voila

donc mon premier giste à l'enseigne de la Lune qui me découuroit de

tous costez, me voila passé Cheualier dés le premier iour de mon

entrée en ceste Academie, la pluye suruenant vn peu auant minuict, me

donna quelque apprehension d'estre moüillé, mais elle ne dura pas long

temps: le lendemain matin ie trouuay que mon lict, quoy qu'on ne l'eut

point remué depuis la creation du monde, n'estoit point si dure qu'il

m'empeschat de dormir.

 

As the night was coming on rapidly, I retired into the woods, to

escape being annoyed by this drunkard, and to get a little rest.

While I was saying my prayers near a tree, the woman who managed

the household of my host came to see me; and, gathering together

some leaves of fallen trees, said to me, "Lie down there and make

no noise," then, having thrown me a piece of bark as a cover, she

went away. So this was my first resting place at the sign of the

Moon, which shone upon me from all sides. Behold me an accomplished

Chevalier, after the first day of my entrance into this Academy.

The rain coming on, a little before midnight, made me fear that I

might get wet, but it did not last long. The next morning I found

that my bed, although it had not been made up since the creation of

the world, was not so hard as to keep me from sleeping.

 

Le iour suiuant ie voulu ietter le barillet & le reste du vin dans la

riuiere, comme ie leurs auois dit que ie ferois, [218] au cas qu'on en

abusast, mon hoste me saisissant par le milieu du corps, s'écria _eca

toute, eca toute_, ne fais pas cela, ne fais pas cela, ne vois tu pas

que _Petrichtich_ (c'est ainsi qu'ils nomment le Renegat par derision)

n'a point d'esprit, que c'est vn chien, ie te promets qu'on ne touchera

plus au barillet que tu ne sois present: ie m'arrestay auec resolution

d'en faire largesse, afin de me deliurer de la crainte qu'vn peu de vin

ne nous fit boire beaucoup d'eau: car s'ils se fussent enyurez pendant

que nous faisions voile, c'estoit pour nous perdre.

 

The next day I wanted to throw the barrel, with what was left of

the wine, into the river, as I had told them I would do, [218] in

case any one abused it; but my host, seizing me around the waist,

cried out, _eca toute, eca toute_, "Do not do that, do not do

that. Dost thou not see that _Petrichtich_" (it is thus they call

the Renegade in derision) "does not know anything, that he is a

dog? I promise thee that we will never touch the barrel unless

thou art present." I yielded, and made up my mind to distribute it

liberally, in order to free myself of the fear that a little wine

might make us drink a great deal of water; for, if they were to get

drunk while we were sailing, we would be lost.

 

Nous voulions sortir le matin de ceste Isle; mais la marée se retirant,

plustost que nous ne pensions, nostre Chalouppe s'échoüa: si bien qu'il

fallut attendre la marée du soir, en laquelle nous nous embarquasmes, &

voguans à la faueur de la Lune aussi bien que du vent, nous abordasmes

vne autre Isle nommée _Ca ouapascounagate_. Comme nous arriuasmes sur

la minuict, nos gens ne prirent pas la peine de nous bastir vne maison,

si bien que nous couchasmes au mesme lict, & logeasmes à la mesme

enseigne que la nuict precedente, [219] abriez des arbres & du ciel.

 

We intended leaving this Island in the morning; but the tide fell

sooner than we expected, and stranded our Boat. Hence we had to

wait for the evening tide, upon which we embarked, and sailed away

by the aid of the Moon as well as of the wind. We reached another

Island, called _Ca ouapascounagate_. As we arrived about midnight,

our people did not take the trouble to make a house; and we slept

in the same bed and lodged at the same sign as the night before,

[219] under the shelter of the trees and sky.

 

Le lendemain nous quittasmes ceste Isle pour entrer dans vne autre

appellée _Ca chibariouachcate_, nous la pourrions nommer l'Isle aux

Oyes blanches, car i'y en vis plus de mille en vne bande.

 

The next day we left this Island to go to another one, called _Ca

chibariouachcate_; we might have called it the Island of the white

Geese, for I saw there more than a thousand of them in one flock.

 

Le iour d'apres nous la voulions quitter, mais nous fusmes contraints

pour le mauuais temps de relascher au bout de ceste mesme Isle, elle

est deserte comme tout le pays, c'est à dire qu'elle n'a des habitans

qu'en passant, ce peuple n'ayant point de demeure assurée: elle est

bordée de rochers si gros, si hauts, & si entrecouppez & peuplée

neantmoins de Cedres & de Pins si proprement, qu'vn Peintre tiendroit

à faueur d'en auoir la veüe pour tirer l'idée d'vn desert affreux pour

ses precipices, & tres agreable pour la varieté de quantité d'arbres

qu'on diroit auoir esté plantez par la main de l'art plustost que de la

Nature. Comme elle est entre-taillée de bayes pleines de vases, il s'y

retire si grande quantité de gibier & de plusieurs especes que ie n'ay

point veu en France, qu'il le faut quasi voir pour le croire.

 

The following day we tried to leave, but the bad weather compelled

us to land again at the end of this same Island. It is a solitude,

like all the country; that is, it has only temporary inhabitants,

for these people have no fixed habitation. It is bordered by rocks

so massive, so high, and so craggy, and is withal covered so

picturesquely with Cedars and Pines, that a Painter would consider

himself favored to view it, in order to derive therefrom an idea

of a desert frightful in its precipices and very pleasing in the

variety and number of its trees, which one might say had been

planted by the hand of art rather than of Nature. As it is indented

by bays full of mud, there hides here such a quantity and variety

of game, some of which I have never seen in France, that it must be

seen in order to be believed.

 

[220] Sortans de ceste Isle au gibier nous nauigeasmes tout le

iour & vinsmes descendre sur la nuict dans vne petite Islette

nommé _Atisaoucanich etagoukhi_, c'est à dire lieu où se trouue la

teinture, ie me doute que nos gens luy donnerent ce nom, pource qu'ils

y trouuerent de petites racines rouges, dont ils se seruent pour

teindre leurs _Matachias_. I'appellerois volontiers ce lieu l'Islette

mal-heureuse: car nous y souffrismes beaucoup huict iours durant que

les tempestes nous y retindrent prisonniers. Il estoit nuict quand

nous l'abordasmes, la pluye & les vents nous attaquoient, & ce pendant

à peine peut on trouuer cinq ou six perches pour seruir de poultres

à nostre bastiment, qui fut si petit, si estroit, & si decouuert, &

par vn temps si fascheux, voulant euiter vne incommodité on tomboit

dans deux autres, il se falloit racourcir, ou se rouler en herisson,

sur peine de se brusler la moitié du corps pour nostre souper, & pour

nostre disner tout ensemble: car nous n'auions point mangé depuis le

matin, mon hoste fit ietter à chacun vn morceau de la galette que ie

luy auois [221] donnée, m'aduertissant que nous mangerions sans boire,

car l'eau de ce grand fleuue commence en ce lieu d'estre salée, le

lendemain nous recueillismes de l'eau de pluye, tombée dans des roches

fort sales, & la beusmes auec autant de plaisir qu'on boit le vin d'Aï

en France.

 

[220] Leaving this Island of game, we sailed all day and toward

nightfall landed at a small Island, called _Atisaoucanich

etagoukhi_, that is, place where dyes are found; I am inclined to

think that our people gave it that name, for they found there some

little red roots which they use in dyeing their _Matachias_.[1]

I would like to call it the Isle of misfortune; for we suffered

a great deal there during the eight days that the storms held us

prisoners. It was night when we disembarked; the rain and wind

attacked us, and in the meantime we could scarcely find five or

six poles to serve as beams for our house,--which was so small, so

narrow, and so exposed for such weather as this, that in trying to

avoid one discomfort we fell into two others. We had to shorten

ourselves, or roll up like hedgehogs, lest we scorch the half of

our bodies. For our supper, and dinner as well, because we had

eaten nothing since morning, my host threw to each one a piece of

the biscuit I had [221] given him, informing me that we were not

to drink anything with our food, as the water of this great river

began to be salty in this place. The next day we collected some

rainwater, which had fallen into dirty rocks, and drank it with as

much enjoyment as they drink the wine of Aï in France.

 

Ils auoient laissé nostre Chaloupe à l'anchre dans un grand courant de

marée, ie les aduerty qu'elle n'estoit pas bien, & qu'il la falloit

mettre à l'abry derriere l'Islette; mais comme nous n'attendions qu'vn

bon vent pour partir, ils n'en tindrent conte. La nuict la tempeste

redoublant, on eust dit que les vents deuoient deraciner nostre Islete,

mon hoste se doutant de ce qui arriua éueille l'Apostat, & le presse

de le venir ayder à sauuer nostre Chaloupe, qui s'alloit perdre: or

soit que ce miserable fust paresseux, ou qu'il eust peur des ondes,

iamais il ne se voulut leuer, donnant pour tout réponse, qu'il estoit

las: dans ce retardement les vents rompent l'amare, ou la corde de

l'anchre, & en vn instant font disparoistre nostre Chaloupe, mon hoste

voyant ce beau [222] ménage, me vint dire _Nicanis_, mon bien-aymé,

la Chalouppe est perduë, les vents qui l'ont enleuée la briseront

contre les roches qui nous enuironnent de tous costez. Qui n'eust

entré en verue contre ce Renegat, dont la negligence nous iettoit dans

des peines inexplicables, veu qu'il y auoit quantité de paquets dans

nostre bagage, & beaucoup d'enfans à porter. Mon hoste cependant, tout

barbare & tout sauuage qu'il est, ne se troubla point à cet accident,

ains craignant que cela ne m'attristast, il me dit, _Nicanis_, mon

bien-aymé, n'es-tu point fasché de ceste perte, qui nous causera de

grands trauaux? ie n'en suis pas bien ayse, luy repartis-ie, ne t'en

attriste point, me fit-il: car la fascherie ameine la tristesse, & la

tristesse ameine la maladie, _Petrichtich_ n'a point d'esprit, s'il

m'eust voulu secourir ce malheur ne fust point suruenu, voyla tous les

reproches qu'on luy fit. Veritablement cela me confond, que l'interest

de la fanté arreste la cholere, & la fascherie d'vn Barbare, & que

la loy de Dieu, que son bon plaisir, que l'espoir de ses grandes

recompenses, que la crainte de ses [223] chastimens, que nostre propre

paix & consolation ne puisse seruir de bride à l'impatience & à la

cholere d'vn Chrestien.