The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 17

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 17

cry out at the top of his voice, and then would suddenly stop

short, as if frightened; he pretended to cry, and then burst into

laughter like a wanton devil; he sang without rules and without

measure, he hissed like a serpent, he howled like a wolf, or like

a dog, he screeched like an owl or a night hawk,--rolling his eyes

about in his head and striking a thousand attitudes, always seeming

to be looking for something to throw. I was expecting every moment

he would tear up one of the poles with which to strike me down, or

that he would throw himself upon me; but in order to show him that

I was not at all astonished at these devilish acts, I continued, in

my usual way, to read, write and say my little prayers; and when

my hour for retiring came, I lay down and rested as peacefully

through his orgies, as I would have done in a profound silence; I

was already as accustomed to go to sleep in the midst of his cries

and the sound of his [252] drum, as a child is to the songs of its

nurse.

 

Le lendemain au soir à mesme heure il sembla vouloir entrer dans les

mesmes fougues, & donner vne autrefois l'alarme au camp, disant qu'il

perdoit l'esprit, le voyant desia demy fol, il me vint vne pensée qu'il

pourroit estre trauaillé de quelque fiévre chaude, ie l'aborde & luy

prens le bras pour luy toucher l'artere, il me regarde affreusemẽt,

faisant de l'estõné, comme si ie luy eusse apporté des nouuelles de

l'autre monde, il roule les yeux çà & là comme vn insensé: luy ayant

touché le poulx & le front ie le trouuay frais comme vn poisson, &

aussi éloigné de la fiévre comme i'estois de France, cela me confirma

dans mon opinion qu'il faisoit de l'enragé pour m'estonner, & pour

tirer à compassion tous ses gens qui dans nostre disette luy donnoient

ce qu'ils pouuoient auoir de meilleur.

 

The next evening, at the same hour he seemed disposed to enter into

the same infuriated state, and to again alarm the camp, saying that

he was losing his mind. Seeing him already half-mad, it occurred

to me that he might be suffering from some violent fever; I went

up to him and took hold of his arm to feel the artery; he gave me

a frightful look, seeming to be astonished, and acting as if I had

brought him news from the other world, rolling his eyes here and

there like one possessed. Having touched his pulse and forehead, I

found him as cool as a fish, and as far from fever as I was from

France. This confirmed me in my suspicion that he was acting the

madman to frighten me, and to draw down upon himself the compassion

of all our people, who in our dearth, were giving him the best they

had.

 

Le 20. du mesme mois de Nouembre ne se trouuans plus de Castors, ny de

Porcs-espics en nostre quartier, nous tirasmes pays, & ce fut nostre

deuxiesme station, on porta la femme du Sorcier [253] sur vn brancart,

& la mit-on, comme i'ay desia dit, dessus la neige en attendant

que nostre palais fût dressé, ce pendant ie m'approchay d'elle luy

témoignant beaucoup de compassion: il y auoit desia quelques iours

que ie taschois de gagner son affection, afin qu'elle me prestast plus

volontiers l'oreille, cognoissant bien qu'elle ne pouuoit pas viure

long-temps, car elle estoit comme vne squelette, n'ayant quasi plus la

force de parler, quand elle appelloit quelqu'vn la nuit, ie me leuois

moy mesme, & l'éueillois, ie luy faisois du feu, ie luy demandois

ce dont elle auoit besoin, elle me cõmandoit de petites chosettes,

comme de fermer les portes ou boucher quelque trou de la cabane qui

l'incõmodoit, apres ces menus discours & offices de charité, ie

l'aborday, & luy demãday si elle ne vouloit pas bien croire en celuy

qui a tout faict, & que son ame apres sa mort seroit bien-heureuse. Au

commencement elle me répondit qu'elle n'auoit point veu Dieu, & que ie

luy fisse voir, autrement qu'elle ne pouuoit croire en luy, elle auoit

tiré ceste réponse de la bouche de sõ mary, Ie luy repartis qu'elle

[254] croyoit plusieurs choses qu'elle ne voyoit pas, & qu'au reste son

ame seroit bruslée pour vne eternité si elle n'obeïssoit à celuy qui

a tout fait; elle s'adoucit petit à petit, & me témoigna qu'elle luy

vouloit obeïr, ie n'osois l'entretenir long temps, mais seulement par

reprises, ceux qui me voyoient me crians que ie la laissasse.

 

On the 20th of the same month of November, finding no more Beavers

and Porcupines in our quarter, we resumed our journey, this being

our second station. The Sorcerer's wife was carried [253] upon

a stretcher, and they placed her, as I have already said, upon

the snow until our palace was erected. Meanwhile I approached

her, showing how greatly I sympathized with her; already for some

days I had been trying to gain her affection, that she might more

willingly listen to me; I knew that she could not live long, as

she was like a skeleton, hardly having strength enough to talk.

When she called some one in the night, I arose and awoke him, I

made fires for her, I asked her if she was in need of anything;

she had me do little things for her, such as closing the door, or

stopping up a hole in the cabin which annoyed her. After these

little conversations and acts of charity, I approached and asked

her if she did not want to believe in him who has made all, so that

her soul after death would be blest. At first she answered that she

had not seen God, and that I should make her see him, otherwise she

could not believe in him. She got this answer from the lips of her

husband. I told her that she [254] believed in a great many things

she had not seen, and besides, her soul would be burned through

eternity if she did not obey him who has made all. She softened,

little by little, and testified to me that she wished to obey him.

I did not dare confer with her long, and only at intervals, for

those who saw me would cry out that I should leave her alone.

 

Sur le soir estãs tous dãs nostre nouuelle cabane, ie m'approchay

d'elle, l'appellant par son nom, iamais elle ne me voulut parler en

la presence des autres, ie priay le Sorcier de luy dire qu'elle me

répondist, & de m'ayder à l'instruire, luy representant qu'il ne

pouuoit arriuer que du bien de ceste action, il me répond non plus que

la malade, ie m'addresse à l'Apostat le pressant auec de tres humbles

prieres de me prester sa parole, point de répõse; ie retourne à la

malade, ie l'appelle, ie luy parle, ie luy demande si elle ne vouloit

pas aller au Ciel, à tout cela pas vn mot: Ie solicite de rechef le

Sorcier son mary, ie luy promets vne chemise & du petun, pourueu qu'il

dise à sa femme qu'elle m'écoute, comment veux-tu, me dit-il, que nous

[255] croyõs en ton Dieu ne l'ayãs iamais veu? ie t'ay desia respondu

à cela, luy fis-je, il n'est pas temps de disputer, cette ame se va

perdre pour vn iamais si tu n'en as pitié: Tu vois bien que celuy qui

a faict le Ciel pour toy, te veut donner de plus grands biens, que

d'aller manger des escorces en vn village qui ne fut iamais, mais aussi

te punira il seuerement si tu ne crois en luy, & si tu ne luy obeis.

Ne pouuant tirer aucune raison de ce miserable homme, ie pressay encor

vne fois la malade, mon hoste me l'entendant nommer par son nom me

tança, tais toy me dit-il, ne la nomme point, elle est desia morte, son

ame n'est plus dans son corps. C'est vne grande verité que personne

ne va à +IESVS-CHRIST+ que son pere ne luy tende la main, c'est vn grãd

present que la foy, quãd ces pauures Barbares voyẽt qu'vn pauure malade

ne parle plus, ou qu'il tombe en syncope, ou en quelque phrenesie, ils

disent que son esprit n'est plus dans son corps, si le malade retourne

en son bon sens, c'est l'èsprit qui est de retour: en fin quand il

est mort il n'en faut plus parler, ny le nommer en aucune façon: pour

conclurre ce point, il [256] me fallust retirer sans rien faire.

 

Toward evening, when we were all in our new cabin, I approached and

called her by name. She never would talk with me in the presence

of the others. I begged the Sorcerer to tell her to answer me, and

to help me teach her, showing him that nothing but good could come

of this action. He would not answer me any more than the invalid.

I addressed the Apostate, urging him with very humble prayers to

lend me his voice, but no answer; I return to the sick woman, I

call her by name, I speak to her, I ask her if she does not wish to

go to Heaven; to all this not a word. I again beg her husband, the

Sorcerer; I promise him a shirt and some tobacco, if he will tell

his wife to listen to me. "How canst thou ask us," he said, "to

[255] believe in thy God, never having seen him?" "I have already

answered that question for thee," I returned; "this is no time to

argue, this soul is going to be forever lost if thou dost not have

pity. Thou seest well that he who has made the Heavens for thee,

wishes to give thee greater blessings than to go about eating bark

in a village which never existed; but he will also severely punish

thee if thou dost not believe in him and obey him." Not being able

to draw any answer from this miserable man, I again urged the sick

woman. My host, hearing me call her by name, chided me, saying,

"Keep still, do not name her; she is already dead, her soul is no

longer in her body." It is a great truth that no one goes to +JESUS

CHRIST+ until the father extends to him the hand. How wonderful a

gift is this faith! When these simple Barbarians see that a poor

invalid no longer speaks, or that he has fainted, or been seized by

a frenzy, they say that the spirit is no longer in the body; and,

if the invalid returns to his senses, it is the spirit which has

returned. Finally, when he is dead, they must no longer speak of

him, nor name him in any way. To finish this story, [256] I had to

retire without accomplishing anything.

 

On tint conseil en ce lieu de ce qu'on deuoit faire pour trouuer à

manger, nous estions desia reduits à telle extremité que ie fa[i]sois

vn bon repas d'vne peau d'anguille boucannée, que ie iettois aux chiens

quelques iours auparauant. Deux choses me toucherent ici le cœur:

jettant vne fois vn os, ou vne arreste d'anguille aux chiens, vn petit

garçon fut plus habile que le chien, il se jetta sur l'os & le rongea &

mangea: vne autre fois vn enfant ayant demandé à manger, comme on luy

eust respõdu qu'il n'y en auoit point, ce pauure petit s'en prit à ses

yeux, les larmes rouloient sur sa face grosses commes des pois, & ses

souspirs & ses sanglots me touchoient de compassion, encor taschoit

il de se cacher: c'est vne leçon qu'on fait aux enfans de se monstrer

courageux dans la famine.

 

They took counsel in this place as to what they should do to get

something to eat. We were already reduced to such extremities that

I made a good meal on a skin of smoked eel, which a few days before

I had thrown to the dogs. Here two incidents occurred which touched

my heart. Once when I threw a bone or remnant of an eel to the

dogs, a little boy, more nimble than they, threw himself upon the

bone, and gnawed and bit into it. Another time, a child having

asked for something to eat, when he was told there was nothing at

all, the poor little fellow's eyes filled, and tears as big as peas

rolled down his cheeks, and his sighs and sobs filled me with pity,

although he tried to suppress them. One lesson they teach their children is to be brave in time of famine.