The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 7

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 7

tu n'as point d'esprit, me dit-il, ce n'est pas vn chien, c'est moy:

à ces paroles ie ne sçay qui resta le plus estonné de nous deux, ie

quittay doucement mon baston, bien marry de l'auoir trouué si pres de

moy.

 

As to the dogs, which I have mentioned as one of the discomforts

of the Savages' houses, I do not know that I ought to blame them,

for they have sometimes rendered me good [192] service. True,

they exacted from me the same courtesy they gave, so that we

reciprocally aided each other, illustrating the idea of _mutuum

auxilium_. These poor beasts, not being able to live outdoors,

came and lay down sometimes upon my shoulders, sometimes upon my

feet, and as I only had one blanket to serve both as covering and

mattress, I was not sorry for this protection, willingly restoring

to them a part of the heat which I drew from them. It is true that,

as they were large and numerous, they occasionally crowded and

annoyed me so much, that in giving me a little heat they robbed me

of my sleep, so that I very often drove them away. In doing this

one night, there happened to me a little incident which caused some

confusion and laughter; for, a Savage having thrown himself upon me

while asleep, I thought it was a dog, and finding a club at hand, I

hit him, crying out, _Aché, Aché_, the words they use to drive away

the dogs. My man woke up greatly astonished, thinking that [193]

all was lost; but having discovered whence came the blows, "Thou

hast no sense," he said to me, "it is not a dog, it is I." At these

words I do not know who was the more astonished of us two; I gently

dropped my club, very sorry at having found it so near me.

 

Retournons à nos chiens, ces animaux estans affamez, d'autant qu'ils

n'auoient pas de quoy mãger non plus que nous, ne faisoient qu'aller

& venir, roder par tout dans la cabane: or comme on est souuẽt couché

aussi bien qu'assis dans ces maisons d'écorce, ils nous passoient

souuent & sur la face & sur le ventre, & si souuent, & auec telle

importunité, qu'estant las de crier & de les chasser, ie me couurois

quelque fois la face, puis ie leur donnois liberté de passer par où

ils voudroient: s'il arriuoit qu'on leur iettait vn os, aussitoit

s'estoit de courre apres à qui l'auroit, culbutans tous ceux qu'ils

rencontroient assis, s'ils ne se tenoient bien fermes; ils m'ont par

fois renuersé & mon écuelle d'écorce, & tout ce qui estoit dedans sur

ma sotane. Ie sousriois quand il y suruenoit quelque querelle parmy-eux

lors que [194] nous disnions: car il n'y auoit celuy qui ne tint son

plat à deux belles mains contre la terre, qui seruoit de table, de

siege & de lict, & aux hommes & aux chiens: c'est de là que prouenoit

la grãde incommodité que nous receuions de ces animaux, qui portoient

le nez dans nos écuelles plustost que nous n'y portions la main. C'est

assez dit des incommoditez des maisons des Sauuages, parlons de leurs

viures.

 

Let us return to our dogs. These animals, being famished, as they

have nothing to eat, any more than we, do nothing but run to and

fro gnawing at everything in the cabin. Now as we were as often

lying down as sitting up in these bark houses, they frequently

walked over our faces and stomachs; and so often and persistently,

that, being tired of shouting at them and driving them away, I

would sometimes cover my face and then give them liberty to go

where they wanted. If any one happened to throw them a bone, there

was straightway a race for it, upsetting all whom they encountered

sitting, unless they held themselves firmly. They have often upset

for me my bark dish, and all it contained, in my gown. I was amused

whenever there was a quarrel among them at [194] our dinner table,

for there was not one of us who did not hold his plate down with

both hands on the ground, which serves as table, seat, and bed

both to men and dogs. From this custom arose the great annoyance

we experienced from these animals, who thrust their noses into our

bark plates before we could get our hands in. I have said enough

about the inconveniences of the Savages' houses, let us speak of

their food.

 

Au commencement que ie fus auec eux, comme ils ne salent ny leurs

boüillons ny leurs viandes, & que la saleté mesme fait leur cuisine, ie

ne pouuois manger de leur salmigondies, ie me contentois d'vn peu de

galette & d'vn peu d'anguille bouccanée, iusques là que mon hoste me

tançoit de ce que ie mangeois si peu, ie m'affamay deuant que la famine

nous acceüillist, cependant nos Sauuages faisoient tous les iours des

festins, en sorte que nous nous vismes en peu de temps sans pain, sans

farine, & sans anguilles, & sans aucun moyen d'estre secourus: car

outre que nous estions fort auant dans les bois, & que nous fussions

morts mille fois deuant [195] que d'arriuer aux demeures des François,

nous hyuernions de là le grãd fleuue qu'on ne peut trauerser en ce

temps là pour le grand nombre de glaces qu'il charie incessamment, &

qui mettroient en pieces non seulement vne chalouppe, mais vn grand

vaisseau, pour la chasse, comme les neiges n'estoient pas profondes à

proportion des autres années, ils ne pouuoiẽt pas prendre l'Elan, si

bien qu'ils n'apportoient que quelques Castors, & quelques Porcs epics,

mais en si petit nombre, & si peu souuent, que cela seruoit plustost

pour ne point mourir que pour viure. Mon hoste me disoit dans ces

grandes disettes. _Chibiné_ aye l'ame dure resiste à la faim, tu seras

par fois deux iours, quelque fois trois ou quatre sans manger, ne te

laisse point abbattre, prẽd courage, quand la neige sera venuë nous

mangerons: nostre Seigneur n'a pas voulu qu'ils fussent si long temps

sans rien prendre; mais pour l'ordinaire nous mangions vne fois en deux

iours, voire assez souuent ayans mangé vn Castor le matin, le lendemain

au soir nous mangions vn Porc-epic gros comme [196] vn Cochon de laict:

c'estoit peu à dixneuf personnes que nous estions, il est vray; mais

ce peu suffisoit pour ne point mourir. Quand ie pouuois auoir vne peau

d'Anguille pour ma iournée sur la fin de nos viures, ie me tenois pour

bien déieuné, bien disné, & bien soupé.

 

When I first went away with them, as they salt neither their

soup nor their meat, and as filth itself presides over their

cooking, I could not eat their mixtures, and contented myself

with a few sea biscuit and smoked eel; until at last my host took

me to task because I ate so little, saying that I would starve

myself before the famine overtook us. Meanwhile our Savages had

feasts every day, so that in a very short time we found ourselves

without bread, without flour, without eels, and without any means

of helping ourselves. For besides being very far in the woods,

where we would have died a thousand times before [195] reaching

the French settlement, we were wintering on the other side of the

great river, which cannot be crossed in this season on account of

the great masses of ice which are continually floating about, and

which would crush not only a small boat but even a great ship. As

to the chase, the snows not being deep in comparison with those

of other years, they could not take the Elk, and so brought back

only some Beavers and Porcupines, but in so small a number and so

seldom that they kept us from dying rather than helped us to live.

My host said to me during this time of scarcity, "_Chibiné_, harden

thy soul, resist hunger; thou wilt be sometimes two, sometimes

three or four, days without food: do not let thyself be cast down,

take courage; when the snow comes, we shall eat." It was not our

Lord's will that they should be so long without capturing anything;

but we usually had something to eat once in two days,--indeed, we

very often had a Beaver in the morning, and in the evening of the

next day a Porcupine as big as [196] a sucking Pig. This was not

much for nineteen of us, it is true, but this little sufficed to

keep us alive. When I could have, toward the end of our supply of

food, the skin of an Eel for my day's fare, I considered that I had

breakfasted, dined, and supped well.

 

Au commencement ie m'estois seruy d'vne de ces peaux pour refaire vne

sotane de toille que i'auois sur moy, ayãt oublié de porter des pieces,

mais voyãt que la faim me pressoit si fort, ie mangeay mes pieces, &

si ma sotane eust esté de mesme estoffe, ie vous répond que ie l'eusse

rapportée bien courte en la maison: ie mangeois bien les vieilles

peaux d'Orignac, qui sont bien plus dures que les peaux d'Anguilles,

i'allois dans les bois brouter le bout des arbres & ronger les écorces

plus tendres, comme ie remarqueray dans le iournal. Les Sauuages qui

nous estoient voisins, souffroient encore plus que nous, quelques-vns

nous venans voir, nous disoient que leurs camarades estoient morts de

faim, i'en vy qui n'auoient mangé qu'vne fois en cinq iours, & qui se

tenoient bien heureux quand ils trouuoient de quoy [197] disner au bout

de deux, ils estoient faits comme des squelets, n'ayans plus que la

peau sur les os, nous faisions par fois de bons repas; mais pour vn bon

disner, nous nous passions trois fois de souper. Vn ieune Sauuage de

nostre cabane, mourant de faim, comme ie diray au Chapitre suiuant, ils

me demandoient souuent si ie ne craignois point, si ie n'auois point

peur de la mort, & voyans que ie me monstrois assez asseuré ils s'en

estonnoient, notamment en certain temps que ie les vis quasi tomber

dans le desespoir. Quand ils viennent iusques-là, ils ioüent pour ainsi

dire à sauue qui peut, ils iettent leurs écorces, & leur bagage, ils

abandonnent les vns les autres, & perdans le soin du public, c'est à

qui trouuera de quoy viure pour soy; alors les enfans, les femmes, en

vn mot ceux qui ne sçauroient chasser meurent de froid & de faim, s'ils

en fussent venus à ceste extremité ie serois mort des premiers.

 

At first, I had used one of these skins to patch the cloth gown

that I wore, as I forgot to bring some pieces with me; but, when I

was so sorely pressed with hunger, I ate my pieces; and if my gown

had been made of the same stuff, I assure you I would have brought

it back home much shorter than it was. Indeed, I ate old Moose

skins, which are much tougher than those of the Eel; I went about

through the woods biting the ends of the branches, and gnawing the

more tender bark, as I shall relate in the journal. Our neighboring

Savages suffered still more than we did, some of them coming to

see us, and telling us that their comrades had died of hunger. I

saw some who had eaten only once in five days, and who considered

themselves very well off if they found something [197] to dine

upon at the end of two days; they were reduced to skeletons,

being little more than skin and bones. We occasionally had some

good meals; but for every good dinner we went three times without

supper. When a young Savage of our cabin was dying of hunger, as

I shall relate in the following Chapter, they often asked me if

I was not afraid, if I had no fear of death; and seeing me quite

firm, they were astonished, on one occasion in particular, when I

saw them almost falling into a state of despair. When they reach

this point, they play, so to speak, at "save himself who can;"

throwing away their bark and baggage, deserting each other, and

abandoning all interest in the common welfare, each one strives to

find something for himself. Then the children, women, and for that

matter all those who cannot hunt, die of cold and hunger. If they

had reached this extremity, I would have been among the first to

die.

 

Voila ce qu'il faut preuoir auant que de se mettre à leur suitte:

car encor qu'ils ne soient pas tous les ans pressez de ceste famine,

ils en courent tous les [198] ans les dangers puis qu'ils n'ont

point à manger, ou fort peu, s'il n'y a beaucoup de neige & beaucoup

d'Orignaux, ce qui n'arriue pas tousiours.

 

So these are the things that must be expected before undertaking

to follow them; for, although they may not be pressed with famine

every year, yet they run the risk every [198] winter of not having

food, or very little, unless there are heavy snowfalls and a great

many Moose, which does not always happen.

 

Que si vous me demandez maintenant quels estoient mes sentimens dans

les afres de la mort, & d'vne mort si langoureuse comme est celle qui

prouient de la famine, ie vous diray que i'ay de la peine à répondre;

neantmoins afin que ceux qui liront ce Chapitre, n'apprehendent point

de nous venir secourir, ie puis asseurer auec verité que ce temps

de famine m'a esté vn temps d'abondance. Ayant recogneu que nous

commençions à floter entre l'esperance de la vie & la crainte de la

mort, ie fis mon conte que Dieu m'auoit condamné à mourir de faim pour

mes pechez, & baisant mille fois la main qui auoit minuté ma sentence,

i'en attendois l'execution auec vne paix & une ioye qu'on peut bien

sentir, mais qu'on ne peut décrire: ie confesse qu'on souffre, & qu'il

se faut resoudre à la Croix: mais Dieu fait gloire d'ayder vne ame

quand elle n'est plus secouruë des creatures. Poursuiuons nostre chemin.