The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 20

The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 20

 it by the little end, imagining every moment that I was going to

find my way; but at last, after [268] many windings, seeing that

human beings could give me no help, I stopped in order to offer my

little prayers to the Creator, with whom I saw these great woods

all filled as well as the rest of the world. The thought came into

my mind that I was not lost, since God knew where I was; and,

turning over this truth in my mind, I slowly approached the river

I had crossed on leaving the cabin. I cried out, I called again,

but everybody was already far away. I was beginning to loosen my

hold upon the little thread of hope that I had held up to that

time, when I perceived some snowshoe tracks behind the brushwood.

I betook myself thither, _et vidi vestigia virorum, et mulierum et

infantium_. In a word, I found what I had so long been seeking. At

first I was not sure this was a good road, hence I reconnoitred

it very carefully. When I had advanced some distance, I met the

Apostate, who was coming in search of us. He asked me where the

little child was; and I replied that I had left it [269] near my

cloak. "I have found your cloak," he said, "and have carried it to

the new cabin; but I have not found the child." This was a great

shock to me; to go in search of it would be to lose myself a second

time. I prayed the Apostate to go, but he turned a deaf ear to my

entreaties. I started directly for the cabin, to advise them of

the matter, and finally reached it, sore all over and bruised from

the hardships and length of the journey, which I had made without

finding other hostelry than the frozen brooks. As soon as the

Savages saw me, they asked where the little boy was, crying out

that I had lost him. I told them the story, assuring them that I

had left my cloak with him purposely, that I might go back and find

him; but, as he had left that place, I did not know where to look

for him, especially as I had no more strength left, having eaten

nothing since early morning, and then only two or three mouthfuls

of smoked meat. They comforted me with a little frozen water, which

I melted in a very dirty kettle, and this was all the supper I had;

for our hunters had not taken anything, so we had to fast that

day. [270] As to the child, two women having heard me describe the

place where I had left it, guessing where it had wandered, went in

search of and found it. You must not be astonished if a Frenchman

sometimes loses himself in these forests; for I have known some of

our cleverest Savages to wander about in them more than a whole day.

 

Le 20. de Decembre, quoy que les Sauuages ne se mettent pas

ordinairement en chemin pendant le mauuais temps si fallut-il

decabanner durant la pluye, & desloger à petit bruit sans desieuner, la

fin [faim] nous faisoit marcher, mais le mal est, qu'elle nous suiuoit

par tout où nous allions; car nous ne trouuions par tout, ou fort peu,

ou point de chasse: En ceste station, qui fut la sixiesme, le Renegat

me vint dire que les Sauuages estoient fort espouuantez, & mon hoste

m'abordant tout pensif, me demanda si ie ne sçauois point quelque

remede à leur mal-heur, il n'y a pas, me disoit-il, assez de neige pour

tuer l'Orignac, des Castors, & des Porcs-espics, nous n'en trouuõs

quasi point, que ferons nous? ne sçais tu point ce qui nous doit

arriuer? ne sens tu point dans toy-mesme ce qu'il [271] faut faire?

Ie luy voulus dire que nostre Dieu estoit tres-bon, & tres-puissant,

qu'il falloit que nous eussions recours à sa misericorde, mais cõme ie

ne parlois pas bien, ie priay l'Apostat de me seruir de truchement; ce

miserable est possedé d'vn diable muet, iamais il ne voulut parler.

 

On the 20th of December, although the Savages do not usually

take the road in bad weather, yet we had to break up during the

storm, and move away quietly without any breakfast, for hunger

drove us onward; the trouble is it followed us everywhere we went,

for we found no game anywhere, or at least very little of it. At

this station, which was the sixth, the Renegade came to tell me

that the Savages were greatly terrified; and my host, addressing

me seriously, asked if I did not know some remedy for their

misfortune. "There is not," said he, "enough snow to kill Moose,

Beavers, and Porcupines; we find almost no game; what shall we do?

Dost thou not know what may happen to us? Dost thou not see within

thyself what [271] ought to be done?" I wanted to tell him that our

God was very good and very powerful, and we ought to have recourse

to his mercy; but as I did not speak well, I begged the Apostate to

be my interpreter, but this wretch is possessed of a mute devil, he

never wants to talk.

 

Le 24. Decembre, veille de la naissance de nostre Sauueur, nous

decampasmes pour la septiesme fois, nous partismes sans manger, nous

cheminasmes vn assez long temps; nous trauaillasmes à faire nostre

maison, & pour nostre souper N. S. nous donna vn Porc-espic gros comme

vn cochon de lait, & vn liéure, c'estoit peu pour dix-huict ou vingt

personnes que nous estions, il est vray, mais la saincte Vierge & son

glorieux Espoux sainct Ioseph, ne furent pas si bien traictez à mesme

iour dans l'estable de Bethleem.

 

On the 24th of December, the evening before the birth of our

Savior, we broke up for the seventh time. We departed without

eating, and journeyed for a long, long time, then worked at

house-building; and for our supper Our Lord gave us a Porcupine

as large as a sucking pig, and a hare. It was not much for our

eighteen or twenty people, it is true; but the holy Virgin and her

glorious Spouse, saint Joseph, were not so well treated on the same

day in the stable at Bethle[h]em.

 

Le lendemain iour de resiouyssance parmy les Chrestiens, pour l'enfant

nouueau né, fust pour nous vn iour de ieusne, on ne me donna rien

du tout à manger; la faim qui fait sortir le loup du bois, m'y fit

entrer plus auant, pour chercher [272] des petits bouts d'arbres que ie

mãgeois auec delices, des femmes ayant ietté aux chiens par mesgarde

ou autrement, quelques rongneures de peaux dont on fait les cordes des

raquettes, ie les ramassay, & en fis vn bon disner, quoy que les chiens

mesmes, quand ils auoient tant soit peu à manger, n'en voulussent

pas gouster: I'ay souuent mangé, notamment ce mois cy, des raclures

d'escorces, des rongneures de peaux, & autres choses semblables, &

cependant ie ne m'en suis point trouué mal.

 

The next day, a day of rejoicing among Christians on account of the

newborn child, was for us a day of fasting. I was given nothing at

all to eat. Hunger, which makes the wolf come out of the woods,

made me go farther in to seek [272] the little ends of the trees,

which I ate with delight. Some women, having thrown to the dogs,

either unintentionally or otherwise, some bits of hide from which

they make the strings for their snowshoes, I gathered them up and

made a good dinner of them; although the dogs themselves, when they

have ever so little else to eat, will not touch them. I have often

eaten, especially during that month, scrapings of bark, bits of

leather, and similar things, and yet they have never made me ill.

 

Le mesme iour de Noël ie m'en allay sur le soir visiter nos voisins,

nous n'estions plus que deux cabanes, celle du Sauuage Ekhenneabamate

auoit tiré d'vn autre costé depuis cinq ou six iours, à raison qu'il

n'y auoit pas assez de chasse pour nourrir tout le monde, ie trouuay

deux ieunes chasseurs tout tristes, pour n'auoir rien pris ce iour là,

ny le precedent, ils estoient comme tous les autres maigres & defaits,

taciturnes & fort pensifs, comme gens qui ne pouuoient mourir qu'à

regret, cela me toucha le cœur, apres leur auoir dit quelque parole

de consolation, & donné quelque [273] esperance de chose meilleure,

ie me retiray en ma cabane pour prier Dieu, l'Apostat me demãda quel

iour il estoit? il est auiourd'huy la feste de Noël, luy respondis-je;

Il fut vn peu touché, & se tournant vers le Sorcier, il luy dit, qu'à

tel iour estoit né le Fils de Dieu que nous adorions nommé IESVS:

Remarquant en luy quelque estonnement, ie luy dis que Dieu vsoit

ordinairement de largesse en ces bons iours, & que si nous auions

recours à luy qu'il nous assisteroit infailliblement; à cela point de

parole, mais aussi point de contrarieté: prenant donc l'occasion au

poil, ie le priay de me tourner en sa langue deux petites Oraisons,

dont i'en dirois l'vne, & les Sauuages l'autre. Esperant que nous

serions secourus, l'extremité où nous estions reduits luy fit accorder

que de bond, que de volée ce que ie demandois. Ie composay sur l'heure

deux petites prieres, qu'il me tourna en Sauuage, me promettant en

outre qu'il me seruiroit d'interprete si i'assemblois les Sauuages,

me voila fort content. Ie recommande l'affaire à N.S. & le lendemain

matin ie dresse vn petit Oratoire, ie pends aux [274] perches de la

cabane vne seruiette que i'auois portée, sur laquelle i'attachay vn

petit Crucifix & vn Reliquaire, que deux personnes fort Religieuses

m'ont enuoyé: ie tire encore quelque Image de mon Breuiaire, cela fait

ie fais appeller tous les Sauuages de nos deux cabanes, & ie leur fais

entendre tant par mon begayemẽt, que par la bouche d'vn Renegat, que la

crainte de mourir de faim faisoit parler, qu'il ne tiendroit qu'à eux

qu'ils ne fussent secourus, ie leur dis que nostre Dieu est la bonté

mesme, que rien ne luy estoit impossible, qu'encore bien qu'on l'eust

mesprisé, que si neantmoins on croyoit, & si on esperoit en luy d'vn

bon cœur, qu'il se monstreroit fauorable: Or comme ces pauures gens

n'auoient plus d'esperance en leurs arcs, ny en leurs flesches, ils me

tesmoignerẽt vn grand contentement de ce que ie les auois assemblez,

m'asseurant qu'ils feroient tout ce que ie leur commanderois; ie prens

mon papier & leurs lis l'Oraison que ie desirois qu'ils fissent, leur

demandant s'ils estoient contens d'addresser au Dieu que i'adorois ces

paroles de tout leur cœur, & sans feintise; ils me [275] respondent

tous _nimiroueritenan, nimiroueritenan_, nous en sommes cõtens, nous

en sõmes contens. Ie me mets le premier à genoux, & eux tous auec moy,

iettans les yeux sur nostre petit Oratoire, le seul Sorcier demeuroit

assis, mais luy ayant demandé s'il n'en vouloit pas estre aussi bien

que les autres, il fit comme il me voyoit faire, nous estions testes

nuës, ioignans tous les mains & les esleuans vers le Ciel, ie commençay

donc à faire ceste Oraison tout haut en leur langue.

 

In the evening of this same Christmas day I went to visit

our neighbors. We were now only two cabins, as the Savage

Ekhenneabamate had gone off in another direction five or six days

before, because there had not been enough game for all of us. I

found there two young hunters, in deep distress at not having

captured anything that day, nor the one before. They were like all

the others, wasted and thin, silent and very sad, like people who

parted with life regretfully. It made my heart bleed to see them.

After having said a few words of consolation, and cheered them

with the [273] hope of better things, I withdrew into my cabin to

pray to God. The Apostate asked me what day it was. "To-day is the

Christmas festival," I answered him. He was slightly touched, and,

turning toward the Sorcerer, said that on this day was born the

son of God, called JESUS, whom we adored. Observing that he showed

some wonder, I told him that God was generally very bountiful

on these days; and, if we had recourse to him, he would surely

help us. To this there was not a word, neither was there any

opposition. So seizing the opportunity, I begged him to translate

for me two little Prayers into his language, and I would say one of

them and the Savages the other. Hoping that we would be succored,

the extremity to which we were reduced made him grant, in pure

recklessness, what I asked. I immediately composed two little

prayers, which he turned into Savage, promising me besides that he

would serve me as interpreter if I would call the Savages together,

so I was very happy. I commended the matter to Our Lord and the

next morning I erected a little Oratory. I hung to the [274] poles

of the cabin a napkin I had brought with me; to this I attached a

small Crucifix and a Reliquary that two very Religious persons had

sent me, also I took from my Breviary one of the Pictures. When

this was done, I had all the Savages from our two cabins called,

and made them understand, partly through my stammering and partly

through the lips of the Renegade, whom the fear of dying from

hunger made speak, that it depended upon them alone whether or not

they should be relieved. I told them that our God was goodness

itself, that nothing was impossible to him; that even though a

person had despised him, yet if he believed in him and hoped in

him with a sincere heart, he would show himself favorable. Now as

these poor people had no more hope in their bows or arrows, they

showed much gladness that I had thus called them together, assuring

me they would do all I commanded them. I took my paper and read

to them the Prayer I wished them to offer, asking if they were

content to address to the God whom I adored these prayers from

their hearts, and without dissimulation. They all [275] responded,

_nimiroueritenan, nimiroueritenan_, "We are satisfied, we are

satisfied." I knelt down first and the others followed, fixing our

eyes upon our little Oratory. The Sorcerer alone remained seated;

but, when I asked him if he did not wish to be like the others, he

did as he saw me do. We were bareheaded, our hands all clasped and

raised toward Heaven; and in this attitude I began to repeat the following Prayer aloud in their language.