sister-in-law contemplated killing their own brother; I asked him
why, "We are afraid," he replied, "that he will kill us during our
sleep, to eat us." "We supply you," said I, "a part of our food
every day [77] to help you." "That is true," he replied, "thou
givest us life; but this man is half-mad; he does not eat, he has
some evil design; we wish to prevent him, wilt thou be displeased
at that?" I found myself a little troubled; I could not consent to
his death, and yet I believed they had good cause for their fear.
We advised him not to leave any hatchets or javelins in his cabin,
except one which he would have to use, and he should place that
under his head when he was sleeping; he agreed to this, and gave
us his hatchets and javelins, to put them away in our little room.
Three days later, this poor wretch went to Kebec, where, having
tried to kill some Frenchman, Monsieur the Governor, seeing that
he was mad, had him put in chains, to surrender him to the first
Savages that [78] might come along.
Or ces allées & venuës des Sauuages affamez ont duré quasi tout
l'hyuer; nous faisions ordinairement quelque festin de pois & de farine
boüillie à toutes les nouuelles bandes; i'en ay veu tel d'entre-eux
qui en mangeoient plus de huict escuellées, deuant que de sortir de la
place.
Now these comings and goings of famished Savages lasted almost all
winter; we usually made a little feast of peas and boiled flour for
all the new bands, and I have seen certain ones among them eat more
than eight bowlfuls of this before leaving the place.
Pendant qu'on leur preparoit le banquet, nous leur parlions de Dieu,
nous leur representions leurs miseres; ils auoient tous la meilleure
volonté du monde de cultiuer au Printemps, ce qu'ont fait quelques vns:
mais ils ne demeurerent pas assiduëment auprés de leurs bleds d'Inde,
les abandonnans pour aller pescher, qui deça, qui delà.
While the banquet was being prepared, we talked to them about
God, we represented to them their poverty; they all had the best
intentions in the world to cultivate the land in the Spring, as
some of them have done; but they did not remain constantly near
their Indian corn,--abandoning it to go fishing, some in one
direction, some in another.
Quand aux propositions que nous leur faisions de croire en Dieu, l'vn
d'eux me dit vn iour. Si nous [79] croyons en vostre Dieu, neigera-il?
Il neigera, luy dis je. La neige sera-elle dure & profonde? Elle le
sera. Trouuerõs nous des Orignaux? Vous en trouuerez. Les tuerons nous?
Ouy; Car comme Dieu sçait tout, qu'il peut tout, & qu'il est tres bon,
il ne manquera pas de vous assister, si vous auez recours en luy, si
vous receuez sa Foy, & luy rendez obeyssance. Ton discours est bon,
repart-il, nous penserons à ce que tu nous as dit. Cependant ils s'en
vont dans les bois, & mettẽt bien-tost en oubly ce qu'on leur a dit:
Il est bien vray qu'à la parfin on fera quelque impression sur leur
esprit, s'il n'est plus dure que la pierre qui se caue par des gouttes
d'eau.
As to the proposals we make to them to believe in God, one of them
said to me one day, "If we [79] believe in your God, will it snow?"
"It will snow," I said to him. "Will the snow be hard and deep?"
"It will be." "Shall we find Moose?" "You will find them." "Shall
we kill some?" "Yes; for as God knows all things, as he can do all
things, and as he is very good, he will not fail to help you, if
you have recourse to him, if you receive the Faith, and if you
reader him obedience." "Thy speech is good," answered he, "we will
think upon what thou hast told us." Meanwhile, they go off into the
woods, and soon forget what has been said to them. It is indeed
true that, in the end, some impression will be made upon their
minds, if they are not harder than the stone hollowed out by drops
of water.
Vne autrefois ayant vn assez long-temps discouru sur nostre creance à
vne escouade, qui s'en retournoit chercher dequoy nourrir [80] leurs
femmes & leurs enfans, ie leur conseillay, au cas qu'ils ne peussent
rien trouuer, de se mettre à genoux, & de s'addresser à celuy qui a
fait le Ciel & la terre, de luy promettre qu'ils croiront en luy,
s'il les vouloit secourir: ils me promirent qu'ils le feroient; nous
leur presentasmes à cet effect vne petite Image de nostre Seigneur
Iesus-Christ, & les aduertismes de la façon qu'ils la deuoient placer
dans leur[s] grandes necessitez, des prieres qu'ils deuoient faire à
celuy qu'elle representoit, leur donnant bonne esperãce qu'ils seroient
secourus. Ie mis cette Image entre les mains d'vn nommé _Sakapouan_,
dont i'ay fait mention cy-dessus. Il me promit qu'il feroit de point
en point ce que nous luy auions ordonné: mais le miserable ne tint pas
sa promesse; car il n'osa iamais produire ceste Image, de [81] peur
d'estre gaussé de ses Compagnons, voire mesme il se rioit auec les
autres de ce que nous leur auions presché. Aussi Dieu le chastia-il,
car il tomba malade, & fut contraint de venir rechercher les François;
nous luy redemandasmes l'Image & la rendit. Interrogé pourquoy il
n'auoit point prié le Fils du Tout-puissant, Ie m'en estois allé,
respond-il, auec bonne volonté de le prier, i'auois conceu vne bonne
esperance, qu'il nous donneroit à manger, i'auois mesme retenu la
meilleure de toutes les oraisons que tu nous as enseigné: mais estant
arriué à nos cabanes, i'ay eu peur que si ie produisois l'Image,
qu'on ne s'en moquast, & que celuy qui a tout fait ne se faist chast
cõtre moy, & nous fist mourir. En vn mot le respect humain retiẽt
ce peuple. I'eus beau luy dire, que s'il eust esté fidele dans [82]
ces gausseries, s'il n'eust point adheré à ces mocqueurs, que Dieu
l'auroit puissamment assisté, Il faut, dit-il, parler à nos Capitaines.
Et en effet qui les auroit gaignez, il auroit tout gagné. Ie reuiens
tousiours sur mes brisées, qui sçauroit parfaictement la langue pour
les accabler de raisons, & pour refuter promptement leurs niaiseries,
seroit bien puissant parmy eux. Le temps apportera tout, & Dieu donnant
sa benediction, _Populus qui est in tenebris videbit lucem magnam_.
Another time, having talked a long time upon our belief with a
squad of them, who had returned to seek food for [80] their wives
and children, I advised them, in case they could not find anything,
to fall upon their knees and to address themselves to him who has
made Heaven and earth, to promise him they would believe in him if
he would relieve them; they promised that they would do so; we gave
them for this purpose a little Image of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
instructed them in the way in which they were to place it in the
time of their great need, and in some prayers they were to make to
him whom it represented, giving them strong hope that they would
be helped. I placed this Image in the hands of a certain one named
_Sakapouan_, of whom I have spoken above. He promised me that he
would do everything just as we had directed; but the wretch did not
keep his promise, for he never dared produce this Image, lest [81]
he should be sneered at by his Companions; yes, he even laughed
with the others about what we had preached to them. And indeed God
chastised him, for he fell sick and was obliged to come seeking the
French; we asked for the Image and he returned it. When asked why
he had not prayed to the Son of the All-powerful, "I went away," he
replied, "with the good will to pray to him; I felt a strong hope
that he would give us something to eat, I had even kept in mind the
best of all the prayers thou hast taught us; but, when I arrived
at our cabins, I was afraid that if I brought out the Image they
would make sport of me, and that he who has made all would be angry
with me, and make us die." In one word, these people are restrained
by worldly considerations. It was in vain I told him that if he
had been faithful in [82] the midst of these mockeries, if he had
not clung to these mockers, God would have given him powerful
assistance; "It is necessary," he said "to talk to our Captains."
And, in fact, one who could gain them could gain all. I am always
retracing my footsteps, in saying, that one who knew the language
perfectly, so that he could crush their reasons and promptly refute
their absurdities, would be very powerful among them. Time will
bring all things; God giving his blessing, _Populus qui est in
tenebris videbit lucem magnam_.
Or pour vuider tout cét article; ie demanday à ce Sauuage, quelle
estoit ceste Oraison qu'il preferoit aux autres. Tu nous dis plusieurs
choses, me fit-il, mais ceste priere m'a semblé la meilleure de toutes.
_Mirinan oukachigakhi nimitchiminan_: donne nous auiourd'huy nostre
nourriture: donne nous à manger; [83] voyla vne excellente Oraison,
disoit-il. Ie ne m'estonne pas de ceste Philosophie; _Animalis homo,
non percipit ea quæ sunt Spiritus Dei_. Qui n'a iamais esté qu'à
l'escole de la chair, ne sçauroit parler le langage de l'esprit.
Now to end this whole story, I asked this Savage what this Prayer
was that he preferred to all others. "Thou hast told us many
things," he replied; "but this prayer has seemed to me the best
of all: _Mirinan oukachigakhi nimitchiminan_, 'Give us to-day our
food, give us something to eat.' [83] This is an excellent Prayer,"
he said. I am not surprised at this Philosophy; _Animalis homo,
non percipit ea quæ sunt Spiritus Dei_. He who has never been at
any school but that of the flesh, cannot speak the language of the
spirit.
Le vingt-septiesme du mesme mois de Ianuier vn Sauuage me vint apprendre
vn secret bien cogneu des Algonquains, mais non pas des Montagnais;
aussi n'est-il pas de ce pays-cy, ains de bien auant dans les terres.
Il me dit donc, que si quelqu'vn de nos François vouloit l'accompagner,
qu'il s'en iroit pescher sous la glace d'vn grand estang, placé à
quelque cinq mille pas au delà de la grande Riuiere, vis-à-vis de
nostre Habitation. Il y alla en effet, & rapporta quelques poissons;
ce qui consola fort nos François: car ils peuuent maintenant au plus
fort [84] des glaces, tendre des rets dans cét estang. I'ay veu ceste
pesche: voicy comme ils s'y comportent. Ils sont à grands coups de
hache vn trou assez grandelet dans la glace de l'estang; ils en font
d'autres plus petits, d'espaces en espaces, & auec des perches ils
passent vne fiscelle de trous en trous par dessous la glace: ceste
fiscelle aussi longue que les rets qu'on veut tendre, se va arrester
au dernier trou, par lequel on tire, & on estend dedans l'eau toute
la rets qui luy est attachée. Voyla comme on tend les filets pour la
premiere fois, quand on les veut visiter, il est fort aisé: car on les
retire par la plus grande ouuerture, pour en recueillir le poisson,
puis il ne faut que retirer la fiscelle pour les retendre, les perches
ne seruans qu'à passer la première fois la fiscelle. Quand Dieu aura
beny ces contrées d'vne peuplade de François, [85] on trouuera mille
biens, & mille commoditez sur le pays, que ces Barbares ignorent.
On the twenty-seventh of the same month of January a Savage came
to acquaint me with a secret well known among the Algonquains,
but not among the Montagnais; neither is it known in this part of
the country, but farther into the interior. He told me that, if
some one of our Frenchmen would accompany him, he would go and
fish under the ice of a great pond, located some five thousand
paces beyond the great River, opposite our Settlement. One of them
did, in fact, go there, and brought back some fish, which greatly
comforted our French people, for they can now, in the thickest [84]
ice, stretch their nets in this pond. I have seen them fish in this
way; now see how they do it. With great blows of the axe they make
a tolerably large hole in the ice of the pond; then at intervals
they make other smaller ones, and by the use of poles they pass a
cord from hole to hole under the ice; this cord, which is as long
as the nets they wish to stretch, stops at the last hole, through
which it is drawn, and they spread out in the water the whole net
which is attached to it. This is the way they spread the nets the
first time. When they wish to examine them, it is very easily done,
for they draw them out through the largest opening, to collect
the fish from them; then it is only necessary to draw back the
cord to respread the nets, the poles serving only to put the cord
through the first time. When God has blessed these countries with
a colony of French, [85] there will result a thousand benefits and
a thousand conveniences for the country, of which these Barbarians
are ignorant.
Le sixiesme de Feurier la grande Riuiere fut gelée tout à fait, en
sorte qu'on passoit dessus en asseurance; elle gela mesme deuant Kebec,
ce qui est fort extraordinaire, à raison que les marées sont là fort
violentes. Il me semble que la rigueur de l'hyuer s'est fait sentir
particulièrement en ce mois cy.
On the sixth of February, the great River was completely frozen
over, so that one could walk over it in safety; it even froze
opposite Kebec, which is very extraordinary, as the tides there are
very strong. It seems to me that the severity of the winter makes
itself especially felt during this month.
Le huictiesme de Mars mourut ceste femme Sauuage nommée Anne, dont i'ay
parlé au Chapitre second: cõme les douleurs de la mort approchoient,
elle disoit par fois toute seule, _nitapoueten, nitapoueten_, Ie croy,
ie croy, _nisadkihau, nisadkihau_. Ie l'ayme, ie l'ayme: _ouaskoucki
nioui itoutan_. Ie veux aller au Ciel: & vne fois elle me dit, comme
ie la quittois, après l'auoir instruite & [86] visitée en sa maladie;
Tu m'as seruy de père iusques icy, continuë iusques à ma mort, qui ne
tardera pas; retourne moy voir au plustost, & si tu me vois si bas,
que ie ne puisse parler, souuienne toy que ie penseray tousiours à ce
que tu m'as dit, & que ie croiray tousiours en mon cœur. Vn Sauuage
m'ayant informé qu'elle n'estoit point de ce pays-cy, ie l'interrogeay
quelques iours deuant sa mort de sa patrie: elle me dit, que ceux de
sa Nation s'appelloient _ouperigoue ouaouakhi_, qu'ils habitoiẽt bien
auant dans les terres plus bas que Tadoussac, de mesme costé; qu'on
pouuoit par des fleuues descendre de leur pays dans la grande riuiere
de sainct Laurens; que ses Compatriotes n'auoient aucun commerce auec
les Europeans; c'est pourquoy, disoit-elle, ils se seruent de haches de
pierres; qu'ils ont des [87] Cerfs, & des Castors en abondance, mais
fort peu d'Elans; qu'ils parlent le langage Montagnais, & qu'ils ne
manqueroient de venir à la traitte auec les François, n'estoit que les
Sauuages de Tadoussac les veulent tuer quand ils les rencontrent. Ie
ne sçay si ce ne sont point ceux que nous appellons Bersiamites, dont
quelques-vns ont esté cruellement massacrez cette année à Tadoussac.
Ces perfides Sauuages les accueillirent fort humainement, & quand ils
les eurent en leur puissance, ils les mirent à mort traistreusement.
On the eighth of March occurred the death of the Savage woman named
Anne, of whom I have spoken in Chapter second; as the anguish of
death approached, she said at times to herself, _nitapoueten,
nitapoueten_, "I believe, I believe;" _nisadkihau, nisadkihau_, "I
love him, I love him;" _ouaskoucki nioui itoutan_, "I wish to go
to Heaven;" and once she said to me, as I was leaving her after
having instructed and [86] visited her in her sickness; "Thou hast
been a father to me up to the present; continue so until my death,
which will not be long; come back and see me very soon, and if
thou seest me so low I cannot speak, remember that I shall always
think of what thou hast said to me, and that I shall always believe
in my heart." As a Savage had informed me that she did not belong
to this region, I asked her a few days before her death about her
native country: she told me that the people of her Nation were
called _ouperigoue ouaouakhi_, that they dwelt farther back in
the interior, below Tadoussac, and on the same side; that they
could descend through the rivers from their country to the great
river saint Lawrence; that her Countrymen had no commerce with the
Europeans; "that is why," she said, "they use hatchets made of
stone;" that they have [87] Deer and Beavers in abundance, but very
few Elk; that they speak the Montagnais language, and that they
would certainly come and trade with the French, were it not that
the Savages of Tadoussac try to kill them when they encounter them.
I do not know whether these are the ones that we call Bersiamites,
some of whom have been cruelly massacred this year at Tadoussac.
These perfidious Savages received them very kindly, and, when they
had them in their power, treacherously put them to death.
Le cinquiesme d'Auril vn Sauuage Montaignais vint rapporter au Pere
Buteux, que nos Peres, & nos François qui les accompagnoient auoient
esté delaissez dans les bois, & liez à des arbres par les Hurons qui
les menoient en leur pays, lesquels [88] s'estans trouuez mal d'vne
certaine epidemie qui affligea l'Automne passé toutes ces Nations,
creurent que ceste maladie leur estoit causée par les François, ce qui
les auoit reduits à les traitter de la sorte, & ce sauuage asseuroit
auoir appris ceste nouuelle de la bouche de quelques Bissiriniens,
voisins des Hurons. Nous remismes toute ceste affaire entre les mains
de N. Seigneur, qui prendra nos vies dans les temps, & dans les
occasions qu'il luy plaira. Nous auiõs desia appris, comme i'escriuy
l'an passé des mauuaises nouuelles du P. Anthoine Daniel qu'on nous
faisoit quasi mort: mais en fin la bonté de Dieu nous a consolez; car
la pluspart de ces bruits se sont trouuez faux. Il est vray que le
Pere Daniel, & tous les autres, ont souffert incomparablement en leur
voyage, comme V. R. pourra veoir [89] par la Relation du Pere Brebeuf.
On the fifth day of April, a Montaignais Savage came to report to
Father Buteux that our Fathers and our Frenchmen who accompanied
them had been abandoned in the woods and tied to trees, by the
Hurons who were taking them to their country,--who, [88] falling
ill with a certain epidemic which last Autumn afflicted all these
Nations, believed that this malady was caused by the French, and
it was this which made them treat the French in this way; this
savage declared that he had heard the news from the lips of some
Bissiriniens, neighbors of the Hurons. We placed the whole matter
in the hands of Our Lord, who will take our lives at the time and
in the manner that shall please him. We had already learned, as I
wrote last year, the bad news about Father Anthoine Daniel, who had
been reported to us as almost dead; but at last the goodness of God
has comforted us, for most of these reports are found to be false.
It is true that Father Daniel and all the others have endured
incomparable sufferings in their voyage, as Your Reverence can see
[89] by the Relation of Father Brebeuf.
Le quatorziesme du mesme mois, toutes les glaces estant parties, ie
m'embarquay dans vn canot auec vn de nos François, & vn Algonquain,
pour aller veoir ce beau lac ou estang, dont i'ay parlé cy dessus, que
i'auois veu tout glacé pendant l'hyuer. En chemin ie vis la chasse du
Rat musqué; cét animal a vne fort longue queuë, il y en a de gros comme
des lapins: quand il[s] paroissent sur l'eau les Sauuages les suiuent
dans leurs petits canots; aussi-tost ces Rats se voyant poursuiuis se
plongent en l'eau, & leurs ennemis s'en vont viste, où ils preuoyent
qu'ils reuiendront au dessus pour prendre haleine: bref ils les
poursuiuent tant qu'ils les lassent, en sorte qu'ils sont contraints de
rester quelque tẽps au dessus de l'eau, pour n'estre suffoquez: alors
ils les [90] assomment auec leurs auirons, ou les tuent à coups de
fleches. Quand cét animal a gaigné la terre, il se sauue ordinairement
dans son trou. On l'appelle Rat musqué, pource qu'en effect vne partie
de son corps prise au Printemps sent le musc, en autre temps elle n'a
point d'odeur.
On the fourteenth of the same month, as the ice was completely
broken up, I embarked in a canoe with one of our Frenchmen and an
Algonquain, to go and see the beautiful lake or pond of which I
have spoken above, and which I had seen all frozen over during the
winter. On the way, I saw a Muskrat hunt. Some of these animals are
as large as rabbits; they have very long tails. When they appear
upon the water, the Savages follow them in their little canoes;
these Rats, upon seeing themselves pursued, immediately dive into
the water, their enemies hurrying quickly to the place where they
expect them to come up again to take breath; in short, they pursue
them until they are tired out, so that they must remain above the
water a little while, in order not to suffocate; then they [90]
knock them down with their paddles, or kill them with arrows. When
this animal has gained the land, it usually saves itself by hiding
in its hole. It is called Muskrat because, in fact, a part of its
body smells of musk, if caught in the Spring,--at other times, it
has no odor.
Le vingt-vniesme, ie partis des trois Riuieres pour venir à Kebec,
afin de m'y trouuer, selon le desir de nos Peres, à la venuë des
vaisseaux. Nous les attendions de bonne heure, ils sont venus bien
tard, le mauuais temps leur a causé vne rude trauerse; nous esperions
de les veoir sur la fin de May, & nous n'en auons eu nouuelle que
le vingt-cinquiesme de Iuin; auquel temps arriua vn canot enuoyé de
Tadoussac, qui rapporta qu'vn vaisseau estoit à l'Isle du Bic, & qu'il
en venoit encore cinq ou six, auec bonne [91] deliberation de combattre
tous ceux qu'ils trouueroient dans la Riuiere sans Commission.
On the twenty-first, I left three Rivers to come to Kebec, in order
to be there, according to the wish of the Fathers, at the coming of
the ships. We expected them early, but they came very late, the bad
weather having caused them to have a rough passage; we hoped to see
them towards the end of May, and we had no news of them until the
twenty-fifth of June, when a canoe arrived, sent from Tadoussac,
which reported that a ship was at the Island of Bic, and that five
or six more of them were coming, with the firm [91] determination
to attack all those they found in the River without Commissions.
Le quatriesme de Iuillet, vne chalouppe enuoyée de la part de Monsieur
du Plessis Bochart, general de la flotte, resioüit tous nos Frãçois, &
nous asseura de sa venuë, & qu'il estoit suiuy de huict forts nauires,
six pour Tadoussac, & deux pour Mifcou, sans ce que l'on enuoyoit au
Cap Breton, & coste de l'Acadie à Mr le Com. de Razilly.
On the fourth of July, a shallop sent from Monsieur du
Plessis Bochart, commandant of the fleet, gladdened all our
French,--assuring us of his coming, and that he was followed by
eight strong ships, six for Tadoussac and two for Miscou, not
including the one sent to Cape Breton and the coast of Acadia, to
Monsieur the Commandant de Razilly.
Le dixiesme vne barque montant en haut, nous apporta le Pere Pijart.
A mesme temps deux de nos François descendant des Hurons, nous
presenterent les lettres de nos Peres qui sont en ce pays-là; c'estoit
nous réjoüyr de toutes parts. D'vn costé le Pere nous témoignoit que V.
R. nous enuoyoit 4. de nos Peres, & 2. de nos Freres pour renfort, [92]
& deux autres Peres pour la Residẽce de S. Charles. Qu'vne infinité
de personnes cherissoient ceste Mission, & que V. R. toute pleine de
cœur, nous donneroit tous les ans autant d'ouuriers Euangeliques, que
la Mission en pourroit nourrir; l'ardeur de venir souffrir quelques
choses en ces contrées pour la gloire de nostre Seigneur, estant quasi
incroyable. D'autre costé la sãté de nos Peres dans les Hurons, où
on les faisoit morts, les bonnes dispositions de ces Peuples, pour
receuoir les veritez Chrestiennes; l'affection qu'ils nous portent,
nous faisoit benir le sainct Nom de Dieu, & luy rendre graces de tant
de benedictions, qu'il va respandant sur ceste entreprise.