=Source.=--Grant and Biggar's edition of Lescarbot's _History_.
During the above voyage M. de Monts worked away at his fort, which
he had placed at the foot of the island, opposite the end on which,
as we have said, he had lodged his cannon. This was well thought
on, in order to control the whole river both up stream and down.
But the trouble was that the said fort faced the north, and was
without any shelter, save the trees along the shore of the island,
which in the vicinity of the fort he had forbidden to be cut down.
And outside the said fort was the barracks for the Swiss, large and
spacious, and other small buildings like a suburb. Some had built
log-huts on the mainland near the stream. But inside the fort was
the dwelling of the said M. de Monts, built of fair sawn timber,
with the banner of France overhead. Elsewhere within the fort was
the magazine, wherein lay the safety and the life of each, built
likewise of fair timber, and covered with shingles. And opposite
the magazine were the lodgings and dwellings of MM. d'Orville,
Champlain, Champdoré, and other notable persons. Opposite the
quarters of the said M. de Monts was a covered gallery, to be used
either for sports or by the workmen in wet weather. And the whole
space between the said fort and the battery was taken up with
gardens, at which every man worked lightheartedly. Thus passed
the whole autumn; and it was not bad progress to have built their
houses and cleared the island before winter; while in these parts
pamphlets were being circulated under the name of Master William,
stuffed with all sorts of news, wherein among other things this
prognosticator said that M. de Monts was pulling out thorns in
Canada. And when all is well considered, it may truly be called
pulling out thorns to take in hand such enterprises, full of
toils and of continual danger, care, vexation and discomfort.
But virtue and the courage which overcomes all such obstacles
make these thorns to be but gilly-flowers and roses to those who
set themselves to these heroic deeds in order to win glory in
the memory of men, closing their eyes to the pleasures of those
weaklings who are good for nothing but to stay at home.
Having done the things of greatest urgency, and grey-bearded father
Winter being come, they needs must keep indoors, and live every man
under his own roof-tree. During this time our friends had three
special discomforts in this island, to wit, want of wood (for that
on the said island had been used for the buildings), want of fresh
water, and the night watch for fear of a surprise from the Indians
who were encamped at the foot of the said island, or from some
other enemy; for such is the evil disposition and fury of many
Christians, that one must be more on one's guard against them than
against the infidel. This it grieveth me to say; would indeed that
I were a liar herein, and that I had no cause to speak it. Thus
when water or wood was required they were constrained to cross the
river, which on either side is more than three times as broad as
the Seine at Paris. This was both painful and tedious; so that very
often one had to bespeak the boat a day in advance before being
able to get the use of it. On top of this came cold and snow and
frost so hard that the cider froze in the casks, and each man was
given his portion by weight. As for wine, it was only given out
on certain days of the week. Some lazy fellows drank melted snow
without troubling to cross the river. In short, unknown diseases
broke out, like those which Captain Jacques Cartier has already
described for us, of which for fear of vain repetition I shall
therefore not give an account. No remedy could be found.