CHAPTER XXIII. [i.e., xxi.]
A JOURNEY MADE BY FATHER ENEMOND MASSÉ, AND ANOTHER BY FATHER BIARD.
A RECONCILIATION was effected afterward, and everything calmed down. The Jesuits, devoting themselves to the study and apprenticeship of the Savage language, thought a good way to force themselves to this, and to better learn the usages, habits and life of the country, would be to go away and live with the natives, wandering and roving about as they did through mountains and valleys, and adopting their ways, civil [199] as well as physical. They offered themselves to Louys Membertou, to live with him in that way, if he were pleased to receive them: he agreed to do so very willingly. Father Enemond Massé, as he was full of courage, desired that this enterprise should fall to him; also he was judged more suitable for it by the common voice of the settlement, on account of his industry and practical ingenuity, ready to find a remedy for every inconvenience. He went away then, with Louys Membertou and his family, beyond French Bay to St. John river, and began his novitiate in this Nomadic life, truly a very hard and trying ordeal.
Ceste vie est sans ordre, & sans ordinaire, sans pain, sans sel, & bien souuent auec rien; tousiours en courses, & changements, au vent, à l'air, & mauuais temps; [200] pour toict, vne meschante cabane: pour [246] reposoir, la terre: pour repos les crys, & chants odieux: pour remedes, la faim, & le trauail. C'estoit à la verité, vne regle bien forte. Ledit P. Enemond à fin de garder par tout l'honnesteté religieuse auoit amené auec soy vn ieune garçõ François biẽ gaillard, qui l'aidoit, luy assistoit par tout, & luy seruoit à la Messe. Mais & maistre & seruiteur tous deux se trouuerent bien tost rudement examinés par vne diete si distemperée; tout leur en-bon-point decheut; leurs forces, couleur, & gaillardise; les iambes leur deuindrent grosses & pesantes, les esprits assopis, & succeda vne fieure lente: laquelle toutesfois se passa bien tost: & depuis peu à peu ils prindrent ply, & reuindrent aucunement à leur vigueur. Le Pere Enemond y pensa perdre la veuë [201] sans aucun mal des yeux: L'atrophie à mon aduis causoit ceste debilité de sens, & des esprits.
This life is without order and without daily fare, without bread, without salt, and often without anything; always moving on and changing, in the wind, in the air, and in bad weather; [200] for roof, a wretched cabin; for couch, the earth; for rest and quiet, odious cries and songs; for medicine, hunger, and hard work. It was, in truth, a very painful mode of living. Father Enemond, in order to everywhere preserve a religious propriety, had taken with him a young and vigorous French boy, who helped him, attended him wherever he went, and assisted him at the Mass. But both master and servant soon found themselves in a bad condition through such irregular diet: they became thin, and lost their strength, color, and cheerfulness; their legs grew big and heavy, their minds were dulled, and a low fever set in; however, this soon passed away, and then little by little they regained their usual appearance, and each was restored to his customary vigor. Father Enemond thought he was going to lose his sight, [201] without any disease of the eyes; atrophy, it seems to me, caused this debility of the senses and of the mind.
Ce temps pendant, le P. Biard demeuroit à Port Royal, ayant pris auec soy vn Sauuage, lequel il nourrissoit, & s'en seruoit comme de maistre en langue Sauuagine. Il le nourrissoit, dis-je, de ce qu'il auoit peu espargner de son ordinaire, & mesme le seruoit, parce que les Sauuages, ou de paresse, ou plustost de hautaineté de courage ne se daigneroyent faire aucuns seruice, comme d'aller à l'eau, au bois, à la cuisine, &c. d'autant que, disent-ils, cela appartient aux femmes. Il entretint donc ce Sauuage, & fut son apprẽtif au lãgage trois semaines durant, mais il ne peut plus long temps, faute d'auoir dequoy le nourrir, ce qui luy fut fort grief, parce que le Sauuage estoit de [202] bon naturel, & demeuroit auec luy bien volontiers.
During this time, Father Biard remained at Port Royal, having with him a Savage whom he fed and made use of as a master in the Savage tongue. He fed him, I say, from what he had been able to save from his own daily fare, and even waited on him; for the Savages, either from laziness, or from lofty courage, do not deign to do any work, such as going for water, for wood, to the kitchen, etc., for they say that belongs to the women. So he entertained this Savage, and was his apprentice in the language for three weeks, but he could keep it up no longer, for want of something to give him to eat; this grieved him exceedingly, for the Savage was [202] good-natured, and willing to live with him.
Or tandis que le P. Enemond estoit malade entre les Sauuages, arriua vn plaisant rencontre. Ledit [248] Pere s'estant cabané à part pour cause de sa maladie, Loys Membertou le vint trouuer fort en peine (comm'il monstroit,) & luy dit: Escoute Pere. Tu t'en vas mourir, ie le deuine. Escry donc à Biencourt, & à ton frere, que tu es mort de maladie, & que nous ne t'auons pas tué. Ie m'en garderay bien (dit le P. Enemond:) car possible apres que i'aurois escrit la lettre, tu me tuerois, cependant tu porterois ta lettre d'innocence, que tu ne m'aurois pas tué. Icy le Sauuage reuint à soy, & se recogneut (car il n'est pas lourd:) & se prenant à rire. Bien donc (dit-il,) prie Iesus que tu ne meure pas, à fin qu'on ne nous accuse de t'auoir [203] faict mourir. Aussi fais-je, dit le P. Enemond, n'aye peur, ie ne mourray pas.
Now while Father Enemond was sick among the Savages, an amusing incident occurred. As the Father was in a cabin, apart from the others on account of his illness, Loys Membertou, apparently in great trouble came to see him, and said to him: "Listen, Father. Thou art going to die; I predict it. Write now to Biencourt and to thy brother, that thou hast died of disease, and that we did not kill thee." "I shall take care not to do that" (said Father Enemond), "for possibly after I had written this letter, thou wouldst kill me, and then thou wouldst take there thy innocent letter, saying thou hadst not killed me." Here the Savage, seeing what was meant (for he is not dull) and recovering his equanimity began to laugh. "Well then" (said he), "pray Jesus that thou mayest not die, so they will not accuse us of having [203] killed thee." "Indeed, I am doing so," said Father Enemond; "do not fear, I shall not die."
Sur la fin d'Aoust d'icell'année 1612. le sieur de Biencourt voulut aller à la Baye des Mines à 21. ou 22. lieuës de Port Royal: de vray il y alloit bien mal en conche, dans vne pietre chaloupe, n'ayant que pour huict iours de viures, & manquant de toutes autres prouisions. Le P. Biard neantmoins s'offrit à l'accompagner, parce que ledit sieur promettoit de s'enquester, & rechercher nouuelles du P. Enemond, duquel ja dés deux mois nous n'auions rien ouy, & nous nous craignions fort, qu'il ne fust tombé en quelque inconuenient, ou maladie.
Towards the end of August of this year, 1612, sieur de Biencourt wished to go to the Bay of Mines, 21 or 22 leagues from Port Royal: he was certainly ill-prepared to go there, in a wretched boat, having food for only eight days, and lacking all other provisions. Father Biard, however, offered to accompany him, because the sieur promised to inquire about and seek news of Father Enemond, of whom we had heard nothing for two months, and who, we greatly feared, had fallen into some trouble or sickness.
Or quoy que si mal prouisionnés, toutesfois nous n'allasmes pas seulement à la Baye des Mines: ains aussi à Chinictou; Champlain [204] appelle ceste Baye, la Baye de Genes. A ce Chinictou y a de fort belles, & grandes prairies à perte de veuë, plusieurs riuieres se deschargent dans ladicte Baye, & par aucunes d'icelles on monte bien haut pour aller à Gachepé. Les Sauuages de cest endroit peuuent monter à [250] soixante, ou quatre vingts ames, & ne sont point si vagabons, que les autres, soit pource que le lieu est plus retiré, soit qu'il est plus abondant en chasse, n'estant point de besoin d'en sortir pour viure. Le pays est pour la pluspart agreable; & à mon aduis, de grande fertilité s'il estoit cultiué. Il est dans le quarente six degré d'eleuation polaire.
Now although so badly provisioned, nevertheless we went not only to the Bay of Mines, but also to Chinictou; Champlain [204] calls this Bay, the Baye de Genes. At this Chinictou there are many large and beautiful meadows, extending farther than the eye can reach; many rivers discharge their waters into it, through some of which one can sail quite far up on the route to Gachepé.[45] The Savages of this place may number sixty or eighty souls, and they are not so nomadic as the others, either because the place is more retired, or because game is more abundant, there being no need of their going out to seek food. The country is, for the most part, agreeable, and, in my opinion, would be very fertile if it were cultivated. It is within the forty-sixth degree of north latitude.
A nostre retour de la dicte Baye Dieu nous preserua euidemment deux fois emmy la tempeste. Et la troisiesme fut celle que [205] ie m'en vais raconter. Nous n'auions apporté que pour huit iours de viures, & ja y en auoit quinze de nostre despart. Le mauuais temps nous tenoit au delà de la Baye des mines, du costé de la riuiere S. Iean, si le contrastre ou contrarieté de vents eust duré, c'en estoit fait, il falloit mourir de faim, car nous n'auions rien. La nuict venuë le P. Biard persuada à la compagnie de faire vn vœu à nostre Seigneur, & à sa benoiste Mere, que s'il leur plaisoit nous donner vent propice, les quatre Sauuages qui estoyent auec nous se feroyent Chrestiens. Les Sauuages en furent bien contans, & ainsi le vœu fut faict. Le matin venu le vent fut esueillé tel qu'il le nous falloit, & à son ayde nous trauersasmes la dicte Baye, qui est de huict lieües de large. Or arriuez à terre du costé de Port Royal [206] le vent nous manqua. Et si auions marée contre nous & quinze lieües iusques à Port Royal.
Upon our return from this Bay, God manifestly preserved us twice in the midst of the tempest. And the third escape is that which [205] I am going to describe. We had carried with us food for only eight days and it had already been fifteen since our departure. Bad weather kept us beyond the Bay of mines, on the St. John river side; and, if the contrary or adverse winds had continued, it would have been all over with us, as we would have had to die of hunger, for we had nothing. When night came, Father Biard persuaded the company to make a vow to our Lord, and to his blessed Mother, that if it pleased them, to send propitious winds, the four Savages who were with us would become Christians. The Savages were willing to do this, and the vow was made. In the morning the wind arose, such a one as we were in need of, and by its aid we crossed the Bay, which is eight leagues wide. Now when we reached shore on the Port Royal side, [206] the wind failed us; also we had the tide against us, and we were fifteen leagues from Port Royal.
A ceste cause le sieur de Biencourt nous quitta, aymant mieux s'en aller à pied auec les Sauuages: Mais il fut trompé, car aussi tost, qu'il nous eust delaissez, le bon temps nous reuint a l'aide duquel, & du bon courage des compagnons, nous arriuasmes ce mesme iour à Port Royal; là où ledit sieur n'y reuint, que [252] trois iours apres ayant prou paty. Or les Sauuages estoyent prests à receuoir le S. Baptesme, mais on n'auoit pas dequoy les nourrir quatre ou cinq iours, qu'il eust fallu pour les Catechiser. Car tout nous manquoit. On les differa iusques à ce que le nauire sut venu qu'on attendoit de iour à autre. Mais l'attente fut vayne, ainsi qu'ouïrez. Et ainsi l'occasion de ce bien se perdit à [207] nostre grand regret.
For this reason sieur de Biencourt left us, preferring to go on foot with the Savages: but he made a mistake, for immediately after his departure, good weather returned, by the aid of which, and owing to the good courage of our companions, we arrived the same day at Port Royal; whereas the sieur did not get there until three days later, after much suffering. Now the Savages were ready to receive Holy Baptism, but there was nothing for them to eat during the four or five days in which they would have to be Catechized. For we were in need of everything. It was put off until the coming of the ship, which was expected from day to day; but the expectation was vain, as you will hear. And thus the opportunity for this good deed was lost, to [207] our great regret.
Or le P. Biard reuenu à la maison comme il estoit bien aise d'auoir si merueilleusement euadé la mort, la faim & les orages; Aussi estoit-il en tristesse fort grande pour n'auoir sceu nouuelles aucunes de son cher Confrere le P. Enemond, qu'il aymoit vniquement. Mais Dieu le resiouyt plenierement ce mesme iour. Car comme si le rendez-vous leur eust esté donné à mesme assignation, il arriua ce mesme iour sur le vespre, sain & sauue, & chargé de merites & bonnes œuures: tant pour auoir beaucoup paty, comme pour auoir mis au Paradis quelques ames, qui estoyent passées aussi tost apres le S. Baptesme. De vray ils eurent tous deux grande occasion de benir d'vn grand cœur leur bon Dieu, & Seigneur, qui les cõsoloit si paternellement, [208] & si oculairement les protegeoit en tout, & par tout.
Now Father Biard, being again at home, although he was very happy at having so wonderfully escaped death, famine, and tempest; nevertheless was exceedingly cast down at not having heard any news of his dear Brother, Father Enemond, for whom he had a singular attachment. But God completely relieved his fears that very day. For, as if the rendezvous had been assigned them at this very place, he arrived the same day, safe and sound, and loaded with merit and good works: as much for having suffered so greatly, as for having placed in Paradise some souls, which had passed away immediately after Holy Baptism. In truth they both had reason to bless with full hearts their good God and Lord, who comforted them like a father, [208] and so visibly protected them in all things, and everywhere.