WE have heretofore explained the necessity which was urging sieur de Potrincourt to send his people back to France without delay. Now he wished to take them there himself, to more efficiently arrange all the affairs and especially to procure an immediate supply of provisions: for unless he did this, those whom he was leaving at Port Royal would be without means of passing the Winter, in evident danger of being carried off by famine. For this reason then, he departed about the middle of July of the same year, 1611, and arrived in France at the end of the following month of [150] August; he left his son, sieur de Biencourt, in his place, with twenty-two persons, counting the two Jesuits, who, seeing that for the conversion of the Pagans the language of the country was absolutely necessary, resolved to apply themselves to it with all diligence. But it would be hard to understand the great difficulties which they here encountered: the principal one being, that they had neither interpreter nor teacher. To be sure sieur de Biencourt, and some of the others, knew a little of it very well, enough for trade and ordinary affairs; but when there was a question of speaking about God and religious matters, there was the difficulty, there, the "not understand." Therefore, they were obliged to learn the language by themselves, inquiring of the savages how they called each thing. And the task was not so very wearisome as long [151] as what was asked about could be touched or seen: a stone, a river, a house; to strike, to jump, to laugh, to sit down. But when it came to internal and spiritual acts, which cannot be demonstrated to the senses, and in regard to words which are called abstract and universal, such as, to believe, to doubt, to hope, to discourse, to apprehend, an animal, a body, a substance, a spirit, virtue, vice, sin, reason, justice, etc.,—for these things they had to labor and sweat; in these were the pains of travail. They did not know by what route to reach them, although they tried more than a hundred; there were no gestures which would sufficiently express their ideas, not if they would use ten thousand of them. Meanwhile our gentlemen Savages, to pass away the time, made abundant sport of their pupils, always telling them a lot of [152] nonsense. And yet if you wanted to take advantage of this fun, if you had your paper and pencil ready to write, you had to set before them a full plate with a napkin underneath. For to such tripods do good oracles yield; without this incentive, both Apollo and Mercury would fail them; as it was, they even became angry and went away, if we wished to detain them a little. What would you have done under the circumstances? For in truth, this work cannot be understood except by those who have tried it. Besides, as these Savages have no formulated Religion, government, towns, nor trades, so the words and proper phrases for all those things are lacking; Holy, Blessed, Angel, Grace, Mystery, Sacrament, Temptation, Faith, Law, Prudence, Subjection, Authority, etc. Where will [153] you get all these things that they lack? Or, how will you do without them? O God, with what ease we make our plans in France! And the beauty of it is, that, after having racked our brains by dint of questions and researches, and after thinking that we have at last found the philosopher's stone, we find only that a ghost has been taken for a body, a shadow for a substance, and that all this precious Elixir has gone up in smoke! They often ridiculed, instead of teaching us, and sometimes palmed off on us indecent words, which we went about innocently preaching for beautiful sentences from the Gospels. God knows who were the instigators of such sacrileges.
Vn expedient se presenta aux Iesuites pour se depestrer heureusement [154] de ces embroüillements, & entraues. C'estoit d'aller trouuer le ieune du Pont duquel on apportoit nouuelle, qu'il s'estoit resolu d'hyuerner à la riuiere S. Ieã, à quelques dix-huict, où vingt lieuës de Port Royal. Car d'autãt que ledit du Pont auoit ja long temps vescu au pays, & mesmes à la Syluatique parmy les Originaires, on disoit de luy, qu'il entendoit fort biẽ la lãgue. Et ne falloit point douter, qu'au moins il sçauroit propremẽt expliquer les demandes pour tirer des sauuages la response à propos: ce qui estoit necessaire pour coucher par escrit vn petit Catechisme, & instruction Chrestienne. Le P. Biard donc se resolut d'aller chercher ledit du Pont, se determinant de plustost passer la Baye Françoise dans vn cauot, deuant que de ne se seruir de ceste occasion de bien faire. [155] Mais le sieur de Biencourt s'opposa fort à ceste deliberation, entrant à ceste occasion en de grãds ombrages, ausquels il fallut ceder, pour auoir paix.
An expedient presented itself to the Jesuits, by which they could extricate themselves happily [154] from these perplexities and obstacles. It was to go and find young du Pont, who, we had heard, had made up his mind to pass the winter on the St. John river, some eighteen or twenty leagues from Port Royal. For since this du Pont had already lived a long time in the country, even leading the life of a Sylvan among the Natives, it was said of him that he understood the language very well, and there was no doubt that he could at least properly explain the questions so as to get from the savages suitable answers; these were necessary in order to write down a little Catechism, and some Christian instruction. Father Biard then decided to go and look for du Pont, deciding to cross French Bay in a canoe, rather than not to avail himself of this opportunity of doing good. [155] But sieur de Biencourt was very much opposed to this decision, taking great offense at it; and we had to yield to him, to have peace.
CHAPITRE XVII. [i.e., xvi.]
VN VOYAGE FAICT À LA RIUIERE DE S. CROIX, & LA MORT DU SAGAMO MEMBERTOU.
[198] SVR la fin du moys d'Aoust de la mesme année 1611. le sieur de Biencourt ayant eu nouuelles, que le nauire du Capitaine Plastrier de la ville de Honfleur faisoit pescherie au Port aux Coquilles, à vingt vne lieuë de Port Royal vers l'Ouest: il se delibera de l'aller trouuer, à celle fin de luy recommander vn de ses gens, qu'il renuoyoit en France auec lettres, [156] pour presser le secours attendu, & representer l'estat pitoyable auquel on estoit. Le P. Biard l'accompagna; & ils rencontrerent ce nauire tant à propos, que s'ils eussent tardé d'vn demy quart d'heure, la commodité en estoit perduë: car ja il faisoit voyle pour reuenir en France. Estans dedans, nous apprinsmes que le Capitaine Platrier s'estoit resolu de passer l'Hyuer en l'Isle saincte Croix, & qu'il y estoit resté luy cinquiesme. Ceste nouuelle fit prendre resolution au sieur de Biencourt d'aller à Saincte Croix de ceste mesme tirade, auant que le Capitaine Platrier eust moyẽ de se fortifier: car il vouloit tirer de luy le Quint de toutes ses marchandises, & traicte, parce qu'il hyuernoit sur le pays. L'Isle Saincte Croix est à six lieües du Port aux Coquilles, au milieu d'vne riuiere.
CHAPTER XVII. [i.e., xvi.]
A VOYAGE MADE TO THE STE. CROIX RIVER, AND THE DEATH OF THE SAGAMORE, MEMBERTOU.
TOWARD the end of the month of August of the same year, 1611, sieur de Biencourt having heard that the ship of Captain Plastrier, from the town of Honfleur, was engaged in fishing at the Port aux Coquilles,[36] twenty-one leagues Westward from Port Royal, decided to go and find him, to recommend to him one of his men, whom he wished to send back to France with letters, [156] to urge the expected help, and to represent their pitiable condition. Father Biard accompanied him, and they encountered this ship so opportunely, that if they had been eight minutes later, their chance would have been lost; for already it was unfurling its sails to return to France. When we had boarded it, we learned that Captain Platrier had decided to pass the Winter on the Island of sainte Croix, and that he [Sieur de Biencourt] would get his fifth therefrom. This news made sieur de Biencourt resolve to go to Sainte Croix at once, before Captain Platrier had means of fortifying himself: for he wished to collect from him the Fifth of all his merchandise and trade, for wintering in the country. The Island of Sainte Croix is six leagues from Port aux Coquilles, in the middle of a river.