In the afternoon Father Biard asked leave to go and find du Pont, with sieur de Biencourt's promise that he would receive nothing but good treatment. But when the said Father had gone a quarter of a league, the said du Pont came up of his own accord, and all disturbances were quieted. Sieur de Biencourt borrowed [174] Merveille's barque, and took it away with him, together with one of the Maloüins, who afterwards died at Port Royal.
CHAPITRE XXI. [i.e., xviii.]
LE VOYAGE DE QUINIBEQUI, & LE RETOUR À PORT ROYAL.
[218] NOVS auons remarqué peu au parauant, que ce voyage à la riuiere S. Iean, n'estoit qu'vn destour du plus grand entreprins aux Armouchiquois pour auoir du bled. Comme donc nous eussions ainsi transigé auec les Maloüins, nous mismes la voile au vent, prenants la route des Armouchiquois. Auant que partir, le sieur du Pont & Merueille prierent le P. Biard de vouloir demeurer auec eux; mais il leur respondit, [175] que pour lors il ne le pouuoit faire, d'autant que ce ne luy seroit point beau de quitter le sieur de Biencourt en vn voyage tant perilleux: Et qu'il importoit à sa charge de recognoistre les gens, & disposition des lieux; & peu à peu domestiquer le sens des Sauuages à la veuë, vs, & façon du Christianisme, les visitant, & leur en donnant quelq; goust de pieté, bien que ce ne fust qu'en passant. Mais qu'il esperoit auec la benediction de Dieu, le voyage accomply de venir passer l'Hyuer auec eux: & auec leur ayde composer son Catechisme. A quoy il pria le sieur du Pont de se preparer, s'enquerant des Sauuages de la proprieté des mots, qui peuuent correspõdre à ceux de nostre langue, & Religion. Et à fin qu'il le peust faire commodément, il luy laissa vne explication bien ample des [176] principaux articles de nostre saincte Foy.
CHAPTER XXI. [i.e., xviii.]
THE VOYAGE TO QUINIBEQUI, AND THE RETURN TO PORT ROYAL.
WE remarked a little while ago that this visit to St. John river was only a diversion from the greater expedition to the Armouchiquois to get some corn. Now when we had thus come to terms with the Maloüins, we unfurled our sails to the wind and turned towards the land of the Armouchiquois. Before departing, sieur du Pont and Merveille begged Father Biard to consent to remain with them; but he answered [175] that for the present he could not do it, as it would not be right to leave sieur de Biencourt in such a dangerous voyage; and that it was important to him in his mission to study the people and location of the places, and, little by little, to familiarize the minds of the Savages with the sight, uses, and ways of Christianity, visiting them and giving them some taste of piety, although it might be only in passing by. But that he hoped, with God's blessing, when this journey was over, to come and pass the Winter with them, and with their aid to compose his Catechism. For this he begged sieur du Pont to prepare himself, questioning the Savages about the fitness of words which might correspond to those of our language and Religion. And in order that he might be able to do it properly, he left him quite an ample explanation of the [176] principal articles of our holy Faith.
[220] Nous arriuasmes à Kinibequi sur la fin d'Octobre. Kinibequi est vne riuiere proche des Armouchiquoys à quarante trois degrez, & deux tiers d'eleuation, & au Suroüest de Port Royal, à soixante dix lieües, ou enuiron. Elle a deux emboucheures bien grandes, distantes l'vne de l'autre au moins deux lieües, elle a aussi plusieurs bras, & Isles, qui la decoupent. Au reste, belle & grande riuiere, mais nous n'y vismes point de bonnes terres, non plus qu'à la riuiere S. Iean. On dit toutesfois qu'en haut, loin de la mer, elles y sont fort belles, & le sejour aggreable, & que les peuples y labourent. Nous ne montasmes pas plus auant de trois lieües, nous tournoyames par tant de vireuoltes, & sautames tant de precipices, [177] que grand miracle de Dieu fut que ne perismes plusieurs fois. Aucuns de nos gens s'escrierent par deux diuerses fois, que nous estions perdus; mais ils crierent auant le temps; Nostre Seigneur en soit beny. Les Sauuages nous emmielloyent de l'esperance d'auoir du bled; puis ils changerent la promesse du bled en trocque de castors.
We arrived at Kinibequi[41] towards the end of October. Kinibequi is a river near the Armouchiquois, in latitude forty-three and two-thirds degrees, and Southwest of Port Royal about seventy leagues or thereabouts. It has two quite large mouths, one distant from the other at least two leagues; it is also cut up by numerous arms and branches. Besides, it is a great and beautiful river; but we did not see good soil there any more than at the St. John river. They say, however, that farther up, away from the sea, the country is very fine and life there agreeable, and that the people till the soil. We did not go farther up than three leagues; we whirled about through so many eddies, and shot over so many precipices, [177] that several times it was a great miracle of God that we did not perish. Some of our crew cried out at two different times that we were lost: but they cried too soon, blessed be Our Lord. The Savages cajoled us with the hope of getting corn; then they changed their promise of corn to that of trade in beaver skins.