La veille de nostre depart de Tadoussac, vindrent nouuelles que les prisonniers Hiroquois auoient esté mis à mort à Kebec, & que ceux de Tadoussac deuoient le lendemain passer le pas: ie me remets à [46]plaider leur cause, & promets de donner ce qu'il faudroit pour les nourrir passant en France, voire de trouuer personnes qui les receuroiẽt si tost qu'ils y seroient arriuez; ie me confiois en la charité de plusieurs honnestes personnes qui n'auroient pas refusé vne aumosne pour racheter les corps de ces miserables des supplices qu'ils ont enduré, & leur ame de la damnation eternelle. I'aborde donc monsieur [41] du Plessis nostre Lieutenant, ie luy fay apprehender l'affaire. On fait des aumosnes en France pour retirer des emprisonnez pour des debtes, & pourquoy ne trauaillera-on point pour ces pauures esclaues de Satan? Ie luy fay mes offres, que nous donnerions tout ce que nous pourrions: il embrasse l'affaire, & la propose le soir entre ceux qui mangeoient en la table de nostre Capitaine: on repart qu'il faudroit de grands presens pour leur sauuer la vie, monsieur du Plessis dit qu'on donneroit ce qu'on pourroit, & qu'au reste il ne faudroit pas grande chose, qu'on pourroit demander ces trois prisonniers Hiroquois comme en eschange d'vn François qu'ils ont tué il y a quelques années, ou à tout le moins en demander deux, & qu'asseurément on les auroit: le truchement qui leur auoir parlé m'auoit asseuré que la chose estoit [42] facile: là dessus on forme mille difficultez, & l'vn de la compagnie s'écria qu'il falloit qu'ils mourussent, qu'il les estrangleroit plustost, que c'estoient des coquins, & que parlãt à vn Sauuage de Kebec il luy auoit dõné aduis de les faire mourir. Si la mort de ces miserables apportoit quelque profit à la traicte des peaux, qu'on vient faire en ce païs cy, ce zele de mort auroit quelque couleur; mais leur vie & leur mort ne fait rien pour la traicte. O qu'il importe beaucoup de bien choisir les personnes qu'on [48] enuoye en ce païs cy! Il est vray que monsieur Emery de Caën n'approuua point cette cruauté. Quoy que ç'en soit le vent nous estant fauorable le iour suiuant nous fimes voile, & laissames-là ces trois pauures abandonnez entre les mains de leurs ennemis, qui en traitterent deux d'vn horible façon, car ils n'ont point tué [43] le plus ieune à ce qu'on nous a dit.
On the eve of our departure from Tadoussac, news came that the Hiroquois prisoners had been put to death at Kebec, and that those at Tadoussac must share the same fate the next day. I undertook to plead their cause, and promised to give what would be necessary to feed them during their passage to France, even to find some one to receive them as soon as they would reach there. I trusted to the charity of many good people who would not withhold alms to rescue the bodies of these poor creatures from the sufferings they endured, and their souls from eternal damnation. So I approached monsieur [41] du Plessis, our Lieutenant, and explained the situation to him. Alms are given in France to restore men to liberty who are imprisoned for debt, and why should not something be done for these poor slaves of Satan? I promised him that we would give all that we could. He took up the subject, and in the evening presented it to those who ate at our Captain's table. They answered that it would require large gifts to save their lives. Monsieur du Plessis said that they [the French] would give what they could, and that, besides, large gifts were unnecessary, as the three Hiroquois prisoners could be demanded in exchange for one Frenchman who had been killed a few years ago, or at least two could be demanded, and they would be surely given up. The interpreter who had talked to them assured me that it was an easy [42] matter. Thereupon a thousand objections were urged, and one of the company cried out that the captives ought to die; that he would rather strangle them, that they were rascals, and that in talking to a Savage in Kebec, he [the Savage] had advised him to have them killed. If the death of these poor wretches brought profits to the fur trade which people come here to carry on, there would be some reason for this eagerness for their death; but neither their life nor their death could affect it. Oh, how important it is that those sent to this country should be carefully chosen! It is true that monsieur Emery de Caën did not approve of this cruelty. However, the wind being favorable to us on the following day, we spread our sails, and left these poor abandoned creatures there in the hands of their enemies, who disposed of two of them in a horrible manner, for, as we were told, [43] they did not kill the youngest.
Arriuez que nous fumes à Kebec on nous raconta la mort de six prisonniers que les Sauuages tenoient, laquelle est arriuée pour l'yurongnerie que les Europeans ont icy apporté. Le Ministre Anglois, qui au reste n'estoit point de la mesme Religion que ses oüailles, car il estoit Protestãt ou Lutherien, les Kers sont Caluinistes, ou de quelque autre Religion plus libertine, aussi ont-ils tenu six mois en prison ce pauure Ministre dedans nostre maison: lequel m'a raconté que les Montagnards vouloient traitter la paix auec les Hiroquois, & que celuy qui tenoit les prisonniers luy auoit promis qu'on ne les feroit point mourir: neantmoins ce miserable estant yure d'eau de vie, qu'il auoit traitté auec les Anglois pour des Castors, appella son frere, & luy commanda d'aller donner vn [44] coup de cousteau à l'vn des Hiroquois & le tuer, ce qu'il fit. Voyla les pensées de la paix euanoüies; on parle de la mort des autres. Le Ministre entendant cela dit à ce Sauuage qu'il n'auoit point tenu sa parole faisant mourir ce prisonnier. C'est toy, répond le Sauuage, & les tiens qui l'ont tué, car si tu ne nous donnois point d'eau de vie, ny de vin, nous ne ferions point cela. Et de fait depuis que ie suis icy ie n'ay veu que des Sauuages yures, on les entend crier & tempester iour & nuict, ils se battent & [50] se blessent les vns les autres, ils tuent le bestial de madame Hebert: & quand ils sont retournez à leur bon sens, ils vous disent, Ce n'est pas nous qui auons fait cela, mais toy qui nous donne cette boisson: ont ils cuué leur vin, ils sont entr'eux aussi grands amis qu'auparauant, se disans l'vn l'autre tu es mon frere, ie t'ayme, ce n'est pas [45] moy qui t'ay blessé, mais la boisson qui s'est seruy de mon bras. I'en ay veu de tous meurtris par la face; les femmes mesmes s'enyurent, & crient comme des enragées? ie m'attend bien qu'ils tueront l'vn de ces iours quelques François, ce qu'ils ont déja pensé faire, & passé huict heures du matin il ne fait pas bon les aller voir sans armes, quand ils ont du vin. Quelques vns de nos gens y estant allez apres le disner, vn Sauuage les voulut assommer à coups de haches: mais d'autres Sauuages qui n'estoient pas yures vindrent au secours. Quand l'vn d'eux est bien yure, les autres le lient par les pieds & par les bras, s'ils le peuuent attraper. Quelques-vns de leurs Capitaines sont venus prier les François de ne plus traitter d'eau de vie, ny de vin, disans qu'ils seroient cause de la mort de leurs gens. C'est bien le pis quand ils en voyent deuant [46] eux d'autres autant yures qu'ils sçauroient estre. Mais finissons le discours de ces Hiroquois; on fit parler au Capitaine Anglois s'il en vouloit quelquesvns, comme il entendit qu'il falloit faire quelque present, il répondit que non, & qu'ils en fissent ce qu'ils voudroient. Voicy donc comme ils les traitterent.
Upon our arrival in Kebec, we heard of the death of six prisoners held by the Savages, the result of the drunkenness which has been introduced here by the Europeans. The English Clergyman, who was not of the same Faith as his people,—for he was a Protestant or Lutheran, and the Kers are Calvinists or of some other more libertine Religion (they held this poor Minister a prisoner in our house for six months),—told me that the Montagnards wanted to negotiate a peace with the Hiroquois, and that the one who was in charge of the prisoners had promised him that they would not be killed. Nevertheless, this wretch being drunk with brandy, which he had procured from the English in exchange for Beavers, called his brother and commanded him to go and strike [44] one of the Hiroquois with a knife and kill him, which he did. Thus all thoughts of peace vanished. They were talking about killing the others. The Minister, hearing this, said to the Savage that in killing this prisoner he had not kept his word. "It is thou," answered the Savage, "and thine, who killed him; for, if thou hadst not given us brandy or wine, we would not have done it." And, in fact, since I have been here, I have seen only drunken Savages; they are heard shouting and raving day and night, they fight and wound each other, they kill the cattle of madame Hebert; and, when they have returned to their senses, they say to you, "It is not we who did that, but thou who gavest us this drink." When they have slept off their drunkenness, they are as good friends with each other as ever, saying to each other: "Thou art my brother, I love thee; it is not [45] I who wounded thee, but the drink which used my arm." I have seen some of them with very badly bruised faces; even the women get drunk, and shriek like furies. I expect that they will kill some of us French People one of these days, as they have already thought of doing; and after eight o'clock in the morning it is not safe to go to see them without arms, if they have any wine. Some of our men going to see them after dinner, a Savage tried to kill them with his hatchet, but other Savages who were not drunk came to their assistance. When one of them is very drunk, the others tie him by his feet and arms, if they can catch him. Some of their Captains have come to plead with the French not to sell them brandy or wine, saying that they would be the cause of the death of their people. It is by far the worst when they see before [46] them others as drunk as they can be. But let us end the talk about these Hiroquois. The English Captain was asked if he wanted some of them. As he supposed he would have to make them a present, he answered, "no," and said that they might do with them what they pleased. Now this is the way they were treated:
Ils leurs auoient arraché les ongles auec les dents si tost qu'ils furent pris: Ils leurs couperent les doigts le iour de leur supplice, puis leurs lierent les deux bras ensemble par le poignet de la main auec vn cordeau, & deux hommes de part & d'autre, le tiroient [52] tant qu'ils pouuoient, ce cordeau entroit dans la chair & brisoit les os de ces pauures miserables, qui crioient horriblement. Ayans les mains ainsi accommodées on les attacha à des potteaux, & les filles & les femmes donnoient des presents aux hommes [47] à fin qu'ils les laissassent tourmenter à leur gré ces pauures victimes. Ie n'assistay point à ce supplice, ie n'aurois peu supporter cette cruauté diabolique; mais ceux qui estoient presens me dirent, si tost que nous fumes arriuez, qu'ils n'auoient iamais veu rien de semblable. Vous eussiez veu ces femmes enragées, crians, hurlans, leur appliquer des feux aux parties les plus sensibles, & les plus vergogneuses, les picquer auec des aleines, les mordre à belle dents, comme des furies, leurs fendre la chair auec des cousteaux; bref exercer tout ce que la rage peut suggerer à vne femme. Elles iettoient sur eux du feu, des cendres bruslantes, du sable tout ardent, & quand les suppliciez iettoiẽt quelques cris, tous les autres crioient encor plus fort, à fin qu'on n'entendit point leurs gemissemens, & qu'on ne fut touché de compassion. On leur [48] couppa le haut du front auec vn cousteau, puis on enleua la peau de leur teste, & ietta-on du sable ardent sur le test découuert. Maintenant il y a des Sauuages qui portent ces peaux couuertes de leurs cheueux & moustaches par brauade; on voit encor plus de deux cent coups d'aleines dans ces peaux: bref ils exercerent sur eux toutes les cruautez que i'ay dit cy dessus parlant de ce que i'auois veu à Tadoussac, & plusieurs autres, dont ie ne me souuiens pas maintenant. Quand on leur represente que ces cruautez sont horribles & indignes d'vn homme, ils répondent, Tu n'as point de courage de laisser viure tes ennemis, quand les Hiroquois nous [54] prennent, ils nous en font encor pis, voyla pourquoy nous les traittons le plus mal qu'il nous est possible. Ils firent mourir vn Sagamo Hiroquois, homme puissant & courageux, il chantoit [49] dans ses tourmens. Quand on luy vint dire qu'il falloit mourir: il dit, comme tout ioyeux, Allons i'en suis content, i'ay pris quantité de Montagnards, mes amis en prendront encor, & vengeront bien ma mort. Là dessus il se mit à raconter ses proüesses, & dire adieu à ses parents, ses amis, & aux alliez de sa nation, au Capitaine Flamand qui va traicter des peaux au païs des Hiroquois par la merd du Nord. Apres qu'on luy eut coupé les doits, brisé les os des bras, arraché la peau de la teste, qu'on l'eut rosty & bruslé de tous costez, on le détacha, & ce pauure miserable s'en courut droit à la riuiere, qui n'estoit pas loin de là, pour se rafraischir: ils le reprirent, luy firent encor endurer le feu vne autrefois, il estoit tout noir, tout grillé, la graisse fondoit & sortoit de son corps, & auec tout cela il s'enfuit encor pour la seconde fois, & [50] l'ayans repris, ils le bruslerent pour la troisiesme; en fin il mourut dans ces tourmens: comme ils le voyoient tomber, ils luy ouurirent la poitrine, luy arrachant le cœur, & le donnant à manger à leurs petits enfans, le reste estoit pour eux. Voyla vne estrange barbarie. Maintenant ces pauures miserables sont en crainte, car les Hiroquois sont tous les iours aux aguets pour surprendre les Montagnards, & leur en faire autant. C'est pourquoy nostre Capitaine voulant enuoyer quelqu'vn aux Hurõs, n'a iamais peu trouuer aucun Sauuage qui y voulût aller. C'est assez parlé de leur cruauté; disons deux mots de leur simplicité. Vn Sauuage venant voir cét hyuer le Capitaine Anglois, & voyant que tout estoit couuert [56] de neige, eut compassion de son frere qui est enterré aupres de l'habitation des Frãçois; voyla pourquoy [51] il luy dit, Monsieur vous n'auez point pitié de mon pauure frere, l'air est si beau, & le Soleil si chaud, & neantmoins vous ne faites point oster la neige de dessus sa fosse pour le réchauffer vn petit. On eut beau luy dire que les corps morts n'auoient aucun sentiment, il fallut découurir cette fosse pour le contenter.
They had pulled out their nails with their teeth as soon as they were taken. They cut their fingers off on the day of their torture; then they tied their two arms together at the wrist with a cord, and two men pulled it as hard as they, could at both ends, the cord entering into the flesh and breaking the bones of these poor, wretches, who cried out in a horrible manner. Thus having their hands tied, they were bound to posts, and the girls and women gave presents to the men [47] to be allowed to torment the poor victims to their heart's content. I did not remain during this torture, I could not have endured such diabolical cruelty; but those who were present told me, as soon as we arrived, that they had never seen anything like it. "You should have seen those furious women," they said, "howling, yelling, applying the fire to the most sensitive and private parts of the body, pricking them with awls, biting them with savage glee, laying open their flesh with knives; in short, doing everything that madness can suggest to a woman. They threw fire upon them, burning coals, hot sand; and, when the sufferers cried out, all the others cried still louder, in order that the groans should not be heard, and that no one might be touched with pity. The upper [48] part of their forehead was cut with a knife, then the scalp was raised, and hot sand thrown upon the exposed part." Now there are some Savages who wear, through bravado, these scalps covered with hair and moustaches.[14] One can still see over two hundred dents made by the awls in these scalps. In short, they practiced upon them all the cruelties that I have above related in speaking of what I had seen at Tadoussac, and many others, which do not occur to me at present. When they are told that these cruelties are horrible and unworthy of a man, they answer you: "Thou hast no courage in allowing thine enemies to live; when the Hiroquois capture us, they do still worse; this is why we treat them as cruelly as we can." They killed an Hiroquois Sagamore, a powerful and courageous man who sang [49] while being tortured. When he was told that he must die, he said, as if overjoyed, "Good, I am very much pleased; I have taken a great many of the Montagnards, my friends will take still more of them, and they will avenge my death." Thereupon he began to tell about his prowess, and to say farewell to his relatives, to his friends and to the allies of his tribe, to the Flemish Captain who goes to trade for furs in the country of the Hiroquois by the Northern sea. After they had cut off his fingers, broken the bones of his arms, torn the scalp from his head, and had roasted and burned him on all sides, he was untied and the poor creature ran straight to the river, which was not far from there, to refresh himself. They captured him again, and made him endure the fire still another time; he was blackened, completely scorched, and the grease melted and oozed out of his body, yet with all this he ran away again for a second time, but, [50] having captured him again, they burned him a third time; at last he died during these tortures. When they saw him fall, they opened his chest, pulled out his heart and gave it to the little children to eat; the rest was for them. This is a very strange species of barbarism. Now these poor wretches live in fear because the Hiroquois are always on the watch for the Montagnards to do as much for them. That is why our Captain, wishing to send some one to the Hurons, could never find any Savage who would go. This is enough about their cruelty; let us say a few words about their simplicity. A Savage coming to see the English Captain this winter, and seeing that everything was covered with snow, felt compassion for his brother who was buried near the French settlement. Hence [51] he said to the Captain: "Monsieur, you have no pity for my poor brother; the air is so beautiful and the Sun so warm, but nevertheless you do not have the snow taken off his grave to warm him a little." It was in vain that he was told that dead bodies have no feeling; it was necessary to clear away the snow from the grave to satisfy him.
Vn autre assistant aux Litanies que disoient quelques François, & entendant qu'on disoit souuent ces paroles, ora pro nobis, comme il ne les entendoit pas bien prononcer, il croyoit qu'on disoit, carocana ouabis, c'est à dire du pain blanc, il s'estonnoit que si souuent on reïterast ces paroles, carocana ouabis, du pain blãc, du pain blanc, &c. Ils croyent que le tonnerre est vn oyseau, & vn Sauuage demandoit vn iour à vn François si on n'en prenoit point en France, luy ayant dit qu'ouy il le supplia de [52] luy en apporter vn, mais fort petit; il craignoit qu'il ne l'espouuantast s'il eust esté grand.
Another who was present at the Litanies repeated by some Frenchmen, hearing the frequent use of the words ora pro nobis, and not hearing the pronunciation distinctly, thought they said carocana ouabis, that is to say, "white bread;" he was astonished that they should so often repeat the words carocana ouabis, "white bread, white bread," etc. They believe that the thunder is a bird, and a Savage one day asked a Frenchman if they did not capture them in France; having told him yes, he begged him to [52] bring him one, but a very little one; he feared that it would frighten him if it were large.
Voicy vne chose qui m'a consolé, vn certain Sauuage nommé la Nasse, qui demeuroit auprés de nos Peres, & cultiuoit la terre; voyant que les Anglois le molestoient, s'estoit retiré dans des Isles où il auoit continué à cultiuer la terre; entendant que nous estions de retour, nous est venu voir, & nous a promis qu'il reuiendra à se cabaner aupres de nous, qu'il nous donnera son petit fils; ce sera nostre premier pensionnaire, nous luy apprendrons à lire, & à escrire; ce bon homme dit que les Sauuages ne font pas bien, qu'il veut estre nostre frere, & viure comme nous; madame Hebert nous a dit qu'il y a long temps qu'il souhaittoit nostre retour.
Here is something that has consoled me: A certain Savage named la Nasse, who lived near our Fathers and cultivated the land, seeing that the English molested him, withdrew to the Islands, where he continued to cultivate the land; hearing that we had returned, he came to see us and has promised that he will come back and build his cabin near us, and that he will give us his little boy. This will be our first pupil; we shall teach him to read and write. This good man told us that the Savages do not act right; that he wished to be our brother, and live as we do. Madame Hebert told us that he has wished for our return for a long time.