The same day the Savage Manitougache, otherwise La Nasse, (it is he of whom I wrote to Your Reverence last year, [16] that he wanted to come and settle near us, as he has since done), returning from the bear hunt, came to sup and sleep with us. Having eaten well, he began to laugh and gently strike his naked belly, saying, taponé nikïspoun, "in truth, I am full." This is the way they thank their hosts for the good treatment they have received. When they say nikispoun, "I am full," that is to say that they have been handsomely entertained. He carried with him a great shield, very long and very wide. It easily covered my whole body, and reached from my feet to my chest. They raise it up and entirely cover themselves with it. It is made of one single piece of very light cedar. I do not know how they can plane so large and so wide a plank with their knives; it was a little bent or curved, the better to cover the body; and, in order that [17] if an arrow or blow should split it, it might still hold together, it was sewed at the top and bottom with a leather string. They do not carry these shields upon their arms; they pass the cord which holds them over the right shoulder, protecting the left side, and when they have cast their missile they have only to withdraw the right side to put themselves under cover.
[96] Ie diray icy que les Sauuageais aimẽt fort la sagaimité, le mot de Sagamiteou en leur langue signifie proprement de l'eau, ou du brouët chaud: maintenant ils estendent sa signification à toute sorte de potage, de bouillie, & choses semblables. La sagamité qu'ils aiment beaucoup, est faite de farine de bled d'Inde: au defaut de cette farine nous leur en auõs quelquefois donné de la nostre de France, laquelle estant bouillie auec de l'eau, ne fait que de la colle. Ils ne [18] laissent pas de la manger auec appetit, notamment si on y met vn peu de pimi, c'est à dire de l'huile, c'est leur sucre, ils en mettent dans les fraises & framboises quand ils en mangent, à ce qu'on m'a dict: & leurs plus grãds festins sont de graisse ou d'huile. Ils mordent par fois dans vn morceau de graisse blãche figée comme nous mordrions dans vne pomme: voila leur bonne chere. On m'a dict encor qu'autant qu'on leur apportât des chaudieres de France, ils faisoyent cuire leur chair dans des plats d'escorce, qu'ils appellent ouragana. Ie m'estonnois comme ils pouuoyent faire cela, car il n'y a rien si aisé à bruler que cette escorce. On me respõdit qu'ils mettoyent leur chair & de l'eau dans ces plats, puis qu'ils mettoyẽt cinq ou six pierres dans le feu, & quand l'vne estoit toute bruslante, ils la iettoyent dans ce beau potage, [19] & en la retirant pour la remettre au feu, ils en mettoyẽt vne autre toute rouge en sa place, & ainsi continuoyent ils iusques à ce que leur viãde fût cuite. Pierre le Sauuage, dont ie parleray cy apres, m'a asseuré que quelques-vns ayant perdu ou rompu leur chaudiere, se seruoyent encor de cette ancienne coustume, & que la chair n'estoit point si long temps à cuire qu'on s'imagineroit bien.
I shall say here that the Savages are very fond of sagamité.[28] The word "Sagamiteou" in their language really means water, or warm gruel. Now they have extended its meaning to signify all sorts of soups, broths, and similar things. This "sagamité," of which they are very fond, is made of cornmeal; if they are short of that, we sometimes give them some of our French flour, which, being boiled with water, makes simple paste. They do [18] not fail to eat it with appetite, especially when we place in it a little "pimi;" that is to say, oil, for that is their sugar. They use it with their strawberries and raspberries when they eat them, as I am told, and their greatest feasts are of fat or of oil. They sometimes bite into a piece of solid white grease as we would bite into an apple; this is their high living. I have been told that, before kettles were brought to them from France, they cooked their meat in bark dishes which they called ouragana. I wondered how they could do that, for there is nothing easier to burn than this bark. I was answered that they put their meat and water into these dishes, then they place five or six stones in the fire; and, when one is burning hot, they throw it into this fine soup, [19] and, withdrawing it to place it in the fire again, they put another one which is red-hot in its place, and thus continue until their meat is cooked. Pierre, the Savage, of whom I shall speak hereafter, assured me that some of them, having lost or broken their kettles, still resorted to this old custom, and that it did not take so long to cook the meat as one would imagine.
[98] Le 27. d'Octobre veille de sainct Simon & sainct Iude nous vismes vne eclipse de lune, qui me confirma dans la remarque que ie fis l'an passé que vous auiez en France le iour six heures & vn peu dauantage, plustost que noꝰ: car l'Almanach disoit que cette eclipse deuoit arriuer en France sur la minuict, & nous la vîmes sur les six heures du soir; dont ie conclus que la difference du commencement de nos iours & de nos nuicts [20] est de six heures: si bien que maintenant vous estes dans la profondeur de la nuict au temps que i'escris cecy sur les six heures du soir.
On the 27th of October, the eve of saint Simon and saint Jude, we saw an eclipse of the moon, which confirmed the observations which I made last year, that in France it is daylight a little over six hours sooner than it is here. For the Almanac had announced that the eclipse would commence at midnight in France, and we saw it about six o'clock in the evening. Therefore I concluded that the difference in the beginning of our days and our nights [20] is six hours; so that now you are in the middle of night, while I am writing this about six o'clock in the evening.
Le 28e quelques chasseurs François retournans des isles qui sont dãs le grand fleuue S. Laurens nous dirẽt qu'il y auoit du gibier à foison, des outardes, des oyes, des canards, des sarcelles, & autres oyseaux. Ils nous asseurerent encore qu'il y auoit des pommes dans ces isles, fort douces, mais fort petites, & qu'ils auoyent mangé des prunes qui ne cederoient point à nos abricots de France si ces arbres estoient cultiuez. Les Sauuages gastent tout, car rencontrans vn arbre fruictier, ils l'abbattent pour auoir le fruict.
On the 28th, some French hunters, returning from the islands which are in the great St. Lawrence river, told us that game swarmed there; bustards, geese, ducks, teal, and other birds. They assured us also that there were apples in those islands, very sweet but very small; and that they had eaten plums which would not be in any way inferior to our apricots in France if the tree were cultivated. The Savages spoil everything, for, when they come to a fruit tree, they cut it down to get the fruit.
Le 31. vn Sauuage surnommé Brehault, pource qu'il parloit fort haut, reuenant de la chasse demãda le couuert chez nous pour vne nuict, & à [21] souper par consequent. On luy donna des pois, & à ses deux enfans qui l'accompagnoyent: il mangeoit auec si grand appetit, que pour exploitter dauãtage il quitta vne cueiller d'estain qu'on luy auoit presentée, & prit la grande cueiller du pot, s'en seruant pour manger: Et pource que le plat n'estoit pas assez profond il puisoit dans la marmite, de laquelle il se seruoit pour écuelle, sans garder autre ciuilité que celle que son [100]grand appetit luy fournissoit. Ie le laissay faire quelque temps. Apres qu'il eut bien mangé, il s'en va prendre de l'eau auec la mesme cueiller du pot, beuuant cela auec plaisir, & reiettant son reste dans le seau. voila toute l'honnestete qu'ils sçauent.
On the 31st, a Savage, surnamed Brehault on account of his loud voice, in coming back from the hunt asked us for a night's lodging and consequently for his supper. We gave peas both to him and to his two children who were with him. He ate so ravenously, that to make the best of the occasion, he threw aside the pewter spoon that had been given to him, and took the great pot-ladle to eat with; and, as his dish was not big enough, he dipped into the saucepan, and even used it as a ladle, observing no other law of politeness than what his great appetite suggested to him. I let him go on for some time. After he had eaten well, he dipped some water out with the same pot-ladle, drinking it with great relish and throwing back into the pail what was left. This is all the manners they have.
I'en ay veu quantité d'autres cherchans quelque chose pour puiser de l'eau, prendre vn petit poeslon, dont le dessous est comme celuy d'vne [22] marmite, & boire brauement auec cela, & auec autant de contentement qu'on boiroit en Frãce d'vn vin fort excellent dans vn verre de crystal: les vaisseaux les plus gras leur sõt les plus agreables, pource qu'il n'y a rien qu'ils aiment tant que la graisse, ils boiuent chaud ordinairement, & mangent à terre: ceux qui maintenant nous cognoissent ne font plus ces grosses inciulitez deuant nous.