But to return to our Savage; I asked him if it would be necessary to execute [84] my dream, in case I had dreamed that I should kill him. He replied that his son-in-law's dream was not bad; and just as he believed us when we told him something, or when we showed him a picture, so likewise we ought to believe him when he told us something that was accepted by his people. More than that, he was astonished that we, who did not use tobacco, liked it so much. Finally, we found it necessary to give him some, taking good care to make him understand that it was not in consideration of his dream, and that we would refuse him whatever he asked under that pretext. He said he would no longer believe in such fancies, but that his son-in-law could do as he liked. This superstition is too deeply implanted in his mind for him to give it up so easily.
Le 21. du mesme, ie baptisay vn [85] petit Sauuage agé d'enuiron 3 ans, frappé d'vne maladie mortelle: & voyant qu'il estoit en danger de mourir dans les bois, sa grand'mere le traisnant auec soy de part & d'autre, nous luy demandasmes au cas qu'il guerit, si elle ne voudroit pas bien nous le donner pour le nourrir & l'instruire: Elle respondit que s'il n'estoit si malade, qu'elle nous le dõneroit dés lors. Ses parents y consentirent: ce qui nous fit resoudre à le baptiser. Nostre Pierre luy donna son nom: ce pauure enfant pourra traisner quelques années, mais il n'y a gueres d'esperance qu'il puisse iamais recouurer sa santé.
On the 21st of the same [month], I baptized a [85] little Savage about three years old, stricken with a fatal disease; and, seeing that he was in danger of dying in the woods, his grandmother had dragged him about with her from one place to another; we asked her, if he should recover, if she would not like to give him to us, to care for and teach. She answered that, if he were not so sick, she would give him to us at once. His parents consented, so we resolved to baptize him. Our Pierre gave him his name. This poor child may drag on a few years, but there is hardly a hope that he will ever recover his health.
Sur la fin de Ianuier, le fils & les gendres de nostre Sauuage estans vers le Cap de Tourmẽte, manderẽt à leur pere, qui estoit cabané aupres de nous, qu'il y auoit bonne chasse en ce quartier là: Il s'y en alla auec [86] le reste de sa famille: puis nous retournant voir, il nous dit que si nous l'aimions nous l'allassions visiter en sa cabane, qu'il nous donneroit de la chair d'Eslan: Vous m'auez, disoit-il, donné de vos biens quand i'auois faim: mes gens croiront que vous estes faschez cōtre moy si vous ne nous venez pas voir. Il nous donna nouuelle que le Sauuage Brehaut estoit mort, & qu'il auoit laissé deux enfans, vn garçon & vne petite fille. Or comme nous disirerions bien d'en enuoyer quelques-vns en France pour les faire instruire, afin qu'ils peussent par apres secourir leur nation, le Pere de Nouë prit resolution de suiure ce bon Sauuage, ce ne fut pas sans peine, voicy les particularitez de son voyage. Les hostelleries qu'on [164] trouue en chemin sont les bois mesmes: à l'entrée de la nuict on s'arreste pour cabaner; chacun [87] desfait ses raquettes, desquelles on se sert comme de pesle pour vuider la neige de la place où on veut coucher. La place nette, & faite en rond ordinairement, on fait du feu tout au bien milieu, & tous les hostes s'assient à l'entour, estans abriez par le dos d'vne muraille de neige, ayans le Ciel pour couuerture de la maison. Le vin de ceste hostellerie c'est l'eau de neige fonduë dans vne petite chaudiere qu'on porte auec soy, si on ne veut manger la neige pour boisson: Les meilleurs mets sont vn peu d'anguille boucanée. Comme il faut porter sa couuerture auec soy pour se couurir la nuict, on ne se charge que le moins qu'õ peut d'autres choses.
Toward the end of January the son and the sons-in-law of our Savage, being near Cape de Tourmente, told their father, who was settled near us, that there was good hunting in that quarter. He went there with [86] the rest of his family. Then, coming back to see us, he said that if we loved him, we would go to visit him in his cabin, and he would give us some Venison. "You have given me," said he, "of your store when I was hungry; my people will think you are very angry with me, if you do not come to see us." He brought us news that the Savage, Brehault, was dead; and that he had left two children, a boy and a little girl. Now as we desired very much to send some children to France to have them educated, that they might afterward help their people, Father de Nouë made up his mind to follow this good Savage, a journey not without difficulties. Here are the particulars thereof: The inns found on the way are the woods themselves, where at nightfall they stop to camp; each [87] one unfastens his snowshoes, which are used as shovels in cleaning the snow from the place where they are going to sleep. The place cleaned is usually made in the form of a circle; a fire is made in the very middle of it, and all the guests seat themselves around it, having a wall of snow behind them, and the Sky for a roof. The wine of this inn is snow, melted in a little kettle which they carry with them, provided they do not wish to eat snow in lieu of drink. Their best dish is smoked eel. As they must carry their blankets with them for cover at night, they load themselves with as few other things as possible.
Le Pere estant arriué dans la cabane, on ne scauoit quelle chere luy faire: Il n'y a point icy de complimens, on ne dit ny bon iour, ny [88] bon soir. Tout leur tesmoignage de resioüyssance ou action de graces consiste en ceste aspiration, Ho! ho! ho! ho! &c. On saluë icy le monde par effects. Aussi-tost chacun se met en deuoir, l'vn met de l'eau dans la chaudiere, ou plustost de la neige; l'autre la met sur le feu; l'autre iette dedans de grandes pieces de chair d'Eslan, sans la lauer de peur de perdre la graisse; cela estant cuit à demy, on le retire pour en remettre d'autre. Comme on estoit en cet exercice, voicy l'vn des gendres de la Nasse qui reuient de la chasse, apportant deux Castors: aussi-tost en tesmoignage de resioüyssance de la venuë du Pere, il les met en pieces, & les iette dans la chaudiere. Vn autre luy fait present d'vn ieune Castor fort delicat, mais auec prieres qu'on se donnast bien garde de donner les os [166] aux chiens, autrement ils croient [89] qu'ils n'en prendroient plus: ils bruslent ces os fort soigneusement, si les chiens les mangeoient, la chasse ne vaudroit plus rien. Le Pere me dit qu'il s'estonnoit du degast de viande qu'ils faisoient. Voila vn grand mal pour ce miserable peuple, quand il a dequoy, ce ne sont que festins; & la pluspart du temps il meurt de faim le lendemain. On alla à trois lieuës de là chercher vn Orignac qu'ils auoient tué, pour en donner la chair au Pere, auec mille excuses, en deux mots, que peutestre ne le trouueriõs nous pas bon. Ils pressoient le Pere de demeurer quelques iours auec eux, disans qu'ils auoient veu du bois rongé, & qu'infailliblement ils trouueroient d'autres Elans.
When the Father reached the cabin, they did not know what welcome to give him. There are no greetings here; they say neither "good day" nor [88] "good evening." Their manifestations of rejoicing, or expressions of thanks, consist of this aspiration: "Ho! ho! ho! ho!" etc. They greet people here by actions. Immediately each begins his work; one puts water, or rather snow, in a kettle; another places it on the fire; another throws in large pieces of Venison, not washing them for fear of losing the grease. This being half cooked, it is withdrawn in order to put in some more. While so engaged, one of the sons-in-law of la Nasse returns from the hunt, bringing two Beavers; he tears them to pieces at once, and throws them into the kettle, in proof of his joy at seeing the Father. Another gives him a young and very tender Beaver, with the request that he should be most careful not to give the bones to the dogs, otherwise they believe [89] they will take no more Beavers. They burn these bones very carefully. If a dog should eat them, there would be no more good hunting. The Father told me that he was astonished at their waste of meat. This is a great misfortune for these miserable people, for they have nothing but feasts when they have plenty, and are generally dying of hunger the next day. They went a distance of three leagues from there to get a Moose they had killed, to give the meat of it to the Father, with a thousand excuses, saying, in short, that perhaps we might not find it good. They pressed the Father to remain with them a few days, saying that they had seen wood which had been gnawed, an infallible sign that they would find more Elk.
Le Pere voulant partir, lon fait trois traisnes qu'on charge de chair; l'vne pour luy, l'autre pour nostre Pierre qui estoit allé là; la troisiesme [90] pour vn François qui accompagnoit le Pere. A peine auoient-ils fait deux cens pas apres leurs adieux, que le Pere demeure tout court, il ne voyoit goutte, & n'entendoit rien: la fumée de la cabane, les neiges de dehors, le défaut de nourriture; car il n'auoit mangé qu'vn peu de ceste chair à demy cruë, le trauail du chemin l'affoiblirent si fort, qu'il fut contraint de retourner d'où il venoit. Il auoit bien porté vn peu de pain & de pois, mais les Sauuages s'en saisirent incontinent, tant ils en sont auides, luy disant qu'il en mangeroit tant qu'il voudrait estant de retour en nostre maison. Le bon Sauuage La Nasse voyant la debilité du Pere, luy demande s'il veut demeurer; Non, dit-il, mais ie ne puis traisner ce fardeau que tu m'as donné. Allons, respond le Sauuage, ie le traisneray pour toy, & ie prendray [91] [168] ceste grande peau de loup marin pour t'enuelopper dedans, & te traisner en ta maison: si tu es malade, prends courage, ie ne t'abandonneray point. Ils s'en reuindrent à la maison le mieux qu'ils peurent: nostre Pierre courrut deuant apporter les nouuelles: Nous enuoyasmes viste vn garçon auec vne bouteille de cidre, & du pain, pour leur donner courage. Le vent leur donnoit si violemment en face, qu'ils furent contraints de laisser leurs traisnes à trois lieuës de Kebec, on les renuoya querir le iour suiuant. Les Pere qui n'estoit malade que de foiblesse & de trauail, ayant trouué le repos, se remit incontinent.
When the Father wished to depart, they made three sledges which they loaded with meat; one for him, another for our man Pierre, who was there, and the third [90] for a Frenchman who accompanied the Father. They had moved scarcely two hundred steps, after their farewells, when the Father suddenly stopped short; he could see nothing and could hear nothing. The smoke of the cabin, the snow outside, the lack of nourishment, for he had eaten only a very little of that half-cooked meat, and the difficulties of the way had weakened him so that he was compelled to return whence he came. He had carried with him a little bread and a few peas; but the Savages had taken possession of them at once, so fond are they of them, telling him that he could eat as much as he wanted of these things on his return to our house. The good Savage La Nasse, seeing the Father's weakness, asked him if he wished to remain. "No," said he, "but I cannot drag this load which you have given me." "Very well," answered the Savage, "I will drag it for thee, and I will take [91] this great sealskin to wrap thee up in, and draw thee to thy house. If thou art sick, take courage, I will not abandon thee." They returned to the house as best they could, our Pierre running before them to bring the news. We hurriedly sent a boy with a bottle of cider and some bread to renew their strength. The wind blew so violently in their faces that they were compelled to leave their sledges three leagues from Kebec, and send for them on the following day. The Father, who was sick only from weakness and overwork, having rested, immediately recovered.
Voila, mon Reuerend Pere, vn eschantillon de ce qu'il faut souffrir courant apres les Sauuages, ce qu'il faut faire necessairement si on les [92] veut ayder à se sauuer: Et partant que, V.R. voye s'il luy plaist qui seront ceux qu'elle destinera pour ceste mission. On ne souffre point ces incommoditez demeurant dans la maison, tout ce qu'on y endure est tolerable: mais quand il faut deuenir Sauuage auec les Sauuages, il faut prendre sa vie, & tout ce qu'on a, & le ietter à l'abandon, pour ainsi dire, se contentant d'vne croix bien grosse & bien pesante pour tout richesse. Il est bien vray que Dieu ne se laisse point vaincre, & que plus on quitte, plus on trouve: plus on perd, plus on gaigne: mais Dieu se cache par fois, & alors le Calice est bien amer.