He added that the Father of the child was called "la Grenouille" [the Frog]. Then I knew him very well, as a Captain of the Algonquains. He had been to see us, and I had spoken to him sometimes of God. I have mentioned him above. It was he who asked me how many children I wanted, and who was astonished when I replied that we wanted twenty, and many more [256 i.e., 156] when we should be able to feed them.
Au reste, c'est chose estrange combien les Sauuages sont addonnés à l'yurongnerie, nonobstãt les defenses du sieur de Champlain, il y a tousiours quelqu'vn qui leur traite, ou vend quelque bouteille en cachette: si bien qu'on ne voit qu'yurongnes hurler parmy eux, se battre & se quereler. Le Truchement m'a dit que les Sauuages de la nation de celuy qui est prisonnier au fort pour auoir tué ce François, luy reprochoiẽt que c'estoit l'eau de vie, & non ce Sauuage, qui auoit cõmis ce meurtre; voulant dire qu'il estoit yure quand il fit ce coup: Tiens ton vin & ton eau de vie en prison, disent-ils, ce sont tes boissons qui font tout le mal, & non pas nous autres. Ils pensent s'estre [232] bien excusez du mal qu'ils ont fait, quand ils disent qu'ils estoient yures: ie ne voudrois pas les croire aisément [257 i.e., 157] en ce poinct, car ils feignent fort bien cette manie quand ils veulent couurir leur malice.
Further, it is very strange how these Savages are given to drunkenness. In spite of the prohibition of sieur de Champlain, there is always some one who trades with them, or who will sell them a bottle now and then in secret. So that drunkards are continually seen among them, shouting, fighting, and quarreling. The Interpreter told me that the Savages of the tribe to which the prisoner in the fort belonged who had killed the Frenchman, told him reproachfully that it was brandy and not that Savage who had committed this murder, meaning to say that he was drunk when he struck the blow. "Put thy wine and thy brandy in prison," they say: "It is thy drinks that do all the evil, and not we." They believe themselves to be entirely excused from the crimes they commit, when they say that they were drunk. I do not readily believe [257 i.e., 157] in this, because they feign this madness very well when they wish to hide their malice.
Pour retourner à cét enfant nouuellement baptisé, il mourut le lendemain au soir: & le iour suiuant le Pere Brebeuf allant au fort, veit les Sauuages qui trauersoient le grand fleuue S. Laurens, pour le porter en terre à l'autre port. Ie croy qu'ils ne l'apporterent pas chez nous pour auoir plus de liberté de faire festin sur sa fosse, selõ leur coustume. Quasi à mesme temps vn ieune garçon huguenot qui a passé dans les vaisseaux, & qui deuoit retourner auec eux, s'est noyé tout deuant le fort, estrange effect de la prouidence & predestination du bon Dieu! vnus assumetur, alter relinquetur.
To return to this newly baptized child: it died the next evening; and on the following day Father Brebeuf, going to the fort, saw the Savages crossing the great St. Lawrence river, to bury it on the other side. I believe they did not bring it to us, because they wanted to enjoy more liberty in feasting over the grave, according to their custom. About the same time, a young huguenot boy who came over in the ship, and who was to return with them, was drowned right in front of the fort. Strange effect of the providence and the predestination of the good God! Unus assumetur, alter relinquetur.
Le Pere Brebeuf ne laissa point d'entrer dans la Cabane d'où on auoit tiré cét enfant mort. Il y en [258 i.e., 158] trouua encor vn autre malade: il parla de le baptiser, sa grand'mere respondit; ie suis contente que tu le baptise, pourueu que tu le guerisse. Le Truchement des Algonquains qui se fait bien entendre des Montagnaits se trouuant là, le Pere leur fit vn petit discours du Baptesme, & de ses effects: Vous ne recherchez, leur disoit-il, que le corps, & nous recherchons l'ame, qui est purifiée par ce Sacrement, faisant approprier leurs paroles le mieux qu'il pouuoit à nos mysteres. Le Baptesme guarit tousiours l'ame, ne fait point de mal au corps: ains au contraire luy rend souuent la santé. Ils demanderent combien il falloit d'eau pour baptiser: Le Pere respond qu'on n'auoit point d'esgard à la quantité. La [234]conclusion fut que les parẽs prirent eux-mesmes l'enfant, & le disposerent pour receuoir cette benediction: [259 i.e., 159] mais le Pere iugeant qu'il n'estoit pas en dãger de mort, ne se voulut point haster.
Father Brebeuf lost no time in going to the Cabin from which they had taken the dead child. Here he [258 i.e., 158] found another sick child; he spoke of baptizing him, when the grandmother answered: "I shall be satisfied to have thee baptize him, provided that thou canst cure him." The Interpreter of the Algonquains, who makes himself readily understood by the Montagnaits, being present, the Father gave them a little talk upon Baptism and its effects. "You care only for the body," said he, "we care for the soul, which is purified by this Sacrament," adapting their words as best he could to our mysteries. "Baptism always cures the soul, and does no harm to the body, but on the contrary often restores it to health." They asked how much water it took for baptism. The Father answered that no attention was paid to the quantity. The result was that the parents themselves took the child, and prepared it to receive this blessing. [259 i.e., 159] But the Father, thinking that it was not in danger of death, did not wish to hasten matters.
Le lendemain noꝰ l'allasmes voir le Pere de Nouë & moy, la crainte que nous auiõs qu'il ne mourut sans estre baptisé, nous fit partir par vn temps tout à fait violent: les vents & la pluye sembloient vouloir tout rompre, & tout noyer. Ie voulois aussi aller entendre de confession vn Bengalois qui auoit esté blessé, & qui me demandoit: c'eft vn ieune homme amené des Indes Orientales, & fait Chrestien en Frāce, qui a hyuerné icy auec nous. Ie le veis, & le cõsolay le mieux que ie pûs. Pour le petit Sauuage m'estant presenté à l'vne des portes de sa Cabane, on me dit aouesse, retire toy: mais ayans ouy ma voix, ils me dirent que ie passasse par l'autre porte: i'entre donc pendant que le Pere de Nouë cherchoit le [260 i.e., 160] Truchement. Vne femme m'arresta au premier pas, me disant, appitou, sieds toy là. Ie luy responds, ouy, ie veux voir l'enfant. attend, attend, me dit-elle, tu le verras. Le plus grãd sorcier d'entr'eux, à ce que me dit le Truchement, qui arriua bien-tost apres, chantoit & souffloit cét enfant pour le guerir. Ils auoient fait vn petit retrenchement où estoit l'enfāt, i'en voulus deux ou trois fois approcher, mais on ne me le voulut pas permettre. Les Sauuages m'arrestoient à tous coups. Attendant que ce beau medecin eut traité son malade, l'enfant estoit nud comme la main, couché dans vn petit berceau d'écorce, sur de la poudre de bois pourry. Il auoit vne grosse fiévre qui le brusloit, & ce charlatan pour le guerir battoit & tournoit vn instrument remply de petites pierres, fait iustement comme vn tambour de [261 i.e., 161] Basque. Il chantoit auec cela à gorge desployée: en [236] vn mot luy & sõ cõpagnon pour oster la fieure a ce petit garçon faisoient vn bruit capable de la donner à vn hõme biẽ sain. Le sorcier s'approchoit du malade, le souffloit par tout le corps, à ce que ie pouuois coniecturer, car ie ne le voiois pas, mais i'entendois son souffle tiré du profond de l'estomach: il battoit ce tambour à ses oreilles, cependant il y auoit vn grand silence parmy les autres Sauuages qui estoient dans la mesme cabane. Sa medecine donnée il m'appelle, & me dit que ie visse l'enfant, & que ie luy en disse mon aduis: pour luy qu'il croioit qu'il avoit ie ne sçay quoy de noir dans le corps, & que c'estoit cela qui le faisoit malade, voila le resultat de ce grãd bruit. Ie m'approche, ie touche le poulx de l'enfant, ie luy trouue vne grosse fieure, & leurs dy qu'il auoit vne maladie [262 i.e., 162] que nous appellions la fieure, & qu'il le falloit laisser reposer, & non pas le tuer auec ce grand bruit qui augmentoit sa maladie, & qui depuis peu i'auois eu quelques accés de fiéure, & que le repos m'auoit guery. Le sorcier me repart, cela est bon pour vous autres, mais pour nous c'est ainsi que nous guerissons les malades. Helas que les hommes qui ne cognoissent pas Dieu sont ignorans, voire mesme dans les choses naturelles! Pour cōclure ce point, nous nous en retournasmes par eau comme nous estions venus, sans baptiser l'enfant, ne iugeant pas sa maladie mortelle, la fiebure quoy que bien grande estãt intermittente.
The next day Father de Nouë and I went to see the child. Our fear lest he should die without being baptized made us set out in the midst of very stormy weather; the wind and rain seemed bent on breaking and drowning everything. I also wanted to go and hear the confession of a Bengalese, who had been wounded, and had sent for me. He is a young man brought from the East Indies, who had been converted to Christianity in France, and has been passing the winter here with us. I saw him, and consoled him as best I possibly could. As to the little Savage, having presented myself at one of the doors of the Cabin, they said to me: aouesse, "go away." But, having heard my voice, they told me to come in by the other door; I went in, while Father de Nouë was seeking the [260 i.e., 160] Interpreter. A woman stopped me at the first step, saying, appitou, "sit thee down there." I answered her, "yes, I want to see the child." "Wait, wait," said she to me, "thou shalt see him." The greatest sorcerer they have among them, according to the Interpreter, who arrived shortly afterward, sang and blew upon the child to cure him. They had made a little retreat where the child was. Two or three times I tried to get near it, but was not permitted. The Savages stopped me every time. I waited until this fine doctor had treated his patient; the child, naked as one's hand, lay in a cradle of bark, upon pulverized rotten wood. He was burning with a high fever; and this charlatan, to cure him, was beating upon and whirling around an instrument full of little stones, made exactly like a [261 i.e., 161] tambourine. With all this he howled immoderately. In a word, he and his companion, in order to cure this little boy of a fever, made enough noise to give one to a healthy man. The sorcerer approached the patient, and blew all over the body, as I conjectured, for I could not see what he was doing, but I heard his breath drawn from the depths of his stomach. He beat the tambourine in the child's ears, during which there was great silence among the other Savages who were in the same cabin. His medicine having been given, he called me and told me I might then see the child, and that I should give him my opinion; as to him, he believed that the child had something or other black in his body, and it was that which made him sick. Behold the result of this great noise. I approach, I feel the pulse of the child, I discover a raging fever; and I tell him that he has a sickness [262 i.e., 162] which we call fever, that he must be left to rest, and not be killed by this great noise which makes him worse; that recently I had an attack of fever, and that rest had cured me. The sorcerer replied: "That is very good for you people; but, for us, it is thus that we cure our sick." Alas! how ignorant are they who do not know God, indeed even in natural things! To end this story, we returned by water as we came, without baptizing the child, believing that the disease was not mortal; the fever, although very high, being intermittent.
A quelques iours de là ie le retournay voir, ses parents nous ayans signifié qu'ils estoient bien aises que nous y allassions, i'y rencontray encor vn sorcier qui le souffloit, mais [263 i.e., 163] celuy cy n'entendoit pas si bien son mestier que l'autre, aussi est il plus ieune, il [238]me laissa voir ses beaux mysteres, il battoit son tambour aux oreilles de ce pauure petit qui s'égorgeoit de pleurer, il luy souffloit sur la teste auec vn sifflement qu'il faisoit bruire entre ses dents: il tournoit son tambour deçà delà à ses costés, derrière son dos, puis le ramenoit sur l'enfant; En vn mot il se tuoit de bien faire, & ne faisoit rien qui vaille. Il n'entendoit rien à faire le iongleur à comparaison de l'autre. C'est chose estrãge que les Sauuages aient tãt de creance à ces charlatans! ie ne sçay comme le mensonge est plus adoré que la verité! Bref ce petit enfant se guerissant, son pere & sa mere nous sont venus voir, & l'õt apporté auec eux, nous remercians par cette visite de la peine que nous auions pris pour luy.