Whoever professes not to get angry, ought also to make a profession of patience; the Savages surpass us to such an extent, in this respect, that we ought to be ashamed. I saw them, in their hardships and in their labors, suffer with cheerfulness. My host, wondering at the great number of people who I told him were in France, asked me if the men were good, if they did not become angry, if they were patient. I have never seen such patience as is shown by a sick Savage. You may yell, storm, jump, dance, and he will scarcely ever complain. I found myself, with them, threatened with great suffering; they said to me, "We shall be sometimes two days, sometimes three, without eating, for lack of food; take courage, Chihiné, let thy soul be strong to endure suffering and hardship; keep thyself from being sad, otherwise thou wilt be sick; see how we do not cease to laugh, [104] although we have little to eat." One thing alone casts them down,—it is when they see death, for they fear this beyond measure; take away this apprehension from the Savages, and they will endure all kinds of degradation and discomfort, and all kinds of trials and suffering very patiently. Later, I shall give several examples of this, which I am reserving for the end of these chapters.
Ils s'entraiment les vns les autres, & s'accordent admirablement bien; vous ne voyez point de disputes, de querelles, d'inimitiez, de reproches parmy eux, les [234] hõmes laissent la disposition du mesnage aux femmes sans les inquieter; elles coupent, elles tranchent, elles donnent comme il leur plaist, sans que le mary s'en fasche. Ie n'ay iamais veu mon hoste demãder à vne ieune femme estourdie qu'il tenoit auec soy, que deuenoiẽt les viures, quoy qu'ils diminuassẽt assez viste. Ie n'ay iamais oüy les femmes se plaindre de ce que l'on ne les inuitoit aux festins, que les hommes mangeoient les bons morceaux, qu'elles trauailloient incessamment, allans querir le bois pour le chauffage: faisants les Cabanes, passans les peaux, & s'occupans en [105] d'autres œuures assez penibles, chacun fait son petit affaire doucement, & paisiblement sans dispute. Il est vray neantmoins qu'ils n'ont point de douceur ny de courtoisie en leurs paroles, & qu'vn François ne sçauroit prendre l'accent, le ton & l'aspreté de leur voix à moins que de se mettre en cholere, eux cependant ne s'y mettrent pas.
They are very much attached to each other, and agree admirably. You do not see any disputes, quarrels, enmities, or reproaches among them. Men leave the arrangement of the household to the women, without interfering with them; they cut, and decide, and give away as they please, without making the husband angry. I have never seen my host ask a giddy young woman that he had with him what became of the provisions, although they were disappearing very fast. I have never heard the women complain because they were not invited to the feasts, because the men ate the good pieces, or because they had to work continually,—going in search of the wood for the fire, making the Houses, dressing the skins, and busying themselves in [105] other very laborious work. Each one does her own little tasks, gently and peacefully, without any disputes. It is true, however, that they have neither gentleness nor courtesy in their utterance; and a Frenchman could not assume the accent, the tone, and the sharpness of their voices without becoming angry, yet they do not.
Ils ne sont point vindicatifs entr'eux, si bien enuers leurs ennemis. Ie coucheray icy vn exẽple capable de confondre plusieurs Chrestiens. Dans les pressures de nostre famine, vn ieune Sauuage d'vn autre quartier nous vint voir, il estoit aussi affamé que nous; le iour qu'il vint fut vn iour de ieusne pour luy & pour nous, car il ny auoit dequoy manger: le lendemain nos chasseurs ayãs pris quelques Castors, on fit festin auquel il fut très biẽ traitté, on luy dit en outre qu'õ auoit veu les pistes d'vn Orignac, & qu'on l'iroit chasser le lendemain; on l'inuita à demeurer, & qu'il en auroit sa part, luy respõdit qu'il ne pouuoit estre dauantage; s'estant doncques enquis du lieu où étoit la beste, il s'ẽ retourna: Nos Chasseurs ayans trouué & tué le lendemain [106] cest Elan, l'enseuelirent [236] dãs la neige, selon leur coustume, pour l'enuoyer querir au iour suiuãt. Or pendãt la nuict mon ieune Sauuage cherche si biẽ, qu'il trouue la beste morte, & en enleue vne bõne partie sans dire mot, le larcin connu par nos gens, ils n'entrerent point en des furies, ne donnerent aucune malediction au voleur; toute leur cholere fut de se gausser de luy, & cependãt c'estoit presque nous oster la vie, que de nous dérober nos viures, car nous n'en pouuions recouurer. A quelque temps de là, ce voleur nous vint voir, ie luy voulus representer la laideur de son crime, mon hoste m'imposa silence, & ce pauure hõme rejettant son larcin sur les chiens, nõ seulement fut excusé, mais encore receu pour demeurer auec nous dans vne mesme Cabane. Il s'en alla donc querir sa femme, qu'il apporta sur son dos, car elle a les iambes sans mouuement; & vne ieune parente qui demeure auec luy apporta son petit fils, & tous quatre prirent place en nostre petit todis, sans que iamais on leur aye reproché ce larcin, ains au contraire on leur a tesmoigné tres-bõ visage, & les a-on traittez comme [107] ceux de la maison. Dites à vn Sauuage, qu'vn autre Sauuage a dit pis que pendre de luy, il baissera la teste, & ne dira mot: s'ils se rencõtrent par apres tous, ils ne feront nõ plus de semblant de cela, comme si riẽ n'auoit esté dit, ils se traitteront comme freres, ils n'ont point de fiel enuers leur nation.
They are not vindictive among themselves, although they are toward their enemies. I will here give an example that ought to confound many Christians. In the stress of our famine, a young Savage from another quarter came to see us, who was as hungry as we were. The day on which he came was a day of fasting for him and for us, for there was nothing to eat. The next day, our hunters having taken a few Beavers, a feast was made, at which he was well treated; he was told besides that the trail of a Moose had been seen, and that they were going to hunt for it the next day; he was invited to remain and to have his share of it; he answered that he could stay no longer, and, having inquired about the place where the animal was, he went away. Our Hunters, having found and killed this Elk the [106] next day, buried it in the snow, according to their custom, to send for it on the following day. Now, during the night, my young Savage searched so well, that he found the dead beast, and took away a good part of it without saying a word. When the theft became known to our people, they did not get into a rage and utter maledictions against the thief,—all their anger consisted in sneering at him; and yet this was almost taking away our life, this stealing our food when we were unable to obtain any more. Some time afterward, this thief came to see us; I wanted to represent to him the seriousness of his offence, but my host imposed silence; and when this poor man attributed his theft to the dogs, he was not only excused, but even received to live with us in the same Cabin. Then he went for his wife, whom he carried upon his back, for her legs are paralyzed; a young female relative who lives with him brought his little son; and all four took their places in our little hut, without ever being reproached for this theft; on the contrary they were received very kindly, and were treated as if [107] belonging to the family. Tell a Savage that another Savage has slandered him, and he will bow the head and not say a word; if they meet each other afterward, they will pretend not to know anything about it, acting as if nothing had been said. They treat each other as brothers; they harbor no spite against those of their own nation.
Ils sont fort liberaux entr'eux, voire ils font estat de ne riẽ aimer, de ne point s'attacher aux biẽs de la terre, afin de ne se point attrister s'ils les perdẽt. Vn chiẽ dechira n'a pas longtemps vne belle robe de Castor à vn Sauuage, il estoit le premier à s'en rire; l'vne de leurs grãdes injures parmy eux, c'est de dire cét [238] homme aime tout, il est auare: si vous leur refusez quelque chose, voicy leur reproche, comme ie remarquay l'an passé, Khisakhitan SaKhita, tu aime cela, aime le tant que tu voudras: ils n'ouurent point la main à demy quand ils donnent, ie dis entr'eux, car ils sont ingrats au possible enuers les estrangers. Vous leur verrez nourrir leurs parents, les enfans de leurs amis, des femmes vefues, des orphelins, des vieillards, sans iamais leur rien reprocher, leur donnans abondamment [108] quelquefois des Originaux tous entiers; c'est veritablement vne marque d'vn bon cœur, & d'vne ame genereuse.
They are very generous among themselves and even make a show of not loving anything, of not being attached to the riches of the earth, so that they may not grieve if they lose them. Not long ago a dog tore a beautiful Beaver robe belonging to one of the Savages, and he was the first one to laugh about it. One of the greatest insults that can be offered to them, is to say, "That man likes everything, he is stingy." If you refuse them anything, here is their reproach, as I remarked last year: Khisakhitan Sakhita, "Thou lovest that, love it as much as thou wilt." They do not open the hand half-way when they give,—I mean among themselves, for they are as ungrateful as possible toward strangers. You will see them take care of their kindred, the children of their friends, widows, orphans, and old men, never reproaching them in the least, giving them abundantly, [108] sometimes whole Moose. This is truly the sign of a good heart and of a generous soul.
Comme il y a plusieurs orphelins parmy ce peuple; car depuis qu'ils se sont adonnez aux boissons de vin & d'eau de vie, ils meurent en grand nõbre; ces pauures enfans sont dispersez dans les Cabanes de leurs oncles, de leurs tantes, ou autres parents, ne pensez pas qu'on les rabrouë, qu'on leur reproche qu'ils mãgent les viures de la maison, rien de tout cela, on les traitte comme les enfans du pere de famille, ou du moins peu s'en faut, on les habille le mieux qu'on peut.
As there are many orphans among these people,—for they die in great numbers since they are addicted to drinking wine and brandy,—these poor children are scattered among the Cabins of their uncles, aunts, or other relatives. Do not suppose that they are snubbed and reproached because they eat the food of the household. Nothing of the kind, they are treated the same as the children of the father of the family, or at least almost the same, and are dressed as well as possible.
Ils ne sont point delicats en leurs viures, en leur coucher, & en leurs habits, mais ils ne sont pas nets; Iamais ils ne se plaignent de ce qu'on leur donne, qu'il soit froid, qu'il soit chaud, il n'importe, quand la chaudiere est cuitte, on la partage sans attẽdre personne, non pas mesme le maistre de la maison, on luy garde sa part qu'on luy presente toute froide. Ie n'ay point oüy plaindre mon hoste de ce que l'on ne l'attendoit pas, n'estant qu'à deux pas de la Cabane. Ils couchẽt sur la terre bien souuent; à l'enseigne des [109] estoiles. Ils passerõt vn iour, deux & trois [240] iours sans manger, ne laissans pas de ramer, chasser, & se peiner tant qu'ils peuuent. L'on verra dans la suite de cette relation, que tout ce que i'ay dit en ce chapitre est tres-veritable, & neãtmoins ie n'oserois asseurer que i'aye veu exercer aucun acte de vraye vertu morale à vn Sauuage: Ils n'ont que leur seul plaisir & contentement en veuë, adjoustez la crainte de quelque blasme, & la gloire de paroistre bons chasseurs; voila tout ce qui les meut dans leurs operations.