Besides these foods, which this people find in their own country without cultivating the soil, they have also cereals and Indian corn, which they trade for Moose skins with the Hurons, who come down as far as Kebec or the three rivers. They also buy Tobacco from that nation, who bring large quantities of it with them every year.[25]
[274] De plus, ils ont de nos François de la galette, du biscuit, du pain, des pruneaux, des pois, des racines, des figues, & choses semblables. Voila dequoy se nourrit ce pauure peuple.
Besides, they get from our French People galette, or sea biscuit, bread, prunes, peas, roots, figs, and the like. You have here the food of these poor people.
Quand à leurs boissons, ils n'en font aucune ny de racines ny de fruicts, se contentans d'eau pure, il est vray que le boüillon dans lequel ils ont cuit la viãde, & vn autre boüillon qu'ils font d'os d'Elan concassez & brisez, seruent aussi de boisson. Vn certain villageois disoit en France, que s'il eust esté Roy il n'eut beu que de la gresse, les Sauuages en boiuent assez souuent, voire mesme ils la mangent & mordent dedans, quand [134] elle est figée, comme nous morderions dans vne pomme. Quand ils ont faict cuire vn Ours bien gras ou deux ou trois Castors dans vne chaudiere, vous les verriez ramasser & recueillir la gresse sur le boüillõ, auec vne large cuillier de bois, & gouster cette liqueur comme le plus doux Parochimel qu'ils ayent: quelquesfois ils en remplissent vn grand plat d'escorce, qui faict la ronde à l'entour des conuiez au festin, & chacun en boit auec plaisir. D'autres ayant ramassé cette gresse toute pure, ils iettent dedans quantité de neige; ce qu'ils font encore dans le boüillon gras, quand ils veulent boire vn peu froid, vous verriez de gros morceaux de gresse figée sur ce breuuage, & neantmoins ils le boiuent & l'auallent comme de l'Hipocras. Voila à mon aduis toutes les sortes de boissons qui se retreuuent parmy nos Sauuages, & dont ils m'ont faict gouster en Hiuer. Il a esté vn temps qu'ils auoient horreur de nos boissons d'Europe, mais ils se vendroient maintenant pour en auoir tant ils les ayment. Ie me suis quasi oublié de dire qu'ordinairement ils boiuent chaud ou [276] tiede; ils me tançoient [135] par fois, me voyant boire de l'eau froide, me disants que ie serois maigre, & que cela me refroidiroit iusques dans les os.
As to their drinks, they make none, either from roots or fruits, being satisfied with pure water. It is true that the broth in which they have cooked the meat, and another broth which they make of the ground and broken bones of the Elk, serve as beverages. A certain peasant said in France that, if he were King, he would drink nothing but grease; the Savages do drink it very often, and even eat and bite into it, when [134] it is hard, as we would bite into an apple. When they have cooked a very fat Bear, or two or three Beavers, in a kettle, you will see them skim off the grease from the broth with a large wooden spoon, and taste this liquor as if what they had were the sweetest Parochimel. Sometimes they fill with it a large bark dish, and it goes the rounds of the guests at the feast, each one drinking with pleasure. At other times, having gathered this clear grease, they throw into it a quantity of snow; this they do also in their greasy soup, when they wish to drink it somewhat cool. You will see great lumps of grease floating on the top of this drink, and yet they swallow it like Hippocras.[26] These are, I believe, all the kinds of beverages to be found among the Savages, and which they had me taste during the Winter. There was a time when they had a horror of our European drinks; but they have now become so fond of these, that they would sell themselves to get them. I almost have forgotten to say that they generally drink everything warm or tepid, and sometimes blame me [135] when they see me drink cold water, telling me that I will become thin, and that it will chill me even to the bone.
De plus, ils n'entremeslent point le manger & le boire comme nous, mais on distribue premierement la chair ou les autres mets, puis ayant mangé ce qu'ils veulent, on partage le boüillon, où on le met en certain endroict, & chacun y va boire qui veut.
Also, they do not mix their eating and drinking as we do; but they first distribute the meat or other dishes; then, having eaten what they want, they divide the broth, or it is put in a certain place, and each one goes and drinks as he likes.
Disons pour conclusion de ce poinct, que les Sauuages auec tant d'animaux, tant d'oiseaux & de poissons, sont quasi tousiours affamez; la raison est, que les oiseaux & les poissons sont passagers, s'en allant & retournãt à certain temps, & auec cela ils ne sont pas trop grands gybboyeurs, & encore moins bons ménagers, car ce qu'ils tuent en vn iour ne void pas l'autre, excepté l'Elan & l'Anguille, dont ils font secherie quand ils en ont en grande abondance, si bien que pendant le mois de Septembre & octobre, ils viuent pour la plus part d'anguilles fresches en Nouembre, Decembre, & souuent en Ianuier, ils mangent leurs anguilles boucanées, & quelques Porcs epics [136] qu'ils prennent pendant les petites neiges, cõme aussi quelques Castors s'ils en trouuent. Quand les grandes neiges sont venuës ils mangent l'Orignac frais, ils le font seicher pour se nourrir le reste du temps iusques en Septembre, auec quelques oiseaux, quelques Ours & Castors qu'ils prennent au Printemps & pendant l'Esté: Or si toutes ces chasses ne donnent point (ce qui n'ariue que trop souuent pour eux) ils souffrent grandement.
Let us say, in concluding this subject, that with all their animals, birds and fish, the Savages are almost always hungry; the reason for this is, that the birds and fish are migratory, going and returning at certain times. Besides, they are not very great hunters, and are still poorer managers; for what they kill in one day is not seen the next, except the Elk and Eels, which they dry when they have them in great abundance. So that, during the months of September and October, they live for the most part upon fresh eels; in November, December and often in January, they eat their smoked eels, some Porcupines, [136] which they take during the lighter snowfalls, as also a few Beavers, if they find them. When the heavy snows come, they eat fresh Moose meat; they dry it, to live upon the rest of the time until September; and with this they have a few birds, Bears, and Beavers, which they take in the Spring and during the Summer. Now, if the hunt for all these animals does not succeed (which with them occurs only too often) they suffer greatly.