CHAPTER IX.
ON THEIR HUNTING AND FISHING.
LET us begin with the Elk. When there is very little snow, they kill it with arrows, the first that we ate being taken in this way. But it is a great stroke of luck when they can approach these animals within range of their bows, as they scent the Savages at a great distance, and run as fast as Deer. When the snow is deep, they pursue the Elk on foot, and kill it with thrusts from javelins which are fastened on long poles for this purpose, and which they hurl when they dare not or cannot approach the beast. Sometimes they chase one of these animals for two or three days, the snow being neither hard nor deep enough; while at other times a child could almost kill them, for, the snow being frozen after a slight thaw or rain, these poor Moose are hurt by it, and cannot go far without being slaughtered.
[149] On m'auoit dit que l'Elan estoit grand cõme vn mulet d'Auuergne, il est vray qu'il a la teste longue cõme vn mulet, mais ie le trouue aussi gros qu'vn bœuf, ie n'en ay veu qu'vn seul en vie, il estoit ieune, à peine le bois ou les cornes luy sortoient de la teste, ie n'ay point veu en France ny genisse, ny bouuillon, qui approchât de sa grosseur, ny de sa hauteur; il est haut monté comme le Cerf, son bois est haut branchu & plat en quelque façon, non rond [296] comme celuy des Cerfs, ie parle des bois que i'ay veu, peut-estre y en a-il d'autre façõ. Quelqu'vn m'a dit que la femelle portoit tousiours deux petits, & tousiours masle & femelle; mes Sauuages, au contraire, disent qu'elle en porte tantost vn tantost deux, & qu'vne seule fois ils en ont trouué trois dans vne femelle, ce qui les estonna comme vn prodige.
[149] I had been told that the Elk was as large as an Auvergne mule. True, its head is as long as that of a mule, but I find it as large as an ox. I have only seen one of them alive; it was young, and the branches or horns were just emerging from its head; I never saw in France either a heifer or young bullock that was as big or as high as it was. It is tall and erect, like the Deer; its horns are lofty, branching, and somewhat flat, not round like those of a Deer; I speak of the horns that I have seen, but there may be other kinds. I have been told that the female always bears two little ones, always male and female. On the contrary, my Savages tell me that she sometimes bears one, and sometimes two; and that once they found three in a female, which astonished them as if it were a prodigy.
I'ay quelque pensée qu'on pourra auec le temps domestiquer ces animaux, qu'on s'en pourra seruir pour le labourage, & pour tirer des tranées sur la neige, ce seroit vn grand soulagement.
I have sometimes thought that, in time, these animals might be domesticated, and could be used to till the soil and to draw sledges over the snow, which would be a great comfort.
Quand les Sauuages ont tué plusieurs Elans, & passé plusieurs iours en festins, ils pensent à leur prouision & à leur seicherie, ils vous étendrons sur des perches les deux costez d'vn grand Orignac, en ayant osté [150] les os: si la chair est trop épaisse, ils la leuẽt par laichent, & en outre la tailladent; afin que la fumée la desseiche & la penetre par tout, lors qu'elle commence à ce seicher ou boucaner, ils la battent auec des pierres, la soulent aux pieds, afin qu'il n'y demeure dedans aucun suc qui la puisse corrompre, enfin estant bien boucané, ils la plient & la mettent en paquets, voila leur prouision, le boucan est vn pauure manger, la chair fraische de l'Elã est fort aisée à digerer, elle ne dure point dãs l'estomac; voila pourquoy les Sauuages ne la font point tant cuire: Pour le goust, il me semble que la chair d'vn bœuf ne cede point à la chair d'vn bon Elan.
When the Savages have killed a number of Elks, and passed several days in feasting, they begin to think about drying them and laying them away. They will stretch upon poles the two sides of a large Moose, the bones thereof having [150] been removed. If the flesh is too thick, they raise it in strips and slash it besides, so that the smoke may penetrate and dry all parts. When they begin to dry or smoke this meat, they pound it with stones and tramp it under foot so that no juice may remain to spoil it. At last, when it is smoked, they fold and arrange it in packages, and this forms their future store. Dried meat is poor food, but the fresh meat of the Elk is very easy to digest. It does not remain long in the stomach, therefore the Savages do not cook it much. In regard to taste, it seems to me that beef is not inferior to good Elk meat.
Le Castor ou le Bieure se prend en plusieurs façõs. Les Sauuages disent que c'est l'animal bien aymé des François, des Anglois, & des Basques, en vn mot des Europeans; i'entendois vn iour mon hoste qui disoit en se gaussant, Missi picoutau amiscou, le Castor [298] fait toutes choses parfaictement bien, il nous faict des chaudieres, des haches, des espées, des couteaux, du pain, bref il fait tout; il se mocquoit de nos Europeans qui se passionnent pour la peau de cest animal, & qui se battent à qui dõnera le plus à ces Barbares, pour en auoir: [151] iusques là que mon hoste me dit vn iour me monstrant vn fort beau couteau, les Anglois n'ont point d'esprit, ils nous donnent vingts couteaux comme celuy là pour vne peau de Castor.