I arranged a few prayers in their language, with the help of the Apostate. Now, as the Sorcerer had not yet come, I repeated them in the morning and before our meals, they themselves reminding me of them, and taking pleasure in hearing them pronounced; if the wretched Magician had not come with us, these Barbarians would have taken great pleasure in listening to me. My host asked me a thousand questions,—why we died, where our souls went, if night was universal all over the world, and similar things,—and was very attentive to my answers. Let us change the subject.
Ie remarquay en ce lieu cy, que les ieunes femmes ne mangent point dans le plat de leurs marys: i'en demanday la raison, le Renegat me dit que les ieunes [227] filles à marier, & les femmes qui n'auoient point encore d'enfans, n'auoient rien en maniement, & qu'on leur faisoit leur part comme aux enfans, de là vient que sa femme mesme me dit vn iour, Dis à mon mary qu'il me donne bien à manger: mais ne luy dis pas que ie t'ay prié de luy dire.
I observed in this place that the young women did not eat from the same dish as their husbands. I asked the reason, and the Renegade told me that the young [227] unmarried women, and the women who had no children, took no part in the management of affairs, and were treated like children. Thence it came that his own wife said to me one day, "Tell my husband to give me plenty to eat, but do not tell him that I asked you to do so."
Pendant certaine nuict, tout le monde estant dans vn profond sommeil, ie me mis à entretenir ce pauure miserable Renegat, ie luy fis voir qu'estant en nostre maison, rien de tout ce que nous auions ne luy manquoit, qu'il y pouuoit passer sa vie doucement, & qu'en quittant Dieu il s'estoit ietté dans vne vie de beste, qui enfin abboutiroit à l'enfer, s'il n'ouuroit les yeux, que l'eternité estoit bien longue, & que d'estre à iamais compagnon des diables, c'estoit vn long terme. Ie voy bien, me fit-il, que ie ne fais pas bien; mais mon malheur est que ie n'ay pas l'esprit assez fort pour demeurer ferme dans vne resolution, ie croy tout ce qu'on me dit; quand i'ay esté auec les Anglois, ie me suis laissé aller à leurs discours; quand ie suis auec les Sauuages ie fais comme eux; [228] quand ie suis auec vous ie tiens vostre creance pour veritable, pleut [90] à Dieu que ie fusse mort quand i'estois malade en France, ie serois maintenant sauué, tant que i'auray des parens ie ne feray iamais rien qui vaille: car quand ie veux demeurer auec vous, mes freres me disent que ie pouriray demeurant tousiours en vn endroit, cela est cause que ie quitte tout pour les suiure. Ie luy apportay toutes les raisons, & luy fis toutes les offres que ie peus pour l'affermir: mais son frere le Sorcier qui sera bien tost auec nous renuersera tous mes desseins, car il manie comme il veut ce pauure Apostat.
One night, when every one had sunk into a deep sleep, I began to talk to this poor miserable Renegade. I showed him that while he was in our house he had lacked for nothing of whatever we had, and that he might have spent his life there peacefully; that in forsaking God he had rushed into the life of a brute, which would finally end in hell if he did not open his eyes; that eternity was very long, and to be a companion of devils forever was a long term. "I see clearly," he replied, "that I am not doing right; but my misfortune is that I have not a mind strong enough to remain firm in my determination; I believe all they tell me. When I was with the English, I allowed myself to be influenced by their talk; when I am with the Savages, I do as they do; [228] when I am with you, it seems to me your belief is the true one. Would to God I had died when I was sick in France, and I would now be saved. As long as I have any relations, I will never do anything of any account; for when I want to stay with you, my brothers tell me I will rot, always staying in one place, and that is the reason I leave you to follow them." I urged all the reasons and made him all the offers I could to strengthen him; but his brother, the Sorcerer, who will soon be with us, will upset all my plans, for he does whatever he wills with this poor Apostate.
Le trentiesme iour d'Octobre nous sortismes de ceste malheureuse Islete, & vinsmes aborder sur la nuict dans vne autre Isle qui porte vn nom quasi aussi grand comme elle est, car elle n'a pas demy lieuë de tour, & voicy comme nos Sauuages me dirẽt qu'elle se nommoit, Ca pacoucachtechokhi chachagou achiganikhi, Ca pakhitaouananiouikhi, ie croy qu'ils forgent ces noms sur le champ, ceste Isle n'est quasi qu'vn grand rocher affreux, comme elle n'a point de fontaine d'eau douce nous fusmes contrains de [129 i.e., 229] boire des eauës de pluyes fort sales que nous ramassions dans des fondrieres, & sur des roches; on ietta le voile de nostre chalouppe sur des perches quand nous y arriuasmes, & nous nous mismes à l'abry là dessous, nostre lict estoit blanc & verd, c'est à dire qu'il y auoit si peu de branches de pin dessous nous, que nous touchiõs la neige en plusieurs endroits, laquelle auoit commencé depuis trois iours à couurir la terre d'vn habit blanc.
On the thirtieth day of October, we went away from this unhappy Island, and toward nightfall disembarked at another Island which bears a name almost as big as it is, for it is not half a league in circumference; and this is what our Savages tell me it is called, Ca pacoucacktechokhi chachagou achiganikhi, Ca pakhitaouananiouikhi; I believe they forge these names upon the spot. This Island is nothing but a big and frightful rock; as there was no spring of fresh water, we had to [129 i.e., 229] drink very dirty rainwater that we collected in the bogs and upon the rocks. The sail of our shallop was thrown over some poles, on our arrival at this place, and this formed our shelter; our beds were white and green, I mean there were so few pine branches under us that in several places we touched the snow, which three days before had begun to cover the earth with a white mantle.
Nous trouuasmes en ce lieu la cabane d'vn Sauuage, que nostre hoste cherchoit, nommé Ekhennabamate, il apprit de luy que son frere le Sorcier estoit [92] passé depuis peu, & qu'ayant eu le vent contraire, il n'estoit pas loing, il n'attendit pas qu'il fut iour tout à fait pour le suiure, son Canot poussé par trois rameurs alloit comme le vent: bref le beau premier iour de Nouembre dedié à la memoire de tous les Saincts, il nous ramena ce Demon, i'entends ce Sorcier. Ie fus bien estonné quand ie le vis: car ie ne l'attendois pas, me figurant que mon hoste estoit allé à la chasse, fut-il ainsi, & que ceste miserable proye [230] luy eust eschappé des mains.
We found here the cabin of a Savage, named Ekhennabamate, whom our host was seeking. He learned from him that his brother, the Sorcerer, had passed, a short time before; and that, having the wind against him, he had not gone far. He did not wait until broad daylight to follow him; his Canoe, paddled by three men, went like the wind; and, in short, on the first of November, a beautiful day, dedicated to the memory of all the Saints, he brought back this Demon, I mean the Sorcerer. I was very much surprised when I saw him, for I was not expecting him, imagining that my host had gone hunting; would that he had, and that this miserable prey [230] had escaped from his hands.
Si tost qu'il fut arriué ce n'estoient plus que festins dans nos cabanes, nous n'auions plus que fort peu de viures de reste, ces Barbares les mangeoient auec autant de paix & d'asseurance, comme si les animaux qu'ils deuoient chasser eussent esté renfermez dans vne estable.