We made in these vast forests, from the 12th of November of the year 1633, when we entered them, to the 22nd of April of this year 1634, when we returned to the banks of the great river saint Lawrence, twenty-three halts,—sometimes in deep valleys, then upon lofty mountains, sometimes in the low flat country; and always in the snow. These forests where I was are made up of different kinds of trees, especially of Pines, Cedars and Firs. We crossed many torrents of water, some rivers, several beautiful lakes and ponds, walking upon the ice. But let us come down to particulars, and say a few words about each station. My fear of becoming tedious will cause me to omit many things that I have considered trifling, [242] although they might throw some light upon these memoirs.
A nostre entrée dans les terres nous estions trois cabanes de compagnie, il y auoit dixneuf personnes en la nostre, il y en auoit seize en la cabane du Sauuage [108] nommé Ekhennabamate, & dix dans la cabanne des nouueaux venus. Ie ne conte point les Sauuages qui estoient à quelques lieuës de nous, nous faisions en tout quarante cinq personnes, qui deuions estre nourris de ce qu'il plairoit à la saincte Prouidence du bon Dieu de nous enuoyer; car nos prouisions tiroient par tout à la fin.
Upon our entrance into these regions, there were three cabins in our company,—nineteen persons being in ours, sixteen in the cabin of the Savage named Ekhennabamate, and ten in that of the newcomers. This does not include the Savages who were encamped a few leagues away from us. We were in all forty-five persons, who were to be kept alive on what it should please the holy Providence of the good God to send us, for our provisions were altogether getting very low.
Voicy l'ordre que nous gardions leuans le camp, battans la campagne, & dressans nos tentes & nos pauillons. Quand nos gens remarquoient qu'il n'y auoit plus de chasse à quelques trois ou quatre lieuës à l'entour de nous, vn Sauuage qui cognoissoit mieux le chemin du lieu où nous allions, crioit à pleine teste, en vn beau matin hors de la cabane, Escoutez hommes ie m'en vais marquer le chemin pour decabaner demain au point du iour, il prenoit vne hache & marquoit quelques arbres qui [243] nous guidoient: on ne marque le chemin qu'au commencement de l'hyuer: car quand tous les fleuues & les torrens sont glacez & que la neige est haute on ne prend pas ceste peine.
This is the order we followed in breaking up our camps, in tramping over the country and in erecting our tents and pavilions. When our people saw that there was no longer any game within three or four leagues of us, a Savage, who was best acquainted with the way to the place where we were going, cried out in a loud voice, one fine day outside the cabin, "Listen, men, I am going to mark the way for breaking camp to-morrow at daybreak." He took a hatchet and marked some trees which [243] guided us. They do not mark the way except in the beginning of winter; for, when all the rivers and torrents are frozen, and the snow is deep, they do not take this trouble.
Quand il y a beaucoup de pacquets, ce qui arriue lors qu'ils ont tué grand nombre d'Eslans, les femmes en vont porter vne partie iuīqu'au lieu où l'on doit camper le iour suiuant; quand la neige est haute, ils font des traisnées de bois qui se fend, & qui se leue comme par fueilles assez minces & fort longues, ces traisnées sont fort estroites à raisõ qu'elles se doiuent tirer entre vne infinité d'arbres fort pressez en quelques endroits, mais en recompense elles sont fort longues. Voyant vn iour celle de mon hoste dressée contre vn arbre, à peine peus ie atteindre au milieu estendant le bras autant qu'il me fut possible. Ils [110] lient leur bagage là dessus, & auec vne corde qui leur vient passer sur l'estomach, ils traisnent sur la neige ces chariots sans rouës.
When there are a number of things to be carried, as often happens when they have killed a great many Elk, the women go ahead, and carry a part of them to the place where they are to camp the following day. When the snow is deep, they make sledges of wood which splits, and which can be peeled off like leaves in very thin, long strips. These sledges are very narrow, because they have to be dragged among masses of trees closely crowded in some places; but, to make up for this, they are very long. One day, seeing that of my host standing against a tree, I could scarcely reach to the middle of it, stretching out my arm as far as I could. They fasten their baggage upon these, and, with a cord which they pass over their chests, they drag these wheelless chariots over the snow.
Pour ne m'éloigner dauantage de mon chemin, si tost qu'il est iour chacun se prepare pour déloger, on commence [244] par le desieuner s'il y a dequoy; car par fois on part sans desieuner, on poursuit sans disner & on se couche sans souper, chacun fait son pacquet le mieux qu'il peut, les femmes battent la cabane pour faire tomber la glace & la neige de dessus les écorces qu'elles roulent en faisseaux, le bagage estant plié ils iettent sur leur dos ou sur leurs reins de longs fardeaux qu'ils supportent auec vne corde, qui passe sur leur front, soubs laquelle ils mettent vn morceau d'écorce de peur de se blesser; tout le monde chargé on monte à cheual sur des raquettes qu'on se lie aux pieds afin de ne point enfoncer dans la neige, cela fait on marche en campagne & en montagnes, faisant passer deuant les petits enfans qui partent bien tost & n'arriuent par fois que bien tard, ces pauures petits ont leur pacquet, ou leur traisne pour s'accoustumer de bonne heure à la fatigue, & tascheon de leur donner de l'emulation à qui portera ou traisnera dauantage, de vous depeindre la difficulté des chemins, ie n'ay ny plume ny pinceau qui le puisse faire, il faut auoir veu cét obiect pour le cognoistre, & [245] auoir gousté de ceste viande pour en sçauoir le goust, nous ne faisions que monter & descendre, il nous falloit souuent baisser à demy corps pour passer soubs des arbres quasi tombez, & monter sur d'autres couchez par terre, dont les branches nous faisoient quelques fois tomber assez doucement, mais tousiours froidement, car c'estoit sur la neige. S'il [112] arriuoit quelque dégel, ô Dieu quelle peine! il me sembloit que ie marchois sur vn chemin de verre qui se cassoit à tous coups soubs mes pieds: la neige congelée venant à s'amollir tomboit & s'enfonçoit par esquarres ou grandes pieces, & nous en auions bien souuent iusques aux genoux, quelquefois iusqu'à la ceinture, que s'il y auoit de la peine à tomber, il y en auoit encor plus à se retirer: car nos raquettes se chargeoient de neiges & se rendoient si pesantes, que quand vous veniez à les retirer il vous sembloit qu'on vous tiroit les iambes pour vous démembrer. I'en ay veu qui glissoient tellement soubs des souches enseuelies soubs la neige, qui ne pouuoient tirer ny iambes ny raquettes sans secours: or figurez vous [246] maintenant vne personne chargée comme vn mulet, & iugez si la vie des Sauuages est douce.
But not to wander farther from my subject, as soon as it is day each one prepares to break camp. They begin [244] by having breakfast, if there is any; for sometimes they depart without breakfasting, continue on their way without dining, and go to bed without supping. Each one arranges his own baggage, as best he can; and the women strike the cabin, to remove the ice and snow from the bark, which they roll up in a bundle. The baggage being packed, they throw it upon their backs or loins in long bundles, which they hold with a cord that passes over their foreheads, beneath which they place a piece of bark so that it will not hurt them. When every one is loaded, they mount their snowshoes, which are bound to the feet so that they will not sink into the snow; and then they march over plain and mountain, making the little ones go on ahead, who start early, and often do not arrive until quite late. These little ones have their load, or their sledge, to accustom them early to fatigue; and they try to stimulate them to see who will carry or drag the most. To paint to you the hardships of the way, I have neither pen nor brush that could do it; they must be experienced in order to be appreciated, and [245] this dish must be tried to know how it tastes. We did nothing but go up and go down; frequently we had to bend halfway over, to pass under partly-fallen trees, and step over others lying upon the ground whose branches sometimes knocked us over, gently enough to be sure, but always coldly, for we fell upon the snow. If it happened to thaw, Oh God, what suffering! It seemed to me I was walking over a road of glass, which broke under my feet at every step. The frozen snow, beginning to melt, would fall and break into blocks or big pieces, into which we often sank up to our knees, and sometimes to our waists. If there was pain in falling, there was still more in pulling ourselves out, for our raquettes were loaded with snow, and became so heavy that, when we tried to draw them out, it seemed as if somebody were tugging at our legs to dismember us. I have seen some who slid so far under the logs buried in the snow, that they could not pull out either their legs or their snowshoes without help. Now imagine [246] a person loaded like a mule, and judge how easy is the life of the Savage.
En France dans la difficulté des voyages encor trouue-on quelques villages pour se rafraischir, & pour se fortifier; mais les hostelleries que nous rencontrions, & où nous beuuions, n'estoient que des ruisseaux, encor falloit il rompre la glace pour en tirer de l'eau; il est vray que nous ne faisions pas de longues traites, aussi nous eust il esté tout à fait impossible.