[295] On the following day our people killed the second Moose, at which there was general rejoicing. True, it was a little marred by the arrival of a Savage, and of two or three women and a child, whom famine would have slaughtered, if they had not happened to come to our cabin. They looked most hideous, the man especially, more so than the women, one of whom had given birth to a child ten days before in the snow, and, in the famine, had passed several days without eating.
Mais admirez s'il vous plaist l'amour que ces barbares se portent les vns aux autres, on ne demanda point a ces nouueaux hostes pourquoy ils venoient sur nos limites, s'ils ne sçauoient pas bien que nous estions en aussi grand danger qu'eux, qu'ils nous venoient oster le morceau de la bouche; ains au contraire on les receut, non de paroles, mais d'effect, sans courtoisie exterieure, car les Sauuages n'en ont point, mais non pas sans charité: on leur ietta de grandes pieces de l'Orignac nouuellement tué, [296] sans leur dire autre parole, mitisoukou mangez, aussi leur eust on fait grand tort d'appliquer pour lors leurs bouches à autre vsage: pendant qu'ils mangeoient on prepara vn festin, auquel ils furent traictez à grand plat, ie vous en réponds: car la portion qu'on leur donna à chacun, sortoit beaucoup hors de leurs ouragans qui sont tres capables.
But admire, if you please, the love these barbarians have for each other. These new guests were not asked why they came upon our boundaries, if they were not well aware that we were in as great straits as they were, and that they were coming to take the morsel out of our mouths. On the contrary, they were received, not with words, but with deeds; without exterior ceremony, for of this the Savages have none, but not without charity. They threw them large pieces of the Moose which had just been killed, [296] without saying another word but, mitisoukou, "eat;" and indeed it would have been very wrong to ask them then to use their mouths for any other purpose. While they were eating, a feast was prepared, at which they were treated generously, I assure you; for the portion given to each one of them more than filled their ouragans, which are very large.
Le seiziesme du mesme mois nous battismes la campagne, & ne pouuans arriuer au lieu où nous pretendions, nous ne fismes que gister dans vne hostelerie que nous dressasmes à la haste, & le lendemain nous poursuiuismes nostre chemin passans sur vne montagne si haute, qu'encore que nous ne montassions point iusques au sommet, qui me paroissoit armé d'horribles rochers, neantmoins le Sorcier me dit, que si le Ciel obscurcy d'vn broüillard eust esté serain nous eussions veu à mesme tẽps Kebec & Tadoussac, esloignez [178] l'vn de l'autre de quarante lieuës pour le moins, ie voyois au dessous de moy auec horreur des precipices, qui me [297] faisoient trembler, i'apperceuois des montagnes au milieu de quelques plaines qui me paroissoient comme des petites tours, ou plustost comme de petits chasteaux, quoy qu'en effect elles fussent fort grandes & fort hautes: figurez vous quelle peine ont ces barbares de traisner si haut leur bagage, i'auois de la peine à monter, i'en trouuois encore plus à descendre: car quoy que ie m'esloignasse des precipices, neantmoins la pante estoit si roide, qu'il estoit fort aisé de rouler à bas, & de s'aller fendre la teste contre vn arbre.
On the sixteenth of the same month, we rambled about the country; and, not being able to find the place we wanted, we could only lodge in a hostelry that we erected in haste; the next day we pursued our journey, passing over a mountain so high, that even though we did not ascend to its summit, which seemed to be fortified with horrible rocks, yet the Sorcerer told me that if the Sky, which was obscured by a cloud, had been clear, we might have seen at the same time, both Kebec and Tadoussac, distant from each other at least forty leagues. I saw with horror precipices beneath me, which made [297] me tremble. In the midst of some plains, I saw mountains which seemed to me like little towers, or rather diminutive castles, although in reality they were very large and very high. Imagine how hard it is for these barbarians to drag their baggage so high. I had trouble in getting up, but still more in coming down; for, although I was going away from the precipices, yet the slope was so steep that it was very easy to roll down and break one's head against a tree.
Le vingt neufiesme nous acheuasmes de descendre ceste montagne portant nostre maison sur la pante d'vne autre où nous allasmes: voila le terme de nostre pelerinage, nous commencerons d'oresnauant à tourner bride & à tirer vers l'Isle où nous auons laissé nostre Chaloupe, nous vismes icy les sources de deux petits fleuues, qui se vont rendre dans vn fleuue aussi grand au dire de nos Sauuages, que le fleuue de S. Laurens, ils l'appellent Oueraouachticou.
On the twenty-ninth, we finished our descent of this mountain, and carried our house up the slope of another to which we were going. As this was the end of our pilgrimage, we shall begin hereafter to turn back and direct our course toward the Island where we had left our Shallop. We saw here the sources of two little rivers, which flow into a river as large, our Savages say, as the St. Lawrence; they call it Oueraouachticou.
[298] Ceste douziesme demeure nous a deliuré de la famine, car les neiges se trouuant hautes assez pour arrester les grandes iambes de l'Elan, nous eusmes dequoy manger. Au commencement ce n'estoient que festins & que danses, mais cela ne dura pas, car on se mit bientost à faire seicherie passant de la famine dans la bonne nourriture, ie me portay bien: mais passant de la chair fraische au boucan ie tombay malade, & ne recouuray point entierement la santé que trois semaines apres mon retour en nostre petite maisonnette. Il est vray que depuis le commencement [180] de Feurier iusques en Auril nous eusmes tousiours dequoy manger, mais d'vn boucan si dur & si sale & en si petite quantité, horsmis quelques iours d'abondance qui se passoient en festins que nos Sauuages contoient ces derniers, mois aussi bien que les precedens entre les mois & les hyuers de leurs famines. Ils me disoient que pour estre traicté mediocrement & sans patir, il nous falloit vn Elan gros comme vn boeuf en deux iours, tant à raison du [299] nombre que nous estions, comme aussi qu'on mange beaucoup de chair quand on n'a ny pain ny autre chose pour faire durer la viande, adioustez qu'ils sont grands disneurs, & que la chair d'Elan ne demeure pas long-temps dans l'estomach.
[298] This twelfth station delivered us from famine; for the snow was deep enough to impede the long legs of the Elk, and we had something to eat. At first, there was nothing but feasts and dancing; but this did not last long, as they soon began to dry the meat. Passing thus from starvation to good food, I felt very well; but when we changed from fresh meat to smoked, I fell ill, and did not entirely recover my health until three weeks after my return to our little house. It is true that from the beginning of February until April we always had something to eat; but it was smoked meat, so hard and so dirty, and in so small quantities, except a few days of plenty which passed in feasting, that our Savages counted these last months as well as the preceding ones, among the months and winters of their famines. They told me that, to live moderately well and without suffering, they had to have an Elk as large as an ox every two days, both because [299] we were rather numerous, and also because people eat a great deal of meat when they have neither bread nor anything else to make the food hold out; add to this that they are great diners, and that Elk meat does not remain long in the stomach.
Ie me suis oublié de dire ailleurs que les Sauuages content les années par les hyuers, pour dire quel aage as-tu, ils disent combien d'hyuers as-tu passé? ils content aussi par les nuicts comme nous faisons par les iours, au lieu que nous disons, il est arriué depuis trois iours, ils disent depuis trois nuicts.