On the sixth day of March, we shifted our quarters. The Sorcerer, the Renegade, and two young hunters, directed their steps before us straight to the banks of the great river. The cause of this separation was that my host, a good hunter, had discovered four Moose, and a number of Beaver lodges; and not being able alone to hunt in places so widely separated, the Sorcerer took these young hunters to chase the Moose, and he remained for the Beavers. This separation was fraught with both good and evil for me. With good, because I was freed from the Sorcerer; I have no words to describe the pertinacity of this wicked man. With evil, because my host did not capture any Moose, and we had nothing to eat but smoked meat, which was very distasteful to me; for, if he captured any Beavers, they were smoked, [303] except the little ones, which we ate; the finest and best ones were reserved for the feasts they were to give in the Spring, at the place where they had appointed a rendezvous.
Le treiziesme du mesme mois nous fismes nostre dix-huictiesme demeure proche d'vn fleuue dont les eaux me sembloient sucrées apres la saleté des neiges fonduës que nous beuuions és stations precedentes [186] dans vn chauderon gras & enfumé, ie commençay à ressentir en ce lieu l'incommodité du coucher sur la terre bien froide pendant l'hyuer & fort humide au Printemps, car le costé droit sur lequel ie reposois s'estourdit tellement par la froidure qu'il n'auoit quasi plus de sentiment: or craignant de ne remporter que la moitié de moy-mesme dans nostre petite maison, l'autre demeurante paralytique, ie promis vne chemise & vne petite robbe à vn enfant pour vn meschãt bout de peau d'Orignac que sa mere me donna, ceste peau non passée estoit bien aussi dure que la terre, mais non pas si humide, [304] i'en fis mon lict qui se trouua si court que la terre qui auoit iusques alors pris possession de tout mon corps en retint encore la moitié.
On the thirteenth of the same month, we made our eighteenth station near a river, whose waters seemed to me sweet as sugar after the dirt of the melted snow that we drank at former stations, out of a greasy and smoky kettle. I began here to experience the discomfort of sleeping upon the ground, which was cold in winter and damp in Spring; for my right side, upon which I lay, became so benumbed from cold that it scarcely had any sense of feeling. Now fearing I would only carry half of myself back to our little house, the other being paralyzed, I promised a shirt and a little gown to a child, for a miserable piece of Moose skin, which his mother gave me; this undressed skin was about as hard as the ground, but not as damp. [304] Of this I made my bed, which was so short that the ground, which had up to that time taken possession of all my body, still kept the half of it.
Depuis le depart du Sorcier, mon hoste prenoit plaisir à me faire des questions, notamment des choses naturelles, il me demanda vn iour comme la terre estoit faite, & m'apportant vne écorce & vn charbon, il me la fit décrire, ie luy despeins donc les deux Hemispheres, & apres luy auoir tracé l'Europe, l'Asia, & l'Affrique, ie vins à nostre Amerique, luy monstrant comme elle est vne grande Isle, ie luy d'écriuy la coste de l'Acadie, la grande Isle de Terre-neufue, l'entrée & golfe de nostre grand fleuue de sainct Laurens, les peuples qui habitent ses riues, le lieu où nous estions pour lors, ie montay iusques aux Algonquains, aux Hiroquois, aux Hurons, à la nation neutre, &c. luy designant les endroits plus & moins peuplez, ie passay à la Floride, au Perou, au Brasil, &c. luy parlant en mon jargon de ces contrées le mieux qu'il m'estoit possible, il m'interrogea [305] plus particulierement des païs dont il a connoissance, puis m'ayans [188] escouté fort patiemment, il s'escria prononçant vne de leurs grandes admirations Amonitatinaniouikhi! Ceste robbe noire dit vray! parlant à vn vieillard qui me regardoit, puis se tournant deuers moy il me dit, nicanis, mon bien aymé tu nous donne en verité de l'admiration, car nous connoissons la plus part de ces terres & de ces peuples, & tu les a descrit comme ils sont, i'insiste là dessus, comme tu vois que ie dis vray parlant de ton pays, aussi dois-tu croire que ie ne ments pas parlant des autres, ie le croy ainsi, me repartit-il, ie poursuy ma pointe, comme ie suis veritable en parlant des choses de la terre, aussi tu dois te persuader que ie ne voudrois pas mentir quand ie te parle des choses du Ciel, & partant tu dois croire ce que ie t'ay dit de l'autre vie: il s'arresta vn peu de temps tout court, puis ayant vn peu pensé à part soy, Ie te croiray, dit-il quand tu sçauras bien parler, nous auons maintenant trop de peine à nous faire entendre.
After the departure of the Sorcerer, my host took pleasure in asking me questions, especially about the things of nature. One day he asked me how the earth was made; and, bringing me a piece of bark and some charcoal, he had me describe it. So I drew for him the two Hemispheres; and, after having traced Europe, Asia and Africa, I came to our America, showing him that it is an immense Island. I described for him the coast of Acadia, the great Island of Newfoundland, the entrance and gulf of our great river saint Lawrence, the people who inhabit its banks, the place where we then were. I went up as far as the Algonquains, the Hiroquois, the Hurons, to the neutral nation, etc., showing him the places more and less populous. I passed to Florida, to Peru, to Brazil, etc., speaking to him in my jargon the best I could about these countries. He asked me [305] more particularly about the countries of which he had some knowledge. Then having listened to me patiently, he exclaimed, using one of their words expressive of great admiration, Amonitatinaniouikhi! "This black robe tells the truth," speaking to an old man who was looking at me; and turning toward me, he said, "nicanis, my well-beloved, thou dost indeed cause our wonder; for we are acquainted with the greater part of these lands and tribes, and thou hast described them as they are." Thereupon I urge, "As thou seest I tell the truth in speaking of thy country, thou shouldst also believe that I do not lie in speaking of the others." "I do believe thus," he replied. I followed up my point: "As I am truthful in speaking about things of the earth, also thou shouldst persuade thyself that I am not lying when I speak to thee about the things of Heaven; and therefore thou oughtst believe what I have told thee about the other life." He paused a few moments, and then, having reflected a little, said, "I will believe thee when thou shalt know how to speak; but we have now too much trouble in understanding each other."
[306] Il m'a fait mille autres questions, du Soleil, de la rondeur de la terre, des Antipodes, de la France, & fort souuent il me parloit de nostre bon Roy, il admiroit quand ie luy disois que la France estoit remplie de Capitaines, & que le Roy estoit le Capitaine de tous les Capitaines, il me prioit de le mener en France pour le voir, & qu'il luy feroit des presens, ie me mis à rire luy disant que toutes leurs richesses n'estoient que pauureté à comparaisson des grandeurs du Roy, Ie veux dire, me fit-il, que ie feray des presens à ceux de sa suitte, pour luy ie me contenteray de le voir, il racontoit par apres aux autres ce qu'il m'auoit ouy dire. Il me demanda vne autrefois s'il y auoit de grands saults dans la mer, c'est à dire des cheutes d'eau, il y en a beaucoup dans les fleuues de [190] ce païs cy, vous verrez vne belle riuiere coulant fort doucement tomber tout à coup dans vn lit plus bas, les terres ne s'abbaissant pas également, mais comme par degrez en certains endroits, nous voyons vn de ces sauts proche de Kebec nommé le saut de [307] Montmorency, c'est vne riuiere qui vient des terres, & qui se precipite de fort haut dans le grand fleuue de sainct Laurens, les riues qui le bornent estans fort releuées en cét endroit: Or quelques Sauuages croyoient que la mer a de ces cheutes d'eau dans lesquelles se perdent quantité de nauires ie luy ostay cét erreur, ces inegalitez ne se retrouuans point dans l'Ocean.
[306] He asked me a thousand other questions,—about the Sun, the roundness of the earth, the Antipodes, France, and he frequently spoke to me about our good King. He was surprised when I told him that France was full of Captains, and that the King was the Captain of all the Captains. He begged me to take him to France to see him, and to make him some presents. I began to laugh, telling him that all their riches were nothing but poverty compared to the splendors of the King. "I mean," said he, "that I will make presents to his followers; as to him, I will be content to see him." He recounted afterwards to the others what he had heard me say. Another time he asked me if there were any great falls in the sea, that is, waterfalls. There are a great many in the rivers of this country. You will see a beautiful river flowing along peacefully; and all at once it will fall into a lower bed, as the land does not slope gradually, but as if by steps in certain places. We see one of these falls near Kebec; it is called the "falls of [307] Montmorency." They are formed by a river which comes from the interior, and falls from a very high level into the great river saint Lawrence, the banks enclosing it being considerably elevated at this place. Now some of the Savages believe that the sea has these waterfalls, and that a great many ships are lost in them. I removed this error by telling them that these inequalities are not found in the Ocean.
Le vingt-troisiesme de Mars nous repassames le fleuue Capititetchioueth, que nous auions passé le troisiesme de Decembre.
On the twenty-third of March, we again crossed the river Capititetchioueth, over which we had passed on the third of December.
Le trentiesme du mesme mois, nous vinsmes cabaner sur vn fort beau lac, en ayant passé vn autre plus petit en nostre chemin, ils estoient encore autant glacez qu'au milieu de l'hyuer, mon hoste me consoloit icy me voyant fort foible & fort abbatu, ne t'attriste point, me disoit-il, si tu t'attriste tu seras encore plus malade, si ta maladie augmente tu mourras, considere que voicy vn beau pays, ayme-le, si tu l'ayme, tu t'y plairas, si tu t'y plais tu te resioüiras, si tu te resioüis tu guariras, ie [308] prenois plaisir d'entendre le discours de ce pauure barbare.