Le vingtiesme, Monsieur le General nous rendit le Pere le Mercier, qu'il amena dans sa barque; tous ces iours nous estoient des iours de ioye & de contentement, voyant & nos François & nos Peres en bonne santé, apres beaucoup de tourmente sur la mer.
On the twentieth, Monsieur the General conveyed to us Father Mercier,[11] whom he had brought in his bark. All these days were for us days of joy and contentment, seeing both our French and our Fathers in good health after much suffering upon the sea.
Le vingt-deuxiesme de Iuillet se fit vne Assemblée ou vn Conseil entre les François & les Hurons. Le [48] Pere Buteux qui estoit descendu de la Residence de la Conception, & moy [94] y assistasmes. Apres les affaires communes, Monsieur de Champlain nostre Gouuerneur, recommanda auec vne affection energigue nos Peres, & les François qui les accompagnoient à ces Peuples; il leur fit dire, que s'ils vouloient conseruer & accroistre l'amitié qu'ils ont auec les François, qu'il falloit qu'ils receussent nostre creance, & adorassent le Dieu que nous adorons; que cela leur seroit grandement profitable: car Dieu pouuant tout, les benira, les protegera, leur donnera la victoire contre leurs ennemis; que les François iront en bon nombre en leur Pays; qu'ils épouseront leurs filles quand elles seront Chrestiennes: qu'ils enseigneront à toute leur nation à faire des haches, des cousteaux, & autres choses qui leur sont fort necessaires, & qu'à cet effet ils deuroient dés l'an prochain [95] amener bon nombre de leurs petits garçons, que nous les logerons bien, que nous les nourrirons, & que nous les instruirons & cherirons comme s'ils estoient nos petits Freres. Et pour autant que tous les Capitaines ne pouuoient des descendre en bas, qu'ils tiendroient Conseil sur ce sujet en leur Pays, auquel ils appelloient Echom, c'est ainsi qu'il appellent le Pere Brebeuf: & là dessus leur donnant vne lettre pour luy porter, il adiousta: Voicy que i'informe le Pere de tous ces points. Il se trouuera en vostre Assemblée, & vous fera vn present que ses Freres luy enuoyent: là vous ferez paroistre si veritablement vous aymez les François. I'auois suggeré ces pensées à Monsieur nostre gouuerneur qu'il approuua; mais encore il les amplifia auec mille loüanges & mille tesmoignages d'affectiõ enuers nostre [96] Compagnie. Monsieur [50] le General prit aussi la parole sur ce sujet, & fit tout son possible pour donner à cognoistre à ces Peuples, l'estime que sont les grands Capitaines de France des Peres qu'on leur enuoye; & tout cela pour les disposer à recognoistre le Dieu des François, & de tout l'Vniuers. A ce discours vn Capitaine repartit, qu'ils ne manqueroient pas de rendre ceste lettre, & de tenir Conseil sur les Articles proposez. Qu'au reste que toute leur Nation aymoit tous les François, & qu'il sembloit neantmoins, que les François n'aymoient qu'vne seule de leurs Bourgades, puisque tous ceux qui montoient en leur Pays la prenoient pour leur demeure. On leur respondit, que iusques icy ils n'auoient eu qu'vn petit nombre de nos François, & que s'ils embrassoient nostre creance, qu'ils en auroient [97] en toutes leurs Bourgades.
On the twenty-second of July, there was held an Assembly or Council between the French and the Hurons. Father Buteux, who had come down from the Residence of the Conception, and I [94] participated therein. After public affairs, Monsieur de Champlain, our Governor, very affectionately recommended our Fathers, and the French who accompanied them, to these Tribes; he told them, through an interpreter, that if they wished to preserve and strengthen their friendship with the French, they must receive our belief and worship the God that we worshiped; that this would be very profitable to them, for God, being all-powerful, will bless and protect them, and make them victorious over their enemies; that the French will go in goodly numbers to their Country; that they will marry their daughters when they become Christians; that they will teach all their people to make hatchets, knives, and other things which are very necessary to them; and that for this purpose they must next year [95] bring many of their little boys, whom we will lodge comfortably, and will feed, instruct and cherish as if they were our little Brothers. And that, inasmuch as all the Captains could not come down there, they should hold a Council upon this matter in their Country, to which they should summon Echom,—it is thus they call Father Brebeuf;[12] and then, giving them a letter to bear to him, he added, "Here I inform the Father of all these points. He will be in your Assembly, and will make you a present that his Brothers send him; there you will show whether you truly love the French." I suggested these thoughts to Monsieur our governor, and he approved them; but he also amplified them with a thousand praises and a thousand proofs of affection towards our [96] Society. Monsieur the General also said a few words upon this subject, and did all he could to let these Peoples know the high estimation in which the great Captains of France hold these Fathers that they send over to them; and all this was done to dispose them to recognize the God of the French and of the whole Universe. To this discourse a Chief replied that they would not fail to deliver this letter, and to hold a Council upon the Matters proposed. That, as to the rest, their whole Nation loved all the French; and yet, notwithstanding this, the French loved only one of their Villages, since all those who had come up to their Country selected that as their dwelling place. They were answered that, up to the present, they had had only a few of our Frenchmen; and that, if they embraced our belief, they would have some of them [97] in all their villages.
Au sortir du Conseil nous allasmes veoir ceux qui voudroient embarquer le P. le Mercier & le Pere Pijart auec leur petit bagage, pour les porter en leur Pays: le Pere Brebeuf m'en auoit assigné quelquesvns dans ses lettres, mais plusieurs se presentoient; ils regardoient les Pères attentiuement, les mesuroient de leurs yeux, ils demandoient s'ils n'estoient point meschants, s'ils rameroient bien, ils les prenoient par les mains, & leur faisoient signe qu'il faudroit bien remuer l'auiron.
At the conclusion of the Council, we went to see those who were to take on board Father le Mercier and Father Pijart, with their little baggage, to convey them into their Country; Father Brebeuf had designated certain ones to me in his letter, but several presented themselves. They gazed attentively at the Fathers, measured them with their eyes, asked if they were ill-natured, if they paddled well; then took them by the hands, and made signs to them that it would be necessary to handle the paddles well.
En fin le vingt-troisiesme du mesme mois de Iuillet nos Sauuages bien contens, embarquerent nos deux Peres, & vn ieune garçon François, qui a desia passé vne année dans le pays: iamais ie ne vy personnes plus ioyeuses que ces bons Peres, on les fit mettre pieds nuds à l'entrée [98] de leur nauire d'escorce, [52] de peur de les gaster, ils s'y mettent gayement, portans vn œil, & vn visage tout ioyeux, dans les souffrances qu'ils vont rencontrer. Ie me represente vn S. André volant à la Croix; on les separa en trois canots; celuy qui portoit le Pere Pijart estant le premier prest tira droit au bord, c'est à dire au vaisseau de Monsieur le Cheualier, pour luy donner le dernier adieu, & le remercier encore vne fois, des courtoisies fort particulieres qu'il auoit receu de luy, passant dans son nauire depuis la France iusques à Tadoussac. Apres l'auoir salüé Monsieur le Cheualier fit ietter des pruneaux dãs son canot pour les Sauuages qui le menoient, & fit tirer trois volées de canon par honneur. Ces pauures Barbares tressailloiẽt d'aise, mettant la main sur leur bouche en signe d'estonnement.
At last, on the twenty-third of the same month of July, our Savages, well pleased, embarked our two Fathers and a young French boy who has already passed a year in the country. I never saw persons more joyful than were these good Fathers; they had to go barefooted into the [98] bark ships, for fear of spoiling them, and they did this gayly, with glad eyes and faces, notwithstanding the sufferings they were about to encounter. I was reminded of St. Andrew flying to the Cross. They were taken in three different canoes; the one that carried Father Pijart being the first ready, it went directly alongside, that is, of the ship of Monsieur the Chevalier, to say to him his last adieus and to thank him once more for very especial courtesies received from him while crossing in his ship from France to Tadoussac. After having saluted him, Monsieur the Chevalier had some prunes thrown into his canoe for the Savages who were taking him, and had the cannon fired off three times in his honor. These poor Barbarians were thrilled with delight, placing their hands over their mouths as a sign of astonishment.
[99] Le Pere le Mercier vint apres dans son canot, pour recognoistre les obligations qu'il a à Monsieur le General, & prendre congé de luy; il ne sçauoit en quels termes nous tesmoigner le soin qu'il a des nostres, qui passent auec luy dans son vaisseau. Apres les adieux, on ietta aussi des prunes à ses conducteurs, le canon du vaisseau & de la barque, faisant entendre aux Sauuages, qu'ils deuoient auoir grand soin de ceux que nos Capitaines François honoroient auec tant d'affection.
[99] Father le Mercier came afterward in his canoe, to acknowledge the obligations he was under to Monsieur the General, and to take leave of him; the latter did not know how to express the interest he felt in those of our society who had come over with him in his ship. After the farewells, they also threw some prunes to his boatmen, the cannon of the ship and of the bark making these Savages understand that they must take good care of those whom our French Captains honored with so much affection.