Le dixiesme de ce mois le Pere Masse, & le Pere Buteux nous écriuent [106] de la Residence de la Conception, que le bruit est la haut, que les Hiroquois ont défait sept canots de la petite Nation des Algonquains; si cela est la paix dont i'ay parlé cy-dessus est desia rompuë: Car nos Montagnais alliez des Algonquains suiuront leur party.
On the tenth of this month, Father Masse and Father Buteux wrote me [106] from the Residence of the Conception that it was reported there that the Hiroquois had destroyed seven canoes of the petite Nation of the Algonquains;[14] if this be true, the peace, of which I have spoken above, is already broken, for our Montagnais allies of the Algonquains will take sides with them.
On m'a rapporté, ie ne sçay s'il est vray, qu'vn certain Sauuage nommé la Grenoüille, qui fait icy du Capitaine, a dit que les Hiroquois, auec lesquels il auoit traitté la paix, les ont incité à tuer quelques Hurons, & de prendre guerre auec eux.
I have heard a report, I do not know how true it is, that a certain Savage named "the Frog" [la Grenoüille], who acts as Captain here, has said that the Hiroquois, with whom he had made a treaty of peace, have incited them to kill some of the Hurons, and to make war against them.
[60] Les plus auisez croient que c'est vne ruse de ceux qui traittent auec ces Peuples, & qui s'efforcent par leur entremise, de diuertir les Hurons de commerce qu'ils ont auec nos François; ce qui arriueroit, si nos Montagnais leur faisoient la [107] guerre, & alors ils les attireroient à leurs Habitations, d'où s'ensuiuroit vn tres-notable detrimẽt pour Messieurs les Associez de la Compagnie de la Nouuelle France.
Those best informed believe that this is a ruse of those who trade with these Tribes, and who are striving to divert, through their agency, the Hurons from their commerce with our French; which would happen if our Montagnais made [107] war against them; and then they [the traders] would attract them to their Settlements, and there would result a very considerable injury to the Associated Gentlemen of the Company of New France.
Le dix-septiesme du mesme mois d'Aoust, le Pere de Quen arriua à Kebec dans vne chalouppe, qu'enuoyoit le Capitaine Bontemps pour donner aduis de sa venuë à Tadoussac. Or comme on a veu ceste année les glaces espouuantables sur la mer; vne entre autres de trente à quarante lieuës, d'autres disent de soixante lieuës d'estenduë; vn Pilote m'a asseuré qu'ils la costoierent trois iours & trois nuits ayans vn assez bon vent en poupe, & qu'en quelques endroits elle auoit des campagnes toutes rases, & en d'autres elle se releuoit en collines, & en hautes montagnes. De plus on a veu quelques vaisseaux Turcs, au sortir [108] de la Manche, & quelques nauires degradez voguer en mer çà & là sans vergues & sans voiles, qu'on croit auoir esté pris de ces infideles, lesquels abandonnent souuent les vaisseaux qu'ils rauissent, apres auoir enleué tout ce qui est dedans. Comme disie tous ces bruits couroient, nous auions tous perdu l'esperance de veoir le Capitaine Bontemps, la saison de voguer icy se passant; c'est pourquoy sa venuë inesperée a causé d'autant plus de ioye, qu'on eust esté marry qu'vn si braue Capitaine & vn si bel equipage se fust perdu. Le Pere de Quen nous raconta l'occasion de leur retardement, & nous donna sujet de loüer Dieu, qui les a tiré des ombres de la mort, [62] les sauuant d'vn naufrage qui sembloit ineuitable.
On the seventeenth of the same month of August, Father de Quen[15] arrived at Kebec in a shallop which Captain Bontemps sent to give the news of his arrival at Tadoussac. Now as frightful icebergs have been seen this year upon the sea,—among others, one from thirty to forty, others say sixty leagues in extent, so large that a Pilot has assured me that he coasted along it for three days and three nights having a fair wind astern, and that in some places it had level plains, in others it rose into hills and high mountains: and since some Turkish vessels had been seen sailing out [108] of the English Channel, and some damaged ships floating here and there on the sea without masts and without sails,—which are believed to have been captured by those infidels, who often abandon ships which they plunder, after having robbed them of all they contain:[16] now as all these reports were being circulated, we had all lost hope of seeing Captain Bontemps, the season for sailing to this country having passed. It was this that made his unexpected arrival give us all the more joy, for we would have been sorry if so brave a Captain and so fine a crew had been lost. Father de Quen related to us the cause of their delay, and gave us reason to thank God, who drew them back from the shades of death, saving them from a shipwreck which seemed inevitable.
Le vingt-sixiesme du mesme mois [109] vn ieune homme qui est passé en la Nouuelle France, comme Soldat volontaire dans le vaisseau commãdé par Monsieur le Cheualier de la Roche Iacquelin, a abiuré publiquement les erreurs de Caluin, & embrassé les veritez Chrestiennes & Catholiques. Monsieur le Cheualier le voyant d'vn assez bon naturel, & l'ayant disposé à nous prester l'oreille, prit la peine luy-mesme de l'amener en nostre petite Maison, où par apres il m'est venu trouuer plusieurs fois luy tout seul, pour conferer auec moy; en fin apres luy auoir éclaircy les principaux points de nostre creance, il a voulu reporter à l'Ancienne France, le thresor de la verité que Dieu luy a fait trouuer en la Nouuelle.
On the twenty-sixth of the same month [109] a young man who came over into New France as a volunteer Soldier, in the ship commanded by Monsieur the Chevalier de la Roche Jacquelin, publicly abjured the errors of Calvin, and embraced the Christian and Catholic truths. Monsieur the Chevalier, seeing he had a very good disposition, and having inclined him to lend us an ear, himself took the trouble to bring him to our little House, where he afterwards came to see me several times alone, to confer with me. Finally, after having enlightened him upon the principal points of our belief, he desired to carry back to Old France the treasure of truth which God had led him to find in the New.