Part 13

Vne chose me semble plus qu'intolerable, c'est qu'on est pesle-mesle, fille, femme, homme, garçõs tous ensemble dans vn trou enfumé; & plus on s'auance en la cognoissance [93] de la langue, plus on entend de salatés. Dieu veuille que les yeux n'en soient point offensez, on me dit que non. Ie ne pensois pas que les Sauuages eussent la bouche si puante comme ie le vay remarquant tous les iours. Coucher sur la terre couuerte d'vn peu de branches de pin, n'auoir qu'vne écorce entre la neige & vostre teste, traisner vostre bagage sur des montagnes, se laisser rouler dans des vallons espouuãtables, ne manger qu'vne fois en deux ou trois iours quand il n'y a point de chasse, c'est la vie qu'il faut mener en suiuant les Sauuages. Il est vray que si la chasse est bonne, la chair ne vous est point épargnée: sinon il faut estre en danger de mourir de faim, ou de bien souffrir. Vn de nos François qui a demeuré auec eux cét hyuer passé, nous a dit qu'il n'auoit mangé en deux iours qu'vn petit bout de [94] chandelle qu'il auoit porté par mesgarde dans sa pochette. Voila peutestre mon traittement pour l'hyuer prochain, car si ie veux sçauoir la langue, il faut de necessité suiure les Sauuages. Ie crains neantmoins que nostre famille accreuë ne me retienne cette année, mais il y faut aller tost ou tard, i'y voudrais desia estre, tant i'ay de mal au cœur de voir ces pauures ames errãtes sans aucun secours faute de les entendre. On ne peut mourir qu'vne fois, le plustost n'est pas tousiours le pire. Changeons de propos: Il faut que ie remarque icy vne iniure que les Sauuages donnent aux François, c'est qu'ils aiment ce qu'ils ont: quand vous refusez quelque chose à vn Sauuage, aussi-tost il vous dit _Khisakhitan_: tu aime cela, _sakhita, sakhita_, aime le, aime le, comme s'ils vouloient dire qu'on est attaché à ce qu'on aime, & qu'on [95] le prefere à leur amitié.

One thing seems to me more than intolerable. It is their living together promiscuously, girls, women, men, and boys in a smoky hole. And the more progress one makes in the knowledge [93] of the language, the more vile things one hears. May it please God that one's eyes be not offended; I am told that they are not. I did not think that the mouth of the Savage was so foul as I notice it is everyday. To sleep on the earth, covered with a few branches of pine, nothing but the bark between the snow and your head; to drag your baggage over the mountains, to let yourself roll down into frightful valleys; to eat only once in two or three days, when there is no hunting,--that is the life you must lead in following the Savages. It is true that, if the hunting is good, there is no lack of meat; if not, one must be in danger of dying from starvation, or of enduring great suffering. One of our Frenchmen, who lived with them last winter, told us that during two days he ate nothing but a small piece of [94] candle, that he had accidentally carried in his pocket. This is the treatment that I shall perhaps have next winter; because, if I wish to learn the language, I must necessarily follow the Savages. I fear, however, that our growing family may keep me here this year; but sooner or later I must go. I would like to be there already, I am so sick at heart to see these poor straying souls, without any help because of our inability to understand them. We can die but once; the soonest is not always the worst. Let us change the subject; I must speak here of the charge which the Savages make against the French. It is that they love what is theirs; when you refuse anything to a Savage, he immediately says _Khisakhitan_, "Thou lovest that," _sakhita, sakhita_, "Love it, love it;" as if they would say that we are attached to what we love, and that we [95] prefer it to their friendship.

Nostre Sauuage voudroit bien viure auec nous comme frere, en vn mot il voudroit entrer en communauté de tout. Ie te donneray, dit-il, de tout ce que i'ay, & tu me donneras de tout ce que tu as: Ce seroit le moyen de manger en vn mois toutes les prouisions d'vne année, car ils ne cessent de manger tant qu'ils ont dequoy, n'en ayant plus, ils en cherchent, & en demandent auec importunité. Il est vray que ce bon homme voit bien que ceste procedure n'est pas bonne: & quand ie luy represente qu'il ne fait pas bien, prodiguant ses viures en peu de temps: ce n'est pas moy, dit-il, qui fait cela, c'est ma femme. Il s'estonne quand nous luy faisons manger d'vn morceau d'Ours ou d'Orignac six sepmaines apres qu'il nous l'a donné; car en ce temps-là on mangera deux & trois [96] & quatre ours en sa cabane, si on en prend autant.

Our Savage would like to live with us as a brother; in a word, he would like to have us divide with him all that we have. "I will give thee," said he, "of all that I possess, and thou shalt give me of all that belongs to thee." In this way, we should eat in a month all the provisions for a year, for they never stop eating as long as they have anything. Having nothing more, they go in search of something, and beg for it persistently. It is true that this simple fellow realizes that this is not a good way, and, when I show him that it is not well to use up his food so quickly, he says: "It is not I who do that, it is my wife." He is astonished when we give him a piece of Bear or Moose six weeks after he has given it to us, for in that time they eat two, three, [96] and four bears in his cabin, if they capture that many.

Le 13. de Feurier Dieu nous fit vne faueur fort signalée: Mon maistre nommé en sa langue comme i'ay desia souuent dit, Pierre Pastedechouan, s'en alla sans nous rien dire. Depuis qu'il estoit auec nous, il s'estoit vn peu remis: il se confessoit de tẽps en tẽps sãs se vouloir cõmunier quoy qu'on luy dit. Sa raison estoit que iamais il ne s'estoit cõmunié en son pays, si biẽ en France: mais i'estois là mieux disposé qu'icy, disoit-il. Comme il sentit approcher le Caresme, il nous fit plusieurs interrogations sans que nous prissiõs garde où elles buttoient: scauoir mõ à quel âge on estoit obligé de ieusner, si dans tout le Caresme on ne mangeroit point de chair, & choses semblables. La peur qu'il eut du ieusne, & la croyance qu'il auoit que [97] les gens de La Nasse auroient bõne chasse, fit qu'il s'en alla les trouuer sans nous en parler. Voyant mon secours perdu pour la langue, nous demandasmes derechef à Dieu qu'il luy pleust nous donner pour la seconde fois celuy qu'il nous auoit dõné pour la premiere. La Theologie de ce bon aueugle né n'est pas bonne, qui dit que Dieu n'exauce point les pecheurs, si fait bien quand il luy plaist. La Nasse ayant mangé toute sa chasse, & n'en trouuant plus dans les bois, la faim le pressa si fort, qu'il ne sçauoit de quel coste se tourner. Nostre Pierre se voyant dans le ieusne deuant que d'estre en Caresme, ayant pense perdre la vie sur vne glace qui coula dessous luy, & passé quatre iours sans quasi rien manger, nous reuient voir tout defait apres 15 iours d'absẽce, il ne nous dit point que la famine le ramenoit, aussi attribuay-ie [98] son retour à celuy qui nous le donnoit pour la seconde fois: Il demeura donc auec nous iusques à Pasques, m'aydant à conclurre ce que i'auois enuie d'acheuer de nostre Dictionnaire.

On the 13th of February God did us a very signal favor. My teacher, named in his language, as I have often said already, Pierre Pastedechouan, went off without giving us notice. Since he had been with us, he had somewhat improved; he had been to confession from time to time, but would not take communion, whatever might be said to him. His reason was that he had never taken communion in his country, though he had in France; "But I was," he said, "more disposed to it there than here." As he felt that Lent was approaching, he asked us a number of questions, the full tendency of which we did not comprehend; namely, at what age it was necessary to fast; if one should not eat meat at all during Lent, and similar things. The fear he had of fasting, and his belief that [97] the people of La Nasse would be lucky in their hunt, led him to go to them without telling me. Seeing that I had lost my help in learning the language, we again asked God to give us, if it pleased him, for a second time, the one he had given us at first. The Theology of that worthy man, blind from birth, who says that God does not hearken to sinners except when it is agreeable to him, is not good. La Nasse having eaten all his game, and finding no more in the woods, was so pressed with hunger that he knew not on which side to turn. Our Pierre found himself fasting before the beginning of Lent; having nearly lost his life upon the ice, which slipped from under him, he passed four days with scarcely anything to eat and returned to us completely exhausted, after 15 days of absence. He did not tell us that hunger brought him back, therefore I attributed [98] his return to him who gave him to us for a second time. He remained with us until Easter, helping me to finish what I was very anxious to complete, our Dictionary.

Le Vendredy Sainct, il s'en voulut aller à la chasse auec nostre Sauuage qui estoit du retour, mais ie luy dis qu'il n'iroit point qu'il ne se fust acquitté du deuoir que doiuent rendre à Dieu tous les Chrestiens en ce tẽps-là; i'aduerty nostre Sauvage de ne le point receuoir en sa cõpagnie; ce qu'il fit. Il se confessa donc & se communia le iour de Pasques. Le lendemain nostre Sauvage retournant pour vendre au sieur de Caën vn ieune Eslan qu'il auoit pris tout vif (lequel mourut depuis) nostre homme l'accosta, & luy dit que nous ne l'auions retenu sinon pour prier Dieu le iour precedẽt, & que l'ayant [99] fait nous estions contens qu'il le suiuit: Il est vray que pour le contenter nous luy auions dit que s'estant acquitté de ses deuotiõs, il pourroit s'en aller à la chasse à la premiere occasion, ce qu'il a fait auec promesse de retourner, mais nous ne l'auõs point veu depuis. Dieu soit beny de tout: ie ne m'osois promettre tout ce que i'ay tiré de luy, i'en ay assez pour me rendre capable d'aller hyuerner parmy les Sauuages, auec profit.

On Good Friday, he wanted to go hunting with our Savage, who had returned; but I told him that he should not go until he had rendered to God the devotion that all Christians owed to him at that time. I charged our Savage not to receive him in his company, and he did not. Then he confessed and received his Easter communion. The next day, our Savage returning to sell to sieur de Caën a young Elk that he had taken alive (which died afterward), our man accosted him, and said that we had only detained him that he might pray to God on the preceding day; and that, having done [99] so, we were willing that he should go with him. It is true that, in order to please him, we told him that, if he performed his devotions, he might go hunting upon the first opportunity; which he did with the promise to return, but we have not seen him since. But God be praised for all; I dared not promise myself all that I have drawn from him; I have enough to fit me for going to pass the winter among the Savages with profit.

La Nasse reuenant de la chasse nous dit que ce pauure ieune homme auoit trauersé les bois pour aller trouuer ses frères à Tadoussac: pour moy i'estime qu'il a la foy, i'en ay de tres-grands indices: mais comme c'est vne foy de crainte & de seruitude, & que d'ailleurs il est enchaisné par vne infinité de mauuaises habitudes, il a de la peine de quitter la liberté blasmable des Sauuages, [100] pour s'arrester sous le ioug de la loy de Dieu.

When La Nasse returned from hunting, he told us that this poor young man had gone through the woods to find his brothers at Tadoussac. For my part I think he has faith; I have seen strong indications of it; but as it is a faith born of fear and slavishness, and as, moreover, he is enchained by a multitude of bad habits, he has great difficulty in abandoning the wicked liberty of the Savages [100] and submitting to the yoke of the law of God.

Le 21. de Mars, vn Sauuage mangeant chez nous à terre, selon leur coustume, s'arresta tout court, disant qu'il ne mangeroit pas dauantage, autrement qu'il mourroit: Ie luy demanday pourquoy, il me dit qu'il auoit veu vne lumiere brillãte tourner tout à l'entour du plat: ie voulus mettre la main sur le plat, il s'escria, K_higa nipin_, K_higa nipin_, tu mourras, tu mourras: Or comme ie commence à cognoistre leurs fantaisies, pour luy faire voir sa simplicité: ie prends vne cuillerée ou deux de ce qu'il mãgeoit, & en mangeay moy-mesme, il commence à me regarder comme tout estonné, & voyant que ie n'auois point de mal; i'en mãgeray aussi, fit-il, puis que tu en as mangé.

On the 21st of March, a Savage who was eating at our house, upon the ground, according to their custom, stopped suddenly, saying that he would eat no more,--if he did, he would die. I asked him why, and he told me that he has seen a bright light revolve around his plate. I was about to put my hand upon the plate, and he cried out, _Khiga nipin, Khiga nipin_, "Thou wilt die, thou wilt die." Now as I am becoming familiar with their fancies, to make him understand his simplicity, I took a spoonful or two of what he was eating, and ate it myself. He looked at me with astonishment, and, seeing that I was not sick, "I will eat also," said he, "since thou hast eaten of it."

On dit que quelques Basques ou Anglois leurs ont baillé l'apprehension [101] que les François les vouloient empoisonner. C'est pourquoy plusieurs vous inuitent de gouster le premier de ce que vous leur presentez. En quoy il arriua vne chose agreable à vn Sauuage fort adonné a boire: le sieur du Plessis luy ayãt fait presenter vn verre de vin, ou de sidre; il se tourne, & le donne à vn François pour en taster: ce François le tasta si bien, qu'il n'y laissa rien. Le Sauuage qui le voyoit faire, crioit prou _egouspé, egouspé_, c'est assez, c'est assez: mais l'autre tira iusques au bout, puis presenta le verre tout vuide au Sauuage, pour l'apprendre vne autre fois à quitter ces deffiances.

It is said that some Basques or Englishmen have communicated to them the fear [101] that the French were seeking to poison them. That is why many of the Savages invite you to first taste whatever you give them. Apropos of this, a very amusing thing happened to a Savage who was much addicted to drink. Sieur du Plessis having presented him with a glass of wine, or of cider, he turned about, and gave it to a Frenchman to taste; this Frenchman tasted it so well, that there was none of it left. The Savage, who saw what he was doing, cried out, _egouspé, egouspé_, "It is enough, it is enough." But the other drank the last drop, giving the empty glass to the Savage, as a lesson that, another time, he must be less suspicious.

Le 22. nostre Pierre ayant pris vn Castor, vne Sauuage l'ayant écorché, nostre frere le prit & le laua: ceste femme voyant qu'il faisoit tomber à terre le sang de cét animal, s'écria, en verité cét homme n'a point [102] d'esprit, & se tournant vers Pierre, luy dit, tu ne prendras plus de Castors, on a respandu le sang du tien: c'est vne de leurs superstitions, qu'il ne faut point respandre à terre le sang pur du Castor, si on veut auoir bonne chasse, du moins Pierre nous le dit ainsi.

On the 22nd, our Pierre having caught a Beaver, a Savage skinned and our brother washed it. This woman, seeing that he let some of the blood of the animal fall to the ground, cried out: "In truth, this man has no [102] sense;" and turning to Pierre she said: "Thou wilt take no more Beavers, for the blood of thine has been spilled." It is one of their superstitions that you must not spill the pure blood of the Beaver upon the ground, if you wish to have good hunting, at least Pierre has told us so.

Le premier iour d'Auril le Capitaine des Algonquains nous vint voir, & nous apporta de la chair d'Elan, ses gens en auoient tué dix, quoy qu'vn Sauuage vous donne pour vn grand mercy, (c'est vn mot qu'ils ont appris des François) il leur faut rendre quelqu'autre chose pour vn autre grand'mercy, autrement vous serez tenu pour vn ingrat. Ils reçoiuent assez volontiers sans donner: mais ils ne sçauent que c'est de donner sans receuoir. Il est vray que si vous les voulez suiure dãs les bois, ils vous nourriront sans vous riẽ demander, [103] s'ils croient que vous n'ayez riē: Mais s'ils s'apperçoiuẽt que vous ayez quelque chose, & qu'ils en ayẽt enuie, ils ne cesseront de vous presser que vous ne leur ayez donné.

On the first day of April, the Captain of the Algonquains came to see us, and brought us some Elk meat, his people having killed ten of these animals. Although the Savages will give you something for a "thank you," (this is a word they have learned from the French), you must make them some return for another "thank you," otherwise you will be looked upon as ungrateful. They are willing enough to receive without giving; but they do not know what it is to give without receiving. It is true that, if you will follow them into the woods, they will feed you without asking anything of you, [103] if they think that you have nothing. But if they see that you have something, and they want it, they will not stop asking you for it until you have given it.

Pour retourner à ce Capitaine, ie luy demanday s'il auoit vn fils, & s'il ne vouloit point nous le dōner pour l'instruire; il me demanda combien ie voulois d'enfans, & que i'en auois desia deux: ie luy dis qu'auec le tẽps peutestre i'en nourrirois vingt, il s'étonna: Habilleras-tu bien, me dit-il, tant de mõde? Ie respondis que nous ne les prendrions pas que nous n'eussions le moyen de les habiller, il repart qu'il seroit bien content de nous donner le sien, mais que sa fẽme ne le voudroit pas. Les femmes ont icy vn grand pouuoir: qu'vn hõme vous promette quelque chose, s'il ne tient pas sa promesse, il pense s'estre bien excusé, quand il vous a [104] dit que sa femme ne l'a pas voulu: ie luy dis donc qu'il estoit le maistre, & qu'en France les femmes ne commandoient point à leurs maris: cela est bien, dit-il, mais pour mon fils ie suis assez sçauant pour l'instruire, ie luy apprẽdray à haranguer: instruits premierement les Montagnaits, si cela reüssit bien, nous te donnerons nos enfans.

To return to this Captain; I asked him if he had a son, and if he would not give him to us to be educated. He asked me how many children I wanted, and [said] that I already had two. I told him that in time I should perhaps feed twenty. He was astonished. "Wilt thou clothe so many as well?" asked he. I answered him that we would not take them until we had the means to clothe them. He replied that he would be very glad to give us his son, but that his wife did not wish to do so. The women have great power here. A man may promise you something, and, if he does not keep his promise, he thinks he is sufficiently excused when he tells you [104] that his wife did not wish to do it. I told him then that he was the master, and that in France women do not rule their husbands. "That is very well," said he, "but I know enough to instruct my son; I shall teach him to make speeches. Instruct the Montagnaits first; if thou succeedest well, then we will give thee our children."

Ie luy parlay de Dieu, il m'escoutoit fort attentiuement: Ie luy enseignay quelque petite priere en langage Montagnaits qu'il entend fort bien; il les prononçoit en sa langue, & me promit qu'il les diroit souuẽt. Or cõme le tẽps me pressoit d'aller reciter mon office, ie luy dis que i'allois prier Dieu: il me suiuit, entra dãs ma chambrette, & s'y tint iusques à ce que i'eusse acheué, me faisãt aprés plusieurs interrogations; bref il ne s'en retourna qu'à la nuict.

I talked to him about God, and he listened very attentively. I taught him a little prayer in the Montagnaits language which he understands very well. He repeated it in his tongue, and promised me that he would say it often. Then, as the time had come for me to go and recite my office, I told him that I was going to pray to God. He followed me, entered my little room, and remained there until I had finished, asking me a number of questions afterward. In short, he did not go away until night.

[105] Le 18. & le 20. d'Auril, il tonna fort & ferme auec de grands éclairs, & cependant la riuiere estoit encor glacée, & la terre couuerte de neige; ce qui fait voir qu'il y a de la chaleur en l'air, & que ces neiges & froids sont accidentels, & contre la nature du climat: noꝰ sommes parallelles à la Rochelle, cõme i'ay desia dit. Tous les François pourront tesmoigner qu'ils n'ont point veu dans le cœur de la France mois de May si chaud, que celuy qu'ils ont esprouué à Kebec.

[105] On the 18th and 20th of April, it thundered loudly and violently, with sharp flashes of lightning, and yet the river was still frozen, and the ground white with snow; this showed us that there was heat in the air, and these snows and this cold were accidental and contrary to the nature of the climate. We are on a parallel with la Rochelle, as I have already said. All the Frenchmen can testify that they have never seen in the heart of France so warm a month of May as they have experienced in Kebec.

La chaleur est icy grande & brûlante; & cependant i'ay remarqué depuis que ie suis icy qu'il a gelé tous les mois de l'année. Ie ne m'estonne point de ces gelées: nous auons du costé du Nord vne chaisne de montagnes peut-estre de cent ou deux cens lieues d'estendue. Nous ne sommes pas éloignez de six lieuës de ces [106] monts prodigieux, & peutestre tousiours couuerts de neiges: Ie vous laisse à penser si les vents qui passent par là nous peuuent apporter beaucoup de chaleur. De plus nous sommes dans les bois de 800 ou mille lieuës. Nous habitons les bords de deux fleuues, dont l'vn engloutiroit les quatre beaux fleuues de France sans regorger. Voila les vrayes causes & alimens du froid. Si le pays estoit découuert iusques à ces montagnes; nous aurions peutestre l'vne des plus fœcondes vallées qui soient en l'vniuers: L'expérience nous fait voir que les bois engendrent les frimas & les gelées. Les terres de ceste famille qui est icy estant plus découuertes que les nostres, sont plustost déchargées de neiges, & moins sujettes à ces froids du matin. Les nostres aussi ne sentent point ces rigueurs si souuent, que celles de la [107] maison des RR. Peres Recolets qui sont plus referrez dans les bois.