Volume 5 — [3] Brief Relation of the Journey to New France.1 (continued 2)

Ie suis deuenu regent en Canada, i'auois l'autre iour vn petit Sauuage d'vn costé, & vn petit Negre ou Maure de l'autre, ausquels i'apprenois à cognoistre les lettres. Apres tant d'années de regence, me voyla enfin retourné à l'A, B, C. mais auec vn contentement & vne satisfaction si grande, [58] que ie n'eusse pas voulu changer mes deux escoliers pour le plus bel auditoire de France: ce petit Sauuage est celuy qu'on nous laissera bien tost tout à fait, ce petit Neigre a esté laissé par les Anglois à cette famille Frãçoise qui est icy, nous l'auions pris pour l'instruire & le baptiser, mais il n'entend pas encor bien la langue, voyla pourquoy nous attendrons encor quelque temps. Quand on luy parla du baptesme il nous fit rire, sa maistresse luy demandant s'il vouloit estre Chrestien, s'il vouloit estre baptisé, & qu'il seroit comme nous, il dit qu'oüy: mais il demanda si on ne l'escorcheroit point en le baptisant, ie croy qu'il auoit belle peur: car il auoit veu escorcher ces pauures Sauuages. Comme il vit qu'on se rioit de sa demande, il repartit en son patois, comme il peut, Vous dites que par le baptesme ie seray comme vous, ie [59] suis noir & vous estes blancs, il faudra donc m'oster la peau pour deuenir comme vous: là dessus on se mit encor plus à rire, & luy voyant bien qu'il s'estoit trompé, se mit à rire comme les autres. Quand ie luy dy qu'il prit sa couuerture, & qu'il s'en retournast chez son maistre iusques à ce qu'il entendit mieux la langue, il se mit à pleurer, & ne voulut iamais reprendre sa couuerture, ie luy dy qu'il s'en allast au fort auec le Pere de Nouë qui s'y en alloit, il obeït, mais on le rendit en passant à son maistre qui ne s'en peut pas long temps passer, autrement nous l'aurions retenu auec nous. Sa maistresse luy demandant pourquoy il n'auoit point rapporté sa couuerture, il répondit, Moy point baptisé, point couuerture: ils disoient viens baptise toy, & moy point baptisé, moy point baptisé, point retourné, point couuerture. Il [60] vouloit dire, que nous luy auions promis le baptesme, & qu'il ne vouloit point retourner qu'il ne l'eût receu, ce sera dans quelque temps, s'il plaist à Dieu.

I have become teacher in Canada: the other day I had a little Savage on one side of me, and a little Negro or Moor on the other, to whom I taught their letters. After so many years of teaching, behold me at last returned to the A, B, C., with so great content and satisfaction [58] that I would not exchange my two pupils for the finest audience in France. This little Savage is the one who will soon be left entirely with us. The little Negro was left by the English with this French family which is here. We have taken him to teach and baptize, but he does not yet understand the language well; therefore we shall wait some time yet. When we talked to him about baptism, he made us laugh. His mistress asking him if he wanted to be a Christian, if he wanted to be baptized and be like us, he said "yes;" but he asked if he would not be skinned in being baptized. I think he was very much frightened, for he had seen those poor Savages skinned. As he saw that they laughed at his questions, he replied in his patois, as best he could: "You say that by baptism I shall be like you: I [59] am black and you are white, I must have my skin taken off then in order to be like you." Thereupon all began to laugh more than ever, and, seeing that he was mistaken, he joined in and laughed with the others. When I told him to take his blanket and return to his master until he should understand our language better, he began to cry, and refused to take his blanket again. I told him to go away to the fort with Father de Nouë, who was going there. He obeyed, but he was restored on the way to his master, who cannot do long without him; otherwise we would have retained him with us. His mistress, asking him why he had not brought back the blanket with him, he answered: "Me not baptized, no blanket. They said: 'Come, baptize thee,' and me not baptized; and me not baptized, no return, no blanket." He [60] meant that we had promised him the baptism, and that he did not wish to return until he had received it; that will be in a short time, if it please God.

Ie supputois l'autre iour combien le Soleil se leue plustost sur vostre horison, que sur le nostre, & ie trouuois que vous auiez le iour six heures & vn peu dauantage plutost que nous. Nos Mariniers content ordinairement 17. lieuës & demie pour vn degré de l'equinoctial & tout autre grand cercle, & d'ailleurs font estat qu'il y a d'icy iusques à vous 1000. lieuës & dauantage, qui feront par consequent 57. degrez & 12. minutes d'vn grand cercle, sur lequel se doit conter le droit chemin qu'il y a d'icy à vous. Supposant donc nostre latitude de 46. degrez & deux tiers, & celle de Dieppe de 49. & deux tiers, la supputation faite exactement par la resolution [61] d'vn triangle qui se fait sur la terre entre nos deux lieux, & le pole, nous donnera 91. degrez & 38. minutes pour l'angle qui se fait au pole par nos deux meridiens, & par consequent pour la piece de l'equinoctial, qui est la mesure dudit angle, laquelle est iustement la difference de nos longitudes. Or ce nombre de degrez estant reduit en temps, contant vne heure pour chaque 15. degrez, nous aurons six heures & six minutes pour le temps que le Soleil se leue plustost chez vous que chez nous: si bien que quand vn Dimanche vous contez trois heures du matin, nous ne sommes encor qu'à neuf heures du Samedy au soir. I'escry cecy enuiron les huict heures du matin, & vous auez deux heures apres midy. Que si auec les Geographes pour vn degré d'vn grand cercle on contoit 25. lieuës, comme on fait ordinairement des [62] lieuës Françoises de moyenne grandeur, alors nos 1000. lieuës ne feroient que 40. degrez de droit chemin d'icy à vous, & par consequent la supputation faite comme dessus ne donneroit pour la difference de nos longitudes que 61. degrez & 34. minutes, c'est à dire 4. heures & 6. minutes de temps.

I calculated the other day how much earlier the Sun rises on your horizon than it does on ours, and I found that you have daylight a little over six hours earlier than we do. Our Sailors usually count 17 leagues and a half for a degree of the equinoctial and all other great circles, and otherwise reach the conclusion that there are from here to you 1000 leagues and over, which will consequently make 57 degrees 12 minutes of a great circle upon which we ought to calculate a direct route from here to you. Suppose then our latitude to be 46 and two-thirds degrees and that of Dieppe 49 and two-thirds; the computation made exactly by the solution [61] of a triangle which might be made upon the earth, between our two places and the pole, will give us 91 degrees and 38 minutes for the angle which is made at the pole by our two meridians, and consequently for the part of the equinoctial which is the measure of the said angle, and this is just the difference in our longitudes. Now, this number of degrees being reduced to time, counting one hour for every 15 degrees, we shall have six hours and six minutes earlier, for the time that the Sun rises with you than it does here; so that on Sunday when you count three o'clock in the morning, it is here still only nine o'clock on Saturday night. I am writing this about eight in the morning, and it is two in the afternoon where you are. So if, with the Geographers, for one degree of a great circle, we counted 25 leagues, as is generally done with the [62] French leagues of medium size, then our 1000 leagues would only be forty degrees in a straight line from here to you; and consequently the computation, made as above, would give for the difference of our longitude only 61 degrees and 34 minutes,—that is to say, 4 hours and 6 minutes of time.

Au reste ce païs cy est tres-bon, si tost que nous sommes rentrez en nostre petite maison enuiron le 13. de Iuillet nous auons foüy & besché la terre, semé du pourpier, des naueaux, planté des faisoles, tout n'a point tardé à leuer, nous auons bien tost apres recueilly de la salade, le mal estoit que nos graines estoient gastées, ie dy d'vne partie, sçauoir est qu'on a enuoyé à monsieur du Plessis: car celles que nostre Frere a apporté, ont tres-bien reüssi, vous seriez estonné de voir quelque nombre d'espics de [63] seigle qui se sont trouuez parmy nos pois, elles sont plus longues & mieux grenées que les plus belles que i'aye iamais veu en France.

All considered, this country here is very fine. As soon as we had entered into our little home, the 13th of July, we began to work and dig the earth, to sow purslane and turnips, and to plant lentils, and everything grew very well; a very short time afterwards we gathered our salad. But the misfortune was that our seeds were spoiled, I mean a part of them; namely, those sent to monsieur du Plessis: for those our Brother brought us grew very well. You would be astonished to see the great number of ears of [63] rye which were found among our peas; they are longer and more grainy than the most beautiful I have ever seen in France.

Vendredy dernier 20. d'Aoust, iour de sainct Bernard, estant allé voir vn malade à nostre bord, c'est à dire à nostre vaisseau, pour aller de là saluër monsieur de la Rade, & le Capitaine Morieult nouuellement arriuez, ie pensay estre noyé auec deux François qui estoient auec moy dans vn petit cauot de Sauuage, dont nous nous seruons. La marée estoit violente, celuy qui estoit derriere dans ce cauot le voulant détascher du nauire la marée le fit tourner, & le cauot & nous aussi, nous voyla tous trois emportez par la furie de l'eau, au milieu de cette grande riuiere de sainct Laurens. Ceux du nauire crie sauue, sauue, au secours, mais il n'y auoit point là de chalouppe, nous attrapons le [64] cauot, comme ie vy qu'il tournoit si fort que l'eau me passoit de beaucoup par dessus la teste, & que i'estouffois, ie quittay ce cauot pour me mettre à nager, ie n'ay iamais bien sceu ce mestier, & il y auoit plus de 24. ans que ie ne l'auois exercé: à peine auoy-ie auancé de trois brasses, que ma sotane, m'enueloppant la teste & les bras, ie m'en allois à fond, i'auois desia donné ma vie à nostre Seigneur, sans luy demander qu'il me retirast de ce danger, croyant qu'il valloit mieux le laisser faire, i'acceptois la mort de bon cœur; bref i'estois desia à demy estouffé, quand vne chalouppe qui estoit sur le bord de la riuiere, & deux Sauuages accoururent dans leur cauot, il ne paroissoit plus qu'vn petit bout de ma sotane, on me retira par là, & si on eût encor tardé vn Pater, i'estois mort, i'auois perdu tout sentiment, pour ce que l'eau m'estouffoit, [65] ce n'estoit point d'apprehension, ie m'estois resolu à mourir dans les eaux, dés le premier iour que ie mis le pied dans le vaisseau, & i'auois prou exercé cette resignation dans les tempestes que nous auons passé sur mer, le iugement me dura tant que i'eu des forces, & me semble que ie me voyois mourir, ie croiois qu'il y eut plus de mal à estre noyé qu'il n'y en a: bref nous fumes tous trois sauuez, i'en suis resté indisposé de l'estomach, i'espere que ce ne sera rien, la volonté de Dieu soit faite, cela ne m'estonne point. Deux Anglois s'estant noyez dans ces cauots faits d'écorces, qui sont extrememẽt volages, le Capitaine Ker fit faire vne petit bateau de bois pour passer de nostre maison au fort, car il y a vne riuiere entre deux; ie croiois que ce bateau nous demeureroit, celuy qui s'en est saisi l'auoit promis au Pere de Nouë, [66] mais depuis il s'est rauisé, s'il nous l'eut donné cela ne seroit pas arriué; patience, il importe peu où on meure, mais si bien comment.

Last Friday, August 20th, the day of saint Bernard, having gone to see a sick person on board, that is to say, on our vessel, and going thence to greet monsieur de la Rade15 and Captain Morieult, newly I arrived, I thought I would be drowned, with two Frenchmen who were with me in a little Native canoe which we use. The tide was very violent; the person who was behind in this canoe wishing to detach it from the ship, the tide gave him a turn, also the canoe and ourselves, and behold us all three carried away by the fury of the waves to the middle of the great saint Lawrence river. Those in the ship cried, "Save them, save them, help!" but there was no shallop there. We caught hold of the [64] canoe; as I felt that it was whirling about so rapidly that the water came a great way over my head, and that I was suffocating, I let go of the canoe to swim. I never knew this exercise very well, and it was over 24 years since I had tried it. I had made scarcely sixteen feet16 when, my cassock winding around my head and my arms, I felt that I was going to the bottom. I had already given my life to our Lord, without asking him to rescue me from this danger; believing it better to let his will be done, I accepted death cheerfully; in short, I was already half drowned, when a boat that was on the shore of the river, and two Savages in their canoe, hastened towards us. Nothing was seen of me but a little end of my cassock; they dragged me out by that, and if they had been one Pater later I would have been dead. I was so choked by the water that I had lost all feeling; [65] it was not fear, for I was resigned to die in the water from the first day I had put my foot on the vessel, and I had strengthened this resignation a great deal in the tempests which we had upon the ocean. My faculties remained as long as I had any strength left, and it seemed to me that I saw myself dying; I thought there was more pain in drowning than there is. To be brief, we were all three saved. I still feel some indisposition in my stomach, which is not to be wondered at, but I hope that it will be nothing; may the will of God be done. Two Englishmen having been drowned in those bark canoes, which are very frail, Captain Ker had a little wooden boat made for passing from our house to the fort, because there is a river between the two; I thought this boat would remain with us. The person who took possession of it promised it to Father de Nouë, [66] but he has since changed his mind; if he had given it to us, this would not have happened. Patience; it matters but little where we die, but a great deal, how.

Demain 25. d'Aoust ie dois baptiser vn petit enfant Hiroquois qu'on doit porter en France pour ne retourner iamais plus en ces païs cy, on l'a donné à vn François qui en a fait present à monsieur de la Rade. C'est assez, nous sommes si empressez que ie n'ay gardé aucun ordre en ce narré, V.R. m'excusera s'il luy plaist, ie la supplie de secourir ces pauures peuples qui sont en bon nombre, les Canadiens, Montagnards, Hurons, Algonquains, la Nation des Ours, la Nation du Petun, la Nation des Sorciers, & quantité d'autres: Ie vy arriuer les Hurons, ils estoient plus de 50. cauots, il faisoit fort beau voir cela sur la riuiere, ce sont de grands hommes bien faits, & tres-dignes de [67] compassion, pour ne cognoistre pas l'Autheur de vie dont ils ioüissent, & pour n'auoir iamais oüy parler de celuy qui a donné sa vie, & répandu son sang pour eux.

To-morrow, on the 25th of August, I am to baptize a little Hiroquois child who is to be taken to France, never to return to this country; he was given to a Frenchman, who made a present of him to monsieur de la Rade. Enough of this, we are in such a hurry that I have not observed any order in this narrative; Your Reverence will excuse me, if you please. I beseech you to give succor to these poor people who are in goodly numbers, the Canadians, Montagnards, Hurons and Algonquains, the Nation of the Bear,17 the Tobacco Nation,18 The Nation of the Sorcerers,19 and many others. I saw the Hurons arrive; in their 50 canoes and more, they made a very fine sight upon the river. They are large, well-made men, and are to be [67] pitied because they do not know the Author of the life they enjoy, and have never heard of him who gave his life and shed his blood for them.

Ie pensois conclure ce petit narré le 24. d'Aoust: mais ce ne sera qu'apres le baptesme de ce petit enfant. Ie viens donc de le baptiser, monsieur Emery de Caën est son Parrain, madame Coullart fille de madame Hebert est sa Marraine, il a nom Louys, aussi a-il esté baptisé le iour de sainct Louys. Ce pauure petit qui n'a enuiron que quatre ans pleuroit incessamment deuant le baptesme, & s'enfuioit de nous, ie ne le pouuois tenir: si tost que i'eu commencé les ceremonies, il ne dit pas vn mot, il me regardoit attentiuement, & faisoit tout ce que ie luy faisois faire. Ie croiois qu'il fut Hiroquois, mais i'ay appris qu'il est de la Nation de feu [68] son Pere & sa Mere, & luy ont esté pris en guerre par les Algonquains, qui ont bruslé les parents, & donné l'enfant à nos François.

I expected to end this little narrative on the 24th of August, but it will not be until after the baptism of this little child. I have just baptized him. Monsieur Emery de Caën is his Godfather; Madame Coullart, daughter of Madame Hebert, his Godmother. His name is Louys and he was baptized on saint Louys's day. This poor little one, who is only about four years old, cried all the time before his baptism, and ran away from us; I could not hold him. As soon as I began the ceremony, he did not say a word; he looked at me attentively and did everything that I would have him do. I believed that he was an Hiroquois, but I have learned that he belongs to the fire Nation;20 [68] his Father and his Mother and he were taken in war by the Algonquains, who burned the parents and gave the child to the French.

Louys iadis Amantacha nous est venu voir, & nous a promis qu'il viendroit l'année suiuante, pour s'en retourner auec le Pere Brebeuf en son païs; il a de l'esprit, & m'a témoigné qu'il auoit de bons sentimens de Dieu; cette Nation est rusée, ie ne sçaurois qu'en dire: mille recommandations aux saincts sacrifices de vostre R. & aux prieres de toute sa Prouince.

De V.R.

Tres-humble & obeïssant seruiteur

selon Dieu, Pavl le Ievne.

Du milieu d'vn bois de plus de 800. lieuës d'estenduë, à Kebec ce 28. d'Aoust 1632.

Louys, formerly Amantacha,21 came to see us and promised that he would come back next year, to return with Father Brebeuf to his country; he is rather intelligent and showed me that he had a correct conception of God. I could not tell you how cunning this Nation is. I recommend myself a thousand times to the holy sacrifices of your Reverence and to the prayers of your whole Province.

Of Your Reverence,

The very humble and obedient servant,

in God, Paul le Jeune.

From the midst of a forest more than 800 leagues in extent, at Kebec, this 28th of August, 1632.

[69] Privilege dv Roy.

NOVS Barthelemy Iacquinot, Prouincial de la Compagnie de Iesvs, en la Prouince de France, suiuant le Priuilege qui nous a esté octroyé par les Roys tres-Chrestiens, Henry III. le 10. May 1583. Henry IV. le 20. Decembre 1606. & Louys XIII. à present regnant le 14. Feurier 1612. pae lequel il est defendu à tous Imprimeurs, ou Libraires, de n'imprimer ou faire imprimer aucun liure de ceux qui sont composez par quelqu'vn de nostredite Compagnie, sans permission des Superieurs d'icelle. Permettons à Sebastien Cramoisy Libraire Iuré Bourgeois de Paris, de pouuoir imprimer pour six ans, Brieue Relation du voyage de la Nouuelle France, &c. En foy de quoy nous auons signé la presente le 15. Nouembre 1632.

B. Iacqvinot.

[69] Royal License.

WE, Barthelemy Jacquinot, Provincial of the Society of Jesus, in the Province of France, in accordance with the License which has been granted us by the most Christian Kings, Henry III. the l0th of May 1583, Henry IV. the 20th of December 1606; and Louys XIII. now reigning, the 14th of February 1612, by which it is prohibited to all Printers or Booksellers to print or cause to be printed any book of those which are composed by any of our said Society, without the permission of the Superiors of the same: We permit Sebastien Cramoisy,22 Bookseller under Oath, Citizen of Paris, to print for six years, Brieve Relation du voyage de la Nouvelle France, etc. In attestation of which we have signed the present the 15th of November 1632.

B. Jacquinot.

XXI