It
Is To Be Understood That This River Is Divided Much Into Streams Very Swift
& Small Before You Goe To The River Of Canada; [On Account] Of The Great
Game That There Is In It, The Ennemy Is To Be Feared, Which Made Us Go
Through These Torrents.
This could make any one afraid who is inexperted in
such voyages.
We suffered much for 3 dayes and 3 nights without rest. As we went we heard
the noise of guns, which made us believe firmly they weare ennemyes. We saw
5 boats goe by, and heard others, which daunted our hearts for feare,
although wee had 8 boats in number; but weare a great distance one from
another, as is said in my former voyage, before we could gaine the height
of the river. The boat of the sorcerors where was one of us, albeit made a
voyage into the hurrons' country before with the ffathers, it was not
usefull, soe we made him embark another, but stayed not there long. The
night following, he that was in the boat dreamed that the Iroquoits had
taken him with the rest. In his dreame he cryes out aloud; those that weare
att rest awakes of the noise. We are in alarum, and ready to be gone. Those
that weare with the man resolved to goe back againe, explicating that an
evill presage. The wildmen councelled to send back the ffrenchman, saying
he should die before he could come to their countrey. It's usually spoken
among the wildmen when a man is sick or not able to doe anything to
discourage him in such sayings.
Here I will give a relation of that ffrenchman before I goe farther, and
what a thing it is to have an intrigue. The next day they see a boat of
their ennemys, as we heard since. They presently landed. The wild men
runned away; the ffrenchman alsoe, as he went along the watter side for
fear of loosing himselfe. He finds there an harbour very thick, layes
himselfe downe and falls asleepe. The night being come, the wildmen being
come to know whether the ennemy had perceived them, but non pursued them,
and found their boat in the same place, and imbarques themselves and comes
in good time to mount royall. They left the poore ffrenchman there,
thinking he had wit enough to come along the watter side, being not above
tenne leagues from thence. Those wild men, after their arrivement, for
feare spoak not one word of him, but went downe to the 3 rivers, where
their habitation was. Fourteen days after some boats ventured to goe looke
for some Oriniaks, came to the same place, where they made cottages, and
that within a quarter of mille where this wrech was. One of the ffrench
finds him on his back and almost quite spent; had his gunne by him. He was
very weake, and desirous that he should be discovered by some or other. He
fed as long as he could on grappes, and at last became so weake that he was
not able any further, untill those ffrench found him.
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