Our Equipage And We Weare Ready To
Wander Uppon That Sweet Sea; But Most Of That Coast Is Void Of Wild Beasts,
So There Was Great Famine Amongst Us For Want.
Yett the coast afforded us
some small fruits.
There I found the kindnesse & charity of the wildmen,
ffor when they found any place of any quantity of it they called me and my
brother to eat & replenish our bellys, shewing themselves far gratfuller
then many Christians even to their owne relations.
I cannot forgett here the subtilty of one of these wildmen that was in the
same boat with me. We see a castor along the watter side, that puts his
head out of the watter. That wildman no sooner saw him but throwes himself
out into the watter and downe to the bottom, without so much time as to
give notice to any, and before many knewed of anything, he brings up the
castor in his armes as a child, without fearing to be bitten. By this we
see that hunger can doe much.
Afterwardes we entered into a straight which had 10 leagues in length, full
of islands, where we wanted not fish. We came after to a rapid that makes
the separation of the lake of the hurrons, that we calle Superior, or
upper, for that the wildmen hold it to be longer & broader, besids a great
many islands, which maks appeare in a bigger extent. This rapid was
formerly the dwelling of those with whome wee weare, and consequently we
must not aske them if they knew where they have layed. Wee made cottages
att our advantages, and found the truth of what those men had often [said],
that if once we could come to that place we should make good cheare of a
fish that they call Assickmack, which signifieth a white fish. The beare,
the castors, and the Oriniack shewed themselves often, but to their cost;
indeed it was to us like a terrestriall paradise. After so long fastning,
after so great paines that we had taken, finde ourselves so well by
chossing our dyet, and resting when we had a minde to it, 'tis here that we
must tast with pleasur a sweet bitt. We doe not aske for a good sauce; it's
better to have it naturally; it is the way to distinguish the sweet from
the bitter.
But the season was far spent, and use diligence and leave that place so
wished, which wee shall bewaile, to the coursed Iroquoits. What hath that
poore nation done to thee, and being so far from thy country? Yett if they
had the same liberty that in former dayes they have had, we poore ffrench
should not goe further with our heads except we had a strong army. Those
great lakes had not so soone comed to our knowledge if it had not ben for
those brutish people; two men had not found out the truth of these seas so
cheape; the interest and the glorie could not doe what terror doth att the
end.
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