As We Went
Along Nothing Was Heard But Hooping And Hollowing On All Parts, Biding Me
To Take Great Courage.
My mother was not long after me, with the rest of
her friends.
Now I see myselfe free from death. Their care att this was to
give me meate. I have not eaten a bitt all that day, and for the great joy
I had conceaved, caused me to have a good stomach, so that I did eat
lustily. Then my mother begins to cure my sores and wounds. Then begins my
paines to [break out] a new; ffor shee cleans my wounds and scrapes them
with a knife, and often thrusts a stick in them, and then takes watter in
her mouth, and spouts it to make them cleane. The meanwhile my father goes
to seeke rootes, and my sister chaws them, and my mother applyes them to my
sores as a plaster. The next day the swelling was gone, but worse then
before; but in lesse then a fortnight my sores weare healed, saving my
feete, that kept [me] more then a whole month in my Cabban. During this
time my nailes grewed a pace. I remained onely lame of my midle finger,
that they have Squeezed between two stoanes. Every one was kind to mee as
beforesaid, and [I] wanted no company to be merry with.
I should [be] kept too long to tell you the particulars that befell me
during my winter. I was beloved of my Parents as before. My exercise was
allwayes a hunting without that any gave me the least injury. My mother
kept me most brave, and my sisters tooke great care of mee. Every moneth I
had a white shirt, which my father sent for from the Flemeings, who weare
not a farr off our village. I could never gett leave to goe along with my
brother, who went there very often. Finally, seeing myselfe in the former
condition as before, I constituted as long as my father and fortune would
permitt mee to live there. Dayly there weare military feasts for the South
nations, and others for the Algonquins and for the French. The
exclamations, hoopings and cryes, songs and dances, signifies nothing but
the murdering and killing, and the intended victory that they will have the
next yeare, which is in the beginning of Spring. In those feasts my father
heaves up his hattchett against the Algonquins. For this effect [he] makes
great preparations for his next incamping. Every night [he] never failes to
instruct and encourage the young age to take armes and to reveng the death
of so many of their ennemy that lived among the french nation. The desire
that I had to make me beloved, for the assurance of my life made me resolve
to offer myselfe for to serve, and to take party with them. But I feared
much least he should mistrust me touching his advis to my resolution.
Neverthelesse I finding him once of a good humour and on the point of
honnour encourages his son to break the kettle and take the hattchett and
to be gon to the forraigne nations, and that was of courage and of great
renowne to see the father of one parte and the son of another part, & that
he should not mispraise if he should seperat from him, but that it was the
quickest way to make the world tremble, & by that means have liberty
everywhere by vanquishing the mortall enemy of his nation; uppon this I
venture to aske him what I was. [He] presently answers that I was a
Iroquoite as himselfe. Lett me revenge, said I, my kindred. I love my
brother. Lett me die with him. I would die with you, but you will not
because you goe against the ffrench. Lett me a gaine goe with my brother,
the prisoners & the heads that I shall bring, to the joy of my mother and
sisters, will make me undertake att my retourne to take up the hattchett
against those of Quebecq, of the 3 rivers, and Monteroyall in declaring
them my name, and that it's I that kills them, and by that you shall know I
am your son, worthy to beare that title that you gave me when you adopted
me. He sett [up] a great crye, saying, have great courage, son Oninga, thy
brother died in the warrs not in the Cabban; he was of a courage not of a
woman. I goe to aveng his death. If I die, aveng you mine. That one word
was my leave, which made me hope that one day I might escape, having soe
great an opportunity; or att least I should have the happinesse to see
their country, which I heard so much recommended by the Iroquoites, who
brought wondrous stories and the facilitie of killing so many men.
Thus the winter was past in thoughts and preparing for to depart before the
melting of the snow, which is very soone in that Country. I began to sett
my witts together how I should resolve this my voyage; for my mother
opposed against it mightily, saying I should bee lost in the woods, and
that I should gett it [put] off till the next yeare. But at last I
flattered with her and dissembled; besides, my father had the power in his
hands. Shee daring not to deny him any thing because shee was not borne in
my father's country, but was taken [when] little in the Huronit's Country.
Notwithstanding [she was] well beloved of her husband, having lived
together more then fourty years, and in that space brought him 9 children,
4 males and 5 females. Two girls died after a while, and 3 sons killed in
the warrs, and one that went 3 years before with a band of 13 men to warre
against a fiery nation which is farre beyonde the great lake. The 5th had
allready performed 2 voyages with a greate deale of successe.
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