Att Last We Weare Resolved To Goe Through Att What Cost Soever,
And As We Weare Under That Hellish Beast, Shee Started As Shee Awaked, And
With That Fell'd Downe Into Our Boat, There Weare Herbes That Served [To
Secure] Us From That Dreadfull Animal.
We durst not ventur to kill her, for
feare of breaking of our boat.
There is the question who was most fearfull?
As for me, I quaked. Now seeing shee went not about to doe us hurt, and
that shee was fearfull, we lett her [be] quiet, hoping shortly to land and
to tourne upsid downe of our boat to be rid of such a devill. Then my
comrad began to call it, and before we weare out of the litle river our
feare was over; so we resolved to bring her to the fort, and when once
arrived att the great river, nothing but crosse over it to be neare our
fort. But in the mean while a squirrell made us good spoart for a quarter
of an houre. The squirrell would not leap into the water; did but runne,
being afraid of us, from one end of the boat to the other; every time he
came nearer, the snake opened her wide mouth & made a kind of a noise, &
rose up, having her 2 fore feet uppon the side of the boat, which persuaded
us that shee would leave us. We leaned on that side of the boat, so with
our owers thrusted her out; we seeing her swime so well, hasted to kill her
with our owers, which shee had for her paines. [Footnote: Radisson's
description of this reptile has been shown to one of the most eminent
herpetologists in America, who writes that "no such reptile has ever been
described by scientific writers."] The squirrell tooke the flight, soe we
went, longing to be with our comrades to tell them of what we have seene.
We found one of our company watching for us att the side of a woode, for
they weare in feare least wee should be taken, & expected us all night
long. As for their part they neither have seen nor heard anything.
Wherefore resolved to goe further, but the news we brought them made them
alter their resolution. Wee layd all night in our fort, where we made good
cheare and great fires, fearing nothing, being farr enough in the wood.
The next day before the breaking of the day we foorded the river, & leaving
our 3 boats in the wood, went a foot straight towards the place where we
have seene the 2 persons; & before we came to the lake we tooke notice of
some fresh trakes which made us look to ourselves, and followed the trakes,
which brought us to a small river, where no sooner came but we saw a woman
loaden with wood, which made us believ that some cottage or village was not
afar off. The Captaine alone takes notice of the place where abouts the
discovery was, who soone brought us [to see] that there weare 5 men & 4
women a fishing. We wagged [sic] att this the saffest [way] to come
unawarre uppon them, and like starved doggs or wolves devoured those poore
creatures who in a moment weare massacred. What we gott by this was not
much, onely stagges' skins with some guirdles made of goate's hair, of
their owne making. These weare in great estime among our wild men. Two of
ours goes to the cabban which was made of rushes, where they founde an old
woman. They thought it charity to send her into the other world, with two
small children whome also they killed; so we left that place, giving them
to the fishes their bodyes. Every one of us had his head, and my brother
two; our share being considerable [we] went on along the river till we came
to a small lake. Not desiring to be discovered, we found a faire road close
by a wood, withtooke ourselves out of it with all haste, and went towards a
village. There we came by night, where we visited the wildernesse to find
out a secure place for security to hide ourselves; but [finding] no
conveniencies we [went] into the wood in a very cleare place. Heere we layd
downe uppon our bellies. We did eat, among other things, the fish we gott
in the cabban of the fishermen. After dispatching one of the Company
bouldly into the village, being thirsty after eating, for heere we had no
water, [which] brings us [so] that we are all very quiett. The great desire
we had to catch and take made us to controule the Buissinesse.
Early in the morning we came to the side of the wildernesse, where we layd
in an ambush, but could see nobody that morning. Att two of the clock in
the after non we see 20, as well men as women, a great way from us. We went
to the wood, whence we perceived many att worke in the fields. Att evening
[they] passed by very nigh us, but they neither see nor perceived us. They
went to cutt wood; whilst they weare att worke there comes foure men and
three women, that tooke notice of our ambush. This we could not avoid, so
weare forced to appeare to their ruine. We tooke the 3 women and killed 2
men. The other 2 thought to escape, but weare stayed with our peeces; the
other 2 that weare aworking would runne away, but one was taken, the other
escaped. The news was brought over all those parts. Thence we runne away
with our 4 prisoners and the 4 new heads with all speed. The women could
not goe fast enough, and therefore killed them after they went a whole
night; their corps we threwed into the river; heere we found a boat which
Served us to goe over. We marched all that day without any delay; being
come to an open field we hid ourselves in bushes till thee next day.
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