The Ffather Gave Us A Brother Of His Company Who
Had Invincible Good Looke And A Stout Heart.
We waited onely for his
shooting.
The ffather could not persuade him to draw. We told him if he
would not fight, to leave our company; which perceived by the Iroquoits,
made them looke to themselves. They came & assured us of their good will.
The 4 frenchmen that understood not longed for the schermish & die for it.
Att last the ffather prevailed with us, & tould us what was done in
Councell. Two Iroquoits came to us with weapons, who signifies there is
nothing layd against you, & commanded their compagnions to put by their
armes, that they weare our brethren. The agreement was made. Some went to
the feast, some stayed. Having eaten, the ffather calls them againe to
councell, & for that purpose borrows some porcelaine from the captayne to
make 3 guifts.
All being together the ffather begins his speech, throwing the first guift
into the midle of the place, desiring that it might be accepted for the
conservation of the ffriendshipe that had ben long between them and us, and
so was accepted with a ho, ho, which is an assurance & a promise, as
thanks. The 2nd was for the lives of the women which weare in their hands,
& to conduct them with saftie into their country, which was accepted in
like manner. The 3rd was to encourage them to bring us to their owne
country & carry our Marchandises in such [manner] that they may not be
wett, nor leave them behind, which was, as abovesaid, punctually observed.
The councell being ended, the captaynes made speeches to encourage the
masters of the boats to take a bundle to his care & charge, & give an
account of it in the country. I wish the lotts weare so distributed before
we came from mont royall, but that it is the miserable comfort, better late
then never. Att night every one to his cabben, and the women dispersed into
every cabban with their children, which was a sight of compassion. The day
following being the 8th day of our departure, some went a hunting, some
stayed att home. The next day to that we embarqued all a sunder, a boat for
each. I was more chearfull then the rest, because I knewed a litle of their
language, and many saw me in the low country. Wherefore [they] made me
embarque with a yong man, taller & properer then myselfe. We had paines and
toyles enough; especially my sperit was grieved, and have souffred much
troubles 6 weeks together. I thought we should come to our journey's end &
so help one another by things past; ffor a man is glad to drive away the
time by honest, ingenuous discours, and I would rejoyce very much to be
allwayes in company uppon my journey. It was contrary to me all the voyage,
ffor my boat and an other, wherein weare 2 men & a woman Iroquoit, stayed
behind without seeing or hearing from one another. I leave with you to
think if they weare troubled for me or I for them. There was a great
alteration a litle before; a whole fleete of boats, now to be reduced [to]
2 onely. But patience perforce.
We wandered on that gay river by the means of high and low gulfs that are
in it; ffor since I made reflection of the quantity of water that comes in
that river that comes from off the top of the high mountains with such a
torrent that it causes a mighty noise which would make the bouldest men
afraid. We went on some journeys with a deale of paines and labour becaus
for our weeknesse, and moreover a man of the other boat fell sick of the
ague, soe that one of us must helpe him either in the carriag or drawing
the boat; and, which was wors, my compagnion was childish and yong as I.
The long familiarity we had with one another breeded contempt, so that we
would take nothing from one another, which made us goe together by the
ears, and fought very often till we weare covered in blood. The rest tooke
delight to see us fight; but when they saw us take either gun or sword,
then came they to putt us a sunder. When we weare in the boat we could not
fight but with our tongues, flying water att one another. I believe if the
fathers' packet had ben there, the guift could not keepe it from wetting.
As for meat we wanted none, and we had store of large staggs along the
watter side. We killed some almost every day, more for sport then for
neede. We finding them sometimes in islands, made them goe into the watter
and after we killed about a score, we clipped the ears of the rest and hung
a bell to it, and then let them loose. What a sporte to see the rest flye
from that that had the bell!
As I satt with my compagnion I saw once of an evening a very remarquable
thing. There comes out of a vast forest a multitud of bears, 300 att least
together, making a horrid noise, breaking small trees, throwing the rocks
downe by the watter side. We shot att them but [they] stirred not a step,
which frightned us that they slighted our shooting. We knewed not whether
we killed any or no, because of the darke, neither dare we venter to see.
The wild men tould me that they never heard their father speake of so many
together.
We went to the other side to make cabbans, where being arrived, where we
made fire & put the kettle on. When it was ready we eat our belly full.
After supper the sick wild man tould me a story and confirmed it to be
true, which happened to him, being in warre in the upper Country of the
Iroquoits neere the great river that divides it self in two.
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