"Brother,"
Sayes He, "It's A Thing To Be Admired To Goe Afar To Travell.
You must
know, although I am sick I am [a] man, and fought stoutly and invaded many.
I loved alwayes the ffrench for their goodnesse, but they should [have]
given us [to] kill the Algonkins.
We should not warre against the ffrench,
but traited with them for our castors. You shall know I am above 50 years
(yett the fellow did not looke as if he had 40). I was once a Captayne,"
says he, "of 13 men, against the nation of the fire & against the Stairing
hairs, our Ennemys. We stayed 3 whole winters from our country, and most of
that time among our ennemy, but durst not appeare because of the small
number we had against a multitude, which made us march in the night and
hide ourselves in the daytime in forests. Att last we are weary to be so
long absent from our wives & countrey. We resolved some more execution, &
take the first nation that we should incountre. We have allready killed
many. We went some dayes on that river, which is bordered of fine sands; no
rocks there to be seene. Being landed one morning to goe out of the way
least we should be discovered, and for [to] know the place that we weare,
sent two of our men to make a discovery, who coming back brought us [word]
that they have seen devils, and could not believe that they weare men. We
presently putt ourselves on our gards, and looke to our armes, thought to
have ben lost, but tooke a strong resolution to die like men, and went to
meet those monsters. We weare close to one an other, saveing they that made
a discovery, that went just before us, tould us, being neere the waterside,
that they have seene afar off (as they thought) a great heape of stoanes.
We needing them mightily we went to gett some. Within 200 paces nigh we
found them converted into men, who weare of an extraordinary height, lying
all along the strand asleepe. Brother, you must know that we weare all in
feare to see Such a man and woman of a vast length. They weare by two feete
taller then I, and big accordingly. They had by them two basquetts, a bow
and arrows. I came nigh the place. Their arrows weare not so long as ours,
but bigger, and their bows the same; each had a small stagg's skin to cover
their nakednesse. They have noe winter in their country. After being gone
we held a councell to consider what was to be done. We weare two boats; the
one did carry 8 men, the other 5. That of 8 would goe back againe, but that
of 5 would goe forward into another river. So we departed. The night being
come, as precedent nights, we saw fires in severall places on the other
side of the river, which made us goe there att the breake of day, to know
what it was, which was men as tall as the other man and woman, and great
many of them together a fishing. We stealed away without any noise and
resolved not to stay longer in them parts, where every thing was so bigg.
The fruits of trees are as bigg as the heart of an horiniac, which is
bigger then that of an oxe.
"The day after our retourne, being in cottages covered with bushes, we
heard a noise in the wood, which made us speedily take our weopens, every
one hiding himselfe behind a tree the better to defend himselfe, but
perceaved it was a beast like a Dutch horse, that had a long & straight
horne in the forehead, & came towards us. We shott twice at him; [he] falls
downe on the ground, but on a sudaine starts up againe and runs full boot
att us; and as we weare behind the trees, thrusts her home very farr into
the tree, & so broak it, and died. We would eat non of her flesh, because
the flemings eat not their horses' flesh, but tooke off the skin, which
proved heavy, so we left it there. Her horne 5 feet long, and bigger then
the biggest part of an arme." [Footnote: In O'Callaghan's Documentary
History of New York, Vol. IV. p. 77, 1851, is given an engraving of this
animal, with the title, "Wild Animals of New Netherlands," taken from a
Dutch work published in Amsterdam in 1671. In this work it is thus
described: "On the borders of Canada animals are now and again seen
somewhat resembling a horse; they have cloven hoofs, shaggy manes, a horn
right out of the forehead, a tail like that of the wild hog, black eyes, a
stag's neck, and love the gloomiest wildernesses, are shy of each other. So
that the male never feeds with the female except when they associate for
the purpose of increase. Then they lay aside their ferocity. As soon as the
rutting season is past, they again not only become wild but even attack
their own."]
We still proceeded in our journey. In 7 dayes we overtook the boat that
left us. Now whether it was an unicorne, or a fibbe made by that wild man,
yet I cannot tell, but severall others tould me the same, who have seene
severall times the same beast, so that I firmly believe it. So his story
ended, which lasted a great while; ffor having an excellent memory, tould
me all the circumstances of his rencounters.
We [went] from thence the next morning. We came to a beatifull river, wide
one league and a halfe, which was not violent nor deepe, soe that we made
no carriages for 15 or 20 leagues, where we had the view of eagles and
other birds taking fishes, which we ourselves have done, & killed salmons
with staves. One of my compagnions landed a sturgeon six fadoms deepe and
brought it.
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