From That Place We Came To Lye Att The Mouth Of
A Lake In An Island Where We Have Had Some Tokens Of Our Frenchmen By The
Impression Of Their Shooes On The Sand That Was In The Island.
In that
island our wild men hid 10 caskes of Indian Corne, which did us a
kindnesse, ffor there was no more veneson pye to be gotten.
The next day we make up our bundles in readinesse to wander uppon that
sweet sea, as is the saying of the Iroquoits, who rekens by their daye's
journey. This was above 100 leagues in length & 30 in breadth. Seeing the
water so calme and faire, we ventured some 3 leagues, to gaine a point of
the firme land, that by that means we should shorten 7 or 8 leagues in our
way. We went on along the lake in that maner with great delight, sometimes
with paine and labour. As we went along the water side, the weather very
faire, it comes to my mind to put out a cover instead of a saile. My
companion liked it very well, for generally wild men are given to
leasinesse. We seeing that our sayle made us goe faster then the other
boat, not perceiving that the wind came from the land, which carried us far
into the lake, our compagnions made a signe, having more experience then
wee, and judged of the weather that was to come. We would not heare them,
thinking to have an advantage.
Soone after the wind began to blow harder, made us soone strike sayle, and
putt our armes to worke. We feeled not the wind because it was in our
backs, but turning aside we finde that we had enough to doe. We must gett
ourselves to a better element then that [where] we weare. Instantly comes a
shower of raine with a storme of winde that was able to perish us by reason
of the great quantity of watter that came into our boat. The lake began to
vapour and make a show of his neptune's sheep. Seeing we went backwards
rather then forwards, we thought ourselves uterly lost. That rogue that was
with me sayd, "See thy God that thou sayest he is above. Will you make me
believe now that he is good, as the black-coats [the ffather Jesuits] say?
They doe lie, and you see the contrary; ffor first you see that the sun
burns us often, the raine wetts us, the wind makes us have shipwrake, the
thundering, the lightnings burns and kills, and all come from above, and
you say that it's good to be there. For my part I will not goe there.
Contrary they say that the reprobats and guilty goeth downe & burne. They
are mistaken; all is goode heare. Doe not you see the earth that nourishes
all living creatures, the water the fishes, and the yus, and that corne and
all other seasonable fruits for our foode, which things are not soe
contrary to us as that from above?" As he said so he coursed vehemently
after his owne maner. He tooke his instruments & shewed them to the
heavens, saying, "I will not be above; here will [I] stay on earth, where
all my friends are, and not with the french, that are to be burned above
with torments." How should one think to escape this torments and storms,
but God who through his tender mercy ceas'd the tempest and gave us
strength to row till we came to the side of the water? I may call it a
mighty storme by reason of the litlenesse of the boat, that are all in
watter to the breadth of 5 fingers or lesse. I thought uppon it, and out of
distress made a vertue to seeke the means to save ourselves. We tyed a sack
full of corne in the fore end of our boat, & threw it into the watter,
which hung downe some foure fathoms, and wee putt our selves in the other
end, so that the end that was towards the wind was higher then the other,
and by that means escaped the waves that without doubt, if we had not used
that means, we had sunk'd. The other boat landed to lett that storme [pass]
over. We found them in the even att their cottages, and thought impossible
for us to escape.
After severall dayes' travell we came to an isle where we made cottages. We
went so farre that evening that we might be so much the neerer to take a
broader passage which should shorten our voyage above 20 leagues. Att night
wee saw severall fires uppon the land. We all judged that it was our
company that went before us. Before brake of day we did what we could to
overtake them, not without hazard, by reason the winds that blewed hard,
which we could not perceive before. Being come to the bay of the isle we
could not turne back without greater danger, so resolved to proceede. We
came to the very place where we saw the fires, & found that we weare not
mistaken in our opinions. By good looke they weare there, else we had
perished for all being so neere the land, for the lake swelled by reason of
the great wind that blew, which stayed them there above 14 nights. Neither
for this reason was there any landing, because of a great banck or heape of
rocks, untill those that weare ashore came to us into the watter to their
oxtars [Footnote: Oxtars, up to their armpits.] and stoped our boats. We
then cast our selves and all that we had overboord, leaving our boats
there, which weare immediately in thousands [of] peaces.
Being arrived, we placed our cottages by a most pleasant delicat river,
where for delightfullnesse was what man's heart could wish. There weare
woods, forests, meddows. There we stayed 3 dayes by reason of the weather.
One night I layd neare a faire comely lasse that was with us.
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