That Proceeded Onely Of A
Long Stay In A New Discovered Country, & The Idlenesse Contributs Much To
It.
There is nothing comparable to exercise.
It is the onely remedy of such
diseases. After he languished awhile God gave him his health againe.
The desire that every one had to goe downe to the ffrench made them
earnestly looke out for castors. They have not so many there as in the
north part, so in the beginning of spring many came to our Isle. There
weare no lesse, I believe, then 500 men that weare willing to venter
themselves. The corne that my brother kept did us a world of service. The
wildmen brought a quantity of flesh salted in a vesell. When we weare ready
to depart, heere comes strang news of the defeat of the hurrons, which
news, I thought, would putt off the voyage. There was a councell held, &
most of them weare against the goeing downe to the ffrench, saying that the
Iroquoits weare to barre this yeare, & the best way was to stay till the
following yeare. And now the ennemy, seeing himselfe frustrated of his
expectation, would not stay longer, thinking thereby that we weare resolved
never more to go downe, and that next yeare there should be a bigger
company, & better able to oppose an ennemy. My brother & I, feeing
ourselves all out of hopes of our voyage, without our corne, which was
allready bestowed, & without any merchandise, or scarce having one knife
betwixt us both, so we weare in a great apprehension least that the hurrons
should, as they have done often, when the ffathers weare in their country,
kill a frenchman.
Seeing the equipage ready & many more that thought long to depart thence
for marchandise, we uppon this resolved to call a publique councell in the
place; which the Elders hearing, came and advised us not to undertake it,
giving many faire words, saying, "Brethren, why are you such ennemys to
yourselves to putt yourselves in the hands of those that wait for you? They
will destroy you and carry you away captives. Will you have your brethren
destroyed that loves you, being slained? Who then will come up and baptize
our children? Stay till the next yeare, & then you are like to have the
number of 600 men in company with you. Then you may freely goe without
intermission. Yee shall take the church along with you, & the ffathers &
mothers will send their children to be taught in the way of truth of the
Lord." Our answer was that we would speake in publique, which granted, the
day appointed is come. There gathered above 800 men to see who should have
the glorie in a round. They satt downe on the ground. We desired silence.
The elders being in the midle & we in their midle, my brother began to
Speake. "Who am I? am I a foe or a friend? If I am a foe, why did you
suffer me to live so long among you? If I am friend, & if you take so to
be, hearken to what I shall say. You know, my uncles & brethren, that I
hazarded my life goeing up with you; if I have no courage, why did you not
tell me att my first coming here? & if you have more witt then we, why did
not you use it by preserving your knives, your hattchetts, & your gunns,
that you had from the ffrench? You will see if the ennemy will sett upon
you that you will be attraped like castors in a trape; how will you defend
yourselves like men that is not courageous to lett yourselves be catched
like beasts? How will you defend villages? with castors' skins? how will
you defend your wives & children from the ennemy's hands?"
Then my brother made me stand up, saying, "Shew them the way to make warrs
if they are able to uphold it." I tooke a gowne of castors' skins that one
of them had uppon his shoulder & did beat him with it. I asked the others
if I was a souldier. "Those are the armes that kill, & not your robes. What
will your ennemy say when you perish without defending yourselves? Doe not
you know the ffrench way? We are used to fight with armes & not with robes.
You say that the Iroquoits waits for you because some of your men weare
killed. It is onely to make you stay untill you are quite out of stocke,
that they dispatch you with ease. Doe you think that the ffrench will come
up here when the greatest part of you is slained by your owne fault? You
know that they cannot come up without you. Shall they come to baptize your
dead? Shall your children learne to be slaves among the Iroquoits for their
ffathers' cowardnesse? You call me Iroquoit. Have not you seene me
disposing my life with you? Who has given you your life if not the ffrench?
Now you will not venter because many of your confederates are come to visit
you & venter their lives with you. If you will deceave them you must not
think that they will come an other time for shy words nor desire. You have
spoaken of it first, doe what you will. For myne owne part, I will venter
choosing to die like a man then live like a beggar. Having not wherewithal
to defend myselfe, farewell; I have my sack of corne ready. Take all my
castors. I shall live without you." & then departed that company.
They weare amazed of our proceeding; they stayed long before they spoake
one to another. Att last sent us some considerable persons who bid us
cheare up. "We see that you are in the right; the voyage is not broaken.
The yong people tooke very ill that you have beaten them with the skin. All
avowed to die like men & undertake the journey. You shall heare what the
councell will ordaine the morrow.
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