They Seeing The Winter Drawing On They Made A Fort And Sent To Discover The
Said Place A Band Of Their Men To Tatousac.
They finde a nation that
understands them not more then the first, but by chance some that escaped
the hands of their ennemy Iroquoits, and doubts that there is great
difference of language between the Iroquoits and the Hurrons.
They weare
heard; & further you must note that neere the lake of the Hurrons some 40
leagues eastward there is another lake belonging to the nation of the
Castors, which is 30 miles about. This nation have no other trafick nor
industry then huntsmen. They use to goe once a yeare to the furthest place
of the lake of the Hurrons to sell their Castors for Indian Corne, for some
collors made of nettles, for sacks, & such things, for which they weare
curious enough. So coming backe to their small lake againe, those
marchandises weare transported to a nation beyond that lake towards N. N.
E., and that nation had commerce with a people called the white fish, which
is norwest to the 3 rivers some 150 leagues in the land. That nation had
intelligence with the Saguenes, who are those that liveth about Tadousac,
so that the 2 nations have great correspondency with one another because of
their mutual language, saving that each one have a particular letter and
accent.
Finding that nation of the Castors, who for the most part understands the
Hurron idiom, they conversed together & weare supplied with meat by that
wandring nation that lives onely by what they may or can gett. Contrary
wise the Hurrons are seditious. We shall speak of them more amply in its
place. So those miserable adventurers had ayd during that winter, who
doubtlesse should souffer without this favor. They consulted together
often, seeing themselves renforced with such a succour of people for to
make warrs against the Iroqois.
The next spring their warre was conducted with success, ffor they chassed
the Iroquois out of their country which they lost some winters before. They
march up to the furthest part of the Lake Champlaine, to know if that was
their formest dwelling, but they speak no further of it. Those Iroquoits to
wander up and downe and spread themselves as you have heard to the lake
d'Ontario, of which I will after make mention. I heard all this from
frenchmen that knewed the Huron speech better then I myselfe, and after I
heard it from the wildmen, & it's strang (being if it be so as the french
as [well] as wildmen do already) that those people should have made a
circuit of that litle world.
The Iroquoits after being putt out of that country of Quebecq, the Hurrons
and Algonquins made themselves masters in it; that is to say, they went up
above monmorency after that they left the place of their wintring, which
was over against Tadousac, att the height of the Chaudiere (so called in
french), and after many years they retourned to live att the gape of their
lake, which is 200 Leagues long & 50 or 60 leagues large.
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