The Needles For To Make Them Robes Of Castor,
Because The Ffrench Loved Them.
The 2 gratters weare to dresse the skins;
the combes, the paint, to make themselves beautifull; the looking-glasses
to admire themselves.
The 3rd guift was of brasse rings, of small bells,
and rasades of divers couleurs, and given in this maner. We sent a man to
make all the children come together. When they weare there we throw these
things over their heads. You would admire what a beat was among them, every
one striving to have the best. This was done uppon this consideration, that
they should be allwayes under our protection, giving them wherewithall to
make them merry & remember us when they should be men.
This done, we are called to the Councell of welcome and to the feast of
ffriendshipp, afterwards to the dancing of the heads; but before the
dancing we must mourne for the deceased, and then, for to forgett all
sorrow, to the dance. We gave them foure small guifts that they should
continue such ceremonyes, which they tooke willingly and did us good, that
gave us authority among the whole nation. We knewed their councels, and
made them doe whatsoever we thought best. This was a great advantage for
us, you must think. Amongst such a rowish kind of people a guift is much,
and well bestowed, and liberality much esteemed; but not prodigalitie is
not in esteeme, for they abuse it, being brutish. Wee have ben useing such
ceremonyes 3 whole dayes, & weare lodged in the cabban of the chiefest
captayne, who came with us from the ffrench. We liked not the company of
that blind, therefore left him. He wondred at this, but durst not speake,
because we weare demi-gods. We came to a cottage of an ancient witty man,
that had had a great familie and many children, his wife old, neverthelesse
handsome. They weare of a nation called Malhonmines; that is, the nation of
Oats, graine that is much in that countrey. Of this afterwards more att
large. I tooke this man for my ffather and the woman for my mother, soe the
children consequently brothers and sisters. They adopted me. I gave every
one a guift, and they to mee.
Having so disposed of our buissinesse, the winter comes on, that warns us;
the snow begins to fall, soe we must retire from the place to seeke our
living in the woods. Every one getts his equipage ready. So away we goe,
but not all to the same place; two, three att the most, went one way, and
so of an other. They have so done because victuals weare scant for all in a
place. But lett us where we will, we cannot escape the myghty hand of God,
that disposes as he pleases, and who chastes us as a good & a common loving
ffather, and not as our sins doe deserve. Finaly wee depart one from an
other. As many as we weare in number, we are reduced to a small company. We
appointed a rendezvous after two months and a half, to take a new road & an
advice what we should doe. During the said terme we sent messengers
everywhere, to give speciall notice to all manner of persons and nation
that within 5 moons the feast of death was to be celebrated, and that we
should apeare together and explaine what the devill should command us to
say, and then present them presents of peace and union. Now we must live on
what God sends, and warre against the bears in the meane time, for we could
aime att nothing else, which was the cause that we had no great cheare. I
can say that we with our comrades, who weare about 60, killed in the space
of 2 moons and a halfe, a thousand moons [Footnote: The writer no doubt
meant that they killed so many that they had bear's grease enough to last
for a thousand moons.] we wanted not bear's grease to annoint ourselves, to
runne the better. We beated downe the woods dayly for to discover
novellties. We killed severall other beasts, as Oriniacks, staggs, wild
cows, Carriboucks, fallow does and bucks, Catts of mountains, child of the
Devill; in a word, we lead a good life. The snow increases dayly. There we
make raketts, not to play att ball, but to exercise ourselves in a game
harder and more necessary. They are broad, made like racketts, that they
may goe in the snow and not sinke when they runne after the eland or other
beast.
We are come to the small lake, the place of rendezvous, where we found some
company that weare there before us. We cottage ourselves, staying for the
rest, that came every day. We stayed 14 dayes in this place most miserable,
like to a churchyard; ffor there did fall such a quantity of snow and
frost, and with such a thick mist, that all the snow stoocke to those trees
that are there so ruffe, being deal trees, prusse cedars, and thorns, that
caused the darknesse uppon the earth that it is to be believed that the sun
was eclipsed them 2 months; ffor after the trees weare so laden with snow
that fel'd afterwards, was as if it had been sifted, so by that means very
light and not able to beare us, albeit we made racketts of 6 foot long and
a foot and a halfe broad; so often thinking to tourne ourselves we felld
over and over againe in the snow, and if we weare alone we should have
difficultie enough to rise againe. By the noyse we made, the Beasts heard
us a great way off; so the famine was among great many that had not
provided before hand, and live upon what they gett that day, never thinking
for the next. It grows wors and wors dayly.
To augment our misery we receive news of the Octanaks, who weare about a
hundred and fifty, with their families.
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