Seeing My
Brother Allwayes In The Same Condition, They Said That Some Devill Brought
Him Wherewithall To Eate; But If They Had Seene His Body They Should Be Of
Another Oppinion.
The beard that covered his face made as if he had not
altered his face.
For me that had no beard, they said I loved them, because
I lived as well as they. From the second day we began to walke.
There came 2 men from a strange countrey who had a dogg; the buissinesse
was how to catch him cunningly, knowing well those people love their
beasts. Neverthelesse wee offred guifts, but they would not, which made me
stubborne. That dogge was very leane, and as hungry as we weare, but the
masters have not suffered so much. I went one night neere that same cottage
to doe what discretion permitts me not to speake. Those men weare
Nadoneseronons. They weare much respected that no body durst not offend
them, being that we weare uppon their land with their leave. The dogg comes
out, not by any smell, but by good like. I take him and bring him a litle
way. I stabbed him with my dagger. I brought him to the cottage, where [he]
was broyled like a pigge and cutt in peeces, gutts and all, soe every one
of the family had his share. The snow where he was killed was not lost,
ffor one of our company went and gott it to season the kettles. We began to
looke better dayly. We gave the rendezvous to the convenientest place to
celebrat that great feast.
Some 2 moons after there came 8 ambassadors from the nation of
Nadoneseronons, that we will call now the Nation of the beefe. Those men
each had 2 wives, loadened of Oats, corne that growes in that countrey, of
a small quantity of Indian Corne, with other grains, & it was to present to
us, which we received as a great favour & token of friendshippe; but it had
been welcome if they had brought it a month or two before. They made great
ceremonys in greasing our feete and leggs, and we painted them with red.
They stript us naked and putt uppon us cloath of buffe and of white
castors. After this they weeped uppon our heads untill we weare wetted by
their tears, and made us smoake in their pipes after they kindled them. It
was not in common pipes, but in pipes of peace and of the warrs, that they
pull out but very seldom, when there is occasion for heaven and earth. This
done, they perfumed our cloaths and armour one after an other, and to
conclude did throw a great quantity of tobbacco into the fire. We told them
that they prevented us, for letting us know that all persons of their
nation came to visite us, that we might dispose of them.
The next morning they weare called by our Interpretor. We understood not a
word of their language, being quit contrary to those that we weare with.
They are arrived, they satt downe. We made a place for us more elevated, to
be more att our ease & to appeare in more state. We borrowed their Calumet,
saying that we are in their countrey, and that it was not lawfull for us to
carry anything out of our countrey. That pipe is of a red stone, as bigge
as a fist and as long as a hand. The small reede as long as five foot, in
breadth, and of the thicknesse of a thumb. There is tyed to it the tayle of
an eagle all painted over with severall couleurs and open like a fan, or
like that makes a kind of a wheele when he shuts; below the toppe of the
steeke is covered with feathers of ducks and other birds that are of a fine
collour. We tooke the tayle of the eagle, and instead of it we hung 12 Iron
bows in the same manner as the feathers weare, and a blade about it along
the staffe, a hattchett planted in the ground, and that calumet over it,
and all our armours about it uppon forks. Every one smoaked his pipe of
tobacco, nor they never goe without it. During that while there was a great
silence. We prepared some powder that was litle wetted, and the good powder
was precious to us. Our Interpreter told them in our name, "Brethren, we
have accepted of your guifts. Yee are called here to know our will and
pleasur that is such: first, we take you for our brethren by taking you
into our protection, and for to shew you, we, instead of the eagles' tayle,
have putt some of our armours, to the end that no ennemy shall approach it
to breake the affinitie that we make now with you." Then we tooke the 12
Iron off the bowes and lift them up, telling them those points shall passe
over the whole world to defend and destroy your ennemyes, that are ours.
Then we putt the Irons in the same place againe. Then we tooke the sword
and bad them have good courage, that by our means they should vanquish
their Ennemy. After we tooke the hattchett that was planted in the ground,
we tourned round about, telling them that we should kill those that would
warre against them, and that we would make forts that they should come with
more assurance to the feast of the dead. That done, we throw powder in the
fire, that had more strenght then we thought; it made the brands fly from
one side to the other. We intended to make them believe that it was some of
our Tobacco, and make them smoake as they made us smoake. But hearing such
a noise, and they seeing that fire fled of every side, without any further
delay or looke for so much time as looke for the dore of the cottage, one
runne one way, another an other way, ffor they never saw a sacrifice of
tobacco so violent.
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