There is sturgeon enough & other sorte
that is not knowne to us. The South part is without isles, onely in some
bayes where there are some. It is delightfull to goe along the side of the
watter in summer where you may pluck the ducks.
We must stay often in a place 2 or 3 dayes for the contrary winds; ffor
[if] the winds weare anything high, we durst not venter the boats against
the impetuosity of the waves, which is the reason that our voyages are so
long and tedious. A great many large deep rivers empties themselves in that
lake, and an infinit number of other small rivers, that cann beare boats,
and all from lakes & pools which are in abundance in that country.
After we travelled many dayes we arrived att a large island where we found
their village, their wives & children. You must know that we passed a
strait some 3 leagues beyond that place. The wildmen give it a name; it is
another lake, but not so bigg as that we passed before. We calle it the
lake of the staring hairs, because those that live about it have their hair
like a brush turned up. They all have a hole in their nose, which is done
by a straw which is above a foot long. It barrs their faces. Their ears
have ordinarily 5 holes, where one may putt the end of his finger. They use
those holes in this sort: to make themselves gallant they passe through it
a skrew of coper with much dexterity, and goe on the lake in that posture.
When the winter comes they weare no capes because of their haire tourned
up. They fill those skrews with swan's downe, & with it their ears covered;
but I dare say that the people doe not for to hold out the cold, but rather
for pride, ffor their country is not so cold as the north, and other lakes
that we have seene since.
It should be difficult to describe what variety of faces our arrivement did
cause, some out of joy, others out of sadnesse. Neverthelesse the numbers
of joyfull exceeded that of the sorrowfull. The season began to invite the
lustiest to hunting. We neither desire to be idle in any place, having
learned by experience that idlenesse is the mother of all evil, for it
breeds most part of all sicknesse in those parts where the aire is most
delightfull. So that they who had most knowledge in these quarters had
familiarity with the people that live there about the last lake.
The nation that we weare with had warrs with the Iroquoits, and must trade.
Our wildmen out of feare must consent to their ennemy to live in their
land.
