Moreover They Made No
Great Harvest, Being But Newly There.
Beside, they weare no great huntsmen.
Our journey was broaken till the next yeare, & must per force.
That summer I went a hunting, & my brother stayed where he was welcome &
putt up a great deale of Indian corne that was given him. He intended to
furnish the wildmen that weare to goe downe to the ffrench if they had not
enough. The wild men did not perceive this; ffor if they wanted any, we
could hardly kept it for our use. The winter passes away in good
correspondence one with another, & sent ambassadors to the nations that
uses to goe downe to the french, which rejoyced them the more & made us
passe that yeare with a greater pleasur, saving that my brother sell into
the falling sicknesse, & many weare sorry for it. 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?
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