The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents
Travels and Explorations
of the Jesuit Missionaries
in New France
1610—1791
THE ORIGINAL FRENCH, LATIN, AND ITALI-
IAN TEXTS, WITH ENGLISH TRANSLA-
TIONS AND NOTES; ILLUSTRATED BY
PORTRAITS, MAPS, AND FACSIMILES
EDITED BY
Reuben Gold Thwaites
Secretary of the State historical Society of Wisconsin
COMPUTERIZED TRANSCRIPTION BY
Thom Mentrak
Historical Interpreter at
Onondaga county parks
Ste. Marie Among The Iroquois Living History Museum
Liverpool. New York
Vol. XIV
Hurons, Québec
1637–1638
CLEVELAND:
The Burrows BrothersCompany,
PUBLISHERS, M DCCC XCVIIIEDITORIAL STAFF
Editor
Reuben Gold Thwaites
Translators.
| Finlow Alexander [French]
| Percy Favor Bicknell [French]
| John Cutler Covert [French]
| William Frederic Giese [Latin]
| Crawford Lindsay [French]
| Mary Sifton Pepper [French & Italian]
| William Price [French]
| Hiram Allen Sober [French]
| John Dorsey Wolcott [Latin]
Assistant Editor
Emma Helen Blair
Bibliographical Adviser
Victor Hugo Paltsits
Electronic Transcription
Thom Mentrak
CONTENTS OF VOL. XIV.
Preface To Volume .XIV.
Documents:—
1
XXIX.
Relation de ce qvi s'est passé en la Novvelle France, en l'année 1637. [Second installment of Part II., completing the document.] François Joseph le Mercier; Ihonatiria, June 21, 1637
5
XXX.
Relation de ce qvi s'est passé en la Novvelle France, en l'année 1638. [First installment, being Part I. of the document.] Paul le Jeune; Three Rivers, August 25, 1638
113
Bibliographical Data; Volume. xiv.
281
Notes
285
[page i]
ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOL. XIV.
I.
Photographic facsimile of Du Quen's hand-writing, selected from his copy of Chevalier de Sillery's donation to the Jesuits, dated Paris, Feb. 22, 1639
Frontispiece
II.
Photographic facsimile of title-page, Le Jeune's Relation of 1638.
116
[page ii]
PREFACE TO VOL. XIV
The greater part of Le Mercier's (Huron) contribution to the Relation of 1637 (Document XXIX.) was presented in our Vol. XIII. We now give the remainder of the Huron report, which thus closes the entire document.
Le Mercier continues his record of missionary labors among the plague-stricken Hurons,—nursing the sick, consoling the afflicted, and baptizing dying children and those adults who at the point of death turned to this rite as a protection from the fires of hell. In the intervals of these labors, the Fathers learn what they can of the native language, " all the secret of which, " says the author, " consists in the conjugations of verbs." In this they are greatly aided by " some catechisms prepared for them last year by Louis de Sainte-Foy, upon the mysteries of the life, death, and passion of Our Lord."
In March, the missionaries submit to some of the clans certain questions—whether they are ready to believe in and accept the faith; whether they are willing that some of the Frenchmen should become allied to them by marriage; and if there is any probability of the reunion of the natives hereabout to those of the Bear clan, from whom they had become estranged. The second of these queries is readily answered in the affirmative; but they hesitate as to the others. [page 1]
In April, Garnier and some of the domestics spend a fortnight in a trip to the neighboring Tobacco Nation, during which they baptize fifteen sick persons.
May 3, a fire occurs not far from the mission house, in a cabin occupied by some orphans, whose relatives had been carried off by the pestilence; not only the villagers, but the missionaries, contribute to a fund for the relief of these children, who thus find themselves in better circumstances than before. In this month of May, a new mission house is established at Ossossané, under the charge of Pierre Pijart, and here Garnier soon joins him.
In the final chapter of this report to Le Jenne, Le Mercier relates at length " the happy conversion of Tsiouendaentaha, the first adult savage baptized in good health in the Huron country, " which event fills the souls of the Fathers with gladness.
XXX. The Relation for 1638 consists of two parts: Part I., on the missions of New France in general, by the superior, Le Jeune, and closed at Three Rivers, August 25, 1638. Part 11., the annual report to Le Jenne, from the Huron missions, by Le Mercier, dated at Ossossané, June 9, 1638. In the present volume, we publish Part I., reserving Part II. for Vol. XV.
Le Jeune begins his Relation by naming " the four batteries that shall destroy the empire of Satan," which the missionaries are now ranging against as many defenses of that empire—superstition, error, barbarism, sin. These engines of war are: the study of the native languages, the establishment of a hospital, seminaries for Indian children, and the substitution among the savages of a sedentary for a nomadic mode of life. [page 2]
The writer then recounts minutely the conversions and baptisms of the past year. Notable among these are: an Algonkin who, lying for months at the point of death, is restored to health through the prayers of the Fathers—not only is he baptized, and made a catechumen, but his wife, sister, and three children; two young men, pupils in the Huron seminary; the wife and children of Pigarouich, the " sorcerer" with whom the missionaries had so many encounters the previous year. Pigarouich burned all the utensils of his art, and since then has steadily refused to practice it, though many times tempted by valuable gifts to do so. The religious experiences of a young Algonkin catechumen, and the proofs of sincerity shown by him, are also rehearsed.
A notable event now occurs,—the establishment of the residence of St. Joseph de Sillery, four miles above Quebec, through the munificence of Noel de Sillery, a Knight of Malta, who, having become a priest, dedicated his fortune to pious works. At this residence are established two Algonkin families, comprising about twenty persons, who consent to settle there and till the soil for their living,—the beginning of an Indian village, where the native converts can be withdrawn from their savage associations, and kept under French and Christian influences. Sillery has by this time become a center for gathering the vagrant savages of that region, and giving them religious instruction.
Progress is also reported from the station at Three Rivers; the savages eagerly bring their children for baptism; " these sacred waters, having many times saved the lives of entire families, are now in great esteem among them." The medicine men are losing [page 3] their influence; the " eat-all " feasts and consultation of demons are no longer practiced.
After its early trials, the seminary for the Hurons is now prospering. One of its pupils, converted to the faith, returns to the Huron country with one of the Fathers, to allay the excitement and discontent of the people, who have been threatening the missionaries sent there—accusing them as sorcerers, who have brought thither the pestilence for the ruin and death of the natives. Besides the seminary for the Hurons, others have been begun near Quebec, for the Algonkins and Montagnais; the mission has now in charge fifteen of these Indian children, who must be supported and educated.
Jerome Lalemant, Simon le Moyne, and François du Peron arrive in the spring of 1638, and are forthwith sent to the Huron country; on the way thither, they meet with various annoyances and losses.
In addition to gentlemen already named, the following have recently rendered material assistance to the editor: Père Colombier, S.J., librarian of l'École de Sainte-Geneviéve, and M. Girard de Rialle, director of the Archives au Ministére des Affaires étrangères, Paris; Dr. Herbert Friedenwald, superintendent of MS. department, Library of Congress, Washington; Rev. W. O Raymond, president of New Brunswick Historical Society, St. John, N. B.; Rev. Oswald Mueller, S. J., of the College of the Sacred Heart, Prairie du Chien, Wis.; Dr. G. Devron, New Orleans; Dr. J. N. B. Hewitt, of the Bureau of Ethnology, Washington; and Dr. John G. Henderson, Chicago.
R. G. T.
Madison, Wis., January, 1898.
[page 4]
XXIX (concluded)
Le Jeune's Relation, 1637
Rouen: JEAN LE BOULLENGER, 1638
—————
Part 1. (Le Jeune's Relation proper, and his Dernière Lettre) appeared in Volumes XI., XII. Part II. (Le Mercier's Huron Relation) was commenced in Volume XIII., and is completed in the present volume.
[page 5]
[183] During our sojourn at Ossosanë, the Father Superior and Father Charles Garnier made a little trip which is not to be overlooked. On the 5th of this month, they baptized 2 sick persons at Anonnatea; and the next day, the 6th, with the Bissiriniens (who were wintering a quarter of a league from there), a little newborn child. By a very special providence of God, they had gone as far as this place the day before, and had visited all the cabins, but, finding nothing sufficient to detain them there [184] longer, they had departed, intending to return in the evening to their home. At a quarter of a league from there, they perceived that a dog which was following them had disappeared. A dog is no small thing in this country, and this one performed an important part in this case. However, they did not trouble themselves any further about it, knowing well that this was not the first time that it had returned all alone. Being near Aneatea [Anonatea], the snow began to fall so thickly that they had considerable difficulty in finding their way, so that, contrary to their intention, they were obliged to pass the night in that village. The next morning, through a special providence of God, the dog not being found, they resolved to go in quest of it as far as the Bissiriniens. They were hardly in the village before they were informed that a woman had been delivered of a child during the night, but that her child was dead. This was enough to cause them to give no more heed to the matter; but God, who intended to save this little soul, inspired them to go and see the mother. They found this woman very sick, and the child still barely alive. Father Garnier baptized it without the knowledge of its parents,—having, for this purpose, [page 7] had the foresight to dip his handkerchief in water [185]before entering the cabin. Perhaps if the mother had been consulted thereupon, she would not have been favorable to it; the Algonquins are as yet hardly fit for holy baptism. Shortly afterwards, this little Angel flew away to Heaven.
On the 20th, we learned from Anons [Aënons] a new opinion concerning the malady,—that a report was current that it had come from the Agniehenon, who had brought it from the Andastoerhonon, a nation in the direction of Virginia. These tribes, it is said, had been infected therewith by Ataentsic, whom they hold to be the mother of him who made the earth; that she had passed through all the cabins of two villages, and that at the second they had asked her, Now, after all, why is it that thou makest us die? and that she had made this answer, " Because my grandson, Iouskeha, is angry at men,—they do nothing but make war and kill one another; he has now resolved, as a punishment for this inhumanity, to make them all die. " Your Reverence will permit me, if you please, to shorten, from now on, stories of this kind,—especially as they crowd me upon all sides, and warn me every clay that they are going to launch the canoes immediately. I shall go as far as I can, and shall write [186] up to the day of the embarkation. If I do not reach the end, some one else, if you please, will acquaint you with the rest next year.
From about the 20th of February up to Passion week, our chief occupation was the study of the language. The Father Superior had already composed some discourses for us, which had accustomed us, in great measure, to the instruction of the Savages; [page 9] and during Lent he explained to us some Catechisms that Louys de Ste. Foy had translated for us last year upon the mystery of the life, death, and passion of Our Lord, which also greatly aided us, especially in this respect. We had intended to work this year upon the Dictionary, but God has placed us under the necessity of contenting ourselves with what we had. We have not failed, through his holy grace, to make great progress in the language,—so that now, if there is a question of making little trips to visit and instruct some Savage, the Father Superior finds persons all ready to go; and there is not one of us who does not consider himself happy to go and coöperate in the salvation of some soul. We have good reason to thank this infinite goodness which gives us so great a liking for this barbarous language. After our devotional exercises, we have no [187] greater consolation than to devote ourselves to this study; it is our most common subject of conversation, and we gather up all the words from the mouths of the Savages as so many precious stones, that we may use them afterwards to display before their eyes the beauty of our holy mysteries. Within a short time, the Father Superior has discovered excellent methods of distinguishing the conjugations of the verbs, in which the whole secret of the language lies; for the greater part of the words are conjugated. However far we advance, we shall still continue to discover new lands.
On the 2nd day of March, an old woman died in our village, whom the Father Superior had baptized a few days before. The next day, he baptized at Annonatea a young child between 9 and 10 years old. The disease still continued there, and has not yet departed thence. [page 11]
On the 7th, a young man was found quite dead, stretched out upon the snow, within musket—range of our cabin. The Father Superior and François Petitpré, going that morning to Ouenrio, had heard his voice, as of a dying person, and resolved to go and seek him if he had called once more; but as his strength failed him, and as some of the Savages said it was a soul complaining, and others that it was a dog, they had continued on their way without giving themselves any further concern about it. [188] Our Savages dwelt at length upon the death of this poor young man, several attributing the cause of his death, among other things, to a theft he had committed among the Algonquins, in which they happened to catch him. What made them talk in this way was not the knowledge they possess that God forbids and punishes theft,—that was something for which they cared little; but they based their opinion upon the word of the sorcerer Tsondacouane, who had said some time before that whoever stole the Algonquins' lines, or the baits from their hooks, would, without fail, be immediately attacked by the disease.
On the 9th, the Father Superior and Father Charles Garnier went to visit some sick people in the town of Onnentisati, where they baptized a little child.
On the 12th, Father Garnier and I baptized a woman in a little village that we call Arendaonatia, doing so with a very special feeling of consolation. In fact, God having since restored her health, she has conceived a very high opinion of holy baptism, and has evinced much good will in keeping the commandments of God and even in aiding to instruct some of the other Savages.
[189] On the 15th, I accompanied the Father [page 13] Superior to Anonatea, where he baptized a very sick woman; thence we went to visit the Algonquins, where, we had learned, there were also a number of sick people. We saw among others one Oraouandindo, who died two or three days afterwards. We were under a special obligation to this Savage. The Father Superior did all in his power to fit him for our mysteries and for baptism; in fact, he seemed at first willing to lend an ear; but afterwards, seeing himself pressed to answer definitely, he made a pretext that he did not fully understand. They summoned a Savage of his own nation who, in fact, understands and speaks Huron extremely well, and who very faithfully repeated to him, in his own tongue, all that the father said. After all that, we could draw nothing else from him except that he did not feel any inclination to go to Heaven, seeing that he had no acquaintances there; and to all the father could say to him, he never made any other answer. We always had this solace, that the Captain, and several who were there, were upon this occasion fully informed of what we are aiming at in this country, and who we are; for they confessed to us [190] ingenuously that until then they had taken us not for men engendered in the fashion common to others, but for real incarnate demons,—telling us that the people of the island had led them into this opinion. According to them,—I mean the Hurons and the Algonquins,—those gentlemen often render us similar kindnesses.
On the 17th, I again accompanied the Father Superior to Iahenhouton, where resides the chief of the council of this place. The object of this journey was to make them 3 propositions: 1st, whether they had [page 15] not at last resolved to believe what we taught, and to embrace the faith; 2nd, whether it would be acceptable to them that some of our Frenchmen should marry in their country as soon as possible; 3rd, whether there was any probability of a reunion between them and the people of Ossosané and some of the surrounding villages. Your Reverence knows the cause of their division; we wrote to you about it fully last year, on the occasion of their feast of the Dead. As regards the first proposition, we did not gain all the satisfaction possible; this Captain is not one of the most intelligent men in the world, at least outside the little perplexities of their affairs; as for [191] the second and third, they approved of them heartily, and assured us that they were under a great obligation to us for this so close alliance that we wished to make with them, and for our great interest in the welfare of the country. Upon this occasion they confessed to us the evil designs they had had this winter upon our lives,—having learned from a reliable source, as they thought, that the uncle of the late Estienne Bruslé, in revenge for the death of his nephew, for which no satisfaction had been obtained, had undertaken the ruin of the whole country, and had caused this contagious disease. And thereupon, as the Father declared that he greatly desired to have these matters proposed in a general assembly, he replied that the thing was not impossible, that they would confer about it among themselves and give us their opinion afterward; however, concerning the marriages, it was not necessary to go through so many ceremonies,—that those Frenchmen who had resolved to marry were free to take wives where it seemed good to them; that those [page 17] who had married in the past had not demanded a general council for that purpose, [192] but that they had taken them in whatever way they had desired. The Father replied to this that it was very true that the Frenchmen who had hitherto married in the country had not made such a stir about it, but also that their intentions were far removed from ours, that their purpose had been to become barbarians, and to render themselves exactly like them. He said that we, on the contrary, aimed by this alliance to make them like us, to give them the knowledge of the true God, and to teach them to keep his holy commandments, and that the marriages of which we were speaking were to be stable and perpetual; and he laid before them all the other advantages they would derive therefrom. These brutal minds gave but little heed to the spiritual considerations; the temporal were more to their taste, and of these they wished to have very definite assurances. Some days later, this Captain came to see us in the absence of the Father Superior, assuring us that they had conferred among themselves touching the three propositions that had been made; that the old men were very favorable to them, and that he had come in order to be enlightened concerning certain doubts they had about marriage. And first, he told us, they would be very glad to know what a husband [193] would give to his wife; that among the Hurons the custom was to give a great deal besides,—that is to say, a beaver robe, and perhaps a porcelain collar. 2nd, whether the wife would have everything at her disposal. 3rd, if the husband should desire to return to France, whether he would take his wife with him; and, in case she remained, what he would leave her [page 19] on his departure. 4th, if the wife failed in her duty and the husband drove her away, what she could take away with her—and the same if, of her own free will, the fancy seized her to return to her relatives. All these questions show that they had thought over the matter. We did what we could to satisfy them thereupon,—assuring him besides that when he should confer with the Father Superior, who would explain it clearly, they would all have good reason to be fully satisfied with our proceedings in the matter. This is the situation in regard to these marriages. Some of our Frenchmen had thought seriously of going farther, and of carrying out this plan, and the thing seems indeed to be advantageous to Christianity; but some obstacles were thrown in the way. The matter certainly deserves mature deliberation; many things are to be considered before [194] engaging themselves in marriage,—above all, among barbarous peoples like these.
As regards the reunion of this whole nation of the Bear, it is a matter still undecided. The Father Superior has made several journeys with this in view, in the hope they had given us of a general council; he had even given them his word that, if it were only a question of a present, we were resolved to spare nothing to this end. And very recently, being at Ossossané, where some of the old men regarded the matter as already accomplished, he had sent word to us to send him twelve hundred porcelain beads to present to the two parties which were to assemble at Andiataé. In fact, the majority of the Captains of the villages in that quarter started to go thither; but the one who was the author and chief of this division having refused to be present, the matter has remained [page 21] hanging on the hook. Nevertheless, it is not yet regarded as hopeless.
On the 21st, we went to Onenrio, Father Garnier and I, where we baptized the very aged wife of the Captain. Her husband seemed to be rather pleased at this; nevertheless, fearing that baptism might cause her death, [195] he said to me, showing me three of his fingers, " My nephew, look; three days are of importance,"—giving me to understand that it was important that she should not die on the third day, otherwise that they would believe we were the cause of her death; he urged me to tell him if she would recover. I answered that no one but God could tell that with certainty,—that he alone was the master of our lives, and disposed of them at will; but that I would certainly assure him of one thing, that baptism would not shorten her days,—on the contrary, that God, who has a special care over all those who are baptized, might indeed even restore her to health. In fact, at the end of a few days she had entirely recovered, and since then has helped us a great deal in baptizing some others. On the 26th, Father Pijart and Father Garnier baptized two little children at Onnentisati.
On the twenty—ninth, we assembled the chief men of our village, to know, first, if they had determined to pass the Winter here again; secondly, if the intention they bad had of reuniting with the people of Ouenrio [196] was altogether relinquished; formerly this was all one village. Thirdly, if they would not at last lend ear to the propositions that had so often been made to them touching their salvation. To this last point they answered that some among them believed what we taught; as for the others, [page 23] they could not answer for them. Moreover, they were not yet inclined for this year to change the place of their residence; and that next year it would not be their fault if they did not meet in the same village with the people of Ouenrio. Be that as it may, we are resolved for our part to establish other residences elsewhere.
On this same 29th, the Father Superior set out to go to Teanaostaiaé with Father Garnier, in order that he might upon the spot testify to the relatives of Louys de Ste. Foy the sympathy we felt for the affliction of their family, and by means of some little presents wipe away the rest of their tears. This journey was not unprofitable for several persons, of whom some received Holy baptism, and others had the blessing to be informed of our holy mysteries. How much greater will henceforth be our facilities for preaching to them, now that we are [197] settled at Ossossané, which is, as it were, the heart of the country. At the village of Scanonaenrat, the Father Superior having made some remarks about our belief to our host, some other inmates of the cabin approached and listened very attentively, without diverting the conversation to other subjects according to the custom of the Savages, but asking him several very pertinent questions. Among others, how we knew that it was so pleasant in Heaven ? "What must be done, in order to go there?" "How were the commandments of God that the Father proposed to them to be understood?" They enjoyed and approved them greatly.
On the 30th, they arrived at Teanaostaiaé, where they met a great many of the relatives of Louys de Ste. Foy; and at this first interview they renewed [page 25] their expressions of sympathy for the loss they had sustained. The Father assured them, at the outset, that since the month of October he bad intended to go and console them at the earliest opportunity; but that the sickness of our household, the occupations of the whole winter, and the evil reports that were current through the country, had caused him to defer this voyage until a time when, the sickness having greatly abated, they would have less reason to take umbrage at us, and to fear [198] that we might bring them the disease. Then he consoled them, and as, according to the custom of the country, a person who is in affliction hardly considers himself comforted if you give him nothing but words, the Father made them a present Of 400 porcelain beads and 2 little hatchets. One of the uncles of Louys de sainte Foy had tried to make us believe that Louys was not dead; more than two months before he had told us, secretly, that he had learned on good authority that he was still alive and well. Nevertheless, his mother told them on this occasion that she did not believe this at all; she has changed her mind since then, as I shall relate in the proper place.
On the 31st, on their way back from Teanaostaiaé, the Fathers slept at Ekhiondaltsaan, a tolerably fine and populous village. Our host asked the Father Superior a question that none of our Savages had ever proposed to us; he asked him what was the use of a vase full of water at the entrance to our Chapel at Kebec. The Father told him that, among other uses, this water served to drive away the devils; they asked if this water would serve the same purpose for them. The Father Superior said " yes," provided they would believe [199] in God; and he [page 27] took occasion therefrom to instruct them upon the belief in one God, and upon the end of man. They ordered the withdrawal of all the youth, who had collected in a crowd to see the Fathers, and assembled the chief men of the village to confer together upon this subject. All decided that they must have some holy water; but, finding some obstacles in what the Father said, that God forbids us to resort to Arendioouané, or sorcerers, in our sicknesses, they proposed to assemble again the next morning, before our departure. But the Father, having made them understand that God did not forbid the use of natural remedies which the Arendioouané might prescribe, they were entirely satisfied, and concluded it was not necessary to assemble the next day, but only to come and get some holy water as soon as possible. We are waiting for them yet; it is quite probable that they do not concern themselves much further about it, now that they are no longer in apprehension of the disease, their village having been preserved up to the present.
On the 1st day of April, having arrived at Andiataé, they visited some sick people, among others [200] a child of 13 years. Your Reverence will have the consolation of hearing some particulars of his baptism, which we have every reason to attribute to the merits of St. Joseph. The Fathers found him in such a condition that his relatives were only waiting for the hour of his death; all they could do then was to make him swallow a little sweetened water, and to ask his soul of God; they made a vow to God of some Masses in honor of St. Joseph. There were still some other sick people in the village; the Father Superior went to see them and left Father [page 29] Garnier beside this child, in order that, if he recovered consciousness, he might be immediately advised thereof. Meanwhile Father Garnier did not fail to say a few good words to the relatives, and to tell them of Paradise and of Hell. They seemed at first somewhat inclined to have this child go after death to the place where his dead relatives were; nevertheless, the Father Superior having returned towards evening, and having asked them their opinion, they said they desired their son to go where it would be best for him; and, having answered them that it would be best for him in heaven, they said that they wished him then to go there. Now for fear of losing the opportunity [201] of placing the soul of this poor sick boy in Heaven, the Father Superior left Father Garnier to sleep beside him. He conversed during a part of the night with the relatives, and especially with a famous sorcerer, upon the truth of the one God, and some other good subjects. The patient passed the night very quietly, and nature itself made some efforts, so that consciousness returned to him, to the great satisfaction of his father and mother, who, when this happened, told wonders of a little sugar that had been given him. Father Garnier lost no time, but as soon as he saw him even slightly revived, he began to instruct him, in order to baptize him; yet he did not finish, seeing that there was every probability that, if he went to notify the Father Superior, they would find the boy still entirely conscious. The Father comes, instructs him, and, in short, has him baptized by Father Garnier. He was named Joseph in acknowledgment of the favor they had received from this Holy Patriarch, who is always showing us that it is with [page 31] good reason we have taken him for our patron and our Father.
On the 2nd day of April, they also found at Ossossané a young woman on the verge of death; she had still enough understanding, but it was not possible to persuade her to accept baptism, [202] notwithstanding all the arguments that could be presented to her about Paradise and hell. She died miserably, several days later.
On the 5th, a Captain of Ossossané, sent to invite the Father Superior to a general council to be held there; he departed on the 6th, I accompanying him. In passing through Ouenrio, he had the old men assemble to treat of their reunion with the people of our village; but they came to no conclusion, only promising to confer about it, more in detail, among themselves. Having arrived at Ossossané, we waited two days for the council, and after that we were obliged to return as we had come, the absence of the Captain of the village Angouteus, being the cause of this. However, the Captain of Ossossané greatly praised our plan of bringing them all together, saying that this would be a new occasion for endearing ourselves, and rendering ourselves influential in the country; that, if this affair were successful, it would be mentioned forever in all the solemn assemblies, and at the Feasts of the dead. While we were awaiting this council, a son-in-law of our host returned from Bear hunting; but, according to his story, what they [203] had captured did not recompense them for the loss they had sustained. We enjoyed this narrative; he described the death of a dog, which he believed had been devoured by a Bear, so pathetically, that you would almost have [page 33] believed that he was relating the death of one of the brave Captains of the country. He praised his courage in pursuing the Bear, and in opposing him; he added that, having lost sight of him, and having a long time followed his tracks as far as a little river, he had at last stopped, and had said, sticking his hatchet into the ground, How now, Ouatit " (this was the name of the dog) art thou dead? There is my hatchet that I risk with thee." The owner of the dog listened to this speech with so heavy a heart that he would have deceived those who might not know the cause of his grief. "Ah! it is true " (said he,) " that I dearly loved Ouatit; I had resolved to keep him with me all his life; there was no dream that could have influenced me to make a feast of him,—I would not have given him for anything in the world; and yet it would be some consolation to me now if they had brought me a little Bear, which could take his place and carry his name. " But here is a more serious subject, and one in every way full of consolation.
[204] On the 13th, when some of our domestics were going on a visit to the Tobacco nation, which is a two days' journey from us, Father Garnier asked the Father Superior's permission to accompany them, simply to visit the sick there, who were (according to what we had been told) quite numerous. This journey lasted 14 days, and the father baptized 15 sick persons,—one child at Arenté; two others at Ossossané, who died a few days afterward; the rest in the Tobacco nation, namely, two very old women and ten little children, two of whom died the day of their baptism. This was a very special providence of ,God, especially for a little boy of ten years; he had [page 35] been lingering for three years, and was waiting only for baptism, it seems, to die.
On the 15th, we learned that a young man had poisoned himself at Ossossané; and in reference to this some Savages told us that one of the principal reasons why they showed so much indulgence towards their children, was that when the children saw themselves treated by their parents with some severity, they usually resorted to extreme measures and hanged themselves, or ate [205] of a certain root that they call Andachienrra, which is a very quick poison.
On the 19th, the Bissiriniens, seeing the ice broken and the lake open, embarked to return to their own country, and carried away in seven canoes seventy bodies of those who had died while they wintered among the Hurons. We availed ourselves of this opportunity to send news of ourselves to your Reverence, especially as a Savage named Outaeté intended going direct to Kebec.
On the 20th, a woman was put to death as a sorceress at Ossossané. Among these barbarians less than half proof in this matter suffices to have one's head split. The affair occurred thus: The one who thought he had been bewitched by her sent for her under the pretext of inviting her to a feast; she had no sooner arrived than her sentence was pronounced, without other form of trial. This poor wretch, seeing there was no appeal, named him who was to give her the hatchet stroke; at the same time she was dragged outside the cabin, her face and part of her body were burned with pieces of lighted bark, [206] and finally the one she had taken for godfather split her head. The next day her body was burned and [page 37] reduced to ashes, in the middle of the village. Some say that she confessed the deed, and even that she named some of her accomplices; others affirm that she spoke only in a general way, saying that they had all agreed not to expose one another, in case any one were taken in the act. Aondaenchrió, one of the Captains, seeing that she was captured, was of the opinion that she should be promptly despatched,—saying that the old men were too lenient, and that, if ,she were kept until morning, her life would probably be spared.
On the 21st, it was reported to us that a Savage, lately come from Sonontouan, had warned our Hurons to remain boldly upon the watch,—that the enemy was raising an army, either to pounce upon the country while they were away trading, or to await them at the passage when they were going down to Kebec. Every year at this season similar rumors are sure to circulate, which are so much the less credible that they are so common, and all the more to be feared since our Savages give themselves [207] little concern thereat. It is said that the old men and those most influential in the country are often the authors of these false alarms, in order to keep always in the villages a good part of the young men and of those capable of bearing arms, and to prevent them from going away, all at the same time, to do their trading.
On the 23rd, the Father Superior sent us, Father Isaac Jogues and me, to visit the sick of two or three little villages. We baptized four little children; two died the next day, and the third a few days afterward. What a favor from heaven for these little Angels! And what a consolation for us to see that [page 39] this divine goodness deigns to use us to wrest from the hands of the devil so many souls created in his image, and to apply to them the merits of the blood of his son! How much reason have we to say upon these so happy occasions, Quis sum ego et quæ est domus patris mei, quia me deduxisti usque huc!
On the 1st day of May, the Father Superior departed with Father Charles Garnier, to go to Ossossané. The reason of this journey was the hope that had been given us of a general assembly that would be held [208] at the village of Andiataé. But heaven had other designs. This council was postponed, and the Fathers had the good fortune to baptize in various places four sick persons,—one, a woman who died immediately afterward; her husband was on the verge of death, but he obstinately refused baptism.
On the 3rd, Father Pierre Pijart baptized at Anonatea an infant two months old, in manifest danger of death, without its parents being aware that he did so; not having succeeded in obtaining their permission, he employed the following device: Our sugar does wonders here; he made a feint of wishing to give it a little sugared water to drink, and at the same time dipped his finger in the water; and seeing that its father showed some distrust, and urgently requested him not to baptize the child, he put the spoon into the hands of a woman who was standing by, and said to her, "Give it to him thyself." She drew near and found that the child was asleep; and at the same time the Father, under pretext of seeing if it really slept, applied his wet finger to its face and baptized it; at the end of forty-eight hours, it went to heaven. A few days before, he had [page 41] practiced [209] very nearly the same ingenuity, in order to baptize a little boy six or seven years old. His father was very sick, and had several times refused baptism; the Father asked him if he would not be glad to have his son baptized, and he having answered " no," to this, "At least," said the Father, " thou wilt not disapprove of my giving him some sugar." " Certainly not, but do not baptize him." Accordingly, the Father had him take it once and again; and at the third spoonful, before putting the sugar in it, he let some water fall upon the child while pronouncing the Sacramental words. At the same time a little girl who was looking at him began to cry out, " My father, he is baptizing him." The father was troubled, but Father Pijart said to him, " Hast thou not seen plainly that I have given him sugar?" The child did not survive long. As for his father, God did him a great favor, for he is still in excellent health.
On this same 3rd of May, towards eleven o'clock in the evening, a cabin of our village, only about a musket-shot distant from ours, took fire. There were within only four or five poor children, seven or eight of their relatives having died from the contagion during the winter. They ran out entirely naked, and even then had [210] considerable trouble to save themselves. The fire spread so rapidly that in less than no time the cabin was all in flames. We ran to help them, but it was only to look on and show that we had compassion for them. The wind, a Northwester, proved, thanks to God, very favorable both to the rest of the cabins of the Savages, and to ours; otherwise an entire village is soon despatched and reduced to ashes,—the cedar bark, with which [page 43] the greater number of the cabins are covered, taking fire almost as easily as saltpeter.
On the 4th, the old men assembled, in order to agree together upon some contribution to assist these poor orphans. Each cabin bound itself to furnish three sacks of corn, for they had not been able to save a single grain. In a word, every one aided them with whatever he could,—one giving them a plate, another a chest, some even giving them Beaver robes. We also assisted them very liberally, and there was hardly any of our domestics who did not also show them some act of kindness; so that these poor children found themselves richer, at least in robes and clothing, than they had been before.
On the 5th, Father Chastellain went with [211] Father Pijart to visit some sick people at Anendaonactia; he baptized a young man who was at the point of death.
On the 10th, Father Pijart departed to go in search of some young children to take to Quebec. If all those from whom he has some promise resolve to remain there, the seminary will not be badly supplied for a beginning. If we may believe the reports that have been current here since winter, two of those of last year are dead; but perhaps these are only rumors. Would to God that those which have been circulated about the death of Louys de sainte Foy had as little certainty; and that, on the contrary, what is now being said of him were as true as we consider the other ones without foundation. His mother, who could not listen to these rumors before,—now thinks she has infallible proofs that he is among the Agnietironons; she has even been told the name of the one who has adopted him for his [page 45] son. If this be true, we have some hope that God will restore him to us in some way, whatever it may be. I know very well that if he remain in this captivity, it will not be for lack of having here and in France persons who importune Heaven with vows and fervent prayers for his deliverance.
[212] On the 12th, Father Charles Garnier and Father Isaac Jogues baptized at Anonatea 3 very sick persons,—among others, a poor woman who died the next day. And because one of these had been baptized conditionally, for the reason that he appeared hardly in his right mind, Father Chastellain returned to him a little while afterwards, and, having found him somewhat more rational, instructed him again, and baptized him with the requisite conditions.
On the 19th, we had a real winter day; nearly half a foot of snow fell and the following night it froze very hard. Sondacouane lost a little of his repute on this occasion. Two or 3 days before, they had tired themselves to death playing crosse in all the villages around here, because this sorcerer had affirmed that the weather depended only upon a game of crosse; and now our Savages openly declared that he is only a charlatan and an impostor. It is worthy of note, however, that these experiences render them but little wiser.
On the 28th, Father Charles Garnier and Father Jogues went to visit a very sick old man at Arontaen. We had been given to understand that the people of that village had some aversion to baptism; nevertheless, this [213] good man, at the first proposal that was made to him, expressed quite opposite sentiments; and after having been sufficiently instructed, [page 47] and having received holy Baptism, he thanked our fathers therefor with much affection.
On the first day of June, Father Charles Garnier and Father Chastellain were sent to Ouenrio, on account of a woman who had been represented to us as very sick. What a providence of God! this woman was found to be out of danger, and was partly the cause Of 3 other sick people, who died shortly afterwards, receiving baptism; the last of these died yesterday, the fourth of this month. See how this came to pass. The Fathers, being at Ouenrio, learned that a little child was dying; they hastened and baptized it, and it died the day before yesterday. Thence they went to Onnentisati to visit one Onendich, one of the chief tools of the Sorcerer Sondacouané He spoke to them like a man who was convalescent, and who, besides, was not greatly disposed to receive advice touching his salvation. But doubtless some Angel from heaven guided their footsteps; they were instructed to repair to a little cabin standing by itself in the [214] field, and that there was a sick woman there who would be very glad to see them; a young man even presented himself, very willingly, and conducted them thither. But the sick woman they had gone to see was already on her feet. They were upon the point of returning, when they heard a plaintive voice, which made them ask if there was any other sick person; they were answered " yes,"—that there was a woman outside whose end was drawing near; in fact, they found her lying upon some leaves and exposed to the heat of the sun. This poor woman had just been delivered, prematurely, of a dead child; it seemed as if she was only waiting for baptism, as she died the next day. On [page 49] their return they passed through Anonatea, according to an order they had received from the Father Superior to visit another sick Woman, but she had died on the day of Pentecost. They found themselves there very opportunely to instruct and baptize a poor old man, that we did not know was sick; we had cared for him three or four months while he had some ulcers upon his feet, from which he was beginning to recover. He was taken off in a few days, the Fathers baptizing him with much consolation. When [215] the Fathers asked him if he would not be very glad to go to heaven, " Alas! " said he, "it is very far away, and I have very bad legs; how shall I be able to go there?" We received the news of his death yesterday. Your Reverence sees that our poor Savages are not yet free from sickness; if God does not mercifully interpose his hand, the great heat which prevails here at this season is not likely to dissipate this malaria. There are two villages which are especially afflicted, Andiataé and Onnentisati, where reside the two greatest sorcerers of the country, namely, Sondacouané, and Tehorenhaegnon. During the winter they had already lost a great deal of their credit with the sick of other villages; and now they are more than ever discomfited, seeing that their sweats, feasts, potions, and ordinances are of no avail with their countrymen. Within a short time Sacondouane [sc. Sondacouané] has taken it into his head to forbid to the sick the "French snow,"—thus they call sugar,—and has persuaded some that it is a species of poison. It is easy to see that he is the chief author of this prohibition. The devil knows well enough how much these little sweets have already [216] aided us in wresting from his hands [page 51] so many souls that he held captive. He has made every effort this winter to close our mouths, and to prevent us from preaching to these barbarous people the grandeur and infinite mercy of the master whom we serve; but his designs not having succeeded (for God has granted us the favor of baptizing two hundred and thirty or forty persons), he has recently stirred up new tempests against us. They are still saying, almost as much as ever, that we are the cause of the malady. These reports are partly founded upon the fact that it is in this season much more fatal than it was during the severe cold of the winter, and consequently the greater part of those we baptize, die. Besides this, very recently a certain Algonquin captain has given our Hurons to understand that they were mistaken in thinking that the devils caused them to die,-that they should blame only the French for this; and that he had seen, as it were, a French woman who was infecting the whole country with her breath and her exhalations. Our Savages imagine that it is the sister of the late Estienne Bruslé, who is avenging her brother's death. This Sorcerer added that we, even we ourselves, meddle with sorcery; [217] that for this purpose we employ the images of our saints,-that, when we show them, certain tainted influences issue therefrom which steal down into the chests of those who look at them, and therefore they need not be astonished if they afterwards find themselves assailed by the disease. The prominent and chief men of the country show us quite plainly that they do not share this belief, but nevertheless intimate that they fear some heedless fellow will commit some foul deed that will cause them to blush. We are in [page 53] God's hands, and all these dangers do not make us forfeit a moment of our joy. It would be too great an honor for us to lose our lives while employed in saving some poor soul; as for all these reports and all these threats, we have resolved, in prudence and discretion, not to abate a whit from our usual functions and occupations. If we did otherwise, we would think we were doing wrong to the grace that God has shown us, and falling below our estate; and this would be, without doubt, to ignore the fact that the Apostles never planted the cross of the son of God save in the midst of persecutions, and finally at the expense of their lives.
On the 4th of this month, I received a letter from Father [218] Pierre Pijart, who is now at the village of Ossosané, where he has oversight of those who are building our cabin. Since the embarkation of our Savages is again deferred for several days, I shall certainly refrain from cutting off with a few words what can only afford Your Reverence great consolation. [page 55]
CHAPTER VI.
OF THE RESIDENCE OF THE CONCEPTION OF NOSTRE DAME, AT THE HAMLET OF OSSOSANÉ.
T last, behold our desires accomplished! I shall now express no longer mere hopes to Your Reverence, for they are working in earnest to erect for us our cabin at Ossosané; and we expect that you will send us, if you please, some workmen to build there a chapel in honor of the Immaculate Conception of our Lady.
[219] On the 17th of May, the Father Superior broached the subject of our decision to the Captain, in order to have the work begun as soon as possible. The Captain summoned the Council to assemble, where the proposition was received with much satisfaction. They bound themselves to make us a Cabin of about twelve brasses,—begging us, if they did not make it larger, to consider that the malady had carried off a part of the young men, and that the rest were nearly all gone trading or fishing; and giving us their word to make it as long and as wide as we should wish, the following year. The Council over, each one took his hatchet, and they all went away in a crowd to prepare the site.
On the 21st, Father Pierre Pijart departed with two of our domestics, to set the laborers to work. There he had exercise of all kinds; the sick gave him occasion to exercise charity, and those who were working upon our cabin an excellent opportunity to [page 57] practice patience. He wrote me thus about it, on the fourth of June:
"I find myself here in the midst of extraordinary confusion,—on one hand, I have to keep them at work upon our cabin; and, on the other, I have the Sick to [220] Visit; the former only do a part of what they attempt, and I encounter near the latter more sorcerers and Areindioouané than occasions to speak to them of God and of the matter of their salvation. I thank my Savior for the patience he gives me, and that, among so many causes for distraction, he does not leave me without internal consolation; otherwise it would be for me a little hell to find myself in this condition, and to be deprived, as I am, of the use of the Sacraments. I console myself with the thought I have that we are not building here a simple cabin, but a house for our Lady,—or rather many beautiful chapels in the principal villages of the country, since it is here that we hope, with the aid of Heaven, to cast the seeds for a beautiful and plenteous harvest of souls. Since I have been here God has granted me the favor to baptize three sick persons,—a little child, our host, and his daughter. As regards the latter, if they do not recover, it will not be from having spared the native remedies. This good man has always been ready to dance, sing, and perform the Aoutaerohi for the others; and on this occasion they have not failed to render him like service. They have oftentimes related things to us that were almost incredible, [221] concerning these feasts that they call Aoutaerohi. Here is what I have seen of them with my own eyes:
"On the 24th of May, one of these feasts was made for his health and that of his daughter. They [page 59] danced and howled like demons a good part of the night, but what astonished us the most was that a certain man named Oscouta took in his mouth a great red-hot coal, and carried it to the patients, who were at some distance from him, making many grimaces, and growling in their ears like a bear; nevertheless, the performance did not result as he desired. The coal was not hard enough, and broke within his mouth, which prevented the operation of the remedy. Hence it was ordained that they should begin again the next day, and that they should use red-hot stones instead of coals. Meanwhile, I was troubled about the sick man, who was growing worse, and I was almost upon the point of proposing Baptism to him; nevertheless, having recommended the matter to God, I thought it better to wait until he reached the end of all his fancies,—hoping that, after he had recognized by experience the little relief to be obtained in such extremities from these imaginary remedies, [222] I would find him more disposed to listen to me, and to put his confidence only in God. Accordingly, the next day they prepared for a second Aoutaerohi feast. A number of stones were brought; and, to make them red-hot, a fire was prepared hot enough to burn down the cabin. I had had some intention of retiring elsewhere for the night when this witches' sabbath was to take place; but I judged it wise to be present there to see if all I had heard about it were really true. 24 persons were chosen to sing and to perform all the ceremonies; but what songs, and what tones of voice! For my part, I believe that if the demons and the damned were to sing in hell, it would be about after this fashion; I never heard anything more lugubrious and more frightful. [page 61] I was waiting all the time to see what they would do with those stones that they were heating and making red-hot with so much care. You may believe me, since I speak of a thing that I saw with my own eyes,—they separated the brands, drew them from the midst of the fire, and, holding their hands behind their backs, took these between their teeth, carried them to the patients and remained some time without loosing their hold, blowing upon them and growling in their ears. I am keeping one of the stones expressly [223] to show you. You will be astonished that a man can have so wide a mouth; the stone is about the size of a goose egg. Yet I saw a savage put it in his mouth so that there was more of it inside than out; he carried it some distance, and, after that, it was still so hot, that when he threw it to the ground sparks of fire issued from it. I forgot to tell you that, after the first Aoutaerohi feast, one of our Frenchmen had the curiosity to see if, in reality, all this was done without any one being burned. He spoke to this Oscouta who had filled his mouth with live coals; he had him open his mouth and found it unhurt and whole, without any appearance of having been burned; and not only those persons, but even the sick people were not burned. They let their bodies be rubbed with glowing cinders, without showing any evidences of pain, and without their skin appearing in the least affected. This feast ended, they did not reach the end of their sufferings; on the contrary, there was more appearance of danger. Therefore two other sorcerers were summoned, who played a thousand apish tricks around these poor patients. But all these were nothing in comparison with [224] what I have just [page 63] told you. Here is something quite remarkable: Towards evening of the 26th, they prepared a sweat, which was followed by a feast. I never saw anything like it in my life; 20 men entered, and almost piled themselves upon one another. Even the sick man dragged himself thither, though with considerable difficulty, and was one of the troop; he also sang for quite a long time, and in the midst of the heat of this sweat he asked for water with which to refresh himself,—a part of which he drank, and the rest he threw over his body. An excellent remedy, forsooth, for a sick man on the verge of death! So the next day I found him in a fine condition; indeed it was a fine condition for him, since God then gave to him the grace to conceive the importance of the concerns of his salvation, and to me to put into my mouth the words to explain to him our principal mysteries. When I told him that Baptism was not a remedy for the health of the body, 'We know that well,' replied to me both he, and an old man who was present when I was instructing him, 'we know that well enough.' It is a great advantage to us that in this town they are fully informed of what we mean by Baptism. The daughter soon followed the example of her father, who himself exhorted her to ask for Baptism, [225] at the time of the death of their children, who had been baptized. The father died on the day of Pentecost; as for the daughter, she seems to be a little better. I was under great obligation to this good old man for having brought me into this country; and I rejoice now that it has pleased God to employ me to lead him to heaven. This Savage had some qualities which rendered him very lovable; I had never imagined that I could find [page 65] in a barbarian so much gentleness and amiability; during my journey he treated me like his own son."
On the same day that I received this letter, the Father Superior and Father Chastellain returned from Ossosané, whither they had gone the day before to console the relatives of our host with a present. The kindness we had received from them during the whole winter demanded from us this evidence of the sympathy we felt for their affliction. They also took this occasion to assure themselves of the reports which were current in these quarters, that, on account of the death of this Savage, the work of building our cabin had been altogether abandoned, to be no more resumed. [226] But, in going thither, they passed through Arenté, where they found the people's minds somewhat embittered and prejudiced against Baptism, on account of the death of a young child, baptized in its last moments two days before; so that when they entered a cabin to see a little girl five years old who was in similar danger,—and who had before shown, by her tears and sobs, the aversion she had for Baptism, at the first overtures they made of this Sacrament,—they were begged to speak of it no more. Nevertheless, the condition of this little patient made them decide that it was better to disregard the refusal of the relatives, who were present there in great numbers. Hence Father Pierre Chastellain requested the Father Superior to talk a little about the fever and the disease, in order that he might have an opportunity to act the physician, and to feel the child's pulse; meanwhile, he wet a handkerchief as secretly as he could in a pail of water which stood there, and made a feint to wipe her face; then approaching, with one hand he felt the [page 67] pulse, and with the other, under pretext of seeing if her head were unusually hot, he baptized her without any of those present perceiving it, although they all had kept their eyes open to [227] what he was doing.
Having arrived at Ossosané, they learned that the reports that had been circulated were false, and that only the absence of the Captain had caused the interruption of the work. The Fathers had an opportunity of learning from the lips of the Captain himself what there was in it. He assured them of quite opposite sentiments, and even gave them to understand that the chiefs and head men of the frontier villages of the country, with whom they had just held a Council, had evinced to him great satisfaction because we were coming nearer to them, seeing that they would hereafter find it easier to come and visit us, and adding that they would have to give us all manner of satisfaction and build us a fine cabin. The Father Superior gave his presents to the relatives of our deceased host, thanks being returned to him therefor at the time, and afterwards in open feast.
On their return, they had already gotten beyond the village of Angouteus, through which they had passed, when they encountered a woman who was going to her field, and who, among other things, mentioned to them one of her little girls, whom she represented as very sick, begging the [228] Father to go and baptize her, which obliged them to retrace their steps. As they were upon the point of baptizing this child, the grandmother, seeing that the children were crowding in to see them, said, " How now, have you never seen Frenchmen? Do you not know that when our sorcerers come to visit the sick [page 69] they do not wish any one to see them and interrupt them? " It was not necessary to say any more. While this was going on, some one came to inform the Father that a woman was extremely ill. In fact, he found her in such a condition that he deemed it advisable to instruct her; she was very glad to be baptized, but when she was told that it was necessary to make a firm resolve to change her manner of life, and to sin no more, she exclaimed, " Is it possible for me to sin no more? It is not possible;" and at the same time she covered her face with her robe, giving us to understand that, this being so, she would have nothing to do with baptism. The Father represented to her that she ought not to refuse it on that account; that it was very true we were all liable to sin, and therefore he did not demand absolutely [229] that she should sin no more,—only that she should make a good resolution not to return to her past life. Besides, if, after baptism, she should happen to sin, she need not think all was lost on that account; that he would teach her still another means by which sins were blotted out. One of her relatives thereupon began to speak: " Take courage, since sins are blotted out," she said to her, "and do not lose so fine an opportunity to be baptized; thou hast now the advantage of having the Frenchmen here; consider that they are going away, and that perhaps we shall not see them again for a long time. " She preached to her so well that she resolved to take this step, promising to do her best not to sin any more; and therefore the Father baptized her.
On the seventh, I received a second letter from Father Pierre Pijart, who wrote me in these terms: [page 71]
"I will send you further information of the state of our new Residence since my last letter. On the fifth of this month, I said the first Mass in our house of la Conception de nostre Dame, offering this most holy Sacrifice, through a votive Mass of the most holy Trinity, to these [230] same divine persons for the preparation of the hearts of these poor Savages, and for auspicious results to the labors of those who shall be employed here. The next day, I said the Mass of the Immaculate Conception, invoking it as a special patron of this new settlement. You can imagine with what consolation of soul I did this; and it was such a relief from the petty cares, and the importunities of the Savages, that I had endured through the preceding days, that I imagined I was in another life. I found myself so full of courage that it seemed to me the past had been a very trifling thing in comparison with the trials I desired to endure,—I already pictured them before my eyes; and, although I have always consecrated myself to this work, I nevertheless dedicate myself to it now from a more peculiar and affectionate desire to follow him who has endured so much for us.
"On the fourth of this month, I baptized a little child, by a special providence of God. The day before, I had been in the same cabin and had not seen it,—indeed, it was not there at the time. One of our Frenchmen having gone thither afterwards, to see a little fawn [231] which they wished to sell him, found the child lying upon its back, abandoned by its mother, who was only awaiting the hour of its death; he came promptly for me, and I baptized it. I have just learned that there are some sick people at Angoutenc, but I cannot leave this village. I [page 73] baptized this morning a woman who was at the point of death; I had instructed her last evening; may God have mercy on her and may he be forever blessed! At the time I am writing this, there remain only ten pieces of bark to finish the cabin; they have gone to get them, and this evening it will be completed. Pray God that he may make me all his own; and, being perfectly converted to him, believe that you will never find any one who is more entirely yours in Jesus. From the Residence of la Conception de Nostre Dame, this seventh of June." [page 75]
[232] CHAPTER VII.
THE HAPPY CONVERSION OF TSIOUENDAENTAHA, THE FIRST ADULT SAVAGE BAPTIZED, WHILE IN HEALTH, IN THE COUNTRY OF THE HURONS.
T the very time when the Devil seems to have the upper hand,—when holy Baptism is decried in two or three villages around here on account of the death of some of those baptized, when the Sorcerers (whose words are received as oracles) are prohibiting the sick from using a few sweetmeats which give us access to them, when some old men who pride themselves on being our friends are trying to persuade us to return to France, and when the cry is raised on all sides that our presence is unendurable, and [233] that our heads must be split,—a Savage about fifty years old, a man of intelligence and one of the most discreet and influential persons in the country, after having given the subject mature consideration for three years, while he has been attending the explanations of the Christian doctrine, and having been very carefully instructed, earnestly requested baptism a few months ago; and, on the day of the most holy Trinity, he was baptized publicly, and with the ceremonies of the Church, in the presence of the chief persons of this village, some of whom regarded this act with astonishment, and others with a desire to imitate it.
France has had the honor and the glory to open [page 77] the door of the Church to the first man of these barbarous peoples, and was expecting that he would become one of the Apostles of the country. But God having, through the secret workings of his divine providence, permitted him to fall into the hands of the enemy, where he is either dead or a captive, it has pleased this infinite goodness to restore us to-day another one in his place, which gives us reason to hope that he will be followed by many more. That young man certainly had some qualities which rendered him commendable; [234] as he was of a very docile disposition, and had a tolerably good mind and a sufficient knowledge of our language, he was able, no doubt, to render good service to God, and to aid us greatly in preaching the Holy Gospel. But I find in this man something more, at least something firmer and more substantial. It was an event full of consolation to see a Savage taken from his country in the flower of his youth, baptized, and clothed in the robe of innocence, in one of the most celebrated cities and assemblies of all France. Yet I judge that many will be, in some respects, more consoled to hear that a full-grown man, of good family, having the reputation of a man of intelligence and judgment,—in a barbarous country, among his still infidel kindred, at a time when Baptism is despised, and the Preachers of the Gospel regarded as sorcerers and poisoners,—has evinced to-day a firm resolution to live as a Christian for the rest of his life, and has renounced publicly and forever all his superstitions. For a long time he had been showing us some disposition to take this step, but the [235] meager effects we saw of his fine words, and the knowledge we have that this nation is perhaps one of the most deceitful upon the [page 79] earth, caused us not to be in great haste about inviting him to Baptism. He had shown us some traits that had caused us to distrust him, and to fear that there was considerable self-interest in his conduct. I do not know whether we informed your Reverence of it last year, among other things, but one of his acts was quite ridiculous. After having attended some of the Catechisms, where the Father Superior had spoken at length against their Superstitions, and where he himself had applauded all that was said, he fell sick, though not seriously; and for two or three consecutive days the game of dish" was played in his cabin,—probably by order of the doctor, or in consequence of some dream. This is one of the excellent remedies they have. At the end of seven or eight days, when he had entirely recovered his health, it seemed that he was rather ashamed to show himself. Nevertheless, having encountered the Father Superior, he told him he had something to communicate to him, and that he would like to come and pass the night with us. He [236] had no sooner entered than he told us that he had sinned. Behold us very glad to see him at least recognize his fault; and at once we supposed that he was about to accuse himself of having violated what the Father had taught them. But when he came to explain himself, it was found that this sin was that some one had stolen his cap; it is very probable that the motive of this confession was his hope that, for a penance, he would be given another one. The Father addressed him, saying that the thief had sinned, and not he; and that, as for him, if he had sinned, it was in having the dish game played for his recovery. To this he did not lack an answer,—asserting that what he had [page 81] done was not done because he believed that it would restore his health, but merely to divert himself.
This year he has shown more sincerity in his words, and God has doubtless touched his heart. This winter, when our Savages assembled in our cabin to offer ,a public prayer on account of the malady, it was he who showed the most faith and confidence in God; therefore [237] it is yet for him and all his family to feel the effects of this epidemic, which has spared hardly any one.
On Ash Wednesday, he came to see the Father Superior, and urgently asked him for Baptism; the Father answered him that he was very glad to see him so well disposed, but that, nevertheless, the matter was so important that it well merited his giving it serious thought for a few months more; during that time, he took care to instruct him more minutely than before in all that concerns our holy mysteries. During the greater part of Lent, he came to see us early every morning, and the Father instructed him and narrated the Gospels for each day; he took great pleasure therein, and the knowledge of these things made him then conceive a high opinion of our Lord. One day when the Father asked him if he firmly believed all that had been taught him, " Yes indeed! " said he, " I believe it; I still have only some little doubt about the information thou gavest me one day that the Sky turns around the earth,—seeing [238] that I have noticed that the Star Theandihar does not change its place " (he was speaking of the one we call " the Polar "); the Father satisfied him by showing him that the apparent fixedness of this star was not contrary to the movements of the Heavens.
But of all our mysteries, the one which has always [page 83] pleased him most, and which has made the most impression on his mind, was the mystery of the glorious Resurrection of our Lord. " For I do not find more infallible tokens of the divinity of him whom they preach to us," he often said, and sometimes even to the Savages, " than his resurrection; how could he have been resurrected if he were not God?" But what pleases us most in this Savage is the freedom with which he speaks, before the others, of our holy mysteries, and of the resolve he has made to live hereafter as a Christian. At the beginning of Spring, the malady having altogether ceased in our village, the Father Superior assembled the principal ones of those who had escaped, to make known to them that they [239] were not obliged to fulfill the promise they had made to God to build him a little chapel,—because, having addressed themselves to sorcerers and even to demons, and having put all their confidence in their usual superstitions, God had judged them unworthy of experiencing the effects of his mercy. And, when he was exhorting them to acknowledge God as their master, and to have recourse to him alone, and was complaining because there were so few of them who believed what we taught, " As for me, " said Tsiouendaentaha, " I believe all that you people believe, and am glad to be present in your cabin when you pray to God. But, Echon, thou shouldst not be astonished if some do not believe, and even ridicule what thou teachest; thou knowest well that all men did not believe in the son of God while he lived upon the earth,—that many despised his doctrine, persecuted him, and put him to death." Meanwhile, a certain man named Ihongouaha having risen from his place to go out, he continued, " Now [page 85] then, Echon, have I not told thee that Ihongouaha did not believe, and took no pleasure in thy discourses? as soon as [240] thou hast opened thy mouth to speak of God, he has risen. " Then, addressing the man himself, he said: " Ihongouaha, speak, and express thy sentiments frankly; if thou dost not like these discourses, do not come here." Father Garnier, on his journey from the Tobacco nation, met this man, and having taken time to say his rosary with him, the man came next day to ask that he would exercise him in saying it; and the Father having conversed with him about some good topics, especially the Apparition of our Lord to the Pilgrims of Emmaus, he afterwards told the story himself to some other Savages. With all this good disposition, we were somewhat astonished that he did not urge his baptism with more insistence; however, the constancy he manifested, in coming to see us every day for instruction, gave us reason to believe that he was acting in this regard with much sincerity. In fact, the Father Superior having asked him what he thought of it, and if he would not be very glad to be baptized, " Yes, indeed, my nephew," said he; " but wait a little longer, I pray thee. " His reason was that he did not yet know enough. As the father often related stories to him from both the old and the new [241] testaments, he imagined that he must know all before being baptized, and often complained of his memory. " I think I have sense enough, " said he, " and yet I cannot remember well; and, if I do not know any more, how shall I be able to talk with myself all alone, as the rest of you do?" He was generally present at our house when we were offering our prayers. But the Father having finally made him understand that [page 87] it was enough to know well the articles of our belief, ,and that the principal thing was to have a firm determination to keep the commandments of God, he chose for the time of his baptism the day of the most ,holy Trinity. 15 days before, the Father instructed him upon the principal mysteries of our faith, and the ceremonies and obligations of baptism. During that time, Father Gamier tried to teach him the Pater and the Ave, and some little prayers. I say "tried," for he has not yet succeeded; this has not been for lack of diligence on the part of both. It was a pleasure to see him, sometimes, studying his lesson; he would repeat the same thing three or four times, holding his head between his hands and closing his eyes. Moreover he was always ready to pray to God; often he anticipated the Father, and came to seek him for this purpose. Sometimes [242] he offered his prayers on his knees before the holy Sacrament, sometimes in the fields, and (what pleased us more) in the presence of the Savages,—he himself asking, of his own accord, to pray to God. One day, when Father Garnier showed him a Crucifix, he took it in his own hands, and began to preach in the presence of those of his cabin, upon the mystery of our redemption; and another time, when the Father showed him a very finely wrought image of our Lord, he began to apostrophize it in these terms: " Ah, ,give us thy benediction; keep us, have pity on us; thou art the master of our lives, thou hast redeemed us! " I saw him do exactly the same thing, of his ,own accord, on a similar occasion. All this pleased us greatly, yet we could not neglect to sound him upon his willingness to renounce all his superstitions and to live like a Christian the rest of his life; in [page 89] this matter he always showed a great deal of courage,—saying that, as far as the superstitions were concerned, he did not regret giving them up, since they were only sins; and that, as for women, his day had passed, and that would not give him trouble. When the Father Superior explained to him on this occasion, how [243] we could offend God in our thoughts, he said: " As for me, I do not know what it is to have bad thoughts; our usual thoughts are, ' That is where I shall go,' and ' Now that we are going to trade, I sometimes think that they would do me a great favor when I go down to Kebec, by giving me a fine large kettle for a robe that I have."' God will grant him the grace some day, if it please him, to see more clearly into his own heart. The time of his baptism approaching, we wished, for his greater benefit, and for his and our consolation, that he should publicly make a declaration of his purpose, in order that he might afterwards have more liberty to change his life and to do as we do. He agreed to this very willingly, and proposed to make a feast, in order to bring together more conveniently all those of our village. We were present, the Father Superior and I, with one of our domestics. Here, he did not close his mouth, but frankly announced the resolution he had taken; the majority rejoiced with him, but not one spoke as yet for himself. During the feast he entertained the company upon our holy mysteries, explaining to them that of the Annunciation of our Lady, some of the miracles of Our Lord, his death, and Passion. Finally the Father Superior invited the [244] company to his baptism the next morning, the day of the most holy Trinity. This was perhaps one of the most beautiful days we have, [page 91] ever had in this country. Early in the morning, the Father Superior baptized an old man, very ill, who; died two or three days afterward. Thence we went to see our catechumen, but he was at our house. The Father instructed him again before the ceremony, especially upon the communion. Our Chapel was remarkably well decorated; it occupied half of our cabin, so we did not make any fire there that day. We had arranged a portico, entwined with leaves mingled with tinsel; in fact we had displayed everything beautiful that your Reverence has sent us. Nothing so magnificent had ever been seen in this country. But the rarest piece was our proselyte, so the eyes of all those present were fixed upon him. True, they had seen many little children baptized in our cabin; but that a man of his age, and in good health, should present himself to receive baptism,—this was something they had not seen before. At the beginning of the ceremony, he appeared rather bashful, and trembled all over; and when the Father Superior questioned him, he was confused, and said to him in a low tone, " Echon, I [245] do not know what to answer." However, when it was only a question of " yes" or " no," he spoke so loudly and so distinctly as to remove all one's reasons to doubt the sincerity of his heart; and even this modesty which appeared upon his brow showed us unveiled, as it were, the integrity of his intentions in an affair of so much importance. Meanwhile, there was an old man named Tendoutsahoriné, who could not refrain from talking, and from saying aloud that it was much better to be baptized like that than in sickness, which often deprives us of judgment and understanding; and he exhorted the whole assembly to imitate [page 93] Tsiouendaentaha, and to be baptized like him, as soon as possible. Apart from this, we had reasonable quiet, the little extra decoration serving materially to this end. Simon Baron was his godfather, and named him Pierre. We hope that he will serve as a foundation stone to Christianity in this country, that God will employ him for the conversion of many; and that this Holy Apostle, whose name he bears, will take these peoples under his protection, and will open to them the gate of heaven. After his Baptism the Father Superior said Mass, to which he listened with considerable devotion for a Savage. From time to time I said a few words to him, having him now perform an act of faith, now [246] ask God's pardon for his sins; again, I told him to reflect inwardly upon the great obligations that we are under to our Lord. At the close of the Mass, he received communion very modestly, and the Father Superior helped him afterwards to offer his thanksgiving. An hour or two later, we made a feast for all the people of our village, that we might rejoice together at the grace that God had just shown to our Christian. It is well known that all the ordinary feasts consist of two or three smoked fish, cooked with the native corn. Several profitable discourses were given, regarding baptism and our holy mysteries. We left our Chapel in the same condition during the whole day,—thus giving the Savages something to admire, and ourselves a good subject upon which to instruct them. An old man, looking at our Crucifix, asked me who that was who was fastened to it. Having told him, he began to speak to our Lord in these words, Etsagon ihouaten etsagon taouacaratat, "Courage, nephew, courage, take care of us! " It is thus [page 95] the old men address the young men. I made him understand that he was the father of us all, and that from him we obtain being and life; his simplicity rendered him excusable. Our images and our pictures are in great demand in some places, especially in [247] Arenté. It so happened that a woman of that village came to visit us that day. She was wonderfully surprised at the entrance of our cabin; she remained there for some time, without daring to advance and cross the threshold. It was amusing to see her in this struggle, for, on the one hand, she felt herself powerfully attracted by the novelty of this object; and, on the other, her fear, lest, in approaching nearer our pictures, she would be immediately attacked by the disease, made her draw back. Nevertheless, after a hard struggle, curiosity got the better of her. " There is no help for it, Iariscon " (she said); " I must venture, I must see, even though it cost me my life." This act affected many of them, and I hope (by means of the continuation of the fervent prayers of so many saintly souls, who exert themselves so continually in God's presence for the good of these tribes) that we shall next year inform you of some good results therefrom. This example gave Enditsaconc, Captain of Onnentisati, much to reflect upon. He is a man of great intelligence, and is wonderfully curious to hear about our ways of doing things in France. Once, when we showed him a representation of the judgment, he inquired very particularly of the Father Superior, who those were who were going into hell, and what must be done to go to heaven. The Father instructed him fully. [248] Two days later, another family of our village came to ask baptism from us, with great earnestness; [page 97] the Father Superior is now engaged in instructing them. It is a great advantage that some one has made a beginning, and that, too, a person of influence, as is Pierre Tsiouendaentaha; he does not fail to come every day to pray to God, and to hear Mass on Feast days and Sundays. We hope that all his family will soon follow his example. God be infinitely blessed! It is a great consolation for us to have such a Christian as he is, to make a public profession of our holy faith at a time when its most adorable mysteries are looked upon with suspicion, and those who preach them are regarded, more than ever, as so many poisoners and sorcerers.
It is not only in this country that we have this reputation, for these false reports have been carried even to strange nations, who consider us as the masters and arbiters of life and death. Not long ago, an Algonquin tribe that we call " men of the raised Hair" sent a special embassy to us with presents, to beg us to spare them in this general calamity, and to regard [249] the affection that they bore us. We explained to them that we could not receive these offerings, that it was not to us they should address themselves; that there was only one sovereign Lord of life and of death, and that it was to him they should have recourse; that this was the only remedy we had used in our sickness, and we had found it very efficacious. They returned very well satisfied, with the determination to follow our advice. Nevertheless, the providence of God has, since then, permitted them to be afflicted like the others, so that in their village they count as many as seventy dead, which gives them much to reflect upon. However, after having investigated everything that they [page 99] imagined might be the cause of their misfortune, they at last fixed upon something which only the light that the author of nature has impressed upon the brow of all men, could reveal to them. Some remembered that they had once robbed the deceased Estienne Bruslé of a collar Of 2400 porcelain beads. They accused themselves before the old men, who at this news immediately assembled; and, having well considered the whole matter, they decided that they had found the source of their malady, and thus the only means of remedying it [250] was to make restitution therefor as soon as possible; and for the better success of the affair they resolved to come in person to see the French, and to satisfy them for the wrong done to them. This decision was no sooner made than they started on the journey. I leave your Reverence to imagine how much we were astonished at the cause of this second embassy, which these old men made known in terms worthy of compassion. They spread out upon a mat the two thousand four hundred porcelain beads, which they had collected by a contribution made by the survivors in their village. They conjured us very earnestly, and at different times, to receive this collar in satisfaction for the theft committed against a Frenchman, to have pity on them, and to preserve the few whom the disease had spared up to that time. The Father Superior rejoined that it was very well-advised on their part to wish to make this restitution,—that it was an act of justice, and very right not to keep the property of others; that, nevertheless, we could not accept this collar, since it had not been stolen from us, and he from whom it had been taken was dead, and there was no one in the country who could [page 101] receive it in his name. More than this, [251] he said that it was too dangerous a thing for us, especially at this time, to receive presents from strange nations; that the people of this country, who would soon get wind of this affair, would not consider it as a simple restitution, but rather as some secret understanding to their disadvantage; in fine, that they should content themselves with having undertaken to restore what they considered did not belong to them,—that in doing so they had sufficiently discharged their obligations, and that our acceptance of it would be altogether useless to them, and might be extremely injurious to us, if from that time they began to recover; that if, on the contrary, the sickness continued, they would be certain to regard us as impostors for not having fulfilled their expectations. They were satisfied with these arguments, and returned with their porcelain and even with a little present. But this thing is never ended; they had no sooner departed than others came, who caused us to search for new expedients to satisfy their imagination. On the day of the baptism of Pierre Tsiouendaentaha, we had exhibited an excellent representation of the judgment, [252] where the damned are depicted,—some with serpents and dragons tearing out their entrails, and the greater part with some kind of instrument of their punishment. Many obtained some benefit from this spectacle; but some persuaded themselves that this multitude of men, desperate, and heaped one upon the other, were all those we had caused to die during this Winter; that these flames represented the heats of this pestilential fever, and these dragons and serpents, the venomous beasts that we made use of in order to poison them. [page 103] This was said in open feast at Ouenrio, according to the report of Captain Enditsacon. Another one afterward asked us if it were really true that we were raising the malady in our house as if it were a domestic animal, saying that this was quite a common opinion in the country. And very recently, when I was returning from Ossossané, a woman who was coming from her field caught a grasshopper and brought it to me, begging me earnestly to teach her some contrivance for killing these little creatures that eat the corn, adding that she had been told that we were past masters in this art.
On the 9th, our cabin at Ossossané being entirely finished, forty or fifty Savages, [253] both men and women, came here to Ihonattiria to get part of our corn and a few little articles of furniture, the Captains being in the crowd. These are services that they render you gratuitously on these occasions.
On the 16th, a young girl, related to our new Christian and belonging to his cabin, fell sick of the contagion. The wise providence of God has designs that we do not see. All the Winter they had been occupied solely in comforting the others; and now they are the only ones in our village who are afflicted. This shock is indeed rather violent for a new plant, and for us a reason for adoring submissively the secret judgments of God. She is now in the fifth day of her fever, with very manifest signs of danger. Therefore we have already prepared her for Holy Baptism, to which she and her relatives have given us their consent, with evidences of great faith and resignation to the will of God. It is also a consolation to us to see nothing in the cabin, up to the present, contrary to the first promises and resolutions of [page 105] baptism. As for him, he continues steadfast since his baptism in the duties of a Christian; he has changed his teacher, as Father [254] Garnier is at Ossossané; now, Father Chastellain is careful to have him pray to God evening and morning. There are not lacking persons already who persecute him, but he comports himself with courage. May God grant him the gift of perseverance, and keep his whole family in the inclination they now have to receive the faith! Blessed be God; we have just now availed ourselves of the good disposition we had found in that cabin, for Father Chastelain has just baptized this poor sick girl, and we have again exhorted her relatives to conform to the good pleasure of God. This girl was the 50th over and above the two hundred whom we have baptized this year in this region. Some of them are still alive, and it is well for us that they are not all in heaven, for this would cause us to fear that they might close the doors to many others; some have already only too much aversion to Holy Baptism. Nevertheless, it is a very sensible consolation to us to have seen in this barbarism so many Savages die with so evident signs of predestination. And if we only had assurance of the eternal happiness of thirty or 40 little children, who have been carried off by this contagious malady after having received baptism, we would consider that we had already received [255] the reward for a thousand times more hardships than we could suffer in seeking so many poor wandering sheep, and in the conquest of this new world. It is a part of the heritage of Jesus Christ, which has been righteously acquired by him. Postula a me et dabo tibi gentes hæreditatem tuam. These are so many [page 107] advocates for us, for the whole country, and for all those who interest themselves in the salvation of these peoples,—and a most powerful motive to operate in the conversion of the parents, who have nothing so much at heart as to follow their children after death.
Now I can finish the present letter when I please, since I cannot leave your Reverence with a reason for consolation which can be more acceptable to you; moreover, the embarkation is urgent; one of our domestics departed two days ago. I am going to our new Residence to take the place of Father Pijart, who is coming here to prepare for the voyage. The Father Superior sends him to Kebec that he may confer with your Reverence, by word of mouth, on all that concerns the welfare of this mission. The great zeal that we know you have for the salvation of these poor souls makes us wish to see you here in person; at least, it fills us with hope [256] that you will always send us valiant workers, and that you will aid us with good counsel to begin this new Church auspiciously, after the establishment of which we are going to work with more courage than ever. So many adults escaped from death after baptism constrain us to do this; the war that the powers of darkness have openly declared against us does not permit us to remain without our weapons at hand; and so many good sentiments that God inspires in us, and in thousands and thousands of persons in France, would accuse us of unfaithfulness if we should behave slothfully in the midst of so many excellent opportunities; and above all, the assurances we have of aid from the holy prayers and holy sacrifices of your [page 109] Reverence, in which we all put our trust, and particularly I, who am,
My Reverend Father,
From the Residence of St. Joseph at Ihonattiria,
in the country of the Hurons, this 21st of
June, day of the blessed Gonzague, 1637.
Your very humble and very obedient
servant in Our Lord Jesus Christ.
François Joseph le Mercier.
[page 111]
XXX
Le Jeune's Relation, 1638
Paris: SEBASTIEN CRAMOISY, 1638
—————————
Source: We reprint from the original of the first issue (H. 69), in Lenox Library.
The document consists of two parts: Part I., by Le Jeune, as superior, is given in the present volume; Part II., by Le Mercier, touching on the Huron missions, will appear in Volume XV.
[page 113]
RELATION
OF WHAT OCCURRED
IN
NEW FRANCE
IN THE YEAR 1638.
Sent to the
REVEREND FATHER PROVINCIAL
of the Society Of Jesus in
the Province of France.'
By Father Paule le Jeune of the same So-
ciety, Superior of the Residence of Kébec.
PARIS,
Sebastian Cramoisy,Printer in ordinary
to the King, ruë sainct Jacques,
at the Sign of the Storks.
———————————
M. D C. XXXVIII.
BY ROYAL LICENSE.
[page 115]
Table of Chapters contained in this Book.
R
ELATION of what occurred in New France in the year 1638
Chapter I. Of the means we employ to publish and spread the faith among the Savages.
Page 1
2
Chap. II.
Of the Baptism of a Savage, and of some of his family.
5
Chap. III.
Of some other baptized Savages.
15
Chapter IV.
Of other adult persons who have been solemnly baptized.
20
Chap. V.
Of the Conversion and Baptism of a young man, and of some other Savages.
25
Chap. VI.
Of the excellent inclinations of an Algonquin Catechumen.
35
Chap. VII.
Of some wandering Savages who have become sedentary.
41
Chap. VIII.
Of the present condition of the Savages, touching the Faith.
49
Chap. IX.
Of the Seminary for the Hurons.
55
Chap. X.
Continuation of the Seminary.
60
Chap. XI.
A collection of various matters.
69
[page 119]
R
ELATION of what occurred in the Country of the Hurons, in the year 1637 and 1638
Chapter I. Of the persecutions that we suffered in the year 1637.
Page 1
3
Chap. II.
General Assembly of the whole country, where our death is under deliberation.
14
Chap. III.
Special assistance of God to us in our Persecution.
23
Chapter IV.
The Hurons baptized this year, 1638.
31
Chap. V.
The Conversion of Joseph Chiwatenhwa, a native of this village of Ossosané
35
Chap. VI.
The guidance of God respecting our new Christian.
40
Chap. VII.
Day of saint Joseph a solemn one among the Hurons, on account of certain circumstances.
47
Chap. VIII.
Our occupations during the entire winter, when these tribes are more sedentary.
52
Chap. IX.
The residence of saint Joseph at Ihonatiria.
60
Chap. X.
Brief Journal of the things which could not be entered in the preceding Chapters.
63
[page 121]
[I] Relation of what occurred in New France, in the year 1638.
Y REVEREND FATHER,
Since we can have no truce in the Relation of what takes place in this new world, and as the tribute must be paid again this year, I shall behave toward those who desire it as one does toward stomachs already sated, to which one offers only a few things, but very delicate ones, for fear of ruining them. People are already so full of the customs of our Savages, and of our little labors for them, that I fear disgust; hence I shall say little of many things—omitting whole chapters, lest I be accused of tediousness.
[page 123]
[2] CHAPTER I.
OF THE MEANS WE EMPLOY TO PUBLISH AND SPREAD THE FAITH AMONG THE SAVAGES.
UPERSTITION, error, barbarism, and consequently, sin, are as if in their empire here. We employ four great contrivances to overthrow them. First, we make expeditions to go and attack the enemy upon their own ground, with their own weapons,—that is to say, by a knowledge of the Montagnais, Algonquin, and Huron tongues. When the doors shall be opened to us in nations still more remote, we will enter there if God lend us his help. Now I will say upon this point, in passing, that many did not expect anything from the old Savage stocks, all hope being placed only in the young; but experience teaches us that there is no wood so dry that God cannot make it become green again, when it pleases him. We begin to see in the Huron country, and among the Montagnais and Algonquins, a few families publicly professing the Faith and frequenting the Sacraments, with a devotion and modesty which have nothing of the Savage except the dress. This low opinion that people had of our poor wandering Savages must be changed into thanksgivings and blessings, as we shall see hereafter.
Secondly, as these peoples are attacked [3] by serious diseases, we are obtaining for them the erection of a hospital. The men are now hard at work thereon, so far as the conditions of the country allow. [page 125] Madame the Duchesse d'Aiguillon, who laid the foundations of this great work, can after this year enjoy the fruits of her liberality. For the men who are working here to carry out her plan, having given assistance this winter to some poor forlorn Savages, God so touched them that in truth I would desire a death similar to that which he has granted to two of these Barbarians, who became children of God in the blood of Jesus Christ.
In the third place, we are endeavoring to begin Huron, Algonquin, and Montagnais Seminaries. We have them now at Kebec, of these three kinds; I will say a few words about them, hereafter.
In the fourth place, we are trying to fix the wandering Savages. I confess that golden chains are needed for this purpose; but their souls are more precious than gold and pearls, and it is an advantageous exchange to win them by this allurement. A person of great virtue has begun to lay this snare for them, having hired some men to aid these poor Barbarians to build for themselves, and to cultivate the land. At the first setting of this divine trap, he caught two families, composed of about twenty persons. I am mistaken,—he caught more; for although only these two families have yet been lodged, there are many others that have been gained by this miracle of charity. It is a blessing to see these poor Savages become children of God,—some, indeed, by means of holy Baptism, [4] the others through desire and good will; we will speak of these more fully, in the proper place.
Behold the four batteries which shall destroy the empire of Satan, and shall unfurl the banner of Jesus Christ in these regions. It is the hands and the [page 127] hearts of a few persons, cherished by God, that put these engines in motion by their benefactions and their prayers. The following Chapters will give them reason to believe that their prayers are acceptable to God, since he is pleased to hearken to them; and hence I conjure them to continue to us this great help. I frankly confess my faintheartedness; I did not expect during the remainder of my days to see so powerful effects of grace in these so barbarous souls. Until now, some of the Savages approved Baptism in their children and in their sick people; now those who are in health, and who remain a part of the year near our settlements, honor it, and eagerly and gladly seek it for themselves. This change has been so sudden and so evident, that those who expected almost nothing from these wandering tribes have been obliged to confess that the God of Heaven was as truly the God of the Barbarians as the God of the French. I am not speaking of the Savages of Tadoussac,— they show the least inclination of all,—but of those who usually withdraw to Kebec or to the three Rivers. We have baptized more than a hundred and fifty of these, this year, without counting those who have become Christians among the Hurons. I will not report all the remarkable incidents of these Baptisms,—I will say little of them; and this little, all together, will approach nearer to tediousness, perhaps, than I would desire. Let us begin the relation. [page 129]
[5] CHAPTER II.
OF THE BAPTISM OF A SAVAGE, AND OF SOME OF HIS FAMILY.
WROTE last year about the conversations we had with a band of Montagnais and Algonquins who had encamped near us during the winter. Because the seed of the Gospel did not germinate as soon as some expected, this made them say that it was labor lost to preach to the Savages, seeing that even the one who played the Captain among them, named Makheabichtichiou, had not corresponded to the hopes that had been entertained of him. How strange it is that some should require, in a moment, the introduction of Christianity into infidelity, refinement into Barbarism,—when centuries have been needed to establish our belief in Europe, among sedentary and civilized nations! Now I can say that this sacred seed that was cast that winter into their hearts, has yielded a hundredfold.
First, this Captain Makheabichtichiou's salvation is not hopeless. I believe that he has faith; be that as it may, in charity, there is a great deal of difference between believing and obeying God. Having come to see us this Spring, he did not dare to enter our house; I chided him vigorously; he listened to me patiently, and then replied: " If thou knewest the regret that gnaws my heart, thou wouldst have compassion, instead of chiding me. I thought thou wouldst question me upon the belief thou hast [6] [page 131] taught me. I could have given thee a good account of it, for I have prayed to God all this winter; and instead of showing me a pleasant face, thou receivest me with reproaches. Thou tellest me that I continue to keep several wives; dost thou think that a person can so readily give up his old habits? Perhaps you people had as much trouble as we to quit your old customs when the Faith was first announced to you. Tell me which one of my wives thou desirest me to retain, and I will drive away the others." In a word, his inclinations are good; I will speak no more of him, however, except incidentally, until I see him a Christian, if God grant him that grace.
In the second place, the sorcerer named Pigarouich, with whom we had some disputes, as I wrote in the preceding Relation, has burned all the utensils of his art, and has never again consented to tamper with it since then,—although he has been often secretly solicited to do so, and with valuable presents. Having been fully instructed, he has done wonders for the Faith; but because he has tarnished this bright record by some hasty actions, that we could not suffer in a Catechumen, I will say no more about him, even although he came to us a little while ago, and expressed his regret to us, even to tears. If he continue to knock loudly, the doors of the Church will open to him.
In the third place, the malady having attacked these poor peoples, all those who had been present at the instructions we gave them, being seized by this epidemic, have had themselves more fully catechized; and not one of them died [7] without Baptism, if he could have access to one of our Fathers. ,But, finally, the one of whom I am about to speak [page 133] was of this company. He was deeply touched from that time on, although he gave no evidence thereof until this year. This fire that burned his soul giving him no rest, he came to see us, and told us that .at the first instructions we gave to the Savages his heart had believed all that we said of the greatness ,of God, and that therefore he sent his children to the Catechism, recommending them to listen attentively to what was taught them. " I did not dare address you, " said he, " nor did I know how to declare to you the thoughts of my soul; I was wishing that you would summon me. At last, when Negabamat" (the name of a Savage, his friend) " spoke to me of your intention to help us to become sedentary, I told him that I would like to take part in this,—not so much for the temporal aid you promised, as to hear you talk about the salvation of our souls. It seems to me, " he said, " that I have had from my youth some little knowledge of the things you teach; I was wont to think thus when I was alone, 'There is one who has made all, upon whom we depend, who gave us our life, and causes us to find something with which to sustain it; and that one hates evil-doers.' I had a ,desire to know him, hence I was greatly rejoiced when I heard you speak of him. " Finally, he promised to come and spend the winter near us, that he might be more thoroughly instructed. Scarcely had he become a Catechumen, when God put him to a severe test. He had an interesting and large family; the [8] disease invaded it, and delivered a good part ,of it over to death. An old woman, a relative, who managed his household, was taken off in a few days; his own wife and two of his children died before his eyes; some of his kindred and relations who were [page 135] living with him were carried off at the same time. He consoled himself with their Baptism, for there was not one of them who did not experience at his death a new birth in Jesus Christ. After having buried nearly all these with his own hands, he himself was stricken,—behold him seized with the same contagion as the others; and, to increase his afflictions, his eldest son, believing him dead, married against his will. It was enough to crush the spirit of a Giant, and to revive the ideas that many of the Savages had entertained, that to intend to become a Christian was to consent to depart from this world. But God, who maintains peace at the bottom of the Ocean during the fury of the winds, calmed his heart in the midst of these tempests. This poor man threw himself into our arms, which were only too wide open for him. Monsieur the Chevalier de Montmagny, our Governor, seeing the goodness of this Savage, spared nothing of whatever might give him some relief. He sent him both partridges and poultry, and other birds that were kept for his table, or rather for the sick; he spared neither the sweetmeats, nor the services, nor the store of his Physician and Surgeon together. Truly, this great heart is worthy of praise for having nothing of his own, except the hearts and the love of all those who are under his government; there is not a French family which does not experience his kindness in time of affliction. To finish this story, our Catechumen grew continually weaker, [9] so that, beholding himself within two finger-lengths of death, he summoned the rest of his children and said to them, " My children, believe in God; imitate your Father in this respect. I believe in, him with as much certainty as if I saw him with [page 137] my eyes; do not offend him, and he will help you. I am already dead; when my body is in the earth, remain near the Fathers, and obey them." It would take too long to report all he said to them; he drew tears from the eyes of those who heard him. Having directed them to withdraw, he urged us to grant him Holy Baptism. " Hasten," he said to us; " I am dying, I am in haste to go to Heaven." Sometimes thinking himself alone, we heard him from a place near by offering his prayers to God, with a tenderness and devotion showing the utmost confidence. Finally, on the feast day of our glorious Saint François Xavier, Monsieur the Governor, Monsieur the Chevalier de l'Isle, and Monsieur Gand being present, we made him a Christian. Monsieur de l'Isle named him François Xavier. He displayed so much feeling, and so much satisfaction for this favor, that those Gentlemen returned greatly comforted. A week afterwards, Monsieur the Governor and Monsieur de l'Isle having come to take me to visit him, in a little Cabin where he had retired to die in peace and quietness, he declared to us, with altogether naive simplicity, a great communication he had had with God. " Yesterday, towards evening," he said to me, " while thinking of God, I saw myself surrounded by a great light; I saw the beauties of Heaven, of which thou tellest us; I saw the house of that great Captain who has made all. I was in a state of delight which [10] can not be expressed. This suddenly disappearing, I lowered my eyes toward the earth, and saw a frightful gulf which paralyzed me with fear. It seemed to me some one was saying to me, 'Do not go there!' I had no wish to approach it, for I was trembling like the leaf upon the [page 139] tree shaken by the wind. This feeling of horror vanished, as well as the beauty and light which had surrounded me. I was left quite distracted with a desire to believe and to obey God all my life; assure our Captain of this, that I believe from the bottom of my heart." Now I can assure YourReverence that we did all we could to discover whether this were an imposture or a dream. We had sounded him several times and on different occasions, until, believing that he had his soul upon his lips, we reminded him of this vision, threatening him with severe punishment if he lied in a matter of so much importance. This poor frightened man,.trying to raise himself to a sitting posture, said to us with a steadfast eye, " I assure you in all truth that the thing is as I have described it to you. I have not lied to you in life; I will not lie to you at my death." Regarding this, what can one say except that the God of Paradise bestows his blessings upon the Barbarians as well as upon the Greeks. Monsieur the Governor and Monsieur de l'Isle again returning to see him with sieur Marsolet, who understands the language of the Savages very well, were so pleased, that sieur Marsolet assured me afterwards that he had almost drawn tears from their eyes; when he asked him if he, needed anything that might be in his power to give, [11] " No," he replied, " unless thou pray God for me every day and every morning." How many times, addressing God, did he say to him, " You are my Lord and my master; order my life and my death; I wish for death, that I may see you, and I would gladly live for the good of my children." His family mourning for him, he said, " Though all the world forsake me, I will not forsake you." To be born a. [page 141] Barbarian, and to speak in these terms, is to publish the goodness of the God of the Scythians and of the, Christians.
His sickness was long and tedious, for he was ill more than three months,—sometimes showing a little life, and again almost in the grave. He called those of his family who survived, and gave them admirable advice. Finally, so many prayers were offered for him, our Fathers addressing themselves to God through vows and mortifications, that at the very time when he had been abandoned, and all that he desired had been given him, as to a dead man, God sent him back his health. Behold him emerged from the tomb, to the astonishment of the French and of the Savages. He went into the woods, in quest of his provision of Elk meat; he departed in March after all the other Savages, and returned in April, and yet he brought back more of it than six others together. On his return, he was assailed amidst the ice by a tempest; he had recourse to God, made his family pray, and emerged from the peril that was about to engulf him, and which sunk one of his canoes load