The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents Volume 22

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

Tomasz Mentrak

Vol. XXII

Québec, Hurons

1642

CLEVELAND: The Burrows Brothers

Company, PUBLISHERS, M DCCC XCVIII

THE JESUIT RELATIONS

AND

ALLIED DOCUMENTS

Vol. XXII

[Page 2]

The edition consists of sev-

en hundred and fifty sets

all numbered.

No.________

The Burrows Brothers Co.

[Page 3]

The Burrows Company

—————

The Imperial Press, Cleveland

[Page 4]

EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor		Reuben Gold Thwaites

		\| Finlow Alexander
		\| Percy Favor Bicknell
Translators.		\| William Fredric Giese
		\| Crawford Lindsay
		\| William Price
		\| Hiram Allen Sober

Assistant Editor		Emma Helen Blair

Bibliographical Adviser		Victor Hugo Paltsits

Electronic Transcription		Tomasz Mentrak

[Page 5]

CONTENTS OF VOL. XXII.

Preface To Volume XXII		9
Documents:—
	Relation de ce qvi s’est passé en la Novvelle France, en l’année 1642. [Part I., and Chap. i. of Part II.] Barthelemy Vimont; Kebec, October 4, 1642. Hirosme Lalemant; Ste. Marie aux Hurons, June 10, 1642		19




Bibliographical Data; Volume XXII			313
Notes			317

[Page 7]

[INSERT GRAPHIC HERE]

ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOL. XXII.

I.	Photographic facsimile of title-page, Relation of 1642	22
II	Facsimile of handwriting of Joseph Imbert du Peron	Facing 196

[Page ]

PREFACE TO VOL. XXII

The Relation of 1642 (Document XLVIII.), commenced in the present volume is, like most of those which have gone before, in two parts. Part I. (the Quebec report) is by Barthelemy Vimont, superior of the Quebec residence, who dates his preliminary note, October 4; Part II. (the Huron report) is from the pen of Jerome Lalemant, and is dated at Ste. Marie, in the Huron country, June 10. It may be necessary again to remind our readers that the several reports which together form the Relation of each year, were first edited by the superior at Quebec, before transmission to France; and, before publication, were again freely edited by the provincial in Paris.

Vimont announces the successful issue of Le Jeune’s mission to France (in 1641) to ask aid in defending the colony against the Iroquois. These savages “have sworn a cruel war against the French;” they have recently defeated a Huron band, capturing many prisoners, among whom is Father Jogues. The Quebec colony has passed the year in quiet, health, and comfort. A good beginning has been made in raising grain and cattle. The nuns and missionaries are all in good health, and devoted to their work. But “the Iroquois have, as usual, acted like fiends; they have been in the field Winter, Spring, and Summer. They have massacred many Hurons and Algonquins; they have captured [Page 9] Frenchmen, and killed some of them; they hold one of our fathers as a prisoner.” There is but one conclusion —peace must be made with these barbarians, or they must be destroyed.

Vimont relates in detail the pious sentiments and deeds of “the new Christians,” especially those at St. Joseph (Sillery). Among them, all the rites and customs of the church are faithfully observed; it is even necessary to restrain their ardent desire to partake often of the sacraments. They leave their elk hunt to come to Quebec for Easter; and even return from the woods in a blinding snowstorm, for St. Andrew’s day. They will not eat meat on fast days, and carefully observe those days on which labor is not allowed. Going to fight the Iroquois, they resolve to take no prisoners alive, so that the usual torments may be averted from these. Accordingly, they kill the enemies, and bring home their spoils and scalps; upon reaching St. Joseph, they visit the house of God before entering their own cabins. They weep over their sins, and one man goes farther, —he tells Father Buteux, “Awaking in the night, and remembering my sin, I arose, went into the woods, and cut branches from the trees, with which I beat and scourged myself until I was exhausted. I have a great desire to do so again, when I shall have made my Confession.” The Father gives him “a penance three times as severe as I would have given to a Frenchman for the same offense;” whereupon this penitent says: “Is that all that thou dost appoint to me for so great a sin? Make me endure something that will torment my body; command me to fast.” This same man, apparently, afterward cuts his fingers with a knife “to show them that [Page 10] those who are baptized should not commit ‘any bad action.”

A young woman, baptized, has left her husband. The Christian Indians decide thus: “Good advice has not brought her to her senses; a prison will do so.” Thereupon, they capture her in the woods, whither she has fled, tie her with ropes, and take her in a canoe to Quebec, to be there imprisoned. Finding “that she must enter either a dungeon or her husband’s house, she humbly begged to be taken back to Saint Joseph, promising that thenceforward she would be more obedient,” A man who is granted baptism brings the Father, as a proof of his sincerity, his private manitou, or fetich, —a stone wrapped in down. Another is converted by his brother, Charles Meiachkawat, who exhorts him to give up gambling, —“at least in excess.” “Even the young men desire to obtain baptism, almost by force, so as to enter Heaven by violence.” One man, fearing that baptism will cause his death, yet longing for it, spends four years in slavery to this groundless fear, but finally decides to receive baptism, even if he should die from it. “He is now baptized, and Baptism has not yet sent him to Paradise.’ ’ One of his dreams afterward causes him great anxiety; but one of the Fathers “adroitly turns it into ridicule, and the Devil’s malice vanishes in smoke.” A young woman talks with a Pagan suitor, contrary to her parents’ prohibition. A family council tries her case; one thinks her worthy of death; but she is finally sentenced to be flogged at Quebec next day. This punishment (the first of its kind in this tribe) is inflicted by the judge who had decreed it, in the presence of many Indians; he then [Page 11] warns the young girls who gaze at this spectacle that the same, and even more severe, fate awaits them if they be not obedient. The girl who was thus punished now goes to the Fathers, and entreats baptism, which is given her at the Ursuline chapel; she has gained this grace by the humility and patience with which she received her punishment. The young man in the case “fumes with rage, seeing himself deprived of a prey that he had already devoured in his heart.” He complains to his father that the Christian Indians have ill-treated him. The father is full of fury, and threatens to assault the Christians; but Montmagny warns this savage that he must not molest the Christians, —that he could not attack them without also attacking him. “Such a sermon, preached in a Fort armed with cannon, has its effect; Faith triumphs over Ungodliness, and Belial is vanquished by Jesus Christ.” Two Hurons spend the winter at St. Joseph, where they are instructed and baptized by Father Brébeuf. They return to their own country, promising to do all they can to convert their tribesmen; and are sent away by their Algonkin fellow Christians with gifts and loving words.

The superior then gives an account of the hospital at Quebec, synopsized from the letters of its superior, Marie de St. Ignace. Over three hundred savages have been aided or nursed by these nuns, whose charity and devotion are regarded by the Indians as marvelous. Many of the sick are converted and baptized, several dying most piously; various instances of this sort are recounted in detail. The Indians are grateful for the kindness and nursing of the nuns, who praise the docility and patience of their protégés. Vimont remarks of their enthusiasm: “One [Page 12] must have good eyes to see only Jesus Christ in the Savages. I know well that virtue is lovable everywhere; but it is more agreeable under plush and satin, and in cultivated minds and cleanly bodies, than it is under rags, and in persons who do not know what rudeness is because they have not even the elementary principles of politeness. In enthusiasm I expect perseverance only from Jesus Christ himself. Their sex does not possess such constancy; it may, however, like St. Paul; do everything through him who sustains and fortifies it.”

During the year, the hospital “has dispensed over four hundred and fifty medicines. Our supply of drugs is exhausted; but our hearts are still quite whole, so that we can rejoice at the Baptism of these good souls. A score of them were made Christians this year, in our Hospital and in our Chapel. Twelve of the leading families among the savages have come to dwell in four houses that have been built quite close to ours; this is enough to make us love the residence of St. Joseph.” Some of the Indian women “are excellent Hospital sisters. They carry the sick, assist and relieve them, and prepare their sagamité, or food, in their own fashion, better than we ourselves.’ ’ The hospital is a resort for all the savages; its “little Church serves as their Parish Church and Oratory,’ ’ and there the Jesuit Fathers instruct many, especially the women and children. “There is no question so deep or so lofty, within the scope of a girl’s mind, that these young Neophytes do not understand and answer it most suitably.”

The Ursuline Seminary is also doing a noble work. The Indian girls there are bright and docile, and their piety is edifying. “These children have such [Page 13] a regard for purity that, when they go out walking, they avoid meeting men,” A Frenchman gives his hand to a pupil of the Seminary, to lead her; when she is laughingly reproached for allowing a man to touch her hand, she begins to weep, and repeatedly washes her hands, —so often, that, as she says, “it is impossible that anything can remain of the harm that he .may have done me.” Vimont adds, “Such innocence is most amusing.’ ’ These girls observe all pious duties with the utmost strictness; “not a fortnight passes without their asking to make a confession.” Seeing the nuns go into retreat, they build near the house a little cabin of boughs, and there spend most of their time in praying. They also imitate the nuns in stricter fasting on Good Friday; and finally beg, as a special grace, that they be allowed to take the discipline. “They are allowed to practice this devotion only very seldom, and after importunities that are as agreeable to God as is the mortification itself.” One of these girls, Therese, a daughter of the Huron Christian, Joseph Chihwatenhwa, takes every occasion to preach to her countrymen. One of them, though converted, pretends, in order to tease her, that he no longer cares for the Faith. Believing him, she is sad to think that the Devil has deceived him and he no longer wishes to go to Heaven; “raising her voice, and using threats, with a toss of her head that betrays her sorrow and her zeal, she says:’ If I could have broken the grating, I would have beaten him.’ how innocent is such fervor!” Therese, returning to her own country, is taken prisoner by the Iroquois, with her parents and Father Jogues; but Vimont trusts that God will provide the good mothers with other Huron [Page 14] pupils. This is the first mention, in the Relations, of Jogues’ captivity.

Vimont now describes an enterprise of which “Our Lord is certainly the Author” —the establishment of a colony upon the Island of Montreal, under the Sieur de Maisonneuve. He, with about thirty-five ladies and gentlemen, has formed the pious design to make this island a center for missionary labors among the savages, —making them sedentary and agricultural, instructing them in the Faith, and otherwise civilizing them. On May 17 of this year (1642), the Society of Montreal takes possession of the island, and consecrates it to this holy purpose, under the special protection of the Virgin Mary. Certain Indians, sojourning there a few months later, tell Vimont and Maisonneuve that their ancestors lived there, but were driven away by the Iroquois. Some of them promise to accept the invitation, given them by the French, to return to their former home and cultivate the soil. Vimont thinks that not many of them will ever be induced to come to Montreal, unless their Iroquois enemies are either conquered or pacified.

The superior relates the growth of the Jesuit mission at Tadoussac, and advises that a residence should be built there, at which two priests may reside from spring to autumn —the only season in which they would find the wandering savages at this port; their ministrations are also needed by the French who travel there every summer. Such a residence would also be a focus of influence among the tribes of the Saguenay and others inland, —thus aiding both religion and commerce.

The Tadoussac mission was begun by the Christian [Page 15] Indians of St. Joseph, who endeavored to convert their countrymen. The latter became interested in the Christian faith, and applied to the Jesuits at Quebec for a priest, in accordance with which request Father de Quen was sent to them. The Indians receive him gladly, build him a bark chapel and house combined, and are regularly instructed. There are over fifty converts; and prayers are offered in the cabins night and morning, and even in public. The Father has to contend, at times, with their old notion that baptism causes death. Savages from the Saguenay invite him to go to their country, to instruct them. As he cannot do this, he invites them to visit him every year at Tadoussac; his words are accompanied with presents —“some awls to pierce their ears, so that they may not resist his words; and tobacco, in using which they are also to burn their old customs, to adopt better ones.” The missionaries have by this time become experts in the forms of forest diplomacy.

Reports from André Richard show an encouraging field of labor among the Micmacs, at Miscou. These Indians desire a permanent missionary among them, and entreat that “fire water” —wine and brandy —be not sold to them by the whites. The Company of New France forbid the sale of these liquors at Quebec; but certain Frenchmen evade this prohibition, when they have opportunity. Vimont makes an eloquent appeal to his countrymen, as Christians, to abstain from such traffic.

The French in Canada are cheered by the erection of Fort Richelieu on the Sorel, for the purpose of checking the inroads of the Iroquois, who are an ever dangerous and most harassing enemy. They have [Page 16] attacked the Algonkins of the Allumettes Islands, killing and eating many, and making captives of others. Their horrible cruelties, as related by survivors who escaped, are graphically described; well may their hearers say, “These are not men; they are wolves.” It is a standing grievance with the French, that these fiendish enemies are supplied with arms by the Dutch. The Iroquois make a raid on an Iroquet band; and, worst of all, they attack a Huron party returning home from Three Rivers (August 2, 1642), and capture several of them, besides Father Jogues and two young Frenchmen who accompany him. To this blow is added the capture of several other Christians, —notably, of Joseph Chihwatenhwa’s daughter and brother, the latter his worthy successor.

During the erection of Fort Richelieu, it is attacked by 300 Iroquois; but Montmagny and his soldiers, who are there to protect the workmen, drive them off after a fierce conflict, one Frenchman being killed and four wounded. This repulse has a salutary effect on the barbarians, whose raids are somewhat checked by this, and by the erection of the fort.

Vimont closes his report for the year, by an account of various savage customs and superstitions. These relate to the numerous changes of name among the Indians; the use and value of presents —the language of the tribes —in both social and political intercourse; remedies employed in sickness; and the nature of eclipses.

In the first chapter of his Huron report, Jerome Lalemant outlines the present condition of that mission. The cessation of the ravages of smallpox [Page 17] among the Hurons had at first given the Jesuits a favorable opening for their labors; but the dreaded Iroquois have added another scourge to this wretched land. They come by stealth at all seasons and at all hours, and there is no safety outside the palisades of the villages. The Hurons attempt to resist, but most of their expeditions end only in disaster. Even when going down to Three Rivers to trade, they are in constant dread of these fierce enemies, who continually infest the Ottawa and St. Lawrence, and who are now superior to all other savages by reason of the firearms they procure from the Dutch.

With all these obstacles to their work, the missionaries are nevertheless consoled by the growing piety and devotion manifested in the little Huron church. This is ascribed to the working of the Holy Ghost upon these savage hearts, to the merits of pious souls in France, and lastly to the prudent conduct of Montmagny, to whom “We and the Guardian Angels of this Country are greatly indebted.” This wise ruler, following savage customs, makes numerous and well-chosen gifts to the Hurons who go down to trade, “in token that the Truths we preach to them are firmly established.” The desired effect is produced upon their minds, and the missionaries find their audiences notably increased, in all the villages.

R. G. T.

Madison, Wis., May, 1898.

[Page 18]

XLVIII

RELATION OF 1642

PARIS: SEBASTIEN CRAMOISY, 1643

—————

Source: We reprint from a copy of the original Cramoisy edition, in the possession of The Burrows Brothers Company, Cleveland.

The Relation consists of two parts: We herewith give Part I., and chap. 1. Of Part II.; the remainder of Part II. will be included in Volume XXIII.

[Page 19]

RELATION

OF WHAT OCCURRED

NEW FRANCE

IN THE YEAR 1642

Sent to the

REVEREND FATHER JEAN FILLEAU

of the Society of Jesus

in the Province of France.

By Father Barthelemy Vimontof the same

Society, Superior of the residence of Kebec.

P A R I S.

Sebastien Cramoisy, Printer in ordinary to the

King, ruë sainct Jacques, at the Sign of the Storks.

———————

M. DC. XLIII.

BY ROYAL LICENSE.

[Page 22]

Table of the Chapters contained in this Book.

R	ELATION of what occurred in new France, in the Year 1642—	Page 1
Chap. I.	Of the General State of the Country,	6
II.	Of the good actions and good sentiments of the new Christians.	11
III.	Continuation of the good sentiments and good actions of the Christians,	30
IV.	Of some Baptisms in the Residence of St. Joseph,	46
V.	Continuation of the Baptisms,	62
VI.	Of the Baptism of two Hurons who passed the Winter at Kebec,	77
VII.	Of the Hospital,	90
VIII.	Of the seminary of the Ursulines,	107
IX.	Of the project of the Gentlemen of Montreal,	123
X.	Of the Mission of the Holy Cross at Tadoussac,	135
XI.	Of the fortifications commenced on the river of the Hiroquois, and of the wars of those peoples,	[155]
XII.	Customs and superstitions of the Savages,	[184]

[Page 25]

Extract from the Royal License.

Y the Grace and Prerogative of the King, permission is granted to Sebastien Cramoisy, Sworn Bookseller, Printer in ordinary to the King, Director of the Royal Printing House of the Castle of the Louve, and Alderman of our good city of Paris, to Print or have Printed a book entitled: Relation de ce qui s’est passé en la Nouvelle France en l’Année mil six cents quarante deux, envoyée au R. P? JEAN FILLEAU Provincial de la Compagnie de JESUS en la Province de France par le R. P. BARTHELEMY VIMOMT de la mesme Compagnie, Superieur de la Residence de Kebec; and this for the space and period of five consecutive years, all Booksellers and Printers being prohibited from Printing or having Printed the said Book, under pretext of any alteration or change that they may make in the same, under penalty of confiscation, and of the fine provided by the said License. Given at Paris, the 9th of January, 1643.

By the King in Council,

DEMONCEAUX.

[Page 27]

Permission to print.

E, Jacques Dinet, Provincial of the Society of JESUS, in the Province of France, have granted for the future to sieur Sebastien Cramoisy, Sworn Bookseller, Printer in ordinary to the King, Director of the Royal Printing House of the Castle of the Louvre and Alderman of the city of Paris, the printing of the Relations of New France. Done at Paris, the 7th of January, 1643.

JACQUES DINET.

[Page 29]

[1] Relation of what occurred in New France,

in the Year 1642.

Y REVEREND FATHER,

Pax Christi.

The state of affairs in this country having compelled me to send one of our Fathers to France, that he might represent the condition to which the incursions of the Hirocois reduce this newborn church, I was convinced that he who had labored the most to establish it, would be the best person to explain the importance of the aid which we need to resist the efforts of these Barbarians.[1] And, in truth, I was not mistaken; for, during the short time [2] that he remained in France, he saw many persons of quality to whom he made known the great store of spiritual treasure that may be expected in these vast countries wherein are found a number, almost beyond count, of Nations who await but the preaching of the Gospel, to embrace the Faith and to acknowledge their Creator. He also explained to them that this would have been done, at least in part, had it not been for the great obstacles arrayed against us by the demons, who —seeing that all the French at this far end of the world live in a much more holy manner than they .did in France; and that the Savages, their former subjects, abandon them daily —arm all their forces for the defense of their Empire.

Inasmuch as vigorous aid was needed to subdue the insolence of these demons, he had to apply to persons [Page 31] who possessed both the desire and the power in regard to all that relates to this new world. He addressed himself, therefore to Madame the Duchess d’Eguillon, who takes such an interest in the Conversion of the peoples of this country that, through a special devotion which she has for the most adorable blood [3] of Jesus Christ, she has founded a house of Mercy, in which the sick Savages may be received and be made to feel the effects of that precious blood. She it was, therefore, who undertook to speak of the matter to Monseigneur the Cardinal de Richelieu, and to represent to him the dangers to which the Faith of Jesus Christ, and the French Colony in these countries, were exposed, if efforts were not made to repel the Hirocois. She succeeded so well that she obtained powerful aid against our enemies.

With this assistance the Father embarked, greatly consoled at having found in France so much zeal for the conversion of the poor Savages, not only in the minds of those who have withdrawn from the world, and lead a life entirely devoted to the furtherance of God’s service, but also in several others, persons of quality, —who, not content with manifesting the interest they take in the Salvation of the people of this country, were also pleased to contribute to the support of the Missionaries, and to provide for the settling of the wandering and nomad Savages. God, who takes pleasure in such charitable works, will not fail to give them credit for it, and to reward them a hundredfold. [4] It is impossible to conceive the joy felt by the French and Savages over here at the arrival of this help; the dread of the Hiroquois had so disheartened them that all lived in fear of death. [Page 33] But, as soon as news came that fortifications were to be erected on the roads by which the Hiroquois come, all fears were dispelled. Every one took courage once more, and walked about with head erect, and with as much assurance as if the Fort were already built.

It is true that these fortifications will have an excellent effect; but —as they do not strike at the root of the evil, and as these Barbarians carry on war in the fashion of the Scythians and Parthians —the door will not be fully opened to Jesus Christ, and danger will not be averted from our Colony, until the Hiroquois are either won over or exterminated.

However, I trust that your Reverence will feel real joy and consolation, at the beginning of your term of office, if you find leisure to glance at the Relation that I send you. You will see therein that the wishes expressed [5] in the letter by which you were pleased to console and encourage us, have been piously accomplished.

It is true that this joy will be mingled with some sorrow at observing the fury of the Hiroquois, —the real scourge of our newborn Church, —who destroy and burn our Neophytes by arms and fire, and who have sworn a cruel war against our French. They block all the roads leading to our great River; they impede the trade of the Gentlemen of the Company, and threaten to ruin the whole country. Father Jogues,[2] if not killed on the field when the Hurons were defeated, is a prisoner in their hands, with two of our French servants and twenty-three Hurons, most of whom are Christians or Catechumens. This, thanks be to God! has not made us lose courage nor destroyed the hope of converting these Peoples; only, [Page 35] it compels us to have recourse to the prayers and pious sacrifices of Your Reverence, which I ask very particularly, as being

Your Reverence’s

Most humble and most obedient.

servant,

Barthelemy Vimont.

Kebec, this 4th of October, 1642.

[Page 37]

[6] CHAPTER FIRST.

OF THE GENERAL STATE OF THE COUNTRY.

HE first ship that arrived this year at Kebec caused a false alarm, and clouded the joy to which the arrival of the Vessels usually gives rise in the hearts of the French and of the Savages. The Provision fleet, it was said, had been defeated by the Dunkirkers, and Monsieur de Courpont, who was crossing the Channel at the same time, had been captured or sunk; and it was told that all the crew had been killed or made prisoners. This news caused great sorrow to every one; but, when it was learned that all the ships had arrived safely, the satisfaction was all the sweeter that the sadness had been more deeply felt. The entire Colony has enjoyed good health during the winter. Monsieur the Chevalier de Montmagny, our Governor, ever kind and ever beloved, maintains all things in peace, quiet, and good order. Every one is pleased to honor and respect him. If any one be [7] dissatisfied, it is because his inordinate self-interest and passions torment him. We have no other enemies here but ourselves; the rest does not amount to much. Lawsuits, ambition, avarice, lust, the desire for revenge, —which are the evil spirits of Europe, —are rarely seen here; our forests are not suitable for lighting their fires.

The cereals have proved very successful; some residents now harvest more than they require for the food of their families and of their cattle, which thrive [Page 39] very well in this country. The time will come when all will have food. Labor improbus omnia vincit. Much work has to be done; a new country cannot be built up without trouble. The seasons for cultivating the soil here are shorter than in France, although we are on the same degree of latitude as La Rochelle.

Virtue, gentleness, and joy have made their abode in the houses dedicated to God. Tender and delicate maidens, who dread a snowflake in France, are not frightened when they see mountains of them here. A Frost would, in their well-closed houses, give them a cold; while a severe and very long winter, armed with snow and [8] ice from head to foot, does them no other harm than to keep them in good appetite. Your damp and clinging cold is troublesome; ours is sharper, but it is calm and clear, and, to my mind, more agreeable, although more severe.

We have four dwellings or residences here. Our Reverend Father Superior and father Jacques de la Place have usually made their abode at Kebec; father Enmond Massé and father Anne Denouë at nostre Dame des Anges; Father Jean de Brébeuf, father de Quen, and father Joseph du Peron, at St, Joseph; father Jacques Buteux and father Joseph Poncet at the three rivers.[3] All our fathers and brethren have enjoyed pleasant and undisturbed health. Each has worked piously in accordance with his vocation; the great Master will reward them at the close of the day’s labor according to the worth and value of their deeds.

In order to understand the good or bad state of the country it is necessary to consider not only the French, who constitute the soundest part of it, but ‘also the Savages who are our friends, and those who [Page 41] are our enemies. The latter, whom we call Hiroquois, [9] have, as usual, acted like fiends. They have been in the field Winter, Spring, and Summer. They have massacred many Hurons and many Algonqueins; they have captured Frenchmen, and have killed some of them. They hold one of our fathers as a prisoner; some of their own people have been put to death. I shall speak of all this in detail, further on. I have now but four words to say: If we do not have peace with these Barbarians or if we do not destroy them, the country will not be in a state of safety; the door will always be closed to Jesus Christ in the Nations which dwell higher up; and the roads will always be infested by these imps. But let us speak of pleasanter things; let us consider, generally, the behavior of the new Christians, especially those at St. Joseph, commonly called Sillery.

Their frequent reception of the Sacraments, the avidity that these good Neophytes have for God’s word, their observance of his commandments, their assiduity in attending Holy Mass every day, the punishments that they are beginning to inflict on delinquents, their zeal for the defense and propagation of the faith, —all these are so many proofs that Jesus Christ is taking firm hold [10] in their hearts. Every morning and every evening, the bell is rung for prayers, which are said publicly in the Chapel by one of the Fathers. Those who go out hunting, pray to God in common in their Cabins; one of them says the prayers aloud, and the others repeat them after him, word by word. They never start on a journey without setting themselves right with God; and the first thing they do on their return is to go to the chapel [Page 43] and thank him for having preserved them. Were they to pass a month without purifying their hearts in the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, they would complain to the father who is their director. It is necessary to restrain them on this point, and to hold them in the respect that they owe to these great mysteries. To announce the day of a solemn festival is to give them joy; they strive to observe the feasts according to the seasons, —they ask for a List of the days, or for a small Calendar, especially when they go to hunt or to trade for any length of time. They strike off the days marked on it, in succession, observing very closely those on which no work is allowed. They look out for the days of fast and abstinence [11] from meat, in order to keep them strictly, if they have the means of doing so.

They have a horror of their former superstitions. If any one invite them to a dance or to a feast which is not in accordance with Christian modesty, they reply: “We love prayer; we have abandoned those follies, nevermore to resume them.” This is sufficient to show, in a general manner, the state of these good Neophytes. Let us now enter into details, and give more particulars. [Page 39]

CHAPTER II.

OF THE GOOD ACTIONS AND GOOD SENTIMENTS OF

THE NEW CHRISTIANS.

ON omnis qui dicit mihi Domine, Domine, intrabit in regnum cælorum. Not all those who invoke the holy Name of God will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not sufficient to lift one’s hands to Heaven; they must be full of hyacinths, to offer up a sacrifice agreeable to God. In a word, actions, and [12] not words only, are needed to make us welcome in Paradise. Let us recognize our Christians by their works.

Easter Sunday generally falls at the time when the Savages secure their supply of Elk meat. Some of them were so anxious to receive communion on that great day, that they left their hunting grounds, and the place where they were drying the flesh, and came straight to Kebec, which they hoped to reach on Holy Saturday; but they were prevented by bad weather from doing so. On the following day, we observed them early in the morning on the frozen river, calling out as they came near: “It is on this day that Jesus Christ rose again; it is so marked on our paper. We have come to confess our sins, and to receive communion.” They hastened to the Chapel of the Ursulines, and asked whether Mass had been said. Some had time to make their confession, and the others were put off till the following day. [Page 47]

It is a pleasure to see, sometimes, these good people land at Kebec or at St. Joseph, in their little Vessels of bark, which they carry on their shoulders or on their heads out of the current of water; they then go to the Church and hear holy [13] Mass. This done, they replace their Vessels in the water, reëmbark, and return without a word to their fishing places or hunting grounds, greatly rejoiced at having accomplished the duty of a good and faithful Christian toward God and his Church. I hear that our French were greatly edified last winter when they saw these new plants, bearing the fruit of prompt obedience, at the first sound of the Church bell.

“Since I have been in New France” (says Father de Quen, who has handed me these notes) “I have never seen more disagreeable or more stormy weather than we had on saint Andrew’s day of the previous year. Snow fell in abundance, and the gale drove it about like a whirlwind or like a white rain, but so thick that we could see neither the Sky nor the earth. I thought that our Christians —who had withdrawn into the woods on account of the cold, and to prepare for their great hunt —would not come to Mass on that day; the inclemency of the weather and the difficult roads were a sufficient excuse for their not doing so. I was greatly astonished when I saw the Chapel filled; I praised their courage, and. told them that such brave deeds [14] were very pleasing to God.

“I consider,” adds the father, “that it is from that adorable Sacrifice that these good souls derive light to see the beauty of our faith; strength, to resist the attacks of their countrymen; and charity, to have [Page 49] compassion on them, and to strive to make them share their happiness. ‘It is a matter of deep regret’ (they say) ‘to see our Relatives and Friends so persistent in their slavery to Satan. They laugh at us, but still we do not hate them. We abhor their methods, we detest their superstitions, without wishing any evil to their persons. They are angry because we believe in God. But in spite of all they can do, prayer is dearer to us than life. We would rather die than give it up.“’

When the Neophytes of Saint Joseph heard of the death of the Algonquins slain by the Hiroquois, they sought to console those who survived the defeat, according to their old customs, which they sanctified with truly Christian zeal. They held a great feast, to which they invited all the upper Algonquins who had come to see them. They brought them [15] three words, —that is to say, they gave them three presents. The first was given to dry the tears that they shed for the death of their people; the second, to bring back to life the nephew of one of the chief Algonquins; the third, and the finest, was given to win over to prayer those who seemed to have lent ear to it, but had not yet embraced it, and to induce them to receive the Faith of Jesus Christ. These proud Algonquins —whom God will compel to have recourse to him by the scourges which exterminate them —accepted the first two presents, and put the third aside in order to deliberate together whether they should accept it, —for whosoever takes a present, among the Savages, binds himself to do what the present expresses. One of the band —seeing that this present spoke of God, and called upon those to whom it was offered to pray to him said [Page 51] in a loud voice: “I no longer have a head; I could not pray; the Hiroquois, by taking away my head, have deprived me of my mind. When I shall see great kettles boiling, filled with the flesh of our enemies, when my stomach and my belly [16] shall be stuffed with it, then my mind will return.” Rage and revenge, which are the appanage of Demons, reign in the hearts of these Barbarians, who from wolves become lambs when Baptism has clothed them with the grace of Jesus Christ.

A small party of these good Neophytes, wishing to show that the Faith does not deprive of courage those who embrace it, resolved to go to war with the pagans. Both sides prepared for it in their own way. The Christians had recourse to God, while the pagans resorted to feasts and dances full of superstitions. They cried aloud, they sang, they yelled, they assumed a thousand postures of men enraged, in order to excite themselves against their enemies. All started in company. Hardly had they gone half-way when the children of Belial separated from the children of God —either through a misunderstanding, or through fear of entering their enemies’ country. They gave up the idea of hunting men, and took to killing animals. Our good Neophytes, pursuing their design, secretly discovered a band of Hyroquois about equal to their own forces. They stopped short, and consulted together whether they should take them alive or [17] put them to death, in case God gave them the victory. On the one hand, the glory of bringing back prisoners alive dazzled their minds; for the sweetest pleasure that a Savage can enjoy is to drag his enemy after him, bound and fettered, to make a joyful and triumphant exhibition [Page 53] of him in his own country. On the other hand, these good Neophytes were very doubtful whether they could stay the anger and fury of their country-men which would be vented on these victims of death, and decided that it would be better to kill them at, once than to earn renown as valiant men at the expense of the diabolical cruelty that the prisoners would be made to suffer. They, therefore, rushed on their prey, killed those whom they met, and, finding themselves masters of their bodies and of their baggage, fell on their knees and thanked God for the victory. They then removed the spoils and scalps of their vanquished foes, and returned in triumph to saint Joseph, visiting the house of God before entering their own Cabins. This confounded the infidels, who had taunted them in their own noisy demonstrations, —saying that, unless the others imitated their yells, [18] they could never attain their prowess.

A Christian observed, in the following manner, abstinence from meat on the days appointed by the Church. When he caught any fish during the week, he dried it and kept it for those days. If his fishing was not successful, he bought bread from the French, and took no other food but that, with a little water. When he was hunting in the woods and had nothing but meat, he endured hunger as long as he could; and when he was compelled to eat to keep himself alive, he would kneel down and say to God: “Thou who hast made all things, pardon me if I offend thee. I have no desire to do so, for thou knowest that it is against my will, and through necessity that I eat meat; thou dost not wish me to die, consequently I must eat. I will therefore do so in [Page 55] the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost.”

This same Neophyte met with a Christian woman, who was very ill, and far away from our settlements. He rendered her every possible service, was present at her death, and repeated to her all the good counsels with which God inspired him. While the women were enshrouding her, he dug a grave, made a Cross as well as he was able, and planted it at [16 i.e., 19] the head of the Grave. He then had the body brought and, laying it quite close to the Cross, he made all kneel, and said this prayer aloud: “Thou who hast made all things, have pity on this woman who has just died; she believed in thee; have mercy on her, forget her sins, and take her soul to Heaven. And thou, good woman, who art dead, pray for us. When thou art above, pray for those who are baptized, so that they may persevere in the faith; pray for the others, that they may believe in him who has made all.” His prayer ended, all the Christians present recited the rosary for the poor creature. When this was done, the good Neophyte filled in the grave and twice recited his rosary before leaving the spot. He then went to the Cabin of the deceased, where he spoke so highly of eternal life and of that woman’s happiness in having died a Christian, that all were greatly consoled thereat.

Whenever he left his Cabin to go out hunting, he hung up a small Crucifix that had been given to him, under a piece of bark set up like a penthouse and spoke to God, both knees on the ground, and his hands clasped together, saying: [20] “Thou who canst do all, give me food, I beg of thee. Feed my people; they are thine, —thou hast created them [Page 57] nothing is impossible to thee. They say to thee, as I do: ‘Give us food; thou art our father.’ They say truly, for thou art our father. If thou givest us food, we will always believe in thee; if thou dost not give us any, thou art the master, —we will still believe in thee, obey thee, and love thee.”

A good old woman said to one of her daughters, who was nigh unto death: “My child, believe very firmly in him who has made all things, Sounka, Sounka; very firmly, very firmly. Thou wilt go to Heaven, and there thou wilt die no more; thou wilt see him who is our father; he will give thee an entirely new life, which will never come to an end. Courage, my daughter, thy pains will soon be over; in a short time thou wilt be very joyful. When thou art in the house of him who is the master of life, say to him: ‘Have pity on my mother; have pity on my brothers and sisters, that they may come here with me.’ Tell him to think kindly of us.” After this child’s death, the good old woman met the father who had baptized her, and said to him: “My poor [21] daughter, to whom you granted baptism, has gone to Heaven. She obeyed God well; she was not a talebearer nor a gadabout; she never got angry; she was always quiet, and never offended any one. Since she has been a Christian, her rosary never left her hands; for that reason I hung one about her neck at her death, and buried it with her in her grave. I am somewhat sorrowful, because I no longer see her; but I grieve much more for one of my little children who died without baptism.” And, sighing deeply, she added: “Alas! where will that poor little child be?”

A new Christian, who had committed some offense, [Page 59] went to a father with these words: “I am sorry; I have displeased God. If ‘1 knew what must be done to appease him, I would appease him. Tell me, my father, what to do, for I am sad.” The sorrow that oppressed his heart was apparent on his face. “Thou shouldst,” said the father, “have knelt down as soon as thou didst recognize thy sin, and entreated God to pardon thee, through the love that he bears to his son who died for thee.” “I did so,” replied the good Neophyte; “but, alas! that is very little to appease the great Captain whom I have offended.” As he said these words, [22] great tears fell from his eyes; the sighs and sobs issuing from his mouth prevented his speaking, and caused him to put off his Confession to the following day. He could say only these words: “I have offended God.”

Another went much further; hear what Father Buteux says of it, who gave me this account: “This good man waited for me on his knees for a long half-hour after my Mass, and, seeing that I was about to go out, he stopped me, saying: ‘I have offended God. I wish to make Confession.’ He seemed to me quite carried away with grief. ‘During the night,’ he said, ‘I remembered my sin; I arose, went to the woods, and cut branches from the trees, with which I beat and scourged myself until I was exhausted. I have a great desire to do so again, when I shall have made my Confession. Thou shalt tell me what must be done to make amends to God, and to appease him.’ I heard his Confession,” said the Father; “he was affected to tears. I gave him a penance three times as severe as I would have given to a Frenchman for the same offense, ‘Is that all,’ he said, ‘that thou dost appoint to me for [Page 61] so great a sin? Make me endure something [23] that will torment my body; command me to fast. Fear not, —I will obey thee; I have offended God and I wish to appease him.’” The Father replied: “I do not wish thee to fast to-day, nor to-morrow; for these are days of rejoicing. A feast will be held in your Cabins in honor of the arrival of Father le Jeune, whom God has given back to us.” “It is for that reason,” said the good man, “that I must fast, so that I may suffer more. I have offended God; I must not rejoice with the others. I will very gladly keep away from these feasts; and, if I must be present at them, I will make pretense to eat, without any one noticing it.” This good Penitent might well say: Dolor meus in conspectu meo semper; (‘My eyes,beholding my offense, see but subjects for sorrow.”

That is not all; he sought me in my room, as soon as I arrived, to inform me of his grief, —at least, I imagine that he is the same whom the Father mentioned in his account. He showed me his hands all bleeding. He had made very painful cuts in his fingers, and, when I asked him the reason of this, he said: “Ah, my Father, I am very sad; I have [24] offended God and I am the cause of others offending him. I have cut my fingers, to show them that what I did should not have been done; and to teach them that those who are baptized should not commit any bad action.”

Another paper that has been handed to me relates the following: “One of the two Captains of the residence of St. Joseph is so moved by God, and so zealous for the faith, that he feels the slightest faults committed by his people, and has no rest until he has set things right. Not long ago, he came for [Page 63] consolation to one of the fathers who are at this residence, and said to him: ‘I enjoy peace and tranquil repose in my soul when I see that my people honor prayer, —it seems to me that my heart is at a banquet; but, when I see any one stray from the right path, I am afflicted at it. My heart is not at ease, but is like a man who is uncomfortably seated; I do not sleep soundly, and do nothing but think of the means of remedying the evil.’ His wife, whom he has won over to God, now does not yield to him in piety. When she was ill, some time ago, a father went to visit her with Sieur [25] Giffart who is employed as a Physician at Kebec. After feeling her pulse and considering her disease, he had her told to take courage and not to be unhappy, because her malady was not mortal. The woman looked at the Father as if astounded, and said to him: ‘Does that man know that I am baptized?’ ‘He knows it well,’ said the Father. ‘Then,’ she replied, ‘why does he tell me to take courage, not to be unhappy, and that I shall not die? Is not God my Father? Is it not he who decides about my life? Why, then, grieve at what my Father shall do? Let him arrange as he will; he is the Master. I am a Christian, and I will not be unhappy.’ The Physician did not expect such an answer from a woman born in a state of barbarism. There are in France more experienced physicians than he, to whom such an answer has never been given.”

A newly-baptized Savage, who was offended and greatly nettled in a dispute with one of his country-men, held his tongue, and, feeling his heart filled with rage, he said to himself: “Gently; it is better to lose what we are disputing about, and everything [Page 65] [26] of any value that I own, than to disgrace my Baptism.” He went at once to the Father who had baptized him, to ask him what he should do to his heart that wished to be wicked. The Father was greatly edified at his goodness. May God bless all who by their prayers, or by their aid, cause the rain to fall from Heaven on this new vine. Verily, it bears good fruit.

A young Savage, recently married, felt tempted to leave his wife, and the thought caused him deep sorrow. The Devil pictures to him the delight of changing a wife whom one hates for another whom one loves. His good Angel shows him that the restraint exercised in this life is rewarded by happiness throughout eternity. He remembers the word that he has plighted to God and to his wife; he wishes to be faithful, but, nevertheless, he feels himself inclined toward infidelity. He goes to his Director, and begs him to find some remedy against his temptation, which he regards as a great sin. The Father takes him before the Blessed Sacrament, and makes him pray to God. He asks that his Confession be heard. Great tears fall from his eyes. The mere idea of changing [27] his wife seems to him so great a crime that he entreats to be sent to prison and to be put in a dungeon, or to be publicly flogged. Seeing his request refused, he slips into a room near the Chapel, and, with a rope that he finds, he beats himself so hard all over the body that the noise reaches the ears of the Father, who runs in and forbids so severe a penance. The Devil, who loves not the spirit of mortification, soon left him, and his temptation vanished.

We have always been of opinion that the [Page 67] marriages of the Savages would give us trouble. The liberty of having several wives, and of changing them at pleasure, is a great obstacle to the Faith, but it is not insurmountable. Grace is more powerful than nature. Monsieur the Chevalier de Montmagny, who wishes to give these good Neophytes a high opinion of that Sacrament, frequently honors their marriages with his presence. He has a fine feast prepared on the wedding day, which is attended by many of the principal among our French, after they have been present at the holy ceremonies of the Church. On these occasions we do not neglect [28] to speak of the stability of Marriage, as well as the importance of obeying God on that point. The Captains of the Savages are the first to frighten the newly-married couples against separating. The candor and simplicity of these good people would be something quite novel in France. When the Priest who officiates at the ceremonies of this Sacrament is about to question both parties as to their consent, if there be any Savage of importance present who is zealous, he calls out: “Stay, my Father, I wish to speak.” Then, addressing the bridegroom and the bride who are standing before the Altar, he says to them: “Take care; there is but one more step to be taken, —if you go any further, you can never draw back. Your word is a bond that will unite you so closely that you will no longer be permitted to sever it. Keep your mouths closed, if you do not wish to be bound. If you speak, may your words be of iron, that they may never break. You are still free, —no one compels you; but if you speak, we will force you to keep your word. Now then, speak, or be silent, as you please.” Then, turning towards the Priest, [Page 69] “Go on, [29] my Father, go on; I have finished my speech.” This plain speaking reminds one of the golden Age of old, when nature was clothed in a simplicity more agreeable than all the artifices of the most polished Nations.

While I am on this subject, I will conclude this Chapter with it. Here is a new way of seeking a person in marriage. It has already been stated that, when ‘a Pagan Savage wooed a maiden, he went to see her at night, and asked her in secret if she would accept him. If the maid replied that she did not wish to marry him, the young man went no further. If she replied that he was not to address her about the matter, he pressed his suit. Now, as we have vigorously rebuked such conduct, the Christians disapprove of it, and they apply to us to ask for a maid; but observe how some of them now act. They paint on a piece of bark a young man and a maiden, holding each other by the hand, in the position that they assume in Church when they get married; and the swain sends this picture to his mistress by one of his friends. [Page 71]

Now, although this portrait may not be painted [30] by Apelles, the maiden knows very well what it means. If she accepts the young man, she takes the picture. If she says that she does not at all understand the painting, it means that the young man must look elsewhere, and that he is rejected. Do not fear that he will fight a duel with him whom he sees welcomed. He has more spirit than to let himself be dominated by his passion for a maid; to allow oneself to be vanquished by the tyrant of love or the demon of hatred, is weakness. The rejected suitor will go and congratulate his comrade who shall be welcome to his mistress. [Page 71]

CHAPTER III.

CONTINUATION OF THE GOOD SENTIMENTS AND GOOD

ACTIONS OF THE CHRISTIANS.

NE of the Fathers who teach the Savages at the residence of St. Joseph, read out one day a list of the sins to which these peoples are liable before their Baptism. When he spoke of their [31] superstitions, —of their invocations to the Demons, or to the Genii[4] of the light; of a certain tacit compact that they have with the Devil by means of a mysterious stone, which we have already mentioned, —a good Christian called out: “That, my Father, still remains among us. Let us go into the cabins and look about everywhere; we shall find some of those little Idols hidden away. No one makes use of them before you, but those who have any, carry them with them into the woods. The Devil tempts them, and makes them believe that they will be unlucky if they throw them away, —that they will not have a successful hunt; and, by this means, he keeps them always in chains. I do not say this because I wish them evil; my desire that they should send away the Demons from the cabins, and take the straightest road to Paradise, makes me speak.”

This man is so zealous for the conversion of the Savages that he went last spring very far inland, to a Nation that hardly ever approaches the French, to give them presents, and to urge them to embrace the Faith [32] of Jesus Christ, He had already [Page 73] gone there last year, and had met with very great success. This is what Father Ragueneau writes me about it this year: “Our Hurons who went last Summer on a trading expedition to Ondoutawaka[5] (I think that it is the peoples of the Sagné where this good Neophyte went) have informed us that, evening and morning, they heard the prayers recited and the same things sung that Charles Tsondatsaa had heard sung by the Christians of St. Joseph. Hence the Hurons conclude that those people believe in God and that Faith is already in possession of all the Northern countries. Dominus benedicat. Of course, by thoroughly converting one nation we greatly further the conversion of others for which we do not even labor. I am quite convinced of this, as well as Your Reverence.” Such are the words of the father.

This same Neophyte has quite a special devotion for the images of the saints; he has some of these, which he preserves with the greatest care. While he was unfolding them one day before one of our Frenchmen, he kissed them all with great humility. But when he came to the Crucifix, he kissed it three times. “Here,” he said, “is the likeness [33] of him whom I love above all.” He paid it so much honor that one could well see that he loved him who has had such love for all men.

This poor man, being united to a wife who was as averse to the Faith as her husband honored it, left her one morning, making use of the privilege that saint Paul gives him. Some Christians found fault with this, and reproached him, —saying that his faith was but lip service, and that a true Christian should never leave his wife. He was greatly afflicted, for he could not love a woman who did not love God, [Page 75] and who, moreover, was of a very arrogant and over-bearing disposition. His sorrow lasted until night, and prevented him from sleeping soundly. Whenever he awoke, he prayed to God to manifest his will to him, —being prepared to take back his wife, or to send her away, as God might be pleased to order. He fell asleep, greatly impressed with that idea; and, in a dream, he saw a band of Frenchmen, with two Fathers of our Society, who said to him: “Leave that woman; she will not be reasonable.” Thereupon he awoke [34] and adhered to his resolution never to see her again, having a supreme aversion for her. However, as he saw that some were far from being edified at this, he said to his Father director: ‘‘ If you order me to sit down once more beside her who has so often scoffed at God, and who has so long treated me as her lackey, I will give up my ideas to follow yours. I do not value either my dreams or my inclinations. I might go astray if I followed my own thoughts and my affections; I shall walk in safety, so long as I allow myself to be led by him whom God has given me for my guide.” The Father was astonished at seeing such courage and such firmness in the soul of a man whose gentleness is not in keeping with the ill humor of a jeering and scornful woman. I pray that God may change her temper. She is now receiving instruction quite willingly, —admitting that, in reality, she had scoffed at the prayers because she had a horror of them; but that her mind has changed, and that she has adopted other sentiments. The good Neophyte has returned to her on condition that he will leave her forever, if she is not firm in the Faith.

[35] A little girl answered the questions of the [Page 77] Catechism very well, and the Father who examined her gave her a slight reward, saying aloud —to encourage her to do well another time —that he was sorry that he could find nothing in his treasures worthy of rewarding such good and full answers. A Savage woman, hearing him, exclaimed: “Ah, my Father, instruction is a great treasure. You make that child very rich when you teach her to know God. It is better to know the road to Heaven than to own all the wealth of the earth.” I think this good woman was related to that one who called out to our Lord: Beatus venter qui ti portavit et ubera quœ suxisti. She approved that saying of the Scriptures: Omne aurum, in comparatione illius, arena est exigua.

Another woman, who was blind, sharply rebuked an Infidel who scoffed at some Christians. When the wretch saw these good Neophytes embark on a Sunday morning, for the purpose of hearing high Mass at Kebec, he also embarked at the same time; and, as they started, he called out: “I have more love for my forefathers than you have.” [36] And, indicating with his hand the place where the Sun sets, he said: “That is where my Ancestors have gone, and that is where I wish to go. That is where my countrymen who are wise should go, and not into your Churches.” The good blind woman, hearing him, replied: “If thou hast such love for thy countrymen, why didst thou abandon them last winter to the mercy of the Hiroquois? Thou wert afraid of being burned. If thou hadst sense, thou wouldst have a still greater fear of the fire of Hell, to which thou wilt go, than of the fire of the Hiroquois. Thou wert not made for nothing. He who created thee will pay thee in money of fire or of glory, after thy [Page 79] death.” This good woman sees very clearly, in matters of the Faith; her life is a very innocent one.

Victor Wechkiné, intending to start on a trading expedition, came to present himself for the Sacrament of Penance. After he had performed his devotions, he said to his Confessor: “My Father, pray to God for me, for my wife, and for my child. I know by experience what sincere prayer can do. Thou seest my little daughter; God has given her to me twice. While we were in the woods last winter on our great hunt, she fell sick, so that I no longer expected aught but death. [37] My wife did nothing but weep. I said to her: ‘Tears will not bring your child back to life. Let us have recourse to him who gave her to us, and beg him to give her to us once more.’” They knelt down and said this short prayer, more abounding in feeling than in words: “Thou who hast made all, and who preservest all things, it is thou who didst create this child and give her to us. She is sick; thou canst cure her. If thou wilt, cure her; if she lives, she will believe in thee; she will obey thee when she grows up. If thou wilt not cure her, I will still believe in thee; I will not say another word, for thou art the Master; do everything according to thy will.” “On the following day,’ ’ said the good Neophyte, “my daughter was in as good health as you see her now.”

When the Savages returned from their great hunt, one of the Fathers called the chief men together, and told them that he was greatly edified because they had put a stop to the disorderly conduct that occasionally occurred among them; but that he was astonished at their permitting that a young baptized woman should live apart from her husband. The [Page 81] Captain under whose jurisdiction [38] this woman was, replied that he had tried all sorts of means to make her return to her duty, and that his trouble had been in vain; that he would, nevertheless, make another effort. “After this Assembly,” said the Father, “consult thy people privately, and ask them what is to be done in such a case of disobedience.” They all decided upon harsh measures. “Good advice,’ ’ said they, “has not brought her to her senses; a prison will do so.’ ’ Two Captains were ordered to take her to Kebec, and to request Monsieur the Governor to have her put in a dungeon. They prepared to carry out their orders, and entered the cabin where she was. But she saw them coming and, suspecting their errand, she escaped and fled to the woods, whither they followed her. Having caught her, they told her that she was condemned to prison until sense should come to her. As she tried to break away from them, they bound her and placed her in a canoe, to take her to Kebec. Some Pagan young men, observing this violence, —of which the Savages have a horror, and which is more remote from their customs than Heaven is from earth, —made use of threats, declaring [39] that they would kill any one who laid a hand on the woman. But the Captain and his people, who were Christians, boldly replied that there was nothing that they would not do or endure, in order to secure obedience to God. Such resolution silenced the Infidels. The woman was taken to Kebec; but when she saw that she must enter either a dungeon or her husband’s house, she humbly begged to be taken back to Saint Joseph, promising that thenceforward she would be more obedient. Such acts of justice cause no surprise in [Page 83] France, because it is usual there to proceed in that manner. But, among these peoples —where every one considers himself, from his birth, as free as the wild animals that roam their great forests —it is a marvel, or rather a miracle, to see a peremptory command obeyed, or any act of severity or justice performed. Some Savages, having heard that, in France, malefactors are put to death, have often reproached us, saying that we were cruel, —that we killed our own countrymen; and that we had [40] no sense. They asked whether the relatives of those who were condemned to death did not seek vengeance. The Infidels still have the same ideas; but the Christians are learning, more and more, the importance of exercising Justice.

A certain Neophyte, who was very zealous for the Faith, was diligently performing a pious action, when another said to him: “Stop! some will be angry with thee; those who are not baptized will hate thee.” “It matters not,” he replied; “I do not fear