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. XXIII

Hurons, Québec, Iroquois

1642–1643

CLEVELAND: The Burrows Brothers

Company, PUBLISHERS, M DCCC XCVIII

 

EDITORIAL 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. XXIII.
Preface To Volume XXIII.			9
Documents:—
XLVIII.	Relation de ce qvi s’est passé en la Novvelle France, en l’année 1642. [Chaps. ii - xii. Part II., completing the document.] Hierosme Lalemant; Ste. Marie aux Hurons, June 10, 1642.				17
XLIX.	Lettre à Monsieur J. M. J. Charles Garnier; Ste. Marie aux Hurons 23, 1643				236
L.	Epistola ad R. P. Mutium Vitelleschi, Præpositum Generalem Societatis Jesu, Romæ. Joannes de Brébeuf; Tria Flumina, September 23, 1643.				246
LI.	Relation de ce qvi s’est passé en la Novvelle France, en l’année 1642 & 1643. [Chaps. 1 - iii.] Barthelemy Vimont; without date				255
Bibliographical Data; Volume. XXIII					321
Notes				325

[page i]

ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOL. .
I.	Portrait of Isaac Jogues, S.J.; Photo-engraving from oil portrait by Donald Guthrie McNab	Frontispiece
II.	Photographic facsimile of handwritting of Charles Raymbault, S.J.; Chevalier de Montmagny, Guillaume Hébert, Jean Bourdon, et al.; from a document in archives of St. Mary’s College, Montreal	Facing 224
III.	Reduced facsimile of Boisseau’s Map of New France	Facing 234
IV.	Photographic facsimile of title-page, Relation of 1642 - 43	258

[page ii]

PREFACE TO VOL. XXIII

Following is a synopsis of documents contained in the present volume:

XLVIII. The relation of 1642 is in two parts, -|- Part 1., by the superior Vimont, being dated at Quebec, October 4; Part II., by Jerome Lalemant, is dated at Ste. Marie, in the Huron country, June 10. In Vol. XII. we presented Part I., and the opening chapter of Part 11. We herein give Chaps. ii. - xii. of Part II., thus completing the document.

In continuing his narrative of the year's work among the Hurons, Lalemant describes the apportionment of work among the missionaries in that field, and the great assistance and comfort they derive from their annual retreat at the residence of Ste. Marie, which is the central point of all their activities, and a refuge for the more devout of their Indian converts. The Jesuit chapel there is regarded by the savages "as one of the Wonders of the World, although in France it would be considered but a poor affair". Over 120 baptisms have been solemnized herein during the past year; the most notable of these converts is Ahatsistari, "the chief Warrior in the Country", of whose strength and daring marvelous tales are related. He sets out to the war immediately after his baptism; and he and his Christian comrades, before departing, make certain resolutions of affection and loyalty to one another and to the [page 9] Faith. One of these declares that, if they perish, they desire their remains to be buried apart, and not mingled with the bones of unbelievers, even if the latter be their fathers or their children,—"since our Souls will be eternally separated, and our affection will not continue beyond this life".

The missionaries baptize certain Iroquois captives during their torments; this incenses the Hurons, who already distrust the Fathers, on account of slanderous rumors that the latter are secretly leagued with the Iroquois. In time, however, this excitement dies away.

The residence of Ste. Marie is also the center of a mission among the Ataronchronons, who at first refuse to listen to Pijart, but at last are won by his patience, and some acknowledge the truth of the Gospel. Chastelain, however, is well received, and his preaching has made some converts.

From La Conception (Ossossané‚), the oldest of these missions, come encouraging reports of the constancy and faithfulness of the converts, under many temptations and assaults. They are threatened by the medicine men with the loss of their harvest. unless they sacrifice to the demons ; but they refuse preferring death to sin. The writer adds: "We do not know whether God willed to reward their Faith, and to punish the impiety of the others; But we were witnesses that most of the corn did no ripen, especially that belonging to those who had sacrificed to the Devil, while our Christians gathered a fair crop." Many instances of virtuous resistance and brave steadfastness are related; and the pious acts and devotions of certain converts—notably- of Joseph Teondechoren and Charles Tsondatsaa—are [page 10] recounted in detail. When the pagans celebrate their Ononharoia, "the dream feast", the Christian Indians meet, to state their desires also. One wishes to go to heaven; another, that all their brothers be converted, and gathered into a village where no sin could enter. Another declares that if a pagan should ask him the customary question, to guess his desire, he "would say to the fool who should propound his enigma, ‘Thou wishest to burn in the fire with the Devil, whose desires thou seekest; throw thyself into those fireplaces, and thy desire and his will be accomplished’." Some of the foolish ones became wise, while stopping to hear such pious discourse". Lalemant describes the usual routine of pious duties performed by the members of this little Huron church,—the daily Mass and evening prayer, the weekly confession, and Sunday services. The neophytes show great tenderness of conscience, and confess, with great contrition, their least shortcomings; "sometimes there is more holiness than evil in acts which they think have been highly criminal". One man was at a council, where a dance in honor of the devil was ordered; "being caught there by surprise without being able to get away, I begged pardon of God; I said many insulting things to the Devil, and I went to sleep". The converts watch over not only their own consciences, but those of their relatives and friends.

The mission of St. Joseph (the most southerly of all) is next discussed. Garnier and Le Moyne, in whose charge it is, report several interesting conversions, and relate the persecutions to which these new Christians are subjected by their pagan countrymen. They remain, however, steadfast, and profess the Faith boldly. [page 11]

The itinerant mission of St. Jean Baptiste, among the Arendahronons, is in charge of Daniel and Chaumonot. The missionaries had at first looked for much success because the Indians had no definite form of "worship for any false Divinity; but experience has shown us that they are full of diabolical superstitions," which greatly hinder them from receiving the true faith. Several instances are related of demoniacal apparitions and even possession. The people sacrifice to these demons, and think that the latter predict to them the future; relying thereon, these poor dupes are often disappointed.

A chief named Atironta is put to death by the Iroquois; his brother Aëontahon becomes a Christian (the first adult in good health baptized in this mission), and is persecuted in consequence, until, in accordance with Indian custom, he is elected captain in his deceased brother's place, and takes his name, Atironta. Much is said of the savage belief in dreams, and the manner in which evil omens are averted. Several instances are given of the efficacy of prayer to God, offered by the Indian converts when in danger; in one case, a violent storm was about to engulf them in the waters, when, as soon as prayer was offered, "the Canoe was at rest, the waves felt, and the tract through which they passed became as smooth as a mirror, although all around them the wind continued to blow furiously."

Lalemant describes an eclipse of the moon (April 14, 1642). He states that the mission to the Tobacco Nation, begun last year, cannot be fully sustained, on account of the small force of missionaries; but Garnier and Pijart make occasional visits thither, to [page 12] minister to their few converts in that tribe. The great difficulties which, among all these peoples, hinder the Faith are recounted—the "diabolical superstitions", the impious feasts, and the instability of marriages. The fidelity of their few converts however, cheers the missionaries, and they hope for still greater blessings in future.

The final chapter relates the work carried on among the Nipissings, north of the Huron country, by Claude Pijart and Charles Raymbault, who spend the summer with them at Lake Nipissing. While there, the Algonkin tribes celebrate their "feast of the dead", somewhat similar to that among the Hurons, described earlier by Brebeuf; its special rites are graphically depicted—among them, "a ballet in three parts", and a competition in climbing a greased pole. Gifts are made to one another by the tribes present on this occasion; those of the Nipissings alone "would have cost in France forty or even fifty thousand francs". The Jesuit missionaries are present at all the ceremonies of this festival, and receive numerous marks of honor and affection. Following savage custom, they also proffer feasts and gifts to the Indians; in consequence of which, the Algonkins resident at Sault Ste. Marie invite the "black robes" to visit them at their home. Raymbault and Jogues, in accordance with their request, journey to the Sault (September - October, 1642), and are most hospitably received by their Indian friends. On his return from this voyage, Raymbault at once begins another journey, with Ménard, to the winter quarters of the Nipissings; but storms compel them to return to Ste. Marie. The exposure and hardship bring on a severe illness for [page 13] Raymbault, and wreck his health. Ménard and Pijart spend the winter in ministering to the Algonkins who come during that season to the Huron country.

XLIX. This is a letter from Garnier to a friend in France ( "Monsieur J. M. J." ), written from Ste. Marie of the Hurons, the 23rd of some unnamed month, - possibly August. The writer mentions the captivity of Jogues, and a letter written by that unfortunate priest, which has been sent to the brethren in France. After certain personal exhortations to his correspondent, he recounts his own work among the savages. He mentions the death of several notable Huron converts during the year, and certain valuable accessions recently made to the infant church, notwithstanding the persecutions they meet.

L. Brebeuf writes from Three Rivers, September 23, 1643, to the Father General, at Rome. He refers his distinguished correspondent to the Relations written by Bressani and Lalemant, but gives some additional information. The reports of the Huron mission for the past year, and letters from the Fathers there, have, he states, fallen into the hands of the Iroquois, owing g to the e latter's capture of the Huron fleet. This and other incursions of these fierce enemies have placed the colony and the missions in great danger. The current reports of Jogues's death in captivity, Brebeuf pronounces untrue; but that Father and his companions have been cruelly tortured by their savage captors, who as yet refuse to deliver them to the French. The writer consoles himself, in the midst of these heavy afflictions, not only by the unshaken courage and devotion of his Jesuit [page 14] brethren, but by the piety of the French colonists and of the Indian converts.

LI. Owing to the fact that the Iroquois had captured the year's report of the Huron missions (although it had been given to Jogues), the Relation for 1642 - 43 is written wholly by the Superior, Vimont; it is without date, but doubtless was written in the early autumn of 1643, in time for the vessel returning to France. We have space in this volume for the first three chapters only; the rest will appear in Vols. XXIV. and XXV.

The superior opens his narrative by describing the prosperous condition of the French colony. The settlers now cultivate the land, and thus produce a large part of their own food. They live in the exercise of virtue and piety; the church at Quebec is under the care of Bressani and Mass‚, who are aided on occasion by Vimont and Brebeuf, both of whom have resided for some time at Sillery. Raymbault's illness has proved fatal; he dies at Quebec, October 22, 1642, and is buried near Champlain. Ten days later, the interpreter Nicolet is drowned, in the St. Lawrence; a sketch of his life and achievements is given. Vimont mentions the grief of both the colonists and savages at the death of the French King, Louis XIII., and of Cardinal, Richelieu, both of whom had greatly aided the Canadian missions. The French fleet comes late this year (1643); but it brings three new Jesuits - Garreau, Dreuillettes, and Chabanel - and three nuns, together with a priest for the Ursulines, and a new colonist, Louis d'Ailleboust.

The Ursuline seminary is in a prosperous condition, and has been removed to its own new building, not [page 15]far from the fort. The events of special interest therein, during the year, are recounted, as also the pious and devout practices of the Indian pupils. Instruction is given to many adults, as well as to the little girls. Madame de la Peltrie has gone to Montreal.

The Indian colony of Sillery now contains thirty-five or forty resident families, Montagnais and Algonkins; the former tribe are much more docile than the latter, having been longer and more closely associated with the French. More buildings are needed for their families; only four are constructed, though three more are planned or in process of erection; it is hoped that the mission may soon be able to secure the donation given them for this purpose by the late Chevalier de Sillery, which has been delayed, probably through legal processes. Vimont recounts the religious work among the Sillery Indians and their Attikamegue friends who have passed the winter there; also the manner of life, both social and religious, of these former nomads, now learning the elements of civilization. In the spring, they have barely planted their corn before they are obliged to go to Fort Richelieu, to check the raids of the Iroquois. They soon return home, however, owing to the failure of expected money and supplies from France; so they go into the woods to hunt, pending the arrival of the ships.

R.G.T.

MADISON, WIS. May , 1898.

[page 16]

XLVIII (concluded)

RELATION OF 1642

PARIS: SEBASTIEN CRAMOISY, 1643

————————

Part I. and chap. i. of Part II were given in Volume XXII; we herewith present chaps. ii.- xii. of Part II., thus concluding the document. [page 17]

[II] CHAPTER II.

OF THE HOUSE OR PERMANENT RESIDENCE OF

SAINTE MARIE.

e have numbered this Year here among the Hurons, fourteen Priests of our Society; but we hardly ever meet all together for a whole month at a time. We are generally scattered, especially during Winter, which is the most important season of work for the Conversion of these Peoples. Eight of the number found their employment in the four principal Huron Missions which we have been able to maintain this Year. The Algonquins who dwell here, near our Hurons, have occupied the attention of three others. Our Fathers being thus distributed, each having charge of the Mission that has fallen to his share, I have been obliged to join them,—sometimes for a month at one place, then in another, as the occasion presented it self; therefore, I have [12] had no fixed abode. Consequently, the are of this Residence has been shared by the only two who remained—Father Isaac Jogues and Father François du Peron.

It is a profound consolation to all our Missionaries, after the fatigues of the Winter or of the Summer, to return to this House, in order to give some attention to themselves, and to breathe a little more freely with God in tranquillity of spirit, that they may return afterwards to the same work with renewed vigor. In addition to this, they derive marked bene- [page 19]fit from the Conferences that they hold, all together, not only in the enlightenment and the methods disclosed to them by God to facilitate the instruction and Conversion of the Savages, but in the new knowledge they have acquired for their advancement in a Language in which one must be both Master and Pupil at the same time.

As this House is the centre of the Country, it frequently has the consolation of receiving the Christians who come to it from various places, to perform their Devotions in more quiet than in the Villages, and in this sort of Solitude to entertain, [13] at greater leisure, sentiments of Piety and Religion. For that purpose we have prepared for them a Refuge or Cabin of bark, wherein God gives us the means of lodging and feeding these good Pilgrims in their own Country. During the Summer, from fortnight to fortnight, there are always a goodly number who come to it on Saturday, from a distance of four or five leagues, to pass the Sunday in a devout manner, leaving only on Monday morning. On the following Sunday, we save them this trouble; for our Fathers go to their houses a day or two beforehand, to prepare them for the Devotions of that holy Day. Thus, by these alternate visits, we gently maintain them in the practice of Christianity, whereof during the Winter, while we reside more constantly with them, we have endeavored to give them more substantial knowledge.

If in the Missions some Adult in good health is deemed worthy of Baptism, after all the trials to which he is subjected, he is sent to this House to be again examined, and to receive with solemnity that Sacrament which makes him a Child of the Church [page 21]

[14] We have reserved the majority of these Baptisms for the Festivals of Christmas, of Easter, and of Pentecost, from which our Christians, who have assembled there from all parts, have always departed with a marked increase in their faith. The outward splendor with which we endeavor to surround the Ceremonies of the Church; the beauty of our Chapel (which is looked upon in this Country as one of the Wonders of the World, although in France it would be considered but a poor affair); the Masses, Sermons, Vespers, Processions, and Benedictions of the Blessed Sacrament that are said and celebrated at such times, with a magnificence surpassing anything that the eyes of our Savages have ever beheld,- all these things produce an impression on their minds, and give them an idea of the Majesty of God, who, we tell them, is honored throughout the World by a worship a thousand times more imposing.

The number of persons who have received Holy Baptism has exceeded one hundred and twenty. I think that God has heard the prayers that they have offered to him on behalf of those living in France who cause the effects of their Charity to be felt as far as this New World, to cooperate in a holy manner in the [15] Salvation of these Peoples, and to redeem these poor Souls who, whatever they may cost them, have cost a thousand times more to the Blood of JESUS CHRIST. Then I hear of the alms that are given for that object; when I read the Accounts of the public devotions of many Religious Houses who, night and day, throughout the Year, seem to have no greater desire than to promote the granting of God's Mercies to these poor Savages; when I learn that private individuals, who wish to [page 23] have the Angels of Heaven as the sole witnesses of their Charity, devote themselves in every way to hasten the coming thereof; when I see so many fasts, so many vigils, so many prayers, so many cilices, and so many acts of holy severity, which can come but from a heart inflamed with a sacred love; in a word, such fire, which the holy Ghost alone can kindle in hearts, I confess that it is impossible for me, when I hear all this, to be distrustful. And I would as soon doubt that I am on the spot where I stand, as doubt that God, who himself inspires such desires, wills to grant petitions so just, and [16] that the time has come when he will give to JESUS CHRIST what he has promised him, that is the Conversion of those who remain of the Gentiles, for whom his Divine Sufferings have been useless for so many centuries.

The man of greatest importance among those whom we have solemnly Baptized in this house, has been one Ahatsistcari of the village of St. Joseph. His courage and his Yearly exploits against the Enemies cause him to be looked upon as the chief Warrior in the Country. It is not yet a year since, having encountered three hundred Iroquois, he put them all to flight, and made some of them prisoners, although on his side there were but fifty, of whom he was the chief. And during g the previous Summer, while crossing a great lake which separates the Hurons from their Enemies, having perceived a number of large Canoes filled with Iroquois who were coming to attack him, his Companions thought of nothing but flight, but he said: "No, no, my Comrades. Let us attack them ourselves". As they approached each other, he jumped, alone and quite naked, into a large [page 25] Canoe full of Foes, split open the head of the first one that he met, [17] threw two others into the water, into which he himself leaped, upsetting at the same time the Canoe and all who were in it. Then swimming with one hand, he killed and massacred with the other all who came near him. So unexpected a sight filled the other Canoes of the Enemy with fear; and, they, finding themselves vanquished by their own conquest, even before they had fought, took to flight from fear of such Courage. But he, having regained his own Canoe, pursued those who remained in the water, and brought them back in triumph to his Country. In a word, this Man's life is but a series of combats, and from his childhood his thoughts have been only of war; and it was through this that God made him a Christian.

He never manifested any aversion to our Faith, and asked us for Baptism more than three years ago; but, as he could not make up his mind to abandon some Superstitious practices that are customary among the Infidels, we could not grant it to him. At last, the Fathers who have had charge of the Mission of saint Joseph gave him the final instructions last Winter, and, as they were satisfied with him, he came at Easter to plead [18] his own case. "I have Faith in the depth of my heart", he said, "and my actions have sufficiently shown it throughout the Winter. In two days I shall leave for the war; if I am killed in battle, tell me, where will my Soul go if you refuse me Baptism ? If you saw into my heart as clearly as the Great Master of our lives, I would already be numbered among the Christians; and the fear of the flames of Hell would not accompany me, now that I am about to face Death. I cannot Baptize myself; [page 27] all that I can do is to declare sincerely the desire that I have for it. After that, if my So I be burned in Hell, you will be the cause of it. But, whatever you may do, I will always pray to God, because I know him; and perhaps he will have mercy on me, for you say that he is better than you". "But", said one of our Fathers, "what made you first think of believing?" "Even before you came to this Country", he replied, "I had escaped from a great many perils in which my Companions perished. I saw very well that it was not I who extricated myself [19] from .these dangers. I had this thought, that some more powerful Spirit, who was unknown to me, gave me favorable aid " (although the Hurons attribute to Dreams the source of all their good fortune); " I was convinced that all that was only nonsense, but I knew no more about it. When I heard of the Greatness of GOD, whom you preach, and of what JESUS CHRIST had done when he was on Earth, I recognized him as the being who had preserved me; and resolved to honor him all my life. When I went to war, I recommended myself to him night and morning. It is to him that all my victories are due; he it is in whom I believe; and I as : you for Baptism, so that he may have pity on me after my death."

Was it possible to refuse such a Man? We Baptized him publicly, with some others, on Holy Saturday, and gave him the name of Eustache. When he had performed his Devotions on Easter Sunday, he started for the War with some of our best Christians, who had remained solely for the purpose of celebrating that holy Day, although the Troops whom [20] they were to join had already departed. But, before separating, finding that a considerable number of [page 29] persons were assembled there belonging to various Nations, they wished of their own accord to hold a Council. Here, in a few words, are the resolutions that they took:

"Let us hereafter be but one body and one mind, since we all serve the same Master. Whenever any one of us passes by a Village wherein a Christian dwells, let him not lodge elsewhere. Whenever any one is afflicted, let him seek consolation among the others. Let us not reveal one another’s faults to the Infidels; but let it be recognized, through the friendship that we shall have for one another, that the Name of Christian is a tie more binding than Nature's bonds".

"Let us inform our Relatives who are not of the same Faith as we, even if they be our father s and our children, that we do not wish our bones to be mingled together after our death, since our Souls will be eternally separated, and our affection will not continue beyond this life".

[21] If there be anything in the world that is Sacred among the Hurons, it is their law of Burial. their care in this matter greatly exceeds anything that is done in France. They are singularly lavish proportion to their means, and despoil themselves to clothe their Dead and to preserve carefully the bones of their Relatives, in order that they may repose after their death in the same spot. Never would we have believed that our Christians would soon renounce this claim of affection so firmly implanted in Nature; but Faith is a sword that severs the Soul from the body, and children from their Fathers. "Let us not", added these Christians, "profane the Mysteries that are taught us, when we see souls [page 31] of dogs and of brute beasts; but let us publish everywhere the advantages of the Faith. Above all, let our lives and our examples show that our Faith does not rest merely on our lips".

May GOD bless these good resolutions. In any case, we see more clearly than ever that Heaven will do [22] something. It has its Souls destined for Paradise, as much in this Barbarous Country as in Europe. Not one shall perish; were one in the midst of our most cruel Enemies, and in a place devoid of all means of Salvation, we will place it in Heaven, even when it seems the furthest from its happiness. Here is an instance:

Last Summer, some Prisoners of war were divided throughout the Country in order that each Nation might revenge itself upon these unfortunate Victims for the still recent loss of their Relatives, which inflamed their cruelty. Our Fathers hastened to them without delay. Some went to the Village of la Conception; others to that of saint Michel; others proceeded still further, and after a journey of thirteen or fourteen leagues through that part of the Huron Country which the ferocity of the Iroquois rendered most dangerous, they arrived by day, barely an hour before the execution. They had to force a passage through the crowd, receiving insults, and hearing a thousand blasphemies against GOD, from a band of impious men who were opposed to the happiness of their Enemies and who wished to make them endure [23] as much torment in their Souls as they inflict on their bodies. But love for a Soul, to whom one desires to open Heaven, will make its way anywhere. All these unfortunate Captives soon opened their hearts, and their hopes to the [page 33] tidings of Paradise. The fires, the pain from which they already felt, inspired them with still greater. dread of the flames of Hell. They acknowledged, GOD, craved his mercy, and, in this last tragic act of their lives, received a sure pledge of the happiness that awaited them in Heaven. "Alas!" gratefully exclaimed the youngest of all, who was barely nineteen or twenty years of age, "shall I alone enjoy this Blessing? Have you had pity on my companions in suffering? Have they been told of these so important and so unknown Truths?" In a word, he was more moved by Charity than by the pain that he suffered from a recently-severed hand.

At the same time, nearly the whole Country was incensed against us. We were denounced on all sides as Traitors, and doubtless there was very good reason for believing it. During the previous Winter Father Jean de Brebeuf [24] had gone on a Mission to the Neutral Nation, and the rumor had spread that on that journey the Enemies had treated secretly with him, and had bribed him by presents, and that in due time the disastrous effects of this treachery would be felt. On his return from that Mission, we were compelled, in the course of our affairs, to send the same Father to Kebec. To that end we manned two Canoes with four Frenchmen and six Savages, both Christians and Catechumens, who, being the first to go down the River, fortunately escaped three encounters with Iroquois bands, in which five Canoes of Hurons who followed a day or two after were attacked. The vague rumors of these occurrences caused them to :regard as certainly true the suspicions aroused during the Winter, which had already agitated their minds. But this was still more the case when, some [page 35] time afterward, a wretched Huron, who had burned his bonds and escaped from the hands of the Iroquois, asserted publicly that he had heard from the mouths of the Enemies the secret understanding that they had with us. He even added that Father de Brebeuf [25] had spoken to them when he met them; had received new presents from them, as a reward for his treachery; and had told them to lie in wait on that very spot for the passage of some Canoes that were following him, a day's journey behind, and that these would be a sure prey for them.

After all this, is it to be wondered that evil designs were harbored against us ? But whosoever places his trust in God listens in security to the roaring of such tempests. So manifest is his protection over us, and so constant is his love in preserving us from the perils that surround us on all sides, that this alone would suffice to make us firmly believe that he will have mercy on all these Peoples, since it can be but on their account that he guards us with a Providence so powerful and so loving. Finally, time, and the return of the Hurons who had gone down in company with Father de Brebeuf, dispelled all these calumnies. [page 37]

[26] CHAPTER III.

OF THE MISSION OF STE. MARIE AMONG THE ATARONCHRONONS.

HIS House of Sainte Marie also bears the title of Mission, on account of four Villages close by, which are dependent thereon. Father Pierre Chastelain has had the direction of two—those of saint Louis and St. Denys. Father Pierre Pijart has had charge of the two others—those of sainte Anne and of saint François Xavier.

At first, Father Pierre Pijart met with very stubborn-minded persons, who closed t their ears and their Cabins to him and refused to listen to what they heard, except in a spirit of blasphemy. But, in the end, his patience tamed the majority of them, and influenced some of them to such an extent that they know the Truth, and complain o themselves that they have not strength enough to embrace so great a blessing.

[27] Father Pierre Chastelain was welcomed everywhere, and, having met among them some right-minded persons, he caused these t enter so far-into the holiness of our Mysteries that they speak very highly of them and even instruct and impress others. But this fruit is not ripe, and their Faith is not strong enough at present to regard them as persons who are won over to God. It is for him to accomplish the result, and we must rest satisfied with having sown and watered this Seed. [page 39]

Although the Fathers are not obliged to make a long stay outside, owing to the proximity of the Villages, nevertheless, in addition o the visits they have made there, they have found means to attend to the reception of Christians and the teaching of many infidels, who, passing through this House, receive therein instruction that could not be so advantageously given to them elsewhere. Often the Hart receives its deathblow in one place , and falls dead far away from it. Frequently, also, we have observed that our Infidel has felt the life-giving influence in his House, who, upon returning to his own [28] Village, has thrown himself into the arms of the Missionaries who dwell there, and as asked them for Baptism. Provided we see them all one day in Heaven, it matters little where God has had mercy on them. [page 41]

CHAPTER IV.

OF THE MISSION OF LA CONCEPTION AMONG THE ATIGNAOUANTAN.

HE charge of this Mission has fallen to the share of Father François le Mercier and Father Paul Ragueneau. It is in the principal Village of his Mission—which bears its name—that we have gathered the ripest fruits of the Faith that we have seen in this Country since we have own the seed of the Gospel here. It is in this Village also that, for some Years, we have most vigorousy carried on our work. I may say that here is seen, through the grace of GOD, a Church established , and Christians who not only live in the practice of the Faith, but who triumph, [29] in the midst of Satan's reign, over impiety itself. I do not assert that the entire Village converted, nor that the number of the Christians in it exceeds that of the Infidels; but I mean to say that their courage, their zeal, their faithfulness, their constancy, prove victorious over everything that is opposed to their Virtue, and secure respect for the sacredness of our Mysteries a hundred times more than our words or our examples can do. We have seen all the Christians assailed by the most powerful influences in the Country, and the Same day witnessed their Victory, without a single one yielding, although each was attacked separately and was not aware of the firmness and resistance of the others.

It was in the middle of Winter; everywhere [page 43] bounded Diabolical superstitions, and the powers of Hell had caused continual homage to be rendered to them for two entire days, promising the cure of a sick person. The most impious man in the Village had undertaken the cure, with the assistance of his Demon; but, seeing that all his arts were of no avail, he complained that the Christians did not make their appearance [30] in so public a Festival , and, in particular, he asked that a new Christian, named Charles Tsondatsaa, should unite his voice to his, more strenuously to invoke the aid of the Demon who was to ;store the health of the sick person. It is the highest duty of the Captains to obey these Impostors. A Council was held; the matter was deemed important; the chief men were deputed by Public authority to attack all the Christians at the same time.

Charles was greatly surprised at seeing three of the leading Captains enter his Cabin. "My God!" he exclaimed in the depths of his heart, "stay the efforts of these slaves of Satan, who come to bring me something on his behalf. Counsel me, 0 God! in this emergency". He did not Know what brought them, but he was quite sure that, as these Hellish ceremonies were at their height, the minds of those wretches were possessed only by the Devil. "Good day, my brothers", he said to them. "As you have come to see me, it is for me to entertain you. I will tell you the thoughts that I had of you not long ago. [31] I feel compassion for you; you obey a master who is the most infamous in the world; you use your voices every day to proclaim his commandments. It not you who command, but he. Why do not all the people believe? and why do not you yourselves believe the first of all? Then would you really be [page 45] Captains who, by obeying GOD alone, would make our Country the happiest on earth". After this, as he is not deficient in wit or in language, he declared to them the equity of GOD's commandments, the truth and greatness of his promises, and the eternal misery of all who refuse to obey him.

As his speech had no end, Messieurs the Captains had great difficulty in securing any opportunity for answer. At last, the boldest advanced. "My brother", said he, "I do not come here alone, or of my own accord. The Council has sent us to say a word to thee, but I dare not speak. No, it is not I who speak, but all the Cabins. Hast thou seen that sick woman who languishes! [32] She is exhausted, and her voice has but strength enough to say to thee: «Tsondatsaa, have pity on me!» All the People have striven for her during the last two days, but our remedies are without effect, not being animated by thy voice. Such a one desires that thou shouldst be the one to preside with him at the ceremony. Do not refuse the People that favor, for a single day."

"My brothers", he replied, "you know that I am a believer. This Cabin is holy. Were I to sin, what example would I give to those who are on the point of being Baptized ? Command me, when we shall go to war, to put myself in a dangerous place, and, even if I were alone, I would make head against the Enemy; but I would rather die than commit sin". "My brother", said an Apostate to him, "this is not an evil without remedy. We have just spoken to the black Gowns who teach thee. It is true that they do not wish to exhort thee to obey us on this point; but they have promised us that to-morrow they will wipe out thy sin. Courage, therefore, and [page 47] fear not a sin that to-morrow will no longer exist, when thou shalt have Confessed".

[33] The Devil is very cunning, but a heart whose motto is "Death before sin" is not to be taken in such snares. The struggle did not end there, but this new Believer remained ever consistent. Finally, they endeavored to bribe his Wife, but they met at all points a brave refusal.

At the same time, a Captain, more impetuous than they, had entered the Cabin of some other Christians. Addressing the youngest, he said to him in a fiendish voice: "My nephew, make a truce for one day with the Faith. Our Country is going to ruin; the sick are dying. Whither can we flee to avoid death? Why do you keep away from our dances? Why do you refuse to do this act of kindness to the People? It is the Christians who kill us, since they will not help us. Come and dance to-day, my nephew, and to-morrow thou shalt resume the practice of the Faith".

To all this the young Christian answered not a word. He bowed his head between his knees, according to the custom of the Country, meaning thereby that he would do nothing of the kind. The Head of the [34] Cabin was not satisfied with so simple a refusal; he preferred a more energetic protestation of the Faith that reigned in all his Family. "Thou wilt lose thy time here", he said to the Captain; "even the children will not obey thee. The Devil has no authority here, where GOD alone is Master. I speak in the name of all, for I know that their Faith is like unto mine. We may, indeed, all be massacred; but no one can force us to pay the homage that you render to the Devil". [page 49]

The captain bcame furious, and redoubled his cries, his threats, and his blasphemies against God. In the end , he was compelled to abandon his design when he saw that even the children looked at him with an unroubled glaze as if he were merely paying a visit.

There was not one cabin where any Christian dwelt that did not bear witness, on that day, that their faith was stronger than the power of all the captains. Even one poor little man, named Mathias Atiessa, who was the butt of the village, had never-theless sufficient wit [35] andcourage to check the insolence in that respect. "Cease to believe", the Captain say to him at last, after many useless efforts. "Both my son and I", he replied, "would sooner die". "But if thy son should fall ill?" "I would rather see him die", replied the father, "than have recouree to your diabolical remedies and dances". "What do the Black Gowns giv eto thee, to induce thee to believe thus?" "Paradise", he replied. "Thou speakest very boldly for a beggar, even if they gave thee a robe to cover thee". "I shall be rich in heaven; but from what I see", (he replied to the Captain, who had formerly shown some inclination toward the faith) "it is precisely that which prevents thee from believing—thou thinkest only of this life, and not of eternity". This poor man has more good will than wit; but if GOD makes the toungues of children eloquent,this is not the first time he has given to the souls of the weakest the means of confounding those who think that they are the greatest minds of the Earth.

When evening came, the Christians [36] felt greatly [page 51] consoled at learning from one another what had happened to them "The Devils"’ said Charles, "appeared to-day in my cabin—yes, three Devils from Hell, but clothed with flesh. They wished to overturn it, but GOD held it up." Thus did they attribute all the glory thereof to GOD.

These attacks were not for one day only; that would have been escaping too easily. There is hardly a day in the Year on which some Demon does nothave special hommage rendered unto him. But, as among Christians, after each Saint has had his own Day, there is a more solom Festival, on which all the Saints are honored in Company, so likewise in this Country, after each Demon has been honored in his turn, there is a public celebration in Winter, at which all the Demons are honored on the same day. This celebration is called Ononhouaroia, or "upsetting of brain", because all the youth, and even the women and children, run about as if they were mad, insisting on obedience being paid to their Demons by making them a present of something which they [37] proffer with an enigma, and which has been suggested to them in a dream.

This year, it was found impossible from our Christians any such hommage; they always refused it, even for all their intimate friends. Poor Mathias, whom I have just mentioned, was lifted up from the ground, heard the threats uttered aginst him, and saw the hachet already raised over his head, without opening his lips to say a single word that they wished to draw from him.

An hour afterward, they did the same to another Christian named Pierre Andation, and the same silence was his sole complaint. His wife, a Christiam [page 53] like himself, who held him by one arm in order to stop the man who pulled him violently, gently reproached him some time afterward with not having had enough confidence, for the sweat had broken out all over his body. One of the Fathers, who was fortunately on the spot, had the consolation of witnessing all this faithfulness.

It is not only among the Men that one meets such strength. Faith finds no difference between the sexes; [38] it fortifies the courage of the Women as well. Last Summer, the most famous Magician in the Country was consulted to learn what success might be expected from the corn that had been planted. He gave two answers,—in the first place, that it was necessary that each on should go every day to his field, throw some tobacco on the fire, and burn it in honor of the Demon whom he worshipped, calling aloud this form of prayer: "Listen, 0 Sky! Taste my tobacco; have pity on us".

Secondly, he ordered that no one should go to gather hemp (that was the time when they usually go to the untilled plains, in order to gather a certain wild plant, from which twine for their nets is made). And the wretch added that, if they failed to obey therein his Demon, all the grain would be lost. This command was at once proclaimed by the Captains; but the Christians would not offer sacrifices to the Devil, being resolved to die of hunger, rather than do so. Two sisters, who had agreed together to go out on the following day to gather hemp, thought that they could not without sin [39] break this agreement; they went with bowed heads, and returned in the sight of all the Infidels. Complaints of this were made to the Captains, who proclaimed through the [page 55] Village that a good harvest could not be expected, that the Christians would be the cause of famine, and that it was quite true that the Faith was the ruin of the Country. Every one accused these poor innocent women, but the hearts of the faithful fear only God and sin. We do not know whether GOD willed to reward their Faith, and to punish the impiety of the others; but we were witnesses that most of the corn did not ripen, especially that belonging to those who had sacrificed to the Devil, while our Christians gathered a fair crop.

Some months afterward, when the village trembled with fear of the Enemy, these two good sisters said to us, "Do not come to our succor even if the Iroquois come and burn our palisades, because the Captains are urging all the people to the service of the Devil". But I do not know whether their zeal was not like that of the Brothers Boanerges,—at least these women had somewhat [40] more, for they themselves would have perished in the burning of their Village. [page 57]

CHAPTER V.

OF THE GOOD SENTIMENTS OF SOME CHRISTIANS OF THIS SAME MISSION.

OT only in public have the Christians manifested their faithfulness. Heaven desires proof of the same, whereof it alone, so to speak, will be the witness. One Joseph Teondechoren had a daughter, nine or ten years old, who was carried away by a sudden illness when he least expected it. The Infidels at once reproached him, saying that her death was a result of the Faith, which he had embraced after the murder of the late Joseph Chihoatenhoua, his brother; that, some time previously, his wife had died a day after having been baptized, although at the hour of her Baptism she was in good health,—in a word, that his Family was being destroyed since they had [41] accepted the Faith. A Father who had heard the news went to console him; but a heart that receives its consolation from GOD alone needs no other. "It seems to me," said this good Christian, "that I see before me my daughter, full of joy; her death has consoled me more than her life; my mind has not been disturbed by it. Some time ago, I gave her up to GOD; he has disposed of her; she belonged to him more than to me. I do not place much value upon the life we lead here below on earth. I prize Eternity alone, and the intercourse that we will have together forever." [page 59 ]

Marie Aonetta, widow of the late Joseph Chihoaenhoua, that distinguished Christian, behaved with similar courage when death robbed her of a little daughter three years old, named Geneviefve, who, during her illness, frequently point to Heaven saying that she was looking for her father, and wished to go with him. When the Fathers who at that time were at la Conception, a fortnight or three weeks before her death, saw her grievously ill, they bethought themselves of having some Votive Masses said in honor of her good Patroness sainte Geneviefve, [42] to pray her to obtain for the little creature whatever night be best for her,—either life, or death while in that state of innocence. It would seem that the good saint wished to show them that she had heard their prayer; for life lingered in the little girl until the third day of the Year, the feast day of the Saint, when little Geneviefve expired. She was the first whom one of our Fathers had baptized on his arrival in the Country, and to whom, in fulfillment of a vow, he had given that Name, praying that good Patroness that, as she had become the Guardian of this first grace, she might be pleased so to act that by her means she would obtain the last. When her mother, Aonetta, who had attended her daughter's interment, saw her Christian relatives stop to weep over the grave of her late husband, she could not restrain the liveliest emotions of her heart. "What is the good of all these tears?" she said to them. "Let us endeavor to follow them up there, in Heaven; let us gather there an entire family of Saints; let us all serve God faithfully, so that the unbelievers may see that our Faith has not died with those who have departed, and that [43] the hope of Paradise is sufficient to check our tears." [page 61 ]

A Christian young Man on a journey met an infidel woman, who solicited him to do what he could not yield to her without prejudice to his conscience. "Thou art a bitch", he replied to her; "withdraw from me." "But what fearest thou in these woods? answered the shameless woman, "no one sees us." "But the great master of our lives has his eyes fixed upon us", replied the good believer, "and it is he whom I fear."

A good Neophyte went to a neighboring village on the occasion of a noted feast, at which the invite warriors excited one another by their songs to perform some deed of valor. When he left the meeting, at a very late hour, a woman took his hand and invited him to lodge with her. "I have already secured my lodgings elsewhere," he replied. "The darkness prevents thee from recognizing me," said the decoy; "it was in that house that thou didst formerly lodge." "Yes indeed", he said, "but then I was not a Christian." God knows which of the two was the more astonished. However, the good Neophyte, fearing [44] that on this occasion the Devil might tempt him more energetically, resolved to make sure of his victory by flight. He left the village that very night, and about midnight he reached his own Cabin, where he was not expected till the following day.

A Christian resolved, through devotion, to fast for an entire month. Hardly had he begun when the hunters returned from the woods, loaded with the flesh of bears and of deer. All the feasts that were held, in all of the Cabins, were so many very strong temptations for a Man who, at all other times, is compelled through necessity to lead a life more austere [page 63] than in the time of Lent. He was invited to a feast, twice, thrice, and four times a day; but, through. fear of pledging himself to attend one where he might break his fast, he refrained from attending all the others, at which often fish alone was served. He was urged not to be so severe with himself; and the Fathers told him that he might without scruple postpone his Devotion to some other season, as he was not obliged to perform it. "It is true," he replied, "that I would willingly eat flesh; but to-day I am well pleased at [45] having deprived myself of it yesterday; and, when the month all have passed, my satisfaction will be unalloyed. whenever I think that my fast will be rewarded forever in Heaven, I experience no more difficulty in it."

"I know not," said the same ma on another occasion, "what passes in my Soul, but I feel no greater pleasure than when I pray to God I look forward to the hour of Prayer, just as a very hungry man makes ready for a meal that he sees being prepared for him. When I am invited to a feast near the hour of Prayer, I am careful not to pledge myself for it."

"It seems to me," said a certain woman, "that some one other than myself speaks within my heart. While I am working in my field, I think all the time that some one is advising me to offer my work to GOD. Although I have frequently done so, he does not stop speaking. Sometimes I put it off for a long time, and he urges me still more earnestly. The more I do so, the more do I experience a pleasure that I cannot describe; and yet I am in this matter like those sluggards who do not always do what they are obliged." [page 65]

[46] A poor Man, the only Christian in all his Family, was persecuted by his relatives who urged him to abandon the Faith. They drove him away from their Cabins, and refused to give him anything to eat; they reproached him with the death of one of his nieces, who had been baptized. He was left without means of support, and was compelled to do what is usually the work of Women. He was mocked at, and spurned from every Company; and quarrels were picked with him. If at any time he was invited to a feast, some insolent persons present would call out that he should not have been invited, because he was a Christian, and because he brought misfortune wherever he went; that he might certainly make up his mind to die sooner than he expected; and that he would be clubbed to death as a Sorcerer. "Never mind," this good Christian would often reply to all these threats, "I will persevere in the Faith; no one can ravish it from me. The poorer I am, the less shall I lose at death; and those who despise me will find after this life that I shall be richer than they. Their hearts are on Earth; while my desires are in Heaven, since I have been baptized."

Last Winter this poor Man performed an [47] act of Charity which nearly cost him his life, and placed on the road to Heaven a Soul that was very near Hell. They were on a journey; and, after they had made their way for five or six leagues through the snow, one of his nieces, who followed them, had to stop in consequence of the severe cold. At evening, having chosen a place for their lodging in the midst of the open country, they noticed that the girl was missing and suspected what had happened. This good [page 67] Christian started immediately to the assistance of his niece. After going a long distance, he found the poor girl lying quite stiff in the snow, and placed her on his shoulders. Charity made him hasten his steps, but at last his own strength failed him; he fell under the weight of his burden, and lay down by the road. One of our servants, who was with the band, seeing that the daylight was gone, feared that this Christian might. be lost, and followed his tracks in the darkness of the night. He found him praying, for, as he could go no further, he was preparing to die well. The girl was both motionless and unconscious. The young Frenchman divested himself of his coat to cover the [48] poor Christian and took charge of the dying burden. Thy prayed to God for aid, offered him their lives, and, after enduring many hardships, they reached shelter. The girl, who was more than half dead, was placed near the fire; she had neither pulse nor feeling; for all medicine, they poured into her mouth some water obtained by melting snow. At last, she r gained consciousness, but only to die soon afterward. They had, however, sufficient time to give her ample instruction in order to receive holy Baptism; and, if she be now in Heaven she owes her Salvation to that charitable Christian, for his words sank more deeply into her heart, and he was never tired of animating her with hopes of Paradise.

A Christian woman related one day to one of our Fathers a glorious victory that she had won over the Devil, while she thought that he was accusing herself of a great sin. "I carried the Devil in my body," she said, "nearly a whole day. He spoke to my heart without ceasing, and suggested immodest [page 69] thoughts to it.. I came and went while occupied with my work, endeavoring to leave him; [49] but so fixed was he in my Soul that he accompanied me everywhere." "Didst thou pray when. so tempted ?" "No," she said, "I did not really pray; my thoughts were ever of God alone, and of the fire that burns in Hell. I said continually: ‘No, I will not sin.’ But, nevertheless, I sinned all the time, and the Devil ever kept my Soul in evil. Doubtless that was because I did not then pray as I ought." "But in what didst thou sin ?" "Would the Devil," she said, "have been the master had I not sinned ? Would he not have fled, had I prayed as I should have done?" "But, at last, how did he cease to torment thee so?" "after having frequently repeated the Prayers that I know," she replied, "as I could not find anything else to do, I said with all my strength: JESOUS, TAÏTENR, ‘JESUS, HAVE PITY ON ME!’ and at the same instant my Soul eased to be wicked. It is thus that I should have prayed at the very beginning."

Another woman, who had observed that a certain infidel came frequently to her Cabin, was one day greatly disturbed in mind when she saw that Man looking at her [50] in a way that made her suspect him of some evil design. She at once turned her heart to God, resolved not even to cast a glance in the direction whence she feared the enemy; and that very evening she did not fail to till everything to her Father director,—adding that .she had thought that this discovery would weaken the Devil, who sought only to do her evil, and to tempt her to sin, in order to make her afterwards lose the Faith.

A Christian girl was asked whether in the license [page 71] which the young men here assume, she had not lent an ear to some improper discourse. "No one speaks to me," she said; "except that I am often told that I am too melancholy; but to this answer nothing, I only pray to GOD in my heart so hat he may keep me safe, because I fear to commit sin. They do not know my thoughts," she added; "I manifest my joy only in my Cabin, when I am with my sisters and my parents. When I go anywhere, I alter my appearance; I keep my eyes cast down, and my forehead wrinkled, and I try to [51] look sad so that no one is encouraged to accost me."

It is only GOD who can inspire such desires for purity in hearts and in a Country where impurity is viewed only with honor. But when Faith is in a heart it effects wonderful changes therein. We shall see this in the next Chapter. [page 73]

CHAPTER VI.

OF THE CONDUCT OF SOME CHRISTIANS IN PARTICULAR, OF THIS SAME MISSION.

OSEPH Teondechoren, before his Baptism, was a mass of flesh, that covered a Soul as gross as his body. Every day the mysteries of our Faith were preached to him, and he could not understand them. He saw examples of godliness before his eyes in a brother younger than he, who thought but of Heaven, while his own thoughts were ever of earth. After the death [52] of that brother, taking his name of Joseph, he inherited his Faith, his spirit, and his zeal to such an extent that one can easily see that it is an effect of Heaven.

Some time ago, a number of Infidels,—after admiring his discourses and the zeal with which he spoke to them on matters of Faith, and still more his manner of living, which since his Baptism has been beyond reproach,—exclaimed: "But what have the black Gowns done to thee to alter thee so?" "They have drawn out all the evil that was in my Soul," said this good Christian. "Believe as you ought, all of you, and you will experience it better than I can tell you."

On another occasion, when he was baring his conscience to his Father director, he said: "It seems to me that we are but one, GOD and myself. Either he follows me, or I find him, wherever I go. It would be impossible for me to separate from him. [page 75] When I sin, I see Very well that he is there; but, although I have no sense, I constantly observe a change within my Soul. Nearly every day, I say to myself: ‘Now I am well’, and the next day [53] I have pity on what I was, seeing myself become quite another."

One day, he was speaking to an old Savage, one of the wealthiest of the Village but also one of the most attached to the service of the devil. "My uncle," he said to him, "thou thinkest thyself very rich; thou art a beggar, and more miserable than I am. If I be poor, I am content in my poverty, while thy mind is never at ease. If one were to say insulting things to thee, or slander thee, thou wouldst be troubled, and all thy wealth would not cure; thee. As for me, my heart is prepared for all the evils that may happen to me; I would be pleased if I saw myself in disgrace, and yen in that condition I should be happier than thou. I think only of heaven, and all that I see on Earth, whether of good or of evil, seems to me like smoke that rises an disappears in a moment. I have not always had such thoughts," he added; "perhaps I have been more averse to them than thou art. If ever thou has recourse to GOD with all thy heart, he is quite prepared to grant thee the same graces."

A man named René‚ Sondihouâne, one of the [54] first of our believers, shows us clearly by his conduct that he is taught by a better Master than ourselves. "Frequently," he says, "I awake in the middle of the night; I think of GOD, and I find that the night passes without my noticing it, more pleasantly than if I had slept soundly. I do not know who puts in my heart the thoughts that I have there, but it is [page 77] impossible for me to repeat what my heart tells me." Often during the day he goes to the Chapel, and remains there in prayer for hours at a time, without any distraction of mind. One night, when it was exceedingly cold, one of our Fathers who saw him come out of it all trembling, a long while after he had gone in,—having only a bearskin for clothing, which covered but half of his body,—gently rebuked him for remaining so long at his Prayers, considering the severity of the cold. "I went in quite naked, having only a short Prayer to say," simply replied the good Man, who is at least sixty years of age; "but, having begun, I did not notice that I was there a long time, and I did not think [55] that I was very cold." Such things frequently happen to him; he does them on purpose to gain greater merit, and to punish himself. "Why," he says, "should I not make my body suffer something ? I pay back to it what it makes my Soul suffer. It disturbed my mind while I prayed, and caused my Soul to become weary while speaking to GOD. But little more, and I should have left everything there. If it remained unpunished, it would always do the same to me."

One day, when he had entered the Chapel alone and had commenced to pray, he felt a person kneel near him. He was astonished, but his surprise was still greater when he heard an unknown voice repeating the same Prayers as himself. After some time, he allowed his curiosity to overcome him; and, as it was dim in there, he asked who it was. No one answered, and yet he still felt that person near him. He stretched out his hand to discover who it was, but the other suddenly disappeared. When he came forth from that place, he told one of the Fathers that [page 79] a wonderful thing had happened to him; and he related all. "What didst thou," he was asked, "after having [56] looked for him ?" "I resumed my Prayer," he said, "and I found myself in the same condition as before; only I thought that thou couldst tell me what this might be, for I have no sense." We knew no more than he does, on that point; but we are not ignorant of the fact that God is pleased to converse with the simplest Souls.

One night this good man, after having for a long time meditated upon the greatness of GOD, found himself unexpectedly plunged in the depths of a Mystery from which he could find no issue. "But how," said he, "can it be that a Father and a Son are the same, without being the same person. If God the Father be really the Father, does he produce himself, since he does not produce another God?" All this was darkness to him, more obscure than the darkness of night. When day broke, he came to seek light upon his doubts. "But," he was asked, "what idea hadst thou on the subject?" "What else could I think," he replied, "but that GOD is not a Man like myself ? ‘If a dog,’ I said to myself,’ wished to imagine what the thoughts of Men are, [57] what else could he say but that Man is not the same as a dog ? GOD would not be All-powerful, and what he is, if I could understand what he is."

Last Year, one of our Catechumens, named Tsondatsaa, who had gone down to Kebec with Father Jean de Brebeuf, gave such satisfaction throughout the journey that Monsieur the Chevalier de Montmagny, our Governor, who talked with him, having recognized his intelligence and heard his desire to be baptized, decided that we were too strict in refusing [page 81] to grant him so holy a demand. What had prevented us was that we feared that this Savage, who was one of those most involved in the superstitions of the Country, and a Leader in that trade, would not have sufficient strength to keep the promise that he gave us,—that, when once baptized, he would abandon all that GOD has forbidden. We could have wished that he had begun to do so, even before his Baptism. In any case, the event showed us that it was an inspiration from GOD that led Monsieur the [58] Governor to wish to see him baptized, and himself to be his Godfather. I think that the relation of last Year made some mention of his Baptism which took place down there at Kebec, therefore I will say nothing about it for fear of repetition.

This happy Neophyte, who received the name of Charles at his Baptism, had no sooner arrived here in his own Country than he invited all the leading men of his Village. "My brothers," he said to them, "you see a Christian who would rather die than abandon the Faith. It is to the Great Master of our lives that I have pledged myself by promise. Never shall the Devil, or anything that comes from him, have any power over me. Let no one in future tempt me to commit any sin whatever, unless he be prepared to take away a refusal. I wish to save you, and myself also, from trouble, by giving you all this notice. My property, my life, and my courage belong to you, provided that I am not called upon to do anything g that is opposed to GOD. I do not know much; but I offer myself to teach all those who may feel any desire to imitate me. I see very well that I abandon you in the customs of the [59] Country; I have been engaged in them as deeply as you have. [page 83] If you feel any regret at my leaving you, follow my example, and we shall be bound together more closely than ever."

Since then, he has done all that he promised. To say this would be to praise him sufficiently in a few words, had we no other object in view; but I think that all the glory thereof will be given to , after hearing something g more in detail about this good Neophyte. The warning of the Sage is very true, that he who begins to wish to serve must prepare his Soul against the assaults of temptation. The Cabin of this new Christian is soon assailed on all sides. One of his nephews falls ill, and all despair of his recovery; he is informed of the death of another, who has been drowned in the waters. The Devil enters into the body of one of his nieces, who is an infidel, and makes her frenzied. His nearest relatives conspire against him and the quarrel almost extends to murder on both sides. Less than that suffices to break down a mind that is not sustained by GOD; but when [6o] we place all our trust in him, he gives new life after having chastised us. The quarrels are happily settled; the Devil leaves the woman; the news of his nephew's death proves in the end to be untrue; and health is restored to him who was given up by all, except one of our Fathers.

This good Christian was so touched by all these favors that, in order to acknowledge the hand from which he received them, he promised to build a Chapel, larger than that which is now in the Village, in which all the Christians might more conveniently meet.

The Devil does not stop there. Some time [page 85] afterward, another of his nieces, aged about four or five years, falls ill. It is rumored that this illness is of the sort caused by a certain Demon, who is never appeased until homage has been paid to him in a dance, of which this new Christian had been the Leader before he was baptized. "But," said he, "let her die, rather than that I should have recourse to the assistance of a sworn enemy of GOD."

One day, when he was absent, all those who were in the Cabin were surprised to see this girl, [61] who was almost restored to health, suddenly fall ill again, and in danger of death. She loses both her senses and her speech, and they await but her last breath. Charles returns, greatly fatigued from his journey, quite late at night. He hears nothing but weeping, and learns with his own eyes what no one has the courage to tell him." You weep," he says, "because of her death; but what causes me the most sorrow is, that she is not baptized. To-morrow morning the Fathers will return here, but the child will no longer be alive. Let us therefore apply to God." Having said this, he went out and quickly assembled the principal Christians of the Village, to whom he told his trouble, saying: "Alas! does not some one among you know the sacred words that must be pronounced in baptizing ?" "They were taught to me," replied Joseph Teondechoren. "Let us then go at once," said Charles; "my mind is now greatly relieved." They entered together the afflicted Cabin, and there offered their Prayers; then Joseph baptized the Child, who was nigh unto death, and, turning towards those who were Present, he said: "Let us now cease weeping, and console ourselves; [62] her Soul is safe; she will fly to Heaven where she [page 87] will pray to GOD for us. As for me," he added, "I consider myself very happy because four of my children are in Paradise, and I invoke them with consolation." Charles then spoke, and, addressing the mother of the baptized child, who was yet a Catechumen, he said to her: "It is thou who shouldst more especially appreciate this blessing. Thank GOD on behalf of thy child, for the grace that she has just received through Baptism. Consider her as dead, if thou wilt; but thou must consider her as blessed in Heaven." "No, no," answered Joseph, " God will dispose of her; he can, if he will, restore her to health; let us all pray that in this his will be done." They again said their Prayers, and then each withdrew to his home. When the Christians met as usual on the following day, in the Chapel, they asked Charles: "Is the girl dead who was baptized?" "Not at all, " he replied; "God has had pity on us. She is now in the Cabin and will do well." GOD knows what joy diffused itself through the hearts of these good Believers, who [63] on the spot gave to him all the glory therefor.

If this cure be at all extraordinary, Heaven alone knows to whose faith it is to be attributed. In any case, the Faith of this brave Neophyte manifests itself sufficiently in his works. Speaking to some Infidels, he said: "Not only by day do I believe, and am fully resolved to let myself be killed rather than abandon the Faith. I believe even at night, in my soundest slumber. While sleeping I refuse to obey my dreams. Not many nights ago, I saw the whole Country leagued against me, to make me abandon the Faith. I refused all their presents, I laughed [page 89] at their threats, and felt more courageous than ever I was when fighting in battle against my Enemies."

It is a pleasure to hear him peak of the advantages of the Faith. When with young men whose thoughts are all of war, he says: "I feel compassion for you. All the Summer, you live in the midst of perils, and you tremble with fear, [64] as if the Enemy were already burning you. The fire that you dread is but a representation of Hell. When in the hands of the Iroquois, it lasts but one or two nights, and sometimes even one may escape. In Hell they burn throughout eternity, and no one has ever gone out thence. Why do you not Fear those pitiless flames ? You go to war to show your courage, and I know not whether you understand what it is to be brave. I have been held in some esteem; but I confess that I was afraid when we came to blows, and that it was only the fear of being deemed a coward that gave me some courage. Believe in earnest and you will feel that your courage is very different in peril. It is not that I am anxious to throw away my life but two things reassure me,—in the first place, that it is GOD alone who will dispose of my life; secondly, that if I die, I shall be happy in Heaven. Before I was baptized, my body and my soul trembled in the midst of dangers; while now my Soul is in a place of safety, although my body dreads the peril."

{65] If he happen to be in other (Company, he says: "Before I was fully resolved to range myself on the side of the Faith, I was considered fortunate: I had three well-tried charms,—one brought me. success in the chase, another in fishing; and I the third served me in my Trading. I threw all these charms into the fire for fear of being cast therein myself. I [page 91] abandoned all the dances, wherein you know what power I had. I afterward deprived myself of attending most of the feasts of the Country. If any woman were to accost me now, she would receive nothing but blows. You think that I have acted foolishly, in giving up what you consider the happiness of life; but it is you who arouse my pity. My judgment is better than yours, because I have felt in myself what you are, and you do not feel what I am. Become Christians, all of you, in real earnest; and then I will not answer a word, if you deny what I say. But, believe me, you are all miserable; and the Devil treats you as we do our Captives. 'We have nothing but caresses for them a day before their death, even when [66] our minds are filled with cruelties, the severity of which we afterward find all our pleasure in making them feel."

I would never finish, were I to repeat these endless discourses, for they are the usual subjects of his conversation. And, beyond a doubt, if to be a Christian it were sufficient to be convinced of the truths of our Faith, he would make almost as many Christians as he finds Hearers. But not all of those who have said to him, "We are resolved to follow thee," have his courage, when it is necessary that their deeds should confirm their words. Nevertheless, in his Cabin alone there are already more than twelve who have been baptized; and yet it was one of the most attached in the Country to the service of the Devil.

Is it not a proof that a man esteems the Faith when, during the busiest time in the fishing season, he leaves everything, and from distance of five leagues comes on the run, for fear of missing Mass on a Sunday ? There are many in France who would [page 93] have found pleasure in seeing him arrive, all naked, with his clothes in a bundle under his arm, for fear of their getting wet during [67] a shower of rain. Such a spectacle is a savage one only to the eyesight; but the spirit of Faith sees in it something undefinable which would cause confusion to many good Christians.

If he was attentive in serving GOD, GOD took care of him. There was a storm that lasted seven days, and rendered it impossible to launch a canoe for the purpose of taking up the nets that were set. This bad weather gave him leisure to pray still more. When calm returned, the Infidels Found all their nets broken and carried away by the storm; while his were safe and sound, in the same lace where he had put them.

This and similar instances, which have frequently happened to our Christians, are so many Lessons well within the scope of their understanding, which show that it is good to have recourse to GOD. Last Winter, a young Christian child unexpectedly found himself, late at night, in a plain all covered with snow. The cold, which every Winter stops the most robust persons, and even causes them to die in the middle of the road, almost overcame him amid the snow. "I shall die,’ he cried; JESUS, [68] have pity on me." He at once felt a warmth which gave new vigor to his limbs, and made him run rather than walk slowly. After traversing a long stretch of road, he again felt weak. He had recourse to his prayer: "JESUS, have pity on me." His energy was redoubled at the same moment , and he continued to run. His strength often failed him; but on each occasion he repeated the same Prayer, and experienced [page 95] the same assistance. Finally, about two hours after midnight, he reached his own Cabin and all thanked GOD for having preserved him; but he, accused himself for having, while running, forgotten to remember him who had enabled him so to run.

A Christian woman felt herself attacked by fever, on her return from a feast; she feared that this resulted from some spell that had been cast in her plate,—for, they say, that is the moment that the Sorcerers craftily seize, to make them die. "Not at all," said her husband; "whosoever truly believes, fears not the Devil. Didst thou not pray to GOD before eating?" "I was the only Christian there," candidly replied his wife; "I feared that they would scoff at me." "Thou hast [69] then, good reason to fear," replied her husband; "whosoever is ashamed of GOD, does not deserve that GOD should help him."

In this connection, a good Child confessed some time ago that, on being insulted, he had flown into a great rage, and had returned insult for insult. "And what didst thou say?" asked the Father who spoke to him. "So and so," he replied "who has not yet any sense" (that is, who does not yet believe) "called out on seeing me: ‘Here is the Faith walking about!’ I could not endure that; and I also replied, mocking him: ‘Here is the dream, here is the dance, here is the Devil, walking about!’ ‘Thou art a coward;’ he said to me, ‘thou fearest the fire of Hell.’ ‘Yes, indeed, I do fear it,’ I replied to him. ‘Come to our Cabin, and jump into the fire that I shall prepare for thee, and thus thou wilt show me thy courage; and then thou wilt have reason to call me a coward. Thou fearest not fire, when it is very far from thee."’ [page 97] This good Child thought that he had committed a great sin.

A young girl, fifteen or sixteen years old, who had gone to cut wood with her Infidel companions, like- wise accused herself [70] for having rebuked them because they talked about immodest things. "Thou shouldst have left them," she was told. "I did so," she replied, "and when I was all alone, some distance away, I said to myself: ‘Alas! why do they not believe ? They have no sense. I derive as much benefit from the earth as they,—my wood is as good as theirs; and, in addition to that, I deserve Heaven while they are damning themselves thus."’ [page 99]

CHAPTER VII.

USUAL EXERCISES OF THE CHRISTIANS OF THE SAME MISSION.

OWEVER robust our bodies may be", said one of our Christian Savages one day, to some Infidels whom he was teaching, "if food fails us, we lose our strength, and a child could throw us to the ground. What ever resolutions our hearts may take, if the grace of GOD do not powerfully fortify our [71] Souls, the slightest shock causes us to fall, and the Devil overthrows us without any difficulty. I felt such weakness", he said to them, "before I was baptized; but since then I feel my Soul more and more strengthened, because GOD gives an increased measure of hi grace to those who continue to do well". Since our Savages acknowledge this truth of their own accord, we may well say with them that, if GOD has given them some courage, it has been solely in consequence of their fidelity in the practice of the Faith.

Early in the morning, however cold the weather might be, Men, Women, and Children filled the Chapel to hear Mass, with as much devotion as if every day had been a Feast d y for them, The rising of the Sun is the bell that warns them. They did not leave the place until some advice had been given to them in common about passing the remainder of the day in a more Christian manner.

During the day, the Fathers went to their Cabins, [page 101] to teach them not only their Catechism but also the most important truths of our [72] Faith, -|- the whole being so arranged in questions and answers, according to the capacity of the Savages, that there is hardly anything that they cannot understand. It is a pleasure to witness their fervor in this respect. One sees Old Men, young Men, Women, and Children, who can find no more pleasant recreation than to be questioned by and to answer one another; and what consoles us the most is, that there is no other attraction or other hope of reward for them than that of Paradise. One who is between fifty and sixty years of age, on meeting a Child, will say to him: "My nephew, thou art clever, teach me; make me sweat to answer thee". A wife will question her husband; a son will likewise teach his mother, and, if she fail to answer properly, he will laugh at her, threatening to give up instructing her, because she will not remember what he wishes her to learn. And the best of it is, that the mother will not be angry at him. "He is right", she will say, "in scolding me, for I have not remembered my lesson well". "Before I was baptized", a certain man said to us, "I often felt dull, in spite of [73] all the amusements of the Country, which I sought as much as any other. Now, when I am alone, I repeat o myself the excellent things that are taught me and I encourage myself in the desire to know more. Such are my pleasures; my dances and my feasts, and all that, I have abandoned to embrace henceforth the Faith".

While they were celebrating in the Village the feast of Ononhouaroia, which has been mentioned above, and while the Infidels were demanding, by means of enigmas, their desires,—that is to say, the [page 103] desire of their Demon,—our Christians met together to state their desires also. "As for me", said one, "I wish to go to Heaven". "And I", said another, "would like to see all our Brothers in this Country Christians, and all gathered together in a Village where sin could not enter". "As for me", said a, third, " I would like to see the Whole Country thoroughly converted". "And I", said another, "if any one wished to split my head open with a blow from a hatchet, to make me find out the desire of those Devils, I would let myself be murdered, rather than say a word". "For my part", [74] said the next, "I would speak out aloud, and this is what I would say to the fool who should propound his enigma to me: ‘Thou wishest to burn in the fire with the Devil, whose desires thou seekest; throw thyself into those fireplaces, and thy desire and his will be accomplished". While they were amusing themselves in this manner, the foolish ones ceased not to pass through the Cabin, and some became wise while stopping to hear such pious discourse.

The fruit of these good instructions has been so apparent to our eyes, that we hope to derive still greater benefit therefrom. For, as most of the Christians possess the principal truths of our Faith through those easy questions and answers, they do much more than we can for the instruction of he other Savages. And at least we have this consolation, that, if the majority of them be not baptize, it is not a sign that they do not know all that is required for it.

Last Winter, the Hurons had a real fright, in consequence of a false alarm that had reached them that an Army of Iroquois was on the point of carrying the village of Kontarea, the chief bulwark [75] of the [page 105] Country. Those who resided at la Conception asked us whether we would not Baptize them all when the Enemy should appear, because they wished to go to Heaven after death. This shows that they know the Truth; but, in France as well as among the Hurons, there are but too many who, after having lived as Barbarians, are very anxious to die good Christians.

The setting of the Sun warns the Christians to collect in the Chapel. The Fathers who have charge of them are generally there; but it is always one of the older Christians who—each in turn, from Week to Week—presides over the meeting; who recites the Prayers aloud, while the others follow him; and who at the end, when the Fathers are not present, exhorts all the others properly to perform their duties as Christians.

On Saturday, all go to confesson, to prepare them selves for the holy Day (so they call Sunday), on which a short Sermon is preached to them before Mass. Although all have confessed their sins, nevertheless, as a rule, they are allowed to receive Communion [78 i.e., 76] but once a month. I remember having read in the Epistles of that great Apostle of the East, saint François Xavier, that of the Indians, both black and white, whom he had baptized by thousands, only the Children and a very few others were saved. The more I read the Epistles of that great Saint, the more does it seem to me that these Peoples among whom we are in Western India are more capable of understanding the mysteries of our Faith; at least, the perception of GOD penetrates more deeply into their hearts, when once they are converted. If Heaven be pleased to continue to grant its blessings to the others, and to make as good Christians of them [page 107] as those whom it now gives us, I may safely say that most and nearly all of them will be of the number of the Elect.

True Faith works great Miracles; it changes a savage heart into one that is in accord with the heart of GOD. We observe this more clearly in the tenderness of their conscience than in anything else. One accuses himself because, on awakening during the night, he has, on account of the cold, been afraid to withdraw his arm from beneath his [79 i,e., 77] covering, in order to make the sign of the Cross, contenting himself with making it on his breast. "I behaved as an Infidel would have done, another will say"; I was at work, and had already struck eight or nine blows on a tree to fell it, and I ad not asked GOD’S assistance". "I have endure cold", still another will say, "like the beasts that live in the woods". By this he means that he has not offered his petty sufferings to GOD. If during the Week they commit some more grievous sin, they often come at once to confess it; and sometimes there is more holiness than evil in acts which they think have been highly criminal, "Thou must know", they will say, "that I was present at the Council when it was resolved that such a dance should be performed to appease the Devil. Being caught there by surprise, without being able to get away, I begged pardon of GOD; I said many insulting things to the Devil, and I went to sleep. When they rose to depart, I awoke, and told the Captains that they did wrong in inviting me to such Councils, because they knew that I had nothing but horror for the Demons".

[8o i.e., 78] A young Child thought that he was lost, some days after his Baptism. "I have just [page 109] heard bad words," be said. "I detested those things with all my heart, and prayed GOD not to blot out my Baptism. I told them to be silent,—that the Great Master would punish them, and that he heard them well. In spite of what I said to them, they scoffed at me."

The Head of a Christian Cabin one day reproved his sister, who was still a Catechumen, with a little too much zeal. "What," said he, "dost thou wish to be miserable, and that I alone should be happy ? What thou art doing is enough to prevent thee from ever being Baptized." The poor woman, not knowing what to do, takes refuge in tears; she laments her error, and begs him not to tell the Fathers of it. "My sister, "replies this good Christian, "I have sinned more than thou hast, for, inasmuch as I am Baptized, my person is consecrated, and my sin is all the greater; but it is the love that I bear thee, which has caused me to be so angry. "The spirit of GOD alone gives such a horror of sin, and there is no other light than his which illumines [81 i.e. 79] a Soul so that it recognizes even its slight faults."

An Infidel one day asked a Christian woman what they all went to do, one after the other, in the Chapel; and she replied simply that they went to confess their sins. "And how, "said he, "do we sin ? As for me, I do not recognize any sins." "There is nothing surprising in that, "replied the good Woman; "thy life is but one continue: I succession of sins; how couldst thou distinguish them? We who have the Faith are always on our guard, and thus we easily recognize our faults."

When they are about to go to Confession, they prepare themselves with most praiseworthy care. [page 111] Sometimes one will hear the husband and wife asking each other their faults; they inform each other of the sins that they have committed during the week, and each teaches the other how he should confess. I think that Heaven takes pleas re in their simplicity. At other times, one will see the Father with his Child, the son with his mother, and an entire Family accusing one another, [82 i.e. 8o] when the Fathers who go to teach them enter the Cabin. "My son," the mother will say, "would not hear us say our prayers to GOD Has he confessed it ?" "Yes, indeed," the Child replies; "I would not do so because, when I say the Prayers, you do nothing but jest; behave properly, and I will hear you pray to GOD." "Yes, but thou didst not obey," the Father will say. "It is true," the son will answer; "but you also have sinned, for this morning you related a dream that you had during the night." In a word, it is a most peaceful discord, a pleasing strife, that Faith brings into a House.

While on the subject of Confession, I cannot find a more suitable occasion to speak of the opinion expressed by a Christian Savage, which has seemed to me to be worthy of mention here. He had been taught that, when sins are once forgiven, they never return, but that Grace lost through sin comes back to us when we Confess. Seeking in his own mind for the cause of this difference, he reasoned as follows: "Grace," said he, "is like a beautiful robe of Beaver fur, [83 i.e. 81] with which God our father clothes the souls of his good children. When one of our children offends us, we take his fine robe from him and leave him quite naked, but we do not throw the dress into the fire. It is too valuable a thing, and [page 113] we put it away somewhere to give it back to him when he is willing to obey us. In the same manner, God, when we have sinned, deprives our soul of its grace; but he does not wish that grace to be lost, for it is too precious to him. He preserves it very carefully in his treasury, being quite ready to give it back to us when we ask his pardon. But Sin is so hideous a thing, that God has a horror of it. When we confess ourselves he destroys it entirely. Would he place so frightful a monster among his treasures? It is therefore not surprising that it never returns into our Souls, when once it is washed away." If this argument be not received in the School, we must excuse a Barbarian who has never read saint Thomas.

[page 115]

[84 i.e. 82] CHAPTER VIII.

OF THE MISSION OF SAINT JOSEPH AMONG THE ATTINGUEENONGNAHAK.

HIS Mission has fallen to the lot of Father Charles Garnier and Father Simon le Moine, who usually reside in the village of Saint Joseph. Hardly had they arrived when they learned that a little child, still in its cradle, had been abandoned at a considerable distance in the open country, as a prey of which death had already taken possession. They hastened thither at once, found the child, whose end was approaching, Baptized it, and sent it to Heaven, to be added to the number of the Elect.

A few days afterward, when they entered the cabin of the greatest Magician of that Nation, they observed a girl thirteen or fourteen years of age, who was dying. They decided that in so cursed a cabin, wherein the Devil was master, it was necessary to proceed with care in order to pluck this victim from his clutches, [85 i.e. 83] and to instruct the child without declaring that they wished to do so. They exhibited a picture of Our Lord, which pleased the mother of the sick girl; and they took advantage of the opportunity to speak of. the greatness of God, of Paradise, of Hell, and of the principal truths of our faith. As soon as the infamous Magician heard them speak of Baptism, he commenced to pour forth a thousand blasphemies against God. Our Fathers [page 117] saw well enough that it was time to expose clearly their design. "That dost thou say about it ?" they asked the patient. "Dost thou wish to burn forever in Hell ?" "No, no," boldly exclaimed this instrument of Satan, "she certainly shall not be Baptized. Get out of my House." His poor suffering daughter, who until then had not said a word, began herself to speak. "It is not you," she said resolutely. to her father, "who shall dispose of me on that point. I desire to be Baptized without delay, for I wish to go to Heaven." On hearing this answer, that no one expected, the miserable man remained speechless; but the mother of the Child spoke for her husband. "It is not," she exclaimed, "an ordinary disease that is causing [86 i.e., 8q] the death of my daughter; it is such and such a Demon who has been killing her during the last four Months. To him alone and to our dances have we recourse; therefore thou canst not Baptize her." "Why not ?" replied the sick girl. "I detest all the demons; I renounce our dances, and thou, I pray thee, refuse me not Baptism," she said to the Father who had just instructed her. -hen God comes to possess a heart, it has neither ears nor feeling for all that is tenderest in nature. It would have been cruel to refuse this Soul entrance to Paradise, to which the Blood of Jesus Christ and her own courage had entitled her. But it was necessary that grace should win a glorious victory. "My daughter," said the Father who had just instructed her, "thy request is indeed reasonable, but I must not expose Baptism to be profaned. Before that, thy parents must promise me that they will no longer have recourse to the Devil, or to dances, to obtain thy cure." "Fear it [page 119] not," replied the child, "I will die rather than permit them to do so." "Since thou desirest it," parents said to her, "let him Baptize thee, if he will We will never again have recourse on thy behalf to [87 i.e. 85] those remedies unless thou thyself shouldst ask it." It was a very great consolation both for him who administered holy Baptism and, for her who received it, to see and feel what the holy Ghost effects in a Soul when he prepares it for himself. "Yes," said the girl at the moment when the waters of baptism made her innocent, "I detest all my sins. Great master of our lives, have pity on me." She died shortly afterward.

THESE souls and others like them, which went to Heaven as soon as they found entrance into the Church, did not need much assistance; therefore it was not for them that the greatest amount of labor has been performed. The chief care has been to; train the .Adult Christians who constitute a small Church there, which this Year has increased in numbers and still more in Godliness.

ONE of these good Christians had been ill since the Summer, and he was suddenly cured on the arrival of the Fathers who came to teach them,—either through the joy that he felt therefrom, or rather, according to his own opinion, because he had made his confession.

[88 i.e., 86] On the same day, a Woman about seventy years of age, on hearing the Children cry out in the Village: "Here come the two clothed in black," was also cured of a fever that tormented her. "I shall be cured," she exclaimed, "I shall see my Brothers." At the same moment she recovered her health, went out for the first time, and carried to the [page 121] two Fathers, in token of thanks, a loaf of bread baked in the embers.

The Faith of this good Woman, whose name is Anne Outenen has constantly increased since she was baptized, three years ago; and her piety is so manifest that it is easy to see that GOD is in; her heart. She fasts often, and sometimes until night, especially on Saturday, in order to prepare herself for the holy Day. She has so tender an affection for us and for all the Faithful that whenever she hears any one speak harshly, she feels greatly troubled in her heart, and sometimes she cannot restrain her tears. When one of the chief Captains said that the Christians must be massacred, and when afterward one of her brothers strongly urged her to abandon the Faith, "Let him begin with me," [89 i.e. 87] she said; "Faith is more precious to me than life. I will present my head to him, and he shall see that I am ready to receive the blow." Heat, cold, affliction, sickness, trouble, and sorrow, she offers all to GOD for the remission of her sins, considering herself guilty even in the faults of others. She has such a horror of them that she sometimes has been unable to lie down in her Cabin, because then she would have witnessed offenses against G o D. She would sleep outside; and, on one occasion, having heard that some members of a Diabolical confraternity had slept upon her mat, never afterward would she use it. When she is at work far away in the fields, Prayer is her greatest rest. She says her Rosary, and her devotion alone has taught her to turn her body and mind towards our Chapel of Sainte Marie, where the Blessed Sacrament reposes,—"Because," she says, "I feel attracted in that direction." [page 123]

An Infidel woman received in a dream a command from her Demon to contract a friendship with a Christian woman. In order to commence this intimacy; [90 i.e. 88] as she knew that a dog which the other had cherished was dead, she made her a present of another one (this is just as if in France one were to give a friend a fine Spanish horse). In addition, she begged her to accept a blanket that she sent her; and in order to assist her in her housekeeping, she had a load of wood taken to her. Then she invited both husband and wife publicly to a feast. A friendship was formed, which as it was of great advantage to the Christian Family, caused them great joy. But, when they afterwards learned that all this was done merely in order to obey the dream of that Infidel woman, these good Christians began to tremble. "The Devil," they said, "has some designs on us these presents that he has caused to be sent to us will bring us misfortune." "Yes indeed," said the husband, "if we were willing to keep them; but they shall not pass the night in my house." This was no sooner said than done. He gave orders that the wood be returned, took the dog and the blanket, and went to the Infidel woman, to whom he said: "I have come to return thy presents; thou knowest well that ours is a Christian Cabin; [91 i.e. 89] this friendship that thou wishest to contract with us has no other author than the Devil, who has commanded it to thee in a dream; and we would sin, were we to obey him in this." I do not know whether the Casuists would have been so strict on this occasion. In any case, it was not an easy thing to do. But there is no bond of friendship that Faith will not sever, rather than see us separated from GOD. [page 125]

That is what a Christian of this same Village said., when he saw himself about to be abandoned by his wife and children, in consequence of the persecutions of his mother-in-law, who could not bear to have him in her house when she found that he was a Christian: "No," he said, "I never would have thought that anything in the world could separate me from my wife. We have lived together for fifteen or sixteen years. The five children that we have had seemed so many bonds that would render our marriage indissoluble. After she and I had received holy Baptism, we promised GOD that we would never separate. Now she has abandoned the Faith, or at least, to please her mother, she no longer has the courage [92 i. e., go] to profess it. She still loves me, and I also love her; and nevertheless her mother compels her to leave me, if I do not abandon the Faith. Such, a separation is painful to me, but I am resolved to endure it rather than ever separate myself from God.

This good Christian has a son twelve or thirteen years of age, who has imitated his father's courage. Everything that could be done was tried, to make him desist from the Faith. They endeavored to corrupt him by kindness, by threats, and by such rigorous measures as were within their power. At last, when he saw himself tormented by his grandmother, who allowed him no rest by night or by day, hoping to prevail upon him to give u p the Christian practices as his mother had done, the child said to this Hellish Megera: "Know that they may burn me alive,—here are my arms, my feet, and my body, all ready to suffer it; but never will I abandon the Faith. [page 127]

Such determination is not within the capacity of nature; and he alone for whom such good resolution, are taken gives at the same time the strength necessary for performing what he requires of us. The Infidels [93 i.e. 91] themselves are not unaware, of' it. and they also complain of their own unhappiness. "The Demons," said one of them, "command us to do impossible things. They do not give us what is necessary for a feast, and they require us to make one. Sometimes they compel us, if we would avoid some great misfortune, to offer what we do not possess, and cannot get. Does not this show that they either trifle with us, or that they are pleased to see us miserable ? But the GOD of the Christians commands them to do nothing that is impossible for them; and, if they fail, it is of their own will. It is by this," he said, "that I recognize that he alone is the Master of our lives, since he desires only our good." I pray the holy Ghost that this knowledge may not serve one day for the condemnation of this. Man, who, in spite of it, does not yet give to GOD the praise that he knows very well is due to him.

THE best minds among the Hurons are not those which soonest yield to the truths that they acknowledge; some simple women are often more susceptible [94 i.e. 92 ] to the influence of the holy Ghost. A good Christian woman, hearing one day a Sermon. preached on the Resurrection, could not contain in her heart the joy with which she was filled. "This it is," she called out aloud to the entire Audience, "that makes us believe. It is through this hope that we suffer calumnies and insults in patience. We are threatened with death; it is said that the Christians must be massacred. Let them kill us, if [page 129] they have the boldness to do so. I shall rise again some day, in the body that they shall have killed."

ANOTHER, about eighty years of age, who was awaiting the hour of her death, after having received absolution, begged to be raised in a sitting posture in order to pray to GOD with more respect. Then in a dying voice, she said: "JESUS, have pity on me; take me into thy Paradise. I am content to die; I aspire but to Heaven. ,JESUS, have pity on me." God has preserved this good Woman, throughout her life, in a state of purity that is very rare in this Country; and, after her baptism, she retained her innocence, having no greater pleasure than to pray [95 i.e. 93] to God, although she knew hardly more than these two words: Jesous Taïtenr, "Jesus, have pity on me."

I was touched, some time ago, when I heard a. deed of Charity related which I cannot avoid repeating. A poor Christian woman, about sixty years of age, who had heard of the zeal that is manifested in France for adorning places of devotion, and that many stripped themselves to give all they had to Our Lord, felt herself at the same time affected with the like desire. Although the weather was cold, as she had nothing of value except a robe of Beaver fur that covered her, she took it off, and said: "I offer it to Our Lord; it will serve, when fitted thereon, as a carpet for our Chapel. If I had anything else, I would give it cheerfully, so that God may have pity on me." [page 131]

[96 i.e. 94] CHAPTER IX.

PERSECUTIONS OF THE CHRISTIANS OF THE SAME MISSION,

HE Christians and Catechumens of this Mission had passed nearly the whole Winter in trials of their faith, which showed us that Heaven worked more energetically than Men for their instruction. The teaching that we had given them so easily penetrated their minds and produced so vivid impressions therein, that we were surprised after one or two months at their having made more progress in the knowledge of our Mysteries, and in the love of God, than we had dared to expect after one or two years’ labor. But owing to the want of a Chapel, and of a place separated from the uses of common life, they had the regret of being deprived of the Sacrifice of the Mass, and of the most holy of all the Sacraments, except at the great Festivals of the Year—on which we [97 i.e. 95] endeavor to gather most of our Christians together in our House of Ste. Marie, in order that they may perform their devotions there: at other times, they had to be content with meeting in the Cabin of some one among the Christians, and with reciting their Prayers there in the very presence of the Infidels, who, according to the custom of the Country, enter any Cabin whenever they please, and witness all that passes therein. This exposed them to the jests of a thousand slanderous tongues, which blasphemed against things of which they are ignorant [page 133]. Indeed, they began by speaking ill of them, and called them MARIAN in mockery, because they frequently heard the Name of the most Blessed Virgin repeated in their Prayers. It was publicly stated That they possessed charms that caused shipwrecks, and that their Rosaries and Medals caused both Soul and blood to pour forth from those who looked at them in a certain manner.

TOWARD the end of the Winter, one of the best Christians set apart a portion of his Cabin as a place of devotion. With a few boards and some bark, a fairly adequate Chapel was made therein; [98 i.e. 96] and on the feast of Saint Joseph we commenced to give the Christians the consolation of hearing Mass in it. Then the persecutions redoubled. "This," it was said, "will be the misfortune of the Country." They wished to expel all the Christians from the Village; and even the nearest relatives of the latter told them that they must go and dwell elsewhere; or abandon the Faith, if they had any desire to live. One of the chiefs of the Council whispered in the ear of one of his nephews: Onhoua Etsitenroutaoua, "We will tear you out of the earth as a poisonous root." This is the expression with which the Hurons threaten those whom they suspect of being Sorcerers, when they wish to kill them.

One Estienne Totihri, although connected with the best families of the Village, endured the greatest persecution, because he was the most fervent in the Faith; and he was attacked the most sharply, because the Chapel was erected in his Cabin. But neither he nor his family wavered, in spite of all these threats. "Yes, indeed," he said; "I will go quite cheerfully if the Fathers who teach us give up the [page 135] care of this Village; but it will be only [99 i.e. 97] to follow them wherever they may go. I am more attached to them than to my Country and to all my relatives, because they bring us the promise of eternal happiness. I fear not death, since GOD has enlightened my mind, and has shown me things more important than this bodily life, against which alone any design can be harbored. Let them kill my mother, my wife, my children, and mg brothers; after them, the blow that is to give me happiness will fall on me! My Soul is not attached to my body,—a single instant can separate them; but Faith shall never be ravished from me."

It is a great consolation to witness the fervor of his whole family. To them is assigned the duty of gathering the Faithful together, of encouraging and instructing them, in the absence of the Fathers; and they watch over this little Flock with a faithfulness and zeal that are truly Christian. At the very height of these persecutions, a woman lay dying, who had refused to allow herself to be baptized by our Fathers, who wished to instruct her. "What?" said this Christian, "must this Soul be allowed to perish?" He went to see the sick woman, [100 i.e. 98] and said to her: "My good mother, if you knew the great value of Faith, you would have more desire to be taught than we would have to teach you. But, though I am not called upon, I cannot remain silent, lest some day you may reproach me when you will be in the eternal flames of Hell. The short time that you have still to live is sufficient to deliver you from that great misfortune, which is no further from you than death." He afterward endeavored to produce an impression on that heart, [page 137] but it was a heart of stone, which, while in good health, could utter nothing but blasphemies against GOD; and she died the same day in her impiety, showing the good Christian that the gift of Faith is not a present from earth, and that GOD alone can touch the heart.

Another Head of a family, named Thomas Saouenhati, has had to endure as many stripes. " But Faith," he said, "has entered too deeply into my Soul to allow of its being torn from me while the least impulse of life remains to me." This good man had formerly given us fair satisfaction, but on some occasions, [101 i.e. 99] when GOD willed to try his faithfulness, the flesh had been stronger than the spirit; and, although he had never lost Faith after his Baptism, nevertheless he had not dared to continue in its exercise when they threatened to massacre the Christians with us, two years ago This year he returned to his duty, and behaved so courageously in various emergencies that he proved to the Infidels that, when God supports us, our past weakness shows out the strength of Grace more clearly, since what was then the object of our fears now sustains our desires.

The experience that we have here of the Savage disposition makes us very cautious in admitting them to Baptism, and still more in allowing them to receive Communion. Nevertheless, it is from this rite that most of our Christians have derived so much courage; and, in particular, the two last whom I have mentioned experienced therein so sudden a change in their hearts that they were quite beside themselves. Since then, we have witnessed in their actions the truth of their words. [102 i.e. 100] "It [page 139] is not a lie that JESUS CHRIST is in the Host," said Estienne to us one day. "I felt it on Christmas day, after I had received communion. But I do not know whether he has always remained in my heart since then, for very often, while I am doing something else, I feel quite changed, as if there were some one inside of me who speaks to me, and I frequently speak to him without saying a word. He answers me, and then I see very well that he understands my desires."

"I no longer doubt the truth that are taught us," frequently says Thomas, when he exhorts the other Christians to remain steadfast in the Faith. At the very moment when I received Communion, I felt JESUS CHRIST in my heart, and I perceived at the same time that it was he who raised me up to him and who taught me what I had never been able to understand. I had until then been like a Man who is lost, or who fears to be lost, in the middle of the night; but now I walk in security, as we do in the full light of day. Believe," said he, "all that is taught us; but, above [103 i.e. 101] all, believe firmly that, JESUS CHRIST enters into our hearts when we eat the consecrated Bread."

The calumnies against the Faith redoubled after Easter, and then the Christians saw, more clearly than ever, that all these tempests are raised by the Demons. This was the occasion thereof. A Captain of the village of Saint Joseph, named Astiskoua, after having given satisfaction to the Fathers who taught him, and having earnestly demanded Baptism, was summoned to appear before the Assembly of Christians and Catechumens that was held at Easter, in our House of Sainte Marie. As he had a good [page 141] mind, and as Faith seemed to have entered into his heart, there was nothing savage about his sentiments; his discourse was full of zeal and fervor; his resolutions were in every way worthy of a Christian. But as GOD alone knows the secrets of all, hearts, so also everywhere are his holy Providences as hidden as they are admirable. When this Man wished to enter the Church, he felt an occult force that repelled him [104 i.e. 102] violently; he tried a second and a third time, still he could not see what stopped him, but he always felt repulsed. At the same time his mind was troubled though he did not manifest this. He saw all the Christians go in, and he alone could not advance a step. In vain did his Wife, who had come with him, urge him to follow the others; in vain also did he strive to overcome this invisible resistance; he was at last compelled to retire. He therefore went from the House; without saying a word. After walking three leagues, or thereabouts, he showed what he was; he furiously entered the villages of Saint Jean and of Saint Ignace, burst into the Cabins, smashed the doors and broke the Canoes, while no one dared to approach him.

He cried out that a Devil had entered into his body, and that this Demon had told him to take him for his father, to follow his guidance, and to rest assured that he had an affection for him; but that he must boldly kill all the French, as they alone were ruining the whole Country. It was impossible to restrain his violence. He ran about in the woods, [105 i.e. 103] forcing his way everywhere. The briars and thorns tore his whole body but could not stop him. [page 143]

After long wanderings, he arrived at his own Village; he beat, he struck, he wished to kill all whom he met. At last he was seized, bound, and questioned. It was ever the Demon, that enemy of Peace, that spoke. When the Christians returned, on the day after Easter, they found the entire Village in a state of excitement; all were saying and calling out that the French must be massacred. "I must, then, be killed with them," exclaimed Estienne Totihri. "If they are guilty, I am not more innocent than they, for I see very well that it is on account of the Faith that you bear them ill will." The Demoniac burst his bonds, broke away from those who held him, threw himself into the fire, and refused to eat or to drink, saying that his Demon had thus commanded him.

But he sought the Christians chiefly. Meeting a good Woman on his way, he said to her: "It is water that you Christians like, since you so highly prize your Baptism;" and at the same time he poured a quantity of water on her head. The others whom he met [106 i.e. 104] did not get rid of him so easily. He smashed everything in the Cabins. They closed the doors to him, but he climbed on the roofs. He tried to break into the Chapel, and tore off the pieces of bark with which it was covered. He sought Estienne, and reproached him with being a Christian. He threw himself upon another; and, being armed with firebrands, he said to him: "It is on thee that I wish to avenge myself; I must burn thee." The good Christian commended himself to GOD, resigned himself to his holy will, and, being resolved to endure everything, he held out to the possessed man both his arms, clasped together and [page 145] quite naked, to be burned. "Courage," said he, "burn me, if thou wilt." At these words .the Madman stopped, then passed on, and gave partial vent to his fury elsewhere.

An Infidel, who was one of our best Friends and the Captain of this same Village, came in haste. to inform us of all these occurrences. He begged us not to make our appearance too soon, for fear of a greater misfortune. But the little Flock Of Faithful ones needed their Pastor. The Fathers hastened to the spot, and found the poor Church in great affliction and in still greater [107 i.e. 105] dread of what might follow. But all these poor Christians were determined to endure everything for the love of GOD, and animated one another with the hope of Paradise, which no one could ravish from them.

As this possessed man had been almost five or six days without eating or drinking, without rest or, sleep, the Fathers feared that he might die with no one to assist him, and they went to see what they could do. On their arrival, the Madman felt quite calmed. He listened to their discourse, but for all they said they obtained only blows and other tokens of his madness; so they saw very plainly that the issue of this affair must be referred to GOD alone.

Finally, after some days, this possession ceased, and the Devil quitted his abode. The poor man was quite ashamed, when he was told what he had done. He came to see us at our House, and told us, as well as he could remember, how his disease had commenced, and how the Demon had worked upon him. He showed that he had lost neither Faith nor the desire [108 i.e. 106] to be Baptized, and asked. pardon of us for what he had done,—if indeed he [page 147] could be charged with any crime, in acts in which his will had had no share, and from which he had suffered more than any other. We are determined to do nothing rash in this Baptism; time will bring us more knowledge. We hope that, with GOD’S assistance, everything will result in the confusion of the Demons, and in the welfare of this little Church. [page 149]

CHAPTER X.

OF THE MISSION OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST AMONG THE ARENDAENHRONON.

OD has thus far gathered together most of the Christians of this Country in the Missions of la Conception and of Saint Joseph, the two most important localities among the Hurons. Nevertheless, there are many, both Christians and Catechumens, who are scattered here and there in several other places. [109 i.e. 107] This has compelled us, although we are in the midst of a sedentary People, to establish among them an Itinerant Mission, which shall be charged with the instruction of these Souls, which are all the more in need of succor that they are deprived of the example of other Christians.

Father Antoine Daniel and Father Joseph Marie Chaumonot, who have had charge of this department, have dwelt sometimes in one Village and sometimes in another, according to the work that they had to do. However, as their longest sojourn has been in the Villages of the Arendaenhronon, this Mission has borne that name.

Before we had obtained that knowledge of these Peoples which has come to us in course of time, when we saw no worship paid by them to any false Divinity, we concluded that their Conversion would be all the easier; because—as upon a bare tablet, from which there was nothing to erase—we might without opposition impress on them Ideas of a true [page 151] GOD, and guide them into that respect and Adoration which are due to him throughout the Earth. But experience has shown us that they are [110 i.e. 108] full of Diabolical Superstitions, looking upon their Dreams as their Divinities, upon whom the happiness of their lives depends. Besides that, we see that they acknowledge more powerful Genii who settle Public affairs, who cause Famine, who co