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REESE LIBRARY 



t)F IHK 



UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 




CIiiss Ni). 




THE JESUIT RELATIONS 

AND 

ALLIED DOCUMENTS 



Vol. XIII 



The edition consists of sev- 
en hundred and fifty sets 
all numbered 



No 



.-2£^ 




.«. . . i. 



The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents 



Travels and Explorations 

OF THE Jesuit Missionaries 

IN New France 

1610-1791 

THE ORIGINAL FRENCH, LATIN, AND ITAL- 
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 



Vol. XIII 

HURONS: 1637 



>■•''. «:. 



■^ * '" )w -• . 












CLEVELAND: tCbC JlttttaW9 JICOtbef0 

Oompanv, publishers, mdcccXcviii 






Copyright, 1898 

BY 

The Burrows Brothers Co 



ALL rights RBSBRVBD 



TAe Imperial Press, Cleveland 



EDITORIAL STAFF 



Editor 



Reuben Gold Thwaitbs 



Translators . 



Assistant Editor 



FiNLOW Alexander 
Percy Favor Bicknell 
William Frederic Giesb 
Crawford Lindsay 
William Price 
Emma Helen Blair 



Bibliographical Adviser Victor Hugo Paltsits 



> 
r 



CONTENTS OF VOL XIII 

Preface to Volume XIII . . i 

Document : — 

XXIX. Relation de ce qvi s'est pass6 en la Nov- 

velle France, en I'ann^e 1637. [First 
installment of Part II., the Huron 
Relation,'] Franfois Joseph le Mercier; 
Ihonatiria, June 21, 1637 5 

Notes ..,,,, 269 



PREFACE TO VOL. XIII 



Part I. of the Relation of 1637 (Document XXIX.) 
was given in Vols. XI. and XII. of our series. In the 
present volume, we publish the first installment 
(about two-thirds) of Part II. of the same Relatiouy 
being the portion devoted to the Hurons ; the remain- 
der of Part II., concluding the entire document, will 
appear in Vol. XIV. 

The Huron section of the Relation of 1637 is writ- 
ten by Le Mercier, who closes his report at Ihonati- 
ria, June 21 of that year. He opens his account of 
the year's work in the Huron country with a ** Jour- 
nal *' of events transpiring there from July, 1636, to 
June, 1637. The death is recorded of Soranhes (fa- 
ther of Amantacha, alias Louis de Sainte-Foi, the 
principal native convert of the district), who is sus- 
pected of having committed suicide. The arrival at 
the mission of Fathers Chastellain and Gamier, ia 
noted, and above all, the harvest of baptisms — over 
one hundred during the year. 

A long chapter is devoted to the hideous cruelties 

inflicted by the Hurons upon an Iroquois prisoner, 

whom, however, the missionaries find opportunity to 
instruct before his death, and for whom they are thus 
able to open Heaven's gate. 

In September, the mission family is afflicted by 
illness, — a fever, which successively attacks all ex- 



PREFACE TO VOL. XIII 



cept Br6beuf and one of their domestics ; but, fortu- 
nately, all recover in due time. As soon as they are 
able, they find it necessary to nurse the sick among 
the Indians ; and their simple remedies — prunes, rai- 
sins, and a little bag of senna, aided by a lancet for 
bleeding — " produce effects which dazzle the whole 
country." This success largely aids their spiritual 
labors ; yet many dying persons refuse to receive the 
faith, — some from indifference, others from preju- 
dice. Many do not wish to go to the white men's 
Paradise because their unbaptized relatives will not 
be there. A characteristic excuse, is this: ** I have 
no desire to go to heaven ; I have no acquaintances 
there, and the French who are there would not give 
me anything to eat." A certain shrewd tribesman 
invents a dream, relating the circumstances of his 
daughter's journey to heaven, in order to persuade 
the missionaries to give him a bead bracelet, — but 
the Fathers do not care to encourage such ingenuity. 
Several of their savage converts, however, cause the 
missionaries great consolation by exhibitions of do- 
cility and faith. 

The contagious epidemic afflicting the Indians con- 
tinues to increase, causing many deaths; and even 
the coming of winter fails to check it. The town of 
Ossossan6 is ravaged by the disease, and Br6beuf and 
his assistants journey thither several times during 
the winter, to give both material and spiritual aid to 
their wretched parishioners. They also go about 
among other neighboring villages, serving the sick 
and d)dng as best they may — occasionally rewarded 
by opportunities for administering baptism, and thus 
" enabling little souls to fly away to heaven." Fre- 
quently their services are accepted by this ignorant 



PREFACE TO VOL, XIII 



and superstitious people as those of sorcerers and 
even demons ; but despite this reputation for power, 
they have to contend incessantly with the lies and 
intrigues of the medicine men of the country. 

Before the epidemic, the missionaries had found 
the natives so friendly and tractable, that they had 
entertained sanguine expectations of soon converting 
the entire nation to Christianity : but they are now 
constrained to admit, with sorrow, that *' the greater 
part show that that belief consists only in fine words, 
and that in their hearts they have no other God than 
the belly, and him who will absolutely promise them to 
restore their health in sickness." ASnons, one of the 
converted chiefs, on whom they have stout reliance, 
himself says to Br6beuf: **Echon, I must speak to 
you frankly. The people of Ihonatiria said last year 
that they believed, in order to get tobacco." 

The missionaries propose to the Indians, on several 
occasions, to avert the wrath of God, and the pesti- 
lence, by agreeing to forsake their barbarous and 
licentious customs ; to believe in God, and to be in- 
structed in the faith; to practice obedience to God's 
laws, and to pray earnestly together for Divine aid. 
The natives at several places pretend to acquiesce in 
this proposition ; but * * immediately resume their old 
practices ; the day after they had assembled in our 
cabin, they put on their masks and danced, to drive 
away the disease." **They are inveterate sinners, 
who, after their good promises, do not hesitate to 
resume the way of their past lives. ' * 

In December, at Ossossan6, the Indians are per- 
suaded to make a public vow to obey God ; and, curi- 
ously enough, they commission one of the native sor- 
cerers to summon all the people together for this 



PREFACE TO VOL. XIII 



purpose. Whereat the writer piously remarks: 
* * What a consolation it was to see God publicly glori- 
fied through the mouth of a barbarian and one of 
Satan's tools! Never had such a thing been seen 
among the Hurons.** 

The ** sorcerers" cause them much annoyance, — 
notably one, who is hunchbacked, and whom Le Mer- 
cier styles ** a demon incarnate;" even when he is 
confined to his cabin with a broken leg, his influence 
among the people prevents the missionaries from 
reaching many; but his death, soon after, removes 
this obstacle. Another of these gentry, a blind man, 
has various interviews with demons, which are re- 
counted at length : these evil spirits had, as they told 
him, brought the plague into the country, and, now 
relenting, would show him how it might be removed. 
In pursuance of these directions all the cabins of On- 
nentisati and villages near by are decorated with rude 
efiigies of the human figure, in straw. * * In these 
monkeys," says Le Mercier, **they place all their 
confidence, founded on what a wretched blind man 
has told them, who says that the devils are afraid of 
these, and have thus ordered for the good of the 
country. ' * 

Several medicine men now attempt, in similar fash- 
ion, to drive away the demons, but their incantations 
and tricks are of no avail ; and the disease continues 
its ravages throughout the winter. 

R. G. T. 

Madison, Wis., December, 1897. 



XXIX (continued) 

Le Jeune's Relation, 1637 



ROUEN: JEAN LE BOULLENGER, 1638 



Part 1. (Le Jeune's Relation proper, and his Derni^re 
Lettre) appeared in Volumes XL , XIL In the present volume, 
we give the greater portion of Part IL (Le Mercier's Huron 
Relation): the document will be completed in Volume XIV. 



6 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 13 



[i] Relation de ce qvi s'eft paffe en la miff ion 

de la Compagnie de Iesvs, au pays des 

Hurons en TAnnee 1637. 

Enuoyde h Kebec au R, P. Paul le leune Superieur des Miffions 
de la Compagnie de Iesvs, en la nouuelle France. 

CHAP. 1. 

DES CHOSES PLUS MEMORABLES QUI SONT PAS- 

s£es depuis le mois de IUILLET IUSQUES 

AU MOIS DE SEPTEMB. DRESS6 




EN FORME DE lOURNAL. 
f 



O 



VELQV'VN pourroit peut-eflre trouuer que ie 
^^^^ fais icy paffer plufieurs chofes moins confide- 
^^ rabies que ne porte ce tiltre; mais i'efcris ^ 
voftre R. & en cefte confideration, i'appelle chofes 
memorables, tout ce qui eft capable de luy [2] appor- 
ter quelque confolation, & luy donner cognoiffance 
des moeurs de nos Sauuages. 

Ie commenceray du tenne de rembarquement pour 
la traicte de Kebec, qui fut le 22. de luillet 1636. il 
y auoit long temps que nous eftions dans Tattente de 
cefte ioum^e, ce retardement fi notable, & les bruits 
de guerre qui auoient faict changer Tauiron i plu- 
fieurs en vn arc & des fleches, nous donnoient quel- 
que fuject de craindre qu'ils ne fe contentaffent de 
leur vieilles chaudieres pour cefte ann6e : ce qui ne 
f e pouuoit f aire fans vn notable intereft des affaires du 
Chriftianifme, les fecours tant fpirituels, que tempo- 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 



[I] Relation of what occurred in the mission of 

the Society of Jesus, in the land of the 

Hurons, in the Year 1637. 

Sent to Kebec to the Reverend Father Paul U Jeune, Superior of 
the Missions of the Society of Jesus, in new France, 

CHAP. I. 

A RECITAL OF THE MORE MEMORABLE EVENTS WHICH 

OCCURRED FROM THE MONTH OF JULY TO 

THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, ARRANGED 

IN THE FORM OF A JOURNAL. 

SOME one may perhaps find that I am recording 
here many things of less importance than this 
title indicates. But I am writing to your Rev- 
erence, and, on that account, I call ** memorable 
events " all those which can [2] afford you some con- 
solation, and give you a knowledge of the customs 
of our Savages. 

I will begin with the date of the embarkation for 
the trading at Kebec, which was the 22nd of July, 
1636. We had been waiting a long time for this 
day. This so notable delay, and the rumors of war 
which had caused many to change the paddle for bow 
and arrows, gave us some reason to fear that they 
might content themselves with their old kettles for 
this year — which could not be done without serious- 
ly affecting the affairs of Christianity, as both spirit- 
ual and temporal help come to us here only through 
the medium and the hands of the Savages. 



8 LES RELA TJONS DBS j£S UITES [Vol. \% 

rels ne nous viennent icy que par rentremife, & les 
mains des Sauuages. 

Doncques le P. Antoine Daniel s'embarqua auec 
deux de nos domefliques en compagnie de huict ou 
dix canots, la ioum6e efloit belle, & le lac fort pai- 
lible ; mais il ne f aut pas diilimuler, cede reparation 
nous fut vn pen fenfible d'abort: car nous iugioas 
deflors, que pour trauailler plus efficacement k la con- 
uerfion de ces peuples, ils nous falloit vne nouuelle 
habitation das le coeur du pays, & le Pere fembloit 
nous [3] eftre tout S. faict neceffaire pour c6t effect 
ny ayant que luy qui pufl, apres le R. Pere lean de 
Breboeuf noftre Superieur, fe defmefler aif6ment en 
la langue : mais nous iugeafmes que de donner com- 
mencement k vn Seminaire de leuneffe Huronne, 
eftoit vne chofe fi auantageufe pour la gloire de Dieu, 
que nous auons paff6 par deffus cefte confideration, 
auec efperance que Dieu nous d6noiieroit bien toft la 
langrue, & ne manqueroit pas de nous enuoyer des 
perfonnes qui s'apliqueroient efl&cacement k c6t eftude 
felon toute TeftenduS de leur zele, nous n'auons pas 
eft6 trompez dans noftre efperance, & ce nous eft 
maintenant vn nouueau fuject de remercier cefte in- 
finie bont6 qui a vn foin fi particulier de cefte MifDon. 

Le 27. le P. Ambroife Dauo[f]t s'embarqua, il fem- 
bloit neceffaire en ces commencemens, au cas que 
Dieu difpofaft du P. Daniel, que quelqu'vn fe trou- 
uaft fur les lieux pour prendre fa place, & puis 
comme voftre R. a fouuent S. agir auec nos Sauuages 
aux trois Riuieres, ayant Tintelligence de la langue, 
il luy pourra rendre de bons feruices. 

Le P. Pierre Pijart, & moy nous fuccedafmes [4] 
au benefice du P. Antoine Daniel en Tinftruction des 



1«37] LEJEUNE'S RELATION. 1637 9 

Accordingly, Father Antoine Daniel and two of 
our domestics embarked, in a fleet of eight or ten 
canoes. The day was beautiful, the lake very calm ; 
but I cannot deny that this separation was somewhat 
painful to us, at first ; for we judged that henceforth, 
to work more efficiently for the conversion of these 
peoples, we should need a new settlement in the heart 
of the country, and the Father seemed to us [3] to be 
altogether necessary for this purpose, as he was the 
only one we had who could, after the Reverend Fa- 
ther Jean de Breboeuf , our Superior, readily find his 
way out of the intricacies of the langfuage. But we 
decided that to begin a Seminary for Huron Youth 
was a thing so advantageous to the glory of God, that 
we passed over that consideration, hoping that God 
would soon unfold to us the language, and that he 
would not fail to send to us persons who would effect- 
ively apply themselves to the study of it, to the full 
extent of their zeal. We have not been disappointed 
in our hope, which now gives us a new reason for 
thanking this infinite goodness which has so special 
a care for this Mission. 

On the 27th, Father Ambroise Davo[s]t embarked. 
It seemed necessary, in these beginnings, that, in 
case God should dispose of Father Daniel, some one 
should be upon the spot to take his place ; and, as 
your Reverence often has to deal with our Savages 
at the three Rivers, he, being acquainted with the 
language, will be able to render you good service. 

Father Pierre Pijart and I succeeded [4] to the ben- 
efice of Father Antoine Daniel in the instruction of 
the little children of our Village. The Father Supe- 
rior assigned to each of us a certain number of cabins, 



10 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. IS 

petits enfans de noftre Bourgade; le P. Superieur 
nous aliigna k chacun vn certain nombre de cabanes, 
que nous commenfames deflors k vifiter tous les iours 
iufques au fort de la maladie, oti nous iugeafmes k 
propos de defifter pour des raifons que ie toucheray 
par apres en fon lieu, nous tirions beaucoup d'auan- 
tage de ce petit exercice pour profiter en la langue ; 
outre qu'enfeignans les enfans nous prenions Tocca- 
fion d'expliquer aux peres & aux meres, quelques-vns 
de nos myfteres ; en quoy pour Tordinaire nous vlions 
de preuoyance. Au refte les difcours n'efloiet pas 
bien longs, il faut apprendre S. mettre vn pied deuant 
r autre, auant que de marcher. Nous eflions bien 
confolez de voir qu'on nous entendit, & qu'vn Sau- 
uage prift quelquesfois la parole, & repetafl ce que nous 
anions diet. Incontinent apres Tembarquement nous 
ne fifmes quafi que prendre poffeflion de noftre be- 
nefice ; le repos, & la douceur du temps nous inuitant 
i f aire les exercices f pirituels ; aufli bien en cefte f ai- 
f on les vifites par les vilages feroiet quafi inutiles, les 
f emmes eftans toute la ioum6e occupies ^ leur champ^ 
& les [5] hommes en traicte. 

Le 6. d'Aouft, il arriua vn accident qui demande 
icy quelques lignes, les circonftances en font tout i 
fait notables. Vn ieune homme Huron fut afl!aflin6 
miferablement par fon propre frere. Ce n'eft pas 
d'auiourd*huy que la rage, & la vengeance faict paffer 
par defl^us les droicts de Tamour naturel, mais ie ne 
ffay fi 5'^ eft6 iamais auec vn pretexte fi noir & fi 
deteflable. Ce malheureux qui n'eftoit pas moins 
larron que cruel ayant pris vn iour fon temps d^roba 
fon beau pere, & tranfporta fon larcin en vn autre 
vilage chez fa mere, neantmoins il ne puft fi bien 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 11 

which we began, from that time on, to visit every 
day until the epidemic was at its height, — when we 
deemed it proper to desist therefrom, for reasons 
which I shall mention hereafter in their place. We 
derived considerable advantage from this little exer- 
cise, by improving ourselves in the language. Be- 
sides teaching the children, we took occasion to 
explain some of our mysteries to the fathers and 
mothers, for which we usually made some prepara- 
tion; these talks, however, were not very long; one 
must learn to put one foot before the other, before 
he can walk. We were greatly consoled to see that 
we were understood, and that a Savage occasionally 
took up the conversation and repeated what we had 
said. Just after the embarkation, we did little more 
than to take possession of our benefice, the quiet, and 
the calmness of the weather, inviting us to make our 
retreat, — the more so as at this season visits among 
the villages would be almost useless, the women be- 
ing occupied all day in their fields, and the [5] men 
in trading. 

On the 6th of August, an event occurred which 
requires a few lines here, the circumstances thereof 
being very remarkable. A young Huron was wick- 
edly assassinated by his own brother. This is not 
the first time that rage and vengeance have caused 
the claims of natural love to be overlooked, but I do 
not know whether such a thing ever occurred before 
under a pretext so black and detestable. This wretch, 
who was no less thievish than cruel, having one day 
chosen his time, robbed his father-in-law, and carried 
his booty to his mother's house in another village. 
Nevertheless, he could not conceal his game so well 



12 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUIT£S [Vol. IS 

couurir fon ieu, que le fotip9on ne luy en demeura, 
de forte que, fuiuant la couflume du pays, ce dit beau 
pere, vfant auantageufement du droict de reprefaille, 
luy alia piller fa cabane; luy enleua tout ce qu'il 
auoit, & ne lailTa quafi S. perionne dequoy fe couurir. 
Voilk bien des efprits aigris, mais fur tout celuy qui 
auoit faict le premier coup; il en machine vn fecond 
pour prendre vengeance du foup(on dont il auoit eft6 
charg6, & pour obliger fon beau pere en apparence 
par voye de iuftice, s'il y en pent auoir parmy ces Bar- 
bares, i rendre & k luy payer au double ce [6] qu'il 
pretendoit luy auoir eft6 rauy iniuflement. II f e laiffe 
tellement aueugler de fa paflion, que pour Taffouuir 
il fe refout d' employer le fang de fon frere & le ref- 
pandre de fes propres mains: VoilS. vne voye bien 
extraordinaire, & inoiiye ; pour executer fon deffein, 
il le meine ^ I'efcart vers le Bourg d'Onnentifati d'oti 
efloit fon beau-pere, fous pretexte d'aller cueillir des 
meures, il choifit particulierement ce lieu, afin que 
c6me on n'ignoroit pas leur different, le meurtre luy 
pufl eftre impute plus ayf^ment, on au moins, que le 
Bourg en demeura charg6, & ainfi que cefte perfonne 
particuliere, ou le public fuffent obligez de luy fatis- 
faire, & aux parens du deffunct par les prefens que 
porte la couftume du pays, car voflre R. f9ait defiJi 
que parmy ces peuples, ce crime ne demeure iamais 
impuny, fi le coulpable ne fe trouue, le Bourg aupres 
duquel le coup a eft6 faict en efl refponfable; en 
ejffect la chofe arriua, felon qu'elle auoit eft6 proje- 
ct6e, & c6t accident ne fut pas fi tofl public, que Tau- 
theur euft bien Teflfronterie de paroiftre & maintenir, 
que fon beau pere eftoit le meurtrier, que Ton f9a- 
uoit bien la mauuaife volont6 qu'il auoit pour fa fa- 



^> 




1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 1» 

that suspicion did not rest upon him, — with the re- 
sult that, according to the custom of the country, this 
father-in-law, using to good advantage his right of 
reprisal, went and pillaged his cabin, taking all he 
had and hardly leaving the inmates enough with 
which to cover themselves. Then, indeed, there 
were exasperated persons, but especially the one who 
had dealt the first blow. He planned a second one, 
to take his revenge for the suspicion with which he 
had been charged, and to oblige his father-in-law, 
apparently through the processes of justice, if there 
can be any among these Barbarians, to restore to him 
and to pay him double [6] what he claimed had been 
unjustly carried away. He allows himself to be so 
blinded by passion that, to satisfy it, he resolves to 
have the blood of his brother, and to shed it with his 
own hands. Truly, a very extraordinary and un- 
heard-of course ! To execute his design he takes him 
off by a solitary path towards the Village of Onnen- 
tisati, where his father-in-law resided, under the pre- 
text of going to pick mulberries. He especially 
chooses this place, that, as people were not ignorant 
of their quarrel, the murder would be more readily 
imputed to him [the father-in-law] or at least the 
Village would be charged with it ; and thus this par- 
ticular person, or the public, would be bound to give 
satisfaction both to him and to the other relatives of 
the dead man, through the presents given by the 
custom of the country ; for your Reverence already 
knows that among these tribes this crime never goes 
unpunished; if the guilty person cannot be found, 
the Village near which the deed has been committed 
is responsible for it. In fact, the thing was done as 
it had been planned ; and the crime was no sooner 



14 LES RELATIONS DES JJ&SUITES [Vol.13 

mille, que non content de les [7] auoir pillez, il auoit 
encor voulu leur faire tort en oftant la vie & vne per- 
fonne qui les touchoit de fi pr6s. lis parlerent fi haut, 
luy, & fes parens qu'ils fermerent la bouche k plu- 
lieurs qui auoient les yeux affez ouuerts pour voir la 
fauffet6 de cefte calomnie, ils pourfuiuirent fi viue- 
ment Taflfaire, que nonobftant les raifons que les ac- 
cufez alleguerent pour leur def charge, & qui euffent 
eft6 re9eu^ en bonne iuftice, le bourg d'Onentifati 
fut condamn^ k faire la fatisf action. II eft vray que 
Tamende fut moder6e, k raifon que la perfonne du 
mort & fes parens eftoient gens de neant, & de fort 
petite confideration. Sur ces entrefaites vne fiUe du 
mefme Bourg fe prefente, & raporte qu'elle auoit 
veu ce meurtre de fes yeux, que Vhomicide n'eftoit 
point de leur Bourg, que c'eftoit vn coup de la main 
de celuy qui faiToit tant de bruit, & que le fang de 
ce pauure mif erable ne crioit vengeance que contre 
fon propre frere. EUe cotta [sc. conta] les circon- 
flances du faict. le reuenois (dit-elle) de mon champ, 
lors que i'entendis du bruit comme de perfonnes qui 
eftoient en quelque different, ie m'approche douce- 
ment, & me cache dans des broffailles voifines, d'oii 
ie pourrois ouyr [8] & voir fans eftre veuS, tout ce 
qui fe pafferoit; de fait i'apper9eu fort diftinctement 
Sendetfi (c'eft le nom de ce Barbare,) & fon frere, & 
come ie confiderois leur maintien, & preftois Toreille 
pour entendre ce qu'ils difoient, ie fus toute eftonn6e 
que Sendetfi le faifit k la gorge d'vne main & de 1 'au- 
tre luy defchargea vn coup de hache fur la tefte. Ce 
pauure miferable s'efcria plufieurs fois, mon frere 
aye piti6 de moy, mon frere aye piti6 de moy, mais 
ces paroles trouuerent des oreilles impitoyables ; cefte 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 15 

made public than the author of it actually had the 
effrontery to appear and assert that his father-in-law 
was the murderer; that the ill-will he had for his 
family was well known ; that, not satisfied with [7] 
having robbed them, he had tried to do them still 
more harm by taking the life of a person who was so 
nearly related to them. They assumed so high a 
tone, he and his relatives, that they closed the mouths 
of several whose eyes were wide enough open to see 
the falseness of these calumnies. They followed up 
the affair so eagerly that, notwithstanding the argu- 
ments the accused brought forward for their defense, 
and which would have been received in a fair court, 
the village of Onentisati was condemned to give satis- 
faction. True, the fine was moderate, because the 
dead person and his relatives were obscure people and 
of very little account. Meanwhile, a girl of the same 
Village presents herself and reports that she saw this 
murder with her own eyes ; that the murderer was 
not of their Village, — that it was a blow from the 
hand of him who was making so great ado about it, 
and that the blood of this poor wretch cried for ven- 
geance against no one but his own brother. She re- 
lated the circumstances of the deed. " I was return- 
ing ' ' (said she) * * from my field, when I heard a noise 
like that of persons engaged in some quarrel ; I quiet- 
ly drew near, and hid myself in the brushwood near 
by, where I could hear [8] and see, without being 
seen, all that was taking place. In fact I saw Sen- 
detsi ' ' (the name of this Barbarian) * ' and his brother 
very distinctly ; and while I was watching their be- 
havior, and listening to hear what they were saying, 
I was entirely dumbfounded when Sendetsi seized 
him by the throat with one hand, and with the other 



16 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol.18 

lafche & infame action ne fut pas pluftoft acheti^e 
que ie m'efcoulay fecrettement & m'enfuy, craignant 
que le mefme ne m'aniuaft, fi ce malheureux m'etit 
apperjeu, il n'euft eu garde de laiffer vn tefmoin de 
fon forfait nomm^ment vne fille qu'il euft peu tu^r 
fans refiftence. 

Les Anciens & les plus confiderables de ce Bourg 
trouuerent le f aict fi plaufible felon que la fille le racon- 
toit, qu*ils voulurent fe feruir de fa depofition contre 
Sendetfi, & defcharger par le moyen celuy qui eftoit 
accuf6, & pour lequel ils eftoient en peine : mais ce 
fut en vain, car c6t efprit noir, & plein de rufes fans 
changer de vifage leur dit que c'eftoit vn tefmoignage 
apoft^. que [9] fi neantmoins ils vouloient perfifler S. 
defcharger fon beau pere, il en eftoit content, mais 
qu'il prendroit d'orefnauant cefte fille h, party, qu'il 
y auoit bien fujet de croire qu'elle mefme eftoit cou- 
pable de ce crime, n'eflant nullement probable qu*vn 
frere voulut iamais attenter fur la vie de fon frere. 
Ces paroles dites auec vn front d*airain& vne audace 
incroyable rendirent muette toute Tafllftace, & les 
parens furent incontinent liurez felon qu'il auoit eft6 
conuenu ; ie laifl^e k penf er i voftre R. plus que ie ne 
pourrois dire fur ce faict. Les bonnes nouuelles que 
nous receufmes incontinent apres, m'emportent & 
m*obligent^de^pafl!er outre. 

Le 8. nous receufmes vn pacquet de lettres de voftre 
R. par le moyen d*vn Sauuage, oncle de Louys de 
Saincte Foy, les fruicts haftifs femblent auoir quel- 
que douceur que n'ont pas ceux qui viennent en la 
faifon, aufli ces nouuelles re9eues auant le temps nous 
apporterent vne confolation toute particuliere. Nous 
fufmes bien ref joiiys d*entendre des nouuelles de la 



1«37] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 17 

struck a blow with his hatchet upon his head. This 
poor wretch cried out several times, * Brother, have 
pity on me; brother, have pity on me;' but these 
words fell upon pitiless ears. This cowardly and in- 
famous act was no sooner accomplished than I slipped 
away secretly and fled, fearing the same thing might 
happen to me. If that wretch had seen me, he would 
not have been so foolish as to leave a witness of his 
crime, — especially a girl whom he could have killed 
without resistance." 

The Old Men and the more prominent ones of the 
Village found the story so plausible, as the girl re- 
lated it, that they tried to use her testimony against 
Sendetsi and by this means acquit him who was ac- 
cused, and for whom they were under penalty. But 
it was in vain, for this black and cunning man told 
them, without changing countenance, that this was 
false testimony ; that [9] if, nevertheless, they would 
persist in discharging his father-in-law, he was satis- 
fied, but that he would henceforth hold this girl re- 
sponsible, — that he had good reason to believe that 
she herself was guilty of this crime, it being not at all 
probable that one brother would ever make an attempt 
upon the life of another. These words, uttered with 
a brazen face and incredible boldness, struck all those 
present dumb, and the relatives were immediately set 
free, according to agreement. I leave your Rever- 
ence to imagine more than I can tell about this mat- 
ter. The good news we received immediately after- 
wards carries me away, and obliges me to pass on. 

On the 8th, we received a package of letters from 
your Reverence through the medium of a Savage, 
uscle of Louys de Saincte Foy. Premature fruits 
seem to have a sweetness not possessed by those 



18 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol.13 

flotte, qu'elle eftoit compof6e de huict beaux vaiffeaux 
fous la conduite de Monlieur du PleiUs Bochart, nos 
Peres qui nous font venus [lo] voir cefte ann6e, & fur 
tout le P. Pierre Chaflellain, & le P. Charles Gamier 
qui ont eu I'honneur de paffer dans fon vaiffeau, ont 
iouy d'vne faueur qui ne fe peut affez eflimer, 
de celebrer la Saincte Meffe quafi tout le long de 
la trauerfe au grand contentement de T equipage: 
Nous apprifmes auiU par mefme moyen le nombre, 
& le nom des Peres que Dieu nous enuoyoit, c'efl k 
dire, la continuation des benedictiSs du Ciel fur les 
Miflions de la nouuelle Prance, mais noflre ioye fut 
trauerf6e par les affeurances que voflre Reuer. nous 
donnoit de la mort de feu Monlieur de Champellain, ie 
dis, affeurances, car il y auoit long temps que les 
bruits en auoient couru, & s'efloient portez iufques k 
nous, mais on en parloit H diuerf ement mefme pour 
la perfonne que nous anions quelque fuject de nous 
perfuader, que ce que nous craignions ne fut pas ar- 
riu6 ; nous n'auions pas cependant laiff6 de f atisf aire 
deflors k vne partie de nos deuoirs, & recommand6 bien 
particulierement k Dieu le falut de fon ame k nos 
prieres, & nomm6ment k T Autel : nous redoublafmes 
nos voeux k cede occafion, nous ne f(aurions trop 
faire pour vne perfonne de fon merite, qui a tant 
faict & [i i] foujffert pour la nouuelle France, pour le 
bien de laquelle il fembloit auoir facrifi6 tons fes 
moyens, voire mefme fa propre vie, aufli Dieu Ta il 
recompenf6 d6s cefle vie d'vne mort accompagn6e 
de tant de fentimens de deuotion, & de piet^, que fa 
memoire en demeurera k iamais honorable. Noflre 
Compagnie en particulier luy aura vne etemelle ob- 
ligation pour la bien-veillance qu'il luy a toufiours 



1637] • LEJEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 19 

which come in their season ; so this news, received 
before the time, brought us a very special consolation. 
We were greatly rejoiced to hear news of the fleet, — 
that it was composed of eight fine ships under the 
command of Monsieur du Plessis Bochart. Our Fa- 
thers who have come [10] to see us this year, and 
above all Father Pierre Chastellain and Father Charles 
Gamier, who had the honor to come over in his ship, 
have enjoyed a favor which cannot be highly enough 
appreciated, in celebrating the Holy Mass almost the 
whole length of the passage, to the great satisfaction 
of the ship's company. We learned also through the 
same medium the number and names of the Fathers 
whom God was sending us, that is to say, the continu- 
ation of the blessings of Heaven upon the Missions 
of new France. But our joy was dimmed by the as- 
surances your Reverence gave us of the death of the 
late Monsieur de Champellain, — I say assurances, for 
rumors of it had been current for a long time, and 
had even reached us ; but there were so many differ- 
ent versions, even as regarded the person, that we 
had some reason to persuade ourselves that what we 
feared had not happened. We did not cease, how- 
ever, thenceforth to fulfill a part of our duties, and 
recommended the salvation of his soul very particu- 
larly to God in our prayers, and especially at the 
Altar. We redoubled our vows at this time, for we 
could not do too much for a person of his merit, who 
had done and [11] suffered so much for new France, 
for the welfare of which he seemed to have sacrificed 
all his means, yea, even his own life. Therefore God 
rewarded him after this life by a death accompanied 
by so many sentiments of devotion and piety, that 
his memory will be forever honorable. Our Society 



20 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 18 

tefmoign^e, & de fon viuant, & k £a mort, ayant 
legti6 vne partie de ce qui luy reftoit pour le f ouftient 
de la Miffion de nos Peres en ces contr6es. 

Le 12, le P. Pierre Chaftellain arriua fur le foir, 
nous fufmes furpris d'abord k la nouuelle de fon ar- 
nu^e; car il ny auoit que trois femaines que nos 
Sauuages eftoient partis pour Kebec, auffi la voye 
eftoit extraordinaire. Le P. Superieur, & le P. Pijart 
luy allerent au deuant, pour moy i'eftois encor Ji la 
retraicte ; ie luy preparay de ce que nous anions, pour 
le receuoir, mais quel feftin ; vne poign^e de petit 
poiffon fee auec vn pen de farine: i'enuoyay cher- 
cher quelques nouueaux efpics que nous luy fifmes 
roftir k la f a9on du pays ; mais il eft vray que dans 
fon coeur, & k Tentendre il ne fift iamais meilleure 
chere, la ioye qui [12] fe reffent k f es entreueugs f em- 
ble eftre quelque image du contentement des bien- 
heureux k leur arriu6e dans le Ciel, tant elle eft pleine 
de fuauit6. Aufll Dieu nous la mefnagea de telle 
forte que nous ne la re9eufmes pas tout entiere en vn 
iour, car le P. Charles Gamier n'arriua que le lende- 
main; quoy qu*a deux ou trois ioum^es pr6s, ils 
fuffent toufiours venus de compagnie luy & le P. 
Chaftellain, ils eurent le bien de cabaner enfemble 
tout le long du chemin, & parmy ces roches aflfreufes 
& ces f olitudes ef cart^es ils' eurent toute la conf ola- 
tion qu'ils pouuoient fouhaitter k la referue du fainct 
Sacrifice de la Meffe depuis leur depart des trois Ri- 
uieres, ils eftoient entre les mainsjjde bons Sauuages 
qui les traicterent doucement; tout cela auec Theu- 
reufe rencontre qu'ils firent du^P. Antoine Daniel, & 
quatre ou cinq iours apres du^P. Ambroife Dauoft 
anx Bifliriniens leur ayda grandement k efluyer vne 



1«37] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION. 1637 21 

in particular, will be under eternal obligations to 
him for the kindness that he has always shown it, 
both during his lifetime and at his death, as he be- 
queathed a part of what remained to him for the sup- 
port of the Mission of our Fathers in these lands.* 

Towards the evening of the 12th, Father Pierre 
Chastellain arrived. We were at first surprised at 
the news of his coming, for it was only three weeks 
since our Savages had departed for Kebec ; therefore 
the journey was an extraordinary one. The Father 
Superior and Father Pi j art went to meet him ; as for 
me, I was still in the retreat. I prepared what we 
had, to receive him; but what a feast it was! — a 
handful of small dried fish, with a little flour; I sent 
for some fresh ears of com that we had roasted for 
him after the manner of the country. But it is true 
that in his heart, according to his story, he never par- 
took of better fare. The joy which [12] is experi- 
enced in these reunions seems to be some image of the 
happiness of the blessed upon their arrival in Heav- 
en, so full is it of sweetness. Also God so arranged it 
for us that we did not have it all in one day, for Fa- 
ther Charles Gamier did not arrive until a day later, 
although, up to the last two or three days' journey, 
he and Father Chastellain had always traveled to- 
gether. They had had the good fortune to encamp 
together during the whole length of the journey ; and 
among these frightful rocks and remote solitudes they 
had all the consolation they could desire, with the 
exception of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. From 
the time of- their departure from the three Rivers, 
they were in the hands of good Savages, who treated 
them kindly. All this, added to the happy meeting 
they had with Father Antoine Daniel, and four or five 



22 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 13 

grande partie des fatigues de ce voyage, auffi les 
re9eufmes nous en tres-bonne fant6, & aufli forts, & 
vigoureux que s*il n'euffent boug6 de Paris. Nous 
aprif mes d*eux que Monfieur le Cheualier de Montma- 
gny auoit pris la place de feu Monfieur de [13] Cham- 
pellain, enquoy nous admirafmes la^ prouidence de 
Dieu, qui voulant difpofer de Tvn, auoit donn6 la pen- 
f6e ^ ces Meflieurs d*en procurer vn autre h, tout le 
pays, qui ffauroit ioindre en fon gouuemement vne 
rare doctrine & experience, auec vne integ^t6 de vie 
tout Ji fait exemplaire. 

Le 24. vn Sauuage nous auertift en paffant chez 
nous que Soranhes pere de Louys de Saincte Foy 
efloit malade, il le fit fi froidement que nous ne nous 
en mifmes pas autrement en peine, neantmoins comme 
le P. Superieur auoit vn voyage k faire vers ces quar- 
tiers 1^ il partit le lendemain h. defl!ein de I'aller vifi- 
ter par mefme moyen, mais il aprift par le chemin 
qu'il eftoit mort: il y a bien dequoy adorer icy les 
iufles iugemens de Dieu. Ce Sauuage auoit en fou- 
uent des penf6es de fa conue[r]fion, c'efloit defi^ vn 
grand aduantage pour luy d'auoir vn fils fi bien in- 
flruit en tous les myfleres de noflre Foy : outre cela 
d6s Tan paff6 fus le defir qu'ils nous auoient tefmoi- 
gn6 luy & toute fa famille de receuoir le S. Baptefme, 
le P. Superieur alia pafl!er huict ou dix iours chez 
luy, & Vinforma pleinement de tout ce qu'il iugea k 
propos pour le difpofer k vne vraye conuerfion, il 
leur fatisfit [14] de telle forte k ce qu'ils tefmoigne- 
rent, & demeurerent fi contens, & fi pleins de bonne 
volont6; qu*ils ne trouuoient rien difficile, & ne 
reftoit plus ce fembloit qu'a venir h. la pratique, en 
effet quoy qu'il y eut de la chair en la maifon il vou- 



1637] LEJEUNE*S RELATION, i6s7 23 

days later with Father Ambroise Davost, in the coun- 
try of the Bissiriniens, went far toward mitigating a 
great part of the fatigues of this voyage. We, also, 
received them in very good health, and as strong and 
vigorous as if we had not budged from Paris. We 
learned from them that Monsieur the Chevalier de 
Montmagny had taken the place of the late Monsieur 
de [13] Champellain, in which we admired the provi- 
dence of God, who, wishing to dispose of one, had 
inspired these Gentlemen to secure another for the 
whole country, who could unite in his government 
rare principle and experience with an integ^ty of 
life altogether exemplary. 

On the 24th, a Savage who was passing our house 
informed us that Soranhes, father of Louys de 
Saincte Foy, was sick. He did this so coldly that we 
did not concern ourselves further about it; but as 
the Father Superior had a journey to make in that 
direction, he departed the next day, intending to go 
and visit him at the same time ; but he learned on 
the way that he was dead. There is, indeed, reason 
here to adore the just judgments of God. This Sav- 
age had often meditated upon his conversion ; it was 
already a great advantage for him to have a son so 
well instructed in all the mysteries of our Faith. 
And more than that, last year, in accordance with the 
desire he and all his family had shown us, to receive 
Holy Baptism, the Father Superior went and passed 
eight or ten days with him, and informed him fully 
of all he deemed fitting to prepare him for true con- 
version; he so satisfied them, [14] according to what 
they said, and they were so contented and so full of 
good will, that they found nothing difficult, and noth- 
ing more remained, it seemed, but to begin to prac- 



24 LES RELA TIONS DES JJ&SUITES [Vol. IS 

lut que toute la famille gardaft rabftinence du Ven- 
dredy & Samedi, ils cSmencerent deflors k deffein de 
continuer par apres, mais ie m'en rapporte ; de temps 
en temps il nous venoit vifiter, & demeuroit quelque 
iours auec nous, le P. Superieur continiioit toufiours 
k rinftruire, & nous luy apprenions quelques petites 
prieres ; il nous preffoit fort de le baptif er, mais nous 
remarquafmes fi peu de folidit6 dans fes refolutiSs, 
& le trouuafmes fi fort attach^ aux interefts tempo- 
rels, que nous ne iugeafmes pas k propos de paffer 
outre : II nous fit de nouuelles inftaces vers le Prin- 
temps, non tant pour le Baptefme que pour tirer de 
nous quelques lettres de recommandation, pretendant 
k ce qu'il difoit, defcendre au pluftoft Jt Kebec, pour 
paffer quelques femaines auec nos Peres, & eftre par 
apres baptif 6 folemnellement k Tarriu^e des vaiffeaux. 
Le P. Super, voyant qu'il n'y auoit que vanit6 k fon 
faict, & que le propre intereft le portoit k faire cefte 
[15] propofition, luy refpondit Ik deffus, que cela 
alloit fort bien qu'il continiiaft dans la volont6 d'eftre 
baptif^, mais que le principal efloit qu'il fut bien 
inflruity & prifl vne bonne refolution de quitter fes 
mauuaifes habitudes, & viure dorefnauant en vray 
Chreflien, au refte qu'il importoit fort peu pour le 
lieu de fon baptefme, que nous y auiferions par apres, 
feulement qu'auant que de s'embarquer il vint paffer 
quelques iours auec nous, afin de prendre plus meure- 
ment les demieres refolutions, fur vne affaire de telle 
importance. II promit de le faire, mais il ne tint pas 
fa parole, il s'embarqua incontinent apres fans nous 
voir, & au lieu de tirer droit k Kebec, il s'arrefla k 
rifle, oil il fejouma pr6s de deux mois k iou6r, & faire 
la vie ordinaire, eflant aux trois Riuieres il ne fe m6- 



1637] LE/EUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 25 

tice. Indeed, although there was meat in the house, 
he desired all his family to abstain from it on Friday 
and Saturday. They began at that time, with the 
intention to continue afterwards, but I am unable to 
say whether they did so. From time to time he came 
to visit us, and remained with us several days. The 
Father Superior continued to instruct him, and we 
taught him a few little prayers. He urged us strong- 
ly to baptize him, but we noticed so little stability in 
his resolutions, and found him so deeply attached to 
worldly interests, that we did not deem it wise to go 
any further. Towards Spring, he importuned us 
again, not so much for Baptism, as to secure some 
letters of recommendation from us, — intending, as he 
said, to go down to Kebec as soon as possible, to pass 
a few weeks with our Fathers, and afterwards to be 
solemnly baptized at the arrival of the ships. The 
Father Superior, seeing there was nothing but vanity 
in his conduct, and that self-interest prompted him 
to make this [15] proposition, answered him there- 
upon that it was a very good thing for him to cherish 
the wish to be baptized ; but the chief point was that 
he should be well instructed, and should make a firm 
resolve to give up his bad habits, and henceforth live 
as a true Christian. He said, moreover, that the place 
of his baptism was of very little importance, that we 
would decide upon that later; only that, before em- 
barking, he should come and pass a few days with 
us, in order to take into more mature consideration 
the final resolutions upon a subject of such impor- 
tance. He promised to do this, but he did not keep 
his word. He embarked immediately afterwards 
without seeing us ; and, instead of going directly to 
Kebec, he stopped at the Island, where he sojourned 



26 LES RELA TIONS DES JJ^SUITES [Vol. 18 

fira quail pas. Dieu ce f emble auoit deflors abandon- 
n6 ce mif erable ; il euft le bien k fon retour d'auoir 
vn de nos Peres dans fon canot, ce luy deuoit eftre 
vne belle occalion pour nous venir reuoir par apres, 
£e remettre auec nous, & reprendre fes premieres re- 
f olutions ; mais eftant arriu6 aux Bifliriniens, il chan- 
gea de canot & s'embarqua auec d'autres, & ainfi il 
alia droit k Teanaufteaiae fon vilage, nous ne [i6] le 
vifmes en aucune fafon, & les premieres nouuelles 
que nous ouyfmes de luy, furent qu'il eftoit malade, 
& quafi en mefme temps nous aprif mes fa mort. Nous 
en eufmes dautant plus de reffentiment que quel- 
ques vns nous rapporterent qu'elle n' auoit pas eft6 
naturelle, mais que la trifteffe qu'il auoit eu de la 
perte de fon fils, T auoit iett6 fi auant dans le defef- 
poir qu41 s'eftoit auanc6 luy-mefme fes iours. Voicy 
k ce que Ton dit, comme la chofe fe paila. Vn iour 
qu*il fe trouua luy feul en fa cabane auec vne llenne 
petite fiUe, il Venuoya chercher d'vne certaine racine 
qu'ils appellent Ondachienroa, qui efl vn poifon pr6- 
f ent ; c6t enfant y alia fort innocemment, croyant que 
fon pere auoit deflein de faire quelque medecine, car 
il auoit tefmoig^6 quelque petite indifpofition : elle 
luy en apporte, mais non affez k fon gr6, elle y re- 
toume pour la f econde f ois ; il en mange fon faoul, 
vne groffe fieure le faifit, & Temporte en pen de temps. 
Toutesfois fes parens n'auoiient pas ce genre de mort ; 
quoy que s'en foit, il efl mort miferable, puis qu'il 
s'efl rendu indigne de la grace du Baptefme; Fay 
voulu toucher toutes ces circonflances, parce que ie 
fyay T affection que voflre R. [17] tons nos Peres & 
tant de gens de bien auoient pour la conueriion de 
cefle famille. Quelque temps apres fa petite fiUe 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 27 

nearly two months, gambling, and leading the usual 
life. When he reached the three Rivers, he hardly 
showed himself. It looks as if God had thenceforth 
abandoned this wretch. On his return, he had the 
good fortune to have one of our Fathers in his canoe, — 
a fine opportunity this should have been for him, to 
come and see us again afterwards, to be reconciled 
with us, and to resume his first resolutions. But, 
when he reached the Bissiriniens, he changed his 
canoe and embarked with the others, and went thus 
directly to Teanausteaiae his own village. ^ We 
did not [i6] see anything of him, and the first news 
we heard of him was that he was sick, and almost 
at the same time we learned of his death. We were 
all the more grieved at this, as some persons told 
us that he had not died a natural death, but that the 
grief he felt for the loss of his son had so plunged 
him into despair that he himself had shortened his 
days. This is the way they say it occurred: One 
day, when he found himself alone in his cabin with 
one of his little daughters, he sent her to get a cer- 
tain root that they call Ondachienroa, which is a 
quick poison.^ This child went for it very innocent- 
ly, supposing that her father intended to make some 
medicine, as he had shown some slight indisposition. 
She brought him some, but not enough to suit him, 
and she returned for it the second time. He ate his 
fill of it; a high fever attacked him, and carried him 
off in a little while. But his relatives do not admit 
that he died in this way ; at all events, he died miser- 
ably, since he rendered himself unworthy of the grace 
of Baptism. I wished to touch upon all these circum- 
stances, because I know the interest that your Rever- 
ence, [17] and all our Fathers, and so many good peo- 



28 LES RELATIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol.18 

mourut, nous n'eufmes nouuelle que de fa mort; ce 
fut auec vn regret bien particulier, c'eftoit vn efprit 
fort ioly & docile k merueille, mais Indicia Dei abyffus 
multa. Voicy vn fuject de confolation. 

Le 30. nous commenfames vne neufuaine en Thon- 
neur de la bien-heureufe Vierge ; nous anions fait ce 
vceu, afin qu'il pluft k Dieu tirer fa gloire de la ma- 
ladie d'vne femme de noftre bourgade. Ce qui nous 
auoit port6 particulierement k cefle deuotion eftoit la 
bonne volont6 que nous anions remarqu^ en toute la 
cabane pour receuoir le S. Baptefme, & que nous efpe- 
rions tirer pour Taduancement de ce deffein, de grids 
aduantages du baptefme de cefle femme de quelque 
fagon qu41 plufl k Dieu par apres en difpofer, fuft 
pour la vie on la mort. La bien-heureufe Vierges 
s*embla \sc. sembla] agpreer noftre deuotion: car le 
mefme iour que le P. Superieur Valla voir fur le foir, 
& la trouua affez mal, il ne luy euft pas fi toft faict 
ouuerture du Baptefme, qu'elle refpondit qu'elle en 
eftoit tres-contente, & que quand elle perdroit la pa- 
role, elle le fouhaitteroit touf jours [18] en fon coeur 
& qu'elle entedoit qu'on ne laiffaft pas pour cela de 
paffer outre : car dit-elle, s*il eft vray, comme vous 
m'en aHeurez, que noftre ame apres le baptefme aille 
au Ciel, ie defire eftre baptif^e, & aller trouuer mon 
f rere ; ce Sauuage fuft baptif 6 & mourut il y a deux 
ans. Cefte bonne dif pofition auec le mauuais eflat de 
fa fant6 qui menajoit de mort, inuita le P. Superieur 
^ rinftruire amplemet auec beaucoup de fatisf action 
& de confolation de noftre coft6, le P. Pierre Chaftel- 
lain la baptifa, & [elle] fut nomm^e Marie pour Tac- 
compliffemet d' vn voeu qu'il auoit faict : Elle mourut 
quelques pen de iours apres ; la cauf e de fa maladie 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 29 



pie felt in the conversion of this family. Some time 
afterwards his little girl died; we merely received 
news of her death, for which we felt a very special 
regret, as she was a very bright child, and wonder- 
fully docile; but Judicia Dei abyssus mult a. In the 
following we have reason for consolation. 

On the 30th, we began a no vena in honor of the 
blessed Virgin. We had made this vow that it might 
please God to derive glory to himself from the sick- 
ness of a woman of our village. What had especially 
inclined us to this devotion was the good will we had 
remarked in all those of the cabin towards receiv- 
ing Holy Baptism, and that we hoped to derive, for 
the advancement of this object, great advantages from 
the baptism of this woman, in whatever way it might 
please God afterwards to dispose of her, were she to 
live or to die. Our devotion seemed to be acceptable 
to the blessed Virgin, for that same day, towards 
evening, when the Father Superior went to see her 
and found her quite sick, he had no sooner made over- 
tures of Baptism to her, than she replied that she 
would be very glad to receive it, and that if she 
should lose her speech, she would continue to wish 
for it [18] in her heart; and that she had heard that 
people did not fail to go beyond on that account. 
" For,'* said she, '* if it be true, as you have assured 
me, that our souls go to Heaven after baptism, I wish 
to be baptized and go to find my brother, ' * a Savage 
who was baptized and died two years ago. This good 
disposition, together with the bad condition of her 
health, which threatened death, induced the Father 
Superior to instruct her fully, with great satisfaction 
and consolation on our part. Father Pierre Chastellain 
baptized her, and, in fulfillment of a vow he had made» 



30 LES RELATIONS DES JASUITES [Vol.18 

a entendre fes parens, aiioit eft6 la perte d*vn bonnet 
rouge, en effect on nous preffa importun^ment de 
luy en donner vn, comme fi ce bonnet euft deu luy 
rendre la fant6, & mefme apres fa mort fon pere auoit 
grande deuotion de la voir porter au tombeau auec vn 
bonnet rouge en fa tefle, voicy fa raifon, comment, 
difoit-il, voulez-vous que les Fran9ois la reconnoiffent 
dans le Ciel, fi elle n'en porte les liur6es? Cela n'efl- 
il pas tout k faict pitoyable que ce vieillard apres 
auoir ouy tant de fois parler du Ciel, fuft encore 
demeur6 [19] dans cefle ignorance? 

le diray encor, cecy, que cefle femme fur le com- 
mencement de fa maladie s'imagina qu'elle auoit veu 
entrer vn homme noir qui I'auoit toucli6e au corps, 
& qu'en mefme temps elle s'efloit trouu6e tout en 
feu. Au refle que ce fpectre auant que de difpa- 
roiflre s'efloit mis k danfer auec le refle de la troupe. 
Comme elle racontoit cecy, tous ceux qui efloient Ik 
prefens conclurent que fans doute s'efloit le Demon 
Aoutaerohi, qui la faifoit malade. On fit force feflins 
pour fa fant6, & entr'autres, vn iour qu'elle efloit 
bien malade, on fifl feflin d'vn chien; dont k leur 
dire elle fe trouua merueilleufement bien, & mefme, 
parce que le chien eflant encor demy vif fur les char- 
bons elle commenja k ouurir les yeux, ils creurent 
que cefle medecine operoit & qu'elle en refl!entoit 
defik quelques effects. On inuita vn medecin pour 
trauailler apres fa guerifon; il fit vne fuerie pour 
prendre cognoiflance de la maladie, il ietta du petun 
dans le feu, & appergeut dit-il, cinq hommes, puis 
il porta ce iugement qu'elle efloit enforcel6e; qu'elle 
auoit cinq forts dans le corps, que le plus dangereux, 
& celuy qui efloit pour luy [20] caufer la mort, efloit 



1«37] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 31 

named her Marie. She died a few days later. The 
cause of her death, according to her parents, was the 
loss of a red hat. In fact we were urgently requested 
to give her another one, as if this hat could have 
restored her to health ; and even after her death her 
father was very anxious to see her borne to the tomb 
with a red hat on her head. Here is his reason: 
** How," said he, *' do you expect the French to rec- 
ognize her in Heaven, if she does not wear their 
livery ? ' * Now is it not altogether pitiful that this 
old man, after having heard so often about Heaven, 
had still continued [19] in this ignorance? 

I will say, also, that this woman at the beginning 
of her sickness imagined that she had seen a black 
man enter who had touched her body, and that she 
had at the same time found herself all on fire ; and, 
moreover, that this specter, before disappearing, had 
beg^n to dance with the rest of the troop. When she 
related this, all those present concluded that it was, 
without doubt, the Demon Aoutaerohi who caused 
her sickness. Many feasts were made for her recov- 
ery ; and, among others, one day when she was very 
sick they made a feast of a dog, in consequence of 
which, according to their story, she felt wonderfully 
well, — and also, because she began to open her eyes 
while the dog was still half alive on the coals, they 
thought that this medicine was operating, and that 
she already felt some effects from it. A medicine 
man wa^ invited to try to cure her. He took a sweat, 
to get a knowledge of her disease ; he threw some to- 
bacco into the fire, and perceived, he said, five men ; 
then he expressed the opinion that she was bewitched, 
that she had five charms in her body, — that the most 
dangerous, and the one which was to [20] cause her 



82 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 13 

au nombril, il fallut s'addreffer Ji vn autre pour les 
tirer, car ces Meflieurs fe contentent de defigner le 
mal; ceftuy-cy fe fit prier, il demande d'ordinaire 
trois chofes quand il vient traitter quelque malade : 
il ne faut point que les chiens jappent, fes cures ne 
fe font que das le filence ; il n' applique fes remedes 
qu'i Tefcart, & fouuent il vous fera porter vn pauure 
malade dans les bois, & fi il faut que le Ciel foit fe- 
rain; neantmoins il ne s'arrefta pas k toutes ces cere- 
monies en cefte occafion, car la malade ne fuft point 
tranfport^e hors la cabane, peut-eftre parce qu'en 
effect le Ciel eftoit couuert & plufl vne partie de la 
ioum6e : ce iour li mef me i*y accompagn6 le R. P. Su- 
perieur, ce charlatan efloit encor dans la cabane, nous 
trouuafmes le Pere, la mere, & quafi toute la famille 
2t la porte, ce vieillard nous fit incontinent figne, & 
nous dift tout bas, que nous nous en retoumaflions ; 
contentez-vous, difl-il, qu'elle efl baptif6e, allez & 
priez feulement Dieu qu'elle gueriffe: ce Sorcier luy 
donna vn breuuage qui deuoit ^ fon dire, defcendre 
tout droit au nombril, oti eftoit le fort de fon mal ; 
mais il monta, dit-on, aux oreilles qui luy enflerent 
[21] aufli toft, & peu de temps apres elle mourut: on 
luy demanda pourquoy fon remede auoit eft6 fans 
effect, il fe trouua qu'on ne luy auoit pas donn6 tout 
ce qu'il demandoit, fur tout vn petunoir de pierre 
rouge, & vn fac k mettre fon petun ; voili comme ces 
iongleurs abuf ent ce pauure peuple ; le principal eft 
qu'elle mourut Chreftienne : toutes ces medecines luy 
eftoient procur6es de fes parens, qui les regardoient 
comme font la plufpart des Sauuages, de mefme ceil 
que nous faifons en France nos remedes les plus 
ordinaires. 



1637 ] LE JE UNE ' 5 RELA TION, 1637 33 

death, was in the navel. They had to apply to an- 
other one to get them out, for these Gentlemen con- 
tent themselves with designating the evil. This one 
had to be entreated. He usually makes three de- 
mands when he comes to treat a sick person. The 
dogs must not howl, for his cures are only made in 
silence ; he only applies his remedies in a place apart, 
and he will often make you carry a poor patient into 
the woods ; and the Sky must be clear. Nevertheless 
he did not insist upon all these ceremonies on this 
occasion, for the patient was not carried out of the 
cabin, perhaps because the Sky was really cloudy and 
it rained a part of the day. That same day I accom- 
panied the Reverend Father Superior to this place ; 
the charlatan was still in the cabin; we found the 
Father, the mother, and nearly all the family at the 
door. This old man immediately made us a sign, and 
told us in a low voice that we should return. " Be 
satisfied," said he, **that she is baptized, only go 
and pray God that she may recover." This Sorcerer 
gave her a potion which, he said, must go directly 
down to the navel, where the seat of her disease was. 
But it went up, they say, to her ears, which immedi- 
ately became swollen ; [2 1] and shortly afterwards she 
died. When he was asked why his remedy had not 
taken effect, it was found that he had not been given 
all that he demanded, — above all, a pipe of red stone 
and a pouch for his tobacco. This is the way these 
jugglers delude these poor people. The chief point 
is that she died a Christian. All these remedies were 
procured for her by her parents, who looked upon 
them, as do most of the Savages, with the same eye 
with which we in France regard our most common 
remedies. 



84 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol.13 

le m'eftois oblig6 de dire k voftre R. que le P. 
Charles Gamier auoit baptif6 folemnellement d6s le 
27. de ce mois vn petit enfant, qui fut nomm6 lofeph, 
en vertu du voeu qu'il en auoit faict en Thonneur de 
ce Sainct Patriarche, & le R. P. Superieur pen de 
iours auparauant en auoit aufli baptif6 deux autres 
auec les ceremonies de TEglife. Mais il faut que ie 
luy donne icy la confolation toute entiere, k quel pro- 
pos diflferer plus long temps k luy dire, que depuis la 
demiere qu'elle a receu de nous, Dieu nous a faict la 
grace de baptifer iufques k maintenant que ie com- 
mence k efcrire la prefente, deux cens, tant adultes 
que petits [22] enfans, dont la plufpart n'ont efl6 
baptifez qu*en danger de mort, ie ne m'arrefteray 
gueres d'orefnauat en particulier qu*Jt ceux en la con- 
uerfion def quels nous auons remarqu6 des effects plus 
notables de la mifericorde de Dieu, & de fa proui- 
dence fur le f alut de f es efleuz ; nous ef perons que le 
nombre en croiflra encor auant que nos Sauuages 
defcendent pour la traitte de Quebec. 



I 
i 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 36 

I was in duty bound to tell your Reverence that 
Father Charles Gamier solemnly baptized, on the 
27th of this month, a little child, who was named 
Joseph in pursuance of a vow he had made in honor 
of this Blessed Patriarch ; and the Reverend Father 
Superior a few days before also baptized two others 
with the ceremonies of the Church. But I must here 
impart to you the whole comforting news ; for why 
should I longer defer telling you, that since the last 
letters you received from us, God has given us the 
grace to baptize, up to the present time, when I be- 
gin to write this letter, two hundred, both adults and 
little [22] children, the greater part of whom were 
not baptized until they were in danger of death. 
From now on, I shall not particularize much, except 
in regard to those in whose conversion we have ob- 
served some of the more remarkable effects of God's 
mercy, and of his providence in the salvation of his 
elect. We hope that the number will grow still 
greater before our Savages go down to the trading at 
Quebec. 



36 LES RELATIONS DES jASUITES [Vol.13 



CHAP. II. 

LES EXCESSIUES CRUAUTEZ DES HOMMES, & LES GRAN- 

DES MISERICORDES DE DIEU SUR LA PER- 

SONNE D*VN PRISONNIER DE GUERRE, 

IROQUOIS DE NATION. 

LE 2. de Septembre nous aprifmes qu*on auoit 
anient au bourg dOnnentifati vn prif onnier Iro- 
quois, & qu*on fe difpofoit k le faire mourir. 
Ce Sauuage auoit eft6 pris luy huictiefme, au lac des 
Iroquois, oil ils eftoient 25. ou 30. k la pefche, le refte 
s'eftoit fauu6 k la fuite. Pas vn, dit-on, n'euft efchap- 
p6 fi nos Hurons ne fe fuffent point fi fort precipitez, 
ils n'en amenerent que [23] fept, pour le huictiefme 
ils fe contenterent d'en apporter la tefte : Ils ne furent 
pas fi toft hors des prifes de Tennemy que felon leur 
couftume toute la troupe s'affembla, & tinrent con- 
feil, oti il fuft refolu que fix feroient donnez aux 
Atig^enonghac, & aux Arendarrhonons, & le fep- 
tiefme k cefte pointe ou nous f ommes. Ils en difpo- 
ferent de la forte, d'autant que leur bande eftoit com- 
pof6e de ces trois nations: Quand les prifonniers 
furent arriuez dans le pays, les Anciens, (aufquels 
les ieunes gens au retour de la guerre laiffent la dif- 
pofition de leur proye) firent vne autre affembl6e, 
pour auifer entr'eux, du bourg, oil chaque prifonnier 
en particulier feroit brufl6, & mis k mort, & des per- 
fonnes qui en feroient gratifi6es; car c'eft Tordinaire 
que lors que quelque perfonne notable a perdu en 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 37 



CHAP. II. 

THE EXCESSIVE CRUELTY OF MEN, AND THE GREAT 

MERCY OF GOD, UPON THE PERSON OF A 

PRISONER OF WAR FROM THE 

IROQUOIS NATION. 

ON the 2nd of September, we learned that an Iro- 
quois prisoner had been brought to the village 
of Onnentisati, and that they were preparing 
to put him to death. This Savage was one of eight 
captured by them at the lake of the Iroquois, where 
there were 25 or 30 of them fishing; the rest had 
saved themselves by flight. Not one, they say, would 
have escaped if our Hurons had not rushed on so pre- 
cipitately. They brought back only [23] seven, be- rig 
content to carry off the head of the eighth one. Tiiey 
were no sooner beyond the reach of the enemy than, 
according to their custom, the whole troop assembled 
and held a council, in which it was decided that six 
should be given to the Atignenonghac and the Aren- 
darrhonons, and the seventh to this place where we 
are. They disposed of them thus because their band 
was composed of these three nations. When the 
prisoners had arrived in the country, the Old Men (to 
whom the young men on their return from war leave 
the disposition of their spoils) held another assembly, 
to take counsel among themselves as to the town 
where each individual prisoner should be burned and 
put to death, and the persons on whom they should 
be bestowed ; for it is customary, when some notable 



38 LES RELA TIONS DES J&SUITES [Vol. 13 

guerre quelqu'vn de fes parens, on luy faffe prefent 
de quelque captif pris fur les ennemis pour effuyer 
fes larmes, & appaifer vne partie de fes regprets. 
Ceftuy-cy done qui auoit eft6 deftin6 pour cefle pointe 
fut amen6 par le Capitaine Enditfacone au bourg 
d*Onnentifati, oti les chefs de guerre tinrent Confeil, 
& ref olurent que ce prif onnier f eroit donn^ 2t Saoiian- 
daoiiafcoiiay, [24] qui efl vne des groffes tefles du 
pays, en cSfideration d'vn fien neueu qui auoit eft6 
pris par les Iroquois. La refolution prife, il fut me- 
n6 2t Arontaen, qui eft vn bourg efloign6 de nous en- 
uiron deux lieuSs: D*abort nous anions quelque hor- 
reur d'aflifter k ce fpectacle, neantmoins tout bien 
confider^, nous iugeafmes k propos de nous y trou- 
uer, ne defefperance pas de pouuoir gaigner cefte 
ame k Dieu, la charity fait paffer par deffus beaucoup 
de cofiderations ; Nous partifmes done, en compagnie 
du P. Superieur, le P. Garnier & moy, nous arri- 
uafmes 2t Arontaen vn pen auparauat le prif onnier, 
nous vifmes venir de loin ce pauure miferable, chan- 
tant au milieu de 30. ou 40. Sauuages qui le condui- 
foient, il eftoit reueftu d'vne belle robbe de caftor, il 
auoit au col vn collier de pourcelleine, & vn autre en 
forme de couronne autour de la tefte, il f e fit vn grand 
concours k fon arriu6e, on le fit feoir 2t 1* entree du 
bourg, ce fut k qui le f eroit chanter ; ie diray icy que 
iufques k Theure de fon fupplice nous ne vifmes ex- 
ercer en fon endroit que des traicts d* humanity, aufll 
auoit-il defik eft6 afl!ez mal men6 deflors de fa prife, 
il auoit vne main toute brif^e d*vn caillou, & vn doigt 
non [25] coup6, mais arrach6 par violence; pour 
Tautre main il en auoit le poulce & le doigt d'aupres 
emport6 d*vn coup de hache, & pour tout emplaftre 




>x 



:/• \ 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELATION. *^Sr - 39 



personage has lost one of his relatives in war, to give 
him a present of some captive taken from the enemy, 
to dry his tears and partly assuage his grief. Now 
the one who had been destined for this place was 
brought by the Captain Enditsacone to the village of 
Onnentisati, where the war chiefs held a Council and 
decided that this prisoner should be given to Saouan- 
daouascouay, [24] who is one of the chief men of the 
country, in consideration of one of his nephews who 
had been captured by the Iroquois. This decision 
being made, he was taken to Arontaen, a village about 
two leagues distant from us. At first, we were hor- 
rified at the thought of being present at this spec- 
tacle ; but, having well considered all, we judged it 
wise to be there, not despairing of being able to win 
this soul for God. Charity causes us to overlook 
many considerations. Accordingly, we departed, the 
Father Superior, Father Gamier, and I together. 
We reached Arontaen a little while before the pris- 
oner, and saw this poor wretch coming in the dis- 
tance, singing in the midst of 30 or 40 Savages who 
were escorting him. He was dressed in a beautiful 
beaver robe and wore a string of porcelain beads 
around his neck, and another in the form of a crown 
around his head. A gpreat crowd was present at his 
arrival. He was made to sit down at the entrance 
to the village, and there was a struggle as to who 
should make him sing. I will say here that, up to 
the hour of his torment, we saw only acts of humani- 
ty exercised towards him ; but he had already been 
quite roughly handled since his capture. One of his 
hands was badly bruised by a stone ; and one finger 
was not [25] cut off, but violently wrenched away. 
The thumb and forefinger of the other hand had been 



40 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 13 

quelques feuilles li6es auec des efcorces, il auoit les 
ioinctures des bras toutes brufl^es, & en I'vii vne 
grande incifion ; nous nous approchaf mes pour le con- 
fiderer de plus prfes, il leua les yeux, & nous regarda 
fort attentiuement, mais il ne f 9auoit pas encor le bon 
heur que le Ciel luy preparoit par noftre moyen au 
milieu de fes ennemis. On inuita le P. Superieur i 
le faire chanter, mais il fit entendre que ce n'eftoit 
pas ce qui Tauoit amen6, qu'il n'eftoit venu que pour 
luy apprendre ce qu'il deuoit faire pour aller au Ciel, 
& eflre bien-heureux 2i iamais apres la mort, il s'ap- 
procha de luy, & luy tefmoigna que nous luy portions 
tons beaucoup de compaflion. Cependant on luy ap- 
portoit k manger de tons coftez, qui du fagamit6, qui 
des citroiiilles, & des fruicts, & ne le traittoient que 
de frere & amy ; de temps en temps on luy comman- 
doit de chanter, ce qu'il faifoit auec tant de vigueur, 
& vne telle contention de voix, que, veu fon aage, 
car il paroiffoit auoir plus de 50. ans, nous nous efton- 
nions comment il y pouuoit fuffire, [26] veu mefme 
qu*il n'auoit quafi faict autre chofe nuict & iour de- 
puis fa prife, & nomm^ment depuis fon arriu6e dans 
le pays. Sur ces entrefaites vn Capitaine hauffant fa 
voix du mefme ton que font en France ceux qui pro- 
clament quelque chofe par les places publiques, luy 
adreffa ces paroles. Mon neueu tu as bonne raif on de 
chanter, car perfonne ne te faict mal, te voilk main- 
tenant parmy tes parens, & tes amis. Bon Dieu quel 
compliment; tous ceux qui efloient autour de luy 
auec leur douceur eftudi^e, & leurs belles paroles 
efloient autant de bourreaux, qui ne luy faifoient bon 
vifage que pour le traitter par apres auec plus de cru- 
aut6. Par tout oti il auoit paff6 on luy auoit donn6 



1637] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 41 

nearly taken off by a blow from the hatchet, and the 
only plaster he had was some leaves bound with bark. 
The joints of his arms were badly burned, and in one 
of them there was a deep cut. We approached to 
look at him more closely ; he raised his eyes and re- 
garded us very attentively, but he did not yet know 
the happiness that Heaven was preparing for him, in 
the midst of his enemies, through our instrumentali- 
ty. The Father Superior was invited to make him 
sing ; but he explained that it was not that which had 
brought him there, — that he had come only to teach 
him what he ought to do that he might go to Heaven, 
and be forever blest after death. He approached 
him, and told him that we all felt a great deal of com- 
passion for him. Meanwhile, they brought him 
food, from all sides, — some bringing sagamit6, some 
squashes and fruits, — and treated him only as a 
brother and a friend. From time to time he was 
commanded to sing, which he did with so much vigor 
and strength of voice, that, considering his age, for 
he seemed to be more than 50 years old, we wondered 
how he could be equal to it, — [26] especially as he 
had done hardly anything else day and night since 
his capture, and especially since his arrival in their 
country. Meanwhile, a Captain, raising his voice to 
the same tone used by those who make some procla- 
mation in the public places in France, addressed to 
him these words : * * My nephew, thou hast good rea- 
son to sing, for no one is doing thee any harm ; be- 
hold thyself noyr among thy kindred and friends.*' 
Good God, what a compliment! All those who sur- 
rounded him, with their affected kindness and their 
fine words, were so many butchers who showed him 
a smiling face only to treat him afterwards with more 



42 LES RELA TIONS DES JJ&SUITES [Vol. 13 

dequoy faire feftin, on ne manqua pas icy k cefte 
courtoifie, on mift incontinent vn chien en la chau- 
diere, il n'eftoit pas encor demy cuit qu'il fnt men6 
dans la cabane, oti il deuoit faire l'affembl6e pour le 
banquet. II fit dire an P. Superieur qu'il le fuiuift 
& qu*il eftoit bien aife de le voir, fans doute cela luy 
auoit touchy le coeur, de trouuer, (parmy des barbares 
que la feule cruaut6 rendoit aflfables & humains) des 
perf onnes qui auoient vn veritable reffentiment de fa 
[27] mifere. Nous commengafmes deflors 2i bien 
efperer de fa conuerfion, nous entrafmes done, & nous 
mifmes aupres de luy, le P. Superieur prifl occafion 
de luy dire qu'il euft bon courage, qu'il efloit k la 
verity pour eflre miferable le peu de vie qui luy 
refloit, mais que s*il le vouloit efcouter & croire ce 
qu*il auoit k luy dire, il Taffeuroit d*vn bon heur eter- 
nel dans le Ciel apres la mort ; il luy parla ample- 
ment de Timmortalit^ de Tame, des contentements 
dont iouyffent les bien-heureux dans le Paradis, & 
du malheureux eflat des damnez dans TEnfer. Ce- 
pendant le P. Garnier & moy, pour contribuer quel- 
que chof e k la conuerfion de ce pauure Sauuage, nous 
fifmes vn voeu de dire quatre Mefl^es en Thonneur de 
la bien-heureuf e Vierge ; afin qu'il pluft k Dieu luy 
faire mifericorde, & luy donner la grace d'eftre bap- 
tif 6 : voftre R. euft eii de la conf olation de voir auec 
qu'elle attention il efcouta ce difcours, il y prift tant 
de plaifir & le comprift fi bien, qu'il le repeta en peu 
de mots, & tefmoigna vn grand defir d'aller au Ciel 
Tons ceux qui eftoient aupres de luy conf piroient ce 
fembloit auec nous dans le defl!ein de Tinftruire, en- 
tr'autres vn ieune homme lequel quoy que fans [28] 
aucune neceflit6 faifoit le deuoir de truchement, & 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 ^ 

cruelty. In all the places through which he had 
passed he had been given something with which to 
make a feast ; they did not fail here in this act of 
courtesy, for a dog was immediately put into the 
kettle, and, before it was half cooked, he was brought 
into the cabin where the people were to gather for 
the banquet. He had some one tell the Father Su- 
perior to follow him, and that he was very glad to see 
him. Doubtless it had touched his heart to find 
(among barbarians whom cruelty alone rendered 
affable and humane) persons who had some real feel- 
ing for his [27] misery. We began then to have 
strong hopes of his conversion. So we entered and 
placed ourselves near him ; the Father Superior took 
occasion to tell him to be of good cheer, that he 
would in truth be miserable during the little of life 
that remained to him, but that, if he would listen to 
him and would believe what he had to tell him, he 
would assure him of an eternal happiness in Heaven 
after his death. He spoke to him fully upon the im- 
mortality of the soul, on the pleasures enjoyed by the 
blessed in Paradise, and on the wretched condition of 
the damned in Hell. Meanwhile Father Gamier and 
I, in order to contribute something to the conversion 
of this poor Savage, made a vow to say four Masses in 
honor of the blessed Virgin, that it might please God 
to show him mercy and to give him the gprace to be 
baptized. Your Reverence would have felt consola- 
tion in seeing with what attention he listened to this 
discourse. He took so much pleasure in it and under- 
stood it so well, that he repeated it in a few words, 
and showed a great desire to go to Heaven. All 
those who were beside him conspired, it seemed, 
with us in the purpose to instruct him, — among oth- 



44 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 13 

luy repetoit ce que le P. Superietir luy auoit expli- 
qu6. Mais ie deuois auoir dit k voftre R. que ce pri- 
fonnier n'eftoit pas proprement du pays des ennemis, 
il efloit natif de SonontoUan, neantmoins, dautant 
que depuis quelques ann6es les Sonontoiianhrronon 
auoient fait la paix auec les Hurons, ceftui-cy n*a- 
yant pas agre6 c6t accord s* efloit mari6 parmy les 
Onontaehronon afin d' auoir toufiours la liberty de 
porter les annes centre eux. Voilk comme la fage 
prouidence de Dieu a conduit ce pauure Sauuage dans 
les voyes de Salut. Peut-eflre que demeurant 2t So- 
nontolian il fufl aufll demeur^ iufques k la mort dans 
rignorance de fon Createur. 

Mais retoumons au feftin qui fe preparoit, aufli 
toft que le chien fut cuit, on en tira vn bon morceau 
qu*on luy fit manger ; car il luy f alloit mettre iufques 
dans la bouche, eftant incapable de fe feruir de fes 
mains, il en fit part k ceux qui eftoient aupres de luy. 
A voir le traittement qu'on luy faifoit, vous eufliez 
quafi iug6 qu'il eftoit le frere, & le parent de tons 
ceux qui luy parloient. Ses pauures mains luy cau- 
foient de grandes douleurs, & luy cuifoient fi fort, 
[29] qu*il demanda de fortir de la cabane pour prendre 
vn peu d'air, il luy fut accord6 incontinent, il fe fit 
deuelopper fes mains, on luy apporta de Teau pour 
les rafraichir, elles eftoient demy pourries & toutes 
gfroiiillantes de vers : la puanteur qui en f ortoit eftoit 
quafi infupportable, il pria qu'on luy tiraft ces vers 
qui luy rongeoient iufques aux molielles, & luy fai- 
foient (difoit-il) reffentir la mefme douleur que fi on 
y euft appliqu6 le feu. On fit tout ce que Von piit 
pour le foulager, mais en vain, car ils paroifl!oient & 
f e retiroient au dedans comme on fe mettoit en de- 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION. i637 46 

ers, a young man, who, though without [28] any 
obligation to do so, performed the service of inter- 
preter, and repeated to him what the Father Superior 
had explained. But I ought to have informed your 
Reverence that this prisoner did not properly belong 
to the enemy's country, as he was a native of Sonon- 
touan. Yet, inasmuch as a few years before the 
Sonontouanhrronon had made peace with the Hurons, 
this man, not having accepted this treaty, had mar- 
ried among the Onontaehronon, in order to be always 
free to carry arms against them.* See how the wise 
providence of God has led this poor Savage into the 
ways of Salvation. Perhaps if he had remained at 
Sonontouan, he might have continued until death 
in ignorance of his Creator. 

But let us return to the feast which was being pre- 
pared. As soon as the dog was cooked, they took 
out a large piece of it, which he was made to eat, for 
they had to put it even into his mouth, as he was 
unable to use his hands ; he shared it with those who 
were near him. To see the treatment they accorded 
him, you might have thought he was the brother and 
relative of all those who were talking to him. His 
poor hands caused him great pain, and smarted so 
severely [29] that he asked to go out of the cabin, to 
take a little air. His request was immediately grant- 
ed. His hands were unwrapped, and they brought 
him some water to refresh them. They were half 
putrefied, and all swarming with worms, a stench 
arising from them that was almost insupportable. 
He begged them to take away these worms, which 
were gnawing him even to the marrow, and which 
made him feel (he said) the same pain as if some one 
had touched him with fire. All was done that could 



46 LES RELATIONS DES jASUITES [Vol, 18 

uoir de les tirer. Cependant il ne laiffoit pas de 
chanter k diuerf es reprif es, & on luy donnoit toufiours 
quelque chofe k manger, comme quelques fruicts ou 
citroiiilles. 

Voyant que rhenre du f eftin s'approchoit nous nous 
retirafmes dans la cabane, oti nous anions pris logis : 
car nous ne iugions pas 2i propos de demeurer en la 
cabane du prifonnier n'efperans pas trouuer la com- 
modity de luy parler d*auantage iufques au lendemain. 
Mais Dieu qui auoit deffein de luy faire mifericorde 
nous Tamena, & nous fufmes bien eftonnez, & bien 
refiouys quad on nous vint dire qu'il venoit loger auec 
{30] nous; Et encor plus par apres, lors que (en vn 
teps auquel il y auoit tout fujet de craindre que la 
confufion, & Tinfolence de la ieuneffe amaff^e de tons 
les bourgs circonuoiilns ne nous interrompit en noftre 
deffein,) Le P. Super, fe trouua Ik dans vne belle 
occafion de luy parler, & eut tout loiilr de Tinftruire 
de nos myfteres, en vn mot de le difpofer au S. Bap- 
tefme. Vne bonne troupe de Sauuages, qui eftoient 
Ik prefens, non feulement ne I'interropoient point, 
mais mefme Tefcouteret auec beaucoup d*attention; 
oil il prift fuject de les entretenir fur la b6t6 de Dieu, 
qui ayme vniuerfellement tons les hommes, les Iro- 
quois aufli bien que les Hurons, les captifs audi bien 
que ceux qui font en liberty, les pauures & les 
miferables, k Tefgal des riches, pourueu qu*ils 
croyent en luy & gardent fes Ss. Commande- 
mens Que c'efl vn grand auantage d'auoir la langue 
«n maniment, d'eftre aym6 de ces peuples, & en cre- 
dit parmy eux, vous eufliez dit que tout ce monde fe 
f ufl affembl6, non pour paffer le temps autour du pri- 
fonnier, mais pour entendre la parole de Dieu ; ie ne 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 47 

be done to relieve him, but in vain ; for they would 
appear, and disappear within as soon as one under- 
took the task of drawing them out. Meanwhile he 
did not cease singing at intervals, and they continued 
to give him something to eat, such as fruits or 
squashes. 

Seeing that the hour of the feast was drawing near, 
we withdrew into the cabin where we had taken lodg- 
ings, — for we did not think it best to remain in the 
cabin of the prisoner, — not expecting to find an 
opportunity to speak further with him until the next 
day. But Grod, who intended to show him mercy, 
brought him to us, and we were gjreatly astonished 
and much rejoiced when we were told that he was 
coming to lodge with [30] us. And still more so 
afterwards, when (at a time when there was every 
reason to fear that the confusion, and the insolence 
of the young men gathered from all the surrounding 
towns, would interfere with our plans) the Father Su- 
perior happened to be there when there was a good 
opportunity to speak to him, and had all the leisure 
necessary to instruct him in our mysteries, — in a 
word, to prepare him for Holy Baptism. A goodly 
band of Savages who were present, not only did not 
interrupt him, but even listened to him with close at- 
tention. Upon this, he took occasion to talk to them 
about the goodness of God, who loves all men the 
world over, — the Iroquois as well as the Hurons, the 
captives as well as the free, the poor and the miser- 
able equally with the rich, — provided they believe 
in him and keep his Holy Commandments. What a 
great advantage it is to have mastered their language, 
to be loved by these peoples, and to have influence 
among them! You might have said that all this 



48 LES RELATIONS DES J j'iSUITES [Vol.13 

penfe pas que les veritez Chreftiennes ayent eft6 ia- 
mais prefch6es dans ce pays en vne occafion fi fauo- 
rable, car il y en auoit quail Ik de [31] toutes les 
nations qui parlent la langue Huronne : Le Pere Su- 
perieur le trouua 11 bien difpof6 qu'il ne iugea pas k 
propos de diflFerer plus long temps fon baptefme, il 
fut nomm6 lofeph. II eftoit bien raifonnable que le 
premier baptif6 de cede nation full eh la protection 
de ce Sainct Patriarche, nous auons delik reyeu de Dieu 
tant de faueurs par fon entremife que nous efperons 
que quelque iour, & peut-eftre plulloft que nous ne 
penfons, il nous moyennera aupres de cefle infinie 
mifericorde T entree dans ces nations Barbares, pour 
y prefcher courageufement le Sainct Euangile. Cela 
faict, nous nous retirafmes d'aupres de luy bien con- 
f olez, pour prendre vn peu de repos ; pour moy , il 
me fut impoflible de clorre quail Toeil, & remarquay 
autat que ie puis entendre, qu'vne grande partie de 
la nuict, les Anciens du bourg, & quelques Capitaines 
qui le gardoient Tentretindrent fur les affaires de fon 
pays, & le fuject de fa prife, mais auec des tefmoi- 
gnages de bien-veillance qui ne fe peuuent dire ; le 
matin le Pere Superieur trouua encor moyen de luy 
dire vn bon mot, de luy remettre en memoire la 
faueur qu'il auoit receuS du Ciel, & le difpofer [32] Jt 
la patience dans fes tourmens. Et puis il fallut par- 
tir pour aller k Tojidakhra, qui ell k vne lieue d'Aron- 
taen, il fe mit en chemin bien accompagn^ & chan- 
tant k fon ordinaire. Nous prifmes done occafion 
nous autres, de faire vn tour chez nous pour dire la 
Meffe, & faire part de ces bonnes nouuelles k nos 
Peres. Le mefme iour nous allafmes k Tondakhray 
ou par vne Prouidence particuliere, nous nous lo- 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 49 

crowd had flocked together, not to while away the 
time around the prisoner, but to hear the word of God. 
I do not think that Christian truths have ever been 
preached in this country on an occasion so favorable, 
for there were present some from nearly [31] all the 
nations who speak the Huron tongue. The Father 
Superior found him so well disposed that he did not 
consider it advisable to postpone longer his baptism. 
He was named Joseph. It was very reasonable that 
the first one of this nation to be baptized should be 
under the protection of this Holy Patriarch. We had 
already received from God so many favors through 
his mediation that we hope he will, some day, and 
perhaps sooner than we think, obtain for us, from 
this infinite mercy, admission- to these Barbarous na- 
tions, that we may boldly preach there the Holy Gos- 
pel. This being accomplished, we withdrew from 
his presence, greatly consoled, to take a little rest. 
For my part, it was almost impossible for me to close 
my eyes ; and I noticed, as well as I could hear, that 
during a good part of the night the Old Men of the 
village, and some Captains who were guarding him, 
conversed with him about the affairs of his country 
and about his capture, but with evidences of good 
will impossible to describe. In the morning, the 
Father Superior again found means to speak a good 
word to him, to remind him of the favor he had re- 
ceived from Heaven, and to dispose him [32] to bear 
his torments patiently. Then he had to leave us to 
go to Tondakhra, which is a league from Arontaen.^ 
He took the road, well escorted, and singing as usual. 
Now we took occasion to pay a visit to our home, to 
say Mass and impart this good news to our Fathers. 
On the same day we went to Tondakhra^ where. 



60 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol.13 

geafmes fans le fjauoir, dans la cabane qii'on auoit 
deflin^e pour le prifonnier. Le foir il fit feftin, oil 
il chanta, & dan9a k la mode du pays vne bonne par- 
tie de la nuict. Le Pere rinftniifit plus particuliere- 
ment de tout ce qui touche le deuoir d*vn Chreflien 
& nommement fur les faincts Commandemens de 
Dieu, il y auoit vne bonne compagnie, & tons tefmoi- 
gnoient prendre vn fingulier plaifir k c6t entretien ; 
ce qui donna fuiect au Pere k Toccafion du fixi^me 
Commandement, de leur faire entendre iufques k quel 
poinct Dieu faifoit eftat de la cliaftet6, & que pour 
cette confideration nous nous eflions obligez par voeu 
de cultiuer cette vertu inuiolablement iufques h, la 
mort ; ils f urent bien eflonnez d'apprendre que par- 
my les [33] Chreftiens il fe trouue tant de perfonnes 
de Tvn & Tautre fexe qui fe priuent volontairement 
pour toute leur vie des voluptez f enfuelles, auf quelles 
ils mettent toute leur felicity : ils firent mefme 
plufieurs queflions, entre autres quelqu'vn demanda 
pourquoy les hommes auoient honte de fe voir nuds 
les vns les autres, & fur tout, nous autres pourquoy 
nous ne pouuions fupporter qu'ils f uffent fans brayes, 
le Pere leur refpondit que c'efloit vn effect du pecli6 
du premier homme, qu'auparauant, qu'il eut tranf- 
greff6 la loy de Dieu, & que fa volont6 fe fufl dere- 
gl6e ny luy ny Eue fa femme ne s'apperjeuoient pas 
de leur nudity, que leur defobeyffance leur auoit ou- 
uert les yeux, & leur auoit fait chercher dequoy fe 
couurir : le ne touche icy qu'en deux mots les longs 
& beaux difcours que le P. Superieur leur fit en telles 
& femblables occafions. Vn autre luy demanda d'oti 
nous f9auions qu'il y auoit vn Enfer, & d'oii nous te- 
nions tout ce que nous difions de I'eflat des damnez: 



1637] LE JEUNE:S RELA TION, 1637 61 

through a special Providence, we unwittingly took 
lodgings in the cabin that had been assigned to the 
prisoner. In the evening he made a feast, at which 
he sang and danced, according to the manner of the 
country, during a good part of the night. The Fa- 
ther instructed him more minutely on all that pertains 
to the duty of a Christian, and especially upon the 
holy Commandments of God. There was present a 
goodly company, and all showed that they took a sin- 
gular pleasure in this conversation. This gave the 
Father occasion, in discussing the sixth Command- 
ment, to explain to them how highly God esteemed 
chastity, and that, on this account, we had bound 
ourselves by a vow to cultivate this virtue inviolably 
tmtil death. They were greatly astonished to learn 
that among the [33] Christians there were so many 
persons of both sexes who voluntarily deprived them- 
selves during their entire lifetime of sensual pleas- 
ures, in which these find all their happiness. They 
even asked many questions. Among others, some one 
asked why men were ashamed to be seen naked among 
themselves, and, above all, why we could not endure 
to have them go without clouts. The Father replied 
that it was due to the sin of the first man ; that be- 
fore he had transgressed the law of God, and his will 
had become disordered, neither he nor Eve, his wife, 
had been aware of their nakedness ; that their disobe- 
dience had opened their eyes, and had made them 
seek something with which to cover themselves. I 
only allude here, in a few words, to the long and 
beautiful discourses the Father Superior made to them 
upon this and similar occasions. Another one asked 
him how we knew there was a Hell, and whence we 
obtained all that we told about the condition of the 



\ 



52 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 18 

le Pere dift Ik deffus que nous en auions des affeu- 
rances indubitables, que nous le tenions par reuela- 
tion diuine ; que le S. Ef prit auoit luy-mefme dict6 
ces veritez Jt des perfonnages, & k nos [34] Anceftres 
qui nous les ont laiff^es par efcrit, que nous en con- 
f eruions encor precieuf ement les liures : mais noflre 
hiftoire ira trop loin fi ie ne trenche ces difcours. 

Le lendemain matin qui fut le 4. de Septembre le 
prifonnier confirma encor la volot6 qu'il auoit de mou- 
rir Chreflien, & fon defir d'aller au Ciel ; & mefme 
il promit au Pere qu'il fe fouuiendroit dans les tour- 
mes de dire lef us tai'tenr, lef us ayez piti6 de moy : 
on attedoit encor le Capitaine Saoiiadaoiiafcoiiay qui 
eftoit all6 en traitte, pour arrefter le iour & le lieu 
de fon fupplice, car ce captif efloit tout k fait en fa 
dif pofition ; il arriua vn peu apres, & d6s leur pre- 
miere entreueuS noflre lofeph au lieu de fe troubler 
dans la crainte & I'apprehenilon de la mort prochaine 
& d'vne telle mort ; luy dit en noflre prefence que le 
Pere I'auoit baptif6, haiatachondi, il vfa de ce terme 
tefmoignant en eflre bien aif e : le Pere le conf ola en- 
cor, luy dif ant que les tourmens qu*il alloit foufifrir 
feroient de peu de dur6e, mais que les contentemens 
qui Tattendoient dans le Ciel n'auroient point d'autre 
terme que 1' Eternity. 

Saoliandaotiafcoiiay luy fit bon vifage & le traicta 
auec vne douceur incroyable, voicy le somaire du 
difcours qu41 luy fit: Mon [35] neueu il faut 
que tu fgache qu'k la premiere nouuelle que ie 
rejeus que tu eflois en ma dif pofition, ie fus 
merueilleuf ement ioyeux, m'imaginant que celuy que 
i'ay perdu en guerre efloit come refufcit6 & retour- 
noit en fon pstfs, ie pris en mefme teps refolution de 



1637] LE/EUNE'S RELATION, i637 63 

damned. The Father replied to this that we had in- 
dubitable proofs of it, that we possessed it through 
divine revelation; that the Holy Ghost himself had 
dictated these truths to certain persons, and to our [34] 
Ancestors, who had left them to us in writing, and 
that we still carefully preserved the books containing 
them. But our story will prove too long if I do not 
cut short these discourses. 

The next morning, which was the 4th of Septem- 
ber, the prisoner again confirmed his wish to die a 
Christian, and his desire to go to Heaven, and he even 
promised the Father that he would remember to say, 
in his torments, " Jesus tai'tenr," " Jesus, have pity 
on me." They were still waiting for the Captain 
Saouandaouascouay, who had gone trading, to fix upon 
the day and the place of his torment ; for this captive 
was entirely at his disposal. He arrived a little later ; 
and, at their first interview, our Joseph, instead of 
being disquieted from fear and apprehension of his 
approaching death, and of such a death, said to him 
in our presence that the Father had baptized him, 
** haiatachondi ; " he used this expression as showing 
that he was very glad thereat. The Father consoled 
him further, saying that the torments he was about 
to suffer would be of short duration, but that the joys 
which awaited him in Heaven would have no other 
limit than Eternity. 

Saouandaouascouay looked at him pleasantly and 
treated him with incredible gentleness. This is a 
summary of the talk he had with him: " My [35] 
nephew, thou must know that when I first received 
news that thou wert at my disposal, I was wonder- 
fully pleased, fancying that he whom I lost in war 
had been, as it were, brought back to life, and was 



64 LES RELATIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. IS 

te donner la vie, ie penfois delist k te preparer vne 
place dans ma cabane & faifois eftat que tu pafferois 
doucement auec moy le refle de tes iours, mais main- 
tenant que ie te vols en c6t eftat les doigts emportez, 
& les mains k demy pourries, ie change d'auis, & ie 
m'affenre que tu aurois toy-mefme regret maintenant 
de viure plus long temps: ie t'obligeray plus de te 
dire que tu te difpofe k mourir, n'eft-il pas vray ? Ce 
font les Tohontaenras qui font fi mal traitt6, qui font 
auffi la caufe de ta mort. Sus doc mon neueu aye b6 
courage, prepare toy k ce foir, & ne te laiffe point 
abbatre par la crainte des tourmens : Lk deffus lof eph 
luy demanda d*vn maintien ferme & affeur6 quel fe- 
roit le gere de f on f upplice ; k quoy Saoiiandaolif coiiay 
refpSdit qu'il mourroit par le feu: voilk qui va bien, 
repliqua lof eph, voilk qui va bien. Tandis que ce 
Capitaine Tentretenoit vne feme qui eftoit la foeur 
du defifunct, luy apportoit Jt mager auec vn foin re- 
marquable, [36] vous eufllez quafi dit que c'euft eft6 
fon propre fils, & ie ne f9ay fi c6t obiect ne luy repre- 
fentoit point celuy quel \sc. qu'elle] auoit perdu, mais 
elle eftoit d'vn vifage fort trifte, & auoit les yeux 
comme tons bagnez de larmes. Ce Capitaine luy 
mettoit fouuent fon petunoir Jt la bouche, luy effuyoit 
de fes mains la fueur qui luy couloit fur le vifage, & 
le rafraifchiffoit d'vn efuentail de plumes. 

Enuiron fur le midy il fit fon Aftataion, c'eft Jt dire 
feftin d'adieu, felon la couftume de ceux qui font fur 
le poinct de mourir, on n'y inuita perfonne en parti- 
culier, chacun auoit la liberty de s'y trouuer, on y 
eftoit les vns fur les autres. Auant qu'on commen- 
9aft Jt manger, il pafTa au milieu de la cabane ; & dift 
d'vne voix haute & afl!eur6e, mes freres ie m'en vay 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 56 

returning to his country. At the same time I re- 
solved to give thee thy life ; I was already thinking 
of preparing thee a place in my cabin, and thought 
that thou wouldst pass the rest of thy days pleasantly 
with me. But now that I see thee in this condition, 
thy fingers gone and thy hands half rotten, I change 
my mind, and I am sure that thou thyself wouldst 
now regret to live longer. I shall do thee a greater 
kindness to tell thee that thou must prepare to die ; 
is it not so ? It is the Tohontaenras ® who have treat- 
ed thee so ill, and who also cause thy death. Come 
then, my nephew, be of good courage ; prepare thy- 
self for this evening, and do not allow thyself to be 
cast down through fear of the tortures." Thereupon 
Joseph asked him, with a firm and confident mien, 
what would be the nature of his torment. To this 
Saouandaouscouay replied that he would die by fire. 
*' That is well," said Joseph, " that is well." While 
this Captain was conversing with him, a woman, the 
sister of the deceased, brought him some food, show- 
ing remarkable solicitude for him. [36] You would 
almost have said that he was her own son, and I do 
not know that this creature did not represent to her 
him whom she had lost. Her countenance was very 
sad, and her eyes seemed all bathed in tears. This 
Captain often put his own pipe in the prisoner's 
mouth, wiped with his own hands the sweat that 
rolled down his face, and cooled him with a feather 
fan. 

About noon he made his Astataion, that is, his fare- 
well feast, according to the custom of those who are 
about to die. No special invitations were given, 
every one being free to come ; the people were there 
in crowds. Before the feast began, he walked through 



66 LES RELATIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol.18 

mourir, an refte ioiiez vous hardiment autour de moy, 
ie ne crains point les tourmens ny la mort. Inconti- 
nent il fe mift k chanter, & Jt danfer tout le long de 
la cabane, qnelqnes antres chanterent aufli, & dan- 
f erent h, lenr tour ; puis on donna Jl manger k ceux 
qui auoient des plats, ceux qui n'en auoient point re- 
gardoient faire les autres, nous eftions de ceux cy, 
aufli n'eflions nous pas [37] 1^ pour manger. Le 
f eftin aclieu6 on le remena k Arontaen pour y mou- 
rir, nous le fuynifmes pour Taflifler & luy rendre tout 
le feruice que nous pouuions, eftant arriu6 aufli toft 
qu'il vift le P. Superieur il Tinuita ^ fe feoir aupres 
de luy, & luy demanda quand il le difpoferoit pour 
le Ciel, penfant peut-eftre qu'il le deuft baptifer en- 
cor vne fois, & d'autant que le Pere n'entendoit pas 
bien ce qu'il vouloit dire, luy aySt refpondu que ce 
ne feroit pas encor £i toft, Enonske, dit-il, fais le au 
pluftoft, il fit inftance, & luy demanda s'il iroit au 
Ciel: le Pere luy refpondit qu'il ne deuoit point en 
douter, puis qu'il eftoit baptif6, il luy repeta encores 
que les tourmens qu'il alloit fouffrir finiroient bien 
toft, & que fans la grace du S. Baptefme il euft eft6 
tourment6 k iamais dans les flammes etemelles, il 
prift de Ik fuject de luy expliquer comme Dieu ha- 
yffoit le pecli6, & auec quelle rig^eur il puniffoit les 
pecheurs, que tous les hommes eftoient fujects au pe- 
ch6, que la mifericorde de Dieu nous auoit neantmoins 
laiff^ vn moyen tres-facile & tres-efl&cace pour retour- 
ner en grace, & le difpofa k faire vn acte de con- 
trition. 

Ceux qui eftoient Ik prefens auoient [38] des pen- 
f6es bien differentes; les vns nous cofideroient, & 
s'eftonnoient de nous voir fi fort attachez & luy, de 



1687] LE JEUNES RELA TION, idjr 67 

the middle of the cabin and said in a loud and confi- 
dent voice, * ' My brothers, I am going to die ; amuse 
yourselves boldly around me, — I fear neither tortures 
nor death. ' ' He straightway began to sing and dance 
through the whole length of the cabin ; some of the 
others sang also and danced in their turn. Then 
food was given those who had plates, and those who 
had none watched the others eat. We were of the 
latter, since we were not [37] there to eat. The feast 
over, he was taken back to Arontaen, to die there. 
We followed him, in order to assist him and render 
him all the service we could. Upon our arrival, as 
soon as he saw the Father Superior he invited him to 
sit down near him, and asked him when he would 
prepare him for Heaven, — thinking, perhaps, that he 
must be baptized once more ; and inasmuch as the 
Father did not quite understand what he was trying 
to say, having replied to him that it was not yet time 
for that, ' ' Enonske, ' ' said he, * * do it as soon as pos- 
sible.'* He entreated earnestly and asked him if he 
would go to Heaven. The Father answered him 
that he ought not to doubt it, since he was baptized. 
He repeated to him again that the tortures he was 
about to suffer would soon be over, and that without 
the grace of Holy Baptism he would have been tor- 
mented forever in eternal flames. He took occasion 
thereupon to explain to him how God hated sin, and 
with what severity he punished sinners; that all 
men were subject to sin ; that the mercy of God had, 
nevertheless, left us a very easy and very efl&cacious 
means of returning to grace ; and he disposed him to 
perform an act of contrition. 

Those who were present there had [38] very differ- 
ent thoughts. Some looked at us, and were aston- 



68 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. IS 

voir que nous le fuiuions par tout, que nous ne per- 
dions point d'occafions de luy parler, & luy dire 
quelque mot de conf olation ; d'autres ne f ongeoiSt ce 
femble qu'k luy faire du bien ; plulieurs s'arrefloient 
k fa condition, & conlideroient Textremit^ de fa mi- 
fere : entr'autres vne f emme, penfant comme il efl k 
prefumer, que ce pauure patient feroit bien-heureux, 
& efparg^eroit beaucoup de fes peines s'il pou- 
uoit fe tuSr, & preuenir Tinfolence & la cruaut6 de 
la ieunefle, demanda au Pere s'il y auroit du mal en 
cefle action : c'efl ainll que la diuine bont6 donnoit 
toufiours de nouuelles ouuertures pour faire cognoiflre 
& expliquer fa faincte Loy k ce peuple barbare : le 
Pere les inflruifit amplement fur ce poinct & leur fit 
entendre qu'il n'y auoit que Dieu qui fut le maiflre 
de nos vies, & qu'il n'appartenoit qu'Jl luy d'en dif- 
pofer, que ceux qui s'empoifonnoient ou deflfaifoient 
eux-mefmes par violence, pechoient g^efuement, & 
que Saoliandanoncoiia, parlant de noflre lofeph, per- 
droit le fruict de fon baptefme, & n'iroit iamais au 
Ciel, s'il auanfoit d'vn feul moment [39] I'heure de 
fa mort. 

Cependant le Soleil qui baiffoit fort nous aduertit 
de nous retirer au lieu oti fe deuoit acheuer cefle 
cruelle Tragedie, ce fut en la cabane d'vn nomm6 
Atfan, qui efl le grand Capitaine de guerre, aufll efl 
elle appellee Otinontfiskiaj ondaon, c'efl ^ dire la 
maifon des tefles coupp6es. C'efl Ik oti fe tiennent 
tous les Confeils de guerre; pour la cabane oil fe 
traittent les affaires du pays, & qui ne regardent que 
la police, elle s'appelle Endionrra ondaon, la maifon 
du Confeil. Nous nous mifmes done en lieu oti nous 
peuflions eflre aupres du patient, & luy dire vn bon 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 59 

ished to see us so strongly attached to him, — follow- 
ing him everywhere, losing no occasion to speak 
to him, and to give him some word of consolation. 
Others, it seemed, thought of nothing else than of 
doing him some good. Many were arrested by his 
condition, and contemplated the extremity of his 
misery. Among others, a woman, — thinking, it is to 
be supposed, that this poor victim would be happy 
and would be spared a great deal of his suffering if 
he could kill himself, and anticipate the insolence 
and cruelty of the young men, — asked the Father if 
there would be any harm in this act. Thus divine 
goodness is always affording new opportunities to 
reveal and explain his holy Law to this barbarous 
people. The Father instructed them fully upon this 
point, and showed them that God alone was the mas- 
ter of our lives, and it was for him only to dispose of 
them ; that those who poisoned themselves or made 
away with themselves by violence, committed a 
grievous sin ; and that Saouandanoncoua — speaking 
of our Joseph — would lose the fruit of his baptism, 
and would never go to Heaven, if he hastened by a 
single moment [39] the hour of his death. 

Meanwhile the Sun, which was fast declining, ad- 
monished us to withdraw to the place where this cruel 
Tragedy was to be enacted. It was in the cabin of 
one Atsan, who is the great war Captain ; therefore 
it is called ** Otinontsiskiaj ondaon," meaning, '* the 
house of cut-off heads. " It is there all the Councils 
of war are held ; as to the house where the affairs of 
the country, and those which relate only to the ob- 
servance of order, are transacted, it is called * ' Endi- 
onrra ondaon," ** house of the Council." We took, 
then, a place where we could be near the victim, and 



eO LES RELATIONS DES J&SUITES [Vol. 18 

mot fi Toccafion s'en prefentoit. Sur les 8. heures 
du f oir on alluma onze f eux tout le long de la cabane, 
efloignez les vns des autres enuiron d'vne braffe. In- 
continent le monde s'affembla, les vieillards f e place- 
rent en haut, comme fur vne maniere d'echaflfauts 
qui regnent de part & d'autre tout le long des cabanes ; 
les ieunes gens eftoient en bas, mais tellement preffez 
qu'ils eftoient quail les vns fur les autres, de forte 
qu'k peine y auoit-il paffage le long des feux: tout 
retentiffoit de cris d'allegreffe ; chacun luy preparoit 
qui vn tifon, qui vne efcorce pour brufler [40] le pa- 
tient ; auant qu'on Veut amen6, le Capitaine Aenons 
emouragea \sc. encouragea] toute la troupe k f aire f on 
deuoir, leur reprefentant Timportance de cefte action, 
qui eftoit regard6e, difoit-il, du Soleil & du Dieu de 
la guerre : il ordonna que du commencement qu'on 
ne le bruflaft qu'aux iambes, afin qu41 puft durer iuf- 
ques au poinct du iour, au refte que pour cefte nuict 
on n'allaft point folaftrer dans les bois. II n'auoit 
pas quail acheu6 que le patient entre, ie vous laiffe k 
penf er de quel effroy il fut faili k la veuS de c6t ap- 
pareil, les cris redoublerent k fon arriu6e, on le faict 
feoir fur vne natte, on luy lie les mains, puis il fe 
leue, & faict vn tour par la cabane chantant & dan- 
fant; perfonne ne le brufle pour cefte fois. Mais 
aufll eft-ce le terme de fon repos, on ne fjauroit quail 
dire ce qu'il endurera iufques k ce qu'on luy coupe la 
tefte. II ne fut pas li toft retoum6 en fa place que 
le Capitaine de guerre prift fa robbe, dif ant : Oteion- 
di, parlant d'vn Capitaine, le defpoliillera de la robbe 
que ie tiens, & adioufta, les Ataconchronons luy coup- 
peront la tefte, qui fera donn6e Jl OndelTone, auec vn 
bras & le foye pour en faire feftin. VoilJt fa fentence 



1«87] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, t6s7 61 

say an encouraging word to him when the opportu- 
nity occurred. Towards 8 o'clock in the evening 
eleven fires were lighted along the cabin, about one 
brass distant from each other. The people gathered 
immediately, the old men taking places above, upon 
a sort of platform, which extends, on both sides, the 
entire length of the cabins. The young men were 
below, but were so crowded that they were almost 
piled upon one another, so that there was hardly a 
passage along the fires. Cries of joy resounded on 
all sides ; each provided himself, one with a firebrand, 
another with a piece of bark, to bum [40] the victim. 
Before he was brought in, the Captain Aenons en- 
couraged all to do their duty, representing to them 
the importance of this act, which was viewed, he 
said, by the Sun and by the God of war. Se ordered 
that at first they should bum only his legs, so that 
he might hold out until daybreak; also for that 
night they were not to go and amuse themselves in 
the woods. He had hardly finished when the victim 
entered. I leave you to imagine the terror that 
seized him at the sight of these preparations. The 
cries redoubled at his arrival ; he is made to sit down 
upon a mat, his hands are bound, then he rises and 
makes a tour of the cabin, singing and dancing ; no 
one bums him this time, but also this is the limit of 
his rest, — one can hardly tell what he will endure up 
to the time when they cut off his head. He had no 
sooner returned to his place than the war Captain 
took his robe and said, "Oteiondi" — speaking of a 
Captain — ' ' will despoil him of the robe which I 
hold;" and added, "The Ataconchronons'' will cut 
off his head, which will be g^ven to Ondessone, with 
one arm and the liver to make a feast." Behold his 



62 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 18 

prononc^e. Cela faict, chacun s'arma [41] dVn tifon 
ou d'vne efcorce allum^e, & luy commenga ^ marcher 
oil plufloft k courir autour de ces f eux ; c'efloit Jl qui 
le brufleroit au paffage, cependant il crioit comme 
vne ame damn^e, toute la troupe contrefaifoit f es cris, 
ou plufloft les eftouffoit auec des efclats de voix 
effroyables, il falloit eftre 1^ pour voir vne viue image 
de TEnfer. Toute la cabane paroiffoit comme en 
feu, & au trauers de fes flammes, & cefte efpaiffe fu- 
m6e qui en fortoit, ces barbares entaffez les vns fur 
les autres hurlans ^ pleine tefte, auec des tifons en 
main, les yeux eftincellans de rage & de furie, fem- 
bloient autant de Demons qui ne donnoient aucune 
trfeue h. ce pauure mif erable. Souuent ils Tarreftoient 
^ Tautre bout de la cabane, & les vns luy prenoient les 
mains & luy brifoient les os k viue force, les autres 
luy pergoient les oreilles auec des baftons qu'ils y 
laiffoient, d*autres luy lioyent les poignets auec des 
cordes qu'ils eftreignoiet rudement, tirant les vns 
contre les autres k force de bras ; auoit-il aclieu6 le 
tour pour prendre vn peu d'haleine, on le faifoit re- 
pof er fur des cendres chaudes & des charbons ardens : 
I'ay horreur d'efcrire tout cecy ^ voftre R. mais il 
eft vray que nous [42] eufmes vne peine indicible k 
en f ouflfrir la veuS ; & ie ne f gay pas ce que nous 
fuffions deuenus n'euft eft6 la confolation que nous 
auions de le confiderer, non plus comme vn Sauuage 
du commun, mais comme vn enfant de I'Eglife, & en 
cefte quality demander k Dieu pour luy la patience, 
& la f aueur de mourir en fa f aincte grace : pour moy 
ie me vis reduit ^ tel poinct que ie ne pouuois quafi 
me refoudre Jl leuer les yeux pour confiderer ce qui 
fe paffoit; & encor ie ne fgay fi nous n'euffions point 



1637] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 63 

sentence thus pronounced. After this, each one 
armed himself [41] with a brand, or a piece of burning 
bark, and he began to walk, or rather to run, around 
the fires; each one struggled to bum him as he 
passed. Meanwhile, he shrieked like a lost soul ; the 
whole crowd imitated his cries, or rather smothered 
them with horrible shouts. One must be there, to 
see a living picture of Hell. The whole cabin ap- 
peared as if on fire ; and, athwart the flames and the 
dense smoke that issued therefrom, these barbarians 
— crowding one upon the other, howling at the top 
of their voices, with firebrands in their hands, their 
eyes flashing with rage and fury — seemed like so 
many Demons who would give no respite to this poor 
wretch. They often stopped him at the other end of 
the cabin, some of them taking his hands and break- 
ing the bones thereof by sheer force ; others pierced 
his ears with sticks which they left in them ; others 
bound his wrists with cords which they tied roughly, 
pulling at each end of the cord with all their might. 
Did he make the round and pause to take a little 
breath, he was made to repose upon hot ashes and 
burning coals. It is with horror that I describe all 
this to your Reverence, but verily we [42] experi- 
enced unutterable pain while enduring the sight of 
it. I do not know what would have become of us 
had it not been for the consolation we had of consid- 
ering him, no longer as a common Savage, but as a 
child of the Church, and as such, of asking God to 
give him patience, and the privilege of dying in his 
holy grace. As for me, I was reduced to such a 
degree that I could hardly nerve myself to look up to 
see what was going on ; and yet I do not know that, 
if we had not made some effort to withdraw from this 



64 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 18 

faict nos efforts pour nous tirer de cefte preffe & for- 
tir, li ces cruautez n'euffent eu quelque remife: Mais 
Dieu permift qu'au feptiefme tour de la cabane les 
forces luy manqueret; apres s'eflre repof6 quelque 
peu de temps fur la braife, on voulut le faire leuer k 
r ordinaire, mais il ne bougea, & vn de ces bourreaux 
luy ayant appliqu6 vn tif on aux reins il tomba en f oi- 
bleffe, il n'en fufl iamais releu6 fl on euft laiff^ faire 
les ieunes gens, ils commenjoient deli^ ^ attifer le 
feu fur luy comme pour le brufler. Mais les Capi- 
taines les empefcherent de paffer outre, ils ordonne- 
rent qu'on ceflaft de le tourmenter, difans, qu'il efloit 
d'importance qu'il vift le iour: ils le firent porter fur 
vxie [43] natte, on efteignit la plufpart des feux, & 
vne grande partie du monde fe diflipa. Voili vn peu 
de tr6ues pour noftre patient, & quelque confolation 
pour nous, que nous euflions fouhaitt6 que cefte paf- 
moif on euft dur6 toute la nuict : car de moderer par 
vne autre voye ces excez de cruaut6, ce n'eftoit pas 
chofe qui nous fuft poflible; tandis qu'il fut en c6t 
eftat on ne penfa qu'Jt luy faire reuenir les efprits, on 
luy donna force breuuages qui n'eftoient compofez 
que d'eau toute pure : au bout d'vne heure il com- 
men9a vn peu ^ refpirer, & k ouurir les yeux, on luy 
commanda incontinent de chanter, il le fit du com- 
mencement d'vne voix caffe, & comme mourante, 
mais en fin il chanta fi haut qu'il fe fit entendre hors 
la cabane, la ieuneffe fe rafl^emble, on Tentretient, on 
le fait mettre ^ fon feant, en vn mot, on recommence 
ii faire pis qu'auparauant: de dire en particulier tout 
ce qu'il endura le refte de la nuict, c'eft ce qui me 
feroit quafi impoffible, nous eufmes afl!ez de peine Jt 
gaigner fur nous d'en voir vne partie, du refte nous 



1637] LE JEUNBS RELA TION, 1637 66 

crowd and to go out, these cruelties might have had 
some delay. But God permitted that on the seventh 
round of the cabin his strength should fail him. After 
he had reposed a short time upon the embers, they 
tried to make him arise as usual, but he did not stir ; 
and one of these butchers having applied a brand to 
his loins, he was seized with a fainting fit, and would 
never have risen again if the young men had been 
permitted to have their way, for they had already 
begun to stir up the fire about him, as if to bum him. 
But the Captains prevented them from going any 
farther, and ordered them to cease tormenting him, 
saying it was important that he should see the day- 
light. They had him lifted upon a [43] mat, most 
of the fires were extinguished, and many of the peo- 
ple went away. Now there was a little respite for 
our sufferer, and some consolation for us. How we 
wished that this swoon might last all night ! — for to 
moderate these excesses of cruelty in any other way 
would have been impossible to us. While he was in 
this condition, their only thought was to make him 
return to his senses, giving him many drinks com- 
posed of pure water only. At the end of an hour he 
began to revive a little, and to open his eyes ; he was 
forthwith commanded to sing. He did this at first in 
a broken and, as it were, dying voice ; but finally he 
sang so loud that he could be heard outside the cab- 
in. The youth assemble again; they talk to him, 
they make him sit up, — in a word, they begin to act 
worse than before. For me to describe in detail all 
he endured during the rest of the night, would be 
almost impossible; we suffered enough in forcing 
ourselves to see a part of it. Of the rest we judged 
from their talk; and the smoke issuing from his 



ea LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 18 

en iugeimes de leur difcours, & la fum^e qui fortoit 
de fa chair roftie no^ faifoit conoiftre ce d6t nous 
n'euffios peu fouffrir la veu^. Vne chofe i m6 aduis 
accroiffoit de [44] beaucoup le fentiment de f es peines, 
en ce que la colere & la rage ne paroiffoit pas fur le 
vifage de ceux qui le tourmentoient, mais pluftoft la 
douceur & T humanity ; leurs paroles n'eftoient que 
railleries ou des tefmoignages d*amiti6 & de bienvueil- 
lance : ils ne f e preffoient point ^ qui le brufleroit ; 
chacun y alloit ^ fon tour, ainfi ils fe donnoiet le loi- 
fir de mediter quelque nouuelle inuention pour luy 
faire fentir plus viuement le feu ; Ils ne le bruflerent 
quafl qu'aux iambes, mais il efl vray qu'ils les mi- 
rent en pauure eftat, & tout en lambeaux. Quel- 
ques-vns y appliquoyent des tifons ardens, & ne les 
retiroyent point qu*il ne jettafl les hauts cris, & aufli 
toft qu'il ceffoit de crier ils recommengoient ^ le 
brufler, iufques ^ fept & huict fois allumans fouuent 
de leur fouffle le feu qu'ils tenoient coll6 contre la 
chair, d'autres Tentouroient de cordes, puis y met- 
toient le feu qui le brufloit ainfi lentement, & luy cau- 
foit vne douleur tres-f enfible : il y en auoit qui luy 
f aif oient mettre les pieds fur des haches toutes rouges 
& appuyoient encor par deffus, vous eufliez ouy gril- 
ler fa chair, & veu monter iufques au haut de la 
cabane la fum6e qui en fortoit, on luy donnoit des 
coups de baftons [45] par la tefte, on luy en paffoit 
de plus menus au trauers les oreilles, on luy rompoit 
le refte de fes doigts, on luy attifoit du feu tout 
autour des pieds, perionne ne s'efpargnoit, & chacun 
s*effor9oit de furmonter fon compagnon en cruaut6. 
Mais comme i'ay dit, ce qui eftoit capable parmy tout 
cela de le mettre au defefpoir, c'eftoit leurs railleries, 



1687] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, j637 67 

roasted flesh revealed to us something of which we 
could not have borne the sight. One thing, in my 
opinion, greatly increased [44] his consciousness of 
suffering — that anger and rage did not appear upon 
the faces of those who were tormenting him, but 
rather gentleness and humanity, their words express- 
ing only raillery or tokens of friendship and good will. 
There was no strife as to who should bum him, — 
each one took his turn ; thus they gave themselves 
leisure to meditate some new device to make him 
feel the fire more keenly. They hardly burned him 
anywhere except in the legs, but these, to be sure, 
they reduced to a wretched state, the flesh being all 
in shreds. Some applied burning brands to them 
and did not withdraw them until he uttered loud 
cries ; and, as soon as he ceased shrieking, they again 
began to bum him, repeating it seven or eight times, — 
often reviving the fire, which they held close against 
the flesh, by blowing upon it. Others bound cords 
around him and then set them on fire, thus burning 
him slowly and causing him the keenest agony. 
There were some who made him put his feet on red- 
hot hatchets, and then pressed down on them. You 
could have heard the flesh hiss, and have seen the 
smoke which issued therefrom rise even to the roof 
of the cabin. They struck him with clubs [45] upon 
the head, and passed small sticks through his ears ; 
they broke the rest of his fingers ; they stirred up the 
fire all around his feet. No one spared himself, and 
each one strove to surpass his companion in cruelty. 
But, as I have said, what was most calculated in all 
this to plunge him into despair, was their raillery, 
and the compliments they paid him when they ap- 
proached to bum him. This one said to him, ' ' Here, 



68 LES RELA TIONS DBS j£SUITES [Vol. 18 

& les complimens qu'ils luy faifoient quand ils s'ap- 
prochoient de luy pour le brufler ; ceftuy-cy luy di- 
foit, 9'a \sc, 9^1] mon oncle il faut que ie te brufle, & 
eftant apres, c6t oncle f e trouuoit change en vn canot, 
5'a [sc. 5^], difoit-il, que ie braye, & que ie poiffe mon 
canot, c'eft vn beau canot neuf que ie traictay n'a- 
gueres, il faut bien boucher toutes les voyes d'eau, & 
cependant, luy pourmenoit le tifon tout le long des 
iambes: ceftuy-lJt luy demandoit, 9*a [sc. 9^1] mon 
oncle oil auez vous pour aggreable que ie vous brufle, 
& il falloit que ce pauure patient luy deflgnaft vn 
endroit particulier, vn autre venoit IJt deffus, & dif oit, 
pour moy ie n'entends rien k brufler, & c'eft vn 
meftier que ie ne fis iamais, & cependant faifoit pis 
que les autres, parmy ces ardeurs il y en auoit qui 
vouloient luy f aire croire qu'il auoit f roid ; ah ! cela 
n'eft pas bien, dif oit [46] I'vn, que mon oncle ait froid, 
il faut que ie te rechauffe, vn autre adiouftoit, mais 
puis que mon oncle a bien daign6 venir mourir aux 
Hurons, il faut que ie luy face quelque prefent, il 
faut que ie luy d6ne vne hache, & en mefme temps 
tout en gaufTant luy appliquoit aux pieds vne hache 
toute rouge : vn autre luy fit tout de mefme vne paire 
de chauffes de vieilles nippes auquelles il mift par 
apres le feu, fouuent apres Tauoir bien fait crier, il 
luy demandoient, & bien mon oncle eft-ce affez ? & 
luy ayant refpondu onna chotiatan, onna, ouy mon 
neueu c'eft affez, c'eft affez : ces barbares repliquoient, 
non ce n'eft pas affez, & continuoient encor h, le bruf- 
ler ii diuerfes reprifes, luy demandoient toufiours ^ 
chaque fois fi c'eftoit affez. lis ne laiffoient pas de 
temps en temps de le faire manger, & luy verfer de 
I'eau dans la bouche, pour le faire durer iufques au 



1637] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i637 09 

tmcle, I must btim thee ; ' ' and afterwards this ttnde 
found himself changed into a canoe. ** Come," said 
he, ' ' let me calk and pitch my canoe, it is a beauti- 
ful new canoe which I lately traded for ; I must stop 
all the water holes well," and meanwhile he was 
passing the brand all along his legs. Another one 
asked him, " Come, uncle, where do you prefer that I 
should bum you?" and this poor sufferer had to indi- 
cate some particular place. At this, another one came 
along and said, ' ' For my part, I do not know anything 
about burning; it is a trade that I never practiced," 
and meantime his actions were more cruel than those 
of the others. In the midst of this heat, there were 
some who tried to make him believe that he was 
cold. '* Ah, it is not right," said [46] one, " that my 
uncle should be cold; I must warm thee." Another 
one added, '* Now as my uncle has kindly deigned to 
come and die among the Hurons, I must make him a 
present, I must gfive him a hatchet," and with that 
he jeeringly applied to his feet a red-hot hatchet. 
Another one likewise made him a pair of stockings 
from old rags, which he afterwards set on fire ; and 
often, after having made him utter loud cries, he 
asked him, * * And now, uncle, hast thou had enough ? " 
And when he replied, '* onna chouatan, onna," *' Yes, 
nephew, it is enough, it is enough," these barbarians 
replied, *' No, it is not enough," and continued to 
bum him at intervals, demanding of him every time 
if it was enough. They did not fail from time to 
time to g^ve him something to eat, and to pour water 
into his mouth, to make him endure until morning ; 
and you might have seen, at the same time, green 
ears of com roasting at the fire and near them red-hot 
hatchets ; and sometimes, almost at the same moment 



70 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. n 

matin, & vous euffiez veu tout enfemble des efpics 
verds qui rotiffoient au feu & aupres des haches toutes 
rouges, & quelquesf ois quafi en mefme teps qu'on luy 
faifoit manger les efpics, on luy mettoit les haches 
fur les pieds, s'il refufoit de manger: & quoy, luy 
dif oit-on, penf e-tu eftre icy le maiflre ? & quelques- 
vns adioufloient, pour moy ie croy qu'il ny auoit que 
[47] toy de Capitaine dans ton pays: mais viens 9a, 
n'eftois tu pas bien cruel ^ Tendroit des prifonniers, 
dis nous vn pen n'auois-tu pas bonne grace k les 
brufler : tu ne penf ois pas qu'on te deufl traitter de la 
forte? mais peut eflre penfois-tu auoir tu6 tons les 
Hurons? 

VoilJt en partie come fe paffa la nuict qui fut tout 
^ fait douloureufe ^ noftre nouueau Chreflien, & mer- 
ueilleufement ennuyeufe ^ nous qui cSpatiflions de 
coeur ^ toutes fes fouffrances, neantmoins vne ame 
bien vnie auec Dieu eufl eu li vne belle occafion de 
mediter fur les myfteres adorables de la Paflion 
de N. S. dont nous auios quelque image deuant nos 
yeux : vne chof e nous cof ola de voir la patience auec 
laquelle il f upporta toutes ces peines, parmy ces bro- 
cards, & fes rif6es, iamais il ne luy ef chappa aucune 
parole iniurieufe, ou d 4m patience: outre cela Dieu 
fit naiflre 3. ou 4. belles occafions au P. Sup. de pre- 
fcher fon S. nom ^ ces barbares & leur expliquer les 
veritez Chrefliennes : Car quelqu'vn luy ayant de- 
niand6 fi nous portions cSpafllon au prifonnier, il luy 
tefmoigna qu'ouy, & que nous fouhaittions grande- 
ment qu'il en fut bien toft deliur6, & allaft au Ciel 
pour y eftre ^ iamais bien-heureux. De \k il prift 
fujet de leur parler des ioyes de Paradis, & des grief ues 
peines de [48] TEnfer, & leur monftra que s41s eftoient 



1637] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 71 

that they were giving him the ears to eat, they were 
putting the hatchets upon his feet. If he refused to 
eat, '* Indeed," said they, " dost thou think thou art 
master here?" and some added, *' For my part, I 
believe thou wert the only [47] Captain in thy coun- 
try. But let us see, wert thou not very cruel to pris- 
oners ; now just tell us, didst thou not enjoy burning 
them ? Thou didst not think thou wert to be treated 
in the same way, but perhaps thou didst think thou 
hadst killed ail the Hurons ? ' * 

Behold in part how passed the night, which was a 
most dolorous one to our new Christian, and wonder- 
fully harrowing to us, who compassionated all his 
sufferings from the depths of our hearts. Yet a soul 
closely united to God would have here a suitable oc- 
casion to meditate upon the adorable mysteries of the 
Passion of Our Lord, some image of which we had 
before our eyes. One thing that consoled us was to 
see the patience with which he bore all this pain. In 
the midst of their taunts and jeers, not one abusive 
or impatient word escaped his lips. Let us add this, 
that God furnished to the Father Superior 3 or 4 
excellent opportunities to preach his Holy name to 
these barbarians, and to explain to them the Christian 
truths. For when some one asked him if we felt 
compassion for the prisoner, he affirmed that we did, 
and that we greatly longed that he might be soon 
delivered from his suflEerings and go to Heaven, there 
to be forever blest. This gave him occasion to speak 
of the joys of Paradise and the grievous afflictions of 
[48] Hell, and to show them that if they were cruel 
to this poor wretch, the Devils were still more so to 
the condemned. ^He told them that what they made 
him endure was only a very rough picture of the tor- 



72 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 18 

cruels ^ Tendroit de ce pauure miferable, les Diables 
Teftoient encor plus ^ Tendroit des reprouuez. Que 
ce qu'ils luy faifoient endurer n'eftoit qu vne pein- 
ture fort grofliere des tourmens que fouflEroient les 
damnez dans TEnfer, foit qu'ils en conflderaffent la 
multitude, ou la grandeur & I'eftenduSde leur dur6e. 
Que ce que nous auios baptif6 Sa[o]1iandanoncoua, 
n'eftoit que pour TaflEranchir de ces fupplices, & afin 
qu'il puft aller au Ciel apres la mort. Et comment 
repartirent quelques-vns, il eft de nos ennemis, il 
n'importe pas qu'il aille en Enf er, & qu'il y foit brufl6 
i iamais, le P. leur repartit fort ^ propos, que Dieu 
eftoit Dieu des Iroquois auffi bien que des Hurons, 
& de tous les hommes qui font fur la terre ; qu'il ne 
mefprifoit perfonne, fuft-il laid ou pauure; que ce 
qui gagnoit le coeur de Dieu n'eftoit pas la beaut6 du 
corps, la gentilleffe de Tefprit, ou Taffluence des ri- 
chefles, mais bien vne exacte obferuance de fa faincte 
Loy, que les flammes de TEnfer, n'eftoient allum6es 
& ne brufloyent que pour les pecheurs de quelque 
nation qu'ils fuffent, qu'i I'article de la mort & au de- 
part de I'ame d'auec le corps, [49] celuy qui fe trou- 
uoit auec vn pech6 mortel, y eftoit condamn6 pour vn 
iamais, fuft il Iroquois ou Huron ; que pour eux c'eftoit 
bien tout ce qu'ils pouuoient faire de brufler, & tour- 
menter ce captif iuf ques ^ la mort, que iufques IJt il 
eftoit en leur difpolition, qu' apres la mort il tomboit 
entre les mains & en la puiflance de celuy qui feul 
auoit le pouuoir de I'enuoyer aux Enfers ou Paradis. 
Mais penfes-tu, dit vn autre, que pour ce que tu dis 
IJi, & pour ce que tu fais k ceftuy cy, les Iroquois t'en 
faffent meilleur traictement, s'ils viennent vne fois 
^ rauager noftre pays, ce n'eft pas dequoy ie me mets 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 78 

ments suflfered by lost souls in Hell j whether they con- 
sidered the multitude of them, or their magnitude and 
the length of their duration ; that our having baptized 
Sa[o]uandanoncoua was only to deliver him from 
those punishments, and to enable him to go to Heav- 
en after his death. ' ' How now ? ' ' retorted some of 
them, ' * he is one of our enemies ; and it matters not 
if he go to Hell and if he be forever burned. ' ' The 
Father replied very appropriately, that Gk)d was 
God of the Iroquois as well as of the Hurons, and 
of all men who are upon the earth ; that he despised 
no one, even if he be ugly or poor ; that what won 
the heart of God was not the beauty of the body, the 
graces of the mind, or the abundance of wealth, but, 
indeed, an exact observance of his holy Law; that 
the fires of Hell were lighted and burning only for sin- 
ners, whatever their nation might be; that at the 
moment of death and at the departure of the soul 
from the body, [49] he who was found with a mortal 
sin, was condemned for it forever, whether he were 
Iroquois or Huron; that, as to them, it was all they 
could do to burn and torment this captive to death ; 
that until then he was at their disposal, that after 
death he fell into the hands and under the authority 
of him who alone had the power to send him to Hell 
or to Paradise. * * But thinkest thou, * ' said another, 
' ' that for what thou sayest here, and for what thou 
doest to this man, the Iroquois will treat thee better 
if they come some time to ravage our country?" 
*' That is not what concerns me," replied the Father, 
* * all I think of now is to do what I ought ; we have 
come here only to teach you the way to Heaven ; as 
to the rest, and as to what regards our persons, 
we leave that entirely to the providence of God." 



74 LES RELA TJONS DES /£SUITES [Vot. IS 

en peine, repartit le Pere; ie ne penfe tnaintenant 
qu'Jt faire ce que ie dois, nous ne fommes venus icy 
que pour vous enf eigner le chemin du Ciel ; pour ce 
qui eft du refte, & ce qui eft de nos perfonnes nous 
le remettons entierement ^ la prouidence de Dieu. 
Pourquoy adioufta quelqu'vn eft tu marry que nous 
le tourmentions ; ie ne trouue pas manuals que vous 
le faffiez mourir, mais de ce que vous le traittez de 
la forte. Et quoy, comment faites vous, vous autres 
Franfois, n'en faites vous pas mourir, ouy dea nous 
en f aif ons mourir, mais non pas auec cefte cruaut6 ; 
Et [50] quoy n'en bruflez vous iamais? affez rarement, 
dit le Pere, & encores, le feu n'eft que pour les crimes 
enormes, & il n*y a qu'vne perfonne ^ qui appartienne 
en chef cefte execution ; & puis on ne les f aict pas 
lang^ir 11 long temps, fouuent on les eftrangle aupa- 
rauant, & pour T ordinaire on les iette tout d*vn coup 
dans le feu, oil ils font incontinent eftouflEez & con- 
fommez. lis firent plufleurs autres queftions au P. 
Super, comme, oh, eftoit Dieu: & d'autres femblables 
qui luy donnerent dequoy les entretenir fur f es diuins 
attributs, & leur faire cognoiftre les myfteres de 
noftre f oy : Ces dif cours eftoient f auorables ^ noftre 
lof eph : car outre qu'ils luy donnoient de bonnes pen- 
f 6es, & eftoient pour le confirmer en la f oy : tandis 
que c6t entretien dura perfonne ne penfoit k le brufler, 
tons efcoutoiet auec beaucoup d'attention, exceptez 
quelques ieunes gens qui dirent vne fois ou deux, 5'a 
[sc. 9k] il faut rinterrompre, c'eft trop difcourir, & 
incontinent fe mettoient ^ tourmenter le patient. 
Luy-mefme entretint aufll quelque temps la compa- 
gnie fur I'eftat des affaires de fon pays, & la mort de 
quelques Hurons qui auoient eft6 pris en guerre : ce 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 75 

"Why art thou sorry," added someone, ''that we 
tormented him ? " * ' I do not disapprove of your kill- 
ing him, but of your treating him in that way." 
**What then! how do you French people do? Da 
you not kill men ? " ' * Yes, indeed ; we kill them, but 
not with this cruelty." [50] ** What! do you never 
bum any?" ''Not often," said the Father, "and 
even then fire is only for enormous crimes, and 
there is only one person to whom this kind of execu- 
tion belongs by right ; and besides, they are not made 
to linger so long, — often they are first strangled, and 
generally they are thrown at once into the fire, where 
they are immediately smothered and consumed." 
They asked the Father Superior many other ques- 
tions, such as, ' ' where was God ? * ' and other similar 
ones, which gave him occasion to converse with them 
about his divine attributes, and reveal to them the 
mysteries of our faith. These discourses were favor- 
able to our Joseph; for, besides giving him good 
thoughts and tending to confirm him in the faith, 
while this conversation lasted no one thought of burn- 
ing him. All listened very attentively, except some 
young men, who said once or twice, *' Come, we must 
interrupt him, there is too much talk, ' * and they im- 
mediately began to torment the suflEerer. He him- 
self also entertained the company for a while, on the 
state of affairs in his country, and the death of some 
Hurons who had been taken in war. He did this as 
easily, and with a countenance as [51] composed, as 
any one there present would have showed. This 
availed him at least as so much diminution of his 
sufferings ; therefore, he said, they were doing him a 
great favor by asking him many questions, and that 
this in some measure diverted him from his troubles. 



76 LES RELA TIONS DES jtSUITES [Vol. IS 

qu'il faifoit atifli familierement & d'vn vifage aufli 
[51] ferme qu'euft fait pas vn de ceux qui eftoiet IJt 
prefens, cela luy valoit toufioiirs autant de diminution 
de fes peines, auffi, difoit-il, qu'on luy faifoit grand 
plailir de luy faire force queflions, & que cela luy 
diflipoit vne partie de fon ennuy. D6s que le iour 
commenfa ^ poindre ils allumeret des f eux hors du 
village pour y faire 6clater ^ la veu^ du Soleil Texcez 
de leur cruaut6 : on y conduifit le patient, le P. Su- 
perieur I'accofla pour le confoler, & le confirmer dans 
la bonne volont6 qu'il auoit toufiours tefmoign6 de 
mourir Chreflien : il luy remit en memoire vne action 
deshonnefte qu'on luy auoit fait faire dans les tour- 
mens, & quoy que tout bien conlider6 il n'y eufl 
gueres d'apparence de pecli6, au moins grief, il luy 
en fit neantmoins demander pardon ^ Dieu, & apres 
Tauoir inflruit briefuement touchant la remiflion des 
pechez il luy en donna Tabfolution fous condition, & 
le laiffa auec Tefperance d'aller bien toft au Ciel, fur 
ces entrefaictes ils le prennent ^ deux, & le font mon- 
ter fur vn efchaflfaut de 6. k 7. pieds de hauteur, 3. 
ou 4. de ces barbares le fuiuet, ils Tattacheret ^ vn 
arbre qui paffoit au trauers, de telle f agon neantmoins 
qu'il auoit la liberty de tournoyer [52] autour, \k ils fe 
mirent ^ le brufler plus cruellement que iamais, & 
ne laiffent aucun endroit en fon corps qu'ils ny euffent 
appliqu6 le feu ^ diuerfes reprifes, quand vn de ces 
bourreaux commengoit k le brufler & i le preffer de 
pr6s, en voulant efquiuer, il tomboit entre les mains 
d'vn autre qui ne luy faifoit pas meilleur accueil, de 
temps en temps on leur f ourniffoit de nouueaux ti- 
f ons, il luy en mettoient de tout allumez iufques dans 
la, gorge, ils luy en fourrerent mefme dans le fonde- 



les?] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 77 

As soon as day began to dawn, they lighted fires out- 
side the village, to display there the excess of their 
cruelty to the sight of the Sun. The victim was led 
thither. The Father Superior went to his side, to 
console him, and to confirm him in the willingness 
he had all the time shown to die a Christian. He re- 
called to his mind a shameful act he had been made 
to commit during his tortures, — in which, all things 
rightly considered, there was but little probability 
of sin, at least not a grave sin, — nevertheless, he had 
him ask Gk)d*s pardon for it; and, after having in- 
structed him briefly upon the remission of sins, he 
gave him conditional absolution, and left him with 
the hope of soon going to Heaven. Meanwhile, two 
of them took hold of him and made him mount a 
scaffold 6 or 7 feet high ; 3 or 4 of these barbarians 
followed him. They tied him to a tree which passed 
across it, but in such a way that he was free to turn 
[52] around. There they began to bum him more 
cruelly than ever, leaving no part of his body to 
which the fire was not applied at intervals. When 
one of these butchers began to bum him and to 
crowd him closely, in trying to escape him, he fell 
into the hands of another who gave him no better a 
reception. From time to time they were supplied 
with new brands, which they thrust, all aflame, down 
his throat, even forcing them into his fundament. 
They burned his eyes ; they applied red-hot hatchets 
to his shoulders ; they hung some around his neck, 
which they turned now upon his back, now upon his 
breast, according to the position he took in order to 
avoid the weight of this burden. If he attempted to 
sit or crouch down, some one thrust a brand from 
under the scaffolding which soon caused him to arise. 



78 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. IS 

ment, ils luy bruflerent les yeux, ils luy appliquerent 
des baches toutes rouges fur les efpaules, ils luy en 
pendirent au col, qu41s toumoient tantoft fur le dos, 
tantoft fur la poictrine, felon les poftures qu'il faifoit 
pour euiter la pefanteur de ce fardeau : S'il penf oit 
s'affeoir & s'accroupir, quelquVn pafToit vn tifon de 
deffous Tefchauffaut qui le faifoit bien-toft leuer, ce- 
pendant nous eftions \k prians Dieu de tout noftre 
coeur qu'il luy plufl le deliurer au pluftofl de cefte 
vie ; lis le prefloient tellement de tons coflez qu*ils le 
mirent en fin hors d'haleine, ils luy verferent de 
I'eau dans la bouche pour luy fortifier le coeur, & les 
Capitaines luy crierent qu'il prift vn peu haleine, 
mais il demeura feulement [53] la bouche ouuerte, & 
quaC fans mouuement. C'eft pourquoy crainte, qu'il 
ne mourut autrement que par le coufteau ; vn luy cou- 
pa vn pied, I'autre vne main, & quafi en mefme temps 
le troifief me luy enleua la tefte de deffus les efpaules, 
qu'il ietta parmy la troupe ^ qui I'auroit pour la por- 
ter au Capitaine Ondefl!one, auquel elle auoit eft6 
deftin6e pour en faire feftin. Pour ce qui efl du 
tronc, il demeura k Arontaen, oti on en fifl feftin le 
mefme iour ; nous recommandames f on ame ^ Dieu, 
& retoumafmes chez nous dire la Mefl!e. Nous ren- 
contrafmes par le chemin vn Sauuage qui portoit ^ 
vne brochette vne de fes mains demy roftie. Nous 
euffions bien fouhaitt6 empefcher ce defordre, mais il 
n'eft pas encor en noftre pouuoir, nous ne fommes 
pas icy les maiftres, ce n'eft pas vne petite affaire 
que d'auoir en tefte tout vn pays, & vn pays barbare 
comme eft ceftuy-cy, fi quelques-vns & vn affez bon 
nombre des plus confiderables nous efcoutent & 
aduoiient que cefte inhumanity eft tout ^ faict contre 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 7» 

Meanwhile, we were there, praying God with all our 
hearts that he would please to deliver him as soon as 
possible from this life. They so harassed him upon 
all sides that they finally put him out of breath ; they 
poured water into his mouth to strengthen his heart, 
and the Captains called out to him that he should take 
a little breath. But he remained still, [53] his mouth 
open, and almost motionless. Therefore, fearing; 
that he would die otherwise than by the knife, one 
cut off a foot, another a hand, and almost at the 
same time a third severed the head from the shoul- 
ders, throwing it into the crowd, where some one 
caught it to carry it to the Captain Ondessone, for 
whom it had been reserved, in order to make a feast 
therewith. As for the trunk, it remained at Aron- 
taen, where a feast was made of it the same day. We 
recommended his soul to God, and returned home to 
say Mass. On the way we encountered a Savage 
^who was carrying upon a skewer one of his half- 
roasted hands. We would, indeed, have desired to 
prevent this act of lawlessness ; but it is not yet in 
our power, we are not the masters here ; it is not a 
trifling matter to have a whole country opposed to 
one, — a barbarous country, too, such as this is. Even 
if some of them, and a goodly number of the more 
influential ones, listen to us, and admit that this in- 
humanity is entirely opposed to reason, the old cus- 
toms thus far continue to be in vogue, and there is 
much probability that they will reign until the faith 
[54] is received and publicly professed. Superstitions 
and customs g^own old, and authorized by the lapse 
of so many centuries, are not so easy to abolish. It 
often happens in the best cities of France that when 
a troop of children get to fighting with their slings, a 



80 LES RELATIONS DES JASUITES [Vol.18 

la raifon, les vieilles couftumes ne laiffent pas tou- 
fiours d'auoir leur cours, & il y a bien de I'apparence 
qu'elles regneront iufques Ji ce que la foy [54] foit 
reseue, & profeff^e publiquement, des fuperftitions & 
des couftumes enuieillies & authorif^es par la fuitte 
de tant de Cedes ne font pas fl aif 6es Ji abolir, f ouuent 
il aniue dans les meilleures villes de France, qu'vne 
troupe d'enfans mettant Ji f e battre \ coups de f [rjonde 
toute vne ville, fes Magiftrats ont bien de la peine 
d'empefcher ce defordre; & qui pourroient profiler 
deux ou trois eftrangers qui voudroient s'en mefler, 
finon de f e f aire maffacrer : nous f ommes neantmoins 
pleins d'efperance, & ces nouuelles refidences que 
nous allons eftablir aux principales bourgades du 
pays, feront comme nous efperons autant de forts 
d'oii auec Talfiftance du Ciel, nous ruinerons entiere- 
ment le Royaume de Sathan : Tandis que cefte heure 
bien-heureufe s'approche Dieu ne laifTe pas de temps 
en temps pour nous animer le courage, & de nous 
conf oler en la couerfion de plufieurs, nomm^ment de 
ceux dont le Baptefme femble eftre accompag^6 de 
marques plus euidentes de predeftination. 

Le pays des Iroquois eft encor vne terre inaccefllble 
pour nous, nous ne pouuons pas y prefcher le S. E- 
uangile, & Dieu nous les amene icy entre les mains. 
Que les penf6es [55] des hommes font efloign^es des 
deffeings de cefte fage Prouidence. Cependant que 
nos Hurons eftoient k efpier les occafions de prendre 
ce pauure Sauuage, le Ciel meditoit fa liberty : fans, 
doute que fes parens & fes amis auront eftim6 cefte 
pefche bien malheureufe qui luy a eft6 vne occafion 
de tomber entre les mains de fes ennemis, & ne f9a- 
uent pas qu*en iettant fes rets il eft luy-mefme heu- 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 81 

whole town with its Magistrates has considerable 
difl&culty in quelling this disorder ; and what could 
two or three strangers, who would like to interfere, 
accomplish, unless it were to get killed? Yet we are 
full of hope, and these new residences that we are 
about to establish in the principal villages of the 
country, will be, as we trust, so many forts whence, 
with the assistance of Heaven, we shall completely 
overthrow the Kingdom of Satan. While this blessed 
hour is approaching, God does not fail from time to 
time to stimulate our courage, and to console us with 
the conversion of many, especially of those whose 
Baptism seems to be accompanied by very obvious 
signs of predestination. 

The country of the Iroquois is still an inaccessible 
land to us ; we cannot preach the Holy Gospel there 
and God brings them here into our hands. The 
thoughts [55] of men are far removed, indeed, from 
the designs of this wise Providence ! While our Hu- 
rons were on the watch for opportunities to capture 
this poor Savage, Heaven was meditating his free- 
dom. Doubtless his relatives and friends will have 
considered this a very unfortunate fishing party, 
which caused him to fall into the hands of his en- 
emies, — not knowing that in throwing out his nets, 
he himself fortunately fell into the toils of St. Peter. 
All those who saw him taken through these villages 
looked upon him as a man being led to torture and 
to death ; but the heavenly spirits, and the tutelary 
Angels of these countries, so disposed some persons 
here that through their mediation he should be ex- 
empted from the pains of Hell, and should enjoy for- 
ever a life of bliss. How sorry I am that we have 
no particulars about his life ! Perhaps we would find, 



82 LES RELA TIONS DES JJ&SUITES [Vol. 18 

reufemSt t6b6 dans les filets de S. Pierre. Tons ceux 
qtii Tont veu conduire par ces bourgades le regardoient 
comme vn homme qu'on menoit au fupplice & k la 
mort, mais les efprits celeftes, & les Anges tutelaires 
de ces contr^es luy difpofoient icy des perfonnes, par 
rentremife defquelles il feroit exempt des peines de 
I'Enfer, & iouyroit k iamais d'vne vie bien-heureufe. 
Que i'ay regret que nous ne fgauons quelques parti- 
cularitez de fa vie ! peut eflre que nous trouuerions, 
finon vne parfaite integrity de moeurs, au moins quel- 
que bont6 morale qui aura prouoqu6 Dieu h. luy 
faire part de fes mifericordes par des voyes fi extra- 
ordinaires. Le P. Antoine Daniel nous manda Tan 
paff^ que defcendant k Kebec, il auoit auifi baptif6 k 
rifle vn prifonnier Iroquois de la nation des [56] 
Agniehronon, nous en lufmes les particularitez auec 
beaucoup de confolation, & les infererois icy volon- 
tiers, n'eftoit que ie croy qu'il en aura pleinement 
inform^ voftre R. & quelle en aura defik faict part 
au public. 



1«87] LE JEUNE:S RELA TION, i6s7 88 

if not perfect integ^ty in his habits, at least some 
moral worth, which has incited God to make him a 
partaker of his mercies through so extraordinary 
channels. Father Antoine Daniel sent us word last 
year that, in going down to Kebec, he had also bap- 
tized at the Island an Iroquois prisoner of the nation 
of the [56] Agniehronon. We read the particulars 
of this with a great deal of consolation, and I would 
willingly insert them here did I not think that he 
has fully informed your Reverence of them, and that 
you have already given them to the public. 



84 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 18 



CHAP. III. 

SUITTE DU lOURNAL Ot PRINCIPALEMENT EST DE- 
CLARKE LA MALADIE DONT A ESTlfe AFFLIGlfeE 
NOSTRE PETITE MAISON, & DU BON 

SUCCEZ qu'elle a EU. 

AVANT que de m'engager dauantage dans ce 
mois de Septetnbre, la faifon & la beaut6 des 
bleds qui cominen9oient deflors h. entrer en 
maturity, m'inuite Ji dire k voftre R. que la prophetie 
de ce Sorcier s'eft trouu6e fauffe, qui auoit menac6 
de famine le pays, & auoit predit qu'vne gel6e blanche 
perdroit toutes les moiflons; Tann^e graces k Dieu a 
eft6 f auorable en toutes f a9ons : Si les raifins du pays 
eftoyent aufll bons qu'ils eftoient beaux, ils nous au- 
roient feruy, nous en recueillifmes neantmoins fufl&- 
famment pour en dire la Meffe iufques k No6l, cela 
foulage les petits [57] barillets qu'on nous enuoye, 
qui n'arriuent icy d* ordinaire qu'auec beaucoup de 
decbet. 

Le 10. le P. Superieur baptifa h. noftre bourgade 
vne femme fort vieille, il y auoit long temps qu'elle 
fouhaittoit & demandoit inftamment le Baptefme, di- 
fant fouuent qu'elle ne vouloit pas mourir comme 
lanontaffa fon beau frere, (nous efcriuifmes Tan paf- 
s6 k voftre R. la mort miferable de ce Sauuage) elle 
mourut c6t hyuer, auec de tres-bons fentimens, & 
vne grande efperance d'aller au Ciel, le iour prece- 
dent eftant all6 villter vne fienne petite fiUe que le 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 86 



CHAP. III. 

CONTINUATION OF THE JOURNAL, WHEREIN IS CHIEFLY 

RELATED THE MALADY WITH WHICH OUR LITTLE 

HOUSEHOLD HAS BEEN AFFLICTED ; AND THE 

FORTUNATE OUTCOME THEREOF. 

BEFORE going any farther in that month of Sep- 
tember, the season and the beauty of the gfrain 
which was then beginning to ripen, invite me 
to tell your Reverence that the prophecy of that Sor- 
cerer turned out to be false ; he had threatened the 
country with famine, and had predicted that a white 
frost would ruin all the harvests. The year, thank 
God, has been very favorable in every way. If the 
native grapes were as good as they are beautiful, 
they would have been useful to us; we gathered 
enough of them, nevertheless, to use in saying the 
Mass until Christmas. This will help fill the little 
[57] kegs that are sent us, which seldom arrive here 
without considerable leakage. 

On the loth, the Father Superior baptized in our 
village a very old woman. For a long time she had 
been wishing and earnestly requesting Baptism, often 
saying that she did not wish to die as had lanontas- 
sa, her brother-in-law, (we wrote last year to your 
Reverence about the miserable death of this Savage). 
She died this winter, having very pious sentiments, 
and a strong hope of going to Heaven. On the pre- 
ceding day, — having gone to visit one of her grand- 
daughters whom Father Pijart had baptized some 



86 LES RELA TIONS DES jtSUITES [Vol. 18 

P. Pijart auoit baptif6 quelques iours auparauant, 
comme ie I'inftruifois & luy faifois faire quelques 
actes de foy & de contrition, cefte bonne vieille prift 
la parole, & me dift mon petit fils, tu fais bien, i'en- 
tends volontiers ce que tu dis, mais ie ne penfois pas 
qu'elle fuft li proche de fa mort, car elle ne paroiffoit 
pas quali malade : Ie P. Pijart alloit tons les iours in- 
ftruire les petits enfans de fa cabane, elle efloit la 
premiere k luy demander qu'il la fit prier Dieu, & Ie 
faifoit auec vne candeur nompareille, & exhortoit les 
autres k bien efcouter Ie Pere, cefle femme auoit vne 
bont6 & vne douceur [58] naturelle tout ^ faict par 
deffus Tordinaire des Sauuages. 

Le II. Ie P. Ifaac logues arriua auec Ie petit gar- 
5on, qui luy auoit donn6 le long du chemin de belles 
occafions d'exercer la charity, c6t enfant efloit tomb6 
malade d6s le f eptiefme iour, & auoit tout Jt faict per- 
du Tappetit, ce qui Taflfoiblifl fi fort qu'au bout de 
quelques iours il n' auoit pas les forces de defcendre 
du canot, beaucoup moins pour cheminer le long des 
faults : les Sauuages le f oulagerent de cefte peine du 
commencement, & le porterent deux ou trois fois, 
s'eflans neantmoins bien toft laffez ; ce fut \ la charity 
du Pere de s'en charger, ce fardeau luy fembloit fort 
leger, & Teuft apport6 volontiers iufques aux Hu- 
rons: mais la mefme charity qui luy auoit faict en- 
treprendre quafi au deffus de f es forces luy fit quitter 
apres Tauoir port6 4. ou cinq faults affez longs, 
crainte de le perdre & fe perdre auec luy. II s'ac- 
corda done auec vn Sauuage, & le changea contre vn 
pacquet de baches plus pefantes en effect, il y a tels 
paffages oil les cheutes ne feroient pas moins que 
mortelles, les Sauuages ont le pied plus ferme que 



1«S7] LEJEUNE*S RELATION, 1637 87 

days before, — while I was instructing her and hav- 
ing her perform some acts of faith and contrition, this 
good old woman began to talk and said to me, '' My 
grandson, thou doest well ; I like to hear what thou 
sayest." But I did not think she was so near her 
death, for she hardly seemed to be sick. Father Pi- 
jart went every day to instruct the little children of 
her cabin. She was the first to ask him to exercise 
her in prayer to God, doing it with incomparable 
candor, and exhorting the others to listen carefully 
to the Father. This woman possessed a natural good- 
ness and gentleness, [58] quite above the generality 
of Savages. 

On the nth. Father Isaac Jogues arrived, with the 
little boy who had aflForded him excellent opporttmi- 
ties for exercising charity along the way. This child 
had been sick since the seventh day, and had entirely 
lost his appetite, which so greatly weakened him 
that at the end of a few days he had not strength 
enough to get out of the canoe, much less to walk 
the length of the rapids. The Savages at first spared 
him this trouble, carrying him two or three times, 
but they very soon became weary of this ; the Fa- 
ther's charity led him to encumber himself with the 
child. This burden seemed to him very light, and 
he would have willingly carried him to the Hurons. 
But the same charity which had made him undertake 
what was almost beyond his strength, made him give 
it up, after having carried him over 4 or five rather 
long portages, fearing that he might lose him and be 
lost with him. He then arranged with a Savage to 
exchange him for a package of hatchets, which were 
really heavier. There are some passages where a 
fall would not be less than fatal and the Savages are 



88 LES RELA TIONS DES JJ&SUITES [Vol. 18 

nous : Auec tout cela il euft affez de peine k gaigner 
les Bilfiriniens, [59] Ik il conimen9a k fe mieux porter, 
vn peu de nourriture faict du bien en ces rencontres, 
le poiflon frais y abonde d'ordinaire en cefte faifon. 
Toutesfois il eftoit encor affez mal quand nous le 
reseufmes, & fut trois femaines ou vn mois k fe 
remettre. 

Pour le Pere logues Dieu nous Tamena en affez 
bonne fant6, mais ce ne fuft que pour peu de iours : 
ce qui me feroit aif^ment croire que s'il ne reffentoit 
deflors de fon arriu^e des effects des fatigues du voy- 
age, c' eftoit en partie Ji caufe de la ioye & du conten- 
tement qu'il auoit de fe voir en poffelfion d'vn bien 
qu'il auoit H long-temps fouhaitt^, & qu41 luy eftoit 
prefque ef chappy des mains. Mifcou Tauoit penf6 
arrefter en chemin, & les P.P. Pierre Chaftellain, & 
Charles Gamier qui eftoient arriuez des premiers, 
auoient defik faict tant d'inftance au Ciel pour la 
MijHion des Hurons, que furuenant par apres, les con- 
clullons auoient delist eft6 comme prifes, que pour luy 
il demeureroit Jt Kebec : mais voftre R. euft efgard 
Jt fes faincts delirs & fur tout k la requefte que nous 
luy anions faite de nous enuoyer s'il eftoit polfible 
trois ou quatre de nos Peres. Tant y a que la [60] 
confolation fuft bien grande de fon coft6, & du noftre 
d'autant plus fenllble que (deux iours auparauat 
que nous anions re9eu quelques nouuelles) nous ny 
penfions quail plus, & ne nous attendions que pour 
rann6e fuiuante. Dieu foit infiniment beny. Le 
17. il toba malade, & que du comencement ce ne fut 
pas grand chofe en apparence, neantmoins au bout 
de quelques iours la fieure paruft quotidienne & 
affez violente. De tout les pays du monde il eft vray 



1687] LE JEUNE?S RELA TION, 1637 89 

more sure-footed than we. With all this, he^had 
difl&cTilty in reaching the Bissiriniens, [59] where he 
began to feel better. A little nourishment does one 
good in such cases, and fresh fish usually abounds 
there at this season. However, he was still rather 
ill when we received him, and was three weeks or a 
month in recovering. 

As for Father Jogfues, God brought him to us in 
very good health, but it was only for a few days, — 
which would make me readily believe that if he did 
not feel the eflFects of the fatigues of his journey at 
the time of his arrival, it was partly caused by the 
joy and satisfaction he experienced at seeing himself 
in possession of a blessing that he had so long de- 
sired, and that had nearly slipped out of his hands. 
Miscou had almost kept him on the way; and the 
Fathers Pierre Chastellain and Charles Garnier, who 
had first arrived, had already directed so many en- 
treaties to Heaven for the Huron Mission, that when 
he arrived afterwards, the conclusion had been almost 
reached that he would remain at Kebec. But your 
Reverence had regard to his holy desires, and, above 
all, to the request we had made you, to send us, if 
possible, three or four of our Fathers. At all events, 
[60] it was a very great consolation to him, — and all 
the more deeply felt by us that (two days before we 
had received any news) we had almost given up all 
hope, and were only waiting for the next year. God 
be infinitely blessed. On the 17th he fell sick, and 
although at first it was apparently only a slight 
indisposition, yet at the end of some days the fever 
appeared each day, and in a somewhat violent form. 
Truly, of all the countries of the world is it here, 
perhaps, most desirable for a sick person to be able 



90 LES RELA TIONS DES JASUITES [Vol. \% 

que voicy peut-eftre le plus fouhaittable k vn malade 
pour pouuoir dire auec verity. Dieu mercy au lieu 
& en Teftat oil ie fuis ie n'ay point d' autre medecin 
que fa patemelle prouidence, & de toutes les dou- 
ceurs que pent defirer vn malade, ie n'ay k propre- 
ment parler que celles qui me viennent immediate- 
ment du Ciel. Le P. Superieur me fit la faueur de 
me donner le foin du P. logues; iauois c6t office 
d6s Tan pafs6, mais fans pratique, Dieu nous auoit 
conf eru6 tous en bonne fant6 ; neantmoins ie ne fus 
g^eres long temps feul en cefte charge, car noftre ca- 
bane fut bien tofl apres chang^e en vne infirmerie, ou 
pluflofl en vn hofpital, de forte qu'il y auoit autant 
d'infirmiers que de perfonnes faines, & peu pour les 
malades: [6i] Le mefme iour Mathurin, Tvn de nos 
domeftiques arriua auec bien de la peine, qui fit le 
troifiefme de nos malades cinq iours apres; c'efloit 
vne recidiue qui Tempefcha vn mois entier auec toute 
fa bonne volont6, de nous pouuoir rendre aucun fer- 
uice ; il auoit eft6 afl!ez mal men6 par les chemins. 
C'eft vn pauure pacquet k porter par les faults qu'vne 
fieure ; ce fut vn bon-heur pour luy de trouuer des 
Sauuages affez faciles, ils ne le prefl!erent point de 
ramer fi toft qu'ils s'apperceurent de fon indifpofi- 
tion; ils le debarquerent mefme plufieurs fois, & 
quand ils auoient caban6 ils luy faifoient le meilleur 
traittement qu'ils pouuoient ; il euft bien de la peine k 
f e traif ner iuf ques aux Bifliriniens, ou il fut laiff6 ; fes 
Sauuages luy firent entendre par figne le mieux qu'ils 
piirent, qu'ils le iugeoient trop foible pour paffer 
outre, qu'il y auoit encor quatre ou cinq faults k 
pafl^er; ou il pourroit bien demeurer, cela alloit bien 
iufques Ik, mais ils manquerent, en ce qu'ils luy laifl!e- 



1«87] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 91 

to say with truth, '* Thank God, in the place and in 
the condition in which I am, I have no other physi- 
cian than his paternal providence ; and of all the com- 
forts an invalid may desire, I have, properly speak- 
ing, none except those which come to me directly 
from Heaven." The Father Superior did me the 
favor to give me the care of Father Jogues. I held 
this office from the year before, but without having 
had any practice, as God had preserved us all in good 
health. Yet, before long, I was not alone in this 
charge ; for our cabin was soon afterwards changed 
into an infirmary, or rather into a hospital, there be- 
ing as many nurses as there were well persons, and 
these were few for the number of patients. [61] On 
the same day, Mathurin, one of our domestics, ar- 
rived, after a great deal of trouble. Five days later, 
he became our third invalid ; it was a relapse which 
prevented him for a whole month, with all his good 
will, from rendering us any service. He. had been 
somewhat badly treated on the journey. A fever is 
a hard load to carry over the rapids. It was fortu- 
nate for him that he fell in with rather good-natured 
Savages, who, as soon as they perceived his indispo- 
sition, did not urge him to paddle. They even set 
him on shore many times ; and, when they were en- 
camped, they gave him the best treatment that they 
could. He had hard work to drag himself as far as 
the Bissiriniens, where he was left; his Savages 
made him understand by signs, as well as they could, 
that they considered him too weak to go farther, that 
there were still four or five rapids to pass, where he 
might have to remain. That answered very well, 
thus far ; but they made a mistake in leaving him 
four of our packages, — a great hindrance to a sick 



92 LES RELA TIONS DBS jtSUITES [Vol. 18 

rent quatre de nos pacquets, cela efloit bien empe- 
fchant pour vn malade. Lk il trouua autant & plus 
de fecours & d'afliftance qu'il en euft f9eu efperer, en 
vn pays incogneu & barbare ; ils le prirent k deux, 
[62] & le porterent dans vne cabane, il y demeura 
trois iours pendant ce temps IJt le poiffon ne luy man- 
quoit point; mais ce n' efloit pas fon faict, aufli n'en 
pouuoit il manger, dequoy s'eftant apperjeu Oraolian- 
dindo (c'eft vn Sauuage qui auoit couftume d'obliger 
les Franjois au paffage,) il s'en alia par les cabanes 
luy chercher de la chair, & fift li bien qu'il luy appor- 
ta vn canart, au bout de trois iours la fieure Tayant 
quitt6 il trouua heureuf ement vn canot de Hurons qui 
Tembarquerent luy & fes pacquets & Tamenerent fort 
doucement. 

Le 23. Dominique tomba malade, voftre R. n'en- 
tendra d'orefnauant parler que de maladie. Nous 
f uf mes deflors quafi fans domefliques ; car Franjois 
Petit-pr6 qui refloit feul, eftoit d'ordinaire occupy 
nuict & iour k la chaffe, c'efloit de IJi que nous atten- 
dions tout noflre fecours, apres Dieu, les premiers 
iours que nous n'auions pas encor de gibier nous n'a- 
uions prefque rien k donner k nos malades que quel- 
ques bouillons de pourpier fauuage cuit Ji Teau, auec 
vn filet de verjus du pays, voilJi nos premiers con- 
fommez, nous anions bien vne poule, mais elle ne 
nous [63] donnoit pas vn ceuf tons les iours, & puis 
qu'eft-ce qu'vn ceuf k tant de malades. C'eftoit vn 
grand plaifir de nous voir nous autres qui eflions 
fains, dans Tattente de c6t oeuf ; & encor apres, f alloit 
il confulter k qui nous le donnerions, & voir qui en 
auoit le plus de befoin, pour nos malades c'efloit \ 
qui ne le mangeroit pas. 



1637] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i637 «» 

man. He found there as much and more succor and 
assistance than he could have hoped for in an un- 
known and barbarous country. Two of them took 
him [62] and carried him into a cabin, where he re- 
mained three days, during which he did not lack for 
fish ; but it was unsuitable for him, therefore he could 
eat none of it. When Oraouandindo (a Savage who 
was wont to accommodate the French in their jour- 
neys) perceived this, he went through the cabins 
seeking some meat for him, and succeeded so well 
that he brought back for him a duck. At the end of 
three days, the fever having left him, he fortunately 
f otmd a canoe of Hurons who took him and his pack- 
ages on board, and brought him here very comfort- 
ably. 

On the 23rd, Dominique fell sick. Your Rever- 
ence will hear only sickness mentioned, from now 
on. We were henceforward almost without domes- 
tics, for Fran9ois Petit-pr6, who alone remained, was 
usually occupied night and day in hunting ; it was 
from this that we expected all our succor, after God. 
During the first days, when we had as yet no game, 
we had almost nothing to give to our invalids but 
some broth of wild purslane stewed in water, with a 
dash of native verjuice. Such were our first soups. 
We had, indeed, one hen; but she did not [63] every 
day give us an ^ggy — and, besides, what is one ^gg 
for so many sick people? It was very amusing to us 
to see us who were well, waiting for that egg ; and 
then afterwards we had to consider to whom we 
should give it, and to see who most needed it. As 
for our patients, the question among them was who 
should not eat it. 

On the 24th, Father Jogues was in such a condi- 



94 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 13 

Le 24. Le P. logues fe trouua en tel eftat que nous 
iugeafmes quVne faign6e luy eftoit tout k faict ne- 
ceff aire ; il y auoit deux ou trois iours que nous ne 
pouuions venir k bout de luy arrefter le fang qui luy 
couloit par le nez en telle abondance & C importun6- 
ment qu'il n'eftoit pas pofllble de luy faire rien pren- 
dre qu'auec beaucoup de diflBicult6 : cela Taff oibliffoit 
fort, & la fieure ne diminiioit point, ce qui nous fai- 
f oit deCJt porter affez mauuais iugement de fa tnala- 
die; il fut done conclu qu'on le faig^neroit, le tout 
efloit de trouuer vn Chirurg^en : nous eftions tous C 
habiles en ce meflier, que le malade ne f cauoit qui luy 
ouuriroit la veine, & tous tant que nous eflions nous 
n'attendions que la benediction du P. Super, pour 
prendre la lancette en main & faire le coup : neant- 
moins il s'y [64] refolut luy-mefme, auffi bien auoit 
il defiJt faign6 autrefois vn Sauuage fort heureufe- 
ment, & il pluft k Dieu que cefte feconde faign6e 
fuft aufli fauorable que la premiere, & que ce qui 
manquoit k I'art f ufl f upple6 auec aaantage par la cha- 
rity ; nous en vifmes de bons effects d6s le mefme 
iour, fon fang s'arrefla, & le lendemain fa fieure di- 
minua de beaucoup. Ce mefme iour le Pere Pierre 
Cbaftellain fut pris, & s'alita fur le foir. Le Pere 
Charles Gamier qui faifoit les exercices fpirituels 
demanda cefte occafion au P. Superieur, k les inter- 
rompre pour nous ayder k ailifter nos malades, quoy 
que deflors il comengaft k f entir quelque petite indif- 
polition, qu'il difilmula neantmoins ne la iugeant pas 
telle qu'il en deuft parler en ces circonftances, oil il 
y auoit plus befoin d'infirmiers que de malades. II 
luy fallut neantmoins fe rendre le 27. apres auoir 
dit la Meffe ; nous voilk reduits k trois perfonnes, le 



1637] LE/EUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 96 

tion that we considered it absolutely necessary to 
bleed him. For two or three days we could not suc- 
ceed in checking the blood which was flowing from 
his nose — so copiously and so persistently that it was 
only with gpreat diflBculty we could make him take 
anything. This greatly weakened him, and the fever 
did not abate, which already made us form a some- 
what unfavorable opinion about his illness. Hence 
it was decided that he must be bled, — the great ques- 
tion was, to find a Surgeon. We all were so skillful 
in this trade, that the patient did not know which 
should open the vein for him ; and every one of us 
was only waiting for the benediction of the Father 
Superior, to take the lancet in hand and do the work. 
However, he [64] resolved to do it himself, — the 
more so as he had already, on another occasion, bled 
a Savage very successfully ; and it pleased God that 
this second bleeding should be as favorable as the 
first, and that what was lacking in skill should be 
more than supplied by charity. We saw good results 
from it the same day; his blood ceased to flow, and 
the next day his fever abated considerably. The 
same day Father Pierre Chastellain was taken sick, 
and was confined to his bed towards evening. Fa- 
ther Charles Gamier, who was making the spiritual 
exercises, asked the Father Superior at this juncture 
to interrupt them, that he might aid us in attending 
to our patients, — although just then he began to feel 
some slight indisposition, which he nevertheless 
concealed, not judging it such as he should mention 
in these circumstances, when there was more need of 
nurses than of patients. However, he had to give up 
on the 27th, after having said Mass. Now we were 
reduced to three persons, the Father Superior, Father 



96 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 18 

P. Superieur, le Pere Pijart & moy : Le P. Superieur 
euft eft6 delist affez occup6 du f oin de toute la mai- 
fon, & le P. Pijart alloit de temps en temps faire des 
courf es aux villages circonuoifins ; & nonobftant cela 
il f alloit aller au bois, k Teau, faire la cuifine, & [65] 
auoir foin de nos malades. Ce mefme iour le P. 
Pijart eftant all6 auec vn de nos domeftiques baptifa 
deux petits enfans qui luy furent prefentez par leur 
pere mefme, qui tefmoigna fouhaitter grandement 
que ils allaffent au Ciel, vn de ces petits innocens 
mourut deux ou trois mois apres, & ce miferable pere 
le fuiuit bien tofl, mais il ne voulut iamais ouyr par- 
ler du Baptefme, & les flammes de TEnfer ne firent 
aucune imprefllon fur fon efprit. Nous fufmes dou- 
blement conf olez k leur retour ; nous voy[i]ons k veuS 
d'oeil la patemelle prouidence de Dieu fur cefle pe- 
tite maifon, car le g^bier alloit croiffant k mefure que 
croiffoit le nombre des malades. Nous n'en man- 
quafmes qu'vn feul iour, & ce f ut fans doute pour nous 
faire vne belle lejon ; vn de nos Sauuages nourriffoit 
vne outarde en fa cabane, nous Tauions oblig6 en vne 
infinite d'occafions, nous la luy demandafmes k achep- 
ter, & ne la pufmes tirer de luy qu*k bonnes enfei- 
gnes, vne peau de cerf efl precieufe en ce pays, en- 
cor auoit-il de la peine k s'en contenter, mais que ne 
luy euflions nous point donn6 en cefte occafion : fans 
cela nous eftions fur le poinct de tuSr vn de nos 
chiens, on n*en a pas icy d'auerfion [66] comme en 
France, nous n'euflions pas laiff6 d'en faire des bouil- 
lons k nos malades. Nous auons bien de Tobligation 
k la diuine bont6 qui nous combla de conf olation pen- 
dant cefte petite affliction domeftique, nous ne fufmes 
iamais plus ioyeux les vns & les autres, les malades 



1637] LEJ£UNE*S RELATION, i637 »7 

Pijart, and myself. The Father Superior was al- 
ready sufl&ciently occupied, with the care of the whole 
house, and Father Pijart went, from time to time, on 
trips to the surrounding villages; notwithstanding 
these things, they had to go for wood and for water, do 
the cooking, and [65] take care of our patients. The 
same day that Father Pijart was away with one of 
our domestics, he baptized two little children who 
were presented to him by their father himself, who 
declared his earnest wish that they should go to 
Heaven. One of these little innocents died two or 
three months afterwards, and this wretched father 
soon followed him, but he never would listen to the 
mention of Baptism, and the flames of Hell made no 
impression upon his mind. We were doubly consoled 
at their return. We saw plainly the paternal provi- 
dence of God over this little house, for the game 
kept on increasing in proportion to the increase in 
the number of patients. We were without it only 
one day, and this was intended, doubtless, to give us 
a good lesson. One of our Savages was raising a 
bustard in his cabin ; we had obliged him on num- 
berless occasions, we asked to buy it of him, but we 
could only obtain it by offering good securities. A 
deer skin is precious in this country, yet he was hard- 
ly satisfied with it. But what would we not have 
given, in these circumstances? Had it not been for 
that, we were upon the point of killing one of our 
dogs ; they have not here an aversion to them [66] as 
in France, and we would not have scrupled to make 
broth of it for our invalids. We are under great 
obligations to divine goodness, which overwhelmed 
U8 with consolation during this little domestic afflic- 
tion. We were never more cheerful, one and all; 



98 LES RELATIONS DES jtSUITES [Vol.13 

eftoient auffi contens de mourir, que de viure, & par 
leur patiece, piet6, & deuotion, rendoient bien le- 
geres les petites peines que nous prenions apres eux 
nuict & iour. Pour nos Peres, ils iouyffoient d'vn 
bien qui n'eft pas ordinaire en France, de receuoir 
tous les iours le S. Sacrement de TAutel, le P. Supe- 
rieur ou vn autre, leur portoit pendant la nuict: c'eft 
de ce threfor qu'ils tiroient tant de fainctes refolu- 
tions, & tant de bons fentimens qui leur faifoient 
aymer, & cherir tendrement leur condition, & prefe- 
rer leur pauuret6 Jt toutes les commoditez de la 
Prance. Le P. logues ne fut pas fi toft hors de dan- 
ger que le P. Chaftellain y entra, il fut trauaill6 d'vne 
fieure chaude qui luy caufa de grandes inquietudes, 
& le tint iufques au 7. d'Octobre. Le P. Superieur 
le faigna deux fois fort heureufement, & vne fois 
Dominique, lequel alia C bas que nous luy donafmes 
I'E' extreme Onction, fa maladie [67] eftoit vne fieure 
pourpreufe : Pour le P. Gamier fa fieure n'eftoit pas 
C violente, & nous ne la iugeafmes pas autrement 
dangereufe, feulement elle luy caufoit de grandes 
debilitez, le P. Superieur eflaya par deux fois k le f ai- 
gner, mais le fang ne voulut point fortir; c'eft ainfi 
que Dieu luy gouuemoit la main felon la neceflit6. 
Parmy tout cela, il eft vray qu'ils enduroient beau- 
coup, & nous leur portions aflez de compafiion, car 
le foulagement que nous leur pouuions donner eftoit 
fort petit : fi vn lict de plume f emble f ouuent bien 
dur k vn malade, ie laifl^e k penfer k voftre R. s41s 
pouuoient eftre mollement fur vn lict qui n'eftoit 
qu'vne natte de joncs eftendue fur quelques efcorces, 
& tout au plus vne couuerture ou quelque peau par 
deffus : outre cela vne des chof es les plus f af cheuf es 



I 

t 



\ 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 99 

the sick were as content to die, as to live, and by their 
patience, piety, and devotion greatly lightened the 
little trouble we took for them night and day. As 
for our Fathers, they enjoyed a blessing which is not 
a common one in France, that of daily receiving the 
Holy Sacrament of the Altar, — the Father Superior, 
or some one else, carrying it to them during the 
night. It was from this treasure house that they 
drew so many holy resolutions, and so many pious 
sentiments, which made them delight in, and ten- 
derly cherish their condition, and prefer their poverty 
to all the comforts of France. Father Jogues was no 
sooner out of danger, than Father Chastellain en- 
tered that condition. He was harassed by a burning 
fever which made him very restless, and which pos- 
sessed him until the 7th of October. The Father 
Superior twice bled him very successfully, and once 
Dominique, who sank so low that we gave him Ex- 
treme Unction, — his disease [67] was a purple fever. 
As for Father Gamier, his fever was not so violent, 
and we did not consider it otherwise dangerous, ex- 
cept that it occasioned him great weakness. The 
Father Superior tried twice to bleed him, but the 
blood would not flow ; it was thus that God guided 
his hand, according to necessity. In the midst of 
all this, they certainly endured a great deal, and we 
felt much compassion for them, for the relief that we 
could give them was very little. If a bed of feathers 
often seems hard to a sick person, I leave your Rev- 
erence to imagine if they could rest easily upon a 
bed which was nothing but a mat of rushes spread 
over some bark, and at most a blanket or a piece of 
skin thrown over it. In addition to this, one of the 
most annoying things, and one which it was almost 



100 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. IS 

& Jt laquelle il nous eftoit prefque impoillble de re- 
medier, eftoit le bruit continuel tant dehors que de- 
dans la cabane, car vous n'eufliez peu empefcher les 
vifites & rimportunit6 des Sauuages qui ne f9auent ce 
que c'eft que de parler bas, & fi, fouuent trouuoient- 
ils eftrange qu'on leur donnaft vn petit mot d'aduer- 
tiffement fur ce point : comme ie difois vn iour k vn 
Sauuage, mon [68] amy, ie te prie, parle vn peu plus 
bas, tu n'as pas d'efprit, me dit-il, voilk vn oifeau, 
parlant de noftre coq, qui parle plus haut que moy, & 
tu ne luy dis rien. 

Le I . iour d'Octobre ie fenty quelques attaques, la 
fieure me prift fur le foir, & il fallut me rendre auffi 
bien que les autres, mais i'en fus quitte Jt trop bon 
marcli6, ie n'eus que trois accez, neantmoins le deu- 
xiefme fut C violent, que ie me condamnay moy- 
mefme k vne faigfn^e, mais mon fang tint bon. Dieu 
me referuoit vn remede plus naturel, qui paruft k la 
fin du troifiefme accez, & me mift en eflat de pouuoir 
dire la faincte Meffe d6s le lendemain, toutesfois ie 
fus incapable fix ou fept iours de rendre quafi aucun 
f eruice k nos Peres Les Sauuages admiroient Tordre 
que nous tenions k gouuemer nos malades, & le regime 
que nous leur f aifions obf eruer : c'eftoit vne curiofit6 
pour eux, car ils n'auoient point encor veu de Fran- 
fois malades : ie n'ay pas dit k voftre R. que Ton- 
neraoiianont vn des fameux Sorciers du pays, ayant 
ouy dire que nous eftions malades, nous eftoit venu 
vifiter, le perfonnage eftoit de merite & de confidera- 
tion k Tentendre, quoy qu'en apparence ce fuft fort 
peu de [69] chofe, c'eftoit vn petit boffu, mal-fait k 
Textremit^, vn bout de robbe fur Tefpaule, c'eft k 
dire, quelques vieils caftors gras & rapiecez: voilk 



1«37] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 101 

impossible to remedy, was the continual noise, both 
within and without the cabin. For you could not 
have prevented the visits and the importunities of 
the Savages, who do not know what it is to speak 
low, and therefore often thought it strange that we 
gave them a little word of caution on this point. As 
I said one day to a Savage, ** My [68] friend, I pray 
thee, speak a little lower." ** Thou hast no sense," 
he said to me; ** there is a bird," speaking of our 
cock, " that talks louder than I do, and thou sayest 
nothing to him." 

On the I St day of October, I felt some touches of 
illness ; the fever seized me towards evening, and I 
had to give up, as well as the others. But I became 
free from it too cheaply ; I had only three attacks, 
but the second one was so violent that I condemned 
myself to be bled; my blood was obstinate, however. 
God reserved for me a more natural remedy, which 
appeared at the end of the third attack, and rendered 
me able to say the holy Mass from the next day on. 
However, I was almost unable for six or seven days 
to render any service to our Fathers. The Savages 
wondered at the order we observed in caring for our 
sick, and the diet that we made them observe. It was 
a curious thing to them, for they had never yet seen 
French people ill. I have not told your Reverence 
that Tonneraouanont, one of the famous Sorcerers 
of the country, having heard that we were sick, came 
to see us. To hear him talk, he was a personage of 
merit and influence, although in appearance he was a 
very insignificant [69] object. He was a little hunch- 
back, extremely misshapen, a piece of a robe over his 
shoulders, — that is, some old beaver skins, gfreasy 
and patched. This is one of the Oracles of the whole 



102 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 13 

des Oracles de tout le pays, & qui a faict plier c6t 
Hyuer, les bourgs entiers fous fes ordonnances. II 
eftoit pour lors venu fouffler quelques malades de 
noftre bourgade. II dit d'abord au P. Super, qu'il 
auoit penf6 s'en retourner fans nous venir voir, ne 
doutant point que nous n'euflions des remedes pour 
nous g^erir, mais que ce qu*il nous vifitoit, n'eftoit 
que pour contenter Tfioiiandaentaha, c*efl vn Sauuage 
qui fe picque de nous aynoier & de faire eftat de nous, 
& vn des eprits les plus adroits & les plus aduifez que 
nous connoiflions : il adioufta qu'il le faifoit d'autant 
plus volontiers qu'il nous regardoit comme les parens 
de fon deffunt frere, qui auoit eft6 baptif6 Tannic pre- 
cedente. Or pour nous faire venir Teau k la bouche, 
& vendre mieux fa Theriaque, ie ne fuis pas (dit-il) 
de Tordinaire des hommes, ie fuis comme vn Demon, 
auffi n*ay-je iamais eft6 malade, trois ou quatre fois 
que le pays a efl6 afflig6 de contagion, ie ne m*en 
fuis pas remu6 dauantage pour cela, ie n'ay iamais 
apprehend^ le mal, i'ay des remedes pour [70] m*en 
preferuer: Partant li tu me veux donner quelque 
chofe, ie me fais fort dans peu de iours, de te remet- 
tre fur pied tons tes malades. Le Pere Superieur 
pour en auoir le plaifir tout entier, luy demanda ce 
qu'il defiroit, tu me donneras, dit-il, dix canons de 
verre, & de plus vn pour chaque malade, le P. luy 
refpondit que pour le nombre il ne s'en mift pas en 
peine, que ce n'efloit pas chofe de confequence, que 
la bont6 de fes remedes ne dependoit pas de cela, 
outre que ce feroit toufiours k recommencer, veu que 
le nombre des malades alloit croiffant de iour k autre, 
ainli, qu'il tint pour tout affeur6 que nous le contente- 
rions. II dift Ik deffus, qu'il nous enfeigneroit les 



1637] LE /EUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 1<>3 

country, who has this Winter made entire villages 
bend to his decrees. He had come at that time to 
blow upon some sick people of our village. He said 
first to the Father Superior that he had almost 
returned without coming to see us, not doubting that 
we had remedies that would cure us ; but that he 
visited us only to please Tsiouandaentaha, a Savage 
who prides himself upon his love and esteem for us, 
and is one of the most adroit and prudent persons 
that we know. He added that he did it all the more 
willingly as he looked upon us as the relatives of his 
dead brother, who had been baptized the year before. 
Now in order to make our mouths water, and to sell his 
Antidote at a better price, ** I am not ** (said he) ** of 
the common run of men ; I am, as it were, a Demon ; 
therefore I have never been sick. In the three or 
four times that the country has been afflicted with a 
contagion, I did not trouble myself at all about it; I 
never feared the disease, for I have remedies to [70] 
preserve me. Hence, if thou wilt give me something, 
I undertake in a few days to set all thy invalids upon 
their feet.*' The Father Superior, in order to get 
all the amusement he could out of it, asked him what 
he wanted. **Thou wilt give me," said he, *'ten 
glass beads, and one extra for each patient." The 
Father answered him that, as for the number, he 
need not trouble himself about it, that it was a mat- 
ter of no consequence ; that the efficacy of his reme- 
dies did not depend upon that ; furthermore, that he 
would be always beginning over again, seeing that 
the number of patients continued to increase from 
day to day, — so that he firmly believed that we would 
satisfy him. Thereupon he told us that he would 
show us the roots 'that must be used; but that, to ex- 



104 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SU/TES [Vol. 13 

racines dont il fe faudroit feruir, mais que pour 
expedier plus promptement, fi nous voulions il y 
trauailleroit luy-mefme, qu'il prieroit, & feroit vne 
fuSrie en fon particulier, en vn mot toutes fes char- 
lataneries ordinaires, & que dans trois iours tons nos 
malades feroient gueris. II s'eftoit parfaitement bien 
addreff6. Le Pere le contenta, ou pluftoft rinftruifit 
Ik deffus, luy fit entendre que nous ne pouuions ap- 
prouuer cefte forte de remede, que la priere qu'il fai- 
foit ne valloit rien, & n'eftoit qu'vn pact [71] diabo- 
lique, veu qu41 n'auoit pas la cognoiffance, ou la 
croyance du vray Dieu, auquel feul il eft perm is 
d'adreffer des voeux & des prieres, que pour ce qui 
eftoit des remedes naturels, nous nous en feruirions 
volStiers, & qu'il nous obligeroit de nous en appren- 
dre quelques-vns. II ne fit pas dauantage d'inftance 
fur fa fuSrie, & nous n6ma deux racines h, ce qu'il 
difoit, fort excellentes contre les fieures, il nous 
inftruifit de la fajon d'en vfer; mais nous ne nous 
mifmes gueres en peine d'en voir les effects, nous ne 
fommes pas habituez k ces remedes, & puis deux ou 
trois iours apres nous vifmes tons nos malades quafi 
hors de danger. Mais il faut que voftre R. fjache 
icy k f onds la genealogie de ce perf onnage au rapport 
qu'il en a faict luy-mefme, elle entendra parler de fa 
mort en fon temps, voicy ce qu'il en a dit au rapport 
que nous en a faict vn nomm6 Tonkhratacoiian, ie 
fuis vn Demon, ie demeurois autrefois fous terre en 
la maifon des Demons, lors qu'il me prift fantafie de 
me faire homme, voicy comme la chofe arriua. Ayant 
vn iour entendu de ce lieu f oufterrain les voix & les 
cris de quelques enfans qui gardoient les bleds, & en 
chailoient les animaux & les oifeaux, [72] ie pris 



1637] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6j7 106 

pedite matters, lie would, if we desired it, go to work 
himself, that he would pray, and have a special 
sweat, — in a word, perform all his usual charlatan- 
ries, — and that in three days our sick people would 
be cured. He made a very plausible speech. The 
Father satisfied him, or rather instructed him there- 
upon; he gave the sorcerer to understand that we 
could not approve this sort of remedy, that the 
prayer he oflEered availed nothing, and was only a 
compact [71] with the devil, considering that he had 
no knowledge of, or belief in, the true God, to whom 
alone it is permitted to address vows and prayers ; 
that as far as natural remedies were concerned, we 
would willingly employ them, and that he would 
oblige us by teaching us some of them. He did not 
insist further upon his sweat, and named to us two 
roots, — very efl&cacious, he said, against fevers, — and 
instructed us in the method of using them. But we 
hardly took the trouble to observe their effects, — we 
are not accustomed to these remedies, and besides, 
two or three days later, we saw all our patients near- 
ly out of danger. But your Reverence should, at 
this point, be thoroughly acquainted with the geneal- 
ogy of this person, according to the version of it that 
he himself has given. You will hear of his death at 
the proper time. Here is what he said about it. as 
it was reported to us by one Tonkhratacouan. * ' I am 
a Demon ; I formerly lived under the ground in the 
house of the Demons, when the fancy seized me to 
become a man ; and this is how it happened. Having 
heard one day, from this subterranean abode, the 
voices and cries of some children who were guarding 
the crops, and chasing the animals and birds away, 
[72] I resolved to go out. I was no sooner upon the 



106 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 13 

ref olution de fortir, ie ne fus pas fi toft fur terre que 
ie rencontray vne femme, i'entre fubtilement dans 
fon ventre, & m'y forme vn petit corps, i'auois auec 
moy vne diableffe qui fit tout Ie mefme, fi toft que 
nous fufmes enuiron de la grofl!eur d'vn efpy de 
bled, cefte femme voulut fe deliurer de fon fruict, ffa- 
chant qu'elle n'auoit pas congeu par voye humaine, 
& craignant que c6t ocki ne luy apportaft quelque 
malheur. Elle trouua done moyen d'auancer fon 
terme. Or il me femble que fur fes entrefaites ayant 
honte de me voir fuiuy d*vne fille, & craignant qu'on 
ne la prift par apres pour ma femme, ie la battis 
tant que ie la laifl!ay pour morte, en effet elle vint 
morte au monde. Cefte femme s'eftant deliur^e 
nous prift tons deux, nous enuelopa dans vn caftor, 
nous porta dans les bois, nous mift dans Ie creux d'vn 
arbre, & nous abandonna, nous demeurafmes IJi iuf- 
ques k ce qu'vn Sauuage paffant par \k ie me mis k 
pleurer, & k crier, afin qu'il m'entendit, de faict il 
m'apperjeut, il en porte la nouuelle au bourg, ma 
mere vient, elle me reprend, m'emporta en fa cabane, 
& m*61eua tel que tu me vois. Ce charlatan racontoit 
encor de foy qu'eftant ieune, come il eftoit [73] fort 
mal fait, les enfans luy faifoient la guerre, & fe 
moquoient de luy, & qu'il en auoit faict mourir plu- 
fieurs, neantmoins qu'il s'eftoit enfin refolu d'endu- 
rer d'orefnauant de peur de perdre Ie pays, s41 euft 
tout tu6: voilk vne belle rodomontade. Voftre R. 
en entendrabien de plus extrauagantes en fon temps. 
Tant y k que voilk vn des grands Medecins du pays ; 
il ne manquoit point de practique. Pour nous, nous 
nous paffdmes bien Dieu mercy de fes remedes. Nous 
eufmes recours ^ vn autre Medecin, qui nous a fait 



1637] L£ /EUNE*S RELATION, i6s7 107 

earth than I encountered a woman ; I craftily entered 
her womb, and there assumed a little body. I had 
with me a she-devil, who did the same thing. As 
soon as we were about the size of an ear of corn, 
this woman wished to be delivered of her fruit, know- 
ing that she had not conceived by human means, 
and fearing that this ocki ® might bring her some mis- 
fortune. So she found means of hastening her time. 
Now it seems to me that in the meantime, being 
ashamed to see myself followed by a girl, and fear- 
ing that she might afterwards be taken for my wife, 
I beat her so hard that I left her for dead ; in fact, 
she came dead into the world. This woman, being 
delivered, took us both, wrapped us in a beaver skin, 
carried us into the woods, placed us in the hollow of 
a tree, and abandoned us. We remained there until, 
a Savage passing by, I began to weep and cry out, 
that he might hear me. He did, indeed, perceive 
me ; he carried the news to the village ; my mother 
came, she took me again, bore me to her cabin, and 
brought me up such as thou seest me." This char- 
latan also related about himself that when he was 
young, as he was [73] very ill-shapen, the children 
made war upon him and ridiculed him, and that he 
had caused several of them to die ; that, nevertheless, 
he had finally decided to endure it henceforth, lest 
he might ruin the country if he should kill all ; that 
was a fine piece of bluster. Your Reverence will 
hear still more extravagant stories about him, in the 
course of time. At all events, behold in him one of 
the great Physicians of the country ; nor did he lack 
practice. As for us, we could well dispense, thank 
God, with his remedies. We had recourse to another 
Physician, who has made us deeply sensible of his 



108 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 1$ 

cogno[i]ftre fenfiblement, comme voftre R. peut voir, 
fon fecours & fon affiftace', & ne s'eft pas contents de 
nous rendre k tous la fant6, mais il a tellement dif- 
pof6 cefte petite affliction de quel biais que nous la 
confiderions nous ne pouuons que nous ne la prenions 
come vne faueur tres-Cgnal6e. C'eft vne chofe tout 
k faict delirable, (quoy qu'on ait eii dellk auparauant 
vne infinite d'occafions d'apprendre k ne fe cofier qu'en 
Dieu,) d'auoir icy k fon arriu6e vne lejon fi claire & 
fi intelligible de cefle belle vertu. Nous fjauions 
bien tous que non in folo pane viuit homoy fed in omni 
verba quod procedit de ore Dei. Mais nous n* anions pas 
encor experiments que dans vn fi grand [74] denu^- 
ment de remedes humains, tant de perfonnes peuffent 
fi aif6ment & fi doucement recouurer la fantS k la 
faueur de la f eule prouidence diuine : Pour ne point 
obliger Dieu k nous guerir par quelque forte de mi- 
racle, de huict mois que dure cefle contagion, nous 
ne pouuions tomber malades en vn temps plus f auo- 
rable qu'en Automne, qui elt la feule faifon du gi- 
bier, tout le refte de TannSe il efl affez rare : Nous n'a- 
uions que Frangois Petit-pr6 qui nous pufl afllfter en 
ce poinct, & Dieu nous le conferua toufiours en bonne 
fantS, nonobflat les trauaux continuels de la chafTe, 
outre les veilles ordinaires de la maif on quand il y 
eftoit. Nous eufllons tous volontiers donn6 nos vies 
pour la conferuation de la perfonne du P. Superieur, 
qui a vne fi parf aite QognoifTance de la langue ; & il 
pluft k cefte diuine bont6 luy maintenir toufiours des 
forces fuffifantes pour exercer fa charit6 en noftre en- 
droit nuict & iour. Dauantage Dieu ayant refolu de 
tirer de nous quelques petits f eruices pour la conf ola- 
tion & conuerfion des nos Sauuages, n 'eftoit il pas 



1637] LE/EUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 10» 

succor and his assistance, as your Reverence can see, 
and was not contented with restoring us to complete 
health, but has so disposed this little affliction, that, 
in whatever manner we look at it, we cannot do other- 
wise than regard it as a very signal favor. It is 
a thing altogether desirable, (although there have 
already been, ere now, numberless occasions for learn- 
ing to trust in Gk>d alone) to have here at one's ar- 
rival so clear and so intelligible a lesson on this beau- 
tiful virtue. We all knew, indeed, that non in solo 
pane vivit homo, sed in omni verbo quod procedit de ore Dei, 
But we had not yet learned by experience that, in so 
great [74] a deprivation of human remedies, so many 
persons could so easily and so gently recover their 
health by the favor of divine providence alone. That 
God might not be placed under the necessity of cur- 
ing us by some sort of miracle, of the eight months 
during which this contagion lasted, we could not 
have fallen ill at a more favorable time than in the 
Autumn, which is the only season of game, it being 
quite scarce during the rest of the year. We had 
only Franjois Petit-pr6 who could assist us in this 
difficulty ; and God preserved him to us in good health 
all the time, notwithstanding the continual hardships 
of hunting, besides the usual night watches in the 
house when he was there. We would all very will- 
ingly have given our lives for the preservation of 
that of the Father Superior, who has so perfect a 
knowledge of the language ; and it pleased this divine 
goodness to keep him always in strength sufficient 
to exercise his charity towards us night and day. 
And still more, God having resolved to derive from 
us some little services for the consolation and con- 
version of our Savages, was it not very reasonable 



110 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 13 

bien raifonnable que nous fuflions malades des pre- 
miers pour eftre d'auantage hors des prifes du mal, 
leur faire eftimer quelques [75] petits remedes, dont 
nous les deuions ayder, & auoir vne belle entree pour 
leur faire cognoiftre le maiftre de nos vies, leur don- 
nant 2i entendre que nous luy eftions priuatiuement 
2i tout autre, redeuables de noftre guerifon. Mais en 
fin mon R. Pere nous pouuons dire que perieramus 
nifi perijjfemus, & que nous ferions peut-eflre morts 
maintenant, fi nous n'euflions eft6 malades, c*eft vne 
chofe qui a fouuentesf ois eft6 dite durant les mauuais 
bruits qui couroient de nous par le pays, que fi nous 
n*eufllons eft6 affligez aufli bien que les autres on n'euft 
point dout6 que nous n'euflions eft6 la caufe du mal, 
voftre R. f9ait comme on traitte icy les empoifon- 
neurs, nous luy mandions Tan paff6 & nous en auons 
veu nagueres vn exemple de nos yeux ; & la chofe 
n'a efl6 que trop auant pour pouuoir dire que nous 
n'en euffions pas efk6 quittes 2i meilleur marchfe. Nous 
nous eflimions tous heureux de mourir en cefte occa- 
fion, mais puis qu'il a pleu ^ cefle diuine mifericorde 
nous conferuer la vie, ce nous efl vne nouuelle obli- 
gation de r employer pour fa gloire, & ne nous point 
efpargner en tout ce qui pourra auancer la conuerfion 
de nos Sauuages. 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 111 



that we should be sick first, in order to be further 
out of the clutches of the disease, to make them es- 
teem some [75] little remedies with which we were 
to assist them, and to have an excellent opportunity 
to make known to them the master of our lives, show- 
ing them that we were indebted to him, to the exclu- 
sion of all others, for our recovery ! But finally, my 
Reverend Father, we can say \hsX, perieramus nisi peri- 
issemusy and that perhaps we would be dead now if 
we had not been sick. It was oftentimes said, dur- 
ing the evil reports that were current about us through- 
out the country, that if we had not been afflicted as 
well as the others, they would not have doubted that 
we were the cause of the disease. Your Reverence 
knows how they treat poisoners here ; we informed 
you of it last year, and we have lately seen an ex- 
ample of it with our own eyes, — the danger going 
so far as to enable us to say that we might not have 
come out of it very cheaply. We all considered our- 
selves happy to die in this cause ; but since it pleased 
this divine mercy to preserve our lives, it places us 
under fresh obligations to employ them for his glory, 
and not to spare ourselves in anything which can 
advance the conversion of our Savages. 



112 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 18 



[76] CHAP. IV. 

LE SECOURS QUE NOUS AUONS RENDU AUX MALADES 

DE NOSTRE BOURGADE, & LA PROUIDENCE DE 

DIEU EN LA CONUERSION DES VNS & 

L'ABANDONNEMENT DES AUTRES. 

ENVIRON le 15. d'Octobre que nosmalades furent 
tout 2i faict hors de danger, & commencerent 
^ reprendre la nourriture ordinaire du pays, 
nollre principal employ iufques au 17. de Nouembre 
fut d'affifter les malades de noftre bourgade. De 
bonne fortune la faifon de la chaffe n'eftoit pas eneor 
paff6e, & nos hommes eurent bien la charity de pren- 
dre pour eux vne partie de la peine qu'ils auoient 
pris pour nous ; ie dis pour eux, car nous nous con- 
tentdmes d'ordinaire pendant ce temps Hi des viures 
du pays, & fi nous nous paffons bien de gibier tout 
le refte de Tann^e, nous nous en priuafmes pour lors 
d'autant plus volontiers que nous efperions que par 
ces petits offices de charity, Dieu nous feroit la grace 
de cooperer au falut de quelque ame. Voicy Tordre 
que nous tenions, \y^^ nous les vifitions deux fois le 
iour, le matin & le f oir, & leur portions des bouillons 
& de la viande, felon Teflat & la difpofition des ma- 
lades, prenans toufiours Toccafion de les extorter k 
auoir recours ^ Dieu, & les difpofer doucemet au Bap- 
tefme. Nous anions mang6 pendant nos maladies le 
pen de raillns & de pruneaux, & quelques petits re- 
medes que voflre R. nous auoit enuoy6, ne nous en 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 113 



[76] CHAP. IV. 

THE HELP WE HAVE GIVEN TO THE SICK OF OUR VIL- 
LAGE, AND THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IN THE 
CONVERSION OF SOME AND THE ABAN- 
DONMENT OF OTHERS. 

FROM about the 15th of October, when our pa- 
tients were entirely out of danger, and began 
again to take the ordinary food of the country, 
our principal occupation up to the 1 7th of November 
was to assist the sick of our village. Fortunately the 
hunting season was not yet over, and our men had 
the charity to take for them part of the same trouble 
they had taken for us; I say for them, because we 
were usually satisfied during that time with the food 
of the country, and, if we dispense with game all the 
rest of the year, we deprived ourselves of it then all 
the more willingly since we hoped that through these 
little offices of charity God would do us the favor to 
cooperate with us in the salvation of some soul. 
This is the order that we maintained, [yj^ We vis- 
ited them twice a day, morning and evening, and 
carried them soup and meat, according to the con- 
dition and disposition of the patients, — always tak- 
ing occasion to exhort them to have recourse to God, 
and to gently influence them to Baptism. We ate 
during our own sickness a few of the raisins and 
prunes, and some little remedies that your Rever- 
ence had sent us, — using them only in cases of ne- 
cessity, so that we still had a good part of them, which 



114 LES RELATIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 13 

feruant que dans la neceflit^, de forte qu'il nous en 
reftoit encore vne bonne partie, que nous auons fait 
filer iufques ^ prefent ; tout s'efl donn6 par compt6, 
deux ou trois pruneaux, ou 5. ou 6. raifins k vn ma- 
lade, c'efloit luy rendre la vie; nos medecines ont 
eu des effets qui ont efclat6 par tout le pays, & ce- 
pendant ie vous laiffe k penfer quelles medecines, vn 
petit fachet de fen6 a feruy ^ plus de 50. perfonnes; 
on nous en a demand^ de tous coftez ; & quelquesf ois 
le plaifir efloit que fi le malade fe trouuoit trauaill6 
d'vne retention dVrine, noflre medecine n*operoit 
iuflement que pour cela. Simon Baron a rendu de 
bons feruices en cefle occaCon, car ay ant apris autres- 
f ois au Chibou en vne pareille neceflit^ 2i manier la 
lancette, il n*a pas manqu6 icy de practique tout le 
long de rhyuer, & les lancettes [78] nous ont pluftoft 
inanqu6 qu*2i luy la bonne volont6, & knos Sauuages 
le defir d'eftre faignez, pour en auoir veu de bons 
effets en la guerifon de plufieurs perfonnes prefque 
abandonn6es. Si nous ne commenfames que pour 
lors ii nous employer tout k faict k les fecourir, ce n'efl 
pas qu'ils n'eufset efl6 quelque temps auparauant 
acueillis du mal ; noflre cabane efloit encore faine & 
entiere qu*il y auoit defik des malades en noflre bour- 
gade, & 2i la Rochelle. D6s le 29. de Septembre que 
le mal alloit croiffant, deux vieillards efloient venus 
trouuer le P. Superieur pour s'affembler, & faire quel- 
que priere publique pour chaffer la contagion, & Ten- 
uoyer ailleurs, c'efl ainfi qu*ils parloyet, le Pere les 
inflruifit \k deffus, & agrea leur requefle, mais cela ne 
fe pufl faire encor fi tofl, la plufpart efloient Jt la 
pefche. Nous les anions aflifl6z deflors, principale- 
ment pour ce qui efl du fpirituel, car pour le refle 



1637] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i637 lib 

we have made last up to the present. Everything 
was given by count, two or three prunes, or 5 or 6 
raisins to one patient ; this was restoring life to hinoi. 
Our medicines produced effects which dazzled the 
whole country, and yet I leave you to imagine what 
sort of medicines they were ! A little bag of senna 
served over 50 persons ; they asked us for it on every 
side ; and sometimes the joke of it was that if the pa- 
tient found himself troubled by a retention of urine, 
our medicine acted only as a specific for that ailment. 
Simon Baron rendered us good service at this time ; 
for, having learned before at Chibou, during a period 
of like necessity, to handle the lancet, he did not fail 
to exercise it here throughout the winter, and lan- 
cets [78] were more deficient with us than was good 
will with him, and on the part of our Savages the 
desire to be bled, as they had seen the good effects 
of it in the recovery of several persons who had been 
almost given up. If it was only at that time that we 
began to occupy ourselves entirely in succoring them, 
it was not because they had not been some time be- 
fore attacked by the disease, for our cabin was still 
sound and healthy when there were already sick peo- 
ple in our village and at la Rochelle. On the 29th of 
September, from which time the disease began to 
spread, two old men came to see the Father Superior 
about calling an assembly to offer public prayers to 
drive away the contagion, and to send it elsewhere, 
as they expressed it. The Father thereupon in- 
structed them, and granted their request, but it could 
not be carried out at once, as the gjreater part of them 
were away fishing. We assisted them from that time 
forward, principally in spiritual matters ; but, as for 
the rest, we used some reserve. Children of the 



116 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 18 

nous auions vf6 de quelque referue, les enfans de la 
maifon font pref erables aux eflrangers ; nous voy[i]ons 
bien chez nous le comencement du mal, mais nous 
n'auions pas la veue^ffez per9ante pour en voir la fin. 

Or auant que de paffer outre, voftre R. me permet- 
tra s'il luy plaift, de repaffer vn [79] peu fur mes 
pas, & ramaffer ce que i'ay obmis pour euiter la con- 
fufion, & d'abord ie tombe fur vn fuject qui nous a 
fouuent touchy bien fenfiblement, & maintenant que 
ie me difpofe k Tefcrire, ie me fens le coeur tout faifi, 
& peu s*en faut que les larmes ne me tombent des 
yeux. 

Le 2. iour d'Octobre, vn ieune enfant %%€ d'onze k 
douze ans mourut fans baptefme en noftre bourgade, 
il s'appelloit Araklii6, c'efl k dire iour faillant, ce 
nom ne luy conuint iamais mieux qu'en fa demiere 
maladie & fur le poinct de fa mort, iufques alors 
5'auoit eft6 come vn petit Soleil qui montoit k veu^ 
d'oeil, voftre R. s'eftonnera que ie parle en ces termes 
d'vn enfant, & d'vn Sauuage, neantmoins ie ne penfe 
pas vfer beaucoup d'exaggeration ; il auoit des ad- 
uantages de nature qui furpaffoient non feulement le 
commun de ces peuples barbares, mais mefme Tordi- 
naire de la France. II auoit le corps affez bien fait, 
& Tefprit encor mieux, & fi f a flature & la grandeur 
de fon corps montoit au deffus de fon aage, la gentil- 
leffe de fon efprit & la force de fon iugement le fai- 
foit marcher quafi de pair auec les hommes faits. II 
eftoit pof6, graue, officieux, & dVn aggreable entre- 
tien ; il eftoit complaifant & f e picquoit de paroiftre 
ferieux [80] parmy les infoleces de fes copagnons fur 
tout en noftre prefence ; il eftoit docile ^ merueille, 
& come il auoit la memoire fort heureufe, il appre- 



• .V 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TJON, 1637 117 

household are to be preferred to strangers ; we saw, 
indeed, the beginning of evil among us, but we had 
not vision keen enough to see the end thereof. 

Now before going farther, your Reverence will 
permit me, if you please, to retrace [79] my steps a 
little, and to gather up what I have omitted for the 
sake of avoiding confusion. And, at the start, I 
encounter a subject which has often keenly affected 
us, and, now that I am ready to write about it, I feel 
its strong hold upon my heart, and I can hardly keep 
the tears from falling from my eyes. 

On the 2nd day of October, a young child eleven 
or twelve years old, died in our village, unbaptized. 
His name was Arakhi6, that is to say, '* closing day." 
This name never suited him better than in his last 
illness, and at the point of death ; up to that time he 
was like a little Sun which arose before the eyes. 
Your Reverence will be surprised that I speak in 
these terms of a child, and of a Savage ; yet I do not 
think that I use much exaggeration. He had some 
natural advantages which not only surpassed those 
usual to these barbarous peoples, but even those 
ordinary in France. His body was well formed, and 
his mind still better ; and if his height and size were 
beyond his age, the graces of his mind and the 
strength of his judgment placed him almost upon an 
equal footing with full-grown men. He was sedate, 
grave, obligplng, and of agreeable conversation. He 
was polite, and took pride in appearing serious [80] 
in the midst of the insolence of his companions, es- 
pecially in our presence. He was wonderfully do- 
cile, and, as he had a very happy memory, he learned 
easily all that was taught him, and showed a great 
liking for our Holy mysteries. He knew the Pater j 



118 LES RELATIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 18 

noit aif6met tout ce qu'on luy enfeignoit, & tefmoi- 
gnoit vne grande inclination pour nos Ss. myfteres, 
il fgauoit fort bien le Pater, VAue, le Credo, les C5- 
mandemens de Dieu, & quelques autres petites pri- 
eres: Le P. Daniel eftoit fon maiftre Tan paff6, & en 
auoit vne fatisfaction qui ne fe pent dire, il ne tint 
pas ^ luy qu'il ne fufl vn de nos Seminariftes, mais 
I'amour que fes parens auoient pour luy le priua de 
ce bien, ils en font maintenat aux regrets: II fut par 
apres vn des efcoliers du P. Pijart, qui trouuoit aufll 
beaucoup de confolation k Tinflruire ; vn iour en Tab- 
fence du pere, apres que ie luy eus fait dire les Com- 
mandemens de Dieu, il efl vray, me dit-il, que voilk 
vn beau difcours, ce n'efloit pas la premiere fois qu'il 
auoit faict cede reflexion; il fe plaifoit grandemet 
auec nous, il demeuroit fouuent vne grande partie de 
la iourn6e en noflre cabane, & ne nous quittoit qu'Jt 
Toccafion de la nuict. Quelque temps apres la mort 
du pere de Louys de Saincte Foy, come le Pere Pi- 
jart le faifoit prier Dieu, il luy dit de fon propre mou- 
uement parlant de ce [8i] miferable; qu'il n'efloit 
pas all6 au ciel, d'autant qu'il efloit mort fans bap- 
tefme, & n'auoit pas eu foin de fe recommander k 
Dieu ; & en cefle mef me occafion vn fien petit coulin 
faifant le difficile pour dire quelques petites prieres 
que le Pere lui auoit appris, c6t enfant perd la pa- 
role. Courage, lui dit-il, mon coufin, priez bien Dieu, 
c'efl lui qui nous donne tout ce que nous auons, le 
bl6, les fruicts, le poifl!on ; cela eft remarquable pour 
vn enfant. Mais voici ce qui nous fait baifl!er les 
yeux, & admirer en toute humility les fecrets iuge- 
mens de Dieu. Vn mois auant fa mort & plus de 
quinze iours auant que de tomber malade, il fit de 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 11» 

the Avey the Credo, the Commandments of God, and 
some other little prayers, very well. Father Daniel 
was his master last year, and took unspeakable satis- 
faction in him. It was not his fault that he was not 
one of our Seminarists, but his parents' love for him 
deprived him of this blessing; they now regret it. 
He was afterwards one of the scholars of Father Pi- 
jart, who also experienced a great deal of consolation 
in instructing him. One day, in the absence of the 
father, after I had had him say the Commandments 
of God, ** That is truly," said he, " a beautiful dis- 
course." It was not the first time he had made 
this observation. He took great pleasure in our 
company, and often remained a good part of the day 
in our cabin, and only left us at the coming of night. 
Some time after the death of the father of Louys de 
Saincte Foy, as Father Pijart was having him pray 
to God, he said of his own accord, speaking of this 
[8i] wretch, that he had not gone to heaven, inas- 
much as he had died without baptism, and had not 
taken care to commend himself to God. And on this 
same occasion, one of his little cousins having hesi- 
tated in repeating some little prayers that the Father 
had taught him, and the child having become mute, 
" Courage, my cousin," he said to him, ** pray earn- 
estly to God, it is he who gives us all we have, — the 
corn, the fruits, and the fish." A remarkable speech 
for a child. But here is something that makes us 
cast down our eyes, and admire in all humility the 
secret judgments of God. One month before his 
death, and more than two weeks before he fell sick, 
he begged earnestly to be baptized, and continued 
for several days in this request, addressing himself 
now to Father Pijart, now to the Father Superior. 



120 LES RELA TIONS DES /£SUITES [Vol. 18 

grandes inftances pour eftre baptif6 & continua plu- 
lieurs iours en fa requefte, tantoft s addreffant au 
Pere Pijart, tantoft au P. Superieur: nous fufmes 
tout prefts de lui accorder ce qu'il nous demandoit 
auec tant de ferueur, veu mefme qu*il eftoit fort bien 
inftruit, & que nous anions le confentement de fes 
parens. Neantmoins, tout bien confider6 nous iu- 
geaf mes plus k propos de diff erer pour quelque temps, 
nous n'auions point encore baptif6 perfonne qui euft 
Tvfage de raifon, finon en danger de mort, c'euft eft6 
par trop expofer le fainct Baptefme, d'eftre lui feul 
de Chreftien en fa [82] cabane : & quoi que toute la 
famille t6moignaft affez bonne volont6 pour le Bap- 
tefme, neantmoins ils remettoient la chofe au retour 
de Satouta leur parent, & maintenant vn de nos Semi- 
nariftes k Quebec. Sur ces entrefaites le voila ac- 
cueilli de la contagion ; c6t enfant eft pris le premier, 
fa grand mere & fa mere le fuiuent, & en peu de 
iours les voila 4. ou 5 . fur la litiere ; il y auoit ce f em- 
bloit quelque fujet de bien efperer des vns & des 
autres en cefte occalion, & que le danger de mort & 
la crainte des peines etemelles preuaudroient k toutes 
les confiderations qu'ils auoient allegfu6 pour iuftifier 
leur pef anteur en vne affaire de telle importance ; & 
fur tout nous nous reCoiiiflios de voir que Dieu nous 
prefentoit vn moien de contenter Tenfant & lui accor- 
der fa requefte. Mais il en arriua tout autrement. 
Le P. Superieur alia fouuentesfois pour les vifiter, 
mais ou il trouuoit la porte fermee, ou on lui fermoit 
la bouche auffi toft qu'il vouloit faire quelque ouuer- 
ture du Baptefme, ils auoient fait vn retranchement 
dans la cabanne oil eftoit Tenfant, iamais ils ne vou- 
lurent permettre au P. de le voir, ou lui parler, & 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELATlOiN^'ib^' ' • ^\ 

We were all ready to grant him what he asted with 
so much fervor, especially as he was very well in- 
structed, and as we had the consent of his parents. 
Nevertheless, everything well considered, we judged 
it wiser to defer it for a time. We had not yet bap- 
tized any one who had the use of his reason, unless 
he were in danger of death. It would have been too 
greatly to endanger holy Baptism, that he should be 
the only Christian in his [82] cabin ; and although 
the whole family showed enough good will toward 
Baptism, nevertheless they deferred the matter imtil 
the return of Satouta^ their relative, and now one 
of our Seminarists at Quebec. In the meanwhile, 
he was attacked by the contagion; this child was 
taken sick first, his grandmother and mother followed 
him, and in a few days there were 4 or 5 of them 
upon sick beds. It seemed that there was reason to 
have strong hope for all of them at this time, and 
that the danger of death and the fear of eternal tor- 
ments would prevail over all the considerations they 
had urged to justify their sluggishness in an affair 
of such importance ; and above all we were rejoiced 
to see that God offered us a means of satisfying the 
child and granting his request. But it happened to 
him quite otherwise. The Father Superior went oft- 
entimes to visit them, but either he found the door 
closed, or they closed his mouth as soon as he began 
to make overtures concerning Baptism. They had 
made a partition in the cabin where this child was, 
and they were always reluctant to permit the Father 
to see him, or speak with him ; and, when he did, he 
had scarcely said three words before he was instantly 
told to go away. We did not think so badly of them 
until it happened [83] that one day, finding them- 



122 LES RELATIONS DES J&SUITES [Vol. IS 

puis k peine auoit il dit trois mots, qu'on lui difoit 
incontinent qu'il s*en allafl; nous n'en anions pas fi 
mauuaife opinion, iufques k ce [83] que fe voians vn 
iour preffez par le Pere ils fe declarerent tout k fait, 
& la mere dit nettement que ni Tenfant, ni perfonne 
ne feroit baptife puifque Akhioca ne I'auoit point efl6. 
Ce Sauuage eftoit vn de leurs pares, qui efloit mort 
k la Rochelle d6s le 23. de Septembre; c6t enfant ne 
difoit mot 2i tout cela, & cependant il empiroit de 
iour en iour; les occupations continuelles que nous 
donnoient nos malades, ne nous empefchoient pas de 
recherclier toutes fortes de voies pour les gag^er; 
nous les afliflions de tout noflre poflible de tout ce 
qu'ils pouuoient foubaitter, & preuenions fouuet leurs 
demandes ; ils perllflerent toufiours dans leur opini- 
aflret6. Quoi que les parens naient pas ici beau- 
coup d'afcendant fur leurs enfans, neantmoins les en- 
fans deferent grandement aux fentimens des peres & 
meres quand il eft queftion du Baptef me ; nous ne 
I'auons que trop experiments, aufli dirai-ie en paffant 
que plufieurs de ceux qui fe sot oppofez au Baptefme 
des autres & nSmement de leurs enfans, tombants par 
apres eux mefmes malades, ou ont refift6 opiniaftr6- 
ment au Baptefme & font morts mif erables ; ou ont 
efts emportez auant que nous en eufllons eu quelque 
cog^oiffance. le ne fjai pas quelle fera la fin de 
cefte miferable [84] mere, elle eft encore pleine de 
fantS : mais tat y a qu'elle f ut en partie la cauf e du 
malheur de fon fils; le Pere Pijart Talla voir la veille 
de fa mort; & trouua moien de luy parler, il s'adreffa 
premierement k la gfrand*mere, mais n'en tirant au- 
cune fatisfaction, nonobflant toutes les confideratios 
qu'il luy pfit alleguer, il fe tourna vers Tenfant, lui 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 128 

selves hard pressed by the Father, they said once for 
all, and the mother declared flatly, that neither the 
child nor any one else would be baptized, since 
Akhioca had not been. This Savage was one of their 
relatives, who had died on the 23rd of September at 
la Rochelle. The child said nothing to all this, and 
meanwhile he became worse from day to day. Our 
continual occupation with our invalids did not pre- 
vent us from seeking every possible way to win these 
people. We assisted them to the extent of our abili- 
ty in whatever they might desire, and often antici- 
pated their requests ; they nevertheless persisted in 
their obstinacy. Although parents here have not 
much control over their children, yet the children 
show great deference to the sentiments of their fa- 
thers and mothers when it comes to a question of 
Baptism. We know this only too well from experi- 
ence. I will say also in passing that several of those 
who opposed the Baptism of others, and especially 
that of their own children, themselves falling ill 
afterwards, have either stubbornly resisted Baptism 
and miserably perished, or have been taken off be- 
fore we had any knowledge of it. I do not know 
what will be the end of this wretched [84] mother, 
who is still in excellent health. At all events, she 
was partly the cause of her son's misfortune. Fa- 
ther Pijart went to see him the evening before his 
death, and found means of speaking to him. He 
first addressed the grandmother, but obtained no 
satisfaction from her, notwithstanding all the argu- 
ments he could bring forward. He turned to the 
child and asked him how it seemed to him, — repre- 
senting to him that the matter was altogether within 
his own inclination, that he saw plainly the danger 



124 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 18 

demanda ce qu'il lui en f embloit, luy reprefentat que 
la chofe eftoit tout k fait en fa difpofition, qu'il voioit 
bien le danger oti il efloit, & qu'il ne tenoit qu'k lui 
qu'il n'allaft au del apres la mort; il lui demanda 
aufli s'il ne croioit pas tout ce qu'on lui auoit enfei- 
gn6 ; il lui repeta mefme les principaux poincts de 
noftre croiance, k tout cela il ne fit autre ref ponce 
finon, ckieske, que f9ai-ie. Le Pere vouloit pourfui- 
ure k lui faire plus d'inflace: mais outre que la 
grand 'mere f e tenoit toufiours fur la negatiue pour ce 
qui eftoit du Baptefme : fa mere qui eftoit pour lors 
dans vne fi6vre chaude, print vn tifon ardant, & fe 
toumant vers le Pere, fit mine de lui vouloir ietter, 
luy criant qu'il s'en allaft; II fe retira done, & ce 
pauure enfant mourut la nuict, Ce fut bien vne nuict 
pour luy : helas que cette nouuelle nous affligea ! & 
que cette mort nous donne encor bie auat au coeur 
quad nous y pefons. 

[85] L'onziefme du mefme arriua Simon Baron, 
amen6 par Endahiaconc^ premier Capitaine du bourg 
de Teanaojlahd & de la Nation des Atignenongach. Ce 
Sauuage nous tefmoigna vne grande fatisfaction du 
traittement que I'on faifoit k Quebec h, nos Semina- 
riftes, & nomm6ment h, fon nepueu ; adiouftant qu'il 
les auoit exhortez k f e tenir toufiours dans le deuoir 
& k ne donner aucun mef contentemet h, nos Peres : 
que pour lui il faifoit eftat maintenant d'eftre de nos 
parens, & qu'en cefte quality il pretendoit eftre des 
maiftres de la grand riuiere. 

Le douziefme, le P. Pijart fit vne courfe h, Khino- 
na/carant, ce font trois petites bourgades k deux lieuSs 
de nous. II y rencontra vn homme qui en apparence 
s'en alloit mourant: il prit occafion de Tinftruire & 



1637] LE JE UNE ' S RELA TION, 1637 126 

in which he was, and that it only depended on him- 
self whether he would go to heaven after his death. 
He asked him also if he did not believe all that had 
been taught him ; he even repeated to him the prin- 
cipal points of our belief; but to all this the child 
made no other answer than, chieske, ** What do I 
know ? ' ' The Father would have proceeded to use 
further entreaties; but, in addition to the grand- 
mother's persistent and obstinate refusal of anything 
that concerned Baptism, his mother, who was then 
in a high fever, picked up a burning brand, and turn- 
ing towards the Father, made a feint to throw it at 
him, crying to him to go away. So he withdrew, 
and this poor child died that night. It was indeed 
night for him. Ah ! how this news afflicted us, and 
how this death still pierces our hearts when we think 
of it. 

[85] On the eleventh of the same [month], Simon 
Baron arrived. He was brought by Endahiaconc, first 
Captain of the village of Teanaostahi^ and of the Na- 
tion of the Atignenongach, This Savage testified his 
gpreat satisfaction in the treatment accorded to our 
Seminarists at Quebec, and especially to his own 
nephew, adding that he had exhorted them to always 
do their duty, and to give the Fathers no cause for 
dissatisfaction. As for him, he now esteemed him- 
self as one of our relatives, and in this capacity he laid 
claim to being one of the masters of the great river. 

On the twelfth. Father Pijart made a trip to Kkino- 
nascarant,^ three little hamlets two leagues from us. 
There he encountered a man who apparently was 
about to die. He took the opportunity to instruct 
him and speak to him of Baptism, — the sick man 
listening to him willingly at first, and even showing 



126 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol.13 

lui parler du Baptefme: ce malade Tefcouta volon- 
tiers du commencement, & tefmoigna mefme qu'il 
feroit bien aife d'eftre baptif6. Mais fa femme fur- 
uenant, le diuertit de ce deffein, lui reprefentant qu'il 
n'eftoit pas k propos qu'il allaft au ciel, veu qu'il n'y 
auoit Ik aucun de f es parens : & dit au Pere qu'il ne 
fe mift pas dauantage en peine, qu'aufli bien il n'a- 
uoit pas de iugement, & qu'il ne fgauoit ce qu'il 
dif oit : Si bien qu'ils en demeurerent Ik, [86] mais de 
bonne fortune pour lui fa maladie ne fut pas mor- 
telle. C*efl vne chofe tout h. fait digne de compaffion, 
de voir comme quelques-vns prennent les difcours 
que nous leur faifons du ciel. Vn Sauuage dif oit en 
quelque occafion au P. Superieur, qu'ils n'efloient 
pas bien aifes quand nous demandions aux malades, 
oh ils defiroiet aller apres la mort, au ciel, ou en en- 
fer; cela n'efl pas bien dif oit il, nous ne faifons point 
ces fortes de demandes nous autres, car nous ef perons 
touliours qu'ils ne mourront pas & qu'ils recouureront 
leur fant6 ; vn autre dif oit, pour moi ie n'ai point en- 
uie d'aller au ciel, ie n'y ai point de cog^oiffance, & 
les Fran9ois qui y font n'auroient garde de me donner 
k manger ; lis ne penfent pour la pluf part qu'au ven- 
tre & aux moiens de prolonger cefle vie miferable. 

Le 13. vn Sauuage nomm6 Teientoen^ fe trouuant 
bien malade, enuoia de fon propre mouuement que- 
rir le P. Superieur & lui demanda inftamment le Bap- 
tefme, lui tefmoignant qu'il auoit toufiours creu tout 
ce que nous enfeignions, & qu'il deliroit aller au ciel: 
Ce bon homme parloit de coeur, & le Pere lui aiant 
expliqu6 briefuement les Articles de noftre croiance, 
& les Comandemens de Dieu ; oui dea, dit-il, ie croi 
tout cela, & fuis [87] refolu de garder tout ce que 



Id87] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, j6s7 127 

that he would be glad to be baptized. But his wife, 
coming unexpectedly, diverted him from his pur- 
pose, representing to him that it would not be proper 
for him to go to heaven, since none of his relatives 
were there ; and she told the Father that he need not 
go to any further trouble, especially as the sick man 
had not his faculties and did not know what he was 
saying. So, indeed, they remained just as they 
were ; [86] but fortunately for him, his sickness was 
not fatal. It is a thing altogether worthy of com- 
passion to see how some take the discourses that we 
give them about heaven. On one occasion, a Savage 
told the Father Superior that they were not very well 
pleased when we asked the sick '* where they wished 
to go after death, to heaven or to hell?" *' That is 
not right;" said he, **we people do not ask such 
questions, for we always hope that they will not die, 
and that they will recover their health." Another 
one said, ' * For my part, I have no desire to go to 
heaven; I have no acquaintances there, and the 
French who are there would not care to give me 
anything to eat." For the most part, they think of 
nothing but their stomachs, and of means for pro- 
longing this miserable life. 

On the 13th, a Savage named Teientoen, finding 
himself very sick, sent of his own accord for the Fa- 
ther Superior and earnestly entreated Baptism, testi- 
fying to him that he had always believed all we 
taught, and that he desired to go to heaven. This 
simple man spoke from his heart, and when the Fa- 
ther had briefly explained to him the Articles of our 
belief, and the Commandments of God, he said, 
** Yes, indeed, I believe all that, and have [87] re- 
solved to observe all that God has said. " So he was 



128 LES RELATIONS DESj£SUITES [Vol.18 

Dieu a dit. II fut done baptif6 & nomm6 lofeph, 
nous anions aim6 ce Sauuage pour T affection qu'il 
auoit toufiours fait paroiftre k entendre nos faincts 
Myfteres, il n'auoit point manqu6 d'aflifter aux Cate- 
chifmes de THyuer precedent & ce auec vne atten- 
tion remarquable ; il nous auoit lui mefme amen6 
fes petits enfans pour eftre baptifez, & vne liene pe- 
tite fiUe faifant quelque difficult^, il voulut neant- 
moins qu'on paffaft outre, difant que ce n'eftoit qu'vn 
enfant, & que la cbofe n'efloit pas en fa difpofition. 
Nous anions della admir6 fa douceur, fa patience, & 
fa charity k affifler fa f emme pendant vne maladie de 
trois & quatre mois, & H cede femme efloit d'vne 
liumeur affez fafcheufe. Nous anions bien eu de la 
peine a la difpofer an Baptefme, & depuis qu'il auoit 
efl6 veuf il auoit eu vn tres-grand foin de 3. ou 4. 
petits enfans qui lui efloient demeurez, il auoit pour 
eux Tamour & la tendreffe d'vne bonne mere: ce 
nous efloit vne confolation de le viliter & Tafllfler, 
pendant fa maladie, nous le trouuions toufiours dif- 
pof6 h, prier Dieu, & Ji lui demander pardon de fes 
pechez: fouuent il nous preuenoit, & nous tefmoi- 
gnoit le foin qu'il auoit nuict & iour de fe recSman- 
der k Dieu: II perfeuera dans ces bons [88] fentimes 
iuf ques k la mort, & immediatemet auat que de mourir 
il dit k fa mere ie m'en vai an Ciel auec vn beau 
Frangois qui me vient querir ; & elle lui aiant ref pon- 
du qu'il feroit bien-heureux, & fe difpofant k lui 
faire prendre quelque chofe, il expira doucement. 
Plaife k cefle diuine mifericorde nous donner fou- 
uent de femblables confolations, ce font des effects 
des feruetes prieres de tant d'ames faintes qui im- 
portunent le ciel nuict & iour pour le falut de ces 
pauures ames abanddnees. 



1637] LE JEUNE *S RELA TION, 1637 129 

baptized, and named Joseph. We had loved this 
Savage on account of the kindly inclination he had 
always shown to hear about our holy Mysteries, not 
failing to be present at the Catechisms of the previ- 
ous Winter, at which he paid remarkable attention. 
He had himself brought us his little children to be 
baptized ; and when one of his little girls made some 
objection, he desired us to overlook it, — saying that 
she was only a child, and that it was not done through 
intention on her part. We had already admired his 
gentleness, his patience, and his charity in caring for 
his wife during a sickness of three or four months, 
although this woman had a rather disagreeable tem- 
per. We had had considerable trouble in prevailing 
upon her to accept Baptism. And after he became a 
widower, he took very good care of 3 or 4 little chil- 
dren who were left to him, showing for them the love 
and tenderness of a good mother. It was a consola- 
tion to us to visit and assist him during his illness ; 
we always found him disposed to offer prayers to God 
and to ask his pardon for his sins. He often antici- 
pated us, and proved to us the care he took, night 
and day, to commend himself to Gk)d. He perse- 
vered in these good [88] sentiments until his death, 
and just before dying he said to his mother, * * I am 
going to Heaven with a great Frenchman who is 
coming after me;" and, — she having answered him 
that he would be very fortunate, and preparing to 
have him take something, — he peacefully expired. 
May it please this divine mercy to give us often like 
consolations. These are the results of the fervent 
prayers of so many saintly souls who importune heav- 
en night and day for the salvation of these poor aban- 
doned souls. 



180 LES RELA TJONS DES JJ&SUITES [Vol. 13 

Cependant le Diable faifoit des fiennes ailleurs, & 
parlant par la bouche du Sorcier Tonneraiianont, de- 
ftoumoit ces peuples d'auoir recours h, Dieu. II y 
auoit defia quelque temps que ce petit boffu auoit de- 
clare que tout le pai's eftoit malade, & lui auoit or- 
donn6 vne medecine, ie veux dire vn ieu de croffes 
pour fa guerifon. Cefte ordonnance auoit eft6 pu- 
bliee par toutes les bourgades; les Capitaines s'e- 
ftoient mis en deuoir de la f aire executer & la ieuneffe 
ni auoit point efpargn6 fes bras: neantmoins fans 
effet, le mal n'auoit pas laiff6 de croiflre, & de ga- 
gner toufiours dauantage, & le 15. d'Octobre nous 
comptions dans noflre petite bourgade treize h, 14. 
malades : aufli noftre Sorcier ne f e faifoit fort pour 
lors d'entreprendre la [89] guerifon de tout le pais : 
Neatmoins, il auan9a vne parole aufli temeraire qu'elle 
efloit auantageufe pour le bourg Onnentifatj, d*oii il 
efloit : il ne f e contenta pas de donner quelque ef pe- 
rance que perfonne ne feroit malade, il en donna des 
afl!eurances qu'ils^' faifoit indubitables, fondees fur le 
pouuoir qu'il pretendoit auoir fur la contagion en 
quality de Demon on lui donna incontinent dequoi 
faire feftin. Cefle rodomontade courut par tout, & 
fut prife comme vne verit6, on eflimoit defia heureux 
& hors de danger tons ceux qui efloient 6! Onnenti/atJ. 
Ce qui nous obligea de nous emploier aupres]de 
Dieu, & fupplier fa diuine bont6.de confondre le 
diable en la perfonne de ce malheureux, & tirer fa 
gloire de cefte affliction publique. Et le lendemain 
14. nous fifmes voeu de dire k cefte intention 30. 
Mefl[es en Thonneur du glorieux Patriarche fainct 
lofepPi]. Nous n'auons pas eft6 long temps fans 
auoir dequoi f ermer la bouche & ceux qui nous van- 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 131 

Meanwhile, the Devil was playing his pranks else- 
where, and speaking through the mouth of the Sor- 
cerer Tonnerauanont, was turning aside these peoples 
from applying to God. Some time before, this little 
hunchback had declared that the whole country was 
sick; and he had prescribed a remedy, namely, a 
game of crosse, for its recovery.^® This order had 
been published throughout all the villages, the Cap- 
tains had set about having it executed, and the young 
people had not spared their arms; but in vain. The 
disease did not cease to spread, and to gain ground 
all the time; and on the 15th of October we counted 
in our little village thirteen or 14 sick people. Nor 
did our Sorcerer engage at this time to undertake the 
[89] cure of the whole country ; yet he ventured one 
word as rash as it was presuming, for the village of 
Onnentisati, whence he came. He was not satisfied 
to give some hope that no one there would be sick, — 
he gave assurances thereof that he made indubitable, 
by founding them upon the power he claimed to 
have over the contagion in his character of Demon ; 
he was immediately g^ven something with which to 
make a feast. This boast spread everywhere, and 
was accepted as truth ; all the people of Onnentisati 
were already considered fortunate and out of danger. 
This constrained us to exert ourselves with God, and 
to implore his divine goodness to confound the devil 
in the person of this wretch, and to obtain glory for 
himself from this public aflBiiction. And the next 
day, the 14th, we made a vow to say for this purpose 
30 Masses in honor of the glorious Patriarch, saint 
Joseph. It was not long before we had something 
with which to close the mouths of those who boasted 
to us of their prowess, and this Village was hardly 



132 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 18 

toient fes prolieffes, & ce Bourg n'a eft6 gueres moins 
efpargn6 que les autres, il y a eu grand nombre de 
malades, plufieurs en font morts, le ciel y a gagn6 
comme nous efperons. Le mefme iour nous bapti- 
fames en noftre bourgade vn Sauuage nomm6 Onen- 
doiterhay & fa [90] femme, tous deux bien malades, 
ils auoiet demand^ quelques iours auparauat le Bap- 
tefme auec beaucoup de ferueur, & fatisfirent grande- 
ment au P. Superieur quand il fallut venir k vne in- 
flruction plus particuliere, neantmoins ils font encor 
tous deux en pleine fant6. C'efl vn defplaifir pour 
nous, que, come nous n'auons pas encor de Bourgs 
entierement conuertis, nous ne tirons par apres que 
de belles paroles de ces nouueaux Chrefliens que 
nous n*au6s baptifez que das Textremit^, le torret des 
vieilles couftumes & des fuperflitios ordinaires les 
emporte, nous attendons tous les iours qu41 plaife k 
Dieu y mettre la main, & nous efperons bien toft 
cefte faueur du Ciel. 

Le 20. mourut vne malheureufe femme nommee 
Khiongnona, ie dis malheureufe, d'autant que, comme 
il eft k prefumer, par vne malice pure, fuiuie d'vn 
abandonnement de Dieu manifefte, elle auoit refuf6 
le Baptefme. Le P. Superieur Ten auoit follicit6 
plufieurs fois, fouuent ie lui auois fait compagnie, 
nous lui portions tous les iours des bouillons & quel- 
que morceau de viande : du commencement elle s'e- 
ftoit laiff6 inftruire en partie & auoit donn6 quelque 
confentement pour le Baptefme; mais depuis, cinq 
ou fix iours durant auant fa mort, nous n'en [91] 
piimes tirer aucune fatisf action, tantoft elle faifoit la 
fourde oreille, tantoft elle difoit elle mefme qu'elle 
n'entendoit point, & cependant, fi vous parliez de lui 



1687] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6j7 133 



more spared than the others. There were a great 
many sick there, several of whom died. Heaven, 
as we hope, has gained thereby. On the same day, 
we baptized in our village a Savage named Onendou- 
erhay and his [90] wife, both of whom were very ill. 
Some days before, they had asked for Baptism with 
a gpreat deal of fervor, and thoroughly satisfied the 
Father Superior when it became necessary to instruct 
them more in detail. Yet they both are still in good 
health. It is a source of grief to us that, as we have 
not yet any wholly converted Villages, we afterwards 
get from these new Christians, whom we have bap- 
tized only in the last hour, nothing but fine words, — 
the torrent of old customs and common superstitions 
bearing them away. We are daily expecting that it 
will please God to put his hand to the work, and we 
hope soon to be granted this favor from Heaven. 

On the 20th, an unfortunate woman named Khion- 
gnona died. I say "unfortunate," inasmuch as — as 
it is to be presumed, through pure malice, followed by 
the manifest abandonment of God — she had refused 
Baptism. The Father Superior had several times 
urged her, and I often had accompanied him ; we had 
daily carried her soup and a little piece of meat. At 
first, she had allowed herself to be instructed, to some 
extent, and had partially consented to Baptism. But 
later, during the five or six days before her death, 
we [91] could not get any satisfaction from her, as 
she sometimes refused to listen, and again herself 
said that she did not hear ; yet, if you spoke of giv- 
ing her something, she heard you very well. It 
seemed to me that I could see upon her face the 
traces of a condemned soul. One day, when the Fa- 
ther Superior was urging her in regard to her conver- 



134 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 13 

donner quelque chofe, elle vous entendoit fort bien : 
II me sebloit voir fur fon vifage des traces d'vne ame 
reprouuee. Vn iour que le P. Superieur la preffoit 
fur le poinct de fa contierfion, chaff6s les moi, dit- 
elle, qu'ils s'en aillent; ceux qui efloient-lJi prefens 
nous vouloient faire croire que ce n*e£loit pas de nous 
qu'elle parloit, mais que quelques chiens qui eftoient- 
li autour rimportunoient. Vne fienne foeur la de- 
fobligea bien en cefle occallon, car elle fut en partie 
la caufe de fon endurciffement, c'efl vn efprit fort 
mal fait : elle auoit fouuent tefmoign6 au P. Supe- 
rieur qu'elle n'aggreoit pas les difcours qu'il faifoit 
du Baptefme. Entre autres vn iour qu'il reprefen- 
toit k la malade qu'elle euft k faire choix du lieu oti 
elle vouloit aller apres la mort, & la preffoit fort de 
prendre la demiere refolution; Mon frere, dit-elle, 
tu n*as pas d'efprit, il n*eft pas encor temps, elle y 
aduifera quand elle fera morte. le ne f9ay pas qu'elle 
fin Dieu lui referue, mais fon mari, & vne fienne fiUe 
moururent aufli fans Baptefme quelque temps apres. 
Pour le mari [92] nous ne pouuons auoir recours 
qu'aux iufles iugemens de cefle diuine Prouidence, 
car d'ailleurs il paroifl affez bon Sauuage: Sur le 
commencement de fa maladie, ie Tauois vifit6 en Tab- 
fence du P. Superieur & en eftois f orti fort fatisfait : 
il m'auoit tefmoign6 d6s lors qu'il efloit fort content 
d'eflre baptif6, mais il n*y auoit pas encor d'appa- 
rence. Le P. Superieur eflant de retour le trouua 
dans la mefme volont6 iufques k la veille de fa mort, 
neantmoins le danger ne paroiffant pas encor mani- 
fefte, il iugea k propos de differer fon Baptefme iuf- 
ques au lendemain, mais fa mort nous preuint, nous 
f ufmes bien eflonnez le matin quand nous entendif mes 



1«87] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 136 

sion, ** Drive them from me,'* said she, ** make them 
go away." Those present tried to make us believe 
that it was not of us that she spoke, but that some dogs 
that were around her annoyed her. One of her sis- 
ters did her a very ill turn on this occasion, for she 
was partly the cause of her obduracy. Hers was a 
greatly perverted mind ; she had often informed the 
Father Superior that she did not like his discourses 
upon Baptism. Among other times one day when 
he was representing to the sick woman that she had 
to choose the place whither she desired to go after 
death, and was urging her strongly to make a final 
decision, ** My brother," said she, **thou hast no 
sense; it is not yet time, — she will decide upon that 
when she is dead." I do not know j^hat fate God is 
reserving for her ; but her husband and one of her 
daughters died also without Baptism, some time 
afterwards. As to the husband, [92] we can only have 
recourse to the just judgments of this divine Provi- 
dence, for otherwise he seemed to be a tolerably good 
Savage. In the beginning of his illness, I had visited 
him, in the absence of the Father Superior, and had 
gone away very well satisfied. He testified to me 
then that he was well content to be baptized, but 
there had been as yet no probability of it. The 
Father Superior, having returned, found him in the 
same mind up to the eve of his death ; nevertheless, 
as there was yet no apparent danger, he judged it 
wise to defer his Baptism until the next day. But 
death anticipated us ; we were greatly astonished in 
the morning when we heard the cabin resound with 
lamentations. As to his daughter, it was, in my 
opinion, through a righteous chastisement of God 
that she was deprived of the grace of Baptism. Two 



186 LES RELATIONS DES J&SUITES [Vol.18 

la cabane retentir de plaintes. Pour fa fiUe ce fut k 
mon aduis par vn iulfle chaftiment de Dieu qu'elle 
fut priuee de la grace du Baptefme : deux chofes con- 
tribuerent beaucoup k fon malheur. La premiere, 
qu'elle efloit d^bordee auec excez, & quoy que les 
Sauuages n'vfent gueres de retenuS en matiere de 
chaftet^, neantmoins elle s'efloit rendu6 remarquable 
en ce poinct & f e proftituoit k toute rencontre ; Vautre 
caufe fut vne affection d^reglee, qu*elle & fes parens 
auoient pour fa fant6, de forte qu'elle efloit quafi 
incapable de toute autre penfee pendant fa maladie, 
& [93] fa mere ne nous parloit d'autre chofe que des 
moiens de lui procurer fa guerif on ; Aufll Dieu qui f e 
fert fouuent des pechez des hommes comme d'inflru- 
mens pour les punir, permit qu'k Toccafion dVn me- 
decin qui la fouffloit & lui donnoit quelque breuuage, 
elle ne fut pas foUicitee efficacement du Baptefme. 
Comme nous allions le P. Gamier & moi, inflruire k 
I'ordinaire les petits enfans, le P. Superieur nous 
auoit donn6 commifllon de la voir & lui rapporter 
Teftat de fa fant6, mais la porte de fa cabane fe trou- 
ua fermee, les operations de ce forcier demandoient 
le filence: nous fifmes noflre petite ronde par les 
autres cabanes \ deffein de retoumer par Ik, mais 
nous trouuafmes que ce n* efloit pas encor fait: nous 
ne nous en mifmes pas autrement en peine, d'autant 
que iufques alpr^ nous ne Tauions pas iugee fl mal, 
il n'eft pas croiable comme cefle forte de contagion 
efl trompeufe, de fait elle ne paila pas la nuict. 

Le 2 1 . on apporta de la Pef che vn pauure vieillard 
allez malade, nomm6 Anerrati^ pere de YJiiangnona^ 
ce Sauuage auoit autant d'inclination & d'affection 
pour le Baptefme, que fa fiUe en auoit eu d'auerfion : 



1 



leST] L£ JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 187 

things contributed very materially to her misfortune. 
The first was that she was excessively lewd, and, al- 
though the Savages show little restraint in the mat- 
ter of chastity, yet she had made herself conspicuous 
in this regard, and prostituted herself at every oppor- 
tunity. The other cause was the inordinate desire 
that she and her parents felt for her health, so that 
she was almost incapable of any other thought dur- 
ing her sickness, and [93] her mother talked to us 
about nothing else than the means of securing her re- 
covery. Therefore God, who often employs the sins 
of men as instruments to punish them, permitted 
that, on account of a medicine man blowing upon her 
and giving her some potion, she should not be effect- 
ively urged to accept Baptism. As Father Gamier 
and I were going to g^ve the usual instruction to the 
little children, the Father Superior commissioned us 
to see her and to report to him the state of her health. 
But the door of her cabin was found closed, as the 
operations of this sorcerer demanded silence. We 
made our little rounds through the other cabins, in- 
tending to return that way, but we found that he had 
not yet finished. We gave ourselves no further 
trouble about it, as up to that time we had not 
thought her so ill. It is incredible how deceitful 
this sort of contagion is. In fact, she did not survive 
the night. 

On the 2 1 St, a poor old man named Anerrat/, fa- 
ther of Khiongnonay was brought back from the Fish- 
ing grounds, quite ill. This Savage had as much 
inclination and desire for Baptism as his daughter 
had had aversion to it. On the 23rd, the Father Su- 
perior instructed him and yet did not judge it proper 
to confer Baptism upon him so hastily. [94] But as 



138 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. IS 

Le 23. le P. Superieur rinftruifit & ne iugea pas ne- 
antmoins k propos de precipiter fi fort f on Baptef me ; 
[94] mais c6me fi ce bon vieillard euft fenti les apro- 
ches de la tnort il pria inflamment le pere de ne pas 
diflFerer long temps, & qu'il ne maquaft pas de le venir 
baptifer le lendemain matin d6s le poinct du iour, lui 
tefmoignant qu'il croioit fermement tons nos Myfteres, 
& qu'il fouhaitoit aller au del. Le P. lui accorda fa 
requefle, & ce auec tant de confolation de part & d'au- 
tre qn'il efloit aif6 h, voir que c'efloit vn coup du ciel, 
& vne mif ericorde de Dieu bien particuliere ; de fait il 
perdit le iugement fort peu de teps apres, & m[o]urut 
d6s le mefme iour. Ce Sauuage efloit Algonquin de 
Nation & auoit efl6 efleu6 d6s fon bas age parmi les 
HurSs. Quelle prouidence de Dieu ! fans doute que 
cefte fi heureufe fin lui aura eft6 octroiee de cefte 
infinie bont6 en confideration de la grande afllduit6 
qu'il auoit toufiours apport6 k entedre la parole de 
Dieu. Les bonnes qualitez que i'ai loiiees ci-deuant 
en quelques autres efloient beaucoup plus notables 
en ceflui ci, il auoit vne douceur naturelle qui gai- 
gnoit tout le monde, ce n'eftoit pas vn homme fujet 
ii fon ventre, il efloit fobre par deflfus le commun des 
Sauuages, fes vifites quoi qu*afl!ez frequetes ne nous 
efloiet point importunes : les autres ont d* ordinaire 
quelque chofe it demander, pour lui il ne nous [95] 
vifitoit que par amiti6, & vous le trouuiez toufiours 
difpof6 & entendre quelques bons dif cours. Dans les 
Catechifmes que faifoit le P. Sup. rii5nier precedent, 
il efloit toufiours des premiers k prendre la parole & 
k loiier nos Myfleres, & nous auoit f ouuent tef moign^ 
vne bonne volont6 de fe faire Chreflien. Ce font des 
pierres precieufes que Dieu nous d6couure au milieu 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 m 

if this good old man had felt the approaches of death, 
he entreated the father earnestly not to defer it long, 
telling him not to fail to come and baptize him the 
next morning at dawn, — testifying to him that he 
j&rmly believed all our Mysteries, and that he desired 
to go to heaven. The Father granted his request, 
and with so much comfort on both sides as to make 
it easily seen that it was an act of providence, and a 
very special mercy on the part of God. In fact, he 
lost consciousness very soon afterwards, and died the 
same day. This Savage was an Algonquin by Nation, 
and had been brought up from infancy among the 
Hurons. What a providence of God ! Doubtless this 
happy end was granted to him by this infinite good- 
ness in consideration of the great diligence he had 
always shown in listening to the word of God. The 
good qualities that I have heretofore praised in some 
others were much more conspicuous in him. He had 
a natural gentleness which won all men ; he was not 
a man who was a slave to his stomach, being more 
abstemious than the Savages usually are. His visits, 
although rather frequent, were not annoying to us. 
The others generally have something to ask for ; but, 
as for him, he [95] visited us only through friend- 
ship, and you found him always ready to listen to good 
conversation. In the Catechisms conducted by the Fa- 
ther Superior the winter before, he was always among 
the first to begin talking and to praise our Mysteries, 
and had often shown to us his willingness to become 
a Christian. These are precious stones that God un- 
covers to us in the midst of these forsaken lands ; 
and we have every reason to believe that they will 
not be so rare in the future, since we have deter- 
mined to go and seek them henceforth in the most 



140 LES RELATIONS DES JASUITES [Vol.18 

de ces terres abandSnees, & nous auons tout fujet 
de croire qu'elles ne nous ferot pas fi rares k Tauenir, 
puis que nous somes refolus de les aller c[li]ercher 
d'orefnauat das les bourgades les plus peuplees & les 
plus confiderables du pais, oti la prouidence de Dieu 
ne manquera pas d'en faire paroiftre & efclater ^ nos 
yeux vn plus grand nombre. 

Le 4. de Nouembre vn Sauuage que nous anions 
baptif6 quelques iours auparauat nous pria de bapti- 
fer fa femme qui eftoit fort malade, & du commence- 
ment elle tefmoignoit en eftre fort contente : mais le 
P. Sup. lui aiant reprefent6 qu'eftant baptifee elle 
deuoit faire eftat de ne fe feparer iamais d'auec fon 
mari, k cela elle demeura muette ; & en fuite fe voi- 
ant preffee fur le Baptefme, elle refpondit en fa pre- 
fence teouajiato^ c*efl k dire ie ne veux pas, quoi que 
fon mari euft defia fait entendre au Pere que pour lui 
il [96] eftoit content de ne la quitter iamais, nous n'en 
pUmes rien tirer autre chof e ; graces k Dieu elle eft 
encor viuante. Voilk deux beaux mariages. 

Le 5. nous eufmes encor deuant nos yeux vn ex- 
emple de la luftice de Dieu en la mort d'vn nomm6 
Oronton : il ne voulut iamais ouir parler du Baptefme 
pour toutes les confiderations que le P. Superieur lui 
plit repref enter ; ie lui en parlai encor fort particu- 
lierement vn pen auant fa mort, mais ie ne pUs tirer 
de lui autre refponfe, finon qu'il vouloit aller au lieu 
oti eftoient f es anceftres ; il y auoit della long temps 
que ce mauuais efprit s'eftoit declare, & auoit fou- 
uent fait paroiftre qu'il ne croioit point ce que nous 
enf eignios, il s'en eftoit mefme mocqu£ : & s41 afilftoit 
quelquesfois au Catechifme ce n'eftoit que pour auoir 
quelque morceau de Petun; outre cela c'eftoit vn 



1«87] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 141 

populous and most important villages of the country, 
where the providence of God will not fail to reveal 
and cause to shine forth before our eyes a greater 
number of them. 

On the 4th of November, a Savage whom we had 
baptized some days before begged us to baptize his 
wife, who was very sick. She at first declared her- 
self very well satisfied with this; but when the Fa- 
ther Superior represented to her that, having been 
baptized, she must count upon never separating from 
her husband, she thereupon remained mute; and 
afterwards, when Baptism was urged upon her, she 
answered in his presence, teouastato, meaning, " I do 
not wish it," — although her husband had already 
given the Father to understand that, as for him, he 
[96] was satisfied never to leave her. We could ob- 
tain nothing more from her; thank God, she is still 
living. There you have two fine marriages. 

On the 5th, we again had before our eyes an 
example of the Justice of God, in the death of one 
Oronton, He would never hear about Baptism, for 
all the arguments the Father Superior could place 
before him. I spoke to him about it again very par- 
ticularly, a little while before his death, but I could 
get no other response from him except that he 
wished to go to the place where his ancestors were. 
Already, for a long time past, this wicked man had 
declared himself; he had often shown that he did 
not believe what we taught, and had even ridiculed 
it; if he were sometimes present at the Catechism, it 
was only to get a piece of Tobacco. He was, besides, 
a Lion and a Tiger in his anger, and took o£Fense at 
a mere nothing. He had occasionally caused in some 
of our domestics fears and apprehensions that were 



142 LES RELATIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol.13 

Lyon & vn Tygre dans fa colere, & s'offen9oit de 
lien : il auoit par f ois mis quelques-vns de nos do- 
meftiques en des peurs & des apprehenCons qui 
n'eftoient pas trop ag^eables; il auoit mefme tefmoi- 
gn.€ quelque mauuaife volont6, & vf6 de menaces; 
neantmoins nous Tafliftafmes de tout ce que nous 
piimes pendant fa maladie, pour tafcher de le gaigner 
k Dieu : mais nous auos [97] defla fouuent remarqu6 
en plufieurs de nos Sauuages que le mefpris de nos 
faincts Myfteres eft vne fort mauuaife difpofition k 
vne bonne conuerfion k Tarticle de la mort, ie ne me 
fouuiens point d'en auoir veu vn feul qui ait fait vne 
heureufe fin, au contraire i'ai remarqu6 que la plus 
part font fortis de cefte vie auec des fignes manifeftes 
d'vn abandonnement de Dieu & de reprobation. 



1«87] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 148 

not too agfreeable ; he had even shown an evil dispo- 
sition, and had used threats. Nevertheless, we aided 
him as far as we could during his illness, to try to 
win him to God. But we have [97] already often no- 
ticed in many of our Savages that contempt for our 
holy Mysteries is a very bad state of mind for a good 
conversion at the point of death. I do not remember 
to have seen a single one of them who died happily ; 
on the contrary I have observed that the greater part 
of them went forth from this life with manifest signs 
of being forsaken and rejected by God. 



144 LES RELA TIONS DBS /^SUITES [Vol. 18 



CHAPITRE V. 
ossosAN]£, afflig£ de contagion, diuerses courses 

QUE nous Y AUONS FAITES AU TEMPS LE PLUS FAS- 

CHEUX DE L'HYUER. CONTINUATION DE LA 

MESME MALADIE DANS NOSTRE BOURGADE, & 

L' ASSISTANCE QUE NOUS AUONS REN- 

DU£ AUX LIEUX CIRCONUOISINS 

ACCUEILLIS DU MESME MAL. 

NOVS auions efper6 que comme il arriue d'ordi- 
naire en France & ailleurs, les premieres froi- 
dures arrefteroient le cours de cefte maladie 
contagieufe: mais il en eft arriu6 tout autrement, 
[98] & le fort de THyuer a eft6 aufll la force du mal; 
de forte que d6sle 10. ou 12. de Nouembre nous nous 
en vifmes prefque inueftis de tous coftez. Ce qui 
nous fit refoudre k diuifer nos foins, & ouurir nos 
coeurs aux neceflitez de ce pauure peuple. Pour eux 
ils n'auoient recours qu'k leurs Sorciers, & n'efpar- 
gnoient point les prefens pour tirer d'eux quelques 
remedes imaginaires ; mais leurs bons Anges aufquels 
leurs ames eftoient precieufes nous tendoient les bras, 
& Dieu mefme qui auoit deffein de toute eternity de 
faire mifericorde h, plufieurs, nous donnoit de fortes 
infpirations de les aller fecourir, mefprifans toute 
forte de confiderations humaines, & nous abandon- 
nans k la conduite de fon amoureufe prouidence. 
Nous auions befoin de prendre ces fainctes penfees 
pour animer nos pas, car d'ailleurs nous n'auions 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 146 



CHAPTER V. 

OSSOSAN^ AFFLICTED WITH A CONTAGIOUS DISEASE. 
VARIOUS JOURNEYS THAT WE MADE THERE IN THE 
MOST DISAGREEABLE WINTER WEATHER. CON- 
TINUATION OF THE SAME SICKNESS IN OUR 
VILLAGE, AND THE ASSISTANCE WE REN- 
DERED TO THE NEIGHBORING PLACES 
ATTACKED BY THE SAME DISEASE. 

WE had hoped that, as generally happens in 
France and elsewhere, the first frosts would 
arrest the progress of this contagious mal- 
ady. But just the opposite happened, [98] and the 
depth of the Winter was also the severest period of 
the disease, so that from the loth or the 12th of 
November we saw ourselves almost surrounded by it 
on every side ; which made us resolve to divide our 
cares, and open our hearts to the necessities of these 
poor people. As for them, they had recourse to their 
Sorcerers only, and spared no gifts to obtain from 
them some imaginary remedies. But their good An- 
gels, to whom their souls were precious, held out 
their arms to us ; and God himself, who had designed 
from all eternity to be merciful to many of them, 
gave us strong inspirations to go and help them, 
despising all sorts of human considerations, and aban- 
doning ourselves to the guidance of his loving provi- 
dence. We needed to lay hold of these holy thoughts, 
to quicken our steps, for we had, besides, few human 
motives that could incite us to this undertaking. At 



146 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 13 

gueres de motifs humains qui nous portaffent k cefte 
entreprife. On auoit d6s lors fem6 de fort mauuais 
bruits de nous par le pais: ce petit Sorcier faifoit 
defia fonner bien haut qu'il auoit veu venir la maladie 
du coft6 du gfrand Lac : on ne parloit que d'vn capot 
fuppof6, & einpoifonn6, difoit-on, par les Franjois, 
& le Capitaine Aenons auoit deCa rapports d'vn Sau- 
uage de Tlfle, que feu Monfieur de Ckamplain [99] 
eftoit mort auec la refolution de miner tout le pais. 
Outre cela, apres auoir aflift6 les malades de noflre 
Bourgade auec tant d*afliduit6 Tefpace d'vn mois, & 
nous eftre oft6 les morceaux de la bouche pour leur 
donner, encor s'en trouuoit-il qui difoient que ce que 
nous leur portions les faifoit mourir, & d'autres qui 
nous voioient tous les iours tirer la gpraiffe des boii- 
illons que nous leur preparions, qu'eux mefmes efti- 
ment fort nuifible aux malades, adioufloient, qu'il 
n'y auoit pas dequoi nous auoir beaucoup d'obliga- 
tion: que fi nous donnions quelque chofe aux ma- 
lades, ce n'efloit que ce que nous euffions iett6. Que 
nous en ref eruions toufiours le meilleur pour nous : 
que ce pot qui efloit nuict & iour aupres de noflre 
feu n'efloit que pour amaffer force graiffe, voilJt 
comme ils parloient. Et enuiron ce temps-Ik eflant 
all6 inflruire les petits enfans k 1' ordinaire, vn Sau- 
uage me donna vn morceau de poiffon, & me fit ce 
compliment, regarde, voilk comme il faut faire, 
quand on f e mefle de donner : vous autres vous efles 
des vilains, quand vous donnez de la viande, c'efl fi 
peu qu'il n'y en a pas quafi pour en goufler: & ce 
pendant fa cabane efloit vne de celles qui auoient 
plus de fuiet d'eflre fatisfaites de nos liberalitez: 
[100] toutes ces mefcognoiffances nous font comme 



1637J LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 147 

that time, very injurious rumors about us had been 
scattered through the country; this little Sorcerer 
had already boasted loudly that he had seen the mala- 
dy come from the direction of the gpreat Lake. They 
talked of nothing but an imaginary cloak, poisoned, 
it was said, by the French; and Captain A'enons had 
already brought a report from an Island Savage, that 
the late Monsieur de Champlain [99] had died with 
the determination to ruin the whole country. Be- 
sides, after having so diligently aided the sick of our 
Village for the space of a month, and having taken 
the morsels from our own mouths to give to them, 
there yet were found some who said that what we 
carried to them made them die ; and others, who saw 
us daily skimming the gprease from the soup that we 
were preparing for them, — which they themselves 
consider very injurious to the sick, — added that 
there was no cause for them to be under gpreat obli- 
gations to us ; that if we did give something to the 
sick, it was only what we would have thrown away, 
that we always reserved the best of it for ourselves, 
and that this pot, which was at our fire night and 
day, was only to accumulate a g^reat deal of grease. 
Thus they talked. And about this time, having gone 
to instruct the little children as usual, a Savage gave 
me a piece of fish, with this compliment, '* Look 
now, how people ought to do when they concern 
themselves to give; you people, you are misers, — 
when you give meat, it is so little that there is hard- 
ly enough of it to taste." And yet his cabin was one 
of those which had the most reason to be satisfied 
with our liberality. [100] All these exhibitions of 
ingratitude are like so many favors from heaven, 



148 LES RELA TIONS DBS /^SUITES [Vol. 13 

autant de faueurs du ciel qui nous mettent en vne 
fainte neceffit^ en toutes nos actions de ne chercher 
purement que Dieu. 

Doncques le 17. de Nouembre le P. Superieur voi- 
ant que tout eftoit affez paifible en noftre Bourgade, 
& que ce qu'il y reftoit de malades commenjoit k fe 
mieux porter, partit pour aller k Offofani^ accompa- 
gn6 du P. Ifaac logues & de Franjois Petitpr6. Ce 
premier voiage ne fut pas bien long, il y baptifa neuf 
malades, trois petits enf ans, & fix adultes. II retour- 
na le 20. fa prefence eftoit ici neceffaire fur le 
commencement de ces manuals bruits; & puis nos 
Sauuages auoient d6n6 quelque parole qu'ils defi- 
roient s'adreffer k Dieu en cefte affliction publique & 
implorer folennellement £on fecours; il falloit les 
difpofer k cefte action. 

Le 27. vne femme mourut k noftre Bourgade, elle 
auoit eft6 baptifee le iour precedent ; le mef me iour 
fon pere nous vint raconter vn f onge tout k fait agre- 
able, qu'elle auoit eu, k I'entendre, vn peu auant fa 
mort : ce fonge fuppof 6 ne tendoit qu'k auoir quelques 
cordes de raffade ; il nous dit done qu'elle auoit efl6 
quelque temps comme morte, & qu'eftant reuenuS de 
ce profond affoupiffement, [loi] elle nous auoit de- 
mandez, & auoit tefmoign6 qu'elle ne defiroit point 
aller oil vot les Hurons apres la mort, qu'elle vouloit 
aller au Ciel oil alloient les Franjois, qu'elle en ve- 
noit, qu'elle y auoit veu vne infinite de Franfois 
beaux k merueille, & quelques fauuages de fa co- 
gnoiffance, qui auoient eft6 baptif ez : entre autres vn 
Hen oncle, & fa foeur qui eftoit morte Chreftienne 
peu de iours auparauant, que fon oncle lui auoit dit, 
& bien ma niepce vous voila done venuS, & que fa 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 149 

which place us tinder the holy necessity, in all our 
acts, of seeking God alone. 

Now, on the 17th of November, the Father Su- 
perior, seeing that all was peaceful enough in our 
Village, and that the remainder of the sick people 
had begun to improve, departed for Ossosand^ accom- 
panied by Father Isaac Jogues and Franjois Petitpr6. 
This first journey was not very long ; in it nine sick 
people, three little children, and six adults were bap- 
tized. He returned on the 20th, as his presence was 
necessary here when these evil rumors began ; and be- 
sides, our Savages had given some intimation that 
they wished to address themselves to God in this 
public affliction, and solemnly to implore his aid ; it 
was necessary to prepare them for this act. 

On the 27th, a woman, who had been baptized the 
day before, died in our Village. The same day her 
father came to us to relate a very amusing dream 
that she had had, according to his story, a little while 
before her death. The sole purpose of this imagi- 
nary dream was to get a few strings of beads. So he 
told us that she had been for some time as if dead, 
and that, having awaked from this profound lethargy, 
[loi] she had asked for us, and had declared that she 
did not wish to go where the Hurons went after 
death, — that she wished to go to the Heaven where 
the French went; that she had just come from there, 
where she had seen a vast number of Frenchmen, 
wonderfully beautiful, and some savages of her ac- 
quaintance who had been baptized — among others, 
one of her uncles, and her sister who had died a 
Christian a few days before. She related that her 
uncle had said to her, '* Well, my niece, so you have 
come here ; ' * and that her sister had asked her if 



150 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. IS 

foeur lui auoit demand^, fi Echon (parlant du P. Su- 
perieur) ne lui auoit rien donn6 en partant, k quoi 
elle auoit refpondu que non, que Tautre lui auoit 
reparti, pour moi, voila vn bracelet de raffade qu'il 
me donna; & que Ik deffus celle-ci s'eftoit refolufi de 
retoumer & nous en venir demander autant; qu'elle 
eftoit reuenu6 k foi, & qu'ayant racont6 fon fonge, 
elle auoit incontinent perdu le iugement, & eftoit 
morte, c'eft pourquoi il prioit qu'on lui donnaft au- 
tant de raflfade, qu'on en auoit donn6 k fa foeur pour 
la contenter ; voilk vn homme qui a de belles idees 
du ciel & de Teflat des bien-heureux. 

Le mefme iour Dieu nous aiant donn6 vn morceau 
de cerf , nous en fifmes feftin k nos Sauuages pour 
prendre occafion de leur [102] tefmoigner le reffenti- 
ment que nous anions de leur affliction: & pour y 
proceder k la mode du pays, nous leur fifmes vn pre- 
fent de 400. g^rains de Pourcelleine, vne couple de 
baches, & vne peau d'Orignac. Le P. Superieur prift 
aufli occafion de les exhorter k croire en Dieu, k im- 
plorer fa mifericorde, & luy faire vn voeu folemnel 
en cette neceflit6 publique ; ils ag^reerent la propofi- 
tion, & promirent de tenir entre eux confeil, \k deffus. 
Apres le feftin le P. Pijart partit pour aller coucher 
k Arontaen oti il baptifa 3. petits enfans, ce n' eftoit 
pas ce qu'il Tauoit amen6; il eftoit all6 voir vne pau- 
ure femme bien malade, mais elle ne fit point d'eftat 
du baptefme & fit au Pere la refpofe ordinaire des 
Sauuages, qu'elle ne vouloit point quitter fes parens, 
& qu' apres la mort elle eftoit refoluS de les aller 
trouuer en quelque lieu du monde qu'ils puffent 
eftre ; & le pere luy ayant repref ent6 que ceux qui 
mouroient fans baptefme alloient aux enfers, elle re- 



1637] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 151 

Echon (speaking of the Father Superior) had not g^ven 
her something at her departure, to which she an- 
swered *' No; " that the other one had replied, ** As 
for me, here is a bead bracelet that he gave me; " 
and thereupon this one had resolved to return, and 
come and ask us for the same ; that she had come to 
herself, and that after having related her dream, she 
immediately lost consciousness, and died. Hence he 
asked that as many beads be given to her as to her 
sister, in order to satisfy her. Truly, a man with 
exalted ideas of heaven and of the state of the 
blessed. 

On the same day, God having given us a piece of 
deer, we made a feast of it for our Savages, that we 
might have an opportunity to [102] testify to them 
our sympathy in their affliction. And, in order to 
proceed after the manner of the country, we made 
them a present of 400 Porcelain beads,^^ a couple of 
hatchets, and a Moose skin. The Father Superior 
also took occasion to exhort them to believe in God, 
to implore his mercy, and to make him a solemn vow 
in this public necessity. They approved the propo- 
sition, and promised to hold a council among them- 
selves, concerning it. After the feast Father Pijart 
departed to go and sleep at Arontaen, where he bap- 
tized 3 little children. It was not this that took him 
thither; he went to visit a poor woman who was very 
ill. She, however, attached no importance to bap- 
tism, and gave the Father ^e usual answer of the 
Savages,! — that she did not wish to leave her rela- 
tives, and that after death she had resolved to go and 
find them, in whatever part of the world they might 
be. The father having represented to her that those 
who died without baptism went to hell, she replied 



162 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 18 

pliqua qu'elle ne fe foucioit pas d'aller aux enfers & 
d*y eftre bruflee k iamais. Le pere fut contraint de 
Tabandonner n'en pouuant tirer autre chofe. Le 
lendemain elle fut quelque temps comme morte, & 
eftant hors de c6t affoupiffement elle voulut en effect 
qu*on la prift comme [103] vne perfonne reffufcitee; 
i'eftois morte dit, elle, & paffois defia par le cimetiere 
pour m'en aller droit au village des ames, lors que 
i'ay rencontr6 vn mien parent defunt qui m'a deman- 
ds ou i'allois, & ce que ie penfois faire, que fi ie ne 
changeois de refolution, ils eftoient perdus, qu*ils 
n'auroient plus de parents qui fiffent d'orefnauant k 
manger pour les ames, c'eft ce qui m'a fait retoumer, 
& prendre refolutio de viure. Telles & seblables ref- 
ueries pallet parmy eux pour de veritables refurre- 
ctions, & feruent de fondement & d'appuy k la croy- 
ance qu'ils ont de Teftat des ames apres la mort. 

Le 28. le P. Pierre Chaftellain & moy nous fifmes 
vn tour k vne petite bourgade k vne lieuS de nous, 
oil le pere baptifa vn petit enfat malade ; nous trou- 
uafmes aufli Toccafio d'inftruire quelques Chreflies 
qui auoiet eft6 baptifez Teft^ paff6, nous leur repe- 
tames quelques vns de nos principaux myfleres, leur 
aprifmes k demader pardo k Dieu quad ils pefche- 
roiet, & k faire quelque petite priere matin & foir. 
Eflans de retour i'acopagnay le P. Superieur qui 
auoit eft6 pri6 par vn vieillard de noftre bourgade, 
n6m6 Tandoutfahoronc d' aller paffer la nuit en fa 
cabane, pour aflifter fa petite fiUe qui eftoit k Tex- 
tremit6; il n'y auoit pas grade [104] neceffit^ d'ail- 
leurs, car c6t enfant n'auoit que fept k huict ans & 
auoit eft6 baptif6 des Tan paff6: mais il nous auoit 
fait cefte requefte par vne grande confiance qu'il a 



1637] LE JEUNBS RELA TION, 1637 163 

that she did not mind going to hell and being burned 
there forever. The father was obliged to g^ve her 
up, as he could get nothing else from her. The next 
day, she was for some time as if dead ; and, having 
thrown oflF this lethargy, she wished, forsooth, to be 
regarded as [103] a person who had been raised from 
the dead. *' I was dead," said she, ** and had already 
passed through the cemetery to go directly to the 
village of souls, when I came upon one of my dead 
relatives, who asked where I was going and what I 
intended to do, — saying that, if I did not change 
my mind, they would be lost, that there would be no 
more relatives to prepare food for the souls there- 
after ; and that is what made me return and resolve 
to live." These and similar fancies pass among 
them for veritable resurrections, and serve as a foun- 
dation and support for the belief they have regarding 
the state of souls after death. 

On the 28th, Father Pierre Chastellain and I made a 
trip to a small village a league away from us, where 
the father baptized a little sick child. We also found an 
opportunity to instruct some Christians who had been 
baptized the previous summer. We repeated to them 
some of our principal mysteries, taught them to ask 
forgiveness of God when they sinned, and to oflFer 
some little prayer morning and evening. Upon our 
return, I accompanied the Father Superior, who had 
been entreated by an old man of our village, named 
Tandoutsahoroncy to go and pass the night in his cab- 
in, to minister to his granddaughter, who was at the 
point of death. There was no g^reat [104] need of 
this, however, for this child was only seven or eight 
years old, and had been baptized the year before. 
But he had made this request on account of his g^reat 



164 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 18 

en nous, efperant tirer beaucoup de confolation de 
noflre compagnie dans fon affliction, & que nous 
apporterions quelque foulagement k cefle petite ma- 
lade. Nous voids ici des traits de Tamour naturel 
tout k fait remarquables : il y auoit fept ou huict 
iours que ce pauure vieillard & fa femme fe don- 
noient vne peine incroiable nuict & iour : c6t enfant 
n'auoit point d'autre lict que le fein de fon grand 
pere, tantoft il lui falloit eftre affis, tantoft coucli6 
d'vn cofl6 tantoft de T autre, & changer de pofture k 
tons moments, car elle eftoit dans des inquietudes, & 
des conuulfions qui dureret prefque toute la nuict. 
Quelques petits railins que nous lui donnions de temps 
en temps, feruirent plus k contenter le pere qu'k fou- 
lager la fille qui mourut peu de temps apres : ce vi- 
eillard nous en eft demeur6 fort oblig6, & nous I'a 
tefmoigfn6 depuis en plulleurs rencontres. Nous efti- 
mons precieufes les moindres occafions que Dieu nous 
prefente, de gaigner Taflfection de nos Sauuages. 

Enuiron ce temps-lJi vn autre vieillard de noftre 
bourgade fe trouua fort en peine, on [105] ne parloit 
que de lui aller fendre la tefte, il y auoit defia long 
temps qu'on s'en deffioit come d'vn Sorcier & d'vn 
empoif onneur : & tout f ref chement vn nomm6 Oaca 
auoit tefmoigfn6 qu'il eftoit dans cefte creance que ce 
Sauuage le faifoit mourir, & quelques-vns difoient 
Tauoir veu de nuict roder autour des Cabanes jettant 
des flammes par la bouche ; n'en voila que trop pour 
lui faire vn mauuais parti. En effect vne fille voiant 
fept ou huict de f es parens emportez en peu de iours ; 
eut bien la hardieffe d' aller en fa Cabane auec refolu- 
tion de lui maintenir qu'il eftoit la caufe de leur 
mort ; & lui n'y eflant pas, elle parla fi ouuertement, 



1«37] LE JEUNE*S RELATION, 1637 166 

confidence in us, hoping to derive much comfort 
from our companionship in his affliction, and that we 
would bring some relief to this little sick girl. We 
here saw some altogether remarkable evidences of 
natural love. For seven or eight days this poor old 
man and his wife underwent incredible hardships, 
night and day. This child had no other bed than 
the bosom of her grandfather ; now he was compelled 
to sit down, now to lie down, sometimes on one side, 
sometimes on the other, — changing his posture at 
every moment, for she was restless, and in convul- 
sions which lasted nearly all night. Some little rai- 
sins, that we gave her from time to time, served more 
to satisfy the father than to relieve the child, who 
died a little while afterwards. This old man has 
remained very grateful to us, and has shown it since 
then on many occasions. We esteem as precious the 
slightest occasions that God presents to us to gain the 
affection of our Savages. 

About this time another old man of our village was 
sorely troubled ; people [105] talked of nothing else 
than of going to break his head. For a long time he 
had been suspected of being a Sorcerer and a poison- 
er, and quite recently one Oaca had testified that he 
believed this Savage was making him die ; and some 
of them said they had seen him at night roaming 
around the Cabins, and casting flames from his mouth. 
Here was only too much to make a bad case for him. 
Indeed, a girl, seeing seven or eight of her relatives 
carried off in a few days, had actually had the bold- 
ness to go to his Cabin with the determination to 
accuse him of being the cause of their death ; and as 
he was not there, she talked to his wife so freely, 
and with so much passion, that the son, happening 



156 LES RELATIONS DES JASUITES [Vol.13 

& auec tant de paflion k fa femme, que le fils furue- 
nant \k deffus, mit fa robbe bas, & prenant vne hache, 
s'en alia tout tranfport6 de colere en la cabane oH 
s'eftoient formez ces mauuais foupgons, & s'eftant 
aflls tout au beau milieu, s'adreffa Ji vn nomm6 Tion- 
charon, & lui dit d'vn vifage fenne, & auec vn main- 
tien affeur6; Si tu penfe que ce foit nous qui te 
faflions mourir, prends maintenant cefle hache, & me 
fends la tefte, ie ne branflerai pas. Tioncharon lui 
repliqua, nous ne te tuerons pas maintenant k ta pa- 
role, mais la premiere fois que nous t'aurons pris fur 
le fait. La chofe en demeura [io6] \k pour lors; 
mais ils font touliours regardez de fort mauuais oeil ; 
ces peuples-ci font gradement foupgonneux nomm6- 
ment quand il y va de la vie ; les experiences qu'ils 
penf ent auoir en cefle matiere & les exemples de 
mille perfonnes qu'ils croient eflre mortes par fort, 
ou par poifon les tiennent dans ces defl&ances. Le 
mefme iour que cefle hifloire fe paffa, le P. Sup. 
eftant all6 viliter vn malade, on lui monftra quelque 
efpece de fort qu'on lui venoit de faire ietter par la 
force d*vn vomitoire: fjauoir eft quelques cheueux, 
vne graine de petun, vne feuille verte & vne petite 
branche de cedre: mais le malheur voulut, k leur 
opinion, que Tvn de ces forts eftoit r6pu, I'autre par- 
tie eftat demeuree das le corps, ce qui lui caufa la 
mort. Vous n'etendez parler d'autre chofe en ce 
pals, il n'y a gueres de malades qui ne croient eftre 
empoif onnez ; & tout f raif chement le P. Super, paf- 
fant par le bourg Andiatae, on lui fit voir vne jambe 
de fauterelle entortillee de quelques cheueux qu'vn 
malade venoit de vomir. Si les Sorciers font aufli 
communs dans le pals qu'ils font fouuent k la bouche 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 167 

to come in, laid down his robe, and, taking a hatchet, 
went oflf in a transport of rage to the cabin where 
these evil suspicions had originated. Sitting down 
in the middle of the room, he addressed one Tioncha- 
ron^ and said to him with a steadfast countenance and 
a confident mien: '*If thou thinkest it is we who 
make thee die, take now this hatchet and split open 
my head ; I will not stir. ' ' Tioncharon replied to him, 
" We will not kill thee now at thy word, but the first 
time we shall take thee in the act. ' * The n[iatter re- 
mained [io6] thus for that time, but they were always 
regarded with a great deal of ill will. These peoples 
are extremely suspicious, especially when life is in- 
volved; the experiences that they think they have 
had in this matter, and a thousand instances of peo- 
ple whom they believe to have died through witch- 
craft or poison, maintain them in this distrust. On 
the same day that this incident occurred, the Father 
Superior having gone to visit a sick man, they showed 
him a sort of charm he had just been made to throw 
up by means of an emetic ; it consisted of some hairs, 
a tobacco seed, a green leaf, and a little cedar twig. 
But as ill luck would have it, in their opinion, one 
of these little charms was broken, the other part hav- 
ing remained in his body, and that had caused his 
death. You hear nothing else talked about in this 
country, there being hardly any sick people who do 
not think they have been poisoned. Only recently, 
when the Father Superior was passing through the 
village of Andiatae, he was shown a grasshopper's leg 
twined about with a few hairs, which a sick person 
had just vomited. If Sorcerers are as common in 
the country as they are often upon the lips of the 
Savages, we can truthfully say that we are preSmi- 



168 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 18 

des Sauuages, nous pouuons bien dire que nous s5mes 
par excellece in medio nationis praucBy & 11, auec tout 
cela das T opinion de plufieurs, nous s6mes paflez 
maiftres en ce meftier, & auons de T intelligence [107] 
auec les diables. Voftre R. voirra bien toft efclatter 
cefte calomnie, Dieu en foit glorifi6 k iamais. Nous 
auos cogneu k veue d'oeil fa paternelle prouidece en 
noftre endroit; & nous eufmes la confolation, pen- 
dant que Ton ne parloit que de nous fendre la tefte, 
d'aflifter toullours nos malades & de cooperer ^ la 
conuerllon de plufieurs & de prefcher autant que 
iamais fon fainct Nom. 

Le 29. Tous les principaux de noftre bourgade s'af- 
seblerent en noftre cabane, bien refolus de faire tout 
ce que nous iugerios k propos pour flefchir Dieu k 
mis mifericorde, & obtenir de fa b6t6 quelque foula- 
gemet en cefte calamity publique. Le P. S. leur 
auoit defia repref ent6 que le vrai & vnique moien de 
deftoumer ce fleau du ciel, eftoit de croire en Dieu 
& prendre vne f erme refolution de le feruir & garder 
fes Comandemens; Dauantage que Dieu prenoit 
grand plaisir aux voeux que nous lui addreflions en 
telles ou f emblables neceflitez ; que fort f ouuent en 
France nous en anions veu & experiments de bons 
effects ; & ainfi que s'ils vouloient lui promettre an 
cas qu'il lui plut faire ceffer tout k fait cefte conta- 
gion, de baftir au Printemps vne cabane, ou vne 
petite Chappelle en fon honneur. Comme il eft le 
maiftre & Tautheur de nos vies, ils auroient tout fujet 
d'efperer [108] Tenterinement de leur requefte. Ils 
auoient defia deliber6 \k deff us en leur particulier ; & 
la refolution qu'ils auoient prife eftoit le fujet de 
cefte feconde affemblee, oh le P. Superieur les in- 



1637] LE/EUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 159 

nently in medio nationis prava; and yet, with all this, 
in the opinion of many of them, we are past masters 
in this art, and have an understanding [107] with the 
devils. Your Reverence will soon see this calumny 
exploded, for which may God be forever glorified. 
We have very plainly perceived his paternal provi- 
dence in regard to us, and we had the consolation, 
while they were talking about nothing else than of 
breaking our heads, of continuing to assist our sick 
people, and of co5perating in the conversion of sev- 
eral and of preaching his holy Name as often as ever. 
On the 29th, all the chief men of our village as- 
sembled in our cabin, firmly resolved to do all that 
we considered proper to incline God to mercy and to 
obtain from his goodness some relief in this public 
calamity. The Father Superior had already repre- 
sented to them that the true and only means of turn- 
ing away this scourge of heaven, was to believe in 
God and to make a firm determination to serve him 
and keep his Commandments. He told them, fur- 
thermore, that God took great pleasure in the vows 
that we addressed to him in these or similar necessi- 
ties ; that we had very often in France seen and ex- 
perienced good effects therefrom ; and thus, that if 
they would promise him, in case it might please him 
to make this contagion disappear altogether, to build 
in the Spring a cabin, or a little Chapel in his honor, 
as he is the master and author of our lives, they 
would all have reason to hope [108] for his approval 
of their request. They had already deliberated upon 
this by themselves, and the decision they had made 
was the subject of this second assembly, where the 
Father Superior instructed them still more particu- 
larly upon the importance of the action they were 



l$0 F.FS RELA TJOSS DES jtSUJTES [Vou 13 

ftndlit encor fort particalierement for rimpoTtanoe 
de ractian qu'ils allcdent faire, & les exhorta \ anotr 
Tne grande confiance en Dien s'ils y procedoient en 
tonte ilncerit^; adioaflant qne pour ceux qni n'e- 
ftoient 1^ qne par oeremonie ils priiTent bien garde \ 
ce qn^ls alloient faire, qn'ils anoient 2k faire \, vn Dien 
qni cognoiffoit le fond de lenrs coenrs & ne manqne- 
rait pas de les pnnir rigonrenfement, s'ils ne fe com- 
poitoient en fon endroit anec le refpect & la rene- 
rence qne reqniert £a dinine ilajefl^. L'exhortation 
achenee, le Peres les fit tons projflemer ^ genonx de- 
nant vn image de noftre Seignenr; & prononga 'ii 
hante voix la formnle dn voen, qni contenoit vne 
ferme refolntion de croire en Dien, & le f emir fidele- 
ment, & en fnite vne promeiTe de dreiTer an Printeps 
vne petite chapelle en fon honnenr, an cas qn'il Ini 
plenft lenr faire mifericorde, & les deliurer de cede 
maladie oontagienfe. Nons n'enfmes pas tonte la fa- 
tisfaction qne nons fonhaittions en cefle action, tons 
ceux qni y anoient efl6 innitez, ne s'y tronnerent pas ; 
[109] & entre antres celni qni pafToit pour Capitaine, 
qnoi qn'il n'en portalfl qne le tiltre, eftoit forti dehors 
anant qn'on commenfaft la Ceremonie, & s'amnfoit k 
folaflrer & \ rire anec qnelqnes-vns de fa Cabane. 
Anfid ont-ils eft6 chaftiez la plnf part d'vne mort mife- 
rable: Dien diflininla ponr lors, la mefnre de lenr 
pechez n'efloit pas encor comblee, ils anoient 2k ad- 
ionfter d'horribles blafphemes, & de tres-mannais 
defleings fnr la vie de ceux qu*ils n'auoient que trop 
de fuiet de croire n'eftre ici dans lenr psus que pour 
les obliger : ie parlerai plus clairement en fon lieu. 
II s'en trouna neantmoins qui nous donerent de la 
conf olation, fur tout vn nomni6 Tfeoandaentaka ; quoi 



1687] LE/EUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 161 

about to perform, and exhorted them to have great 
oonfidence in God if they undertook it in all sinceri- 
ty, — adding that, as for those who were there only 
through formality, they should be very careful as to 
what they were about to do, that they had to do with 
a God who knew the depths of their hearts and would 
not fail to punish them severely, if they did not con- 
duct themselves towards him with the respect and 
reverence that his divine Majesty requires. The ex- 
hortation finished, the Father made them all prostrate 
themselves upon their knees before an image of our 
Lord ; and he repeated aloud the formula of a vow, 
which contained a firm resolution to believe in God 
and to serve him faithfully, and then a promise to 
erect in the Spring a little chapel in his honor, in 
case it should please him to show them mercy, and 
to deliver them from this contagious malady. We 
did not have all the gratification we had hoped for in 
this act, as not all those who had been invited were 
present; [109] and, among others, the one who passed 
as Captain, although he carried only the title there- 
of, had gone out before the Ceremony began, and was 
amusing himself in playing and laughing with some 
persons from his Cabin. Also most of them have 
been punished by a miserable death ; God dissembled 
for the time, as the measure of their sins was not yet 
full. They had to add horrible blasphemies and most 
wicked designs upon the lives of those who they 
had only too much reason to believe were here in 
their country merely to do them a kindness ; I shall 
speak of this more clearly in its place. There were 
those present, however, who gave us some consola- 
tion, — above all, one named Tsioandaentaha; al- 
though the Father Superior spoke very distinctly. 



162 LES RELATIONS DESj£SUITES [Vol. 13 

que le P. Superieur parlaft fort diftinctement, neant- 
moins comme ils auoient quelquefois de la peine k le 
f uiure, & k repeter ce qu'il auoit dit ; ceftui-ci leur 
feruoit de maiftre, & outre que il ne perdoit pas vne 
feule parole du Pere, il les repetoit 11 fidelement & 
d'vne voix fi intelligible, qu'il eftoit aif6 k croire qu'il 
parloit de coeur, & plufieurs k fon exemple s'eflfor- 
joient de faire paroiftre qu'il n'y auoit point de difli- 
mulation k leur fait; Mais les euenemens ne nous 
donnent que trop de fuiet d'en douter. Pour ce Sau- 
uage, Dieu I'a preferu6 de maladie lui [no] & tous 
ceux de fa cabane qui efl des plus peuplees de noflre 
bourgade, il y a trois manages bien foumis, & grad 
nombre de petits enfans, la chofe efl d'autant plus 
remarquable, que oftez vn autre petite cabane de 
laquelle nous auons aufli beaucoup de fatisf action, il 
n'y en a point, qui nayt eu plufieurs malades, & la 
plufpart allez grand nombre de morts. 

Le lendemain 30. nous fifmes auffi vn voeu de noflre 
coft6, nous & de nos domefliques, tat pour le bie de 
toute noflre bourgade, que pour la conferuation de 
noflre petite maifon. Le P. Superieur le pronnonja 
au nom de tous a la Meffe, prenant en main le S. Sa- 
crement de I'autel; nous nous obligeames de dire 
chacun trois Meffes, I'vne en Thoneur de noflre Sei- 
gneur, 1 'autre de la bien heureufe Vierge, & la troi- 
fiefme de S. lofeph, auec refolution de renouueller k 
cette mefme intention, le iour de I'immaculee Con- 
ception de la mefme vierge, le voeu que nous anions 
fait d6s Tan paff6. Pour nos domefliques ils s'obli- 
gerent k trois cSmimions extraordinaires, & k reciter 
douze f ois le chapelet ; Pour noflre particulier nous 
n'auons maintenant que tout fujet de loiier Dieu qui 



1«37] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 163 

nevertlieless, as they sometimes found it hard to fol- 
low him, and to repeat what he had said, this one 
served them as instructor, and, besides not losing a 
single word of the Father's, he repeated them so 
faithfully and in a voice so clear, that it was easy to 
believe he spoke from his heart ; and several, follow- 
ing his example, tried to show that there was no 
hypocrisy in what they did. But events give us only 
too much reason to doubt them. As for this Savage, 
God has preserved him from the malady, [no] with 
all those of his cabin, which is one of the most popu- 
lous of our village, having therein three well-equipped 
households, and a great number of little children. 
The matter is all the more remarkable, as, except for 
another little cabin which has also afforded us a great 
deal of satisfaction, there is not one which has not 
had several sick people, and most of them a consid- 
erable number of deaths. 

On the next day, the 30th, we also made a vow on 
our part, we and our domestics, both for the welfare 
of our whole village and for the preservation of our 
little household. The Father Superior pronounced 
it at the Mass, in the name of all, holding in his hand 
the Holy Sacrament of the altar ; we bound ourselves 
to say each three Masses, one in honor of our Lord, 
another in honor of the blessed Virgin, and a third 
in honor of St. Joseph, — with the determination to 
renew, for this same purpose, on the day of the 
immaculate Conception of the same virgin, the vow 
that we had made last year. As for our domestics, 
they bound themselves to three special communions, 
and to say their beads twelve times. For our part, 
we have now every reason to praise God, who has 
granted to us all the favor of passing the winter in 



164 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. IS 

nous a fait la grace a tous de paffer I'hyuer en tres- 
bonne fant£, qnoy que nous ayons eft6 la plufpart du 
temps, parmy [i 1 1] les malades, & les morts, & que 
nous en aions veu tomber & mourir pluiieurs par la 
feule communication qu'ils auoient les vns auec les 
autres. Les Sauuages s'en font eflonnez & s'en 
eflonnent encor tous les iours, & difent parlant de 
nous, pour ceux Ht ce ne font pas des hommes, ce 
font des demons. Dieu leur fera s'il lui plaift la 
grace de cog^oiftre quelque iour que mi/ericordue do- 
mint, quia non fumus con/umptij quia non defecerunt mi- 
feratianes eius, Ce n'efl que par fa feule mifericorde 
que nous ne fommes pas reduits en poufliere auec les 
autres, & que le Ciel verf e fans cefle fur nous les tor- 
rents de fes faueurs & de fes benedictions. Noflre 
pauure bourgade a eft6 dans Taffliction iufques au 
printemps, & eft prefque tout ruinee, nous ne nous 
en eftonnons pas, ils ont monftr6 la plufpart que 
leur croyance ne confiftoit qu'en belles paroles, & 
que dans leur coeur ils n'ont point d'autre Dieu que 
le ventre, & celuy qui leur promettra abfolument de 
leur rendre la fant^ dans leur maladies. 

Le quatriefme de Decembre, aiant appris des nou- 
uelles d ' Offofani que le mal y alloit croiffant, & que 
quelques vns y eftoient morts : tout f raichement Le 
P. [112] Superieur nous y enuoia le P. Cliarles Gar- 
nier & moi: nous fifmes ce voiage ioieufement, & 
auec d'autant plus de confiance en Dieu que i'eftois 
conuaincu de mon inf uffifance en la lang^e : d6s noftre 
arriuee nous inftruififmes & baptifames vn pauure 
homme qu'on ne croioit pas deuoir paffer la nuict. 
Nous n'y fifmes pas grand fejour, nous anions ordre 
de nous trouuer pour la Fefte de la Coception [de] 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 165 

very good health, although the greater part of the 
time we have been among [11 1] the sick and the dead, 
and although we have seen many fall sick and die, 
merely through the communication that they had 
with one another. The Savages were astonished at 
it, and are still astonished every day, saying in refer- 
ence to us, ** Those people are not men, they are de- 
mons." God will grant them, if it shall please him, 
grace to recognize some day that misertcordice dominiy 
quia non sumus consumpti^ quia non defecerunt ntiserati- 
ones eius. It is through his mercy alone that we are 
not reduced to dust with the others, and that Heaven 
ceaselessly pours out upon us the torrents of its favors 
and its blessings. Our poor village continued to be 
afflicted until spring, and is almost entirely ruined. 
We are not surprised at this, for the greater part of 
them showed that their belief consisted only in fine 
words, and that in their hearts they have no other 
God than the belly, and the one who will promise 
them absolutely to restore them to health in their 
illnesses. 

On the fourth of December, — having learned the 
news from Ossosan^ that the disease was spreading 
there, and that some of its people had recently died, 
the Father [112] Superior sent thither Father Charles 
Gamier and me. We made this journey joyously and 
with all the more confidence in God as I was con- 
vinced of my insufficient knowledge of the language. 
At our arrival we instructed and baptized a poor man 
who could not live through the night. We did not 
make a long sojourn there, as we had orders to be 
present at the Festival of the Conception of our Lady ; 
had it not been for that, we would not have readily 
left the sick, who were as many as fifty by actual 



166 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. IS 

noftre Dame, fans cela nous n'euflions eu garde de 
quitter les malades qui eftoient iufques au nombre de 
cinquante de compte fait ; nous les vifitaf mes tons en 
particulier, leur donnant toufiours quelque mot de 
confolation, nous fufmes tres-bien venus & tons nous 
firent tres-bon vifage. Le voiage que le P. Supe- 
rieur y auoit fait nous auoit difpof6 les coeurs & les 
affections de tout le monde : la plus part ne nous re- 
gardoient que comme dQS perfonnes defquelles ils 
attendoient de la confolation, & mefme quelque fou- 
lagement en leur mal ; vn peu de railins auoient eft6 
tres-bien receus, nous n' anions eu garde d'en 
oublier; ce peu que nous en auons n*eft que pour les 
Sauuages, & voflre R. ne croiroit pas comme ils 
prennent ces petites douceurs. le lui dirai ici en 
general, que fouuent elles nous ont donn6 entree au- 
pres [113] des malades & s'il arriuoit qu'e les inflrui- 
sat, ils tobaffet das vn affoupiffemet, vn peu de fucre 
ou de bone coferue das vne cueiller6e d'eau tiede 
nous feruoit k leur faire reuenir les efpris. I'adiou- 
fterai mefme que quelq[ues] petits innocets ont e{l6 
baptifez das Textremit^, au defceu & contre la volon- 
t6 de leur parents f oubs pretexte de leur vouloir don- 
ner femblables douceurs. Nous en baptifames 8. en 
ce voyage, 4. adultes & 4. petits enfans, ce fut vne 
prouidence de Dieu pour nous qui eflions encor nou- 
ueaux en ce meftier, de trouuer prefque par tout des 
perfonnes qui fauoriferent noftre deffein, & nous 
ayderent grandement ^ tirer des malades ce que nous 
pretendions. Entre autres vn des plus conliderables 
du bourg nous feruit de truchement pour inftruire 
vne fienne fiUe, ce qu'il fit de fon propre mouuement, 
& auec beaucoup d'affection; il faifoit mefme plus 



1«37] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, •rdsr 167 

count. We made them all special visits, always giv- 
ing them some little word of consolation. We were 
made very welcome, all greeting us with very kindly 
faces, the journey the Father Superior had made 
there having inclined to us the hearts and affections 
of all. Most of them regarded us only as persons 
from whom they expected some consolation, and like- 
wise something to relieve them in their sickness ; a 
few raisins were very acceptable, and we were care- 
ful not to forget these. The few of them that we 
have are only for the Savages, and your Reverence 
would not believe how readily they take these little 
sweets. I will say here in general that they have 
often given us admission to [113] the sick; and if it 
happened that, while instructing them, they fell into 
a stupor, a little sugar or some good preserved fruit 
in a spoonful of warm water enabled us to make them 
regain consciousness. I will even add that some 
little innocents were baptized in their last moments, 
unknown to, and against the wishes of their relatives, 
under the pretext of wishing to give them some of 
these sweets. We baptized 8 during this journey, — 
4 adults and 4 little children. It was a providence of 
God for us, who were still new in this profession, to 
find almost everywhere persons who favored our pur- 
pose, and who aided us greatly in obtaining from the 
patients what we desired. Among others, one of the 
more influential men of the village served us as 
interpreter in instructing one of his daughters, doing 
so of his own accord and with great interest. He did 
even more than we wished ; and when we would have 
been satisfied to have drawn a simple * * yes " or " no " 
from the patient, he desired her to repeat, word for 
word, the instruction we gave her. Before departing. 



168 LES MELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 13 

que nous ne voulions, & au Ueu que nous nous con- 
tentions de tirer de la malade vn otiy, & vn non, il 
vouloit quelle repetafl de mot i mot Tinftruction 
que nous luy donnions; Auant que de partir nous 
vifmes le Capitaine Anenkhiondic & quelques vns 
des andens, auf quels nous parldmes du voeu que ceux 
de noftre bourgade auoient fait, pour arrefter le [i 14] 
cours de la maladie ; ils tef moignerent vn grand defir 
d'en faire autant, & nous donnerent charge de rap- 
porter au Pere Superieur qu'ils eftoient tous prefts 
de faire tout ce qu'il iugeroit k propos en cette occa- 
fion. L'aflfection qu'ils auoient pour la vie les faifoit 
parler de la forte, & de fait ils feront la mefme pro- 
meffe que les autres & mefme auec plus d'appareil, & 
au refte quand il -faudra venir k T execution de ce 
qu'ils auront promis, ils ne fe trouueront pas meil- 
leurs que les autres. 

Cependant que nous eftions ^ OJfofarU, le Pere Su- 
perieur & nos Peres ne demeuroient pas les bras croi- 
fez ^ Ihonatiria, les malades leur donnerent d'vn coft6 
affez d'exercice; & d'vn autre coft6 les habitants 
d'Oenrio (qui eft vne bourgade k vne lieu6 de nous) 
fe voyants accueillis du mal, tefmoinerent quelque 
volenti d'auoir recours Ji Dieu. Le P. Superieur les 
alia voir, pour les fonder Ik deffus, il baptifa vn petit 
enfant d6s fon arriu6e. En mefme temps le Capi- 
taine fit affembler le conf eil ; & y inuita le pere oil 
d'abord, il luy demanda ce qu'ils auoient k faire afin 
que Dieu euft piti6 d'eux. Le P. Superieur leur ref- 
pondit que le principal [115] eftoit de croire en luy, 
& d'eftre bien refolus de garder fes commandemens, 
& leur toucha en particulier quelques vnes de leur 
couftumes & fuperftitions aufquelles ils auoient k re- 



1«87] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 169 

we saw the Captain Anenkhiondic and some of the old 
men, to whom we spoke of the vow that those of our 
village had made in order to stop the [114] progress 
of the disease. They manifested a g^eat desire to do 
the same, and charged us to report to the Father Su- 
perior that they were quite prepared to do all that he 
should judge proper on this occasion. Their love of 
life made them speak in this way ; and, indeed, they 
will make the same promise the others did, and with 
even more ostentation, and after all, when it comes 
to the execution of what they have promised, they 
will prove to be no better than the others. 

Meantime, while we were at Ossosan^j the Father 
Superior and our Fathers did not remain with folded 
arms at Ihonatiria. The sick gave them practice 
enough on the one hand, and, on the other, the 
inhabitants of Oenrio, (a village one league distant 
from us) seeing themselves assailed by the malady, 
manifested some desire to have recourse to God. 
The Father Superior went to see them, to sound 
them in this matter ; he baptized a little child at his 
arrival. At the same time, the Captain had the 
council assemble, and invited the father thither, 
where at the outset he asked him what they had to 
do that God might have compassion on them. The 
Father Superior answered them that the principal 
thing [115] was to believe in him, and to be firmly 
resolved to keep his commandments, touching espe- 
cially upon some of their customs and superstitions 
which they must renounce if they purposed to serve 
him. Among other things, he proposed to them 
that, since they were thus inclined, they should 
henceforth give up their belief in their dreams ; 2nd, 
that their marriages should be binding and for life, 



1 



170 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. IS 

noncer, s'ils faifoiSt eftat de le feruir. Entre autres 
il leur propofa que puis qu'ils eftoient dans cette vo- 
lont6, ils euffent dorefnauant k quitter la croyance 
qu'ils auoiet k leurs fonges. 2. que leur manage 
fuilent ftables & k perpetuity, qu'ils gardaffent la ^ 
chaflet^ coniugal6e. 3. il leur fit entendre que Dieu"' 
defendoit les feftins k vomir. 4. ces affembl6es im- ) 
pudiques d'hommes & de f emmes (ie rougirois de par- 
ler plus clairement) 5. de manger la chair humaine, 
6. ces feftins qu'ils appellet Aolitaerohi; qu'ils font 
difent-ils, pour appaif er vn certain petit demon auquel 
ils donnent ce nom. Voila les points que le pere leur 
recommanda particulierement, & en fuite leur parla 
du voeu que nos Sauuages d'lhonatiria auoient fait 
de baftir au prin-temps vne petite Chappelle pour y 
loiier & remercier Dieu, s'il plaifoit k fa diuine bont6 
les deliurer de cette maladie. Le Pere fut efcout6 de 
tous auec beaucoup d'attention ; mais ces articles les 
eftonnerent grandement, & Onaconchiaronky que nous 
appellons le vieil Capitaine, prenant la [116] parole, 
mon nepueu dit-il, nous voila bien trompez, nous 
penfions que Dieu fe deuft contenter d'vne Chapelle, 
mais k ce que ie vois il demande bien dauantage, & le 
Capitaine A^nons encheriilant la deilus. Echon dit- 
il, il faut que ie vous parle f ranchement ; ie croy que 
voftre propofition eft impoflible: Ceux d'lhonatiria 
difoient Tan paiI6 qu'ils croyoient afin qu'on leur 
donnaft du petun, mais tout cela ne me plaifoit point, 
pour moy ie ne f9aurois diflimuler, ie dis nettement 
mes fentimens, i'eftime que ce que vous propofez ne 
feruira que d'vne pierre d'achoppement. Au refte 
nous auons nos fasons de faire, & vous les voftres 
aufli bien que les autres nations: quand vous nous 



1«87] LEJEUNE^S RELATION, 1637 171 

and that they should observe conjugal chastity ; 3rd^ 
he gave them to understand that God forbade vomit- 
ing feasts; 4th, those shameless assemblies of men 
and women (I would blush to speak more clearly) ; 
5 th, eating human flesh ; 6th, those feasts they call 
Aoutaerohi, — which they make, they say, to appease 
a certain little demon to whom they give this name. 
These are the points that the father especially recom- 
mended to them ; and then he spoke to them about 
the vow our Savages of Ihonatiria had made, to build 
in the spring a little Chapel wherein to praise and 
thank God, if it pleased his divine goodness to de- 
liver them from this malady. The Father was lis- 
tened to by all with close attention ; but these condi- 
tions astonished them gjeatly, and Onaconchiaronky 
whom we call the old Captain, beginning to [116} 
speak, said, **My nephew, we have been greatly 
deceived ; we thought God was to be satisfied with a 
Chapel, but according to what I see he asks a gjeat 
deal more.** And the Captain ASnons, going still 
farther, said, *' Echon, I must speak to you fr^kly. 
I believe that your proposition is impossible. The 
people of Ihonatiria said last year that they believed, 
in order to get tobacco ; but all that did not please 
me. For my part, I cannot dissemble, I express my 
sentiments frankly ; I consider that what you propose 
will prove to be only a stumbling-block. Besides, 
we have our own ways of doing things, and you 
yours, as well as other nations. When you speak to 
us about obeying and acknowledging as our master 
him whom you say has made Heaven and earth, I 
imagine you are talking of overthrowing the coun- 
try. Your ancestors assembled in earlier times, and 
held a council, where they resolved to take as their 



172 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. \% 

parlez d'obeir & de recognoiftre pour maiflre celuy 
que vous dites auoir fait le Ciel & la terre, ie m'ima- 
gine que vous parlez de renuerfer le pays, Vos an- 
ceftres fe font autrefois aflemblez, & ont tenu con- 
feil, oil ils ont refolu de prendre pour leur Dieu celuy 
que vous honorez, & ont ordonn6 toutes les ceremo- 
nies que vous gardez, pour nous nous en auons 
appris d'autres de nos Peres. 

Le Pere luy refpondit qu'il fe trompoit tout k fait 
en fon opinion, que ce n'eftoit pas par vne pure ele- 
ction que nous anions pris Dieu [117] pour noftre 
Dieu, que la nature mefme nous enfeignoit, k reco- 
gnoiftre pour Dieu celuy qui nous k donn6 Teftre & 
la vie. Pour ce qui eftoit de nos ceremonies, que ce 
n'eftoit pas vne inuention humaine, mais diuine, que 
Dieu mefme nous les auoit pref criptes & f e gardoient 
eftroitement par toute la terre ; 

Quant k nos fagons de faire qu'il eftoit bien vray, 
qu'elles eftoient tout k fait differentes des leur, que 
nous anions cela de commun auec toutes les nations, 
qu'ei? eflfet il y auoit autant de diuerfes couftumes 
qu'il y k de peuples differents fur la terre, que la fa- 
5on de viure, de fe veftir & de baftir des maifons 
eftoit tout autre en France que non pas icy, & aux 
autres contr6es du monde, & que ce n'eftoit pas ce 
que nous trouuions mauuais. Mais quand k ce qui 
eftoit de Dieu, que tons les nations deuoient auoir 
les mefmes fentimens; que la verity d*vn Dieu eftoit 
vne, & fi claire qu'il ne falloit qu*ouurir les yeux 
pour la voir ef crite en gros characteres fur le front de 
toutes les creatures. Le Pere leur fit vn beau, & 
ailez long difcours fur ce fujet duquel il tira cette c6- 
clufion, que pour plaire k Dieu ce n'eftoit pas affez 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 178 

God him whom you honor, and ordained all the cere- 
monies that you observe ; as for us, we have learned 
others from our own Fathers. * * 

The Father rejoined that he was altogether mis- 
taken in his opinion, — that it was not through a 
mere choice that we had taken God [117] for our God, 
that nature herself taught us to acknowledge as God 
him who has given us being and life: that, as for 
what concerns our ceremonies, they are not a human 
invention, but divine; that God himself had pre- 
scribed them to us, and that they were strictly ob- 
served all over the earth. 

As for our ways of doing things, he said that it 
was quite true they were altogether different from 
theirs, — that we had this in common with all nations; 
that, in fact, there were as many different customs 
as there were different peoples upon the earth ; that 
the manner of living, of dressing, and of building 
houses was entirely different in France from what it 
was here, and in other countries of the world, and 
that this was not what we found wrong. But,* as to 
what concerned God, all nations ought to have the 
same sentiments ; that the reality of a God was one, 
and so clear that it was only necessary to open the 
eyes to see it written in large characters upon the 
faces of all creatures. The Father made them a fine 
and rather long speech upon this subject, from which 
he drew this conclusion, that to please God it was not 
enough to build a Chapel in his honor, as they 
claimed, but that the chief thing was to [118] keep 
his commandments and give up their superstitions. 
Onaconchiaronk admitted that the father was right, and 
did his utmost in exhorting the whole company to 
overcome all these difficulties. But, as each one 



174 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 18 

de baftir vne Chapelle en fon honneur, cotnme ils 
pretendoient : mais que le principal eftoit de [u8] 
garder f es commandemens & de quitter leurs fuper- 
flitions ; Onaconchiaronk aduoua que le pere auoit rai- 
fon, & fit tout fon poflible pour exhorter toute la 
compagnie k paffer par deffus toutes ces difficultez, 
mais chacun baifTa la tefle, & f aifant la fourde oreille, 
la chofe fut remife au lendemain. 

Le 6. Le confeil fe raffembla d6s le matin, oti Ona- 
conchiaronkf tefmoigna qu*il auoit eft6 toute la nuict 
prefque fans dormir, penfant aux points que le pere 
auoit propose, que pour luy il les iugeoit tres raifon- 
nables, mais qu'en eflfet il voyoit bien que la ieuneffe 
y trouueroit beaucoup de difficult^, toutefois que tout 
bien confider6, il concluoit qu*il falloit mieux auoir 
vn peu de peine, & viure, que de mourir miferable- 
ment, comme ceux qui auoient defia eft6 emportez 
par la maladie. II parla en fi bons termes, & les 
preffa fi fort, que pas vn n'ofa luy contredire, & tons 
s'accorderent h. ce que le pere auoit demand^, adjou- 
flants qu'ils s'obligeoient aufll de baflir au prin-temps 
vne belle Chappelle. Cette refolution prife, le Pere 
s'en retouma k Ihonattiria bien confol6 de les auoir 
laiffez en cette bonne difpofition, il prenoit de-jk 
deffein de les aller catechifer de [119] temps en 
temps: mais outre que Dieu nous k donn6 de T em- 
ploy ailleurs, ils reprirent incontinant leur vieilles 
couftumes. II eft vray que ceux de noftre bourgade 
auoient commence les premiers, & d6s le lendemain 
qu'ils s'eftoient affemblez en noftre cabane ils dan- 
ferent habillez en mafques, pour chaffer la maladie. 
Auec tout cela ils ne laifferent pas de nous dire qu'ils 
eftoient les meilleurs Chreftiens du m6de & eftoiet 



ie87] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 176 

hung his head and turned a deaf ear, the matter was 
deferred until the next day. 

On the morning of the 6th, they again assembled; 
and Onaconchiaronk declared that he had passed al- 
most the whole night without sleep, thinking of the 
points the father had proposed ; for his part, he con- 
sidered them very reasonable, but indeed he saw 
clearly that the young people would find great difiBi- 
culties therein ; however, all things well considered, 
he concluded that it was better to take a little trouble, 
and live, than to die miserably like those who had 
been already carried oflf by the disease. He spoke 
in so excellent fashion, and urged them so strongly, 
that no one dared to contradict him, and all agreed 
to what the father had required, — adding that they 
also bound themselves to build a beautiful Chapel in 
the spring. This decision made, the Father returned 
to Ihonattiria, much consoled to have left them in this 
favorable state of mind. He already contemplated 
going to catechize them from [119] time to time; 
but, besides that God gave us emplojrment else- 
where, they immediately resumed their old customs. 
To be sure, those of our village had been the first to 
begin, and, the day after they had assembled in our 
cabin, they donned their masks and danced, to drive 
away the disease. With all that, they did not hesi- 
tate to tell us that they were the best Christians in 
the world, and were all ready to be baptized. Hav- 
iiig gone directly afterwards to instruct the little 
children, I encountered the very one who had been, 
as it were, the master of these follies. He addressed 
me, and acting the hypocrite, said, ''Well, my 
brother, when shall we assemble to pray to Crod ? ' ' 
He gave me a good chance to wash his head ; but it 



176 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 18 

tous prefts d'eftre baptifez. Eflat all6 incontinent 
apres pour inftruire les petits enfans, ie rencontray 
iuftement celuy qui auoit eft6 comme le maiflre de 
ces folies, il m'aborda, & faifant Thipocrite, & bien 
mon frere me dit-il, quand nous affemblerons nous 
pour prier Dieu ? II me donnoit beau ieu de luy lauer 
la tefte, mais ceft grand piti6 de ne pouuoir pas dire 
tout ce qu'on voudroit bien, ie me contentay de luy 
dire, tu n'as pas d'efprit, ne f9ais tu pas bien ce que 
tu viens de faire, tu te mocque. Mais cela n'eft 
rien, V. Reuerece les verra bien toft tout h. fait tour- 
ner cafaque, & adreffer leur voeux & faire des offran- 
des k tout autant qu41 y k de forciers dans le pays, 
ils auront mefme recours aux demons, & feront des 
chofes [120] fi extrauagantes qu*on aura fujet de dire 
que r affection qu'ils ont pour la vie leur aura toum6 
la ceruelle. 

Le 7. nous retoumafmes d*Offoffan6 le Pere Gar- 
nier & moy, & le lendemain iour de la fefte de I'lm- 
macul6e Conception de la Vierge, nous renouuelldmes 
tous enfemble le voeu que nous anions fait Tan pafs^ 
le mefme iour, pour fupplier plus inftamment que 
iamais cette mere de mifericorde de s' employer au- 
pres de fon fils pour la conuerfion de ces peuples, 
dont la mifere nous perce le coeur. Sur le foir le 
Pere Superieur affembla les anciens de noftre bour- 
gade & leur fit vne petite exhortation pour leur don- 
ner courage, leur remettre en memoire la promeffe 
qu'ils auoient faite, les exciter k n'auoir confiance 
qu'en Dieu, & k obferuer fa faincte loy, qu'eux mef- 
mes auoient iug6 fi raifonnable. II leur recommanda 
auffi fort particulierement les points qu'il auoit pro- 
pose aux habitants d'Oenrio, auf quels ils acquiefce- 



1637] LE JEUNRS RELA TION, 1637 177 

is a great pity not to be able to say all that one 
would like to. I contented myself with sa)ring to 
him, '* Thou hast no sense; dost thou not know 
what thou hast just been doing? thou art jesting." 
But this is nothing ; Your Reverence will soon see 
them become complete turncoats, addressing their 
vows and making their offerings to all the sorcerers 
of the country, however many there be. They will 
even have recourse to demons, and will do things 
[120] so extravagant, that one will have reason to 
say that their love of life has turned their heads. 

On the 7th, we returned from Ossossan6, Father 
Gamier and I ; and the next day, the festival of the 
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, we all together 
renewed the vow we had made last year on the same 
day, to supplicate more earnestly than ever this 
mother of mercy to intercede with her son for the 
conversion of these peoples, whose misery pierces our 
hearts. Towards evening the Father Superior called 
together the old men of our village, and addressed 
to them a short exhortation in order to encourage 
them, — recalling to their memories the promise they 
had made, inspiring them to have confidence in God 
alone, and to observe his holy law, which they them- 
selves had considered so reasonable. He recom- 
mended to them also very particularly the points he 
had proposed to the inhabitants of Oenrio, in which 
they all acquiesced, as usual, promising to observe 
them. They are inveterate sinners, who, after their 
good promises, do not hesitate to resume the way of 
their past lives. The Father, upon this occasion, 
[121] having spoken to them of Heaven and of the 
great rewards that God reserves for his faithful serv- 
ants, an old man named Tendoutsahoronc told him 



178 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. IS 

rent tons k leur ordinaire promettans de les garder. 
Ce font des pecheurs inueterez, qui apres leurs bons 
propos ne laiflent pas de reprendre la route de leur 
vie paffee. Le Pere kcette occafion [121] leur ayant 
parl6 du Ciel, & des grandes recompenfes que Dieu 
referue k fes fideles feruiteurs, vn vieillard nomm£ 
Tendoutsahoronc luy dit qu'ils auoient quelque regret 
de ce que nous anions baptist ce prifonnier Hiro- 
quois; d'autant qu'il eftoit pour les chaffer du Para- 
dis quand ils iroient pour y entrer: & le pere luy 
aiant repliqu6 que le Paradis eftoit vn lieu de paix. 
Comment dit-il, nous penfons nous autres que les 
morts fe faffent la guerre aufli bien que les viuants. 
Ces pauures peuples ont toutes les peines du monde 
a prendre les id6es du Ciel. Vous en trouuez qui 
renoncent au Ciel quand vous leur dites qu'il n'y ^ 
point de champs & de bleds, qu'on n*y va point en 
traitte, ou a la pefche, qu'on ne s'y marie point. Vn 
autre nous dit vn iour qu41 trouuoit mauuais qu'on 
ne trauaillaft point dans le Ciel, que cela n* eftoit pas 
bien d'eftre oiCf ; & que pour ce fujet il n'auoit pas 
enuie d'y aller. Nous entendons vne infinite de 
contes femblables qui nous donent fujet cent fois le 
iour de remercier cette infinie mifericorde, de nous 
auoir preuenu 11 auantageufement de fes graces, & 
efclair6 nos efprits de fes veritez eternelles, cette fa- 
ueur [122] n'eft pas feniible au milieu de la France 
comme parmy ces barbares, en France ces cognoif- 
fances nous femblent eftre connaturelles, nous les 
fufgons auec le laict, le fainct nom de Dieu eft vn de 
nos premiers begaiements, & ces groflieres imprefllons 
du bas aage, vont fe perfectionnans prefque infenfl- 
blement k mefure que nous croiffons par I'inftru- 



1«37] LE JEUNE*S RELA TION, 1637 179 

that they were rather sorry we had baptized that 
Hiroquois prisoner, inasmuch as he would be ready to 
drive them from Paradise if they should undertake to 
enter there. The father having replied to him that 
Paradise was a place of peace, — "How?" said he, 
* ' we people think that the dead make war among 
themselves as well as the living.*' These poor peo- 
ples have all the trouble in the world to form ideas 
of Heaven. You find some of them who renounce 
Heaven when you tell them there are no fields and 
no gprain there ; that people do not go trading, nor 
fishing there; and that they do not marry. Another 
one told us one day that he thought it was wrong that 
they should not work in Heaven, that it was not well 
to be idle ; and for this reason he had no desire to go 
there. We hear an infinite number of similar stories, 
which give us reason, a hundred times a day, to 
thank this infinite mercy for having beforehand g^ven 
us so freely of his grace, and illumined our minds with 
his eternal truths. This favor [122] is not felt by us 
in the middle of France as it is among these barba- 
rians. In France, the knowledge of these things 
seems to be a part of our nature. We imbibe them 
with our milk, the holy name of God is one of the first 
words we lisp, and these rude impressions of infancy 
continue to develop almost insensibly, according to 
our gfrowth, through the instruction, good example, 
and piety of our parents; so that these advantages 
very often blind our eyes, and many find themselves 
at the point of death who have never, perhaps, once 
in their lives thanked God heartily for this so special 
favor. A holy personage has said that the wise prov- 
idence of God had ordained that the sick poor should 
lie ill in the streets and public places, not only to 



180 LES RELATIONS DES jASUITES [Vol.18 

ction, le bon exemple, & la piet6 de nos parents, de 
forte que ces auantages nous creuent bien fouuent 
les yeux, & plulieurs fe trouuent k Varticle de la 
mort, qui n'ont pas pent eftre vne fois en leur vie 
remerci^ Dieu cordiallement de cette faueur 11 parti- 
culiere. Vn fainct perfonnage k dit que la fage pro- 
uidence de Dieu auoit ordonn6 que les pauures 
malades fuffent gifants par les ruSs, & les places 
publiques, non feulement pour exercer la charity des 
gens de bien, mais aufll pour nous faire cognoiftre 
r obligation que nous luy auons de nous conferuer la 
fant6 qu'autant de playes que nous voyons font au- 
tant de faueurs qu'il nous fait, & comme autant de 
langues qui nous parlent & nous inuitent k luy en 
rendre vn million d'actions de graces. Aufli Tigno- 
ranee & Taueuglement de nos Sauuages [123] nous 
fait goufler le bon heur que nous auons de cognoiftre 
les veritez etemelles, & tout autant que nous en voy- 
ons font comme autant de voix qui nous orient, Beati 
qui vident qua vos uidetiSy vobis autem datum eft nojfe 
myfteria regni Dei. 

Le 9. Le Pere Superieur retouma k OJfofani^ auec 
le Pere Pierre Chaftellain, & Simon Baron, ie ne 
mande rien icy k voftre Reuerence de la diflBi- 
cult6 des chemins, elle fjait affez quels ils peuuent 
eftre en cette faifon, ie diray feulement qu'il n'eftoit 
queftion, que de quatre lieuSs & cependant la iour- 
nee ne fe trouuoit gueres trop longue pour en venir 
k bout. 

Ce voyage fut de huict iours, les Peres baptiferent 
cinquante perf onnes, quatorze adultes, & le refte tous 
petits enfans tant fains que malades, Simon Baron fit 
aufli plus de deux cens faign^es, & en vn feul iour 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 181 

provide exercise for the charity of good people, but al- 
so to reveal to us the obligations we are under to him 
for having preserved our health ; that all the plagues 
we see are so many favors that he does us, and so 
many tongues which speak to us and invite us to 
render to him a million thanksgivings. So the ignor- 
ance and blindness of our Savages [123] make us ap- 
preciate the blessing that we possess in knowing the 
eternal truths ; and, however many of them we see, 
they are like so many voices which cry out to us, 
Beati qui vident quce vos videtiSy vobis autent datum est 
nosse mysteria regni Dei. 

On the 9th, the Father Superior returned to Osso- 
^tf«/with Father Pierre Chastellain and Simon Baron. 
I say nothing here to your Reverence about the diffi- 
culties of the way ; you know well enough what they 
can be at this season. I will merely say that it was 
only a question of four leagues, and yet the day was 
hardly too long to reach the end of them. 

This trip lasted eight days ; the Fathers baptized 
fifty persons, — fourteen adults, and the rest all little 
children, both well and sick. Simon Baron also bled 
more than two hundred, and in a single day as many 
as fifty. They emulated each other in holding out 
their arms to him, — the well ones having themselves 
bled as a precaution, and the sick considering them- 
selves half cured when they saw their blood flowing. 
Among others, was an old man who was half blind ; 
as soon as he was bled, [124] " Ah, my nephew," said 
he, " thou hast restored my sight; now I see." Be 
that as it may, he found himself on the instant won- 
derfully relieved. But what consoled us particularly 
was to see so many little innocents and so many 
souls reconciled to God. I shall only mention three 



182 LES RELATIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 18 

iufques k cinquante, c'eftoit k qui luy tendroit le bras> 
les fains fe faifoient faigner par precaution, & les ma- 
lades s'eftimoient k demy gueris quand ils voyoient 
couler leur fang, entre autre vn vieilla[r]d qui efloit 
demy aueugle. Si toft qu'il fut faign6 [124] ah ! dit-il, 
mon nepueu tu m'as rendu la veu€, ie voy mainte- 
nant, tant y a qu'il fe trouua fur Vheure merueilleu- 
fement foulag6. Mais ce qui nous confola particu- 
lierement fut de voir tant de petits innocents & 
tant d'ames reconcili^es auec Dieu. Ie luy toucheray 
feulement trois particularitez aflez notables, dont 
Tvne eft pleine de deuotion, 1* autre merite vn efprit 
qui agit par raifon, la troifiefme eft tout k fait naifue. 
Cependant que le Pere Superieur eftoit ^ inftruire 
trois malades en la cabane d'vn nomm6 Ochiotta, ce 
bon homme prenoit fouuent la parole & les aydoit 
auec beaucoup de ferueur 2i faire Tacte de contrition, 
& depuis, quoy que la maladie luy euft emport6 vne 
grande partie de fa famille, dont la plufpart auoient 
eft6 baptifez, il n'a pas fait ^ Tordinaire des Sau- 
uages, qui nous regardent fouuent de manuals ceil, 
& ne veullent point oiiyr parler du baptefme fi toft 
que quelqu'vn de ceux que nous auons baptifez eft 
mort en leur cabane ; Pour luy il nous k touliours fait 
le meilleur accueil du monde & k toufiours monftr6 
qu'il faif oit vn grand eftat de ce que nous enf eignions ; 
Mais ce que ie veux dire h. voftre Reuerence c'eft 
que fa femme recent le [125] baptefme auec tant de 
deuotion, que les larmes en tomberent des yeux k 
quelques vns des afllftans. Apres auoir de-jk donn6 
dans rinftruction beaucoup de fatisfaction au pere, 
comme il commen9oit ^ luy verfer I'eau fur la tefte 
& It prononcer les paroles Sacramentales, elle s'efcria 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 188 

quite remarkable cases, — one of which is replete 
with devotion, another is worthy of a mind which 
acts through reason, the third is altogether ingen- 
uous. While the Father Superior was instructing 
three sick people in the cabin of one Ochiotta, this 
good man often took part in the conversation, and 
aided them with great fervor to perform the act of 
contrition; and afterwards, although the epidemic 
had carried oflf a great part of his family, the major- 
ity of whom had been baptized, he did not act like 
most of the Savages, who often look upon us with ill 
will, and are unwilling to hear about baptism as soon 
as any one of those whom we have baptized dies in 
their cabin. As for him, he always gave us the best 
possible welcome, and always showed that he held in 
high esteem what we taught. But what I mean to 
tell your Reverence is that his wife received [125] 
baptism with so much devotion, that tears fell from 
the eyes of some of those present. After having al- 
ready given g^eat satisfaction to the father in regard 
to her instruction, when he began to pour the water 
upon her head, and to pronounce the Sacramental 
words, she cried out of her own accord, "Oh my 
God, how I have offended you, how I have offended 
you ! I am very sorry for it ; my God, I will offend 
you no more." This good woman died the same 
night. The Father asked another if she believed 
firmly all that he taught her ; * * Yes indeed, * * said 
she, " I believe it, I would not listen to thee if I did 
not believe." Another asserted that she was well 
content to be baptized; " But I pray thee," said she 
to the father, "oblige me; do not give me a new 
name, — it annoys me to change my name." 

On the loth, the Father Superior made overtures 



184 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 13 

de f on propre mouuement ! ah mon Dieu que ie vous 
ay offenc6, que ie vous ay offenc6, i'en ay vn grand 
regret, mon Dieu, ie ne vous offenceray plus. Cette 
bonne femme mourut la mefme nuit. Le Pere de- 
mandoit k vn autre fi elle croyoit fermement tout ce 
qu'il luy enfeignoit, oiiy dea dit elle ie le croy, ie ne 
t'efcouterois pas, fi ie ne croyois. Vn autre tefmoi- 
gnaqu'elle eftoitbien contente d'eftre baptifee, mais 
ie te prie dit-elle au pere, oblige moy, ne me donne 
point de nouueau nom, ie fuis ennuy^e de changer de 
nom; 

Le lo. le Pere Superieur fit ouuerture au Capitaine 
Anenkhiondic fur la parole que luy mefme nous en 
auoit donnee quelque iours auparauant, de faire quel- 
que voeu k Dieu en cette neceflit6 publique ; & le len- 
demain le confeil s'afl^embla ou le pere les inftruifit 
fur la verit6 d'vn Dieu, qui eftoit le maiftre [126] de 
nos vies, leur fit vn f ommaire des principaux myfteres 
de noftre croyance, leur expliqua les commandements 
de Dieu, & les points qu'il auoit propof6 aux autres. 
L'aflBliction en laquelle ils eftoient (car il en mouroit 
tous les iours) mift Taffaire hors de deliberation, & 
tous conclurent qu'ils recognoiftroient d'orefnauant 
Dieu pour leur Dieu, qu'ils croyoient en luy; en vn 
mot, qu'ils fe refoluoient de quitter toutes leurs cou- 
ftumes qu'ils fjauroient luy deplaire, & luy fairoient 
voeu, tres volontiers de drefl^er au prin-temps vne ca- 
bane en fon honneur. L'inconftance des autres nous 
donnoit afl!ez de fujet de nous deffier de la bonne vo- 
lenti de ceux-cy ; neantmoins tout bien confider6 le 
Pere Superieur iugea que ce feroit pent eftre s'oppo- 
fer aux deffeings du Ciel, de ne pas feconder cette 
bonne penfee. lis s'y eftoient portez en partie de 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 186 

to the Captain Anenkhiondicy regarding the promise 
that he himself had g^ven us some days before, to 
make some vow to God in this public necessity ; and 
the next day the council assembled, in which the 
father instructed them upon the reality of a Grod, 
who was the master [126] of our lives, — summariz- 
ing for them the principal mysteries of our belief, 
explaining to them the commandments of God, and 
the points he had proposed to the others. The afflic- 
tion in which they were plunged (for every day some 
of them died) placed the affair beyond discussion, and 
all concluded that they would henceforth recognize 
God as their God, and that they would believe in 
him, — in a word, that they had decided to give up 
all their customs that they knew would displease him, 
and that they would very willingly make a vow to 
him to erect in the spring a cabin in his honor. The 
fickleness of the others gave us sufficient reason to 
mistrust the good will of these ; nevertheless, all 
things well considered, the Father Superior judged 
that it would be, perhaps, opposing the designs of 
Heaven, not to second this good intention. They 
were partly inclined to this by an impulse of their 
own, manifesting to us a very peculiar interest. The 
grace that God bestowed upon several of them, at 
the time of their conversion, caused us to believe that 
he looked upon this village with special favor, and 
was preparing for it great blessings. Besides, [127] 
it is the approach to the whole country ; and from 
that time on we were strongly inclined to settle down 
there as soon as possible. However, the Father did 
not judge it wise to be hasty in the matter, and the 
final decision was postponed until the next day. 
Meanwhile, as there were some present from all the 



186 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol.18 

leur propre mouuement, ils nous tefmoignoient vne 
affection toute particuliere, les graces que Dieu fai- 
foit k plufieurs au point de leur conuerfion, nous 
faifoient croire qu'il regardoit ce bourg d'vn oeil tout 
particulier, & luy preparoit de grandes benedictions ; 
outre [127] cela c'eft Tabord de tout le pai's, & d66- 
lors nous anions de grandes inclinations ii nous y ha- 
bituer au pluftoft. Toutefois le Pere ne iugea pas k 
propos de precipiter la chofe, la derniere conclufion 
fut remife au lendemain, cependant comme il y en 
auoit li de toutes les cabanes, chacun euft tout loifir 
d'en conferer auec ceux de fa famille, & leur propo- 
fer les points defquels defpendoit le bon fuccez de 
toute Taffaire. 

Le 12. Le voeu fut entierement ratifi6, on ne deli- 
bera que de la fayon de le publier, en forte que tout 
le monde Tentendifl. Ils propoferent deux voyes, la 
premiere de monter fur le haut d'vne cabane, Tautre 
d'en f aire la proclamation par les ruSs du bourg : celle 
cy fut iug6e la meilleure, on en donna la commifllon k 
vn nomm6 Okhiarenta, qui efl vn de leur Aren- 
dioan6, c'eft i dire vn des forciers du pais, qui alia 
crier k haute voix que les habitants d*Offofan6 pre- 
noient Dieu pour leur Seigneur & leur maiftre, qu'ils 
renongoiet, k toutes leurs erreurs que d*orefnauant 
ils n'efcouteroient plus leur fonges, qu'ils ne feroient 
plus de feflins au demon Aoiitaerohi, que leurs ma- 
nages feroient flables, qu'ils ne mangeroient [128] 
de chair humaine & s'obligeoient au printemps de 
baflir en fon honneur vne cabane au cas qu'il luy 
pleut arrefler le cours de la maladie. Quelle confo- 
lation de voir Dieu glorifi6 publiquemet par la bouche 
d'vn barbare, & d'vn des fuppofl de fatan, iamais on 
n'auoit veu chofe femblable parmy les Hurons. 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 187 

cabins, each one had abundant leisure to confer about 
it with those of his family, and to propose to them 
the points upon which depended the good success of 
the whole affair. 

On the 1 2th, the vow was entirely ratified; the 
only thing calling for discussion was in what way to 
make it public, so that every one would hear it. 
They proposed two ways, — the first, to climb to the 
top of a cabin, the other to proclaim it through the 
streets of the village. The latter was considered the 
better, and the commission was given to a certain Ok- 
hiarenta, who is one of their Arendioan6, that is, one 
of the sorcerers of the country. He went about cry- 
ing in a loud voice that the inhabitants of Ossosan6 
took God as their Lord and their master ; that they 
renounced all their errors, — that henceforth they 
would no longer pay attention to their dreams, that 
they would make no more feasts to the demon Aou- 
taerohi, that their marriages should be binding, that 
they would not eat [128] human flesh, — and that they 
bound themselves to build in the spring a cabin in 
his honor, in case it pleased him to stop the progress 
of the disease. What a consolation it was to see 
God publicly glorified through the mouth of a barba- 
rian and one of the tools of satan ! Never had such 
a thing been seen among the Hurons, 

While all this was taking place at Ossosan6, God in 
his goodness gave us also from time to time opportuni- 
ties to practice charity and to preach his holy name. 

On the 14th, a sick man of our village was so low 
that we were almost in despair of being able to ob- 
tain anything from him in regard to baptism. Nev- 
ertheless, consciousness having returned to him 



188 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 13 

Cependant que tout cela fe paffoit k Offofan6, Dieu 
par fa bont6 nous donnoit aufli de temps en temps 
Toccafion de pratiquer la charity & de prefcher fon 
fainct nom. 

Le 14. Vn malade de noftre bourgade fe trouua fi 
bas, que nous eftions prefque hors d'efperance d'en 
pouuoir rien tirer pour le baptefme, neantmoins le 
iugement luy eftant reuenu fur le foir, le Pere Pierre 
Pijart rinftruiflt, & fut baptist en mefme temps; 

Le Pere Charles Garnier & moy nous allames cou- 
cher k Anonatea, qui n'eft qu'vne lieue de nous, 
nous anions oliy parler qu*il y auoit quelques ma- 
lades affez en danger, k noftre arriu6e on nous inuita 
k vn feftin qui fe faifoit iuftement en la cabane ou 
nous anions le plus k faire, & ou il y auoit vne pauure 
fille k r extremity, [129] nous y allafmes pour predre 
occafion de luy parler & Tinftruire; ce feftin eftoit 
vn Aoutaerohj\ oti nous vifmes vn vrai fabat, les fem- 
mes chantoient & danjoient, tandis que les hommes 
frappoient rudement fur des efcorces, iamais ie 
nouis vn tel tintamarre, & des efclats de voix fi 
des-agreables. Elles prenoient comme k la cadence, 
des braifes ardentes, & des cendres toutes rouges k 
belles mains, puis paffoient la main fur Teftomac de 
la malade ; qui, fut par ceremonie ou autrement, fe 
tourmentoit comme vn demoniacle, & branfloit fans 
ceffe la tefte. Le feftin actieu6 elle demeura fort pai- 
fible. Nous luy parlafmes du baptefme, d'abord elle 
nous temoigna en eftre fort contente : mais luy aiat 
fait entendre qu*elle ne deuoit pas prendre le bap- 
tefme, comme vne medecine corporelle, & qu'il ne 
f eruoit que pour vous faire aller au ciel apres la mort, 
elle n'en vouloir point ouy parler; de forte que ce 
foir, nous ne peufmes rien gaigner d'auatage, ce qui 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 189 

towards evening, Father Pierre Pijart instructed him, 
and he was baptized at the same time. 

Father Charles Gamier and I went to pass the night 
at Anonatea,^ which is only one league away from us. 
We have heard it said that there were some sick 
people there whose condition was quite dangerous. 
Upon our arrival we were invited to a feast which 
was made in the very cabin where we had the most 
to do, and where there was a poor girl at the point 
of death; [129] we went there to take occasion to 
speak with and instruct her. This feast was an 
Aautaerohi, where we saw a real sabbat. The women 
sang and danced while the men struck violently 
against pieces of bark ; never have I heard such a din, 
or shouts so disagreeable. They took, to keep time, as 
it were, burning embers and red-hot cinders in their 
bare hands, then passed their hands over the stom- 
ach of the patient, — who, as a part of the ceremony 
or for some other reason, tossed about like a maniac, 
incessantly shaking her head. The feast ended, she 
became very quiet. We spoke to her about baptism ; 
at first, she showed us that she was well pleased with 
it; but, having made her understand that she was 
not to take baptism as a medicine for the body, and 
that it served merely to open the way to heaven after 
death, she would hear no more about it ; so that, this 
evening, we could accomplish nothing further, which 
made us resolve to sleep in the cabin. From time to 
time we gave her some raisins ; these little comforts, 
her relatives said, made her survive the night. In 
fact, she was very sick, and God willed that she should 
be a little better towards morning. We [130] again 
spoke to her of baptism, and having made her under- 
stand what we desired, we found her favorably dis- 



190 LES RELATIONS DBS J J&SUITES [Vol. IS 

nous fit refoudre k coucher dans la cabane. Nous luy 
donnions de teps en teps quelques raifins ; ces petits 
foulagements luy firent paffer la nuict k entendre fes 
parents. En effect elle eftoit fort mal, & Dieu voulut 
qu'elle fe portaft vn peu mieux fur le matin, nous 
[130] luy parlafmes derechef du baptefme, & lui aiant 
fait entendre ce que nous pretendions, nous la trou- 
uafmes bien difpof6e k nous efcouter, ie Tinflruifis 
affez brief uemet & la baptifai: elle mourut d'eux 
heures apres. De li nous fifmes vn tour iufques aux 
Biffiriniens, qui eftoient venus hyuemer k vn demy 
quart de lieuS de 1^ : nous y trouuaf mes affez de ma- 
lades : & leur donnaf mes quelques raifins, c'efloit tout 
ce que nous pouuions faire. Qui auroit entendu la 
lang^e Algonquine, auroit pent eflre gaign6 quelque 
chofe apres eux, il en efl mort quantity. Eflans de 
retour nous aprifmes qu*vn de nos Sauuages nomm£ 
Sononreskj efloit fort malade, ie Tallai voir & le trou- 
uai fort abbatu, ie lui fis ouuerture du baptefme, il 
me refpondit qu'il en eftoit bien content: mais come 
ie commen9ois 2l Tinftruire, il me pria de differer 
iufques fur le midy, d*autant qu41 n'auoit pas, difoit- 
il, Tefprit affez libre pour m'efcouter. Nous y re- 
toumafmes done fur le midy, le Pere logues & moy, 
aufli toft qu'il nous vift, il nous dit que nous venions 
ii la bonne heure, & qu'il fe trouuoit vn peu mieux: 
nous rinftruififmes amplement, en quoy nous aida 
beaucoup vn [131] nomm6 Tehondeguan, qui mourut 
par apres fort chreftiennement. Ce vieillard luy re- 
petoit & luy inculquoit ce que ie luy enfeignois, auec 
vne affection tout k fait remarquable, nous en demeu- 
rafmes fort fatisfaits, le Pere /ogues le baptifa. Ie 
Tallai reuoir quelque temps apres, ie le trouuai aflis, 
& me dit, qu'il penfoit eftre gn^^^y* q^^ I'^au du bap- 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, j637 191 



posed to listen to us. I instructed her rather briefly, 
and baptized her; she died two hours afterwards. 
Thence we made a trip to the Bissiriniens, who had 
come to pass the winter an eighth of a league from 
there. *^ We found a number of sick people among 
them, to whom we gave some raisins, this being all 
we could do. A person who understood the Al- 
gonquin tongue would, perhaps, have made some 
headway with them ; many of them died. Upon our 
return, we learned that one of our Savages, named 
Sononresky was very ill ; I went to see him and found 
him greatly prostrated. I made overtures of bap- 
tism to him, and he answered me that he would be 
well pleased therewith ; but when I began to instruct 
him, he begged me to postpone it until noon, inas- 
much as his mind was not clear enough, he said, to 
listen to me. Accordingly, we returned towards 
noon^ Father Jogues and I ; as soon as he saw us he 
told us that our coming was well timed, and that he 
found himself a little better. We instructed him 
fully, receiving valuable assistance in this [131] from 
oHe Tehondeguariy who afterwards died in a very 
christian manner. This old man repeated and im- 
pressed upon him what I was teaching him, with an 
afiEectionate interest altogether remarkable ; we were 
very well satisfied, and Father Jogues baptized him. 
I went to see him again some time afterwards and 
found him sitting up ; he told me that he thought he 
was cured, that the water of baptism had entered his 
head and had gone down to his throat, — that he no 
longer felt there any pain at all. He was nearer his 
end than he thought, for he died the next day. His 
wife assured us that during the night she had fre- 
quently heard him say Rihouiosta^ '* I believe." On 



192 LES RELATIONS DES jASUITES [Vol.18 

tefme luy eftoit entree dans la tefte, & eftoit defcen- 
dug iufques k la gorge, qu'il n'y fentoit plus du tout 
de mal. II eftoit plus preft de fa fin qu'il ne pen- 
foit, il mourut vn iour apres. Sa femme nous tef- 
moigna que pendant la nuict, elle luy auoit fouuente- 
fois ouy dire Rihouiojlay ie crois. Ce mefme iour le 
Pere Pierre Pijart auoit inftruit & baptif6 vne fiUe 
qui luy auoit donn6 beaucoup de confolation, elle 
auoit demand^ le baptef me de f on propre mouuement, 
& auffi toft apres, elle s'efcria ho, ho, ho, ie vous re- 
mercie mon Dieu, de ce que vous m'auez fait la grace 
d'eftre baptif6e, Sur le foir on tint confeil chez le 
Capitaine, ie me trouuai dans fa cabane. Comme la 
compagnie en fortoit, fon pere m'appella & me dit, 
qu'on auoit fort [132] parl6 de la maladie, & que fon 
fils auoit dit, qu'il ne falloit pas s*eftonner qu'elle ne 
diminuaft point, parce qu'on ne croioit pas k bon 
efcient. Ie m'en r'apporte \sc, rapporte] k ce qui en 
eftoit, ie doute fort qu'il euft parl6 fi librement ; mais 
la plufpart difoient fort bien que ce pouuoit bien, 
eftre la caufe de leur maVheur. 

Le 17. le P. Superieur ^oxtxt (T OJfoJfani, & s'en vint 
couch er ^ Anonatea, oil il trouua vn nomm6 Ifonnaat^ 
pere de cette fiUe que nous y anions baptif6e, bien 
malade ; neantmoins il ne peuft f e refoudre i le bap- 
tifer, quoy qu*il en tefmoignaft quelque forte de de- 
fir, il ne le trouua pas affez bien difpof6. Ce pauure 
Sauuage auoit fort en tefte, d'aller trouuer vne fienne 
foeur vterine qui eftoit morte, & k fon dire auoit eft6 
chang6e en vne couleuure. 

Le 19. le P. Superieur nous renuoia & Offojfani, le 
P. Charles Garnier & moy, auec commiflion de nous 
arrefter en pafl^ant k Anonatea pour voir encor Ifon- 
naat : mais il eftoit defia mort. Nous allaf mes loger 



1637] LE/EUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 1»S 



tkis same day Father Pierre Pijart had instructed and 
baptized a girl who had afforded him great consola- 
tion. She had, of her own accord, asked for baptism, 
and immediately afterwards had cried out, ^ ^ ho, ho, 
bo, — I thank you, my God, that you have granted 
me the favor of being baptized.*' Towards evening, 
a council was held at the Captain's; I happened to 
be in his cabin. As the company passed out, his fa- 
ther called me and told me that they had [132] talked 
much about the malady, and that his son had said 
that they need not be surprised that it had not abat* 
ed, since they were not believing in earnest. I do 
not know how true this was, — I doubt very much 
whether he spoke so frankly ; but most of them said, 
quite rightly, that this might indeed be the cause of 
their misfortune. 

On the 17th, the Father Superior departed from 
Ossossaniy and came to lodge at Anonatea^ where he 
found one Isonnaat, father of the girl whom we had 
baptized there, very sick. Nevertheless, he could 
not make up his mind to baptize him ; for, although 
he showed a sort of desire for it, he did not find him 
well enough prepared. This poor Savage was strong- 
ly bent upon going to find one of his half-sisters, 
who was dead, and who, according to his story, had 
been changed into a serpent. 

On the 19th, the Father Superior again sent us. 
Father Charles Gamier and me, to Ossossaniy with a 
commission to stop on the way at Anonatea^ to again 
see Isannaat; but he was already dead. We went to 
lodge with one Chiateandaoua^ having learned that he 
was very sick ; we had some trouble getting in, as 
there was a feast there. It is a crime, on these [133] 
occasions, to set one's foot in a cabin ; nevertheless. 



IW LES RELA TIONS DBS /^SUITES [Vol. 18 

chez vn nomin6 Chiateandaoua ; aias apris qu'il eftoit 
fort malade^ nous eufmes de la peine i y entrer, d'au- 
tant qu'il y auoit feftin. C'eft vn crime en ces [133] 
rencontres, de mettre le pied dans vne cabane ; nous 
y entrafmes neantmoins fur la fin, il n'y reftoit plus 
que deux ou trois perfonnes, aufquelles le malade 
auoit fait donner k chacun k manger pour quatre ; ils 
trauaillerent apres fort long temps, s'encourageans 
les vns les autres ; en fin il leur f allut rendre gorge, 
ce qu'ils firent k diuerfes reprifes, ne laifl^ants pas 
pour cela de continuer k vuider leur plat. Cependant 
Chiateandaoua, les remercioit, leur tefmoignant qu'ils 
faifoient bien, & qu'il leur auoit beaucoup d'obliga- 
tion. Vous euffiez dit k Tentendre, & i le voir faire, 
que fa guerifon defpendoit de c6t excez de gourman- 
dife. C'eftoit vne fort pauure dif pofition pour le bap- 
tefme, aufli ne luy en parlafmes nous pas, il n' eftoit 
encor que fur le commancement de fa maladie. 

Le 20. nous allafmes k Onnenti/atj\ oh nous aprifmes 
qu'il y auoit trois malades, nous trouuafmes deux 
pauures femmes bien bas, Tvne ne parloit n'y n'en- 
tendoit, & Tautre eftoit dans des conuulfions prefques 
continuelles : de forte que nous ne peuf mes lui faire 
entendre noftre deffein, & de mauuaife [134] fortune 
il n'y auoit que des enfans dans la cabane, nous nous 
contentafmes de luy donner vn pen de conferue & 4. 
on 5. grains de raifins, auec refolution d'y retoumer 
auat que de partir : nous anions bien du regret de 
les voir en c6t efl:at, & ne les pouuoir aider, pour cei 
qui eftoit de Tame. En cette extremity, Dieu nous 
infpira de luy voller quelques Meffes en Thonneur de 
S. /of eph, nous nous retirafmes cependant chez noftre 
hofte, oil nous baptifafmes vn petit enfant, il n'y auoit 



1637] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 196 

we went in, towards the close. There were only two 
or three persons remaining, to each of whom the sick 
man had caused to be given food enough for four. 
They worked at it a very long time, encouraging one 
another. Finally they had to disgorge, doing so at 
intervals, and not ceasing on this account to continue 
emptying their plates. Meanwhile Chiateandcu>ua 
thanked them, assuring them that they were doing 
well, and that he was under great obligations to 
them. You would have said, to hear him and to see 
their actions, that his recovery depended upon this 
gluttonous excess. This was a very poor state of 
mind for baptism, and we did not mention it to him, 
as he was only in the first stages of his disease. 

On the 2oth, we went to Onnentisati^ where we 
learned that there were three sick persons. We found 
two poor women very low, — the one neither speak- 
ing nor hearing, and the other in almost continual 
convulsions, so that we could not make her under- 
stand our purpose, and unfortunately [134] there was 
no one else in the cabin but some children. We con- 
tented ourselves with giving her a little preserved 
fruit and 4 or 5 raisins, intending to return thither 
before departing ; we were very sorry to see them in 
this state, and not be able to help them in what con- 
cerned their souls. In this extremity, God inspired 
us to vow to him some Masses in honor of St. Jo- 
seph. Meanwhile, we withdrew to the house of our 
host, where we baptized a little child. We had not 
been there half an hour, when a Savage came for us 
to go to the woman whom we had visited first, earn- 
estly requesting us to take her a little more preserved 
fruit, adding that what we had already given her had 
made her recover her senses, and that she heard very 



196 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. 18 

pas demi-heure que nous y eftions, qu'vn Sanuage 
nous vint querir pour aller voir cette femme, que 
nous anions vifit6e la premiere, nous priant bien-fort 
de hiy porter encor vn peu de conf erne ; adiouftant 
que ce que nous luy anions donn6, luy auoit fait re- 
uenir I'efprit, & entendoit fort bien. Nous voilk bien 
conf olez ; & de fait nous la trouuaf mes fi bien dif po- 
f6e qu'apres Tauoir inflruite nous la baptifafmes, au 
gprand contentement des affiflants, qui nous efcoute- 
rent auec beaucoup d'attention. De ce pas nous al- 
lafmes reuoir Tautre, oti nous eufmes aufll beaucoup 
de confolation, fans doute par les merites du glorieux 
Patriarche S. lofeph, elle efloit vn peu plus en repos, 
[135] & Dieu nouspourueut d'vn truchement, c'eftoit 
vne femme d'affez bon efprit, qui nous tefmoignoit 
beaucoup d'aflFection : elle exhorta la malade ii nous 
efcouter, & luy fit entendre noftre deffein. Comme 
ie vis qu'elle luy expliquoit fi nettement ce que ie 
pretendois, ie me refolus de fonger plufloft k Tin- 
ftruire quel a malade : mais comme nous continuions 
de la forte, la malade prift la parole, & dit : c'efl afi^ez 
qu'il parle luy, ie I'entends afl^ez bien, feulement qu41 
expedie en peu de mots. Ie pourfuiuis done, & elle 
me refpondit k tout fort diflinctement. Nous la bap- 
tifafmes : & nous aprifmes ^ noftre retour qu'elle eftoit 
morte la mefme ioum6e. Voila fans doute de gran- 
des marques d'vne ame predeftin^e. 

Nous arriuafmes fur Ie foir i OJfoffan^y oil la mala- 
die continuoit k faire beaucoup de rauage, nous nous 
enquifmes de I'eftat de quelques vns, dont Ie P. Su- 
perieur nous auoit donn6 les noms, entre autres d'vne 
femme qui mourut la nuict: on nous dit qu'elle fe por- 
toit vn peu mieux, ce qui nous deftouma de la vifiter. 



ie37] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 \Vl 

well. Behold us now greatly consoled ! In fact, we 
found her so well disposed that, after having in- 
structed her, we baptized her, to the great satisfac- 
tion of those present, who listened to us with close 
attention. After this, we went to see the other one, 
where we also were greatly comforted, doubtless 
through the merits of the glorious Patriarch St. Jo- 
seph. She was a little quieter, [135] and Grod pro- 
vided us with an interpreter, a woman of consider- 
able intelligence, who showed great aflFection for us. 
She exhorted the sick woman to listen to us, and 
made her understand our purpose. When I saw how 
clearly she explained to her what I meant, I resolved 
to think of instructing her rather than the patient. 
But, as we were continuing thus, the sick woman 
began to speak and said, *'It is enough, if only he 
speaks, — I understand him very well ; only let him 
hasten, in a few words." So I proceeded, and she 
answered everything very distinctly. We baptized 
her, and we learned, upon our return, that she had 
died the same day. Behold without doubt strong 
indications of a predestined soul. 

Towards evening, we arrived at Ossossani, where 
the malady was continuing to make great ravages. 
We made inquiries as to the condition of some of 
those whose names had been given us by the Father 
Superior, among others, about a woman, who died in 
the night. We were told that she was a little better, 
which turned us aside from visiting her, as we had 
to see the more urgent cases. We directed our steps 
to the house of one Aonchiarey who was in truth very 
ill ; we instructed and baptized him. He is still alive 
and [136] well. It was already very late, but hear- 
ing that the Captain Anenichiendisj who had been re- 



198 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 13 

pour auoir i voir les plus preff ez, on nous adreila chez 
vn nomm6 Aonchiarey qui eftoit k la verit6 bien mal, 
nous rinftruififmes & le baptifafmes, il eft encor 
plein de [136] vie, il eftoit defia fort tard, neantmoins 
entendant que le Capitaine AnenichiendiSy qu'6 nous 
auoit fait demi g^eri par le chemin, eftoit k Textremi- 
t6, nous y courufmes ; il eftoit temps, car il ne parloit 
quail plus, & auoit encor plus de peine k entendre, 
le luy parlai du baptefme & de fon importance, il me 
refpondit ce qu'il nous auoit fouuent tefmoign6, qu'il 
eftoit fort content d'eftre baptif6. Sa femme nous 
aida ^ Tinftruire, ce ne fut pas fans peine, car outre 
qu'elle eftoit d'vne nation eftrangere, & parloit d'vn 
langage que ie n'entendois pas fi bien, fouuent ce vieil- 
lard fembloit s'affoupir, & luy demandant de temps en 
temps s'il m'entendoit, quelquefois il ne me refpon- 
doit pas k la premiere f ois. Ce qui fut caufe que nous 
ne le baptifafmes que fous condition. II mourut le 
lendemain fur le poinct du iour. 

Le 21. nous baptifafmes vne femme, qui nous ar- 
refta fur deux poincts, premierement luy aiant parl6 
du Paradis, & luy aiant fait entendre, que fans le 
baptefme il n'eftoit pas pofllble d'y aller iamais, & 
que ceux qui mouroient fans eftre baptifez, alloient 
aux enfers. Elle me dit nettement que pour elle, 
elle ne pretendoit point aller ailleurs, que li oh 
eftoient fes parens defunts, neantmoins [137] elle 
changea bien toft d'aduis, quand elle ouit parler de 
Teflat miferable des damnez, & qu'ils ne receuoient 
aucune confolation les vns des autres. Ie luy expli- 
quai le refte de nos myfteres, iufques aux Comman- 
demens de Dieu ; la elle m'arrefta encor, & comme ie 
Texhortois \ eftre marrie d'auoir offenc6 Dieu, & luy 







1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 16^ m 



ported to us, on the way, as partially recovered, was 
at the point of death, we ran thither. It was time, 
for he could hardly speak, and had still more trouble 
to understand. I spoke to him about baptism and its 
importance ; he answered me what he had often told 
us, that he was very glad to be baptized. His wife 
helped us to instruct him ; this was not done without 
diflBculty, for, — besides that she was of a strange na- 
tion, and spoke a language that I did not understand 
so well, — often this old man seemed to become drow- 
sy ; and, when I asked him at times if he heard me, 
occasionally he did not answer me the first time. 
This caused us to baptize him only conditionally. 
He died the next morning at dawn. 

On the 2ist, we baptized a woman who checked us 
at two points : First, — having spoken to her of Para- 
dise, and having made her understand that without 
baptism it was not possible ever to go there, and that 
those who died without baptism went to hell, — she 
said to me frankly that, for her part, she did not wish 
to go elsewhere than there, where her dead relatives 
were; nevertheless, [137] she soon changed her mind 
when she heard about the wretched condition of the 
damned, and that they received no consolation from 
one another. I explained to her the rest of our mys- 
teries, as far as the Commandments of God; there 
she stopped me again, and, when I was exhorting her 
to be sorry for having oflfended God, and telling her 
that without doing so her sins would not be pardoned 
her, she answered me that she could not do it, — that 
she had not offended God, and that she did not know 
what sin was. Those who were present, and who 
had been very willing to have her baptized, almost 
spoiled the whole aflfair by saying that indeed she 



SOO LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. iS 

difois que fans cela fes pechez ne luy feroient poiat 
pardonnez; elle me refpondit, qu'elle ne pouuoit, 
qu'elle n'auoit point oflfenc6 Dien, & qu'elle ne fga- 
iioit ce qne c'eftoit que pech6. Ceux qui eftoient \k 
prefens, & qui auoient efl6 fort portez pour fon bap- 
tefme, penferent gafter toute I'affaire, difans qu'en 
eflFet elle auoit touflours bien vef cu ; & elle mef me 
tant que ie peus entendre, s'eftendit fort fur fes loii- 
anges, proteftant qu'elle ne f9auoit ce que c'eftoit 
que du libertinage, & la vie ordinaire du psus. Ie 
luy refpondis que i'en eftois bien aife, mais au refte, 
qu'elle ne penfaft pas eftre fans pech6, & que tous 
les hommes eftoient fuiets au pechS. Toutesfois per- 
ilftant toufiours fur fon innocence, ie luy reprefentai 
que cela eftant, ie ne pouuois pas la baptif er ; & que 
quand bien mef me ie la baptif erois, Ie baptefme ne 
luy feruiroit de rien. Ie luy adiouftai que ie ne luy 
demandois pas qu'elle me [138] fift vn denombrement 
de tous fes pechez, mais feulement qu'elle me tefmoi- 
gnaft vn g^rand reg^ret de les auoir commis. Nous 
demeurafmes \k deffus vn bon quart d'heure, de temps 
en temps elle me demandoit Ie baptefme, mais ie luy 
refpondois qu'il ne m'eftoit pas poflible de la bapti- 
fer, tandis qu'elle me tiendroit ce langage, que ie ne 
fouhaittois autre chofe, que c'eftoit ce qui m'auoit 
amen6, mais qu'elle mefme me lioit les mains, & 
m'empefchoit de luy faire cette faueur. Ie la mena- 
jai de I'enfer, & luy en parlai plus en particulier que 
ie n'auois fait au commencement, luy difant que I'en- 
fer eftoit plein de ceux qui ne s' eftoient point reco- 
gneus pour pecheurs. En fin il pleuft k la mifericorde 
de Dieu luy toucher Ie coeur, elle nous aduoiia qu'elle 
auoit pech6, qu'elle en eftoit marrie, & qu'elle ne 



ie37] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 201 

had always lived correctly ; and she herself, as well 
as I could understand, was dwelling largely upon her 
own praises, protesting that she did not know what 
libertinage and the ordinary life of the country was. 
I told her that I was very glad of it, but also that she 
should not think she was without sin, and that all 
men were subject to sin. However, as she persisted 
in declaring her own innocence, I represented to her 
that, if that were so, I could not baptize her; and 
that, even if I should baptize her, baptism would 
avail her nothing. I added that I was not asking her 
to [138] give me an enumeration of all her sins, but 
merely that she should testify to me her deep regret 
for having committed them. We considered this 
point for a good quarter of an hour ; f roni time to 
time she asked me for baptism, but I answered her 
that it was not possible for me to baptize her as long 
as she used this language to me ; that I had no other 
desire, that this was what brought me here, but that 
she herself bound my hands and prevented me from 
doing her this favor. I threatened her with hell, and 
spoke to her about it more in detail than I had done 
at first, telling her that hell was full of people who 
had not recognized themselves as sinners. Finally, 
it pleased the mercy of God to touch her heart ; she 
confessed to me that she had sinned, that she was 
very sorry for it, and that she would sin no more. 
We baptized her and she died a few days afterwards. 
On this same journey, a young man caused us the 
same difficulty. He was very sick, and we had in- 
structed him with as much comfort and satisfaction as 
possible ; his relatives also took great pleasure in lis- 
tening to our holy mysteries. Everything proceeded 
in the most satisfactory manner, but he would not [i 39] 



202 LES RELATIONS DES JASUITES [Vol. IS 

pecheroit plus, nous la baptifafmes, & elle mourut 
peu de lours apres. 

En ce mefme voiage vn ieune homme nous fit la 
mefme difficult6, il efloit fort malade & nous Tauions 
inftruit auec autant de confolation & de fatisfaction 
qui fe peut dire fes parens auoient aufli pris grand 
plaifir a entedre nos faincts myfteres ; tout alloit le 
mieux du monde, mais il ne vouloit point [139] ouir 
parler de fe repentir de fes pechez; or apres m'eflre 
ferui de tous les moies que Dieu m'infpira pour luy 
faire franchir ce pas, ie m'aduifai de luy dire, que 
pour moy i'auois fouuentesfois offenc6 Dieu, mais 
que ie luy en demandois pardon de tout mon coeur, & 
eflois bien refolu de pluftofl mourir que de Toflfencer 
iamais. II fe rendit enfin, & nous contenta tellement 
fur ce poinct, que nous ne iugeafmes pas k propos de 
diflferer plus long temps f on baptefme ; nous efperSs 
qu'il efl maintenant bien-heureux dans le ciel. 

Ce mefme iour le forcier Tanner aoiianont^ qui c6men- 
joit k faire des fiennes dans ce bourg, & auoit entre- 
pris de guerir les malades, vint fur le foir faire vne 
fuerie en noflre cabane, pour predre cognoiffance de 
cette maladie. lis vous croiferet quatre ou cinq per- 
ches en rond, & firent comme vne maniere de petit 
berceau, qu'ils entourerent dVne efcorce d'arbre, ils 
s'entafferent Ik dedans douze ou treize, prefque les 
vns fur les autres, au milieu il y auoit cinq ou fix 
groffes pierres toutes rouges, fi toft qu'ils furent en- 
trez, on les couurit k Tordinaire, de robes & de peaux, 
pour tenir la chaleur. Et ce petit forcier commenja 
ii chanter, les autres chantoient apres luy ; il y auoit 
vn Sauuage au dehors, qui n'eftoit [140] que pour le 
feruir en tout ce qu'il defireroit. Apres auoir bien 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 208 

listen to talk about repentance for his sins ; now hav- 
ing used all the means with which God inspired me 
to make him take this step, I decided to tell him that» 
for my own part, I had oftentimes offended God, but 
that I had asked his pardon for it with all my heart, 
and had firmly resolved to die rather than ever offend 
him again. He jdelded at last, and so thoroughly 
satisfied us upon this point that we did not judge it 
wise to defer longer his baptism. We hope that he 
is now happy in heaven. 

On this same day the sorcerer Tonneraouanonty who 
was beginning to play his pranks in this village, and 
had undertaken to cure the sick, came towards even- 
ing to have a sweat in our cabin, to get some knowl- 
edge of this disease. They crossed four or five poles 
in a ring, making a sort of little arbor, which they 
surrounded with the bark of a tree. They crowded 
within this, twelve or thirteen of them, almost upon 
one another. In the middle there were five or six 
large red-hot stones. As soon as they had entered, 
they covered themselves, as usual, with robes and 
skins in order to retain the heat. The little sorcerer 
began to sing, and the others sang after him ; there 
was a Savage outside, who was there [140] merely to 
serve him with whatever he might desire. After 
much singing, he asked for some tobacco which he 
threw upon these red-hot stones, while addressing 
the devil in these words, lo sechongnac. 

The others from time to time urged him to do his 
best; these orgies lasted a good half hour, after 
which they began to eat. I drew near to listen to 
what was said; whoever well understood the whole 
discourse of this sorcerer would oblige a curious per- 
son by communicating it to him and by setting it 



204 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 13 

chat€, il demada du petun, qu'il ietta fur ces pierres 
rouges, en s'adreffant au diable en ces termes, lo 
/eckongnac, 

Les autres de temps en temps Texcitoient k bien 
faire ; ce fabat dura bien vne bonne demi heure, apres 
lequel ils fe mirent Jt manger. le m'approchai pour 
ef couter ce qui f e diroit ; qui auroit bien compris tout 
le difcours du forcier, obligeroit vne perfonne curi- 
eufe de luy en faire part, & de le coucher icy de mot 
i mot; ie n'entreprends pas cela; ie remarquerai 
neantmoins que fon entretien ne fut qu'vne fuite de 
vanteries & d'extrauagances ; il ne declara pas la 
fource du mal, car il a fouuent depuis aduou6, qu'il n'y 
cognoiffoit rien, mais il fe fit fort d'y remedier, fi Ton 
vouloit executer fes ordonnances. II fe venta fauffe- 
ment d'en auoir defia gueri beaucoup en noflre bour- 
gade, & aillieurs, que pour luy il efloit hors de crainte 
de gaigpier la maladie, en fin Ji Tentendre, il n'auoit 
quafi qu'k commander, & tons les malades feroient 
incontinant fur pied; il demanda quelques biens 
pour faire feftin, & ordonna quelques danfes. Toute 
la compagnie Tefcoutoit auec des applaudifl!emes 
nSpareils; & noflre hofte qui efloit vn des princi- 
paux, [141] luy dit: Courage mon nepueu affifle nous. 
Ces paroles me donnerent bien auant dans le coeur, il 
n'y auoit rien qu'ils auoient renonc6 publiquement 
au diable, & a tous ceux qui pactifoient auec luy, & 
auoiet protefl6 qu'il n'auroient recours qu*k Dieu 
feul, duquel ils auoient aduou6 tenir Teftre & la vie ; 
& voila qu'auiourd'hui ils mettent toute leur confiance 
aux fauffes promeffes d*vn charlatan, & d'vn impo- 
fleur. Ie ne pens me tenir de parler auffi k mon 
tour, mais que pouuois-ie dire ; c'efl vne chof e bien 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 206 

down here word for word ; I do not undertake to do 
that. I may remark, however, that his conversation 
was only a series of boasts and extravagances ; he did 
not declare the source of the evil, for he has often 
since admitted that he knew nothing about it, but he 
made great pretensions of remedying it if they would 
execute his orders. He boasted falsely of having 
already cured many in our village and elsewhere; 
that, for his own part, he was beyond any fear of tak- 
ing the disease, — in fine, to hear him talk, he had 
little more than to command, and all the sick would 
immediately be upon their feet. He demanded some 
gifts with which to make a feast, and ordered some 
dances. The whole company listened to him with 
unparalleled manifestations of approval; and our 
host, who was one of the chief men, [141] said to 
him, "Courage, my nephew, assist us." These 
words sank deep into my heart ; it was no time since 
they had publicly renounced the devil, and all those 
who were in league with him, and that they had 
protested they would have recourse to God alone, 
upon whom, they had admitted, depended their being 
and life ; and see how they forthwith place all their 
confidence in the false promises of a charlatan and an 
impostor. I could not refrain from also speaking, in 
my turn, but what could I say? To be short of 
words with which to explain oneself upon so impor- 
tant an occasion is a matter for keen regret. This is 
all the lecture I gave them : ' * You are very wrong to 
do what you are doing, you show plainly that you do 
not believe what Echon has taught you ; that man ' ' 
(speaking of the sorcerer) ' ' has not the power that 
you think ; it is only he who has made heaven and 
earth who is the master of our lives. I do not con- 



206 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 13 

fenfible de fe trouuer court de termes, pour s'expli- 
qiier en vne fi belle occafion. Voicy tout le difcours 
que ie leur fis : Vous auez grand tort de f aire ce que 
vous faites, vous monftrez bie que vous ne croiez pas 
ce que Echon vous a enf eign6 : cettui-lk (parlat de ce 
forcier) n'a pas le pouuoir que vous penfez, il n'y a 
que celuy qui a fait le ciel & la terre qui foit le maiftre 
de nos vies ; ie ne condamne pas les remedes naturels, 
mais ces fueries, ces danfes, & ces feftins ne valent 
rien, & font tout k fait inutiles pour la fant6. lis 
m'efcouterent fort patiemment & fans replique, foit 
qu'ils ne fiffent pas grand eftat de cette reprimande, 
foit de confufion qu'ils auoient; ne doutans point 
que ie ne fiffe le rapport au Pere [142] de ce que i'a- 
uois veu, qui ne manqueroit pas de leur en parler dans 
Toccafion en bons termes. Quoy que s'en foit, nous 
gaignafmes toufiours cecy ; que tout le f oir le mode 
eflant couch6, noflre hofle fit la priere tout haut au 
nom de toute la famille, en ces termes. Efcoutez 
vous qui auez fait le ciel & la terre, prenez toute 
cette cabane en voflre protection, vous eftes le maiftre 
de nos vies. C'eft dommage que cela n'eft dit de 
bon coeur. Nous partifmes de Ik le vingt-troifiefme, 
& paffant par Anonatea, nous baptifafmes vn Sauuage 
bien malade, qui fit le quinziefme de ceux que Dieu 
nous fit la grace de baptifer en ce voiage. Eftant 
de retour nous fufmes bien confolez, d'entendre que 
le P. Pijart auoit baptif^ huict petits enfans, ^ Ouenrio, 
& le P. Superieur deux au mefme lieu, & vne femme 
en noftre bourgade. Mais nous eufmes vn grand 
regret de trouuer morte fans baptefme, la mere d'vn 
de nos Chreftiens ; nous anions toufiours en efperance 
iufques-lk, que cette femme ne mourroit iamais autre 



1687] LEJEUNE'S RELATION. i637 207 

demn natural remedies, but these sweats, these 
dances, and these feasts are worth nothing, and are 
altogether useless, as far as health is concerned." 
They listened to me very patiently, and made no an- 
swer, — either because they did not attach much 
importance to this reprimand, or because they were 
embarrassed, not doubting that I would report to the 
Father [142] what I had seen, and he would not fail 
to speak to them of it in forcible terms, when he had 
opportunity. At all events, we gained at least this, 
that every evening, when all were asleep, our host 
offered a prayer aloud in the name of the whole 
family, using these words: " Listen, you who have 
made heaven and earth; take all this cabin under 
your protection; you are the master of our lives." 
It is a pity he did not say this from his heart. We 
left there on the twenty-third, and, passing through 
Anonatea, we baptized a very sick Savage, who made 
the fifteenth of those whom God granted us the favor to 
baptize on this journey. Upon our return we were 
greatly consoled to hear that Father Pijart had bap- 
tized eight little children at Ouenrio, and the Father Su- 
perior two at the same place, besides a woman in our 
village. But we felt great regret at finding that the 
mother of one of our Christians had died without 
baptism ; we had always hoped, up to that time, that 
this woman would never die other than a Christian. 
She seemed very docile, and had declared herself to 
be well satisfied with the baptism of those children. 
We had visited her very often [143] and only recent- 
ly we had come from healing a wound that she had 
inflicted upon her leg, always taking occasion to 
exhort her to commend herself to God ; so she had 
often heard the greater part of our holy mysteries. 



206 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. IS 

que Chreflienne. EUe paroiiloit f ort |[docile, & auoit 
tefmoign6 eftre fort fatisfaite du baptefme de ces 
enfans; nous Tauions vilit6e fort fouuent, [143] & 
tout fraifchement nous luy venions de guerir vne 
plaie, qu'elle s'eftoit faite k la iambe, prenans tou- 
iiours I'occafion de Texhorter k fe recommander ^ 
Dieu; de forte qu'elle auoit fouuent ouy la pluf part 
de nos faincts myfteres. Neantmoins iamais le P. 
Superieur ne la peuft faire confentir au baptefme en 
cette extremity, aportant pour toute raifon, qu'abfo- 
lument elle defiroit aller oti efloit vn fien petit fils, 
qui efloit mort fans baptefme. le dirai icy k voftre 
Reuerence, auant que de paffer outre, que les bruits 
alloient toufiours croiffans, & qu'on parloit de nous 
en tres-mauuais termes : nommement k quatre ou cinq 
bourgades d'icy autour; car pour ce qui eft (TOJfof- 
farU^ nous y auons toufiours efl6 les bien venus. Ce 
mefme vingt-troifiefme vn nomm6 Entaraka, dit au 
Pere Superieur, que ce collier de porcellene, qu'ils a- 
uoient accepts Tannfie pair6e en vn confeil general qui 
s'eftoit tenu k Toccafion de la fefte des morts, eftoit 
maintenant la caufe de leur mort, & que c' eftoit la 
croiance de tout le monde. D'autant que le Pere 
leur auoit dit, que ce prefent n' eftoit pour les morts, 
& que fon intention n'eftoit pas qu'on le [144] mift 
en leur foffe ; mais que ce qu'il pretendoit, eftoit de 
faire le chemin du ciel aux viuans, & de les encou- 
rager par Ik k paffer par defftis toutes les difficultez, 
qui les empefchoient de prendre cette route. 

Le 25. vn vieillard de noftre bourgade, nomm6 Noel 
Tekondecauan mourut, & alia comme nous efperons, 
celebrer dans le ciel la fefte de la glorieufe Natiuit6 
de noftre Seigneur. le dirai encor icy de ce Sau- 



ie87] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 209 

Nevertheless the Father Superior could never induce 
her to consent to baptism in this extremity, — alleg- 
ing as her sole reason that she desired only to 
go where one of her little sons was, who had died 
without baptism. I will say to your Reverence here, 
before passing on, that the rumors were continually 
increasing, and that we were spoken of in very bad 
terms, especially in four or five villages around 
here, — for, as to Ossossani^ we have always been wel- 
come there. On this same twenty-third, one Entaraha 
said to the Father Superior that that porcelain collar 
they had accepted the year before, at a general coun- 
cil held on the occasion of the feast of the dead, was 
now the cause of their death, and that this was the 
belief of all the people, — inasmuch as the Father had 
told them that this present was not for the dead, and 
that it was not his intention that they should [144] 
place it in their grave, but that he desired to open to 
the living the way to heaven, and to encourage them 
thereby to surmount all difl&culties which prevented 
them from taking that route. 

On the 25th, an old man of our village, named Noel 
TehondecoMatiy died, and went, as we hope, to cele- 
brate in heaven the feast of the glorious Nativity of 
our Lord. I will repeat here in regard to this Sav- 
age what I have already said of another, — that he 
was one of those who were the most assiduous in at- 
tending instructions in the Catechism, and had shown 
the greatest approval of the doctrine that we taught. 
It was he who had been among the first to bring 
word to the Father Superior to offer some public 
prayer in this last time of need ; and quite recently 
he had aided me greatly in instructing a Savage of 
his cabin. God granted him much grace in his bap- 



210 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 18 

uage, ce que i'ay defia dit d'vn autre; qu'il eftoit vn 
de ceux qui affiftoiet le plus aflidu^ment aux Cate- 
chifmes, & auoient le plus approuu6 la doctrine que 
nous enfeignions. C'eftoit luy qui auoit port6 des 
premiers la parole au P. Superie[u]r pour faire quel- 
que priere publique, en cette demiere necej(Iit6; & 
tout fraifchement il m' auoit beaucoup aid6 k inftruire 
vn Sauuage de fa cabane ; Dieu luy fit aufll beaucoup 
de grace en fon baptefme, qui fut la vigile de No6l, 
il arrefta vn peu le Pere fur Tacte de contrition. Ce 
feroit (luy dit-il) pour neant que ie me repentirois 
d'auoir pech6, d'autat que ie n'ay iamais pech6; 
neantmoins apres auoir eft6 bien inftruit fur ce 
point, il s'en acquita excellemment, & tenant le cruci- 
fix en main, il demanda pardon k noflre Seigneur, 
auec beaucoup de [145] reffentiment, & luy promit 
de garder toute fa vie fes faints commandements. 
Parmy eux, vn homme n'elt point cenf6 pecheur qui 
ne tu^, ne defrobe, n'enforcelle quelqu'vn, ou ne 
fait quelque chofe extraordinaire. II pria aufli le P. 
de luy laiffer la croix, pour le garder des efprits qui 
le tourmentoient de nuict, k ce qu'il difoit, adjouftat 
que quand il les voioit, il iettoit les yeux fur ce figne 
adorable de noflre redemption, & prioit noftre Sei- 
gneur de le deflfendre. 

Le 27. le P. Super ieur retouma k Offoffan/y auec le 
P. Ifaac logics & Simon Baron : II pafia par Anonatea^ 
oil il vifita les Biffiriniens, pour Ieur tefmoigner le 
reffentiment que nous anions de Ieur affliction : car il 
comptoient defia iufques Ji 30. a 40. morts. Le Pere 
fit ouuerture k quelques-vns du S. baptefme, mais 
fans effect ; nos Ss. myfleres en langue Huronne font 
des tenebres pour eux, outre qu'ils font encor plus 



1637] LE JEUNES RELA TION, 1637 211 

tism, which took place on Christmas eve. He stopped 
the Father a little while upon the act of contrition. 
** It would be useless " (he said to him) " for me to 
repent of having sinned, seeing that I never have 
sinned. ' ' Nevertheless, after having been fully in- 
structed upon this point he acquitted himself admir- 
ably therein, and, holding a crucifix in his hand, he 
asked pardon of our Lord with a great deal of [145] 
feeling, and promised him to keep his holy command- 
ments all his life. Among them a man is not counted 
a sinner who does not kill, rob, bewitch some one, or 
do some extraordinary thing. He also begged the 
Father to leave him the cross, in order to protect him 
from the spirits which, according to his story, tor- 
mented him at night, — adding that when he saw 
them he cast his eyes upon this adorable sign of our 
redemption, and prayed our Lord to defend him. 

On the 27th, the Father Superior returned to Os- 
sossan^ with Father Isaac Jogues and Simon Baron. 
He passed through AnonateUy where he visited the Bis- 
siriniens to assure them of the sympathy we felt for 
them in their affliction, for they already counted as 
many as 30 or 40 dead. The Father proposed Holy 
baptism to some of them, but without effect; our 
Holy mysteries in the Huron language are like night 
to them, and, besides, they are still more attached 
to their superstition than are our Savages. He 
learned there what they thought of the disease. It 
was brought upon them, they said, as well as upon 
the Hurons, by Andesson, Captain of the Island, in 
revenge, because they had not consented to join their 
forces with the latter to make war upon the Hiro- 
quois.^* But, in passing through Onnentisatiy he 
heard [146] a very diflEerent piece of news, which was 



212 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol.181 

attachez k leur fuperftition que nos Sauuages. II 
apprit 1^ ce qu'ils penfoient de la maladie, qui leur 
eftoit procur^e, difoiet-il, auffi bien qu*aux HurSs, 
par Andeffon Capitaine de I'lfle, en vengeace de ce 
qu'ils n'auoiet pas voulu ioindre leurs forces auec 
eux pour faire la guerre aux Hiroquois. Mais en 
paffant par Onnenti/atj, il apprift [146] bien vn autre 
nouuelle que Tonneraouanoni qui eftoit Jt OJfoJfani^ & 
vendoit lit fa theriaque, nous accufoit comme eflans 
la caufe de cette contagion, adiouftant que c'eftoit le 
fentiment de ceux de noftre bourgade, qui difoient 
mefme que quand ils fe portoient mieux, nous leur 
donnions ie ne fjay quoy qui les faifoit mourir. 
Neantmoins il defauoiia tout cela par apres, parlant 
au pere, fouftenant auoir dit feulement que d€s TAu- 
tomne il auoit veu la maladie venir du coft6 du lac, 
en forme d'vn puiffant demon, du refte qu'il n'en 
cognoiffoit pas la caufe. Le pere Tayant repris de 
fon proced6, il luy refpondit k Tordinaire des Sau- 
uages, vous auez vos fagons de faire & nous les no- 
ftres, Oniondechanonkhrofiy c'eft i, dire nos pays font 
diflferents. Simon Baron fit encor force faig^6es en 
ce voiage, & le P. Superieur ayant donn6 vne petite 
medecine au Capitaine Endahiach, vn fien parent fit 
vne fuerie pour la faire operer, pedant laquelle il 
s'adrefl^a pour c6t effect k vn certain demon. Ce 
mefme Capitaine, vn iour qu'il fe trouuoit fort mal, 
demada quel temps il faifoit, on luy refpondit qu'il 
negeoit, ie ne mourray done pas, dit-il, encor au- 
iourd'huy, car ie ne doit partir de cette vie que de 
beau-temps. Neuf malades eurent [147] le bien de 
receuoir le faint baptefme. 

Tonneraoiianont ne reiiflit pas en fes cures non plus 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 213 

that Tanner aouanoniy who was at Ossossan^ and was 
selling his antidote there, accused us of being the 
cause of this epidemic, — adding that this was the 
sentiment of those of our village, who even said 
that, when they were getting better, we gave them 
I know not what, that made them die. Nevertheless, 
he denied all this afterwards when speaking to the 
father, — claiming to have merely said that in the 
Autumn he had seen the sickness come from the di- 
rection of the lake, in the form of a powerful demon ; 
that, however, he did not know the cause of it. The 
father having reproved him for his proceedings, he 
answered him in the usual fashion of the Savages, 
*' You have your ways of doing and we have ours, 
Oniondechanonkhrony' that is to say, '*our countries 
are different. " Simon Baron again bled a great 
many upon this trip ; and, the Father Superior hav- 
ing given a little medicine to the Captain Endahiach, 
one of his relatives had a sweat to make it operate, 
during which he addressed himself for this purpose 
to a certain demon. This same Captain one day, 
when he felt very sick asked what kind of weather it 
was; he was told that it was snowing. *' I shall not 
die, then, to-day," he said, '* for I am not to depart 
from this life except in fine weather." Nine sick 
people had [147] the good fortune to receive holy 
baptism. 

Tonneraouanont did not succeed in his cures any 
more than in his prophecies. He had predicted that no 
more than five of them would die, and that the sick- 
ness would cease at the end of 9 days ; and yet be- 
fore the Father's departure there were ten dead, and 
since then more than 50; and on the 4th of January, 
when the Father went away, there were nearly as 



214 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol, 18 

qu'en fes propheties; il auoit predit qu'il n'en mour- 
roit plus que cinq, & que la maladie cefferoit au bout 
de 9. iours, & cependant auant le depart du Pere il en 
eftoit mort dix & depuis plus de 50. & le 4. de /an- 
uier que le Pere partit il n'y auoit gueres moins de 
malades qu'Ji Tordinaire, & li c'eftoit le 13. de cette 
belle Prophetie, aufli perdit-il vne grande partie de 
fon credit, & toute fa practique fe reduifit Ji vne feule 
cabane, en laquelle il eftoit luy mefme malade, toute 
forte de marheurs luy en vouloient, ou pour mieux 
dire, Dieu comenjoit k chaftier c6t efprit fuperbe: 
quelques-iours auparauant il eftoit tomb6 fi rudemet 
fur la glace k la fortie d'vne cabane qu'il s* eftoit 
rompu la jambe, & cefte bleffeure luy caufa la mort 
au bout de trois femaines. 

Le Pere Superieur retouma done k Ihonatiria le 4. 
de lanuier : En fon abf ence nous anions veu de nos 
yeux des effects de la iufte vengeance de Dieu fur 
la famille d'vn nomm6 Taretand/. Ce Sauuage eftoit 
Capitaine de noftre bourgade, & auoit iett6 feu & 
flamme contre nous en plein feftin, il auoit dit que 
fans doute que [148] nous eftions la caufe de la mala- 
die ; & que fi quelqu' vn de fa cabane venoit ^ mourir, 
il fendroit la tefte au premier Fran9ois qu'il trou- 
ueroit. II n' auoit pas eft6 feul qui auoit parl6 k 
noftre defauantage, pas vn de la cSpag^ie, au moins 
des plus confiderables, ne nous auoit efpargn^, & vn 
nomm6 Achioantaeti, qui fait eft at de nous aimer, 
auoit eft6 fi auant que de dire que s'il euft eft6 I' Aon- 
dechioy c'eft Jt dire le maiftre du pals, ce feroit biS 
toft fait de nous, & nous auroit defia mis en eftat de 
ne pouuoir plus nuire. LA defl^us le Capitaine Aenons 
prift la parole, au moins i ce qu'il dit, & leur repre- 



1687] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 216 

many sick people as usual, and yet it was the i sth 
day after this fine Prophecy. Therefore he lost a 
great deal of his credit, and his whole practice was 
reduced to a single cabin, in which he himself was 
sick. He was beset by all sorts of misfortunes, or, 
to express it better, God began to chastise this haugh- 
ty spirit. Some days before, he had fallen so hard 
upon the ice at the entrance to a cabin that he had 
broken his leg, and this wound caused his death at 
the end of three weeks. 

The Father Superior returned then to Ihonatiria on 
the 4th of January. In his absence we had seen with 
our own eyes some effects of the righteous vengeance 
of God upon the family of one TaretancU. This Sav- 
age was Captain of our village, and had cast fire and 
flame at us in open feast. He had said that without 
doubt [148] we were the cause of the malady, and 
that if any one of those of his cabin should die, he 
would split the head of the first Frenchman whom he 
should find. He was not the only one who had spok- 
en to our disadvantage. Not one of the company, 
at least of the more influential ones, had spared us ; 
and one Achioantaet/, who makes a show of loving 
us, had gone so far as to say that if he were the Aon- 
dechio, that is, the master of the country, it would 
soon be all over with us, and we would already have 
been put in a condition wherein we could do no more 
harm. Thereupon the Captain Aenons began to 
speak, — at least, by his own account, — and repre- 
sented to them that they were speaking of a very 
dangerous matter, namely, of the destruction and 
ruin of the country ; that, if they should remain two 
years without going down to Kebec to trade, they 
would find themselves reduced to such extremities 



216 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES fVoL. IS 

fenta qu'ils parloiet Ik d'vne aflfaire bien dangereufe, 
c'eft k dire de perdre & miner le pais; que s'ils 
auoient eft6 deux ans fans def cendre k Kebec pour 
la traitte, qu'ils fe verroient reduits k telle extremity, 
qu'ils s'eftimeroient heureux de s'affocier auec les 
Algonquins, & s'embarquer dans leurs canots. Ra- 
contant cecy au P. Superieur, il adioufta qu'apres 
tout cela nous n'euflions point de peur, & que quand 
nous voudrions nous habituer en fon bourg, nous y 
ferions toufiours les tres-bien venus. Taretand/y ne 
fe contenta pas d'auoir parl6 li mal k propos de nous 
en cette occafion, luy & Sononkhiaconc fon frere vin- 
drent nous quereller [149] dans noftre cabane, & 
nous reprocher, que nous eflions des forciers, & que 
c*efloit nous qui les failions mourir. Adiouflat qu'ils 
auoient refolu de fe deffaire de nous, & qu'au moins 
la conclufion efloit prif e de nous rembarquer au prin- 
temps, tous tant que nous eflions & nous remener k 
Aebec. La chofe alia plus loing que noflre bour- 
gade, & les chefs de cinq ou fix bourgs de cette 
pointe nous ont depuis aduou6 qu'ils auoiet efl6 fur 
le point de faire vn mauuais coup. Helas! c'eufl 
efl6 vn tres-grand bon-heur pour nous, ces bruits 
efloient fi communs, que les enfans mefme ne par- 
loient de nous, que comme de perfonnes k qui on 
alloit bien-tofl fendre la tefle. Vn iour de Diman- 
che qu*ils nous ouirent chanter fur le foir les Lita- 
nies de noflre Dame, ils auoient creu, k ce qu'ils nous 
dirent eux mefme par apres, que nous pleurions, 
attendants Theure, en laquelle on nous deuoit venir 
tous efgorger, ou brufler dans noflre cabane. Nous 
voilk encor tous pleins de vie graces k Dieu ; & pref- 
que en mefme temps, le fleau tomba fur cette mal'heu- 



1687] LE JEUNRS RELA TION, 1637 217 

that they might consider themselves fortunate to join 
with the Algonquins and to embark in their canoes. 
Relating this to the Father Superior, he added that 
after all that we should have no fear ; and that if we 
would settle down in his village, we should always 
be very welcome there. Taretand^ was not satisfied 
with having spoken so badly of us on this occasion ; 
he and Sononkhiaconc^ his brother, came to have a 
quarrel with us [149] in our cabin, and to reproach 
us with being sorcerers, saying that it was we who 
caused their death. They added that they had re- 
solved to get rid of us, and that it had been decided 
at least to reSmbark every one of us in the spring, 
and send us back to Kebec. The matter went far- 
ther than our village, and the chief men of five or six 
villages in this vicinity have since admitted to us 
that they were on the point of doing an evil act. Ah, 
that would have been a very great happiness for us ! 
These reports were so common that even the chil- 
dren spoke of us only as persons who were soon to 
have their heads split. One Sunday, when they 
heard us, towards evening, chanting the Litanies of 
our Lady, they believed, as they themselves told us 
afterwards, that we were weeping in expectation of 
the hour when they were to come and cut all our 
throats, or bum us in our cabin. Yet we are all still 
alive and well, thank God. Almost at the same time, 
the scourge fell upon that wretched family that had 
said the most against us. This chastisement had 
been for a long time due them on account of the con- 
tempt they had always shown [150] for our holy mys- 
teries. Frequently, during the past year, we went 
to instruct the little ones only with much repugnance, 
and finally we had to desist altogether. Taretandi 



218 LES RELATIONS DES jASUITES [Vol, IS 

reufe famille, qui auoit parl6 le plus Jt noftre 
defauantage. II y auoit long-temps que ce chafti- 
ment luy eftoit deu pour le mefpris qu'elle auoit 
toufiours fait [150] de nos faints myfleres, fouuent 
I'an paff6 nous n'y allions inflruire les petits enfans 
qu'auec beaucoup de repugnance, & enfin nous fuf- 
mes cotraints de defifler tout Jt fait Taretandi, & fes 
freres ne fe trouuoient d* ordinaire aux Catechifmes, 
que pour auoir vn morceau de petun, ou pour fe rire 
par apres entre eux de ce qu'ils auroient entedu* 
Outre cela fouuent-ils nous auoient aduoiife, qu'ils 
nous prenoient pour des menteurs, & ne croioient en 
fajon du monde ce que nous enfeignions, & que ce 
que nous dilions n'efloit aucunemet probable, qu'il 
ny auoit aucune apparece que nous euflOions eux & 
nous vn mefme Dieu, Createur de leur terre auflQ bien 
que de la noflre, & que nous euflios tous pris naif- 
fance dVn mefme pere. Coment difoit vn iour Sonon- 
kkiaconcy qui nous auroit amen6 en ce pais, comment 
aurions nous trauerf6 tant de mers dans de petits ca- 
nots d'efcorce? le moindre fouffle nous auroit abyfmez, 
ou au moins f erions nous morts de faim au bout de 
4. ou 5. iours; & puis fi cela efloit, nous ffaurions 
faire des coufteaux & des habits aufli bien que vous 
autres. le perdrois trop de papier li ie voulois en- 
treprendre de coucher icy toutes leurs extrauagances. 
Mais la iuflice que Dieu ^ exerc6 fur eux eft tout k 
fait remarquable. lis auoient [151] veu la plus part 
des autres cabanes inf ect^es du mal fans que la vie 
s'en reffetift, ils auoiet mefprif6 ouuertement les 
moiens que nous leur donniSs pour obtenir du del 
d'eftre deliurez de cette maladie, ils marchoient tefte 
leu^e au milieu de tant de cadaures, comme s'ils 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 219 

and his brothers were not usually present at the Cate- 
chisms, except to get a piece of tobacco, or to laugh 
among themselves afterwards at what they had heard 
there. Besides, they had often admitted to us that 
they took us for liars, and did not believe in the least 
what we taught; and that what we said was not at 
all probable, — that there was no likelihood that they 
and we had the same God, Creator of their earth as 
well as of ours, and that we had all descended from 
the same father. * * Indeed, ' ' said Sononkhiaconc one 
day, ** who would have brought us to this country, — 
how would we have crossed so many seas in little 
bark canoes ? The least wind would have engulfed 
us, or we would at least have died of hunger at the 
end of 4 or 5 days. And then, if that were so, we 
would know how to make knives and clothes as well 
as you people." I would waste too much paper if I 
were to undertake to set down here all their extrava- 
gances. But the justice that God exercised towards 
them is altogether remarkable. They had [151] seen 
the greater part of the other cabins infected with the 
disease without feeling any anxiety for their own 
lives ; they had shown open contempt for the means 
we gave them to obtain from heaven deliverance 
from this malady ; they walked with their heads high 
in the midst of so many corpses, as if they were made 
of different material from the others, and beyond the 
reach of death, — when the hand of God fell heavily 
upon them ; three of them fell sick almost at the same 
time. The mother was the first ; she was a renegade 
Christian, who, having been baptized two years be- 
fore, had oftentimes afterwards recanted her bap- 
tism. We had never been able to teach her any of 
our mysteries ; and even when we spoke to her some- 



220 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. 13 

euffent eft6 d'vn autre pafle que les autres, & hors 
des atteintes de la mort, lors que le bras de Dieu 
s'appefantift fur eux: trois toberent malades pref- 
que en mefme temps. La mere fut la premiere, 
c'efloit vne Chreftienne renegate, & qui aiant eft6 
bapti£6e il y a deux ans, auoit depuis fouuentesfois 
retracts fon baptefme, iamais nous n'auions peu luy 
apprendre aucuns de nos myfteres, & mefme quand 
nous luy parjions quelquefois de faire le figne de la 
croix, ou de dire le Pater, elle nous arreftoit au 
premier mot & fe mettoit k nous quereller. V. R. 
fjait defia, qu'il n*y a rien qui foit capable de mettre 
en cholere vn Huron qui a perdu fon pere ou fa mere, 
que de luy dire ton pere efl mort, ta mere efl morte, 
le feul terme de pere ou de mere les met hors d'eux 
mefme, & ie dirai icy, puis que Toccafion s'en pre- 
fente, que d6s le mois de Decembre nous fufmes con- 
trains pour cette mefme raifon de defifler d'aller par 
les cabanes inflruire [152] les petits enfans, & les 
affembler chez nous tous les Dimaches, pour les faire 
prier Dieu ; veu que il leur efloit mort tout fraifche- 
ment quantity de leurs parens, & puis ceux qui leur 
refloient en vie, ont e£l6 tout THyuer fi fort occupez 
apres la recherche des remedes pour la fant6 des 
malades, & ont tefmoign^ fi peu d'aflfection k nos 
faincts myfleres, que nous auons iug6, que c6t ex- 
ercice pourroit plufloft nuire, qu'apporter quelque 
aduancement aux affaires du Chriflianifme. Mais 
pour retoumer k cette malheureufe renegate: nous 
la vifitafmes plufieurs fois pendant fa maladie, & 
entre autres vn peu auant que de mourir, nous y 
eflions allez le P. Pierre Chaflelain & moy, en refo- 
lution de faire tout ce que nous pourrions pour la 



1687] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 221 

times about making the sign of the cross, or saying 
the Pater, she stopped us at the first word and began 
to quarrel with us. Your Reverence already knows 
that there is nothing capable of arousing to anger a 
Huron who has lost his father or mother, except to 
say to him, "Thy father is dead; thy mother is 
dead; '' the mere word *' father '* or *' mother " puts 
them into a passion. I will say here, since the occa- 
sion presents itself, that from the month of Decem- 
ber we were obliged for this reason to desist from 
going through the cabins to instruct [152] the little 
children, and to assemble them at our house every 
Sunday, to have them pray to God, — seeing that only 
recently a great many of their relations had died; 
and then those who remained alive have been so busi- 
ly occupied all the Winter searching for remedies for 
the health of the sick, and have shown so little inter- 
est in our holy mysteries, that we decided that this 
exercise might rather injure than advance the affairs 
of Christianity. But to return to this wretched ren- 
egade ; we visited her several times during her sick- 
ness, and, among others, a little while before she 
died. We went there, Father Pierre Chastelain and 
I, with the determination to do all we could to dis- 
pose her to penitence in this extremity. But she 
stopped us at the first step ; for, when we asked her if 
she was not very glad to have been baptized, she an- 
swered ** no." And also one of her children about 
15 or 16 years old, who was then very sick, being 
solicited several times, in regard to baptism, and hav- 
ing left the matter to her decision, this hard-hearted 
mother answered, that up to her death, she did not 
wish him to be baptized. The Reverend Father Su- 
perior likewise urged the same thing very earnestly 



222 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol.18 

dif pofer k la penitence, en cette extremity ; mais elle 
nous arrefta au premier pas, car luy aiant demand^ 
fi elle n'efloit pas bien contente d'auoir efl6 baptif^e, 
elle nous refpodit que no. Et mefme vn de fes 
enfans, d'enuiro 15. k 16. ans, qui eftoit d€s lore fort 
malade, eftant folicit^ plufieure fois du baptefme, & 
s'en eflat rapport^ k ce qu'elle en ordonneroit: cette 
maraftre refpondit iufques k la mort, qu'elle ne 
vouloit point qu'il fut baptif6. Le R. P. Superieur 
preffa aufli bien fort fur le mefme fuiet [153] Sonon- 
iAiacon[c], frere du Capitaine, qui efloit auflQ h Vex- 
tremit^: mais ce fut fans effect. Ce ieune homme 
efloit de 25. ou 30. ans, & pouuoit bien de luy- 
mefme independemment de la volont6 de fa mere 
cof entir au baptefme : mais vn ef prit de f uperbe qui 
le poffedoit & tant de blafphemes qu'il auoit faits, le 
priueront de cette fi fignal^e faueur. Ces trois mife- 
rables ne pafferent pas le 7. de lanuier. Le Capi- 
taine Taretandi les fuiuit de bie pres, & fut emport6 
en 4. ou 5 . ioure : le iour de fa mort ie I'allois voir du 
matin, & luy portois quelque petit remede, ie le 
trouuai aflls k I'ordinaire des Sauuages, & la pef^e ne 
me vint pas qu'il deufl mourir fi tofl, nous ne fifmes 
le Pere Gamier & moy, que viliter quelques per- 
fonnes malades k Anonatea, que nous le trouuafmes k 
noflre retour dans I'agonie, & mourut fur le foir. 
Voila vne cabane bien defol6e. Le mefme iour 7. 
de lanuier le P. Superieur nous renuoia k OJfoJfani^ 
le P. Garnier & moy, oil nous demeurafmes iufques 
au 15. nous baptifafmes douze perfonnes malades, 
quatre petits enfans, & le refle adultre \sc. adultes]. 
A noftre arriu^e nous inflruilifmes & baptifafmes 
vne femme chez noflre hofle, qui mourut au bout de 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, j637 228 

[153] Upon S(monkhiacon\c\ brother of the Captain, who 
was also at the point of death ; but this was without 
effect. This young man was 25 or 30 years old, and 
could easily of himself, independently of his mother's 
wish, have consented to baptism, but a spirit of pride 
which possessed him, and the many blasphemies he 
had uttered, will deprive him of this so signal favor. 
These three wretches did not survive the 7th day of 
January. The Captain TaretancU followed them very 
closely, and was carried oflf in 4 or 5 days. On the 
day of his death, I went to see him in the morning, 
carrying him some little remedy ; I found him sitting 
up, in the usual fashion of the Savages, and the 
thought did not occur to me that he was to die so 
soon; we did nothing. Father Gamier and I, but 
visit some sick people at Anonatea^ yet on our return 
we found him in the agonies of death, and he expired 
towards evening. Behold a cabin desolate indeed! 
On the same day, the 7th of January, the Father Su- 
perior sent us back to Ossossan^, Father Garnier and 
me, where we remained until the 15th. We baptized 
twelve sick people, — four little children, and the rest 
adults. Upon our arrival, we instructed and baptized 
a woman in the house of our host, who died at the 
end of two or three days; we aided her with the 
prayers of the Church up to her last breath. The 
next day we [154] visited a great many of the cab- 
ins of the village. When we found a cabin without 
sick people, our usual conversation was to rejoice 
with them that they were still in good health, to 
speak to them of God, to exhort them to address 
themselves to him for the preservation of their fami- 
ly, and to teach them some little prayer for that pur- 
pose. We saw the little sorcerer, who was greatly 



224 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. la 

deux ou trois iours, nous rafliftafmes des prieres de 
TEglife, iufques au dernier foufpir. Le lendemain 
nous [154] vilitafmes vne grande partie des cabanes 
du bourg, quand nous trouuions quelque cabane fans 
malades, noftre entretien ordinaire eftoit de nous 
coniouir auec eux, de ce qu41s eftoient encor pleins 
de fant6, de leur parler de Dieu, les extorter k 
s'addreffer k luy pour la conferuation de leur famille, 
& leur apprendre quelque petite priere pour c6t eflfet. 
Nous vifmes le petit forcier qui eftoit bien liumili6 
auec fa iambe rompuS, de fe voir comme clou6 fur 
vne natte : s'il eftoit immobile, il remuoit affez les 
autres, qu'il faifoit danfer & chanter nuict & iour 
pour fa fant€. II eftoit vn peu confus de f e voir en c6t 
eftat ; neantmoins f es dif cours eftoient accompagfnez 
de fast & d'orgueil, nous ne fufmes pas quafi entrez 
en la cabane oil il eftoit, qu'il nous dit que nous ne iu- 
geaffions pas que fon mal fuft la maladie ordinaire des 
autres, qu'vne cheute I'auoit alict6 depuis quelques 
iours. le luy monftrai quelques onguets que nous 
anions, luy dif ant que c' eftoit de quoy nous anions cou- 
ftumes de nous feruir en seblables rencontres, mais il 
defdaigna Toflfre que nous luy faifions de noftre petit 
feruice. C'eft vne chofe remarquable, que tandis 
que ce demon incam6 fut das cette cabane, nous ne 
peufmes prefque rien gaigner aupres des malades; 
nous voulufmes faire ouuerture du [155] baptefme k 
vn ieune home, duquel on auoit fort mauuaife opi- 
nion ; il nous refpondit fort mal k propos, & vn fien 
parent prenat la parole f e mit k nous chater poiiille ; 
nous reprochant tons les bruits qui couroient de 
nous par le pai's ; & le forcier nous dit tout net que 
nous nous en allaflions. La veille de noftre depart, 



1«37] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 235 

htmiiliated with his broken leg, — seeing himself, as 
it were, nailed to a mat; if he was motionless, he 
made enough commotion among the others, by mak- 
ing them dance and sing night and day for his recov- 
ery. He was somewhat embarrassed at finding him- 
self in this condition, but his talk was characterized 
by ostentation and pride. We had hardly entered 
the cabin where he was, before he told us that we 
should not consider his illness as the common disease 
of the others, — that a fall had caused him to be con- 
fined to his bed for several days. I showed him some 
ointments that we had, telling him that these were 
what we were accustomed to use in similar cases ; but 
he disdained the oflfer that we made him of our little 
services. It is wonderful that, while this demon in- 
carnate was in the cabin, we could gain almost noth- 
ing from the sick people; we tried to propose [155] 
baptism to a young man of whom people had a very 
bad opinion. He answered us very impertinently; 
and one of his relatives, breaking into the conversa- 
tion, began to abuse us, reproaching us with all the 
rumors that were current about us through the coun- 
try ; and the sorcerer commanded us very perempto- 
rily to leave. The evening before our departure we 
instructed a young girl, deferring her baptism, how- 
ever, until the next day ; this was not without some 
change in her intention, for she dreamed during the 
night that she ought not to be baptized ; if she did, 
she would die, — the credence she gave this dream, 
and her dread of dying, causing her to persist alto- 
gether in the negative and to refuse baptism. But 
after having represented to her that the devil was the 
author of this dream, and that he desired nothing 
else than to see her forever miserable in the flames 






296 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol, 13 

nous inftruififmes vne ieune fiUe; nous diflferafmes 
neantmoins £on baptefme iufques au ledemain; ce 
ne fut pas fans quelque changemet dans £a volont6, 
car elle fongea la nuict qu'elle ne deuoit pas eftre 
baptif^e, autrement qu'elle mourroit, la croiance 
qu'elle adiouftoit 2i ce fonge & Tapprehenfio qu'elle 
auoit de mourir, la fit perfifler tout 2i fait fur la nega- 
tiue, & refufer le baptefme. Mais apres luy auoir 
reprefent6 que le diable efloit Tautheur de ce fonge, 
& qu'il ne pretendoit autre chofe que de la voir mife- 
rable pour iamais dans les flammes de I'enfer, & que 
Dieu au contraire, qui ne fouhaittoit tie tat que de la 
voir bien heureufe 2i toute eternity dans le ciel, Tinui- 
toit i receuoir le S. Baptefme ; elle nous donna fon 
confentement, nous la baptifafmes aufll toft ; il a pleu 
& la diuine bont6 luy rendre la fant6 du corps auec 
celle de Tame; nous fSmes heureux de trouuer de 
femblables experiences, pour efbraler & renuerfer la 
croiance qu'ils ont aux fSges. 

[156] Cependant vn autre forcier, prefque aueugle 
ndm6 SddacoUan/^ f e mettoit fort en credit au bourg 
d' Onnentifat'i^ & abufoit de fes refueries les bour- 
gades circSuoifines, d6s le neufiefme de ce mois, que 
le P. Superieur efloit all6 Jt Ouenrio, auec le P. Chaflel- 
lain, baptifer deux petits enfans, il en auoit apris des 
particularitez, qui ne font pas k obmettre. DScques 
rhifloire ou le c5te porte, que cet aueugle aiant fong6 
qu'il luy falloit ieufner fix iours, il fe refolut d'en 
ieufner fept; & 2i ce deffein fit faire vn retrenche- 
ment en vn des bouts de la cabane, oil il fe retira luy 
feul, fe contentat de boire de tSps en temps vn peu 
d'eau tiede, It ce qu'on difoit, pour fe rechauflfer 
Teftomac. Au bout de quelques iours les demons 



1«87] LE JEUNE *S RELA TION, 1637 227 

of hell, — and that, on the contrary, God, who wished 
nothing so much as to see her blest in heaven through 
all eternity, was inviting her to receive Holy Bap- 
tism, — she gave us her consent. We baptized her 
immediately ; it pleased the divine goodness to re- 
store to her health of body with that of the soul. 
We are glad to have such experiences, to shake and 
overthrow their belief in dreams. 

[156] Meanwhile, another sorcerer, almost blind, 
named Sondacouan^j brought himself into much repute 
in the village of Onnentisati, and deluded the sur- 
rounding villages with his fancies. On the ninth of 
this month, when the Father Superior went to Ouenrio, 
with Father Chastellain, to baptize two little chil- 
dren, he learned some particulars about him which 
are not to be omitted. Accordingly, the story or tale 
declares that this blind man, having dreamed that it 
was necessary for him to fast six days, resolved to 
fast seven ; and, with this in view, he had an apart- 
ment partitioned oflF in one end of the cabin, whither 
he retired alone, — contenting himself with drinking, 
from time to time, a little tepid water, in order, it 
was said, to warm his stomach. At the end of a few 
days the demons began to appear to him, merely 
passing around the fireplace without doing anything 
else, until the sixth day, when they spoke to him 
and said, *^ Tsondacouan^^ we come here to associate 
thee with us; we are demons, it is we who have 
ruined the country through the contagion.** And 
thereupon one of them named all the others by 
name ; * ' That one, * * said he, * ' is called Atechiategnon, * ' 
that is to say, ** he who changes and disguises him- 
self,** "and is the demon of Tandehouaronnan'* 
(a mountain near the village of Onnentisati). After 



228 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. IS 

commenceret ^ s'apparoiftre k luy, toumoians fimple- 
met au tour du foyer, fans faire autre chof e, iufques 
au fixiefme iour, qu'ils luy parlerent, & luy dirent: 
TfondacoiianS nous venons icy pour t'affocier auec 
nous, nous fommes des demons, c'efl nous qui auons 
perdu le pai's par la cotagion. Et 12i deffus quelquVn 
d'entr'eux nomma tons les autres par leur nom, cet- 
tui-lJt, dit-il, s'appelle Atechiategnon, c'eft 2i dire qui 
fe change & fe deg^ife, & efl le demon de Tandehou- 
arannon, qui efl vne montag^e aupres du bourg On- 
nenti/ati\ apres luy auoir dit le nom de cinq [157] ou 
fix qu'ils efloient; mais il faut que tu f9aclie, luy 
dit-il, que le plus mef chant de tous efl celuy d' On- 
dichaouan (qui efl vne grand Ifle que nous auons 
icy k noflre veuS) ce demon efl comme vn feu. C'efl 
celuy qui fe repaifl des cadaures de ceux qui fe 
noient dans le grand lac, & excite les orages & les 
tempefles dans Tobfcurit^, def quels il abyfme les 
canots. Mais maintenant nous defirSs auoir piti6 du 
pai's, & t'affocier auec nous, pour remedier 2i la con- 
tagion qui court. A quoy Tfondacouani aiat refpondu 
qu'il en efloit fort content, ils luy enfeignerent quel- 
ques remedes, dont il fe feruiroit pour la guerifon 
des malades. Entre autres ils luy recommanderent 
fort les feftins 6! Aoiitaerohiy adiouflant qu'ils ne crai- 
gnoient rien tant que cela. On dit aufli qu'ils firent 
mine de le vouloir emporter, mais qu'il leur refifla fi 
bien, qu'ils le quitterent k faire feflin d'vn chien, le 
menaffant de le venir querir d6s le lendemain, au 
cas qu'ils y manquafl. Ces demons aians difparu, 
T/ondacoiian/ raconta toute I'afiFaire au Capitaine 
Endit/aconcj lequel en aiant fait le raport en plein 
confeil, on luy trouua incontinant vn chien, dont il 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 229 

having told him the names of the five [157] or six 
who were there, he said to him, ** But thou must know 
that the most evil of all is he of Ondichaouan ' ' (a large 
Island which we can see from here) ; * * this demon 
is like a fire. It is he who feeds upon the corpses 
of those who are drowned in the g^eat lake, and ex- 
cites storms and tempests, in the darkness of which he 
engulfs canoes. But now we wish to take pity upon 
the country, and to associate thee with us, in order 
to stop the epidemic which prevails." Tsondacouani 
having replied to this that he was well content to do 
so, they taught him some remedies which he should 
use for the cure of the sick. Among other things, 
they recommended to him strongly the feasts of 
Aoutaerohiy adding that they feared nothing so much 
as those. It was said also that they pretended to try 
to carry him away, but that he resisted them so well 
that they left him to make a feast of a dog, — threat- 
ening to come and get him the next day, in case he 
failed to do this. These demons having disappeared, 
Tsondacouani related the whole affair to the Captain 
Enditsaconc; the latter having reported the matter in 
open council, a dog was immediately found, with 
which he made a feast on the same day. All the 
people having assembled, this sorcerer began to cry 
out that the devils were coming [158] to carry him 
away, but that he did not fear them, only that all 
should sing a certain song. While they were sing- 
ing, ** There! two of them are approaching," said he, 
** and what I say is not imagination, but the truth." 
A little while afterwards, he said to those who were 
preparing the feast, ** Withdraw; here they are, 
quite near;" and at the same time they began to 
speak, and to reproach him for his failure to do 



280 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. IS 

fit feftin d6s le mefme iour. Tout le monde eftant 
affembl6, ce forcier fe print k crier que les diables 
venoient [158] pour Temporter, mais qu'il ne les 
craig^oit point, feulement que tous chantaffent vne 
certaine chanfon; tandis qu*on chantoit, en voila, 
dit-il, deux qui s'aprochet, & ce que ie dis n'eft pas 
vne imagination, mais vne verit6, vn peu apres il dit 
k ceux qui preparoient le feftin, retirez vous, les voicy 
tous proches, & en mefme temps ils commencerent k 
parler, k luy reprocher plufieurs manquemens qu'il 
auoit fait touchant les chofes qui luy auoient eft6 
ordonn^es, & k dire qu'ils eftoient venus pour I'em- 
porter, en vn mot le feftin acheu6, comme il voulut 
fortir dehors, il rencontra ces demos qui luy dirent 
T/ondacoiian/j fois maintenant en affeurance, nous ne 
te f9aurions plus rien faire, te voila affoci6 auec nous, 
il faut que tu vine dorefnauant comme nous, & que 
nous te decouurions noftre mang6, qui n'eft autre 
chofe que du bouillon clair auec des fraifes. II y 
auoit bien de Vapparence de trouuer des fraifes au 
mois de lanuier; mais nos Sauuages en gardent de 
feiches, ce fut k qui en mangeroit afin de n'eftre 
point malade. Ils ordonneret encore que ceux qui 
voudroiet eftre deliurez tout k fait de la maladie, 
pendiffent k T entree des portes de grandes faces, & 
des figures d'hommes au deffus de leurs cabanes, 
femblables k ces efpouuantaux qu'on met en Frace 
[159] das les vergers pour chaffer les oyfeaux. Cela 
fut bien toft execute, & en moins de deux fois 
24. heures toutes les cabanes <f Onnentifati, & des 
lieux circonuoifins en furet prefque couuertes, tel 
auoit 4. ou 6. de ces archers de paille pendus aux 
perches de fon foyer, c'eftoient leurs idoles, & leur 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 2S1 

several things that he had been ordered, and to 
say they had come to carry him off. In a word, 
at the end of the feast, when he was abont to go 
out he encountered those demons, who said to 
him, * ' Tsondacouan^y thou art now safe ; we can do 
nothing more to thee ; thou art associated with us, 
thou must live hereafter as we do; and we must 
reveal to thee our food, which is nothing more than 
clear soup with strawberries." There was much 
probability of their finding strawberries in the month 
of January ! But our Savages keep dried ones, and 
they vied with one another in eating them, in order 
not to be sick. Also they ordered that those who 
would be delivered entirely from this disease should 
hang at their doorways large masks, and above their 
cabins figures of men similar to those scarecrows 
that in France are placed [159] in the orchards, to 
frighten away the birds. This was soon executed, 
and in less than 48 hours all the cabins of Onnentisati 
and the places around were almost covered with im- 
ages, — a certain man having 4 or 6 of these straw 
archers hung to the poles of his fireside ; these were 
their idols and their tutelary gods. It was in these 
grotesque figures that they put all their trust, rely- 
ing upon the assertion of a wretched blind man that 
the devils were afraid of these, and they had given 
this order for the good of the country. An old man 
of our village, named Tendoutsaharon^y exhorted us to 
do the same, on account of the affection he had for 
our house, so much credence did he give to this sor- 
cerer's fancies. The Father Superior replied to him 
that they were deceiving themselves in thinking to 
make these demons afraid, and to drive away the dis- 
ease with some wisps of straw; that, if he remem- 



282 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 18 

dieux tutelaires: ce fut en ces marmoufets qu'ils 
miret toute leur confiace, fondez fur ce qu'vn tnife- 
rable aueugle leur auoit dit, que les diables en 
auoient peur, & Tauoient ainfi ordonn6 pour le bien 
du pals. Vn vieillard de noftre bourgade nomni^ 
Tendoutfaharoni nous exhorta k faire le mefme, pour 
Taffection qu'il auoit pour noftre maifon, tant il ad- 
iouftoit de croiance aux refueries de ce forcier. Le 
P. Superieur luy refpondit qu'ils fe trompoient, de 
penfer faire peur aux demons, & chaffer la maladie 
auec des bouchons de paille; que s'il fe fouuenoit 
bien de ce que nous luy anions tant de fois enfeig^nfi, 
il f9auoit bien que tout cela eftoit inutile pource 
qu'ils pretendoiSt, que s'il y auoit chofe au mdde 
qui fuft capable de donner Tefpouuente aux demons, 
c'eftoit la croix, que nous en anions defia vne deuant 
noftre porte, mais qu'k c6t occafion nous en erige- 
rions vne autre au deffus de noftre cabane, afin que 
tons ceux qui la verroient entendiffent que c'eft [i6o] 
en la croix que nous mettons toute noftre confiance, 
& qu'en vertu de ce llg^e nous ne redoutions point 
les demons, & efperions que Dieu preferueroit no- 
ftre petite maifon de cette maladie cotagieufe. Au 
refte ce forcier, quoy que demi aueugle, voioit, ce 
femble, vn peu plus clair en fes affaires, que c6t 
autre petit boffu; qui auoit promis qu'e huict iours 
OJfoJfatU feroit fans malades, cettuy-cy ne promet- 
toit vne parfaite & entiere guerifon, qu*k la fin de la 
Lune de lanuier. Encor, difoit-il, que fi ceux du 
bourg d^ArenU, & les forciers ou Bifiiriniens ne luy 
faifoient prefent d*vne rets, c*eftoit fait d*eux. le 
ne f9ai pas ce qu'ils ont fait, & s'ils luy ont accord6 
fa demande, mais il eft vray que les pauures Bijiu 



1«87] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 «! 

bered what we had so often taught them, he would 
know very well that all this was useless for what they 
wished to accomplish ; that, if there was anything in 
the world capable of inspiring the demons with ter- 
ror, it was the cross ; that we already had one before 
our door, but that in these circumstances we would 
raise another over our cabin, so that all who should 
see it should understand that it is [i6o] in the cross 
that we put all our trust, and that in virtue of this 
sig^ we had no fear of demons, and hoped that God 
would preserve our little house from this contagious 
malady. Moreover, this sorcerer, although half blind, 
saw into his affairs a little more clearly, it seems, than 
the other, the little hunchback, who had promised 
that in eight days Ossossan^ would be without sick 
people ; this one only promised perfect and complete 
recovery at the end of the January Moon. Yet he 
said that if the people of the village of ArenUj and 
the sorcerers or Bissiriniens^ did not make him a pres- 
ent of a net, it was all over with them. I do not 
know what they did, or whether they granted his re- 
quest; but certainly the poor Bissiriniens were very 
badly treated, as many as seventy of them having 
died. As for them, they said that one of the causes 
of this so gpreat mortality was that they had no kettle 
large enough to make a feast. 

On the 1 6th, the chief men of our village assembled, 
and had the Father Superior invited to the council. 
Here the Captain Aenons made a long speech, to en- 
treat us in the name of every one of them, to think 
no more of what had passed, and not to reveal the 
evil designs that they had had [i6i] upon our lives. 
The Father gave them a satisfactory answer to this, 
and took occasion to reprove them gently for having 



284 LES RELA TIONS DES J&SUITES [Vol. IS 

riniensy ont efl;6 bien tnal traittez; il en eil mort 
iiifques a feptante; pour eux ils difoiet qu'vne des 
caufes de cette fi grande mortality, c'eftoit de ce 
qu'ils n'auoient pas de chaudiere ailez grande pour 
faire feftin. 

Le i6. les principaux de noftre bourgade aflem- 
blerent & firent inuiter au confeil le P. Superieur. 
Oil le Capitaine Aenons fit vn long difcours, pour nous 
fupplier au nom de tons tant qu'ils eftoient, de ne 
plus penfer k ce qui s'eftoit paff6, & de ne point faire 
efclater les mauuais deffeins qu'ils auoient eu [i6i] 
fur nos vies, le Pere les contenta \k deffus, & prit 
occafion de les reprendre doucemet, de ce qu'ils auoi- 
ent manqu^ de fidelity a Dieu, & n'auoient eu foin 
d'auoir recours k fon infinie bont6 pendant leur affli- 
ction, s'arreflas pluftoft aux folles imaginations d*vn 
homme de neant, qui les abufoit & ne cherchoit que 
fes interefts. A cela Aenons nerefpondit autre chofe, 
finon Onanonhar atony que veux-tu, nous auons la 
ceruelle reuerf^e, & vn peu auparauant vn vieillard 
luy auoit dit, mon neueu nous ne ffauons oti nous en 
fommes, il n'y a rien que nous ne fafsions pour nous 
conferuer la vie : & s'il faut dan9er nuict & iour pour 
chaffer la maladie, tout decrepit que ie fuis, ie com- 
menceray le premier pour fauuer la vie k mes enfans, 
ils ouirent dire qu*vn autre forcier du hovLXgAndiataey 
nomm6 Teharenhaegnon promettoit merueille, pourueu 
qu'on luy fit quelque prefent, on fit incontinent af- 
fommer vn chien qui luy fut port6 auec beaucoup 
de ceremonies, mais fans effect. 

Le 17. la maladie qui alloit toufiours continuant & 
OJfoJfani obligea le P. Superieur de continuer aufli 
les fecours que nous anions rendu aux malades 



1637] LE/EUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 285 

failed in fidelity to God, and for not taking care to 
resort to his infinite goodness during their affliction, 
minding rather the foolish fancies of a man of no ac- 
cotmt, who was deluding them and who sought only 
his own interests. To this Aenons answered nothing 
but Onanonharatofiy ** What wilt thou have? our brains 
are disordered." And, a little while before, an old 
man had said to him, ** My nephew, we do not know 
what we are about ; there is nothing we would not do 
to preserve our lives ; and if it be necessary to dance 
night and day to drive away the disease, all decrepit 
as I am, I will beg^n first, in order to save the lives 
of my children.*' They heard that another sorcerer, 
named Tehorenhaegnofiy of the village of Andiatae^ was 
promising wonders, provided they made him some 
present. They had a dog killed immediately, which 
was brought to him with elaborate ceremonies, but 
without effect. 

On the 17th, the epidemic, continuing to rage at 
Ossossaniy obliged the Father Superior to continue 
also the help that we had rendered to the sick up to 
that time. He took with him Father Isaac Jogues 
and Mathurin, who also performed [162] some very 
successful bleedings. The Father in passing through 
Ouenrio found a number of sick persons there; but 
not one of them would hear about baptism, and a 
Savage of Arent6 confessed to him what had been 
reported, that he had said that there we had no occa- 
sion to visit them for the sake of baptizing them, — 
that they did not attach any importance to baptism. 
This wretch died some time afterwards, and was de- 
prived of this boon ; we learned of his sickness and 
of his death at the same time. We have not ceased 
since then to go and visit them in their need, there to 



2S6 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. IS 

iufques k lors. II prit auec foy le P. Ifaac logues, & 
Mathurin, qui fit [162] auffi quelques faign6es fort 
heureufes. Le Pere paffant par Otienrio y trouua 
affez de malades, mais pas vn ne voulut oliir parler 
du baptefme, & vn Sautiage d'Arent^ luy auoUa, ce 
qu'on auoit rapports, qu'il auoit dit que nous n'auions 
que faire de les aller voir pour les baptifer, qu'ils ne 
faifoient point d'eftat du baptefme; ce miferable 
mourut quelque teps apres, & fut priu6 de cette 
faueur, nous fceufmes auffi toft fa mort que fa mala- 
die, nous n'auons pas laiff6 depuis de les aller vifiter 
dans le befoin, d'y prefcher nos faints myfteres, 
baptifer quelques malades, fur tout quelques petits 
enfans qui font maintenant dans le ciel, & a rheure 
mefme que i'efcris cecy, les Peres Gamier & Ifaac 
logics partent pour y aller vifiter quelques- vns. Le 
P. Superieur continua de Ik fon voyage, & s'arefta i 
Angoutency oti il baptifa deux petits enfans. Le Ten- 
demain 28. il arriua k Offoffani, oti il trouua les de- 
mons defchainez, & vn pauure peuple dans T affliction 
plus que iamais, attentif aux impertinences d'vn cer- 
tain Tehorenhaegnon, qui fe faifoit fort d'auoir vn fecret 
pour cette forte de maladie, qu'il difoit auoit appris 
des demons, mefme apres vn ieufne de 12. ou 13. 
iours dans vne petite cabane, qu'il s'eftoit faite k ce 
deffein fur le bort du lac. Doncques les habitants 
^OJfoffani entedSt [163] parler de ce qu'il fjauoit 
faire, & voiSts que de toutes parts on luy faifoit des 
prefens, pour gaig^er fa bien-veillace, & tirer de luy 
quelque foulagement, luy deputerent quelques-vns 
desprincipauxd*entre-eux, pourle fupplier bien hum- 
blement d'auoir piti6 de leur mifere, & de fe tranf- 
porter k leur bourg, pour voir les malades, & leur 



1«37] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, 1637 287 

preach our holy mysteries, to baptize some of the 
sick, — above all, some little children, who are now 
in heaven ; and at the very hour that I write this, 
Fathers Gamier and Isaac Jogues are setting out to 
go there to visit some of them. The Father Superior 
continued his journey thence and stopped at Angou- 
tency^ where he baptized two little children. The 
next day, the 28th, he arrived at Ossossan/y where he 
found the demons let loose, and a poor people in 
deeper afSiction than ever, giving their attention to 
the follies of a certain Teharenhaegnon, who boasted of 
having a secret remedy for this kind of malady, which 
he had learned from the demons themselves, after a 
fast of 12 or 13 days in a little cabin which he had 
made for this purpose on the shore of the lake. Ac- 
cordingly, the inhabitants of Ossossan^y hearing [163] 
of what he could do, and seeing that presents were 
oflFered to him on all sides in order to gain his good 
will, and to get from him some relief, sent to him 
some of their chief men to entreat him very humbly 
to have pity upon their misery, and to proceed to their 
village to see the sick and to give them some reme- 
dies. Tehorenhaegnon evinced a willingness to comply 
with their request ; and not being able, or rather not 
deigning to go thither in person, sent one of his as- 
sociates, named Saossarinotiy to whom he communi- 
cated all his power, in proof of which he gave him 
his bow and arrows, which would represent his per- 
son. As soon as he had arrived, one of the Captains 
proclaimed in a loud voice, throughout the village, 
that all the sick should take courage, that Tehoren- 
kuegnon promised to drive the disease away very 
soon ; that, not being able to come in person, Saos- 
sarinon had been sent by him, with power to give 



238 LES RELATIONS DES jiSUITES [Vol. 18 

doner quelques remedes. Tehorenhaegnon tefmoigna 
agr6er leur requefte, & ne pouuSt, ou pluftoft ne 
daign&t pas y aller en perfonne, y enuoia vn de fes 
affociez n6m6 Saojfarinon, auquel il cSmuniqua toute 
fa pTiiffance ; en preuue dequoy il Iny d5na f on arc & 
fes fleches qui reprefenteroiet fa perfonne. Aufli toft 
qn'il fut aniu6 vn des Capitaines publie par le bourg k 
haute voix, que tous les malades priffent courage, 
que Tehorenhaegnon y promettoit de chaffer bie toft la 
maladie, que ne pouuant pas venir en perfonne Saof- 
farinon eftoit enuoy6, de fa part auec pouuoir de leur 
donner toute forte de contentement ; qu*il ordonnoit 
que trois iours confecutifs on fit trois feftins, promet- 
tant que tous ceux qui y affifteroient, & y obferue- 
roient toutes les ceremonies, feroie[n]t guarantis de 
maladie, Sur le foir le monde s'affemble iuftement 
en la cabane de noftre hofte, qui eft vn des plus grands 
[164] du bourg ; nos Peres y demeureret pour voir tout 
ce qui s*y pafferoit. La compag^ie n'eftoit com- 
pof6e que d'hommes, les femmes deuoient auoir par 
apres leur tour ; il y en auoit de toutes les families. 
Auant que de cSmencer la ceremonie, vn des Capi- 
taines mota fur le haut de la cabane, & cria k pleine 
tefte en cette forte. Or fus nous voilk affeblez. 
Efcoutez vous autres demons que Tehorenhaegnon in- 
uocque, voilk que nous allons faire vn feftin, & vne 
danfe en voftre honneur. Sus que la contagion ceffe 
& quitte ce bourg, que fi vous auez encor enuie de 
manger la chair humaine, tranfportez vous au pai's 
de nos ennemis, nous nous affofllos maintenat auec 
vous, pour leur porter la maladie & les perdre, cette 
harangue finie on commence k chanter. Cependant 
Saojfarinon va vifiter les malades, & fait la ronde par 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, t6s7 289 

them all manner of satisfaction; that he ordained 
that for three consecutive days three feasts should 
be made, promising that all those who should be 
present there, and should observe all the ceremonies, 
should be protected from disease. Towards even- 
ing, the people assembled in the very cabin of our 
host, which is one of the largest [164] in the village. 
Our Fathers stayed there, in order to see all that 
might happen. The company was composed only of 
men, — the women were to have their turn after- 
wards ; there were some present from all the families. 
Before beginning the ceremony, one of the Captains 
climbed to the top of the cabin and cried aloud in 
this manner: **Come now, see us here assembled. 
Listen, you demons whom Tehorenhaegnon invokes, 
behold us about to make a feast and have a dance in 
your honor. Come, let the contagion cease and leave 
this town ; but, if you still have a desire to eat hu- 
man flesh, repair to the country of our enemies ; we 
now associate ourselves with you, to carry the sick- 
ness to them and to ruin them." This harangue 
ended, they begin to sing. Meanwhile, Saossarinon 
goes to visit the sick and makes the round of all the 
cabins. But the feast did not take place until day- 
break ; the entire night was passed in a continual up- 
roar ; now they sang, and at the same time beat vio- 
lently, keeping time, upon pieces of bark ; now they 
arose and began to dance ; each one strove to do well, 
as if supposing that his life depended upon it. The 
substitute of Tehorenhaegnon , after having seen the 
sick, was to have put in an appearance at this [165] 
cabin, but he found so much practice that daylight 
overtook him in his progpress. Meanwhile, he was 
awaited with gpreat impatience; and as they were 



340 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. IS 

toutes les cabanes. Au refte le feftin ne fe fit qu'au 
point du iour ; toute la nuict f e palla dans vn tinta- 
marre perpetuel, tantofl ils chatoient, & en mefme 
temps ils frappoient rudement k la cadence fur des 
efcorces, tantofl ils fe leuoient & fe mettoient & dan- 
fer, chacun s'efforfoit & bien faire, comme eflimant 
qti'il y alloit de fa vie. Ce fubflitut de Tehorenhae- 
gnon, apres auoir veu les malades, deuoit fe redre en 
cette [165] cabane, mais il trouua tant de practique 
que le iour le furprit dans fa courfe: cepedant on 
Tattendoit auec grande impatience, & comme ils 
chantoient les vns apres les autres, il y en eufl vn qui 
c6men9a en ces terme, venez grand Arendiouane, 
venez, voilk le iour qui commence k poindre, pour 
ne les point tenir plus long temps en attente, il paffa 
quelques cabanes qui luy reftoient; k fon arriu^e, il fe 
fit vn grand filence, vn Capitaine marchoit deuant 
luy tenant en vne main Tare de Tekorenkaegnon^ 
comme la marque du pouuoir qu'auec [sc. qu'auoit] 
ce fubftitut & en Tautre vne chaudiere pleine d*eau 
myfterieuf e dont il arrouf oit les malades : pour luy, 
il portoit vne aifle de cocq d*Inde dont il les euentoit 
grauement & de loing, apres leurs auoir d5n6 quelques 
breuuages: il fit les mefmes ceremonies k Tendroit 
des malades de cette cabane ; puis ayant donn6 cou- 
rage & bonne efperance k toute la compagnie, il fe 
retira ; le f eflin f e fit, & apres les hommes quitterent 
la place aux femmes qui vindrent aufli chanter & 
danger k leur tour, pour de feftin elle n'en firent 
point. 

Ce 20. Saojfarinofiy fit luy mefme le fecond feftin, 
on y inuoqua I'afllftance des demons en mefmes 
termes que le iour precedent, & [166] apres auoir 



1687] LE JEUNBS RELA TION, 1637 241 

singing, one after another, there was one of them 
who began in these words, ** Come, great Arendiou- 
aney come, behold the day beginning to dawn/* Not 
to keep them waiting longer, he passed by some of 
the remaining cabins. At his arrival a profound 
silence prevailed; a Captain marched before him 
holding in one hand the bow of Tehorenhiegfum as a 
sign of the power possessed by this substitute, and 
in the other a kettle filled with a mysterious water 
with which he sprinkled the sick. As for him, he 
carried a Turkey's wing, with which he fanned them 
gravely and at a distance, after having given them 
something to drink. He performed the same cere- 
monies for the sick of this cabin ; then, having inspired 
the whole company with courage and strong hope, he 
withdrew. The feast took place, and afterwards the 
men left the place to the women, who also came sing- 
ing and dancing in their turn ; as for a feast, they 
had none. 

On this 20th, Saossarinon himself made the second 
feast. There the aid of the demons was invoked in 
the same words as upon the preceding day, and, [166] 
after having eaten, some one said that the Physician 
had already cured twelve of them. This news caused 
great rejoicing among the company; the Captain An- 
dahiach thanked him and his master Tehorenkaegnon, 
with all the Captains of the village of Andiatai, de- 
claring that the whole village would be under obliga- 
tion to them, and begged them to continue their 
favors. The 3rd feast did not take place for lack of 
fish. 

On the 2ist, Saossarinon returned to Andiata^^ at his 
departure taking into partnership with himself and 
Tehorenhaegnon one Kkioutenstia and one landatassa^ 



242 LES RELATIONS DES Jl&SUITES [Vol. IS 

i3iang6, quelqu'vn dit que le Medecin en auoit defia 
guery douze, cette nouuelle refioliit bien la com- 
pag^ie, le Capitaine Andahiach le remercia, & fon 
maiftre Tehorenkaegnon, auec tous les Capitaines du 
bourg d'Andiata^^ tefmoig^ant que tout le bourg leur 
demeuroit oblig6, & les pria de leur continuer cette 
faueur. Le 3. feftin ne fe fit point faute de poiffon. 
Le2i. Saojfarinon s'en retoume k Andiataiy affo- 
ciant k fon depart auec foy & Tehorenhaegnoity vn 
nomm6 ILhioutenJiiay & landataffa^ au quels ils en- 
feigna les fecrets de Tart, & communiqua fa puiffance, 
pour marque dequoy il leur laiffa k chacun vn aifle 
de coq d'Inde, adiouflant que d'orefnauant leurs 
fonges fe trouueroient veritables, il donna aufll com- 
miffion qu'au bout de quelques iours on leur allafl 
rapporter le fuccez de leur remedes. 4. ou 5. iours 
apres on parcourut toutes les cabanes pour f9auoir au 
vray le nombre des gueris & des malades, afin d'en 
informer Tehorenhaegnon. Suiuant leur calcul il s'en 
trouua 25. de gueris, & 25. malades; on va inconti- 
nent k Andiataiy en faire le raport k ce perfonnage, 
qui renuoye d6s le Tendemain Saoffarinon, pour tra- 
uailler k guerir le refle, mais ce fuft k fa confufion, il 
ne voulut pas [167] predre la peine d'aller vifiter les 
malades, il donna charge qu'ils fe trainaffent eux 
mefmes, ou qu*on les luy apportaft en la cabane d'vn 
nomm6 Oonchiarri oh il y auoit defia force malades, 
mais ce deffein luy reiiflit fort mal, & on ne vifl cette 
feconde fois aucun bons effects de fes remedes, car 
quelques- vns ne voulurent pas y aller pour fe f entir 
trop foibles ; la mef me nuict vne f emme de la cabane 
mourut, & le I'endemain matin vne autre qu'on y 
auoit apport^, pour celle-cy le P. Superieur Tinflruifit 



1687] LE /EUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 248 

to whom he taught the secrets of his art and commti- 
nicated his power, — as a token of which he left them 
each a Turkey's wing, adding that henceforth their 
dreams would prove true. He also commissioned 
them to send, after a few days, some one to report 
to them the success of their remedies. 4 or 5 days 
afterwards, all the cabins were visited to ascertain 
with certainty the number of those who were cured 
and of the sick, in order to inform Tehorenhaegmm 
thereof. According to their count, they found 25 
cured and 25 sick; some one went straightway to 
Andiatai to bear report thereof to this personage, who 
sent Saossarinon the next day to strive to cure the 
rest, but it was to his own confusion. He would not 
[167] take the trouble to go and visit the sick, but 
gave orders that they should drag themselves, or 
that they should be carried to him, in the cabin of 
one Oonchiarr^y where there were already a great 
many sick people. But this plan resulted very badly 
for him, and this second time no good effects were 
seen from his remedies, for some would not go there 
because they felt too weak. The same night a woman 
of the cabin died, and the next morning another one, 
who had been carried there ; as to the latter, the Fa- 
ther Superior instructed and baptized her with a 
great deal of satisfaction. Moreover, he did so well 
that those gentlemen, the substitutes of Tekorenkae- 
gnon^ were obliged to throw aside their Turkey wings 
and renounce their office. 

On the 25th, Tonneraouanont^ the little sorcerer whom 
I mentioned above, died in the village of Onnentisati; 
he was still at Ossossan^ on the 23rd, but, finding him- 
self extremely ill, and seeing that there was no more 
help for him, he had himself carried to Onnentisati^ 



244 LES RELATIONS DES J&SUITES [Vol. IS 

& la baptifa, aiiec beaucoup de fatisf action. Au rede 
il fit il bien que ces mefdeiirs les fubflituts de Teho^ 
renhaegnofiy furent contraints de letter leur aifle de coq 
d'Inde, & renoncer k leur office. 

Le 25. TonneraoUanontj ce petit f order dont ie par- 
lois cy deuant, mourut au bourg d ' Onnentifatix il eftoit 
encor Ji Offoffani le 23. mais fe trouuant extraordinai- 
rement mal, & voiat qu'il n'y auoit plus de remede, 
il fe fit tranfporter k Onnentifatj, tefmoignant qu'il 
vouloit mourir au lieu de fa naiffance, il ordonna 
auffi qu'on le mift en terre afin que comme il eftoit 
vn demon, il retoumaft au lieu d'oii il eftoit venu, 
pendant fa maladie il fe plaignit, Ji ce qu'6 dit d'vne 
certaine diablefl!e, qu'il appelloit fa foeur, d'autat 
qu'elle s* eftoit [168] incarn^e en mefme temps que 
luy dans le ventre de fa mere, c'eftoit elle \ I'en- 
tendre qui eftoit la caufe de fa mort, & qui luy auoit 
rompu la iambe, d'autant que contre fa volont6, il 
auoit voulu traitter d'autres malades que ceux de la 
cabane de Tondaaiondu 

Le P. Superieur baptifa quinze perfonnes en ce 
voyage. La Prouidence de Dieu parut particuliere- 
ment en la conuerfion de deux, dont Tvne apres auoir 
refift6 plufieurs iours au baptefme, toufiours en vn 
danger manifefte de mort, & en tel eflat qu'il n'y 
auoit gueres d'apparence qu'elle deuft pafl!er la iour- 
n6e, Dieu luy conferua la vie, iufques k ce que fon 
mary furuint qui ayat eft6 baptif6 auparauant par le 
pere en vne femblable extremity, I'exhorta fi bien & 
fi efficacement qu'elle fe laiffa vaincre, & tefmoigna 
en fin eftre fort contente de receuoir le baptefme. 
L'autre fut vn ieune homme qui faifoit paroiftre affez 
bonne volont6 pour le baptefme, mais fon beau-pere 



1637] LE JEUNE*S RELA TION, 1637 246 

asserting that he wished to die in the place of his 
birth. He also ordered that they should put him in 
the ground, in order that, as he was a demon, he 
might return to the place whence he had come. 
During his sickness he complained, according to re- 
port, of a certain she-devil whom he called his sister, 
inasmuch as she had been [168] incarnated, at the 
same time as he, in the womb of his mother. It was 
she, according to his story, who was the cause of his 
death, and who had broken his leg, inasmuch as, 
against her will, he had tried to treat other patients 
than those of the cabin of Tondaaiondi. 

The Father Superior baptized fifteen persons, on 
this journey. The Providence of God appeared par- 
ticularly in the conversion of two, to one of whom, 
after she had resisted baptism for several days, — al- 
ways in manifest danger of death, and in such a con- 
dition that there was little probability of her living 
through the day, — God preserved her life until her 
husband appeared, who, having been baptized by the 
father previously, in a similar extremity, exhorted 
her so well and so effectively that she allowed her- 
self to be subdued, and at last evinced great willing- 
ness to receive baptism. The other was a young 
man, who showed himself favorably enough inclined 
towards baptism ; but his father-in-law and mother- 
in-law opposed him in this so strongly that it was 
impossible to resist them. Meanwhile, the danger of 
death was increasing. The father went there 3 or 
4 times a day, without being able to find opportunity 
for speaking to him, there being always some hin- 
drance; now they were making a feast, now the 
Medicine man was there, and very [169] rarely did 
the father-in-law or mother-in-law leave him. God 



246 LES RELA TIONS DES /^SUITES [Vol. IS 

& fa belle-mere s'y oppofoient de telle forte qu'il n'y 
auoit pas moien de paffer outre ; cependat le danger 
de mort alloit croiffant ; le pere y alloit 3 . & 4. f ois 
le iour, fans pouuoir trouuer la commodity de luy 
parler, il y auoit toufiours quelque empefchement, 
tantofl on y faifoit f eflin, tantofl le Medecin y efloit, 
& iamais [169] prefque le beau pere, ou la belle mere 
n'en parloient \sc. partoient], Dieu enfin voulut que 
le beau pere n*y eflant pas, la belle mere fut inuit^e 
Ji vn feflin dans vn autre cabane, de forte que le P. 
Superieur fe trouua fort heureufemet feul auec le 
malade; comme il Tauoit def-ja inflruit quelques 
iours auparauant, Taffaire fut bien toft faite, & le 
baptifa incontinent auec beaucoup de conf olation de 
part & d'autre, le pere ne faifoit que d'acheuer, que 
la belle mere entra, elle ne s'eftoit mife qu'en chemin 
pour aller k ce banquet, & en auoit incontinent quitt6 
le deffein. La diuine bont6 auoit difpof6 ce moment 
pour faire mifericorde k ce pauure ieune homme, fans 
doute par les merites de S. lofeph qui fut inuoqu6 
fort particulierement en cette occalion, aufll bien 
qu'en la precedente, c'eft noftre refuge ordinaire en 
femblables neceflltez, & d* ordinaire auec tels fuccez 
que nous auons fujet d'en benir Dieu k iamais, qui 
nous fait cogpioiftre en cette barbarie le credit de ce 
S. Patriarche aupres de fon infinie mifericorde. 

Le 28. le P. Superieur retouma k Ihanattiria, pen- 
dant fon abf ence nous anions fait quelques courfes k 
OilenriOf & k Anonatea^ oil il y auoit force malade. 
Le 2 1 . le P. Pierre Pijart auoit baptif 6 deux f emmes, 
Tvne k Anonatea que nous anions veuS & inftruite, le 
P. Chaftellain [172 i.e., 170] & moy, deux iours au- 
parauant, r autre k Ouenrioy qui mourut incontinent 



1637] LEJEUNE^S RELATION, i6s7 247 

finally willed that, the father-in-law being absent, the 
mother-in-law was invited to a feast in another cabin, 
so that the Father Superior very fortunately found 
himself alone with the sick man. As he had already 
given him instruction, several days before, the affair 
was soon completed, and he baptized him forthwith, 
with much consolation on both sides. The father 
had only finished, when the mother-in-law entered ; 
she had just startedNon her way to this banquet, and 
had suddenly given np her intention. The divine 
goodness had prepared this moment for an act of 
mercy to this poor young man, doubtless through the 
merits of St. Joseph, who was invoked very specially 
on this occasion, as well as on the preceding one. 
He is our usual refuge in such necessities, and gen* 
erally with so much success that we have reason to 
bless God forever, who reveals to us in this barba- 
rism the influence of this Holy Patriarch with his 
infinite mercy. 

On the 28th, the Father Superior returned to Iko- 
nattiria. During his absence we made some visits to 
Ouenrio and to Anonatea, where there were a great 
many sick people^ On the 21st, Father Pierre Pijart 
had baptized two women, one at Anonatea, whom 
we had seen and instructed, Father Chastellain 
[172 i.e., 170] and I, two days before; the other at 
Ouenrioy who died immediately afterwards with 
marked indications of predestination. It was a provi- 
dence of God that the Father should make this little 
journey on the 20th, for if he had waited until the 
next day, as he had planned, he would have found 
her incapable of baptism ; but he felt himself inward- 
ly inspired to go and lodge there the day before her 
death. Upon his arrival, before going to her cabin, 



248 LES RELA TJONS DES jtSUITES [Vol. 13 

apres auec de grands lignes de predeftination, ce fut 
vne prouidence de Dieu que le Pere fit ce petit voi- 
age d6s le 20. car s*il euft attendu au lendemain, 
comme le deffein en auoit eft6 pris, il Teuft trouu6e 
incapable du baptefme, mais il fe fentit interieure- 
ment infpir6 d*y aller coucher d6s le iour precedet de 
fa mort ; \ f on arriu6e auant que d'aller k la cabane 
de celle-cy, il en auoit vifit6 d'autres, qui auoiet 
refuf 6 nettement le baptefme ; & mefme il paffa le 
foir i inflruire vne femme, qui efloit tout aupres 
d*elle, qui paroifToit bien mal, & demandoit fort in- 
flamment le baptefme ; pour Tautre Ji qui Dieu pre- 
paroit le ciel, le pere n'y penfa quafi pas, aufli ne 
iugea il pas neceffaire de luy parler encor des affaires 
de fon falut, ne s'apperceuant pas du danger auquel 
elle eftoit, cependant elle eut affez de peine k paffer 
la nuict. Le lendemain matin le Pere les retouma 
vifiter : car il s'efloit retire dans vne autre cabane, fon 
deffein principal efloit de baptifer celle qu'il auoit 
inflruite, & Dieu le conduifit tout d[r]oit k Tautre, en 
vn mot il Tinflruifit & la baptifa, elle mourut au bout 
d ' vne heure ou deux; & celle qui auoit demand^ fi 
ardemment le baptefme le foir precedent, n'en voulut 
ouyr parler en [171] fagon du monde, Vnus ajfumetur^ 
alter relinquetur. Nous vififlafmes encor ces deux 
bourgades quelques iours apres le P. Pierre Chafte- 
lain & moy, mais nous n'y anions trouu6 aucune dif- 
pofition pour le baptefme, les vns auoient perdu le 
iugement, & les autres manquoient de bonne volont6. 
Le 30. noftre grand lac fe prit tout k fait, il y auoit 
long temps qu'il eftoit glac6 iufques a quelques Ifles; 
mais au deli, les vents prefque continuels, auoient 
toufiours rompu les glaces, il ne fe gele par tout que 



1687] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, i6jt 249 

he had visited some others, who had bluntly refused 
baptism ; and he even passed the evening instructing 
a woman who was very near her, who appeared quite 
sick and very earnestly requested baptism ; as to the 
other one, for whom God was preparing heaven, the 
father hardly gave her a thought, nor did he judge it 
necessary to speak to her again on the subject of her 
salvation, not perceiving the danger in which she 
was, yet she was hardly able to live through the 
night. The next morning, the Father returned to 
visit them, for he had withdrawn to another cabin. 
His chief purpose was to baptize her whom he had 
instructed, and God led him straight to the other 
one ; in short, he instructed and baptized her, and she 
died at the end of an hour or two ; while the one who 
had so eagerly requested baptism the evening before, 
would not hear of it in [i 7 1] any way whatever. Unus 
assumetur, alter relinquetur. We again visited these 
two villages some days afterwards, Father Pierre 
Chastellain and I ; but we found there no inclination 
towards baptism, some having lost consciousness, and 
others lacking the good will. 

On the 30th, our great lake was entirely covered 
with ice. It had been frozen for a long time, up 
to certain Islands ; but beyond these the almost con- 
tinual winds had always broken the ice. It does not 
freeze everywhere except in very calm weather. It 
is a convenience to these peoples; for, as soon as 
the ice is strong enough, they take com to the Al- 
gonquins, and bring back quantities of fish. We have 
had a long Winter this year; it began on the loth or 
1 2th of October, and has greatly encroached upon 
the Spring ; there is little appearance of a favorable 
year, if the goodness of God is not interposed. Here 



250 LES RELATIONS DES J ASUITES [Vol. IS 

de grad calme, c'efl vne commodity pour ces peu- 
ples, car auffi toft que la glace eft affez forte, ils por- 
tent des bleds aux Algonquins, & en rapportent force 
poiffon. Nous auos eu vn long Hyuer c6t ann6e, il 
a commec6 d6s le lo. ou 12. d'Octobre, & a beaucoup 
anticip6 fur le Printemps, il n'y a gueres d'appa- 
rence d*vne bonne ann6e, 11 la bont6 de Dieu n*y met 
la main : nous voicy au 30. de May, & k peine les 
bleds commencet ils k leuer, encor n*eft-ce qu'en 
quelques endroits, plufieurs n'ont pas encor fem6 & 
les autres fe plaignet que leurs grains font pourris 
dans terre ; il y a 15. iours que nous au5s des pluy es 
prefque cotinuelles 

Le I. de Feburier nous partifmes pour aller k 
OJfoffani^ le Pere Pierre Pijart & moy; [172] nous y 
feioumafmes iufques au 13. nous baptifafmes cinq 
perfonnes, nous en inftruififmes plufieurs autres, 
mais ne les trouuas pas encor en danger, nous n Da- 
mons pas iug6 k propos de precipiter leur baptefme. 
Nous trouuafmes vn grand changement dans la 
cabane d'vn nomm6 Tondaiondiy tandis que le petit 
forcier Tonneraouanont y eftoit, nous y anions tou- 
fiours eft6 fort mal receus nomm^ment fur le fuiet 
du baptefme, nous y^auions eft6 chargez d'iniures, 
& tout fraifchement le P. Superieur auoit fait tout 
f on pofllble pour gaigner vne pauure femme malade, 
mais outre qu'elle auoit efcout6 fort froidement le dif- 
cours qu'il luy auoit fait du Paradis & de I'enfer, fon 
pere n* auoit tefmoign6 aucune, inclination pour fon 
baptefme; & auoit donn6 k cognoiftre au pere, qu'ils 
ne faifoient pas grand eftat de ce que nous enfei- 
gnions, que pour eux ils auoient auill bien que nous vn 
lieu afleur^, oh alloiSt les ames de leur parens de- 



ie87] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 261 

we are at the 30th of May, and the corn has hardly 
begun to grow, and this only in some places ; many 
have not yet planted seed, and others complain that 
their seed is rotting in the ground; we have had 
almost continual rain for 1 5 days. 

On the 1st of February, we departed to go to Os- 
sossani, Father Pierre Pijart and I ; [172] we remained 
there until the 13th, and baptized five persons; we in- 
structed several others, but, finding them not yet in 
danger, we did not consider it wise to hasten their 
baptism. We found a great change in the cabin of 
one Tondaiondi; while the little sorcerer Tonneraoua- 
nont was there, we had always been very badly re- 
ceived, especially upon the subject of baptism. We 
had been loaded with insults there ; and but recent- 
ly the Father Superior had done his best to win a 
poor sick woman. But, besides that she had listened 
very coldly when he talked to her about Paradise 
and hell, her father had not shown any inclina- 
tion to have her baptized, and had given the father 
to understand that they did not attach much impor- 
tance to what we taught them, — that, as for them, 
they had, as well as we, a certain place where the 
souls of their dead relatives went, Ahahabreti onaske- 
nonteta, "We have," said he, "a certain road that 
our souls take after death." Since the death of this 
little sorcerer, God had (it seems) changed their 
hearts. We had scarcely any hope of finding this 
patient still alive, whom her relatives had abandoned, 
as it were, after the departure of the Father Supe- 
rior. In [173] fact, we found that her leggings and 
moccasins had already been put on, according to the 
custom of the country, and her mind was so far gone 
that we judged her thereafter incapable of baptism. 



252 LES RELA TIONS DES J&SUITES [Vol. IS 

functs» Ahahabreti onaskenontetay nous au5s, dit-il, vn 
chemin affeur6, que tiennent nos ames apres la mort. 
Depuis la mort de ce petit f order, Dieu leur auoit (ce 
femble) chang6 le coeur, nous n'auions quail point 
d'efperance de trouuer encor en vie cette malade, 
que fes parens auoiSt comme abandonn6e d6s le de- 
part du P. Superieur, de [173] fait nous trouuafmes 
qu'on r auoit defia chauff^e & bottle felon la cou- 
flume du pai's, & auec 11 peu de iugement, que nous 
la iugeafmes pour lors incapable du baptefme. Le 
3. Tefprit luy eflant reuenu, Dieu nous fit la grace 
de la baptifer. EUe mefme de fon propre mouue- 
ment fait entendre Ji fon pere, qu'elle defiroit eftre 
baptif^e ; luy refpondit qu'il en efloit fort content, & 
apres fon baptefme fe conjoliit auec elle du bon-heur 
que elle auoit d'ellre en eflat d'aller au ciel, luy re- 
pref entant que delia plulleurs de fes parens qui efloient 
morts Chreftiens y efloient, & qu'il defiroit auffi luy 
mefme eftre baptif6. Ce mefme iour nous rencon- 
trafmes vn ieune homme qui nous tint vn difcours 
qui cSfolera V. R. II s'eftoit defia rencontr6 fort 
heureuf ement en vn de nos premiers voiages comme 
i'inftruifois vn malade, & auoit pris grand plaifir 
d' entendre les commandemens de Dieu, & m'auoit 
pri6 d6s lors de les repeter encor vne f ois ; & en cette 
feconde rencontre, me parlant d'vne feme vefue que 
i*auois baptif6, & qui s'eftoit guerie, il me demanda 
ce qu'elle deuoit faire pour aller au ciel, luy aians 
refpondu qu'elle deuoit garder les commandemens 
de Dieu, & luy en ayat dit le f ommaire ; pour moi, 
me dit-il, ie les ay gardez depuis que ie les ay apris, 
& fuis refolu [174] de les garder toute ma vie; il me 
repeta les poincts que le P. Super, leur auoit particu* 



Id87] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 263 

On the 3rd, consciousness having returned to her, 
God granted us the grace to baptize her. She her- 
self of her own free will gave her father to under- 
stand that she desired to be baptized ; he replied that 
he was very glad of it, and after her baptism rejoiced 
with her over her good fortune in being fitted to go 
to heaven, representing to her that already several of 
her relatives who had died Christians were there, and 
that he himself also desired to be baptized. On that 
same day, we met a young man who held with us a 
conversation that will console Your Reverence. We 
had already had a very agreeable encounter with him 
in one of our first journeys, when I was instructing a 
sick man, and he had taken great pleasure in hear- 
ing the commandments of God, begging me then to 
repeat them to him once more ; and in this second 
meeting, speaking to me of a widow whom I had 
baptized and who had recovered, he asked me what 
she should do in order to go to heaven. Having an- 
swered him that she must keep the commandments 
of God, and having given him a summary of them, 
" As for me,'* he said, *' I have been keeping them 
since I learned them, and have resolved [174] to keep 
them all my life." He repeated to me the points 
that the Father Superior had especially recommended 
to them, and added that when he happened to dream 
at night, the next morning he addressed God and 
said to him, '* My God, I have dreamed; but, since 
you do not wish us to depend upon our dreams, I 
shall not trouble myself about them.*' He said, 
moreover, that he was careful to pray to God every 
day ; and, as for that young woman, that she prob- 
ably would marry again, but that this marriage would 
be permanent. Thereupon he put to me a question, 



264 LES RELA TIONS DES jASUITES [Vol. IS 

lierement recommand6, & adioufta que quand il luy 
arriuoit de fonger la nuict, le matin il s'adreffoit k 
Dieu, & luy difoit: Mo Dieu i'ay fong6, mais puis 
que vous ne voulez pas que nous nous arreftios k nos 
fonges, ie ne m'en mettrai pas en peine, au refte qu'il 
auoit foin de prier Dieu tous les iours, & pour cette 
ieune femme, qu'elle efloit pour fe remarier, mais 
que ce manage feroit ftable. LJi deffus il me fit vne 
queftion, & me demanda ce que deuoit faire vne 
femme, Jt qui fon mary ne luy gardoit pas la fidelity, 
& fi elle ne pouuoit pas aufll mener la mefme vie de 
fon coft6; ie luy refpondis que non, qu'elle pecheroit 
griefuement, & feroit contre les Commandements de 
Dieu; pour conclufion ie Texhortai Jt continuer dans 
la bonne volot6 qu'il auoit de feruir Dieu, luy pro- 
mettat que nous rinftruirios quelque iour plus parti- 
culierement. Ce ieune homme a I'efprit bon & pa- 
roift fort honnefte pour vn Sauuage. 

Le 4. Dieu nous enuoia dequoy faire du bie k nos 
malades, & refiouiY noftre hofte, qui efloit court de 
poiffon. Robert que nous anions men6 auec nous, 
tua deux Outardes; il n'y auoit de bonne fortune que 
4. ou 5. perfonnes bien malades, de forte que nous 
les [175] peufmes aifement obliger, fans faire parler 
les autres ; & le gibier eft fi rare parmi les Sauuages, 
que quoy qu*ils fufl!ent 20. ou 25. das noftre cabane, 
& que noftre hofte en euft enuoy6 k fes amis, ils s'e- 
ftimeret encor auoir fait tres-bonne chere, & toute la 
cabane retentifl!oit de ho, ho, ho, & entre autres vne 
vieille, qui eft la femme de noftre hofte, s'adreffant 
k noftre chaffeur luy fit fon remerciement en ces 
termes, ho, ho, ho, Echiongnix & /agon achitec, Ah 
mon nepueu ie te remercie, prends courage pour de- 



1637] LE JEUNE*S RELA TION, 1637 256 

asking me what a woman ought to do whose husband 
was not faithful to her, and if she might not also 
lead the same life, on her part. I answered him 
"no,'* that she would commit a grievous sin, and 
would act contrary to the Commandments of God. 
In conclusion, I asked him to continue in the good 
purpose that he had to serve God, promising him that 
we would some day instruct him more particularly. 
This young man has a good mind, and appears very 
honest for a Savage. 

On the 4th, God sent us something with which to 
benefit our sick and to rejoice our host, who was 
short of fish. Robert, whom we had taken with us, 
killed two Bustards. Very fortunately, there were 
only 4 or 5 persons very sick, so that we [175] could 
easily oblige them without causing the others to com- 
plain ; and game is so rare among the Savages that, 
although there were 20 or 25 in our cabin, and al- 
though our host had sent some to his friends, still 
they considered that they had fared very well, and 
the whole cabin resounded with **ho, ho, ho." 
Among others, an old woman, the wife of our host, 
addressing herself to our hunter, thanked him in these 
words, '*ho, ho, ho, Echiongnix et sagon achitec,'' 
'* Ah, my nephew, I thank thee; be of good heart 
for the morrow." In fact he killed 4 or 5 more of 
them, so that we had something with which to make 
soup for two sick people in our cabin, and carried 
some to certain others who were most in need of it. 
But our host did not approve of this, and we con- 
tented ourselves afterwards with carrying them some 
pieces of Bustard, entirely raw, teaching them to make 
soup therefrom. At this time we had an amusing 
encounter ; upon carrying some broth to a sick wom- 



266 LES RELA TIONS DBS jASUITES [Vol. IS 

main, de fait il en tua encor 4. ou 5. de forte que nous 
eufmes dequoy faire quelques boiiillons Ji deux ma- 
lades de la cabane, & en porter Ji quelques autres qui 
en auoient le plus de befoin, & neantmoins noflre 
hofle ne le trouuant pas bon, nous nous conten- 
tafmes par apres de leur porter quelques morceaux 
d'Outarde toute cruS, & de leur apprendre & en faire 
des bouillons, en cette occafion nous fifmes vne 
agreable rencontre : comme nous portios vn boliillS k 
vne malade, le Medecin s'y trouua, c'efl vn des Sau- 
uages des plus graues & des plus ferieux que i*aie veu, 
il prend le bouillon le regarde & tire d'vne certaine 
pouldre qu'il auoit dans fon fac, il en prit dans fa 
bouche, & la cracha fur le bouillon puis choififfant le 
meilleur le fait manger k la malade. 

[ 1 76] Le 5 . nous baptif af mes chez nostre hofle vne 
vieille femme, ie Tauois inflruite quelques iours 
auparauant auec beaucoup de fatisfaction, depuis fon 
baptefme particulierement, nous Tentendions de I'au- 
tre bout de la cabane oil nous eftions, fe recSmander 
& Dieu le matin & le foir, & faire quelque petite 
priere que nous luy anions aprife, elle reffetoit de 
tres grades douleurs, & cependat nous la trouuions ton- 
Hours difpos6e a auoir recours k Dieu. Le Capitaine 
Andahiach fon frere, nous pria fort inftamet de luy 
doner quelque remede pour le mal de tefte, dont elle 
fe plaignoit, nous difant que le P. Superieur & Simon 
Baron en auoiet don6 \ quelques vns qui s*en efloiet 
bie trouuez ; ie ne piis m'imaginer autre chof e finon 
qu'il parloit de quelques vngues dont on s'efloit feruy 
pour quelques eflures de ioiies qui auoient abouty par 
dehors ; ie luy monftray vne petite boite oil il y en 
auoit deplufieurs fortes, il fe trouua que c'efloit iufle- 



]} 



1637] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 267 

an, we found the Physician there. He is one of the 
most dignified and serious Savages that I have seen. 
He took the broth, looked at it, and then drew out a 
certain powder that he had in his bag ; he put some 
of it in his mouth, spit it out upon the broth, and 
then, choosing the best of it, made the patient eat it. 
[176] On the 5th, we baptized an old woman in the 
house of our host. I had instructed her some days 
before, with great satisfaction; after her baptism, 
especially, we heard her from the other side of the 
cabin in which we were, commending herself to God 
morning and evening, and oflFering some little prayer 
that we had taught her. She felt a great deal of 
pain, and yet we found her always disposed to have 
recourse to God. The Captain Andahiachy her broth- 
er, begged us very earnestly to give her some reme- 
dy for the pain in her head, of which she complained, 
telling us that the Father Superior and Simon Baron 
had given one to some of them, who had been there- 
by benefited. I could not imagine what this might 
be, unless he spoke of some ointments which had 
been used for certain swellings of the cheeks that 
had broken out on the outside. I showed him a 
little box in which there were several kinds of these, 
and it proved that they were exactly what he wanted. 
I told him from the first that I did not think these 
were good for this woman's trouble; nevertheless, 
as he persisted, and urged me to give her some of 
them, I asked him which color he wished, for I had 
5 or 6 different kinds; having shown me the red, 
the [177] white, and the green, I made her a large 
plaster of these, which I applied to her forehead. 
How powerful is the imagination, here as well as in 
Prance ! The next day she found herself greatly re- 



268 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 13 

ment ce qu'il demadoit: ie luy dis d'abord que ie ne 
pefois pas que cela fufl bo pour Ie mal de cette feme, 
neatmoins luy perfiftat toufiours & me prefsat de luy 
en doner, ie luy demaday de quelle couleur il en vou- 
loit, car i'e auois de 5. ou 6. fa96s & mayat m6ftr6 du 
rouge du [177] blanc, & du vert, ie luy en fis vn 
grand emplaftre que ie luy appliquay au front ; que 
rimagination eft puiffante icy auffi bien qu'en France ; 
Ie lendemain elle fe trouua grandement foulagee, & 
Andahiach me pria de ne point faire part de ce 
remede k d'autres, & Ie referuer feulement pour leur 
cabane, ie luy refpondis qu'il ne fe mift pas en peine, 
& que tandis que nous en aurions ils n'en manque- 
roient point; 11 ie Teuffe voulu croire ie luy en euffe 
fait auffi vn emplaftre pour luy couurir Teftomac oil 
eftoit tout f on mal ; elle ne laiffa pas de mourir deux 
ou trois iours apres. 

Le mefme 5. iour de Feburier Ie confeil s'affemble 
chez le Capitaine Andahiach^ ou prefidoit le forcier 
Tsendacouane du bourg d' Onnentifati, Car le fieur 
Tehorenhachnen & fes fubftituts n'eftoient plus en 
credit, cettui cy parla en maiftre & en Prophete, & 
dit que fi on ne faifoit ce qu'il ordonneroit que la 
maladie dureroit iufques au mois de luillet, au con- 
traire £i on luy obeiffoit, & fi on luy accordoit ce qu'il 
demanderoit, il donnoit paroUe que dans dix iours le 
bourg en feroit tout k fait garanty. II ordonna done 
premierement que d'orefnauant on mit les morts en 
terre, & qu'au prin-temps on les tireroit [178] pour 
les mettre dans des tombeaux d'6corces dreffez fur 
quatre piliers k 1* ordinaire. Secondement qu'on ne 
leur donnaft point de nattes au moins neufves. Troi- 
fiefmement qu'on luy fift prefent de 5. pains de 



1637] LE JEUNBS RELA TION, 1637 269 

lieved, and Andahiach begged me not to share this 
remedy with the others, and to reserve it for their 
cabin alone. I replied to him that he should not 
trouble himself, and that as long as we had any they 
should not want for it. If I had consented to follow 
her advice, I would also have made her a plaster to 
cover her stomach, where all her pain was. She 
died, however, two or three days afterwards. 

On the same 5th day of February, the council as- 
sembled at the house of the Captain ^^rf^zAzVi^A, where 
the sorcerer Tsendacouane^ of the village of Onnentisa- 
tiy presided, for sieur Tehorenhachnen and his substi- 
tutes were no longer in good standing. This latter 
one spoke with authority and as a Prophet, — say- 
ing that, if they did not do what he should order, 
the sickness would last until the month of July ; if, 
on the contrary, they obeyed him, and if they granted 
what he should ask, he gave his word that in ten 
days the town should be entirely secured against it. 
Accordingly, he ordered, first, that they should 
henceforth put the dead in the ground, and that in 
the spring they should take them out [178] to place 
them in bark tombs raised upon four posts, as usual. 
Secondly, that they should give them no more mats, 
at least no new ones. Thirdly, that they should give 
him a present of 5 cakes of tobacco. His request was 
immediately granted, one of the sons-in-law of our 
host furnishing this contribution. They reassembled 
towards evening outside the village. I was twice in- 
vited to this council. One of the Captains warned 
the children in a loud voice not to make any noise ; 
a great fire was lighted, and the sorcerer — after hav- 
ing represented to those present the importance of 
the aflFair — threw therein the 5 cakes of tobacco that 



260 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol. 13 

petun ; fa reqtiefle luy f ut incontinant accord^e vn 
des gedres de noftre hofte f oumit 2t cette contribu- 
tion. On fe r'affembla [sc. raffembla] fur le foir hors 
du bourg, on m'inuita k ce confeil par deux fois, & 
vn des Capitaines aduertifl k haute voix les enfans 
de ne point faire de bruit. lis allumerent vn grand 
feu, & le f order apres auoir reprefent6 aux afliflans 
rimportance de la chofe, y ietta les 5. pains de petun 
qu'on luy auoit donn6 en adreffant fa priere au 
Soleil, aux Dem6s & ^ la Pefle, les coniurant de 
quitter leur pals & fe tranf porter au pluflofl au pays 
des Hiroquois. 

Le 8. noflre hofte ay at fait tout fraifchement bone 
chere & prenant goufl aux outardes voyant que 
noflre chaff eur manquoit de pouldre s'offrit luy 
mefme pour en aller querir, nous luy accordkmes 
plus volontiers pour auoir dequoy faire du bien k nos 
malades, aufli bien eflios nous au bout de quelques 
petites douceurs que nous anions apport6. [179] Ce 
nous fut vne belle lejo de voir vn viellard aag6 de 
plus de 60. ans entreprendre 4. grandes lieiies en la 
faifon la plus fafcheufe de Tann^e, en efperance de 
manger vn morceau de viande, il y auoit trois pieds 
de neige par tout & s'il ny auoit point Score de che- 
mins faits, aiat neig6 toute la ioum^e precedente, & 
li ie ne me trope vne partie de la nuit. 

Sur le foir le Capitaine Andahiach alia par les ca- 
banes publier vne nouuelle ordonnace du forcier 
TfondacoiiannL Ce personage efloit k Onnentifati & 
ne deuoit retoumer quVn iour apres, il faifoit fes 
preparatifs c'efl a dire quelques fueries & feftins pour 
inuocquer Tafllftance des demons & rendre fes re- 
medes plus efl&caces. Cette ordonnance coliftoit a 



1637] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, i637 261 

had been given him,** while addressing his prayer to 
the Sun, to the Demons, and to the Pest, conjuring 
them to leave their country, and to repair as soon as 
possible to the country of the Hiroquois. 

On the 8th, our host, — who had been recently 
enjoying good fare and had acquired a taste for bus- 
tards, — seeing that our hunter was in need of pow- 
der, oflFered to go himself in quest of some. We gave 
our consent to this more willingly that we might 
have something that would benefit our patients, es- 
pecially as we were at the end of the little sweet- 
meats that we had brought with us. [179] It was a 
good lesson to us to see an old man more than 60 
years of age undertake a journey of 4 long leagues, 
in the most trying season of the year, in the hope of 
getting a piece of meat to eat. There was every- 
where three feet of snow ; and no paths had yet been 
made, as it had been snowing all the preceding day, 
and, if I am not mistaken, part of the night. 

Towards evening, the Captain Andahiach went 
through the cabins to publish a new order of the sor- 
cerer Tsondacouann^. This personage was at Onnen- 
tisati, and was not to return until the next day. He 
was carrying on his preparations, that is to say, cer- 
tain sweatings and feasts, in order to invoke the 
assistance of the demons, and to render his remedies 
more efficacious. This prescription consisted in tak- 
ing the bark of the ash, the spruce, the hemlock, and 
the wild cherry, boiling them together well in a 
great kettle, and washing the whole body therewith. 
He added that his remedies were not for women who 
were in their courses, and that care should be taken 
not to go out of their cabins barefooted, in the evening. 

On the 9th, our host returned, and brought us 



<' 



^ 



262 LES RELATIONS DES JASUITES [Vol. IS 

predre de Tecorce de frefne, de fappin, de pruffe, de 
merifier, faire bie bouillir le tout dans vne grade 
chaudiere, & s'en latter par tout le corps ; il adioufta 
que fes remedes n'eftoient point pour les femes qui 
eftoient dans leur moys, & qu'on fe gardaft bien de 
fortir le foir nuds pieds hors des cabanes. 

Le 9. noftre hofle retouma, & nous aporta de la 
pouldre ; mais de malheur pour [ 1 80] luy la chaffe ne 
reiifllt plus; aufll auoit ce efl6 vne retraite car ce 
n'efloit pas la faifon du gibier. Auat que de fe 
coucher il ietta du petun au feu & pria les demons 
d'auoir f oin de fa cabane ; quel creue coeur pour nous 
de ne pouuoir empef cher ces infames Sacrifices ; 

Le 10. on fit vne danfe pour la fant6 d'vn malade, 
il y auoit deux iours qu'il en auoit eu le fonge, & 
qu'on trauailloit apres les preparatifs, tons les dan- 
feurs efloient contre-f aits en boffus, auec des mafques 
de bois tout k fait ridicules, & chacun vn bafton en 
main, voila vn excellente medecine, k la fin de la 
danfe au commandement du forcier Tsondacoilane^ 
tons ces mafques furent pendus au deffus d'vne 
perche au dellus de chaque cabane, auec des hommes 
de paille aux portes pour faire peur k la maladie 8c 
donner Tefponuante aux demons qui les faifoient 
mourir. 

Ce mefme iour le forcier qui efloit venu d6s le iour 
precedent s'en retouma & demanda 8. pains de 
petun, & trois poiffons de diuerfes efpeces, k fjauoir 
vn Atfihiendo, vn poiffon qu'il appellent du bord de 
Teau, & vne anguille ; des pains de petun il en em- 
porta 4. & les 4. autres feruirent k faire vn Sacrifice 
aux diable c6me on auoit fait deux [181] iours au- 
parauant noftre hofle fit aufli le fien, nous leurs en 



1687] LEJEUNE'S RELATION, i6s7 268 

some powder. But unfortunately for [i8o] him, 
hunting was no longer successful; for the mild 
weather had ceased, and it was not the season for 
game. Before going to sleep, he threw some tobacco 
upon the fire and prayed the demons to take care of 
his cabin. How our hearts ached, that we could not 
prevent these infamous Sacrifices ! 

On the loth, they performed a dance for the recov- 
ery of a patient. He had dreamed about it two days 
before, and since then they had been making their 
preparations. All the dancers were disguised as 
hunchbacks, with wooden masks which were alto- 
gether ridiculous, and each had a stick in his hand. 
An excellent medicine, forsooth ! At the end of the 
dance, at the command of the sorcerer Tsondacouane 
all these masks were hung on the end of poles, and 
placed over every cabin, with the straw men at the 
doors, to frighten the malady and to inspire with ter- 
ror the demons who made them die. 

On this same day, the sorcerer, who had come the 
day before, returned, and demanded 8 cakes of tobac- 
co and three fish of different species, — namely, an 
Atsihiendo, a fish they decoy from the edge of the 
water, and an eel. Of the cakes of tobacco, he car- 
ried away 4, and the other 4 served to make a Sacri- 
fice to the devils, as had been done two [181] days 
before ; our host made his also. We told them our 
opinion of this, at the time, but without effect; their 
heads seemed to be disordered, and it was almost 
words lost to speak to them about it. Also we ob- 
served that God visibly abandoned them; for, not- 
withstanding the diligence we used in visiting the 
cabins, two or 3 died without baptism. One had 
been partly instructed, but he had been reported to 



264 LES RELATIONS DES JJ&SUITES [Vol.18 

tefmoignions dans roccafion noftre fentiment, mais 
fans effet, ils anoient la ceruelle comme renuerfee, 
c'eftoit prefque paroles perdufe que de leurs en par- 
ler ; aufll nous remarquions que Dien les abandonnoit 
k veiie d*oeil; nonobftant la diligence que nous appor- 
tions k vifiter les cabanes, deux oil 3. moururent fans 
baptefme, Tvn auoit efl6 inftruit en partie, mais on 
nous le faifoit comme vne perfonne qui alloit fe 
gueriffant, les autres anoient e£l6 emportez k I'im- 
prouift d6s le commancement de leur maladie. 

L'onze nous vifitafmes vne f emme fort malade, efpe- 
rans que Dieu luy auroit pent eftre change le cceur, 
car nous n'y anions rien pen gaigner iufques alors, 
mais nous la trouuafmes aufll opiniaftre que iamais, 
& pour tout ce que nous luy piimes dire de Tenfer, 
elle ne nous refpondit autre chofe llnon quelle ne 
vouloit en aucune fajon eftre baptifee, elle mourut 
fur le foir. Le Capitaine Andahiach fit vne ronde par 
toutes les cabanes, & exhorta ^ haute voix les femmes 
k prendre courage, & ^ ne fe point laifl^er abbattre 
de trifleffe pour la mort de leur parents, & que quand 
les ieunes hommes viendroient leur [182] apporter 
du chamure \sc, chanvre] pour filer, qu'elles leurs 
rendifl^ent volontiers ce petit feruice, que leur deffein 
eftoit de faire des armes pour aller au Prin-temps k la 
guerre contre les Hiroquois, & les mettre en afl^eurance 
& en eftat de pouuoir trauailler paifiblement a leurs 
champs. Au refte ces armes ne font pas k T^preuue 
du mouf quet comme ffait V. R. aufli eft ce bien affez 
que la fleche ne les puifl^e fauffer. 

Le 12. de grand matin noftre hofte addreffa fa 
priere aux demons, iettant du petu dans le feu pour 
la conf eruation de fa f amille : fur le foir on leur fit 



ie87] LE JEUNE'S RELA TION, 1637 266 

US as a person who was on the way to recovery ; the 
others had been carried oflf unexpectedly, at the be- 
ginning of their sickness. 

On the eleventh, we visited a very sick woman, 
hoping that God had perhaps changed her heart, for 
up to that time we had been able to gain nothing 
from her. But we found her as obstinate as ever; 
and, to all that we could say to her about hell, she an- 
swered nothing except that she would by no means 
be baptized ; she died towards evening. The Captain 
Andahiach made a round of all the cabins, and in a 
loud voice exhorted the women to take courage and 
not to allow themselves to be cast down with sorrow 
on account of the death of their relatives ; and that, 
when the young men should come [182] to bring them 
some hemp ^'^ to spin, they should willingly render 
them this little service ; that it was their intention to 
make weapons to go to war in the Spring against the 
Hiroquois, and to place them in security and in a 
position to be able to work peaceably in their fields. 
However, these weapons [shields] are not proof 
against muskets, as Your Reverence knows, and it is 
quite enough if the arrow cannot indent them.*® 

On the 1 2th, early in the morning, our host ad- 
dressed his prayer to the demons, throwing some to- 
bacco in the fire for the preservation of his family. 
Towards evening they publicly made a 3rd sacrifice 
of 4 cakes of tobacco, which was followed by a din 
and clatter which arose from all the cabins and lasted 
a good quarter of an hour. They beat so hard 
upon the pieces of bark that it was not possible to 
hear oneself. Their purpose was, according to what 
they told us afterwards, to frighten the disease and 
put it to flight ; and in order that nothing be want- 



266 LES RELATIONS DES J ASUITES [Vol.18 

publiquement vn 3. facrifice de 4. pains de petun, 
qui fut fuiuy d'vn tintamare & dun cliariuary qui 
fe fit par toutes les cabanes, & dura bien vn bon 
quart d'heure, ils frapoient fi rudement centre des 
efcorces qu'il neftoit pas poffible de s'entendre. 
Leur deffeing eftoit St ce qu'ils nous dirent par apres 
de f aire peur St la maladie & la mettre en f uite ; & 
afl&n que rien ne maquaft St cette ceremonie comme 
ces marques \sc, mafques] de bois & ces hommes de 
paille n'auoient eft6 pendus au deffus des cabanes 
que pour donner Tepouuente k la maladie & aux 
demons, noftre hofte les coniura de faire bonne garde, 
& pour fe les rendre plus fauorables il ietta vn mor- 
ceau de petun da[s] [183] le feu en leur honneur. 
Quelles extremitez pour des homes raisonables ; Tout 
cela nous fit refouldre le lendemain a penfer efficace- 
ment \ noftre retour, voyat que parmy tons ces de- 
fordres nos S. myfteres ne pouuoient pas eftre receus 
& traictez auec le refpect & la reuerece qu'ils meri- 
tet, & que nous eftios fouuent contraints de fouffrir 
beaucoup de chofes, tant pour ne les pouuoir empe- 
fcher que pour n'eftre pas encore capables de leur en 
t^moigner come il faut nos setimes Nous prifmes 
dautat plus ayfemet cete refolutio qu'il y auoit pour 
lors fort peu de maladies \sc, malades]. 

Nous partifme doques le 13. & ariuame au gifte 
bien auat das la nuit auec beaucoup de peine, car 
les chemins n'eftoiet largez qu'enuirS d'vn demy 
pied ou la neige portoit, & fi vous d6toumi6s tat foit 
peu a droitte ou k gauche vous en aui6s iufques k 
my cuiffe. 

(Continued in Vol. xiv,) 



1«87] LE JEUNE'S RELATION, j6s7 267 

ing to this ceremony, as those wooden masks and 
straw men had been hung over the cabins merely to 
terrify the disease and the demons, our host conjured 
them to keep a good watch; and, to render them 
more favorable, he threw a piece of tobacco into 
[183] the fire, in their honor. What extremes for 
reasonable men ! All this made us resolve the next 
day to think seriously about our return, — seeing that 
among all these lawless acts our Holy mysteries could 
not be received and treated with the respect and rev- 
erence they deserved ; and that we were often obliged 
to suffer many things, as much because we were 
powerless to prevent them, as that we were not yet 
capable of properly expressing our sentiments in re- 
gard to them. We made this decision all the more 
readily because there were at that time very few sick 
people. 

We departed, therefore, on the 13th, and reached 
home very late at night, after considerable trouble, — 
for the paths were only about half a foot wide where 
the snow would sustain one, and if you turned ever 
so little to the right or to the left you were in it half 
way up your thighs. 

(Continued in Vol. xiv.) 



NOTES TO VOL XIII 

(Figures in parentheses, following number of note^ refer to pages 

of English text,) 

X (p. 2i). — After Champlain's death, a document purporting to 
be his last will and testament was presented to the authorities, by 
which he bequeathed to the chapel of Ndtre Dame de R^couvrance, 
at Quebec, all his furniture then in Canada, — also the stmi of 3,800 
livres, which he had invested in the Company of New France (vol. 
viL, note 18; cf. FaiUon, as there cited, and his statement — p. 286 of 
his first volume — that Champlain had 900 livres in the private com- 
pany) ; Kingsf ord says that this document was in another handwrit* 
ing than Champlain's. Madame de Champlain {nie H^^e Boull6) 
made no opposition to this will, and it was affirmed by the Pr^vdt^ 
of Paris; but it was contested by others of Champlain 's relatives* 
who finally (March, 1639) secured its annulment in a higher court, — 
mainly on the groimd that the will was in contravention of the ante- 
nuptial contract executed by Champlain. — See Ferland's Cours 
d'Histoire, voL i., p. 273; FaiUon's Col, Fran., vol. i., pp. 286, 287; 
Eingsford's Canada, vol. i., p. 133. 

Madaine de Champlain entered (1645) an Ursuline convent in 
Paris ; while still a novice, she f oimded a convent of that order at 
Meauz, in which she took her final vows, and where she died (Dec. 

ao, 1654). 

2 (p. 27). — Du Creux locates Teanaustay6 (St Joseph) between 
the present Coldwater and Sturgeon rivers, toward the sources of 
those parallel streams. Fifty years ago, Martin thus identified it 
with a newly-found site in that locality: "Ducreux's map and his- 
torical references seem to indicate as its site a point now called Irish 
Settlement, in the north of Medonte district Traces of a large In- 
dian town, and especially fragments of coarse pottery, are found 
here." — See his Life of Jogues (Shea's transl.), p. 231. Since Mar^ 
tin's time, the forest has been more widely cleared, and two or three 
other important sites have been found in the above-mentioned neigh- 
borhood, apparently confirming his view. The " Irish Settlement" 
referred to has for many years been called Mount St Louis, in the 
mistaken belief that the mission of St Louis was in its immediate 
neighborhood ; the name should rather have been Mount St Joseph. 

Tach6 (see his map in Parkman's Jesuits) favors a location sev- 



270 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES 

eral miles farther south. But a cogent (and apparently conclusive) 
argument in favor of Martin's opinion is that the site described by 
him bears the invariable mark of conflict, — a tract strewn with iron 
tomahawks, — and that these characteristic tokens have not been 
found south of that locality. But tracts containing tomahawks have 
been found at intervals along the road to St Michael's (distant four 
miles to the northwest), confirming the accounts of the retreat thither 
by the survivors of the catastrophe of 1648. At that time, St. Joseph, 
before its destruction by the Iroquois, was occupied by 400 families 
(Relation of 1649). — A. F. Hunter. 

3 (p. 27). — This poisonous root is also mentioned by Sagard ( Voy, 
HuronSy p. 286). It was probably that of the May apple, or man- 
drake (Podophyllum pel latum, Linn. ), of which Brunet says: '* The 
root is a violent poison, which was sometimes used by the savages 
when they could not outlive their sorrows. *' — Catalogue des PI antes 
Canadiennes (Quebec, 1865), livr. i, p. 15. Champlain (Laver- 
di^re's ed., pp. 518, 519) describes this plant, which he found grow- 
ing abundantly in the Huron country. 

4 (p. 45). — Sonontouan : the chief village of the Iroquois tribe of 
Senecas (voL viii., note 21). For sketch of the Onontaehronon 
(Onondagas), see vol. viii., note 34. 

5 (p. 49). — Tondakhra was on the western side of the north penin- 
sula of Tiny township, near Lafontaine P. O. A site there corre- 
sponds to the position assigned to this village by Du Creuz. — A. F. 
Hunter. 

6 (p. 55). — This clan occupied the village of Scanonaenrat (voL 
viii., note 38), where was the mission of St Michael. 

7 (p. 61). — Ataconchronons : perhaps a misprint for Ataronchro- 
nons, as it appears in Relation of 1640. This clan was located east- 
ward of the Wye River, between the Attignaouantans and the Aren- 
darrhonons (see map in Parkman'sy^5i///j) ; and among them were 
planted the missions of Ste. Marie and St Louis. '^"'""^'~^'~'r!J2Z!l* 

8 (p. 107). — Oki: a Huron appellation (Iroquois, otkon) of various 
imaginary supernatural beings, corresponding to the manitous of 
the Algonkins. These spirits were sometimes benignant, sometimes 
malevolent; they were localised in streams, rocks, moimtains, or the 
sky; others, again, had but vague and indefinite attributes, and 
were attached to no locality (vol. v., note 41). (!7ir/ apparently sig- 
nifies "that which is above," and was applied to any existence or 
phenomenon that proved unintelligible to the savage mind. To the 
missionaries, this word seemed oftenest synonymous with "demon " 
or "devil;" but Br^beuf admits (vol. x., p. 161) that, with the 
Hurons, the oki they imagine in the sky is really their idea of God 
as the creator and ruler of the universe. Each Indian had a tutelary 
manitou or demon, who controlled his actions and destiny, — usually 



NOTES TO VOL. XIII 271 

symbolized for him by a certain beast, bird, or fish, or even by a 
stone, a feather, or other inanimate object. 

Dorman regards this belief in and worship of animal manitoas as 
the result of animism, or spirit- worship. "Among primitive peo- 
ples, all animals are supposed to be endowed with souls. In many 
cases, the souls of human beings have transmigrated into animals. 
Hence, among many of our wildest tribes a likeness has been recog- 
nized between an animal and some deceased relative or friend, and 
the animal has been addressed as the person would have been, and 
has been honored on account of such resemblance with an adoration 
which, among primitive peoples, is equivalent to worship. In the 
cosmogony of many of the tnbes, animals have figured as the pro- 
genitors of the tribe, and in a few tribal traditions they appear as 
creators." — (Prim, Superstitions^ p. 221.) See also Parkman*s 
Jesuits^ pp. lxix.-lxxi; and Brinton's Myths of New World (yc^ 
ed.), pp. 62-65. 

9 (p. 125). — The villages included under the name of Khinonasca- 
rant, occupied a locality two leagues distant from Ihonatiria, prob- 
ably indicated by the Karenhassa of Du Creux's map. — A. F. 
Hunter. 

10 (p. 131). — For account of the game of crosse, see vol. z., p. 185, 
and note 19. 

11 (p. 151). — Regarding this use of wampum, see vol. xii., note 32. 

12 (p. 189). — The village of Anonatea was in the extreme north of 
Tiny township, situated on the leading trail to the large village of 
Ossossan^ Wenrio and Anonatea were each about a league from 
Ihonatiria, but in different directions, and nearer to it than were 
any others of the Huron villages. — A. F. Hunter. 

13 (p. 191). — It was these Indians from Lake Nipissing, to whom 
Claude Pi j art and Charles Raymbault were sent on a special mission 
in 1640 (vol. xi., note 16). 

14 (p. 211). — This attempt of the Island tribe to incite the Hurons 
to hostilities against the Iroquois, is described by Br^beuf in his 
Relation of 1636 (vol. x., pp. 75-77). 

15 (p. 237). — The name Angoutenc is probably only a typograph- 
ical variation of Angwiens.(voL x., note 20), caused by a misprint 
in one of the names. 

16 (p. 261). — Regarding offerings of tobacco to the manitous, see 
voL X., note 15. Cf. mention of such offerings, in vol. xiL, note 5. 

17 (p. 265). — Lescarbot {Nouv. France, p. 837) describes the wild 
hemp of Canada and Acadia, saying: " In both, is abundance of ex- 
cellent Hemp that their soil produces spontaneously. It is taller and 
slenderer, also whiter and stronger, than is ours in this country 
[France].*' Champlain also found a native hemp on the New Eng- 
land coast; and Slafter says: "This was plainly our Indian hemp. 



272 LES RELA TIONS DES j£SUITES 

AscUpias mcarnata. * The fibres of the bark are strong, and cap- 
able of being wrought into a fine soft thread; but it is very diffictdt 
to separate the bark from the stalk. It is said to have been used by 
the Indians for bow-strings.* — Vide Cutler in Memoirs of the Ameri- 
can Academy ^^ol, i., p. 424." — See description of thhs A scUpias 
in Dodge's Useful Fiber Plants (U. S, Dept of Agriculture, Wash* 
ington, 1897), pp. 71-72. 

18 (p. 265). — The shields of the North American Indians were 
circular, somewhat convex, and 12 to 26 inches in diameter. The 
material was thick rawhide, usually that of the buffalo and elk — fre> 
quently hardened with glue, and contracted by heat; the process by 
which this was accomplished is fully described by Catlin, in his 
Illustrations of N, Amer. Indians (loth ed., London, 1866), vol. i., 
p. 241, with illustrations of shields, in plates 18, ioi>^. Champlain 
( Voyages^ Laverdiere's ed., p. 513) figures the leathern shield used 
by the Cheveux-Relev^s (Algonkin). Lafitau {Mosurs des Sau- 
vages, t. ii., p. 197) thus describes those of the Iroquois: "Their 
shields were of osier or of bark, covered with one or more skins 
stretched across; some of these are of but one skin, very thick. 
They have these shields of all sizes, and of all varieties of shape." 
Some fifty specimens of American shields are in the collection of the 
U. S. National Museum. 

Besides their main defense, the shield, armor for the body was 
largely used by the American aborigines. This consisted of a 
sleeveless jacket or coat, or a wide band around the body, made of 
various substances fitted to ward off or resist blows. Various types of 
this armor — overlapping plates, wooden slats or rods laced together, 
skins, etc. — distinguished different groups of tribes. Those in use 
among the Atlantic tribes, though not extant in specimens, are suffi- 
ciently described by historians. Cartier (Brief Rdcit, Tross ed., 
foL 27) thus mentions the armor of the Agouionda (apparently an 
Iroquois clan), as described to him by the people of Hochelaga: 
" . . . who are armed even to the fingers, showing us the fash- 
ion of their armor, which is of cords and wood, laced and woven 
together.*' Lafitau (ut supra J says: " Their cuirasses were also a 
tissue of wood, or of small reed-stems, cut in proportioned lengths, 
crowded closely together, very neatly woven and enlaced with small 
cords made of deerskin. They had cuisses and braces [armor for 
thighs and arms] of the same material. These cuirasses were proof 
against arrows armed with bone or stone, but not against those 
mounted with iron." 

Consult Hough's "Primitive American Armor," in U, 5. NatL 
Mus. Ann. Rep,^ 1893, pp. 627-651, for full description and ntimer- 
ous illustrations of defensive armor among American aborigines. 





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