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Toward evening some hunters perceived us, and, on seeing so many canoes in our company, they fled, leaving behind them some booty for our People, who seized their weapons, their beaver-skins, and all their baggage. But, capturing one of those hunters, we found that he belonged to the tribe of the Andas. taeronnons, with whom we are not at war. Our French, therefore, gave back to them what they had plundered; this, however, did not induce our Savages to display the same civility.

[35] On the 26th, at about nine o'clock in the evening, we heard a human voice, loud, indeed, but wailing. We suspected that it must proceed from some escaped captive. Monsieur du Puis, a brave Gentleman who commanded our French soldiers, ordered the drum to be beaten, to show him that we were French. The poor man, who had not dared to approach us, ran toward us as fast as he could, on hearing the noise. He was a Huron, named Joachim Ondakont, of whom we have spoken in the third Chapter. He was nothing but skin and bones. He had escaped half burned from the country of the Agnieronnons, and had walked for seventeen days. amid the woods and rocks, with no other food than some small wild fruits. Our people made him drink a certain beverage to prepare his stomach, that he might eat without danger after starving so long. We gave him a canoe and some provisions, to enable him to go down to the French settlements.

On the 27th of June, we passed the last rapid, which is half-way [36] between Montreal and Onnontagé,- that is, at a distance of forty or fifty leagues from both places.

donnâmes vn canot & des viures pour descendre vers nos habitations Françoifes.

Le 27. de Iuin nous paffâmes le dernier rapide qui fe trouue au milieu du [36] chemin de Montreal à Onnontagé, c'est à dire à quarante ou cinquante lieuës de l'vn & l'autre.

Le 29. voguant la nuict auffi bien que le iour, pource que nos prouifions diminuoient fort, nous rencontrâmes trois canots d'Annieronnons qui venoient de la chaffe aux hommes, rapportans les cheuelures de quatre Sauuages de la Nation des Neds-percez, & tenant captiue vne femme & deux enfans.

Le premier de Iuillet nous donnâmes la chaffe à vn canot qui parut, l'ayant attrapé comme il eftoit du bourg d'Onnontaghé: il nous dit qu'on nous y attendoit, & que le Pere Iofeph Chaumont qui y eftoit refté feul, fe portoit bien.

Le troifiéme iour la famine commençant de nous preffer, nous fifmes nos efforts pour arriuer à vn lieu nommé Otiatannehengué, qui est vn lieu fort recommandable pour la grande pesche de poiffon qui s'y fait chaque année. Nous esperions y rencontrer bon nombre de pefcheurs & en tirer quelque foulagement: Monfieur du Puis fit tirer [37] deux petites pieces de canon embarquées dans nos canots deuant que d'y aborder, pour leur donner aduis que nous n'estions pas loing: mais la faifon de la pefche eftant paffée en ce quartier-là, nous n'y trouuâmes perfonne. Ce qui obligea nos Guides de depescher vn homme pour aller iour & nuict porter la nouuelle de nostre marche à Onnontaghé, & pour faire apporter des viures au deuant de nous. Ce Courier ne deuant pas fi-toft retourner, parce qu'il luy reftoit encore trente lieuës

On the 29th, after traveling night and day because our stock of provisions was getting very low, we met three canoes of Annieronnons returning from manhunting, who brought back with them the scalps of four Savages of the Neds-percez Nation, and a woman and two children as captives.

On the first of July, we perceived and gave chase to a canoe; when we overtook it we found that it belonged to the village of Onnontaghé. We were told that we were expected there, and that Father Joseph Chaumont, who had remained there alone, was in good health.

On the third day, we began to be oppressed by hunger, and endeavored to reach a place called Otiatannehengué,-a locality greatly renowned for the large quantities of fish that are taken there every year. We hoped to meet a good number of fishermen there, and to obtain some relief from them. Monsieur du Puis, before arriving there, ordered [37] two small pieces of cannon to be mounted in the canoes and discharged, to give notice that we were not far off; but the fishing season was over in that quarter, and we found no one there. This compelled. our Guides to send a man in advance, traveling night and day, to carry the news of our arrival to Onnontaghé, and to have provisions sent to meet us. As this Courier could not return very soon, because he had still a distance of thirty leagues to go, we sent some French to a nearer place; but the fish had gone, and so had the fishermen, and neither the nets that we cast into the water, nor all our industry, could avail us aught. Meanwhile, hunger held us by the throat; and, to crown our affliction, our

de chemin à faire, nous enuoyâmes quelques François en vn autre lieu plus proche: mais le poiffon s'eftant retiré, les pefcheurs s'en eftoient allez, fi bien que ny nos filets que nous iettâmes à l'eau, ny nos industries n'eurent prefque aucun effet. La famine cependant nous tenoit à la gorge, & pour comble de noftre affliction noftre Pere Superieur eftoit tombé malade depuis quelque temps: nous n'auions autre lict à luy donner que la terre, ny prefque autre abry que le ciel. Nous ne trouuiõs en toutes nos Hostelleries ny pain, ny vin, ny chair, ny poiffon. Dieu [38] nous dõna vn petit fruict fauuage qu'on nomme icy Atoka; La ieuneffe en alloit ramaffer dans les prairies voisines, & quoy qu'il n'euft prefque ny gouft ny substance, la faim nous le faifoit trouuer excellent: il eft prefque de la couleur & de la groffeur d’vne petite cerife.

Les

Nos Sauuages, quoy qu'accouftumez à paffer les deux & trois iours fans manger, ne fe contentant pas d'vne viande fi mince & fi legere, fe defiloient tous les iours: fi bien que de quarante qu'ils eftoient à noftre depart, il n'en refta que cinq qui nous affeurerent que iamais ils ne nous abandonneroient. Sonnontoeronnons prenant icy leur congé, nous leur fifmes deux prefens de mille grains de Pourcelaine, l'vn pour nous preparer le chemin en leur païs, l'autre pour mettre en oubly les peines & les fatigues qu'ils auoient prifes, venant rechercher l'alliance des François; & pour les porter à nous témoigner bon visage, quand nous les irions voir. Nous donnâmes en particulier deux capots & quelques autres petits prefens aux principaux pour les gagner.

[39] Le cinq & fixiéme de Iuillet nous pefchames

Father Superior had fallen ill some time before. We had no other bed to give him than the earth, and no other shelter than the sky. In all our Hostelries, we found neither bread, nor wine, nor meat, nor fish. God [38] gave us a small wild fruit, called here Atoka. The young people went to gather it in the neighboring meadows, and, although it is neither palatable nor substantial, hunger made us find it excellent. It is almost of the color and size of a small cherry.1 18

Our Savages, although accustomed to remain for two or three days without food, were not content with such slender and light repasts, and their number decreased daily. Thus, out of the forty with whom we had started, there remained only five, who assured us that they would never abandon us. The Sonnontoeronnons left us here. We gave them two presents of a thousand Porcelain beads; one, to prepare the way to their country for us; the other, to enable them to forget the trouble and fatigue that they had undergone in coming to seek the alliance of the French, and to induce them to receive us well when we should go to see them. We privately gave two coats and some other small presents to the chief men, to gain their good will.

[39] On the fifth and sixth of July, we caught some fish; but they were so few, that we could give only a rather small pike as a meal for sixty men.

On the seventh, about ten o'clock at night, we reached the mouth of the River which forms Lake Gannentaa, on the shores of which we intended to establish our residence. When we awoke on the following day, we encountered currents of water so

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