Accordingly, sustained by God alone, Father Jean de Brebeuf repaired to this Village, spoke to individuals and then to the Council, and did so well that he won them both over,- so that in a little while they decided to receive us in their village and give us a cabin there. This was accomplished, and the first Mass was said there on the 25th of June,—to the great satisfaction of our Fathers, who could hardly believe what they saw, so greatly had this village abominated us a little while before.

[63] It is true that this cabin is so poor and so mean that, if the Savior of the world had not himself once, in time of need, taken lodging in the stable of Bethlehem, we would be at a loss to give him each day a sort of new birth in this place, which is covered only with wretched bark, through which the wind enters on every side. But necessity, and our inability to have anything better, excuses us easily to the divine Majesty. Now is completed the first year since the establishment of this Residence; behold the fruits it has borne.

Children baptized, in danger of death, to the number of 49, of whom eighteen have flown away to Heaven. Of the others who have recovered I do not know if several are not under obligation therefor to holy Baptism.

Adults baptized in sickness after having been instructed, to the number of forty-four, of whom twenty-six, it is to be hoped, have taken the same road to Heaven. Of those who survived, some have professed to be under obligations to holy baptism; but, to our great regret, not all those who are under this obligation feel such gratitude as they should.

[64] Adult Catechumens, baptized in full health

Venons aux particularitez les plus remarquables de ces baptefmes.

Le premier baptisé dans ce bourg ayant esté vn pauure malheureux Hiroquois, prisonnier de guerre, qu'on menoit à vn autre bourg voisin, pour le donner en recompenfe, aux parents de ce braue Taratɣane, qui fut pris ces années paffées par les ennemis, comme il a esté remarqué dans les precedentes Relations. Ie ne fçay fi ie ne dois point vn peu arrester à confiderer & admirer l'adorable Prouidence de Dieu, fur ce pauure mal heureux, & fur fes femblables, au nombre de 12. ou 13. baptisez par les Peres de ceste Residence, mais i'ayme mieux laiffer cefte reflexion à ceux qui ietteront les yeux fur ce Narré, & m'arrester seulemẽt à remarquer quelques circonstance de ces rencõtres qui les rendent plus considerables.

De long-temps les Hurons n'ont eu plus de bonheur & dauantage fur leurs ennemis, que l'année derniere. Eftants allez à la guerre auec quelques Algonquains leurs voifins, ils prirent pour vn [65] coup, de leurs ennemis enuiron quatre-vingts, qu'ils amenerent en vie dans le païs. Outre cét aduantage le plus confiderable de tous, ils en ont eu d'autres de moindre importance, qui en tout leur ont donné plus de cent prifonniers.

Tous ceux qui ont efté destinez pour les Bourgs où nous auons des refidences, ou pour les voifins; ont esté, graces à Dieu, instruicts & baptisez; & presque pas vn fans des rencontres fi particulieres, qu'il y a fuiet de croire, qu'il y auoit en leur fait quelque conduite fpeciale de la diuine Prouidence & de leur predeftination. En plufieurs on n'a eu que le temps precifément qu'il falloit pour leur instruction & baptefme:

with their children, to the number of twenty-eight. Let us come to the most noteworthy particulars of these baptisms.

The first one baptized in this village was a poor unfortunate Hiroquois, a prisoner of war, who was taken to another village, near this, to be given as a recompense to the relatives of that brave Taratwane who was captured during these last years by the enemy, as has been mentioned in previous Relations. I do not know if I should not tarry for a moment to consider and admire the adorable Providence of God towards this poor wretch, and his fellow prisoners, to the number of 12 or 13, baptized by the Fathers of this Residence; but I prefer to leave these reflections to those who shall cast their eyes over this Narrative, and to stop only to observe some circumstances of these events which render them more important.

For a long time, the Hurons had no more good fortune or advantage over their enemies until last year. Having gone to war, together with some Algonquains, their neighbors, they captured at one [65] stroke about eighty of their enemies, whom they brought home alive. Besides this victory, the most notable of all, they had others of less importance, which in all gave them more than a hundred pris

oners.

All those who were assigned to the Villages where we have residences, or which are near these, were, thank God, instructed and baptized, and hardly one without circumstances so peculiar that there is reason to believe that there was, in their cases, some special guidance of divine Providence and of their predestination. In many instances, we had only the exact time necessary for their instruction and baptism; others,

d'autres apres eftre baptisez, se font trouuez fi confolez, qu'ils ne fe pouuoient tenir de mettre en chanfon ce fuiet de leur confolation, qu'au moins dorefnauant ils eftoient affeurez d'aller au Ciel. D'autres ont refusé genereusement de contrefaire des actions fales & impudiques, à quoy on les vouloit porter: D'autres en fuite ont fait paroistre tant de constance dans leurs tourmens, que nos Barbares prirent resolution de ne plus fouffrir qu'on baptisast ces pauures infortunez, reputans [66] à mal-heur pour leur païs, quand ceux qu'ils tourmentent ne crient point ou fort peu.

En effet, cela nous a donné depuis tant de peine, qu'il n'y en a eu pas vn pour lequel baptifer il n'ait fallu donner des batailles contre ceux qui en font les Maiftres & les Gardiens. Et quelquefois [il] a efté neceffaire de redimer cefte violence de quelque prefent.

Entre ceux qui ont fait paroistre plus de constance & plus de cognoiffance de leur bon-heur, a esté vn nommé Ononelɣaia, & en fon baptefme Pierre, qui fut vn des prifonniers de cette principale défaite, dont nous venons de parler, Capitaine des Oneischronons nation d'Hiroquois. Celuy-cy eftant attaché à vn pieu fur vn theatre, non guiere loin d'vn fien compagnon attaché à vn autre, où nos barbares les tourmentoient à l'enuy les vns des autres, par l'application des flammes, des tifons, & des fers ardents, auec des façons cruelles au delà de tout ce qui s'en peut efcrire, & de toute l'imagination de ceux qui ne l'ont point veu. Pierre, dif-ie, voyant ce fien compagnon perdre patience dans ces tourmens, le confoloit & l'encourageoit [67] par la representation du bon-heur qu'ils auoient rencontré dans leur mal-heur, & de celuy qui leur eftoit preparé apres cette vie. En fin

after having been baptized, were so comforted that they could not refrain from putting into song the cause of their consolation,-that thenceforward, at least, they were sure of going to Heaven. Others nobly refused to imitate foul and immodest actions to which their captors tried to incite them. Others afterward displayed so much fortitude in their torments that our Barbarians resolved no longer to allow us to baptize these poor unfortunates, reckoning [66] it a misfortune to their country when those whom they torment shriek not at all, or very little.

Indeed, this has given us so much trouble since then, that there has not been one of these for whose baptism we have not been obliged to give battle to those who are their Masters and Guardians; and sometimes it has been necessary to atone for this violence by some present.

Among those who showed most fortitude, and most appreciation of their good fortune, was one Ononelwaia, in baptism named Pierre, who was one of the prisoners at that principal defeat of which we have just spoken, a Captain of the Oneiouchronons, a nation of the Hiroquois. This man, being fastened to a stake upon a platform, not very far from his companion fastened to another,—where our barbarians, every one according to his pleasure, tormented them, by the application of flames, firebrands, and glowing irons, in ways cruel beyond all power of description, and beyond all imagination of those who have not seen it, Pierre, I say, seeing this companion of his lose patience in the midst of these torments, comforted and encouraged him [67] by representing the blessedness they had found in their misfortune, and that which was prepared for them after this life.