shall be all the happier in Heaven because I now die in misery."

These poor dying people blessed us, even while confronting their miseries; for there was not one of them who had not received from us more love, and more helpful charity, [16] than they had experienced from even their nearest relatives. For this reason they looked on us only with eyes of love, as upon their Fathers; and, being made recipients of our charities during life, they were well assured that these would be extended to them even after death. For some of our Fathers, and of the Frenchmen who were with us, had charged themselves with the care which no one else—not even the nearest relatives of the dead-would undertake, of laying out, and burying these poor people,- forsaken indeed by their fellow-men, but whom we could call the beloved of God, since they are now his children, however barbarous and wretched they may have been. Ecce quomodo computati sunt inter filios Dei, et inter sanctos sors illorum est.

There were some of these poor Christians who, perceiving that a wretched death was near, sent for us in their miseries. "Ah!" they said to us, “I entreat thee, my brother, bury me now, at once; for my life is over, and thou seest plainly that I am numbered among the dead. Now, what I fear is this, that, if I should die before being buried, other poor people, as destitute as I am, may rob me [17] of these rags that cover my nakedness, to put upon themselves. It will be a consolation to me, on going down to the grave, to know that, after death, my body will not suffer that humiliation, of which I have

confufion apres la mort, dont i'ay eu horreur toute ma vie. Ces fpectacles nous tiroient les larmes.

Il faut confeffer que fans nous cette mortalité eût efté encore bien plus grande: car plufieurs n'ont vefcu que de l'affiftance que nous leur auons donné. La main de Dieu ayant efté vrayement paternelle fur nous, voulant nous conferuer, pour mettre dans le Ciel les reftes de ce peuple mourant. Car c'est cette diuine Prouidence, qui par des voyes toutes pleines d'amour, (ie les pourrois appeller miraculeuses,) nous fourniffoit les moyens, non feulement de fubfifter nous mefmes, dans cette mifere publique: mais nous donoit encor les moyens de faire du bien à tout le monde, de nous rendre les maiftres des cœurs, & de gagner leur affection, pour les gagner tous tant qu'ils font à Iefus-Christ. C'est ce qu'ils admiroient eux-mefmes; adorans en mefme temps la toute puiffance de Dieu, & fon amour fur nous, & en suite [18] fur eux, voyans bien que nous ne viuions que pour eux.

Tout l'Hyuer, ayans employé la iournée, les vns pour le falut des ames, les autres dans les œuures de charité; La nuit donnoit quelque treue à noftre trauail: autant qu'il en falloit pour ne pas fuccomber aux fatigues de la iournée; mais non pas tant que la nature en eust pris d'elle-mesme, auec vn plaisir innocent. Car à vray dire, nous ne dormions que d'vn demy fommeil. Quelques froids, quelques neiges, quelques vents qui foufflaffent; toute la nuit il y auoit des fentinelles expofées aux rigueurs du temps, & des rondes continuelles qui faifoient leur deuoir: Les autres, qui durant ce temps là, prenoient vne partie de leur repos, eftoient toufiours deffous les armes, & comme attendans le combat.

had a horror all my life." Scenes like these drew tears from our eyes.

I must confess that but for us, this mortality would have been very much greater; for many have remained alive only through the assistance which we rendered them; the hand of God, truly that of a father over us, chose to preserve us that we might lead to Heaven the remnant of this dying people. For it was this divine Providence which, by methods full of love (I may call them miraculous), not only supplied to us, during this time of general misery, the means for our own subsistence, but gave to us the ability to benefit all, to render ourselves masters of men's hearts, and to gain their affections, that we might win them, one and all, to Jesus Christ. It was this which they themselves extolled,- adoring, at the same time, the almighty power of God and his love toward us, and, therefore, [18] toward themselves, perceiving clearly that we lived but for them alone.

All Winter, having employed the day, some of us in the care of souls, others in works of charity, the night afforded some respite to our labors,—as much, at least, as was needed to prevent our succumbing to the fatigues of the day; but not as much as nature herself would have taken with a guileless pleasure. For, to say the truth, our sleep was but a half-sleep: whatever the cold, whatever the snow, whatever winds might blow, sentinels kept watch all night long, exposed to every severity of weather in the never-ending rounds which formed their duty; the others, who during this time were taking their allotment of repose, were the while under arms, as if awaiting battle.

Our assiduous care for them captivated the hearts

Ce grand foin rauiffoit le cœur de ces pauures Sauuages, qui tous les iours, matin & foir rempliffoient noftre Eglise pour y rendre à Dieu leurs hommages. Les Sacremes y eftoient frequêtez auec deuotion Les Feftes & les Dimanches eftoient fanctifiez par la Pieté du peuple, [19] & par les predications publiques. Les enfans y auoient leur iour fur la semaine, & les filles le leur feparé, pour apprendre le Catechisme.

Mais le plus fort de noftre trauail, eftoit de visiter les cabanes, pour y confoler les affligez, y fecourir les pauures, pour y affifter les malades, pour y difpofer à la mort, ceux qui en estoient les plus proches, pour y confirmer dans l'efprit de la foy les Chreftiens & les catechumenes, & pour y gaigner les infidelles à Iefus-Chrift.

Nos Peres, en faifant ces vifites, auoient l'œil à la pauureté d'vn chacun; & felon qu'ils iugeoient plus à propos de fubuenir aux neceffitez plus preffantes, ils fe feruoient d'vne efpece de monoye, qu'ils alloient diftribuant à ces pauures. C'eftoit vn petit morceau de cuiure, marqué pour cét effet. Tous ceux qui en auoient receu par aumofne, fe trouuoient à noftre porte fur le Midy, & presentoient leur petite monoye. On donnoit aux vns vne certaine mesure de gland, qu'ils faifoient boüillir dans vne laixiue de cendres, pour vn premier boüillon, afin d'en ofter la plus grande [20] amertume. On diftribuoit aux autres quelque morceau de poiffon enfumé, qu'ils cuifoient en l'eau, dont par apres ils fouftenoient leur vie. Ceux qui eftoient les mieux partagez, receuoient vn peu de farine de bled d'Inde, boüillie dans l'eau.

Nous auions achepté auant que les neiges euffent

of these poor Savages, who every day, morning and night, filled our Church that they might there render homage to God. There the Sacraments were resorted to with great devoutness; the Feast-days and Sundays were sanctified by the Piety of the people, [19] and by public preachings. The boys had their day in the week, and the girls their separate day, for learning the Catechism.

But the heaviest part of our work lay in visiting the cabins for the purpose of consoling the afflicted, assisting the poor, aiding the sick, preparing for death those who were nearest to it, strengthening in the faith the Christians and catechumens, and winning unbelievers to Jesus Christ.

Our Fathers, in making these visits, considered the poverty of each person; and, according as they deemed it advisable to aid the most pressing necessities, they made use of a kind of coin which they went about distributing among these poor people; it was a little piece of copper, stamped for this purpose. All who had received it as an alms stood at our door, about Midday, and presented their small coin. To some was given a certain quantity of acorns, which they cooked,—first boiling them in a lye made from ashes, in order to take from them their excessive [20] bitterness. We distributed to others a small portion of smoked fish, which they cooked in water, and on it kept themselves alive. The more favored among them received a little Indian meal, boiled in water.

Before the snow had covered the ground, we had bought five or six hundred bushels of acorns, and had despatched several canoes to procure among the Algonquin Nations, sixty, eighty, or a hundred leagues away, this supply of fish. The little corn