with the cold. The Savages, who have no faith and therefore no charity, let her ask for a drink more than four times before giving it to her once; I myself gave her food," says the Father, "feeding her like a child. When I went to the cabins, these barbarians told me that her loins were quite raw; and yet, during all the time we visited her, we never saw an act of impatience, nor heard a complaint against those of her cabin, except when she saw they were going to break camp; "Alas!" said she, "they will kill me, or abandon me somewhere."

That very

thing happened the day after her baptism; for Father du Marché having gone to the cabins to take her something to eat, they stopped him and said to him, Wait, thou shalt go in soon.' They were preparing to bury this poor creature, who two hours before was feeling well enough, as she had made the sign of the cross and pronounced the sweet names of Jesus and Mary. It is quite probable that they put her to death. The hospital will remedy these great wrongs."

On the 18th of the same month a Savage woman received baptism; but it would have been much better for her if she had never received it, for she died in apostasy. As Father [48] de Quen and I visited her very often during her sickness, if we opened our mouths to say anything to her about our belief, "Cure me," she would say, "and I will believe, otherwise not; I wish to live; if you will restore me my health, I will obey your words." In vain did I tell her that this was not in our power. As a Savage named Makheabichtichiou was feeling ill, and as we had ministered to him in his sickness, occasionally having him sleep in our house, this woman, seeing that he

par fois coucher en nostre maison; cette femme voiant qu'il fe portoit bien, attribuoit le recouurement de fa fanté à nostre pouuoir, & à la cognoiffance que nous auions auec le Manitou, c'est à dire, auec celuy qui ofte ou rend la vie, si bien qu'elle nous demandoit toufiours la vie du corps, ne fe fouciant pas beaucoup de celle de l'ame; ie me fers de toute la douceur poffible pour gagner fon efprit, ie paffe de la douceur aux menaces, mais ny l'huile, ny le vinaigre, n'eftoient pas affez puiffans, pour guerir vne fi grande maladie comme est l'opiniastreté, qui aime trop cette vie, eft en danger de perdre l'autre, comme il est arriué à cette pauure miserable, felon qu'on en peut probablement iuger, aiant donc quafi defefperé de fon falut, i'en aduertis le fieur Oliuier, qui cognoiffoit & cheriffoit ses parens [49] de longue main, & qui affiftoit fort charitablement cette pauure languiffante, il la va voir, luy demande si elle se veut perdre, d'où venoit qu'elle ne me vouloit point efcouter? il ne fait que me tancer, & me parler de la mort, m'eftourdiffant en ma maladie, refpondit elle. En effet ne pouuant faire entrer la foi dans son esprit, par l'efperance du ciel, i'auois tafché de luy donner entrée par la terreur de l'enfer. Or foit qu'elle feignift, ou qu'en verité elle euft quelque bonne volonté, elle promit au fieur Oliuier de croire en Dieu, & d'obeïr à ce que ie luy dirois. Nous la visitasmes plufieurs fois, elle nous efcouta auec paix & repos, monftrant prendre gouft en noftre doctrine; la voiant fuffifamment inftruite, nous luy accordons le baptefme qu'elle fouhaittoit, du moins en apparence. Le fieur Oliuier luy donna nom Marie, ie confeffe que mon ame reffentoit ie ne fçai quel dégouft, qu'elle

became well, attributed the restoration of his health to our power, and to our acquaintance with the Manitou, that is, with the one who takes away or restores life; hence she always asked us for the life of the body, not troubling herself much about that of the soul. I used all the mildness I could to gain her attention, I passed from gentleness to threats; but neither oil nor vinegar was powerful enough to cure so great a disease as obstinacy. He who loves this life too much is in danger of losing the other; thus it was with this poor creature, as far as we can with probability judge. Now as her salvation seemed almost hopeless, I informed sieur Olivier, who knew and cared for her parents [49] efficiently, and who was very kind and charitable to this poor invalid. He went to see her and asked her if she were willing to be lost, and why she would not listen to me. "He does nothing but chide me, and speak to me of death, crazing me in my sickness," she replied. Indeed, as I could not make the faith enter her mind through the hope of heaven, I had tried to gain admission for it through the dread of hell. Now either because she was playing a part, or because she had in truth some good intentions, she promised sieur Olivier to believe in God and to be obedient to what I should tell her. We visited her several times, she listened to us quietly and peacefully, showing that she enjoyed our doctrine. Seeing her sufficiently instructed, we granted her the baptism that she wished, at least in appearance. Sieur Olivier named her Marie; I confess that my soul felt a sort of repugnance that it is not wont to feel during the baptism of others. I could not refrain from testifying to sieur Olivier that my heart was not satisfied. Father de Quen had the

n'a pas de couftume de reffentir au baptefme des autres. Ie ne me peu tenir, que ie ne tesmoignasse au fieur Oliuier, que mon cœur n'eftoit point satisfait. Le P. de Quen auoit les mefmes fentimens; mais qu'euffions nous fait, il n'y a point d'apparence de refufer ce Sacrement à vne perfonne, qui fait paroiftre [50] qu'elle a defir de s'en bien feruir; aiant receu ces eaux facrées, nous tafchions bien d'en conceuoir quelque ioie, mais mon ame n'en pouuoit receuoir, quoy que ie l'y contraigniffe à force de raifons, quelques iours s'efcoulerent, fans qu'elle fit paroiftre aucune alienation de la foy, mais rentrant dans les penfées de la vie prefente, elle nous prit en horreur, en forte qu'elle ne nous vouloit plus parler, ny respondre à nos demandes, on a beau l'amadoüer pour la flechir, fes oreilles font boufchées à nos paroles, & fon cœur fermé aux infpirations de Dieu. Voiant doc qu'elle s'alloit perdre ie l'entrepris certain iour, formant les plaintes que feroit fon ame dans le defefpoir, & dans les feux, peut eftre auant que trois iours fe paffaffent. Ie luy racomptai quelque chofe de la rage & de la fureur des diables, elle ne peut supporter ces menaces, elle fe met à pleurer & à grincer les dents, & fans me rien dire, elle fort de la cabane à quatre pattes, comme on dit, car elle ne fe pouuoit plus tenir fur fes pieds, & fe couche fur la neige. Ie penfois qu'elle fut fortie pour quelque neceffité: mais le P. de Quen me dit, non i'ai bien cogneu à fon gefte qu'elle eft fortie de defpit & de rage. Voiant qu'elle ne retournoit point, ie m'imaginois [51] qu'elle eftoit entrée dans quelque autre cabane voisine: c'eft pourquoy aiant tardé encor enuiron vne demie heure à inftruire ceux auec

same sentiments.

But what should we do?

There

is no excuse for refusing this Sacrament to a person who shows [50] a desire to avail himself of it. After she received these sacred waters, we tried hard to feel some joy therein, but my soul could not entertain that feeling, although I tried to constrain it thereto by force of argument. A few days slipped away, and she did not show any alienation from the faith; but, when she returned to the thoughts of the present life, she conceived a horror for us, so that she would no longer speak to us nor respond to our inquiries. In vain do we try to bend her by coaxing; her ears are deaf to our words, and her heart closed to the inspirations of God. Now seeing that she was going to be lost, I took her in hand one day, representing to her the complaints her soul would make in its despair and in the flames, perhaps before three days would pass away. I related to her something of the rage and fury of the devils. She could not endure these threats; she began to weep, and to grind her teeth; and, without saying anything to me, she went out of the cabin on all fours, as they say, for she could not stand on her feet, and lay down on the snow. I thought she had gone out to attend to some necessity; but Father de Quen said to me, “No, I knew very well from her actions that she had gone out from vexation and rage." Seeing that she did not return, I imagined [51] that she had entered some neighboring cabin. Hence, having stayed about half an hour longer to instruct those with whom we were, we went out, intending to return home; but we were astonished to see this poor abandoned woman lying upon the snow, exposed to the air, and having no covering but a miserable piece of fur. I offered to