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instead; one was given to him, and he declared that he was perfectly satisfied; then, causing a bark dish full of water to be brought to him, he washed his face and eyes, and, swallowing the rest, 'This,' said he, is to wash away my tears and to change my countenance; this is to swallow all the bitterness and gall of my anger; I am no longer angry.' Thereupon he went away, taking with him his presents. Having returned to his cabin, he sent the flesh of a Beaver to our people as an evidence of reconciliation. Our Hurons urged me strongly to relate this story to Monsieur the Governor. The anger they felt at what had taken place so irritated one of them that he almost killed this barbarian, the next morning, with a blow of his hatchet. It is impossible to write any more, as the Mosquitoes or gnats are attacking me by the thousands, not allowing me to write a single syllable without pain. So for this time

you must pardon me [75] if I write badly, and excuse me to Monsieur our Governor, whose charity, while I have had the honor of being with him, I cannot describe to you. He is invariable,- always himself, and always incomparable. May God bless him forever." All this is taken from the Father's letters. I promise myself that Monsieur the Chevalier de Montmagny will not fail to curb the pride of this Islander.

Father Le Moine, 16 whom we are also sending to the Hurons, met with another adventure, not less dangerous. His people having wasted the food that had been given them, and having even sold some of it to the Algonquins, put on shore the Father, and two Frenchmen who were with him. Other Frenchmen, who were going down from the Hurons, hap

François fierent donner au Pere vn peu de bled & de farine d'Inde pour viure dans le grand desert où il eftoit abandonné, en attêdant que l'vn des canots qui defcendoiet le prit en repaffant. Le pauure Pere m'efcriuit fon defaftre en peu de mots.

Ie ne fçay fi mes pechez me ferment la porte au pays que i'ay tant defiré; mais quoy que s'en soit, me voila dégradé & delaiffé à vne pointe de sable au delà de la petite nation des Algonquins, n'ayãt point d'autre maison que le grand monde: Il n'y a que trois iours que I'vn des canots qui portoit nostre petit bagage tourna dans l'eau; Nos paquets furent emportees par le courat, nous en repechasme [76] vn auec grande peine, l'autre fut perdu; Dieu foit beny de tout.

I'ay defia dit come le Pere qui remenoit les Seminaristes. Hurõs, auoit auffi perdu sõ equipage dans le mesme chemin. Si les Sauuages se riet dedãs leurs pertes, nous ne de deuõs pas pleurer dedãs les noftres, puifq; Dieu les fçaura biẽ reparer.

Le Pere du Perron qui monte auffi là haut aura peut-eftre vn plus heureux fucces que ces trois premiers, sa gayeté à son depart, & l'honneur que luy fit Monfieur noftre Gouuerneur auffi-bien qu'aux autres, ietta les Sauuages dãs vne allegreffe qui nous promet quelque chofe de bon; celuy qui le mene nous dit en s'embarquant: Ie fuis Capitaine, il ne peut arriuer aucun mal au Pere en ma prefence, ils nous promirent de prendre en paffant le Pere le Moine, & les François qui estoient auec luy.

Voicy vn bout de lettre du Pere que i'ay laiffé à la refidence de S. Iofeph, où les Sauuages se rendent fedentaires. Apprenant qu'vne barque mõtoit aux

pened to be present on this fortunate occasion; and when they chided these barbarians for not having kept their provisions, the latter replied that they were courageous, that they could easily pass a week without eating. These Frenchmen made them give the Father a little corn and Indian meal to live upon, in the great desert where he had been abandoned, while waiting until one of the canoes that was going down should take him on its way back. The poor Father wrote me about his misfortune in a few words: "I do not know whether it is my sins that close to me the gate of the country I have so greatly desired; but at all events here I am, stripped and forsaken, on a point of sand beyond the petite nation of the Algonquins, with no other house than the great world. Only three days ago, the canoe that carried our little baggage upset in the water, and our packages were carried away by the current; we fished up [76] one of them with a great deal of trouble, but the other was lost. God be blessed for all."

I have already told how the Father who was taking back the Huron Seminarists also lost his baggage, traveling over the same route. If the Savages laugh at their own losses, we should not weep over ours, since God can fully retrieve them.

Father du Perron," who is also going up there, will perhaps be more successful than his three predecessors. His cheerfulness at his departure, and the honor shown by Monsieur our Governor to him as well as to the others, put the Savages into so good a humor that it promised us good results. The one who took him said to us, in embarking, "I am Captain; no harm can happen to the Father in my presence." They promised us that they would take up,

trois Riuieres; ie dy aux Sauuages, que voulez-vous que i'escriue au Pere le Ieune par la barque qui doit monter là haut: Tu luy manderas, me respondirentils vniuerfellement, que nous defirons tous croire en Dieu, que nous voulons tous estre baptisez, & que nous le prions qu'il retourne au plustost ça bas pour nous donner le Baptefme. Ayant receu cette ref

ponse, ie me retiray plein de confolation; n'en auoisje pas bien fuiet? Ce font les propres mots du Pere. Si toft que ie fuis defcendu à Kébec, ces bon Sauuages me vindrent voir, les Chreftiens fe confefferent [77] & cõmunierent ceux qui ne font pas encore baptisez me prefferent de leur doner le Baptefme; Le mesme Pere m'escriuit vne autrefois en ces termes Makheabichtichiou, Pigarouich, OuchefKouetou, & plufieurs autres Sauuages font arriues à S. Iofeph: mettant pied à terre, ils font venus droit en ma chambre pour les conduire en la Chapelle, afin de remercier Dieu de ce qu'il les auoit conferuez dans leur voyages; ne m'ayant point trouué, ils ont esté prier vn autre de nos Peres qui eftoit icy, lequel s'excufant fur le peu de connoiffance qu'il a de la langue, ils ont pris Paul le bon aueugle, l'ont mené à la Chapelle, & l'on[t] fait prier Dieu. Ce bon Neophyte leur a fait faire les prieres qu'il recite foir & matin. Que pouuez-vous efperer dauantage des Sauuages? On croyoit que ces pauures errans feroient les derniers à fe ranger, & ils fe prefentent des premiers, aidezles à cultiuer la terre, & à fe loger, & vous les aurez tous.

Le Pere Charles Lalemant qui paffe en France pour nos petites affaires au lieu du Pere Quentin, qui a

on the way, Father le Moine and the Frenchmen who were with him.

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Here is part of a letter from the Father whom I left at the residence of St. Joseph, where the Savages are forming a settlement: "Learning that a bark was going up to the three Rivers, I said to the Savages, What do you wish me to write to Father le Jeune, to send by the bark that is going up there?' 'Thou wilt send him word,' they all answered, ‘that we all desire to believe in God, that we all wish to be baptized, and that we pray him to come down here again as soon as possible, to give us Baptism.' Having received this response, I withdrew, greatly comforted; had I not good reason to be?" These are the very words of the Father. As soon as I went down to Kébec, these good Savages came to see me; the Christians confessed [77] and took communion, and those who were not yet baptized urged me to give them Baptism. The same Father wrote me another time in these words: "Makheabichtichiou, Pigarouich, Oucheskouetou, and several other Savages have arrived at St. Joseph. As soon as they stepped on shore, they came directly to my room for me, to take them to the Chapel, in order to thank God that he had preserved them in their voyages; not finding me, they entreated another of our Fathers who was here; but, as he excused himself upon the plea of knowing so little about the language, they took Paul, the good blind boy, led him to the Chapel, and made him pray to God. This good Neophyte had them offer the prayers that he says evening and morning. What more can you expect from Savages? It was thought that these poor wanderers would be the last to fall in line, and they present themselves first.

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