/fJZ- 
 
TRAVELS 
 
 IN * 
 
 NORTH AMERICA, 
 
 BY M. CRESPEL, 
 
( ■ H' 'V 'Aw* , V*vS^3 
 
TRAVELS 
 
 IN 
 
 NORTH AM E R I C A,. 
 
 BY M. CRESPtL. 
 
 WITH A 
 
 NARRATIVE OF HIS SHIPWRECK, 
 
 AND EXTRAORDINARY 
 
 HARDSHIPS AND SUFFERINGS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 ISLAND OF ANTICOSTI; 
 
 AND AN 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THAT ISLAND, 
 
 AND OF THE 
 
 SHIPWRECK 
 
 OF HIS 
 
 MAJESTY’S SHIP ACTIVE, 
 
 AND OTHERS. 
 
 LonBon : 
 
 PRINTED »Y AND FOR 
 
 SAMPSON LOW, BERWICK STREET, SOHO/ 
 
 ‘ 797 - 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SoME apology may be thought 
 neceflary for introducing to the 
 Public the following Narrative of 
 a tranfaftion which happened at 
 fo diftant a period of time; but a 
 recent event, the Shipwreck of 
 Lord Dorchellcr on the Ifland of 
 Anticofti, fuggefted an idea that 
 the Public would be glad to re- 
 ceive an account of a fpot on the 
 globe hitherto little known, even 
 by name, except to thofe navi- 
 gators who fail up the river of 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 a The 
 
The Ifland of Anticofti has been 
 long dreaded for fhipwrecks; as 
 long ago as the year 1690, when 
 Sir William Phipps was returning 
 down the river from his unfuc- 
 cefsful attack on Quebec, a brig 
 of the fleet, with fixty men on 
 board, being feparated from the 
 reft, ftruck on this iflandfand the 
 people on board had only time to 
 land their provifions before the 
 fhip funk. The captain and his 
 men, finding they muft inevitably 
 winter on the ifland, built a ftore- 
 houfe and nine fmall huts, from 
 the planks of the wreck, to fhelter 
 them from the cold ; but their 
 provifions were fo fhort, that they 
 
 agreed 
 
( Vll ) 
 
 agreed that each man’s allowance 
 per week fliould be no more than 
 two bifcuits, half a pound of pork, 
 half a pound of flour, one pint 
 and a quarter of peafe, and two 
 fait fifh. It was not long before 
 the difmal effe&s of hunger and 
 cold beg^p to appear among them, 
 for on the 20th of December their 
 do&or died, and after him thirty 
 or forty more in a few weeks; and 
 though they were all convinced 
 of the neceflity of keeping to 
 their allowance, unlefs they would 
 at lad eat one another, yet their 
 dorehoufe was frequently broke 
 open: an Irifhman once got to the 
 provisions, and eat no lefs than 
 A 2 eighteen 
 
( viii ) 
 
 eighteen bifcuits, which fwelled 
 him to fuch a degree, that he was 
 forced to have his belly llroked, 
 and bathed before the fire, to 
 prevent its bu riling. On the 25th 
 of March five of the company 
 refolved to venture out to fea in 
 their fluff, which they lengthened 
 out fo far as to make a fort of 
 cabin for two or three men, and 
 having got a fmall fail, they (hip- 
 ped their lhare of provilions on 
 board, and Iteered away for Bof- 
 ton; it was the pth of May before 
 thefe poor wretches arrived there, 
 through a thoufand dangers, from 
 the fea and the ice, and almoll 
 quite halved with hunger and 
 
 cold : 
 
fwefc 
 it he in 
 ftroke: 
 fire, t- 
 i the 2j4 
 
 to feat 
 igthene: 
 a fori i 
 aen, t 
 ieyfe 
 fions o: 
 for Bo:- 
 fbefa 
 :d theft 
 
 is/ftm 
 
 al# 
 rj ^ 
 
 coil 
 
 ( ix ) 
 
 cold : upon their arrival, a veflel 
 was immediately difpatchcd away 
 to the ifland, which in a few 
 weeks brought off their friends 
 who were left behind. 
 
 Soon after the conquefl of Ca- 
 nada, an Englifh (hip, bound out 
 to Quebec very late in the feafon, 
 had likewife the misfortune to be 
 loll on this defert ifland ; her 
 crew and paflengers wintered 
 there ; endured inexprcflible hard- 
 fhips from cold and hunger, 
 and were indebted for their ore- 
 
 x 
 
 fervation principally to a cargo of 
 French wine which they had on 
 board, a large quantity of which 
 *: . A3 a Horded 
 
( x ) 
 
 afforded them fufficient nourifh- 
 ment to fuflain life, when almoft 
 every other fpecies of fuflenance 
 failed. The tranflator has ex- 
 erted himfelf to procure a nar- 
 rative of their fuffe rings; but this, 
 from the deaths of the perfons 
 who were on board, and no fuch 
 narrative being preserved in print, 
 he was unable to accomplifh. 
 
 The captain and crew of his 
 Maje fly’s fhip A6live, on board of 
 which Lord Dorchefter and his fa- 
 mily embarked lafl year, were much 
 more fortunate ; they were fhip- 
 wrecked at a more early period 
 of the feafon, and preferved their 
 
 boat. 
 
boat, which being fitted up and 
 fent to Halifax, a king’s fhip was 
 difpatched, and brought the whole 
 of the paflengers and crew away 
 in fafcty. 
 
 The followi ng affecting narrative 
 was publifhed in France, and writ- 
 ten, in the form of a letter, from 
 M. Crefpel to his brother; and, 
 befides an account of his fufferings 
 by fhipwreck, contains a previous 
 detail of his travels in Canada, 
 and in fome parts of that pro- 
 vince but little known, and at 
 that time but poorly inhabited. 
 
( xii ) 
 
 M. Crefpel Teems a man of a 
 religious turn of mind, fometimes 
 bordering on enthufiafm ; and 
 perhaps fome of the readers would 
 have been as well pleafed if part, 
 or all of his reflections had been 
 omitted;. but as they all arife na- 
 turally from his fubjeCt, and fliew 
 a zeal which, in the temper of 
 his mind, was highly worthy of 
 praife, it was judged belt not to 
 omit them. 
 
 The following defcription of 
 the ifland of Anticofti was drawn 
 up by Mr. T. Wright, who 
 wintered there, and furveyed the 
 ifland by order of government. 
 
 The 
 
I 
 
 V v 
 
 m of: 
 letitt 
 i; ax 
 5 wools 
 if part, 
 id beta 
 rife na- 
 dte 
 per e: 
 thy of 
 not to 
 
 a cf 
 rawn 
 who 
 
 d the 
 
 nt. 
 
 The 
 
 ( xiii ) 
 
 The Ifland of Anticofti is fi- 
 tuated at the entrance of the river 
 St. Lawrence, between the pa- 
 rallels of 49 deg. 4 min. and 49 
 deg. 53 min. 1 5 fee. N. latitude, 
 and the meridians of 61 deg. 58 
 min. and 64 deg. 35 min. Weft 
 longitude from London, deter- 
 mined by tenobfervations on the 
 eclipfes of Jupiter’s firft Satellite. 
 Its circumference is 282 ftatute 
 miles, its length 129 miles, and 
 its breadth from 32 to 12 miles. 
 This illand contains 1,699,840 
 acres of very indifferent land; 
 the nature of the foil and natural 
 produce as follows : 
 
 A 5 
 
 The 
 
( xiv ) 
 
 The land in general is com- 
 poled of a light- coloured hone, 
 which is of a foft crumbling na- 
 ture, and in fome parts is mixed 
 with clay. After digging to the 
 depth of about two feet, you meet 
 with fmall flat hones, with fcarce 
 any other mixture. 
 
 The fea coah, from the South- 
 Weh point, to the Weh point, 
 (including Ellis Bay and Gbfer- 
 vation River), is in height from 
 20 to 50 feet, and is moltly co- 
 veted with woods to the water’s 
 edge. 
 
 Ellis 
 
( XV ) 
 
 s cot, Ellis Bay affords the only 
 
 ifitiic fhclter for veffels in this large 
 
 lingua ill and, and that but a very in- 
 
 s miser different one, which would be 
 
 r(o[|| greatly expofed to the foutherly 
 
 aunt winds, were it not for the fhoals 
 
 dcara which extend from each fide of 
 
 the entrance, near two thirds of 
 the di fiance acrofs the bay, by 
 South which means they retard the vio- 
 
 point lence of the fea; but at the fame 
 
 Obfer- time, they endanger veffels in 
 
 t from entering the bay with a wind on 
 
 ly C0 . fliore, by caufmg a great fwell 
 
 on the bar, on which thcie is but 
 2j fathoms water. 
 
 The 
 
( xvi ) 
 
 The land at the bottom of this 
 bay is low marfh, and produces 
 fmall birch, and fpruce trees of 
 different forts. 
 
 Obfervation River is the largeft, 
 and runs the greatefl diftance of 
 any in the ifland. We meafured 
 eight leagues up it without de- 
 termining its length. This river 
 is remarkable; for, notwithftand- 
 ing its fteep banks, which in the 
 middle of the ifland are rocky 
 bluffs about 100 feet in height, it 
 is fordable almoA in every part, 
 except where it empties itfelf 
 into the fea. The bottom is 
 
 flony,' 
 
 
( xv ii ) 
 
 ftony, and the water exceeding 
 clear. This river will admit of 
 fmall veflels at the entrance, and 
 at the time of high water, which 
 is very regular here at the full 
 and change of the moon, at 21 - 
 hours. 
 
 The entrance of it is formed 
 by two gravel points, which are 
 continually fhifting their fituation 
 in a gale of wind from the weft- 
 ward, fo that at one time its 
 breadth will not be more than 
 20 yards, and at other times 1 50 
 yards, and in the fall of the year 
 is liable to be entirely choaked 
 up, fo as to be impaflable, which 
 
 really 
 
( xviii ) 
 
 really happened when the equi- 
 noctial gales prevailed in the 
 month of September, a few days 
 after we had got our vellel into 
 the river. 
 
 I am of opinion, that the feal 
 filhery might be carried on here 
 with lbme fuccels m the ipring of 
 the year ; theie creatures, at the 
 time of high water, enter the 
 river in great bodies, and are 
 very careful to be out again be- 
 fore the tide quits them, which 
 might be ealily prevented by a 
 net properly placed at the en- 
 trance of the river. 
 
 The 
 
The Sea-cows frequent the 
 South-Weft point in the fall of 
 the year, but not many in num- 
 ber, and in fuch a place as 
 would render it impoflible to cut 
 them off. 
 
 This ifland is fo well watered, 
 that in the fpace of every mile 
 round its coaft you will either meet 
 with a fmall rivulet or run of 
 frefh water. 
 
 The land, from the South-Weft 
 point to the Tail point, is chiefly 
 low heaths of black turf, fuch as 
 is ufed for fuel ; bears no wood 
 for the fpace of one to two miles 
 
 from 
 
( XX ) 
 
 from the fea fhore, and contains 
 many fmall lakes and ponds, 
 where a prodigious number of 
 wild fowl refort in the fpring to 
 breed up their young. 
 
 The land on the North fide, 
 from the Weft point to Bear Cape, 
 is very hilly near the middle of 
 the ifland, and well wooded with 
 birch, fpruce, and pine of a 
 middling fize, the largeft not ex- 
 ceeding fifteen inches diameter. 
 
 Thefe hills, with a gradual de- 
 fcent, form an edging of low grafs 
 land with willow trees along the 
 fea coaft. 
 
 
 The 
 
( xxi ) 
 
 The ifland, from Bear Cape to 
 the Eaft point, contains feveral 
 fmall bays, the extreme points of 
 which are high white cliffs, which 
 lofe themfelves in a regular de- 
 fcent, and form between them a 
 fine low fand beach, out ol which 
 iffues feveral rivulets or flreams 
 of frefh water. 
 
 The fruits, herbs, plants, and 
 vegetables, which are the natuial 
 
 G 7 
 
 produce of this ifland, are cran- 
 berries, goofeberries, ftrawberries, 
 huckleberries, red Indian -berries, 
 juniper-berries, peas, parfley, 
 onions, lambfquaters, or wild fpin- 
 
 nage,. 
 
( xxii ) 
 
 nage, Indian potatoes, farfaparilla, 
 maiden-hair, and Indian tea. 
 
 The Bears, who are the prin- 
 cipal inhabitants of this ifland, 
 are fo numerous, that in the fpace 
 of fix weeks we killed fifty-three, 
 and might have deftroyed twice 
 that number if we had thought 
 fit. Thefe animals, during the 
 winter feafon, live in the hollows 
 under the roots of trees, and it is 
 aflerted for fa<5t, that they receive 
 no other kind of nourifhment 
 during that time but from fuck- 
 ing their paws. It is indeed 
 highly probable, that they live in 
 
 a torpid 
 
 
( xxiii ) 
 
 a torpid date in fevere frofts, as 
 we neither faw one of them, or 
 even their tra£ts in the fnow 
 during the winter. They come 
 out of their holes in the month of 
 April, exceedingly poor, and feed 
 on filh and fea weed that is call 
 on fhore. In the fummer, they 
 feed on berries and roots, for 
 which they fearch very diligently, 
 by grubbing along the fea Ihore 
 after the manner of fwine. Thefe 
 animals have been fo little mo- 
 lelted by mankind, that we have 
 frequently palled near them with- 
 out their difcovering the lead 
 fear ; nor did they ever lhew any 
 
 incli- 
 
( xxiv ) 
 
 inclination to attack us, except 
 only the females in defence of 
 their young. The largeft of thefe 
 bears weigh about 300 pounds, 
 and are very good meat. 
 
 In this ifland there are alfo 
 foxes, martins, and otters ; the 
 foxes are very numerous, and are 
 of two colours, the (liver gray 
 and red ; partridges are fcarce, 
 and are entirely white. 
 
 Of the water fowl there are the 
 greatefl plenty, and fome of them 
 of a fpecies peculiar to this 
 country. 
 
 Fifli 
 
( XXV ) 
 
 FilTi are very fcarce along the 
 coafl: of this illand, except near 
 the eaft point, where, about the 
 diftance of three leagues to the 
 northward of that point, is a 
 fmall hilling bank. 
 
 Whales (that have been wound- 
 ed, and efcaped) are foraetimes 
 call on fhore on the fouth fide of 
 this illand ; for the fouth-welt 
 point forming a long bay with 
 the well point, and facing the 
 weftward, a prevailing wind from 
 that quarter, and a llrong current 
 fetting down the river St. Law- 
 rence, drives them alhore on this 
 part of the illand, where the In- 
 dians 
 
37 
 
 ( xxvi ) 
 
 dians from the main land, crofling 
 over in the fummer to hunt, fre- 
 quently find them. 
 
 The winter that we fpent on 
 this ifland was very fevere, there 
 being frofl at different times, 
 from the 15th day of September, 
 to the 2 if! day of June following, 
 on whieh day I broke a thin fkin 
 of ice on a pond, and on the 31ft 
 day of May meafured a bank of 
 fnow which lay near the fea, 
 eleven feet perpendicular height, 
 and half a mile in length. We 
 had two continued frolts night 
 and day, the one lafled from the 
 14th day of November to the 6th 
 
 day 
 
f 
 
 TO|s| 
 
 It, fo 
 
 :ntoa 
 
 that 
 
 times/ 
 
 mber, 
 
 winj, 
 
 (kin 
 
 31H 
 
 ikof 
 
 fea, 
 
 # 
 
 ffe 
 
 light 
 
 the 
 
 6th 
 
 lay 
 
 ( xxvii ) 
 
 day of January, and the other 
 from the 1 2th of the fame month 
 to the 23d day of March follow- 
 ing; during each of thefe fet 
 frolts the thermometer was from 
 ten, twenty, thirty, to forty-feven 
 degrees below the freezing mark, 
 and the fea feldom to be leen for 
 the quantity of ice and fnow 
 which was fpread over its furface. 
 
 There is a report which pre- 
 vails amongft the French, but how 
 well grounded i cannot fay, that 
 a lilver mine was difcovered on 
 the fouth fide of this ifiand, up a 
 fmall river about fix leagues from 
 the well; point, and that fome of 
 
 the 
 
( xxviii ) 
 
 the ore was taken to France, but 
 I had not time to make a proper 
 fearcli after it. 
 
 A great number of veflels have 
 formerly been wrecked on the 
 eallern [ art of this ifland, which 
 may now cafily be accounted for, 
 as by the belt draughts hitherto 
 made it appears on the prefent 
 adual furvey, to be twelve leagues 
 fhort of its real length, and con- 
 fiderably out of its fituation both 
 in latitude and longitude. 
 
 VOYAGE, 
 
VOYAGE, TRAVELS, 
 
 &c. &c. 
 
 VoU may remember that, towards 
 the end of the year 1723, I received 
 permillion of my luperiors to em- 
 bark for the New World, a favour 
 I had long folicited. I therefore 
 proceeded to Paris, and received a 
 licence from father Guifdron, Pro- 
 vincial of St. Denis, who had the 
 b dire&ion 
 
( 2 ) 
 
 direction of the millions in New 
 France, or Canada. 
 
 Proceeding from thence to Ro- 
 chelle, and having there procured 
 every thing neceflary for my paf- 
 fage, I embarked in the fhip Ca- 
 mel, failed on the 24th of May, 
 1724, and arrived at Quebec after 
 a paflage of ten weeks. 
 
 Here I remained till the year 
 1726; and here M. de la Croix, 
 the Bifhop of Quebec, conferred the 
 priefthood upon me, and foon after 
 appointed me curate of a village 
 called Forel, fituated to the fouth 
 
 of 
 
 
in Nr 
 
 e to It: 
 pro® 
 
 mjf 
 
 fhipG 
 of Mr 
 ;bec afi 
 
 he yn 
 i Cron 
 erred ih 
 jonafc 
 ; vi%< 
 e fond 
 
 of 
 
 ( 3 ) 
 
 of the river St. Lawrence, between 
 the towns of Three-Rivers and 
 Montreal. 
 
 Quebec, the capital of the pro- 
 vince of Canada, or New France, is 
 Angularly fituated, being a hundred 
 and twenty leagues from the fca, 
 and yet poflefling a harbour capable 
 of containing a hundred fail of line 
 of battle Ihips. The river St. Law- 
 rence is here about a mile broad, 
 although below ft is from four to 
 five leagues. The firft thing which 
 ftrikes you on your arrival, is a fine 
 falling fheet of water, called the 
 Falls of Montmorenci, which is 
 b about 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 about thirty feet in breadth, and 
 forty in height. 
 
 The city, which ftands between 
 the rivers St. Lawrence and St. 
 Charles, confifts of two towns. In 
 the lower town, the merchants and 
 traders live ; and the paflage from 
 thence to the upper town is fo fleep, 
 that it has been found neceffary to 
 cut heps, and therefore can only be 
 afeended on foot. In the upper 
 town are the cathedral, the feminary, 
 and place of arms. The fortifica- 
 tions are not complete, but they 
 have been long employed in render- 
 ing it a place of ftrength. It was, 
 
 however, 
 
however, fufficiently ftrong to refift 
 the attacks of the Englifh in 1711. 
 The number of inhabitants are 
 reckoned at feven thoufand, many 
 of whom are worth money, and 
 exert thcmfelvcs to make life as 
 agreeable and cheerful as they can. 
 Both fexes here have as fine com- 
 plexions as any people in the world ; 
 are gay and fprightly ; and although 
 fituated in a colony at fuch a dis- 
 tance from Europe, and locked up, 
 by the feverity of their climate, 
 from the reft of the world for more 
 than half the year, are extremely 
 polite and engaging in their man- 
 ners. 
 
 b 3 Three- 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 Three-Rivers is a town called lb 
 from its fituation, which contains 
 about feven or eight hundred in- 
 habitants, and is one of the moft 
 ancient towns in the colony, and 
 owed its rife to the great refort 
 of Indians from the moft diftant 
 quarters, by means of its three 
 rivers. This port, next to Mont- 
 real, is the moft important for trade 
 in all Canada. There is plenty of 
 iron found in its neighbourhood, 
 and they are now beginning to work 
 the mines. The Jefuits made a feU 
 tlement, a few leagues below this 
 place, with all the Indian converts 
 they could collect ; but, by a feries 
 
 of 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 of war and difeafes, it was foon 
 deftroyed. 
 
 Two years after I was drawn 
 from my curacy to go Chaplain to 
 a party of four hundred French, 
 which the Marquis de Beauharnois 
 commanded, and who were to be 
 joined by eight or nine hundred 
 Indians of feveral nations, parti- 
 cularly Iroquois, who inhabit the 
 fouth of the river St, Lawrence, 
 between the Englifh and French 
 colonies*, by the Hurons andNipif- 
 
 fings, 
 
 * M. Crefpel does not fay what in- 
 duced the French Government of Canada to 
 undertake this expedition ; and it cannot 
 B 4 efcape 
 
( 8 J ' 
 
 fings, and the Outawahs, who 
 lived on the lakes and rivers of 
 thole names. To thefe, M. Pefet, 
 a prielt, and Father Bertonnicre, a 
 Jefuit, a died as Chaplains. The 
 
 whole, under the command of M. 
 de Lignerie, were difpatched with 
 orders to dejlroy a nation of In- 
 dians, called, by the French, the 
 Fox Ipdians, but, in their own lan- 
 guage, the Outagamies, fituated on 
 lake Michigan, about four hundred 
 and fifty leagues from Montreal. 
 
 efcape obfervation, that this Clirijlian prieft 
 talks of deflroying a whole nation of in- 
 nocent Indians with great coolnefs and com- 
 pofure. 
 
 The 
 
The Iroquois Indians inhabit the 
 fouth fide of the river St. Lawrence, 
 between the Englifh and French 
 colonies, and are the mofl powerful, 
 warlike, and politic people among 
 the natives of North America. They 
 confift: of fix confederate nations, 
 and their form of government fome- 
 what refembles that of the Swifs 
 Cantons. Many of thefe Iroquois 
 are fettled in the interior of the 
 French colony in villages, are con- 
 verted, and as fubmifiive to the 
 French government as Indians can 
 be made. They have rendered us 
 good fervices, particularly in war 
 
 time. 
 
( IO ) 
 
 The Hurons are fituated between 
 lakes Huron, Eri, and Ontario. 
 The Nipiflings, to the north eaft of 
 lake Huron. 
 
 We fet off the 5th of June, 1728, 
 and afcended the great river which 
 bears the name of the Outawahs, and 
 is full of falls and carrying places. 
 We quitted it at Mata wan, to 
 enter a river which leads into lake 
 Nipiffing ; the length of this river is 
 about thirty leagues, and, like that 
 of the Outawahs, full of falls and 
 carrying places. From this river 
 we entered the lake, whofe breadth 
 is about eight leagues ; after crofling 
 which, the river of the French 
 
 carried 
 
( >1 ) 
 
 be 
 
 carried us quickly into lake Huron, 
 
 Ofc 
 
 into which it falls, after having run 
 
 heat; 
 
 a courfe of thirty leagues with great 
 rapidity. 
 
 t, iji 
 
 As it was not poftible fo many 
 
 nfc 
 
 perfons could go down thefe fmall 
 
 ahs f * 
 
 rivers together, it was agreed, that 
 
 ; plate 
 
 thofe who pafled down firft, fhould 
 
 ran, : 
 
 wait for the others at the entrance 
 
 to to 
 
 of lake Huron, in a place called La 
 
 river: 
 
 Prairie, which is a very fine fixa- 
 
 Ice tk 
 
 tion. Here, for the firft time, I 
 
 ills an: 
 
 faw a rattle-fnake, whofe bite is faid 
 
 i rivet 
 
 to be mortal, but none of us re- 
 
 * 1- 
 
 ceived any injury. 
 
 <renct 
 
 b 6 The 
 
 •arriet 
 
 
( *2 ) 
 
 The 26th of July we were all 
 aflembled together, and I celebrated 
 mafs, which I had hitherto deferred ; 
 next day we departed for Michili- 
 makinac, a port fituated between 
 the lakes Huron and Michigan. 
 
 O 
 
 Although the diftance was one hun- 
 dred leagues, we ran it in lefs than 
 fix days. Here we remained fome 
 time to repair what had been da- 
 maged in the falls and carrying 
 places; and here I confecrated two 
 pair of colours, and interred two 
 foldiers, who were carried off by 
 fatigue and illnefs. 
 
 Michilimakinac is a poll: advan- 
 tageoufly fituated for trade, with 
 
 three 
 
ere £ 
 ebrai: 
 ferret; 
 licit 
 ttott 
 
 :hi» 
 
 0 
 
 leb 
 
 stki 
 
 n da- 
 
 n 
 
 l two 
 two 
 fftj 
 
 van- 
 
 vith 
 
 m 
 
 ( *3 ) 
 
 three great lakes — Michigan, which 
 is three hundred leagues in circuit ; 
 Huron, which is full three hundred 
 and fifty leagues in circumference ; 
 and lake Superior, which is full five 
 hundred leagues round : all three 
 navigable for the largeft fort of 
 boats, and the two firft feparated 
 only by a fmall flrait, which has 
 water fufficient for fmall veflels, 
 who can fail, without any obftacle 
 over lake Eri, to the poft of Nia- 
 gara. 
 
 The ioth of Augufl we left Ma- 
 chilimakinac, and entered lake Mi- 
 chigan. As we had contrary winds 
 for two days, our Indians had time 
 
 to 
 
( H > 
 
 to hunt, and they brought in two 
 elks and a caribou , and were ge- 
 nerous enough to offer us a part. 
 We made fome difficulties in re- 
 ceiving their favour, but they forced 
 us, and told us, that fince we had 
 fhared with them the fatigues of the 
 journey, it was but juft we fhould 
 partake of the comforts it had pro- 
 cured, and that they fhould ^not 
 efteem themfelves men if they did 
 not a<ft thus to their brethren. This 
 anfwer, which was fpoken in French, 
 affedled me fenfibly. What hu- 
 manity among thofe we call favages ! 
 and how many fhould we find in 
 Europe to whom that title might 
 be more properly applied ! 
 
 The 
 
( 15 ) 
 
 tin it 
 
 The generofity of our Indians de- 
 
 weitji 
 
 ferved a lively fenfe of gratitude 
 
 is ap- 
 
 from us. Several times, when we 
 
 es in t 
 
 had not been able to find places for 
 
 aey fore 
 
 hunting, we had been obliged to 
 
 :eweb 
 
 live on fait meat. The flefh of the 
 
 ucsoti 
 
 elks and caribou removed the dif- 
 
 vc fc 
 
 tafte we began to entertain for our 
 
 ■had jut 
 
 ordinary food. 
 
 3HJd»nr 
 ‘ky i 
 
 The Orignal , or Elk of Canada, 
 
 l( Th; 
 
 is as large as a horfe, and his horns 
 
 French 
 
 as long as thofe of a flag, but thicker, 
 
 hat k 
 
 and more inclining over the back. 
 
 favaw 
 
 the tail fhort, and his fkin a mixture 
 
 C 
 
 find hi 
 
 of light gray and reddifh black. 
 
 ■ migfc 
 
 The Caribou is not fo tall, and 
 
 Tk 
 
 fhaped 
 
( *6 ) 
 
 fhaped more like the afs, but equals 
 the ftag in fwiftnefs. 
 
 The 14th of the fame month 
 vve continued our route as far as the 
 ftrait of Chicagou, and palling 
 from thence to Cape La Mort, 
 which is five leagues, we encoun- 
 tered a gale of wind that drove 
 feveral of our canoes on Ihore who 
 could not double the cape and 
 Ihelter themfelves under it : feveral 
 were loft, and the men diftributed 
 among the other canoes, who by 
 great good fortune efcaped the 
 danger. 
 
 The 
 
t^i 
 
 mat 
 arasiit 
 pai( 
 i Mot 
 encom- 
 It dlOt! 
 
 are tvk 
 tpe aac 
 fevenl 
 ‘ributai 
 vho It 
 :d tit 
 
 Tie 
 
 ( ) 
 
 The 1 5t4i we landed among the 
 Malomines, with a view to provoke 
 them to oppofe our defeent ; they 
 fell into the fnare, and were en- 
 tirely defeated. - N 
 
 Thefe Indians are called by the 
 French Folks Avoines, or Wild- 
 Oat Indians, probably from their 
 living chiefly on that fort of grain. 
 The ■whole nation conflfts only of 
 this village, who are fome of the 
 tallcft and handfomefl: men in Ca- 
 nada. 
 
 The next day we encamped 
 at the entrance of a river named 
 La Gafparde ; our Indians en- 
 tered 
 
tered the woods, and brought back 
 feveral deer, a kind of game very 
 common in this place, and which 
 fupplied us with provi lions for 
 fome days. 
 
 We halted on the 17th from noon 
 to evening, to avoid arriving at the 
 poft of La Baye before night, wilh- 
 ing to furprife our enemies, whom 
 we knew to be in company with 
 the Saguis, our allies, whole village 
 lay near Fort St. Francis. We ad- 
 vanced in the evening, and at mid- 
 night reached our fort at the 
 entrance of the Fox river. As 
 foon as we arrived, Monlieur de 
 Lignerie fent fome Frenchmen to 
 
 the 
 
the commandant to know for cer- 
 tain if there were any enemies in 
 the village, and being allured there 
 were, he fent all the Indians, and a 
 a detachment of the French, acrofs 
 the river Le Sur, round the habita- 
 tions, while the reft of the French 
 entered by the diredt way. How- 
 ever we had endeavoured to conceal 
 our arrival, the enemies had in- 
 formation, and all the inhabitants 
 efcaped except four, who were de- 
 livered to our Indians ; and they, 
 after having long amufed themfelves 
 with tormenting them, fliot them 
 with arrows. 
 
 I was 
 
( 20 ) 
 
 I was a painful witnefs of this 
 cruel tranfa&ion, and could not re- 
 concile the brutal pleafure they 
 took in tormenting thefe unfortunate 
 people, and making them fuffer the 
 pain of twenty deaths before they 
 deprived them of life, with the ge- 
 nerous fentiments exprefled by thefe 
 fame favages a few days ago. I 
 wiflied to have afked them, if they 
 did net perceive the ftriking con- 
 trail: in their conduct, and to point 
 out what I thought reprehensible in 
 their proceeding ; but as all our in- 
 terpreters were on the other fide of 
 the river, I was obliged to pollpone 
 my inquiries till another time. 
 
 After 
 
 
 V 
 
After this affair we afeended the 
 I ox river, which is much troubled 
 with rapids, and whofe courle is 
 near forty leagues. The 24th of 
 Auguff: we arrived at the village of 
 the 1 udns Indians, whofe name, in 
 their language, does not bear the 
 lame ffgnification as in French, 
 but from their vicinity to the wa- 
 ters, and they may therefore be 
 more properly called the Meantime 
 Indians. Our people were well dif- 
 pofed to deffroy fuch men as they 
 Ihould find there, but the flight of 
 the inhabitants laved them, and we 
 could only burn their huts, and de- 
 ffroy the harveft of Indian corn, on 
 which they fubfift. 
 
 We 
 
( 22 ) 
 
 We afterwards crofled the little 
 lake of the Foxes, and encamped at 
 the end. The next day being St. 
 Lawrence, we had mafs*, and en- 
 tered a fmall river which led us to a 
 marfhy ground, on the borders of 
 which was fituated the chief fettle- 
 ment of thofe Indians of whom we 
 were in fearch. Their allies, the 
 Saguis, had given them notice of 
 our approach ; they did not think 
 proper to wait our arrival, and we 
 found in their village fome wo- 
 men only, whom our Indians made 
 flaves, and an old man, whom they 
 
 * How cafy does this pious miflionary 
 pafs from havock and deftruftion to de- 
 
 votion. 
 
 burned- 
 
burned by a flow fire, without ma- 
 nifefting the leafl: repugnance for 
 committing fo barbarous an adion. 
 
 This cruelty appeared to me more 
 atrocious than that they had exer- 
 cifed on the four Saguis. 1 feized 
 this opportunity to fatisfy my cu- 
 riofity on the fubjed I before-men- 
 tioned. Among our Frenchmen 
 we had one who fpoke the Iroquois 
 language, whom I defired to tell the 
 Indians, that I was furprifed to fee 
 them, with fo much apparent plea- 
 fure, inflid fuch a cruel death on an 
 unfortunate old man ; that the laws 
 of war did not extend fo far, and 
 that it appeared to me, that fuch 
 
 barbarity 
 
( 24 ) 
 
 barbarity gave the lie to all thole 
 good principles they pretended to 
 entertain towards mankind. One 
 of the Iroquois anfweied, that if 
 any of them Ihoukl fall into the 
 hands of the Foxes or Saguis, they 
 would experience ftill more cruel 
 treatment, and that it was a cuftom 
 with them to treat their enemies as 
 they fliould be treated by them if 
 they were taken. 
 
 I wifhed much to have been ac- 
 quainted with the language of this 
 Indian, to have Ihewn him what 
 was blameable in his anfwer; but 
 was obliged to content myfelf with 
 defiring my interpreter to reprefent 
 
 to 
 
all tk 
 
 ( 2 5 ) 
 
 to him, that nature and religion ftill 
 
 tended ™° re rC( l uire(i that we fliould be 
 nd. (1 ^ Umane towards one another, and 
 d tk mo< ^ erat t on Hiould guide us in 
 
 • c ' * n our a<5lions i that pardon, and a 
 
 m k f ° rglVCnef ' S ° f in j uries » w as a virtue, 
 
 the practice of which was exprefslv 
 norc cn - , , , r j 
 
 commanded by heaven ; that I con- 
 ceived it would not be fafe for them 
 eM ® to fpare the Fox or Saguis Indians, 
 but that if they put them to death, 
 it fliould be as foes to their nation, 
 and not as their private enemies; 
 that fuch revenge was criminal, and 
 l 0 e that to exercife fuch exccfles as they 
 * iac * to wards the five unfortunate 
 [M .. men the 7 had put to death with 
 hich cruel torments, in fome degree 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 juftified the barbarity with which 
 they reproached their enemies ; that 
 the laws of war only permitted 
 them to take the life of their enemy, 
 and not to glut themfelves with his 
 blood, or drive them to defpair by 
 deftroying them in any other way 
 than by combat and arms : in fine, 
 that they ought to fet the Foxes and 
 Saguis that example of moderation 
 which is the proof of a good heart, . 
 and which makes the Chriftian Re- J j 
 li<rion, and thofe who profefs it, fo | 
 much loved and admired. I , 
 
 e 
 
 I do not know whether my in- b 
 terpreter explained my fentiments ^ 
 clearly, but the Indian could not be 
 
 brought 
 
 
... ( 2 7 ) 
 
 lth t 
 
 miti,: brou S ht t0 confefs that he atfed on 
 
 pent 1 ^ l ^ C P nnci P^ e ' I was proceeding 
 KiltE f ° Ur ^ e furthcr reafons, when orders 
 WCre given to adva «ce again ft the 
 la ft poft of the enemy, which was 
 , ^ tuated °n a little river which runs 
 into another river that communicates 
 
 1S:1J: with the Miffiffinpi. 
 
 e Foifi 
 
 rate: We did not find any Indians, and 
 
 gofc as we had no orders to advance 
 further, we employed fome days in 
 ,rofeflt tying wafte the country, to deprive 
 i the enemy of the means of fubfift- 
 ence. The country hereabout is 
 M beautiful « land fertile, the game 
 m plenty and good, the nights were 
 mid $ 
 
 very 
 
very- 
 
 hot. 
 
 s extremely 
 
 ( *8 ) 
 
 cold, but the day 
 
 After this expedition, if fucli a 
 ufclcfs march deferves that name, 
 we prepared to return to Montreal, 
 from which we were now four 
 hundred and fifty leagues diftant. 
 
 In our paffage we defiroycd'the fort 
 at La Baye, becaufe being fo near 
 the enemy it would not afford a 
 fecure retreat to the French, who 
 muff be left as a garrifon. The 
 Fox Indians, irritated by our ra- 
 vages, and convinced that we ftioull 
 jfcarcely make a fecond vifit into a I 
 country where we were uncertain of 1 
 meeting with any inhabitants, might I 
 
 have I 
 
5 tH 
 
 n,iii 
 i tkt: 
 to lb 
 re w» 
 aguesfi 
 bo tcb 
 beingi 
 not li 
 Freni 
 ftnif®' 
 dlf« 
 dat«f 
 
 nd tf * 
 ’£ && 
 ritaflCr 
 
 ( 29 ) 
 
 have blockaded the fort, and per- 
 haps have taken it. When we ar- 
 rived at Michilimakinac, our com- 
 mander gave permiffion to every one 
 to go where he pkafed. Wc had 
 now three hundred leagues to travel, 
 and our provifions would have 
 fallen fhort if we had not exerted 
 ourfelves to make a quick padage, 
 1 he winds favoured us in eroding 
 lake Huron; but we had continual 
 rains while we were on the river of 
 the French, while eroding lake Mi- 
 chigan, and on the river Mata wan, 
 which ceafed as wc entered the river 
 of the Outawahs. I cannot de- 
 feribe the fwiftnefs with which we 
 delcended this great river, of which 
 c 3 imagi- 
 
( 3 ° ) 
 
 imagination only can form an idea. 
 As I was in a canoe with fome men 
 whom experience had taught how 
 ta defcend the rapids, I was not one 
 of the laid at Montreal, where I ar- 
 rived the 28th of September, and 
 remained there till the fpring, when 
 I received orders to proceed to Que- 
 bec. 
 
 Montreal, the fccond city in Ca- 
 nada, is of a quadrangular form, 
 fituated on the bank of a river, 
 which gently riling divides the city 
 into the upper and lower town. In 
 the lower is an hofpital, magazines, 
 and place of arms ; and in the upper, 
 the feminary, church, convent of 
 
 the 
 
 
( 3 < ) 
 
 the Recollets, and governor’s houfe. 
 Montreal is fituated on a fine ifiand, 
 about ten leagues in length, and 
 four leagues in its greatefl breadth, 
 formed by two branches of the river 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 our commilfary ordered me for Nia- 
 gara, then a new fettlement, with a 
 citrici fortrefs fituated at the entrance of a 
 
 { 3 p: by the celebrated cataract of Nia- 
 
 estii£L gara, which lies fouth of lake On- 
 
 t fll tario, and fix leagues from our fort. 
 
 I therefore returned to Montreal, 
 and palled from thence to fort Fron- 
 
 I no fooner reached that city than 
 
 fine river of the fame name, formed 
 
 c 4 
 
 timac. 
 
( 32 ) 
 
 tiniac, or Cataraquoy, built at the 
 entrance of lake Ontario. Although 
 only eighty leagues from Montreal, 
 as we went againft the ft ream of 
 the river, we were fifteen days in 
 afeending. Here we quitted our 
 canoe, and embarked in a vcflel of 
 the king’s, built for the navigation 
 of the lake, of about eighty tons 
 burden, very fwift, and which 
 fometimes croflcs the lake, a paflage 
 of feventy leagues, in thirty-fix 
 hours. The lake is very fife, being 
 deep, and without rocks; I founded 
 in the middle with an hundred fa- 
 thom of line, and could find no 
 bottom. It is about thirty leagues 
 broad, and ninety long. 
 
 We 
 
lilt at ; 
 Althoo; 
 Montna 
 ilream 
 cn daji. 
 Uittcd fi 
 a vel; 
 navigL' 
 ighty a 
 id vrb 
 ,apaii: 
 fend 
 afc, te 
 I fee: 
 Badreda- 
 fed K 
 -.Icagwi 
 
 ( 33 ) 
 
 We failed the 22d of July, but 
 did not arrive until the 25th. I 
 found the place very agreeable ; 
 hunting and filhing were very pro- 
 ductive, the woods in their greateft 
 beauty, and full of walnut and chef-- 
 nut trees, oaks, elms, and fome 
 others, far fuperior to any we fee- 
 in France. 
 
 The fever foon deftroyed the plea- 
 fures we began to find, and much- 
 incommoded us until the beginning; 
 of autumn, which feafon difpelled. 
 the unwholefome air. We patted- 
 the winter very quietly, and would 
 have pa{Ted it very agreeably, if the- 
 vettcl which was to have brought 
 
 
 c 5 
 
 US’ 
 
us refrelhments had not encountered 
 a florm on the lake, and been 
 obliged to put back to Frontiniac, 
 which laid us under the neceility of 
 drinking nothing but water. As 
 the winter advanced, lhe dared not 
 to proceed, and we did not receive 
 our ftores till May. 
 
 In the fpring I made a journey to 
 Detroit, on the invitation of a bro- 
 ther of our order, who was there 
 on a million. From Niagara to 
 this poll is an hundred leagues, 
 which is fituated about fifteen 
 leagues on this fide the extremity of 
 lake Erie. 
 
 This 
 
This lake is about a hundred 
 leagues long, and thirty broad, is 
 fhallow, and confequently dange- 
 rous in ftormy weather. To the 
 northward it is troubled with fhoals, 
 fo that if a vdTel is taken by the 
 wind in a place where there is no 
 good landing, which fometimes is 
 not to be found in a fpace of three 
 leagues, there is great danger of 
 perifhing. 
 
 In feventeen days I reached De- 
 troit, and was received by the pried: 
 I went to vifit with a warmth which 
 Ihewed the extreme pleafure wc ex- 
 perience in meeting one of our 
 countrymen in a diftant region ; bc- 
 c 6 ddes 
 
( 36 ) 
 
 tides we were brethren of the fame 
 order, and had quitted our country 
 for the fame motive. I was there- 
 fore welcome to him on many ac- 
 counts; nor did he omit any oppor-^ 
 tunity of convincing me how pleafed 
 he was with my vifit. He was 
 older than me, and had been very 
 fuccefsful in his apoftolic labours : 
 his houfe was agreeable and con- 
 venient ; it was, as I may fay, his 
 own work, and the habitation of 
 virtue. 
 
 His time, which was not em- 
 ployed in the duties of his office, 
 was divided between tiudy and the 
 occupations of the field. He had a 
 
 few 
 
few books, the choice of which 
 afforded a good idea of the purity 
 of his morals, and the extent of his 
 knowledge. With the language of 
 the country he was familiar ; and 
 the facility with which he fpoke it 
 made him very acceptable to many* 
 of the Indians, who communicated 
 to him their refledtions on all fub- 
 
 jedts, particularly religion. Affa- 
 bility attradts confidence, and no 
 as more deferving of the latter 
 ai this good man. 
 
 He had taught fome of the in- 
 habitants of Detroit the French lan- 
 guage ; and among them I found 
 many whofe good fenfe and found 
 
 judgement 
 
( 38 ) 
 
 judgement would have made them 
 conspicuous, even in France, had 
 their minds been cultivated by dudy. 
 Every day I remained with this 
 man I found new motives to envy 
 his fituation. In a word, he was 
 happy, and had no caufe to blufli 
 at the means by which he became 
 fo. 
 
 Detroit, or the Narrows, is fitu- 
 ated on the drait leading from lake 
 Huron to lake Eri. The country 
 round is faid by many to be the 
 fined: part of Canada, and feems to 
 want nothing that can make a coun- 
 try delightful : hills, meadows, 
 
 fielus, foreds, rivulets, fountains, 
 
 all 
 
 
( 39 ) 
 
 all excellent in their kind, and fo 
 happily blended as to equal the moft 
 romantic wifties. The lands are in 
 general wonderfully fertile, and the 
 iflands feem as if placed on purpofe 
 to add to the beauty of the profped:. 
 The fort, which is called Pontchar- 
 train*, is on the weft fide of the 
 ftrait, and has many Indian villages 
 near it. 
 
 * This fort, Niagara, and Michifimaki- 
 nac, are all fituated on the fide of the lakes 
 which belong to the United States of Ame- 
 rica; have ever fince the peace been fub- 
 jeffs of contention between Great Britain 
 and thofe Hates, and by the late treaty of 
 commerce have been delivered up to the 
 Americans. 
 
 .1 re- 
 
 
( 40 ). 
 
 I returned from this vifit to Nia- 
 gara, where I remained two years, 
 and in that time learned enough of 
 the Iroquois and Outawah lan- 
 guages to converfe in them. This 
 enabled me to enjoy their com- 
 pany when I took a walk in the 
 environs of our peft. In the fequel 
 you will fee this was extremely life - 
 lul to me, and faved my life. 
 
 When my three years refidence at 
 Niagara expired, I was, according 
 to cuftom, relieved, and palled the 
 winter at the convent at Quebec. 
 It was a great fatisfadtion to me to 
 pafs that rigorous feafon there. If 
 
 we 
 
( 4i ) 
 
 we had no fuperfluities, we however 
 wanted nothing that was neccffary ; 
 and what was none of our leaft plea- 
 fures, we heard news from our 
 country, and found a fociety with 
 whom we could convcrfc. 
 
 The chaplain of fort Frontiniac 
 fell lick in the fpring, and our com- 
 miflary intended me to fupply his 
 place, the lituation of which port I 
 have before deferibed. Here I re- 
 mained two years, when I was re- 
 called to Montreal, and foon after 
 fent to point La Chevalure, or 
 Scalping Point, on lake Champlain, 
 fo called becaufe the Indians, when 
 
( 42 ) 
 
 they kill any one, cut off his fcalp, 
 which they carry on a pole, as a 
 proof that they have defeated their 
 enemies. This cuftom gave a name 
 to the place, as in a battle at this 
 point many Indians were kalped. 
 
 Lake Champlain is about fifty- 
 five leagues long ; is adorned with 
 feveral agreeable iflands, the waters 
 are good, and well ftored with fifii. 
 The fort we have at this place is 
 called Frederick, fituated advan- 
 tageoufly on a very elevated point 
 of land, fifteen leagues from the 
 northern end of the lake, and is 
 the key to the colony of New 
 
 France, 
 
( 43 ) 
 
 France, or Canada, towards the 
 Englilh fettlements, which are not 
 more than thirty leagues diflant. 
 
 at - I did not reach my dcftination till 
 
 Iptc, November, 1735; the feafon, which 
 
 began to be fevere, increafed the 
 tfiftr. fatigues of the voyage, which, ex- 
 
 \ wii cept my fhip wreck, was one of the 
 
 ivateri moil toilfome I have experienced in 
 
 hfifli Canada, 
 
 lace 1! 
 
 aim- The day we left Chambly, a port 
 
 Ipoin: about forty leagues from Frederick, 
 
 iHtfee we were obliged to fleep out of 
 
 in( j:s doors, and during the night there 
 
 ^ was a fall of fnow full a foot deep. 
 
 nnr/ The winter came on as it had be- 
 
 gun i 
 
( 4t ) 
 
 gun ; and although we found a 
 lroufe at the port to fleep in, our 
 bufferings were almoft as great as if 
 we had been in the open air. The 
 boule in which we were lodged was 
 not finished ; wc were but badly 
 covered from the weather, and the 
 walls, which were of an enormous 
 thicknefs, had been finifhed but a 
 few days, and added greatly to the 
 inconveniences we received from the 
 rain and fnow. Mod of our foldiers 
 were affiidled with the feurvy, and 
 we had all fuch diforders in our* 
 eyes, that we were even fearful we 
 fhould lofe our fight. Our food' 
 was not better than our lodging. 
 We found. little to eat near the poll 
 
 but. 
 
but a few partridges, and to procure 
 venifon we were obliged to go as 
 far as lake Sacrement, which was 
 feven or eight leagues off. 
 
 In the fpring they proceeded to 
 complcat our houfe, but we chofe 
 rather to encamp, during the fum- 
 mer, than to remain any longer 
 therein. Here we were not more 
 at our eafe, 'for we were all vifited 
 by the fever, and not one of us 
 could enjoy the pleafures of the 
 feafon. This fituation, I muft con- 
 fefs, began to be very difagreeable, 
 when towards the month of Auguft- 
 I received an order from my pro- 
 vincial to return to France. The 
 
 religious 
 
( 46 ) 
 
 religious who was fent to fucceed 
 me was of our province; he arrived 
 at Frederic the 21ft of September, 
 1736, and I departed the fame day 
 in the evening. The next day we 
 had a favourable wind, which car- 
 ried us to point Au Fer y about eight 
 leagues from Chambly ; but on the 
 23d we expedited to have perilhed 
 In going down the rapid of St. Te- 
 refa : this was the laft danger I en- 
 countered before I arrived at Quebec, 
 where I expedted immediately to 
 embark for France. 
 
 Thus you have an abridgment of 
 my peregrinations in the new world. 
 Thofe who have travelled in this 
 
 country 
 
V 
 
 ( 47 ) 
 
 country will fee I am acquainted 
 
 with it. The relations of former 
 
 © 
 
 travellers will inform you of 'many 
 circumltances which I might have 
 repeated after them ; but, in writing 
 my travels, my principal intent was 
 to deferibe the fhipwreck I expe- 
 rienced in my return to France. 
 The circumstances attending it arc 
 extremely interefting, and you may 
 prepare to hear a tale of forrow and 
 woe. All I have to relate will ex- 
 cite your curiolity, and demand your 
 pity ; do not be afhamed to bellow 
 it : a good heart is always fufceptible 
 of the misfortunes of others. He 
 who does not feel for the misfor- 
 tunes of his brethren, ought with 
 
 juftice 
 
( 43 ) 
 
 jjuRice to be deprived of the happi- 
 
 nefs of human fociety. 
 
 <3 
 
 I remained fome time at Quebec 
 waiting an opportunity to return to 
 France ; in about two months I 
 found one by the king’s fhip the 
 Hero, of which I unfortunately did 
 not proffer, but accepted of the offer 
 from the Sieur Frenoufe, a Cana- 
 dian. The connexion between us 
 caufed me to accept the place of his 
 chaplain. He was a brave man, 
 whom an experience of forty-fix 
 years had rendered very able as a 
 navigator; nor could Meffrs. Pa- 
 cond of Rochelle, the owners, have 
 entrufted their fhip, the Renown, in 
 
 better 
 
was 
 
 :V ( 49 ) 
 
 i, , 
 
 better hands. The vefTcl 
 new, a good failer, very convenient, 
 % of about three hundred tons, and 
 retro- mounted with forty pieces of can- 
 >oiti non. 
 
 Ihip 2 * 
 
 itdri Many gentlemen were defirous of 
 
 M g oin g with us, to enjoy a fafe and 
 
 j Cat convenient pailage, fo that we had 
 
 Cf» ; fifty-four perfons on board the vef- 
 e oft feL We faiIed the 3 d of Novem- 
 eiE ^ er> Several other lliips, and 
 
 'orty. anchored all together in Saint Pa- 
 le as tr * C k s * dcdc » three leagues from 
 
 ■ Bi ft Quebec,- the next day we reached 
 ^ the ifland of Orleans. We endea- 
 
 ' voured on the 5 th to pafs the ftraits 
 
 ’ of Orleans, but could not, but were 
 
 D 
 
 more 
 
( 5 ° ) 
 
 more fuccefsful on the day after, 
 for we patted in company with a 
 brigantine bound to Martinico.— 
 The fhips which failed with us had 
 fuccceded in their firft attempt; we 
 were therefore without any confort, 
 and anchored at La Prairie, near the 
 ifle of Coudres. 
 
 The yth we reached Hare Ifland 
 and Mathan, where we found a 
 light wind from the north, the bane- 
 ful effects of which, and particu- 
 larly in that fcafon of the year, our 
 captain well knew, and confeffed to 
 us that we had every thing to fear : 
 he thought proper therefore to bear 
 away in fearch of anchoring ground, 
 
 and 
 
( 5 * ) 
 
 and fome fhelter from the temped 
 with which we were threatened. 
 A fhort time after we were obliged 
 to wear, and on the nth of the 
 month, about eight at night, the 
 wind fliifted about to the NNW 
 NE. ENE. E. at lafl to the 
 SSE. from whence it blew two 
 (%s. All this time we were beat- 
 ing oft the ifland of Anticodi with 
 reefs in our topfails; but as foon as 
 the wind fhifted to the SSE. we 
 fleered SE. by E. till the r 4 th in 
 the morning, when the /hip druck, 
 within a quarter of a league of the 
 ftore, on a f idge of rocks, about 
 eight leagues from the fouthern 
 point of Anticodi. 
 
( 5 2 ) 
 
 The fhip ft ruck fo often, that 
 we were fearful every moment fire 
 would go to pieces. 1 he weather 
 may be fuppofed very bad at this 
 feafon, and our feamen in defpair, 
 fince none of them could be per- 
 fuaded to aftift in taking in the fails, 
 although their adlion on the fhip 
 would infallibly haften our deftiuc- 
 tion. The water poured into the 
 veflel in great abundance ; fear had 
 deprived above half our men of 
 their prefence of mind; and a ge- 
 neral di forder feemed to announce 
 our approaching diflolution. 
 
 If it had not been for our gunner, 
 our future fituation would have been 
 
 dreadful. 
 
C 53 ) 
 
 dreadful. He ran to the bread- 
 
 Mt tl* 
 
 room, and although the water had 
 already made its way in, he threw 
 a quantity of bread between decks. 
 He thought alfo that fome mulkets r 
 1( r a barrel of powder, and a cafe of 
 cartridges, would be ufeful to us in 
 thcli cafe we fliould efcape this danger; 
 
 the t he therefore caufed all thefe things 
 
 deifc to be brought up. His precautions 
 
 ntot were not ufelefs, and without the 
 
 fear: affiftance of thefe articles I fliould 
 
 m never have been preferved to relate 
 
 od j; this. The wind did not abate, nor 
 
 raioc the fea diminifli ; the waves carried 
 
 away our rudder, and we were 
 
 obliged to cut away our mizen- 
 
 jriiiis mart. We then began to get our 
 avei« d 3 yawl 
 
 'id- 
 
( 54 ) 
 
 yawl (the fmalleft boat of a mer- 
 chant fliip) into the fea, taking 
 great precaution to keep her at a 
 diflance from the fide of the fliip, 
 for fear flie fliould be ftove. The 
 fight of death, and hopes of avoid- 
 ing it, infpired us with courage * 
 and although we knew we muft 
 pafs a wretched life, at leaft for 
 many months, in this ifland, we 
 thought we fliould be content to 
 fuffer every thing, could we pre- 
 ferve our lives. 
 
 After having put our yawl into 
 the water, w T e got our long-boat 
 into the tackles, in order to embark 
 what we could fave, and get clear 
 
 of 
 
of the {hip quickly, for fear the fea 
 lhould beat her againft the fide of 
 the {hip, and deftroy her. But ’tis 
 in vain for man to reft on his own 
 prudence when the hand of God 
 lays heavy on him. All our ef- 
 forts were ufelefs. Twenty of us 
 entered the long-boat, and inftantly 
 the fore-tackle gave way. Judge 
 of our fituation ! the long-boat re- 
 mained fufpended by the after- 
 tackle, and of thofe who were in 
 her many perfons fell into the fea, 
 others held by the boat’s fides, and 
 fome, by means of ropes which 
 hung from the {hip’s fide, got on 
 board her again. 
 
( 5 ^ ) 
 
 / 
 
 The captain, feeing this accident, 
 ordered the other tackle to be cut 
 or loofened ; and the long-boat 
 
 having regained her pofition, I 
 jumped into her again to fave 
 Meflrs. Leveque and Dufrefnois, 
 who were nearly drowned. The 
 fea treated our boat fo roughly, that 
 the water came in on all lides. 
 
 Without rudder or fail, in a dread- 
 ful ftorm, a continual rain, the fea 
 raging, and the tide ebbing, what 
 could we look for but approaching 
 deftrudtion ! We exerted, however, 
 our efforts to gain an offing ; fome 
 employed themfelves in throwing 
 
 out the water ; we ufed an oar in- 
 flead of a rudder ; we were in want 
 
 of 
 
( 57 ) 
 
 of every thing, or every thing went 
 contrary to our intention. Two 
 waves broke over us, and filled the 
 boat with water to our knees; a 
 third would infallibly have Tent us 
 to the bottom. Our llrength di- 
 minifhed in proportion as we flood 
 more in need of it, and we advanced 
 but flowly , fearing, with great 
 rcafon, that our boat would founder 
 before we could reach the land. 
 The rain prevented us from didin- * 
 guifhing the place proper for land- 
 ing; every part we could fee ap- 
 peared very deep, and we beheld 
 nothing before us but death.. 
 
 e 5 
 
 I thought 
 
( 58 ) 
 
 I thought it my duty to exhort 
 my companions to put themfelves, 
 by an act of contrition, in a proper 
 ftate to appear before their God. 
 Hitherto I had deferred it for fear 
 of increafing their fears, or abating 
 their courage ; but now there was 
 no time to delay, and I did not wifh 
 to have to reproach myfelf with 
 negledt of my duty. Every one 
 betook himfelf to prayers ; and, 
 after the conjiteor (or confefiion), I 
 gave them abfolution. It was an 
 affedting fight to behold the men 
 labouring to throw out the water,, 
 or at the oar ; at the fame time fup- 
 plicating God to have pity on them, 
 
 and 
 
and t6 pardon thofe fins which 
 might render them unworthy to 
 participate his glory : they Teemed 
 at lafl: refigned to death, and waited 
 their fate without a murmur. For 
 my part, I recommended my foul 
 to God, and recited the miferere 
 aloud, which they all repeated after 
 me. I faw no longer any hope; 
 the boat was ready to founder; and 
 I had covered my eyes with my 
 gown to avoid feeing the moment 
 of my deflru&ion, when a guft of 
 wind drove us violently on fhore. 
 
 You cannot imagine with what 
 hafte we quitted the boat, but we 
 were not immediately out of danger; 
 
 d 6 the 
 
( 6o ) 
 
 the waves rolled over us, fome were 
 ftruck down by them, and we were 
 all in danger of being carried away 
 we, however, happily refilled their 
 violence, and got off with fwal- 
 lowing much water. 
 
 In this feene of diforder, fome one 
 had the prefence of mind to feize 
 the headfafl of the boat, and keep 
 her from running adrift, without 
 which precaution we had infallibly 
 perifhed. 
 
 Our firft care was to return* 
 thanks to God for our deliverance 
 from fuch imminent danger ; and 
 indeed, without his providential aid,. 
 
 ifc 
 
( 6i ) 
 
 it was not poffible we ffiould have 
 efcaped death. We were now on a 
 fandy point, feparated from the 
 body of the ifland by a river, which 
 ran from a bay a little above where 
 we landed. It was with the greateft 
 difficulty we crofled this river, the 
 depth of which expofed us to- 
 danger a third time. As the water 
 ebbed, we were able to fetch what 
 we had in the boat, and bring the 
 articles on ffiore in the ifland „ This 
 was a great fatigue, but we had no 
 time to lofe. We were drenched 
 to the Ikin, and every thing be- 
 longing to us was in the fame con- 
 dition — how then could we poffibly 
 make a fire? After a confiderable 
 
 time,. 
 
( 62 ) 
 
 time, however, we fucceded : this 
 was more neceflary to us than any 
 thing elfej and although it was long 
 fince we had taken any nourifh- 
 ment, and that we were hungry, we 
 did not think of fatisfying that 
 want until we had warmed our- 
 felves. 
 
 About three o’clock in the morn- 
 ing the yawl came on Ihore with 
 only fix men in her ; the fea ran fo 
 high that they could not venture any 
 more. We went down to her af- 
 fiflance, and took the neceflary pre- 
 cautions to draw her on fliore with- 
 out damaging her. She was our 
 only refource, and without her we 
 
 Ihould 
 
 . /-v ' 
 
( 63 ) 
 
 fliould never have been able to get 
 the provifions which the gunner had. 
 faved from the fhip, nor the feven- 
 teen men who ftill remained on. 
 board. 
 
 None of us dared to venture the 
 next day, and we patted the fuc- 
 ceeding night very forrowfully.. 
 The fire we had made was inef- 
 ficient to dry us, and we had no-- 
 thing to ferve as a covering in this 
 rigorous feafon. The wind ap- 
 peared to increafe, and although the 
 fhip was fhrong, new, and well- 
 built, we had reafon to fear that ftue 
 would not remain whole until next 
 day , and that thofe who were on 
 
 board 
 
( 64 ) 
 
 board would infallibly perifh.— - 
 About midnight the wind fell, 
 the fea became more calm, and at 
 break of day we faw the (hip in the 
 fame ftate we had left her. Some 
 of our feamen went aboard in the 
 boat, and found our men in good 
 health, and that they had paffed 
 their time much more agreeably 
 than we had, as they had fomething. 
 to eat and drink, and were under 
 fhelter- They put fome provifions 
 into the boat, and brought them to 
 us, at a time when hunger began to 
 prefs us very much- 
 
 We then took our repaft, con- 
 fining of about three ounces of 
 
 meat 
 
( 6 5 ) 
 
 meat each, a little broth of fome 
 legumes or pulfe boiled therein. 
 We found it ncceflary to be careful, 
 that we might not expofe ourfelves 
 to a total want of food. We fent a 
 fecond time to the fhip to lave the 
 carpenter’s tools, fome pitch for our 
 long-boat, a hatchet to cut wood, 
 and fome fails to make tents. All 
 thefe things were of great ufe to us, 
 particularly the fails, for the fnow 
 fell that night two feet deep. 
 
 On the next day, (November 16), 
 while fome went on board the fhip 
 in fearch of provifions, others la- 
 boured to get the long-boat on 
 fliore, and fucceeded by help of a 
 
 double 
 
( 66 ) 
 
 double tackle. The bad condition 
 Ihc was in convinced us how near 
 we had been perithing, and we could 
 not conceive how it was poflible 
 fhe could have reached the fhore. 
 We immediately fet about repairing 
 her. The mizen-yard of the fhip 
 ferved for a keel. We made a new 
 ftern-poft with a piece of timber 
 we cut in the foreft ; the two planks 
 we wanted for the bottom we got 
 from the fhip, and in truth we re- 
 paired her as well as it was poflible 
 in our fituation. 
 
 While we were thus employed 
 on our boat we made but one meal 
 in twenty-four hours, and that as 
 
 moderate 
 
C s 7 ) 
 
 moderate as I have before defcribed. 
 Prudence required this of us ; we 
 had only two months provifions in 
 the (hip, which is the ufual quan- 
 tity they lay in for a voyage from 
 Quebec to France. All our bifcuit 
 was fpoiled; and of our other flores, 
 one half had been either confumed 
 or fpoiled in the eleven days wc hacf 
 been at fea: fo that we had not 
 more than five weeks provifions. 
 This calculation, or, if y OU pleafe, 
 tins re fled: ion, was a melancholy 
 one, for there was no appearance 
 we fliould be able to quit this defert 
 fpot in that period. 
 
 The 
 
( 68 ) 
 
 The {hips which pafs in the 
 neighbourhood of this ifland keep 
 too far off to fee any fignals that we 
 might have made j belides, the fea- 
 fon was fo far advanced that we 
 could not expedt any until next 
 fpring. 
 
 I really began to defpair; my 
 fpirits failed; cold, fnow, froft and 
 illnefs, feemed to unite to increafe 
 our fufferings ; and we were finking 
 under the preffure of fo many evils. 
 Our lhip became inacccffible by the 
 ice which formed round her ; the 
 cold caufed a perpetual inclination 
 to fleep, and our tents were infuf- 
 
 ficient 
 
( 69 ) 
 
 ficient to protedl us from the im- 
 menfe quantity of fnow, which fell 
 this year to the height of fix feet : 
 many of our companions were 
 already attacked by a fever: fuch 
 unhappy circumftances obliged us 
 to think of extricating ourfelves 
 from them. 
 
 We knew that at Mingan, a port 
 fituated on the northern ffiore of the 
 river, or the land of the Elkimaux, 
 there were always fome Frenchmen 
 wintered to kill fea wolves for oil. 
 From them we were fure of pro- 
 curing fuccour; but the difficulty 
 was, how we ffiould reach that 
 place in fuch a fcafon ; all the fmall 
 
 rivers 
 
( 7 ° ) 
 
 rivers were already frozen ; the 
 fnow already covered the earth to 
 the height of three feet, and was 
 daily increasing : the voyage was 
 long, confidering the feafon of the 
 year and our fituation, for wc had 
 forty leagues to run to double the 
 north- weft point of the ifland, after- 
 wards to defcend the river St. Law- 
 rence a little way, and then twelve 
 leagues to run acrofs the northern 
 branch of that river. 
 
 We refolved, however, at leaft to 
 attempt to Surmount thefe obftacles, 
 for in our prefent fituation we could 
 not meet with any thing more 
 dreadful: but a reflexion made us 
 
 paufe 
 
( 7 1 ) 
 
 paufc for a time. It was not pof- 
 fible that we could all embark at 
 once for Mingan; half the company 
 muft necefiarily remain here, and 
 thofe who went would think them- 
 felves happy far above the reft, not- 
 withstanding the danger to which 
 they expofed themfelves. 
 
 We had, however, no other choice 
 to make, and u r e muft either re- 
 iolve to ft ay here and perilh to- 
 gether in lefs than fix weeks, or to 
 Separate our Selves for a time. I in- 
 formed every one that the leaft de- 
 lay would infallibly defeat our plan; 
 that, while we were hefitating, the 
 badnefs of the weather increafed, 
 
 and 
 
C 72 ) 
 
 and that we had but a very fmall 
 flock of provifions. I added, that 
 undoubtedly every individual would 
 be unwilling to remain where we 
 were; but at the fame time I repre- 
 fented our feparation as abfolutely 
 neceflfary, and I hoped that the Lord 
 would difpofe the hearts of fome 
 of them to let their brethren depart 
 in fearch of food : laflly , I en- 
 treated them to dry and prepare the 
 ornaments of the chapel ; and that, 
 to draw on us the bleffing of the 
 Holy Ghofl, I would celebrate mafs 
 on the 26th; and that I was con- 
 fident our prayers would procure us 
 the effect we wifhed. Every one 
 applauded my propofition, and I 
 
 faid 
 
( 73 ) 
 
 fiiid trials accordingly ; at which 
 time twenty-four men offered vo- 
 luntarily to remain, on condition 
 that thole who went would fvvear 
 on the Evangel ills to fend fuccour 
 as loon as they arrived at Mingan. 
 
 I informed my companions that 
 I was ready to remain with thele 
 twenty-four, and that . I would en- 
 deavour to encourage them to wait 
 patiently the .promifed relief.— 
 Every body hrcnuoully oppofed mv 
 delign ; and, in order to diffuade 
 me, faid, that as I was acquainted 
 with the language of the country, I 
 muft accompany thofe who went 
 in the boats, that in cafe Meffrs. 
 
 de 
 
 £ 
 
de Frenoufe and Senneville, who 
 alfo fpoke the language, fliould die 
 or fall lick, I might ferve as an in- 
 terpreter to any Indians they might 
 find. Thofe who were to remain 
 particularly prefled me to go, as 
 they knew I was incapable of break- 
 ing my w 7 ord, and did not doubt 
 but that, on my arrival at Mingan, 
 my firfl: care would be to fend them 
 affiftance. Not but that thofe who 
 were to go, were very well difpofed 
 to fend back the boat as foon as 
 poflible, but they evidently thought 
 that they might place more con- 
 fidence in the faith of a priefl: than 
 any other individual. 
 
 When 
 
( 75 ) 
 
 When every thing was arranged, 
 I exhorted thofe who were to be 
 ieft at the place of fhipwreck to 
 have patience. I told them that the 
 furell means to draw on them the 
 favours of heaven, was to avoid 
 giving themfelves up to defpair, and 
 to put their trull wholly in Provi- 
 dence; that they Ihouki employ 
 themfelves in fome conllant exer- 
 cife to avoid licknefs, and being too 
 much difeouraged ; that they Ihould 
 ufe the provilions we left with them 
 prudently, although I hoped to be 
 able to fend them relief before they 
 wanted, but that it was better to 
 have feme left, than to rifk a fa- 
 mine. After I had given them this 
 E 2 advice, 
 
( 7 6 ) 
 
 advice, thofe who were to depart 
 began to prepare what they wanted ; 
 and on the 27th we embraced our 
 companions, who wifhed us a 
 happy voyage. On our fide we 
 exprefled our defire to be able foon 
 to extricate them from their diffi- 
 culties. We were far from think- 
 ing this would be the laft time we 
 fhould fee them. Our parting was 
 extremely affedting ; and the tears 
 which attended it feemed a kind of 
 foreboding of what was to happen. 
 
 Thirteen embarked in the yawl, 
 and twenty-feven in the long-boat : 
 we departed in the afternoon, and 
 rowed about three leagues, but could 
 
 not 
 
( 77 ) 
 
 not find any landing-place, confe- 
 quently were obliged to pafs the 
 night at lea, where we experienced 
 a cold which is not to be dc- 
 feribed. 
 
 The next day we did not make 
 fo much way, but we flept on Ihore; 
 and during part of the night a vail 
 quantity of fnow fell on our bodies. 
 The 29th we ftiJl had contrary 
 winds, and were obliged by the 
 fnow, which continued to fall in 
 abundance, to go on Ihore early. 
 The 30th the bad weather obliged 
 us to Hop at nine o’clock in the 
 morning; we landed and made a 
 good fiie, and drefied fome peas, 
 
 E 3 by 
 
( ?8 ) 
 
 by which many of our people were 
 much incommoded. 
 
 The ill of December the wind 
 prevented our embarking, and as 
 our feamen complained of weak- 
 nefs, and faid they could no longer 
 labour at the oar, we dreffed and 
 ate a little meat, after having alfa 
 drank the broth : this, was the firft 
 time fince our departure we had 
 fared fo well ; on the other days we 
 had fubfifled on dry and raw fait 
 fifh, or elfe fome paile made of 
 meal and water. The fecond day 
 in the morning, the wind having 
 fhifted to the fouth-eaft, we failed, 
 and made good way ; about noon 
 
 we 
 
C 79 ) 
 
 we joined the yawl, and had our 
 meal all together. Our joy was 
 extreme to find that the good wea- 
 ther continued, and that the wind 
 was more favourable ; but this joy 
 was of ftiort duration, and gave 
 place to a dreadful confternation. 
 After our meal we proceeded on 
 our voyage ; the yawl went fafter 
 than the long-boat with the oars, 
 but we failed better than flic did. 
 Towards the evening the wind rofe 
 and had Ihiftcd a little; we therefore 
 thought we fliould endeavour to 
 double a point we had in fight, and 
 made a fignal to the yawl to follow 
 us ; but fhe was too clofe to the 
 land, and we loft fight of her. 
 e 4 
 
 At 
 
( So ) . ' 
 
 At the point we met with a 
 dreadful fea, and although the wind 
 was not very high, we could not 
 double it but with great difficulty, 
 and after having ffiipped abundance 
 of water ; this alarmed us for the 
 yawl, which was clofe to the land, 
 where the fea always breaks more 
 than at a diftance; in ffiort, ffie was 
 fo feverely handled, that ffie pe- 
 riffied — a circumftance, as you will 
 hear, we did not know till the next 
 fpring. As foon as we had paffed 
 the point we endeavoured to land, 
 but the night was too far advanced, 
 and we could not at fir ft find a 
 place ; the fea was for near two 
 leagues full of ffiarp and high 
 
 rocks, 
 
( 8 * ) 
 
 rocks, but at laft feeing a fandy 
 bay, we filled all our fails, and 
 landed fafely without being very 
 wet. We immediately lighted a 
 great fire, in order to diredt the 
 yawl where we were ; but this pre- 
 caution w'as ufelefs, as fihe was then 
 wrecked. 
 
 Having eaten a little of our pafte, 
 every one wrapped himfelf up in 
 his blanket, and palled the night 
 near the fire. About ten o’clock 
 the weather grew bad, and the fnow 
 continued falling till the next day, 
 which the fire melted, and fo much 
 incommoded us, that we chofe 
 e 5 rather 
 
( 8a ) 
 
 rather to expofe ourfelves to the- 
 cold than to flecp in the water.. 
 
 Towards midnight the wind was. 
 fo violent that our long-boat was. 
 driven from her anchors, and ran 
 on fhore, but was not bulged. The 
 two men who were in her, being 
 alleep, awakened, and called loudly 
 for afliftance. We all ran down ; 
 the captain and I employed our- 
 felves in throwing what we could 
 of her lading on fhore, which the 
 others took up and carried as far 
 as they thought neceffary out of the 
 flux of the fea ; but the fea became 
 fo violent, that in its ebb it would 
 
 infallibly 
 
( »3 ) 
 
 infallibly have carried away the 
 whole, if our companions had not 
 removed them three different times. 
 This was not fufficient; we were 
 obliged to haul up our veffel, and 
 prevent her alfo from being carried 
 away. The trouble we had to get 
 her on fhore is inconceivable, which 
 we did not effect till near ten o’clock 
 the next morning. We found {he 
 had fuffered greatly, and would re- 
 quire confiderablc repairs. This we 
 poftponed till the morrow, and pro- 
 ceeded to make fires to dry our 
 cloaths j afterwards we ate a fmall 
 quantity, to refforc us after the fa- 
 tigues we had experienced during 
 the whole night. In the morning 
 e 6 the 
 
( 8 4 ) 
 
 die carpenters, and fuch as were in 
 a condition to aflift, worked to re- 
 place every thing in a proper ftate;. 
 and a party of our people were em- 
 ployed in fearching after the yawl, 
 but without fuccefs, and it was in 
 vain for us to continue feveral days 
 in fuch a place as this to look for 
 her. On the day before we de- 
 parted we killed two foxes, which 
 enabled us to fave our provi lions. 
 In our fituation we were glad to 
 avail ourfelves of any thing, and 
 the dread of perilhing with hunger 
 induced us not to omit any circum- 
 flance that would tend to prolong 
 life. 
 
 On 
 
( ) 
 
 On the 7th of the month at day- 
 break vve failed with a light and 
 favourable wind, which enabled us 
 to make good way. About ten 
 o’clock we ate our foxes, and a few 
 hours after the Iky overcaft, and the 
 wind increafmg as the tide rofe, we 
 found it neceffary to fearch for a 
 harbour, but could not find any; 
 we were therefore obliged to keep 
 out to fea, and carry a prefs of fail. 
 As the night advanced, a ftorm of 
 rain mingled with hail came on 
 fuddenly , attended with darknefs, 
 and the wind raged fo violently that 
 we could with difficulty fleer the 
 boat, which had already received 
 too many ilrokes to be in a con- 
 dition 
 
( 8S ) 
 
 dition for fuch weather. We were, 
 however, obliged to take our 
 chance. 
 
 In the midft of this danger we 
 were driven into a bay, where the 
 wind dill tormented us, and we 
 could not palfibly finding a landing- 
 place. Our anchor would not bring 
 tis up ; the weather grew worfe 
 every minute, and our boat being 
 driven violently againft fome funken 
 rocks, we began to fear our lafl 
 hour was come. 
 
 We exerted all our endeavours, 
 and threw a part of the boat’s lading 
 into the fea, to retard our defiruc- 
 
 tion 
 
( S 7 ) 
 
 tion for a fhort period. This was 
 fcarcely accomplilhed before we 
 found ourfelves furrounded with ice ; 
 a clrcurn &tnce which increafed our 
 alarms, as the pieces of j ce were 
 funoufly agitated, and fo me of them 
 fouck againft the boat. I am nor 
 able to tell you how or where we 
 
 were driven, but Ido a/Ture you the 
 
 eircumtfances which agitated us 
 dunng this night are not to be ex- 
 prelfed ; darknefs augmented the 
 horror of our fituation; every if ro ke 
 
 ° f the fca fccmc d ^ announce ap- 
 proaching death. I exhorted everv 
 one not to defpair of Providence ; 
 at the fame time to prepare themi 
 Iclves to appear and render an ac- 
 
 count 
 
( 88 ) 
 
 count before God of a life which: 
 had been granted to us only to ferve 
 him, who was the mafter, and en- 
 titled to take it away when he pleafed. 
 
 At laft the day appeared, and we 
 endeavoured to get between the 
 rocks and the fhore, where, when 
 we fuccecded, we found ourielves a 
 little more at our cafe. Every one 
 of us conceived ourfelves elcaped 
 from the jaws of death, and re- 
 turned thanks to that All-powerful 
 Hand that had preferved us from 
 l’uch imminent danger. 
 
 With every effort we could make 
 we could not come near the fhore, 
 
 the 
 
( 8 9 ) 
 
 the water was too fhallow for the 
 boats ; we therefore were forced to 
 cafl: anchor, and in order to get on 
 fhore were obliged to wade through 
 the water, in fome places as high 
 as our waifts, and every where as 
 high as the knees. We carried on 
 fhore our kettle, and fome meal to 
 drefs. After having taken fome 
 nou rifh men t we dried our cloaths, 
 with intent to depart next day. 
 
 The cold increafed fo much 
 during the night that the bay was 
 frozen over, and our boat fall on 
 all fides ; we vainly hoped that fome 
 gud: of wind would break the ice 
 away, for the cold increafed every 
 
 day. 
 
( 9 ° ) 
 
 day. The ice continued to grow 
 Stronger, and we had no other 
 courfe to take but to land the few 
 things which had not been thrown 
 into the fea, and to get our pro- 
 visions round us. We. proceeded to 
 make cabins or huts, and covered 
 them with branches of the pine 
 tree. The captain and I were pretty 
 well acquainted with the method of 
 building thefe huts, and therefore 
 ours w as the moft convenient. The 
 feamen built one for themfelves 
 near us, and we conflru&ed a place 
 to Slow our provilions, into which 
 no one could enter but in prefence 
 of all the others. This was a ne- 
 ceffary precaution, and to prevent 
 
 fuch 
 
( 9 * ) 
 
 i'uch fufpicions as might have at- 
 tached to thofe who had the care 
 of them, and to prevent any one 
 con fuming in a few days what 
 alight to fupport fo many perfons 
 for a long period. 
 
 The furniture of our apartments 
 confided of an iron pot, in which 
 they formerly ufed to heat pitch, 
 but now ferved us for a kettle ; we 
 had only one hatchet, and were 
 even in want of a done to diarpen 
 it : to preferve us againd this fcvere 
 cold we had only our common 
 cloaths and blankets half burned. 
 Any one of thefe failing, our de- 
 duction was inevitable. Without 
 
 the 
 
( 9 2 ) 
 
 the pot it was not poflible to drefs 
 any thing to fupport us ; without 
 the hatchet we could not procure 
 any wood to make our fire ; and if 
 deprived of our blankets, bad as 
 they were, there was no poflibility 
 of fupporting the exceffive cold of 
 the nights. 
 
 This fiate, you will fay, was very 
 dreadful, and could not poflibly be 
 worfe. Here you muft cxcufe me ; 
 for although it may appear incre- 
 dible to you, yet our diftrefs was 
 really conftantly augmenting, and I 
 have many things to relate before I 
 -fhall have defcribed the mifery to 
 which wc were reduced. 
 
 Our 
 
( 93 ) 
 
 Our only rcfource was prolong- 
 ing . our lives till the end of the 
 month of April, and to wait until 
 the ice was difperled, or melted, 
 that we. might be enabled to com- 
 pleat our voyage in our boat. The 
 chance ot any fuccour reaching us 
 in this place was fo little, that we 
 could not even flatter ourfelves with 
 any iuch hope. In this conjunc- 
 ture it became necefiary to examine 
 caicfully the ilate ot our proviflons, 
 and to regulate the diflribution in 
 fuch a manner that they might Iafl: 
 the neceflary time. We therefore 
 fettled our allowance in the follow- 
 ing manner in the morning we 
 boiled two pounds of meal in melted 
 
 fnow. 
 
( .94 ) 
 
 Caow, to make either a pudding or 
 porridge : in the evening we d re fled 
 about an equal quantity of meat in 
 the fame manner. As we were fe- 
 venteen, each perfon was confe- 
 quently allowed about four ounces 
 of nourilhment a day. We had no 
 bread, or any other eatable except 
 a few peas, which we boiled once a 
 week inftead of meat ; and although 
 we had only about a fpoonful each, 
 this was in truth our beft meal. 
 Fixing the quantity of food we were 
 to be allowed was not enough, it 
 was alfo neceflary to regulate our 
 employment. Myfelf, Leger, and 
 Bafil, undertook to cut all the wood 
 that fliould be wanted, let the wea- 
 ther 
 
( 95 ) 
 
 ttier be good or bad : others under- 
 took to carry it home, and others 
 to make paths in the fnow in the 
 way we mu ft go into the foreft. 
 
 You will perhaps be furprifed 
 that I ftiould undertake to cut wood, 
 as an employment not proper for 
 me, and to which my ftrength was 
 inadequate. In one refped you are 
 right, but it you refledt that violent 
 exertions open the pores, and give a 
 vent to many humours which would 
 be dangerous if they remained in 
 the blood, you will perhaps con- 
 clude with me, that to this exercife 
 I am indebted for my prefervation. 
 
 I always took care to labour till I 
 
 was 
 
( 9 « ) 
 
 was fatigued, when I felt myfelf 
 heavy or inclined to a lever, and 
 particularly when I found myfelf 
 affected by any bad air. We there- 
 fore went every day into the woods, 
 and notwithftandin£ the efforts of 
 our friends to clear away the fnow, 
 we often funk up to the waift in it. 
 This was not the only inconveni- 
 ence we experienced in this bu- 
 finefs; the trees within our reach 
 were full of branches, and fo co- 
 vered with fnow, that on the firft 
 ftroke of the hatchet, the man who 
 gave the ftroke \yas knocked down 
 by what fell on him. We all in 
 our turns experienced this treat- 
 ment, and fometimes we have been 
 
 ferved 
 
( 97 ) 
 
 ferved To two or three times fuc- 
 ceflively; we, however, continued 
 
 our work, and when by repeated 
 flrokes we had cleared the tree of 
 fpars, we cut it down, chopped it 
 in pieces, and every one returned to 
 the hut loaded : then our compa- 
 nions Went in fearch of the reft which 
 we had cut, or for as much as we 
 wanted for the day. We found this 
 bufinefs very fatiguing, but it was 
 
 abfolutely neceffary; and although 
 our exertions were extreme, we had 
 every thing to fear if we relaxed in 
 our afliduity : the labour was al lb 
 daily increaling, for as we cut down 
 the trees, we were obliged to go 
 further in fearch of others, and con- 
 ' F fcqucntly 
 
 ' F 
 
( ) 
 
 fequently to clear a longer path : 
 unhappily alfo our ftrength decayed 
 as our labour increafed. Some 
 branches of pine trees, thrown down 
 without order, ferved us for beds ; 
 the vermin tormented us, for we 
 had no change of linen ; the fmoke 
 and fnow caufed us inconceivable 
 pains in our eyes, and, to complete 
 our misfortunes, we were troubled 
 with a coftivenefs, and at the fame 
 time an almoft continued diabetes. 
 I muft leave to phyficians the talk 
 of examining how thofe two incon- 
 veniences could arife. Had we 
 known the caufe, it would have been 
 of no fervice to us ; and' it is ufelefs 
 to difeover the fource of an evil 
 
 when 
 
( 99 ) 
 
 wlicn we have no remedy in our 
 power. 
 
 The 24th of December we dried 
 the ornaments of our chapel, and 
 as we had hill a little wine, I caufed 
 it to be thawed, and on Chriftmas- 
 day celebrated mafs. At the con- 
 clufion I pronounced a fliort dif. 
 courfe, to exhort my flock to pa- 
 tience. I drew a parallel between 
 the fufferings of the Saviour of the 
 World and their own, and con- 
 cluded by recommending them to 
 offer up their prayers to the Lord, 
 a fluring them that fuch offerings 
 would give them a title to a recom- 
 penfe. The evils we feel are much 
 F 2 better 
 
( 100 ) 
 
 better explained than thofe we fee 
 others fuffer. My difeourfe had the 
 effedt I expected ; every one re- 
 fumed courage, and refigned them- 
 felves patiently to fuffer what ftiould 
 plcafe God to inflidt, either to 
 call us to liimfelf, or relieve us 
 from danger. 
 
 On the i ft of January a heavy 
 rain fell all day ; and as we could 
 not fecure ourfelves from it, we 
 were obliged to fleep in the wet, 
 and a fevere northerly w T ind blowing 
 in the night, froze us up in our cabin, 
 but broke the ice in the bay, and 
 drove it to fea with our long-boat. 
 A man of the name of Foucault 
 
 informed 
 
( 101 ) 
 
 informed us of this dreadful news 
 '>y a loud cry ; and when we had 
 lought every where to find her with- 
 out effe<5t, you may judge ot our 
 consternation. This accident was 
 the fevered: of our Sufferings, and 
 deprived us of every hope of feeing 
 an end to them. I was fenfible of 
 its confequences, and beheld every 
 one giving way to defpair. Some 
 propofed that we Should eat up all 
 our provifions at once, and then 
 quietly lay ourfelves down and die : 
 others refufed to work; and, to 
 juftify their refufal, faid, that it was 
 needlefs to prolong their troubles, 
 fince, to all appearance, they could 
 aot avoid death. What a fit nation ! 
 
 f 3 the 
 
( 102 ) 
 
 the hardeft hard heart mu ft furely 
 be aflfedted with it ; the tears flow 
 while I relate it, and you, my 
 brother, are too much awake to the 
 misfortunes of others to fuppofe 
 that mine will not melt you. 
 
 I found it neccflary to exert all 
 my abilities to combat the refolu- 
 tions of my companions ; the beft 
 reafons I urged feemed to make 
 them more impatient, and to feel 
 with greater poignancy their me- 
 lancholy fituation. ^hat mildnefs, 
 with which I hoped to be able to 
 turn them from their intentions, 
 not appearing to produce any effect, 
 I aflumed that authority my funftion 
 
 gave 
 
( 1 °3 ) 
 
 gave me, and told them with an 
 energy that feemed to furprifc them, 
 “ that the Almighty affuredly was 
 “ incenfed again ft us, and that he 
 “ mcaiured the evils with which he 
 a ill idled us according to the crimes 
 “ ot which we had been formerly 
 “ guilty; that thefe evil deeds had 
 “ undoubtedly been enormous, fince 
 “ the punifhment thereof had been 
 “ fo fevere; but that our defpair 
 “ was our greateft fin, and that 
 if w T e did not foon repent thereof, 
 would not be pardoned. How 
 “ y° u know, my brethren,” 
 laid I, “ if you are not near the end 
 “ of your repentance ? The time of 
 l< the moll fevere fufferings is often 
 M - v “ that 
 
( *04 ) 
 
 “ that of the greatefl mercies: do 
 ‘ ‘ not therefore render yourfelves un- 
 “ worthy thereof by your mur- 
 “ murs. The firll duty of a Chrif- 
 “ tian is implicitly to fubmit to the 
 “ decree of his Creator, and your 
 ** rebel hearts refill him: you lofe 
 “ in one inllant the fruit of thofe 
 4 ‘ ills which God fends only to 
 “ render thofe he dellines to be his 
 “ children more worthy of his fa- 
 “ vours : you now meditate felf- 
 “ murder, and, to avoid fome tem- 
 “ porary fufferings, you do not fear 
 “ rilking eternal torments. Pur- 
 “ fue, therefore, your criminal in- 
 “ tendons ; accomplilli your horrid 
 “ defigns; I have done my duty, 
 
 “ and 
 
( I 0 5 ) 
 
 “ and you muft determine whether 
 “ you will be loft for ever ! I 
 “ hope, however,” added T, “ there 
 “ are among you fome fouls fo at- 
 “ Cached to the law of their God, 
 
 ‘ as to refpedt my remonftrances, 
 “ and that they will join with me 
 “ in offering him their labours, and 
 “ WI ^ alk of him ftrength to fup- 
 “ port him through them.” 
 
 When I had finilhed, I was re- 
 tiring, but they all ftopped me, and 
 entreated me to pardon the ftate of 
 defpair into which they had fallen, 
 and, ffiedding a torrent of tears, al- 
 lured me that they would no longer 
 offend Heaven by their murmurs 
 r 5. and 
 
( io6 ) 
 
 and impatience, but would redouble- 
 their efforts to preferve a life which 
 they held of God alone, and of 
 which they were not matters. In- 
 ttantly every one refumed his or- 
 dinary occupation; I and my two 
 companions repaired to the woods, 
 and when we returned, the others 
 went out to bring home what we 
 had cut. When they were all af- 
 fembled, I told them, that, as I had 
 wine for three or four mattes, I 
 would celebrate one to requeft of 
 the Holy Spirit that ttrength of 
 which we flood in need ; , and as the 
 5th of January was a fine day, I 
 performed the ceremony of the mafs 
 thereon. I had fcarcely finifhed, 
 
 when 
 
( ) 
 
 when M. Vaillant and the fhip’s 
 fteward, named Foucault, a ftrong 
 and able man, informed us of a re- 
 folution they had taken to go in 
 fearch of the long-boat. I praifcd 
 their zeal in expofing themfelves 
 thus for the fafety of their com- 
 panions. Praife is welcome in any 
 ilatc of life, and lelf-Iove never 
 quits us till we die. In Jefs than 
 two hours after thefe two men had 
 left us, we faw them return with 
 fuch an air of fatisfa&ion as fore- 
 told they had good news to com- 
 municate ; nor was our conjecture 
 falfe, for M. Vaillant told us, that 
 after he and Foucault had travelled 
 ior about an hour, they perceived,. 
 f 6 
 
 ©m 
 
( io8 ) 
 
 on the fide of the wood, a little hut, 
 and two bark canoes; that, on en- 
 tering the hut, they had found fome 
 fat of the fea wolf and a hatchet, 
 which they brought away with 
 them. Impatience to impart this 
 good news to their companions pre- 
 vented them from further fearch. 
 I was in the woods when they re- 
 turned, and the Sieur Senneville ran 
 to inform me of the difcovery thefe 
 gentlemen had made- I hafiened 
 my return to the hut, and entreated 
 the two gentlemen to tell me what 
 they had feen, and every word in- 
 fufed hope and joy into my mind. 
 I feized this opportunity to exalt 
 the cares of Providence towards 
 
 thofe 
 
( iog ) 
 
 thofe who do not defpair; and I 
 exhorted every one to return thanks 
 to God for the favour now bellowed 
 on us. The nearer we are to danger, 
 the more gratitude we feel to our 
 deliverer. A few days ago we 
 thought ourfelves abandoned with- 
 out refource, and when we defpaired 
 of receiving any help, we learned 
 that there were fome Indians in the 
 illand, and that towards the end of 
 March, when they returned to their 
 huts in fearch of their canoes, they 
 might afiifl us. 
 
 This difcovery renewed the hopes 
 of thofe who had made it, and they 
 fet off next day full of that con- 
 fidence 
 
( IW ) 
 
 fidence which a beginning of fucccfs 
 infpires. They had hopes of find- 
 ing our long-boat again, and were 
 not difappointed ; for having tra- 
 velled a little further than they did 
 the day before, they faw her at a 
 diftance from the land, and in their 
 return found and brought away 
 with them a trunk full of cloaths, 
 which we had thrown into the 
 water the night before the boat was.' 
 on the rocks. 
 
 On the ioth, although the wea- 
 ther was extremely cold, we all 
 went to endeavour to get our long- 
 boat into a place of fafety ; but we 
 found her full of ice, and the ice 
 
 about 
 
( 111 y 
 
 about her made her appear like a' 
 little mountain — in fhort, we faw it 
 was impoffible to get her to the fhore : 
 a hundred men would fcarcely have 
 fucceeded, and many would have 
 been in danger of periling in the 
 attempt. This event gave us much 
 uneafmefs ; but it was probable that 
 the Indians-, to whom the canoes 
 belonged, had fome other embark- 
 ation with which they had come 
 into the ifland, and of which we 
 hoped to avail ourfelves. We were 
 therefore returning to our home, 
 but had fcarcely gone fifty paces, 
 when the cold feized M. Foucault, 
 fo as to prevent him from walking : 
 * c were obliged to carry him to 
 
 our 
 
( 1T 2 ) 
 
 our cabin, where he foon after ex- 
 pired. 
 
 On the 23d our carpenter expired 
 from the fatigue he had undergone y 
 he had time to confefs himfelf, and 
 died a true Chriftian. Although 
 many of us were troubled with 
 fwelled legs, we did not lofe any 
 more until the 1.1th of February. 
 The expectation of fupporting life 
 till the end of- March kept up our 
 fpirits, and we already fancied we 
 few our deliverers approach. But 
 it was not the will of God : his de- 
 hgns are impenetrable, and although 
 events turn out contrary to our ex- 
 pectation, we cannot, without blaf- 
 
 phemy. 
 
( IJ 3 ) 
 
 phemy, accufe him of injuftice. 
 What we call evil, with him is 
 often deiigned as a blefling; and 
 whether he rewards or punilhes, 
 whether he tries us by adverfity or 
 profperity, we equally owe him our 
 thanks. 
 
 Our captain, M. de Frenoufe, 
 died on the i6th, after receiving 
 extreme undtion . A man of the name 
 of John BofTeman followed him in 
 a few hours, confefling himfelf, and 
 expiring with great rehgnation. 
 Towards the evening of the fame 
 day, a young man named Girard 
 paid the laft debt to nature. A 
 diforder in his legs arofe from 
 
 warming. 
 
( ”4 ) 
 
 warming them too near the fire, 
 and made him feel his approaching 
 end. 1 aflifted him in his laft mo* 
 ments, and his repentance of his 
 faults makes me hope he has ob- 
 tained pardon. 
 
 Our gunner fell into a fvvoon the 
 fame night, from which he never 
 recovered. Laftly, a man named 
 Robert Bofifeman was attacked by 
 the diforder which had carried oft 
 the others. He was a Calvinift, 
 and I wifhed him to abjure his re- 
 ligion, but I confefs it was a dif- 
 ficult talk to make him a Catholic. 
 Happily the goodnefs of the caufe 
 I fought fupplied the place of thofe 
 
 talents 
 
( ll 5 ) 
 
 talents necdlaiy to fupport it. J 
 mult confefs that the reformed are 
 well inftrudted, and I was twenty 
 times daggered by the reafonings 
 ol this man. What a pity that the 
 foundation of Calvinifm fliould be 
 laid on a falfe principle— I will ex- 
 plain myfelf clearly, what a pity 
 that the Calvinilts are not of the 
 Roman communion; with what 
 luccefs would they defend a good 
 caufe, who can fo vigoroufly fup- 
 port a bad one. 
 
 At laft this man comprehended 
 me; and being delirous of avoiding 
 the danger of dying in any other 
 
 belief 
 
belief than ours, on the 24th of 
 February he abjured his religion, 
 repeated the profeflion of faith, and 
 went to receive his reward in the 
 other world. As thefe men died, 
 we laid them in the fnow near our 
 hut. Undoubtedly it was not pru- 
 dent to depofit our dead fo near us, 
 but we wanted both fpirits and 
 flrength to carry them farther off ; 
 belides, our fituation did not allow 
 us to attend to every thing, and we 
 had either no apprehenfions of the 
 danger arifing from the corruption 
 they might caufe in the air, or 
 rather, we thought that the excefhve 
 coldnefs of the air would prevent 
 
 that 
 
( ) 
 
 that corruption from producing 
 thofe effe&s which were to be 
 feared at another feafon. 
 
 So many deaths in fo fhor t a 
 /pace of time alarmed us all. 
 However unhappy mankind may be, 
 they view with horror that moment 
 which will relieve them from their 
 cares, if it alfo deprives them of 
 life. Some of our companions re- 
 gretted the lofs of their wives and 
 children, and wept in contem- 
 plating the rtate of mifeiy into 
 which their deaths would plunge 
 their families; others complained of 
 Heaven in depriving them of life at 
 the moment when they began to 
 
 enjoy 
 
( n8 ) 
 
 enjoy it; others, fenfible to the 
 charms of friendfhip, attached to 
 their country, and deftined for 
 agreeable and advantageous efla- 
 blifhments, poured forth fitch la- 
 mentations as it was not pofhble to 
 hear without fhedding tears : every 
 word they uttered pierced my heart, 
 and I had fcarcely ftrength enough 
 to comfort them; I mingling my 
 tears with theirs, as I could not 
 refufe them that comfort, or con- 
 demn them for complaining. The 
 latter would have been dangerous, 
 and it appeared to me better to let 
 the firft emotion of their reflections 
 pafs away. The objeCts they re- 
 gretted did not render them cul- 
 
 v pable, 
 
( lip ) 
 
 pable, and why fhould I condemn 
 their grief? To impofe filence on 
 an occafion in which infenfibility 
 would be blameable, would have 
 been to reflect on human nature. 
 
 The fituation in which we now 
 were could fcarcely be rendered 
 more unhappy; to be approaching 
 death ourfelves ; to fee our friends 
 dying, without ability to affift them; 
 to be in doubt refpedling the fate 
 of thirteen of our company who 
 were in the yawl w'hen ilie was 
 wrecked; and to be almoft certain 
 that the twenty-four we left on the 
 place of Ihipwreck were in as un- 
 happy a Hate as ourfelves ; to be 
 * ** badly 
 
( 120 ) 
 
 badly fed, badly cloathed, fatigued, 
 difeafed in our legs, eat up by 
 vermin, and continually blinded 
 either by the fnow or fmoke — fuch 
 was our wretched hate. Every one 
 of us was an image of death, and 
 we trembled when looking at each 
 other. What pafled in my own 
 mind juftified the lamentations of 
 my companions. The more violent 
 our grief is, the (horter is its du- 
 ration, and expreflion is denied to 
 heavy misfortunes rather than light 
 ones. 
 
 As foon as I faw them abforbed 
 in that filence which ufually follows 
 the flood of tears occafioned by any 
 
 misfortune, 
 
( 121 ) 
 
 misfortune, and which is the hire 
 mark of exceffive grief, I endea- 
 voured to comfort them, and ad- 
 drefled them nearly as follows : 
 
 My dear children, I cannot 
 “ condemn y°ur lamentations, and 
 “ God will doubtlefs hear them fa- 
 “ vourably, for we have often in 
 “ our misfortunes experienced his 
 “ goodnefs. Our boat preferved 
 on the night of our fhip wreck, 
 
 ‘ the resolution of twenty of our 
 “ com panions who have devoted 
 them Selves for our prefervation, 
 
 “ ancl the dilcovery of the two 
 Indian canoes, are circurhftances 
 
 “ which evince the protection which 
 
 G 
 
 “ God 
 
( 122 ) 
 
 “ God has granted to us. He be- 
 “ flows his bleflings only by de- 
 “ grees ; and, before he wholly re- 
 “ lieves us, experts we fhould ren- 
 “ der ourfelves worthy, by a due 
 “ refignation to the evils he has 
 “ thought proper to infhdt. Do 
 “ not dc-fpair of his goodnefs, and 
 “ he will never abandon thofe who 
 “ fubmit to his will. If God does 
 “ not inflantly releafe us, he has, 
 “ however, conducted our friends 
 “ to a fpot where the canoes allure 
 “ us we fhall fcon find a deliver- 
 “ ance. By the help of thefe ca- 
 “ noes, and the approach of the 
 “ month of March, when the In- 
 “ dians return, we may refl allured 
 
 “ the 
 
( 123 ) 
 
 “ the timc ° f our deliverance will 
 “ not long be delayed.” 
 
 I 'hen fell on my knees, and re- 
 cited fuel, prayers as bccame ouf 
 
 lituation and wants, in which every 
 one joined, each appearing to forget 
 his misfortunes for a moment. W e 
 remained after this pretty quict 
 until the 5th of March, beholding, 
 with joy, the time of our de- 
 liverance draw near : but God was 
 plea fed to afflict us ffllj f urther 
 
 3nd Put our P^nce to further 
 proofs. 
 
 The 6,1, 0 f March bcing A{h _ 
 ednefday, about two in the morn- 
 
 ing 
 
a 
 
 ( 124 ) 
 
 ing a heavy fnow, driven by 
 violent northerly wind, brought our 
 misfortunes to their height. The 
 l'now fell in fuch immenfe quan- 
 tities as foon to fill our cabin, and 
 oblige us to take fhelter in that be- 
 longing to the feamen, into which 
 the fnow came in alio very fall ; 
 but as it was larger, we had more 
 fpace : our fire was put out, and 
 we had no means to light it again ; 
 and, to keep ourfelves warm, we 
 had no other refource but to lay all 
 together, and as clofe as we could. 
 Wc therefore removed into the fea- 
 men ’s cabin in the morning, carry- 
 ing the remains of a fmall raw ham, 
 part of which we ate as loon as we 
 
 entered : 
 
( I2 5 ) 
 
 entered : we afterwards removed the 
 lnow into a corner of the cabin, 
 and extended the large blanket on 
 the ground, under which we all 
 laid ourfelves, and the tatters of the 
 imall blankets defended us better 
 from the fnow than from the cold. 
 We remained in this hate, without 
 fire and vidhlals, or fwallowing any 
 thing but fnow, until Saturday 
 morning. 
 
 I then took a refolution, notwith- 
 standing the cold, to venture out, 
 and to endeavour to get a little 
 wood, and meal to make fome 
 parte. Our lives were at rtake if 
 've did not feek fome fuccour againft 
 G 3 cold 
 
( 126 ) 
 
 cold and hunger. In the three days 
 and nights we had palled in the 
 feamen’s cabin, four or five of the 
 crew had died with their legs and 
 arms entirely frozen, and we were 
 happy in efcaping from the like 
 dil'after, for the cold was fo fevere 
 on tliofe days, that the ftouteft man 
 would have been flruck dead had 
 he quitted the hut for ten minutes. 
 You may judge from what I am 
 now going to relate : on Saturday 
 the weather was fomewhat milder; 
 I determined to go out, and Leger, 
 Bafilc, and Foucault followed me ; 
 we were not more than a quarter of 
 an hour employed in getting the 
 meal, and yet Bafile and Foucault 
 
 had 
 
( '*7 ) 
 
 had their hands and feet frozen, 
 and died, as you will fee, a few 
 days after. 
 
 It was not poflible for us to reacli 
 the woods, as the fnow had ren- 
 dered them inacceflible, and we mud; 
 have rifked our dedrudtion if we 
 had endeavoured to remove that ob- 
 dacle; we were therefore obliged 
 to eat our pade cold-each of us 
 had about three ounces, and were 
 in danger of paying for this little 
 relief with our lives; for, during 
 tne whole night, we were tormented 
 with fuch exceffive third, and felt 
 fuch burning heats, as made us 
 G 4 think 
 
( 128 ) 
 
 think we were every moment going 
 to be confumed. 
 
 Sunday, the ioth, MeiTrs. Tuft, 
 Leger, and I, took the opportunity 
 of fome fine weather to go in fearch 
 of fome wood. We were the only 
 perfons who tvere able to walk ; 
 but it was a miracle that the cold 
 we endured, and the fatigue we 
 underwent in removing the fnow, 
 did not reduce us to the fame con- 
 dition with the others : happily wc 
 were enabled to re lift both, and w r e 
 brought home fome wood, made a 
 fire, and with fnow and a little meal 
 we made a clear porridge, which 
 -quenched our thirfi: a little. 
 
 All 
 
( * 2 g ) 
 
 All the wood we were able to 
 bring was confumed by eight o’clock 
 in the evening, and the night was 
 lo cold, that in the morning M. 
 Vadlant, the father, was found dead. 
 This accident made fome of us pro- 
 pofe to return to our own cabin, 
 which was fmaller, and confequently 
 warmer than that of the feamen’s. 
 No more fnow fell, nor was there 
 any appearance that there would be. 
 Notwithftanding our weaknefs, we 
 undertook to clear our old abode 
 from the fnow and ice which filled 
 it, and we brought fome f re fh 
 branches of the fir tree to make our 
 bed ; we carried in alfo fome wood, 
 and made large fires both within 
 G 5 and 
 
( i3? ) 
 
 and without to warm it on all fides. 
 After thefc operations, which greatly 
 fatigued us, we went in fearch of 
 our companions. M. de Senneville 
 and the younger Vaillant had their 
 legs and arms frozen, and we were 
 obliged to carry them. Meflrs. Le 
 Vaffeur, Bafile, and Foucault, who 
 were lefs affl idled than the others, 
 removed without much help ; we 
 laid them on the branches we had 
 prepared, from whence none of them 
 were ever removed till after their 
 deaths. 
 
 On the 17th, Bafile loft his fenfes, 
 and died a few days after. Fou- 
 cault, who was of a ftrong con- 
 
 ftitution 
 
( 1 3 I ) 
 
 fhtution and young, buffered vio- 
 lently ; the agonies he experienced 
 in ftruggling with death made us 
 all tremble, and I never beheld fuch 
 a dreadful fpedtacle. I endeavoured 
 to acquit myfelf of my duty on 
 thefe occafions, and I hope, with 
 the divine bleffing, that my cares 
 of the dying were not ufelefs to 
 their falvation. 
 
 Our provi lions began to be ex- 
 haufted : we had no more meal, and 
 there remained only about ten 
 pounds of peas ; we had only about 
 feven pounds of candles, the fame 
 quantity of bacon, and a fmall ham 
 which did not weigh more than 
 g 6 three 
 
( *32 ) 
 
 three pounds. It became therefore 
 neceflary to look for fome other 
 means of fubliftcnce. Leger and I, 
 for M. Furfl, our fecond captain, 
 was not in a fate to go out, went 
 in fearch of lhell f ill at low water ; 
 the weather was tolerable, and we 
 waded through the water for two 
 hours as high as our knees. At 
 laft, on a fand bank, we found a 
 fpecies of oyfer with a plain fhell, 
 and carried as many home as we 
 could ; they were good — and every 
 time the weather and tide permitted, 
 we went in fearch of fuch kind of 
 food ; but we had like to have paid 
 dear for it, for our legs and hands 
 fwelled, and were nearly frozen. 
 
 I was 
 
( r 33 ) 
 
 I was fully fenfible of the danger in 
 attending this kind of fifhing too 
 often — but what could we do? — 
 we mud live, or rather drive away 
 death for a time. 
 
 Our fick grew worfe every day; 
 the gangrene, or mortification, took 
 place in their legs, and as no 
 one could drefs them, I undertook 
 that office. It was my duty to give 
 an example of that charity which is 
 the foundation of our holy religion ; 
 
 I however hefitated fome moments 
 between the merit of fulfilling my 
 obligations, and the danger attend- 
 ing them. God affifted me with 
 relolution to triumph over my re- 
 pugnance. 
 
( *34 ) 
 
 pugnance, and I did my duty ; and 
 although the time in which I was 3 
 
 employed in drefhng their wounds > 1 
 was to me the mod diftreffing of " 
 
 the whole day, I never flackened in 
 that duty towards them. When I 
 explain the nature of their wounds, 11 
 
 you will judge whether the re- . 11 
 lud;ance I felt at firft to drefs them | «i 
 was without reafon, or rather if it 
 was not excufable. I was, how- 
 ever, well rewarded far my trouble; the 
 
 the gratitude of the poor lick men the 
 
 was inconceivable. “ What,” faid ^ 
 
 one, “ fhall you expofe yourfelf to 
 “death to preferve our lives? — , ^ 
 
 “ leave us to our misfortunes ; your 
 “ cares may relieve, but they can 
 
 i i 
 
 never 
 
( m ) 
 
 “ never cure us.”— “ Retire,” faid 
 another, “ and do not deprive thofe 
 ho are not to die of the con- 
 folation of having you with them: 
 “ onl > r aflift in putting us into a 
 “ ftate to a Ppear before God, and 
 “render an account of our days; 
 “ % therefore the infected air 
 “ which is around us.” 
 
 You may naturally fuppofe that 
 thefe kind entreaties attached me 
 the more to them; they augment the 
 pleafure wc feel in doing our duty, 
 and increafe our ftrength and re- 
 folution to perform it. 
 
 I foon 
 
( ! 36 ) 
 
 I foon faw that our fick men muff 
 inevitably die, and they were afl'ured 
 of it themfelves and although they 
 were reconciled, I did not think 
 myfelf difpenfed from aflifting them 
 in their laft moments. I prayed 
 with them morning and evening, 
 and endeavoured to confirm them in 
 their fubmiflion to the will of hea- 
 ven. “ Offer up your fufferings,” 
 faid I, “to Jefus Chriff, and they 
 “ will render you worthy of the 
 “ fruit of the blood he has fhed 
 “ for the human race: he was a 
 “ perfedl model of that patience 
 “ which I admire in you ; your 
 ‘ * exile is nearly finifhed : what 
 
 “ thanks 
 
I J 37 ) 
 
 thanks do you not owe him to 
 “ liave furniihed you, by this Ihip- 
 “ WrecJc » with the fureft means of 
 reaching the port of your falva- 
 tion. True, my friends, you 
 leave behind you wives and chil- 
 “ dren who look up to you for 
 “ fupport ; but trull in God, he is 
 “ a £ ootl father, who never abandons 
 “his children; and reft aiftired 
 that, in calling you to him, he 
 “ will not forget that you leave 
 “ behind you families who require 
 “ his cares.” 
 
 The poor dying men could only 
 anfwer by afTuring me that they 
 put their whole truft in God, and 
 
 thought 
 
( ' 3 » ) 
 
 thought of thofe they had left behind,, 
 only to recommend them to his- 
 care and protection. "When I had 
 finifhed fpeaking to them of fpi- 
 ritual things, 1 attended to the dref- 
 fing of their wounds. To clean 
 them I had not any thing but urine, 
 and I covered them with fomc pieces 
 of linen which I dried for that 
 purpofe } and when I removed thefe 
 they brought away part of the flefh. 
 with them, which, from its cor- 
 rupted ftate, diffufed an infectious 
 air even without fide the cabin. 
 
 In ten or twelve days there re- 
 mained nothing of their legs but 
 the bones ; their feet fell off, and 
 
 their. 
 
( !39 ) 
 
 tlieir hands were wholly void of 
 flefh. The infection was fo great, 
 that, when I was drolling the 
 wounds, I was obliged to go into 
 the open air almolt every minute to 
 avoid being fuffocated. God is my 
 witnefs I do not exaggerate, and 
 that their fituation was more dread- 
 ful than I am able to deferibe. 
 Exprellion would fail me were I 
 to endeavour to deferibe the wretched 
 lituation in which I then was. 
 
 On the lit of April Leger went 
 towards the place where the Indian 
 canoes were, and I went into the 
 woods about eight o’clock in the 
 morning. I wa? lifting to reft my- 
 
 felf 
 
( *40 ) 
 
 {'elf on a tree which I had cut 
 down, when I thought I heard a 
 gun fire ; but as we had often 
 thought we heard the fame noife, 
 and were never able to difeover 
 from whence it came, nor what it 
 really was, I did not pay any great 
 attention. About ten I returned to 
 the cabin to afk M. Furft to aftift 
 me in bringing home the wood I 
 had cut. I told him what I had 
 heard, and looked at the fame time 
 to fee if M. Leger was returning. 
 We had gone hardly two hundred 
 paces when I perceived feveral per- 
 fons : I ran to meet them, and M. 
 Furft ran back to carry this happy 
 news to our fick. When I was 
 
 t 
 
 I tli 
 
 | 4 
 • lh 
 j He 
 
 1 ** 
 
 me 
 
 Ik 
 
 tioi 
 pro 
 I Go* 
 
 near 
 
( I 4 1 ) 
 
 near enough to diltinguifh objeCts, 
 I faw an Indian and his wife, whom 
 M . Leger was conducting. I fpoke 
 to the man, and he afked feveral 
 quell ions, which I anfwcred. At 
 the fight of our hut he was much 
 furprifed, and greatly affeCted at the 
 flate to which we were reduced. 
 He promifed us to return the next 
 day, and that he would hunt in the 
 mean time, and bring us the game 
 he fhould kill. 
 
 \Ve palTed the night in expecta- 
 tion that he would perform his 
 promile, and in returning thanks to 
 God for the fuccour he had lent us. 
 
 I he day appeared, but our hopes 
 
 were 
 
were difappointed; the morning part; 
 aw r ay, and the Indian did not ap- 
 pear. Some flattered themfelves he 
 would come in the afternoon ; for 
 my part I fufpedted the real caufe 
 of his ab fence, and propofed that 
 we fliould go to his hut, and arte 
 the reafon why he d d not keep his 
 word, and, if he hen fated in his 
 anfwer, compel him to difcover the 
 place where the veflel was in which 
 he had eroded into the ifland. We 
 proceeded; but judge of our furprife 
 when we came to the fpot ! we 
 found neither Indian nor canoe ; he 
 went off in the night, and we could 
 not poflibly difcover him. 
 
( J 43 ) 
 
 To let you into the reafon of fuch 
 conduct, I mu ft inform you, that 
 Indians fear death and ftcknefs more 
 than any other people, and the flight 
 of this favage arofe from that fear 
 which is peculiar to his nation ; the 
 appearance of our lick men, the 
 dreadful ftate of their diforders, and 
 the infection of their wounds, had 
 fo much alarmed him, that, to 
 avoid any bad confequences, he had 
 broken his word, and changed his 
 place of residence, for fear we fhould 
 
 force him to return to our cabin 
 and aflift U s, 
 
 Although this difappomtmem 
 greatly afflicted us, we Ihould have 
 
 felt 
 
( 144 ) 
 
 felt it much more if there had not 
 been a fecond canoe ; but it was 
 neceiTary to take fome meafures to I 
 
 prevent the perfons to whom the n 
 
 belonged from going away with her j at 
 alfo. We were fearful that the In- i k 
 dian who had played us this trick 
 might inform his companions of 
 the danger there might be in ap- 
 proaching our cabin, and might 
 perfuade him to remove his canoe ] J, 
 alfo in the night, and quit our ’ 1 feeii 
 neighbourhood. I cano 
 
 I ?ear< 
 
 Thefe reflections induced us to J time 
 take away the canoe, and thereby 
 oblige the lavage to come to our q, 
 
 hut and aflift us, however repugnant j by 
 
 it 
 
( H5 ) 
 
 it might be to his feelings. With- 
 out this precaution we mull have 
 pen Hied : neither of the opportu- 
 nities we had to efcape would have 
 availed us, and our deaths would 
 have been certain. The canoe we 
 made fad to a tree, fo that it was 
 not podible to carry her away with- 
 out giving us an alarm. 
 
 Some days pad in expedation of 
 feeing the Indian to whom the 
 canoe belonged, but no one ap- 
 peared, and during that period of 
 time our three lick men died. 
 
 On the 7th, in the evening, M. 
 
 Le Vafleur was feized with a faint- 
 ing, 
 
 H 
 
( >46 ) 
 
 ing, from which he never reco- 
 vered ; and the two others, feeing 
 that even the affiftance we expe&ed 
 from the Indian would be ufelefs to 
 them, as they were not in a con- 
 dition to walk, began to prepare 
 themfelves for death. I 
 
 ! 
 
 The younger Vaillant died on the t 
 
 roth, after having fuffered for a 
 month beyond what it is poflible to h 
 
 imagine, and his patience was equal ; 
 to his fufferings ; he was only fix- m( 
 
 teen years of age, and fon of M. cor 
 
 Vaillant who died the 8th of ^ 
 March. He never complained of ^ 
 the hardfhip of being fnatched out 
 of the world at fo early an age, but t 
 
 expired 
 
 ■ - ... . -i ■ . . / 
 
( r 47 ) 
 
 expired with that refignation and 
 courage which characterizes a per- 
 fect Chriftian. 
 
 M. Senncville imitated the vir- 
 tues of M. Vaillant, or rather they 
 
 ferved as models to each other the 
 
 fnne afflidions, the fame patience, 
 the fame refignation. I wifh I 
 could repeat corredly what thofe 
 two young men faid to me a few 
 days before their deaths; they made 
 me blufh to want that courage to 
 comfort them which they had to 
 hiffer. With what refped and con- 
 fidence did they fpeak of religion 
 and the mercies of God ? I n what 
 terms did they exprels their gra- 
 titude ? 
 
 H 2 
 
( '48 ) 
 
 titudp ? They certainly polfelfed 
 the bell; minds and beft hearts of 
 any young men I ever knew. 
 
 The latter often requeued me to 
 amputate his legs, to prevent the 
 gangrene fpreading. Y ou may fup- 
 pofe his requeft was ufelefs, and I 
 conflantly refufed. I reprefented 
 to him that I had no inftruments 
 proper for the operation ; and that 
 if I was to attempt it, far from 
 eafing, it would only augment his 
 pain, without faving his life. He 
 then fettled his affairs, wrote to his 
 parents in the molt affedting man- 
 ner, and on the 13th refigned his 
 foul at the age of twenty. He was 
 
 a Ca- 
 
( '49 ) 
 
 ■T Canadian, Ton of M. Senncviilc 
 of Montreal. 
 
 I lie death of thcfe three vidlims 
 to cold and hunger greatly affe&ed 
 me, although their lives may be 
 fhid to have been burdens to them. 
 I had the affe&ion of a father to 
 them, and they made a fui table re- 
 turn ; yet when I reflected* that 
 had the Indian returned while they 
 li\ed, I muff have left them alone 
 and deflitute in the hut, or have 
 loft the opportunity of getting 
 away, I thought I ought to thank 
 the Lord for having fpared me fo 
 cruel an alternative, by taking the 
 dying men to himfelf. Befides, w c 
 h 3 had 
 
had now none of our provifions left, 
 except a fmall ham which we were 
 afraid to touch, and we contented 
 ourfelves with fuch Ihell fifii as 
 Leger and I could from time to 
 time pick up on the fea fide. Our 
 weaknefs was daily increafing, and 
 we were fcarcely able to fupport 
 ourfelves, when I took the refolu- 
 tion to go in fearch of the Indians 
 whofe arrival w r e expedted, and for 
 that purpofe to make ufe of their 
 canoe. To repair it we got fome 
 gum from the trees, and with our 
 hatchet made two paddles as well 
 as we could. I knew very well 
 how to paddle, which was a great 
 advantage for the execution of our 
 
 defign, 
 
( *5* ) 
 
 defign, and even might induce us to 
 venture, in cafe we could not find 
 any Indians, to crofs the river in 
 the canoe. This was our laft re- 
 fource; for, when life is at ftake, 
 we willingly run every rifk. We 
 were fure that we could exifl: but a 
 few days longer in this ifland — in 
 venturing to crofs we only rilked 
 life, and we might fucceed. 
 
 On the 26th of April all was 
 ready, we drefled our piece of ham, 
 and firft ate the broth, with inten- 
 tion to referve the meat for our 
 voyage, but in the evening we were 
 fo prefled with hunger, that we 
 were obliged to eat the whole. 
 
 11 4 
 
 Next 
 
Next day we did not find any- 
 increafe of our firength, and we 
 were without refource, and no prof- 
 ped of finding any in time to pre- 
 fcrve us from pcrilhing; wc pre- 
 pared ourfelves therefore for death, 
 reciting the litany of the Saints; 
 and throwing ourfelves on our knees, 
 
 I pronounced this prayer.: 
 
 “ Great God! if a tis your will 
 “ that wc meet the fame fate with 
 “ the forty perfons who have pc- 
 “ riflied under our eyes, haften to 
 “ accomplifli it; do not permit us 
 “do defpair, but call us from the 
 “ world in this our prefent flate of 
 “ rclignation. But, O Lord! if 
 
( * 53 ' ) 
 
 “ our death is now decreed, fend 
 us help, and give us Arength 
 to fupport, without complaining, 
 thofe afflictions which thy juflice 
 “ has prepared, that we may not 
 lofe in an in flan t the fruit of that 
 “ fubmiflion which we have hitherto 
 manifefted for the decrees of thy 
 “ providence. 1 * 
 
 I had fcarcely ended my prayer, 
 when we heard the firing of a mxif- 
 ket, which we foon anfwered, and 
 concluded it was the Indian to 
 whom the canoe belonged: he 
 
 wanted to know if any of us were 
 alive, and being affured we were 
 by anfwering his flgnal, he lighted 
 H 5 his 
 
his fire. He did not fuppofe we 
 were in a flate to go to him, and 
 apparently did not wifh we fhould ; 
 for, as foon as he perceived us, he 
 hid a part of a bear he had killed 
 in the woods, and ran away. 
 
 As we were in boots we found 
 much difficulty in getting to hi$ 
 fire, for we were obliged to crofs a 
 pretty large river, and which had 
 been thawed a few days. We fol- 
 lowed his track, but with incredible 
 fatigue, -which would have been ufe- 
 lefs if the Indian had not been 
 obliged to flop for his child, a boy 
 of about feven years of age, to fol- 
 low him. This circumftance pre- 
 
 ferved 
 
( <55 ) 
 
 ferved us. We overtook him to- 
 wards the evening, and he diredtly 
 alkcd us if our fick men were dead. 
 This quelfion, which he alked with 
 apparent fear that they were yet 
 alive, convinced us that the other 
 Indian had informed him of our 
 Situation, and of the rifk he would 
 run by coming near our abode. 
 I did not think proper to anfwer his 
 queftion immediately, but, without 
 any circumlocution, preffed him to 
 return back, and give us fomething 
 to eat. He dared not refill:; we 
 Were two to one, well armed, and 
 fully refolved not to quit him for a 
 moment. He then confeflcd he had 
 a bear almoft whole, which he was 
 h 6 ready 
 
( 156 ) 
 
 ready to fhare with us. When we 
 returned to the place where he had 
 hidden the bear, we each of us eat 
 a bit half dreffed, and then we made 
 him and his wife eat, and conducted 
 them to the fpot where we had left 
 M. Furft. This poor man waited 
 for us with great impatience, and 
 we found him almoft exhaufted. 
 Judge how great his joy mull be, 
 when we informed him that we had 
 ^Sl^oth P r ovifions and help. He 
 cat at firft a piece of the bear, and 
 we put the pot on the fire, and kept 
 it there the whole night, taking 
 occafionally forne of the broth. We 
 dared not go to lleep, for fear the 
 favage, who would not enter the 
 
 hut, 
 
( r fi7 ) 
 
 fll0uld nm away. As foon as 
 the day appeared, I gaV e him to 
 underhand that he muft condudt us 
 to the place where the boat lay 
 which had brought him into this 
 lfland ; and to engage him to do fo, 
 I told him we ihould treat him 
 very ill, if he did not confent 
 fpeedily. Fear of death fet him 
 Ipeedily to work to make a heigh, 
 or fledge, on which he fixed his 
 canoe, and made fi gns for L«ger 
 and me to draw it. Undoubtedly 
 he wi fhed we ' Ihould fatigue our- 
 felves, and give U p the fuccour 
 which would cofi us fo dear. We 
 might eafily have compelled him to 
 drag the canoe himfelf, but I did 
 
 not 
 
( * 5 8 ) 
 
 not think that would be proper ; as 
 it was neceflary to humour him, 
 and only take fuch precautions with 
 him as not to be made his dupes. ] 
 
 f 
 
 I de fired the Indian and his wife 9 a , 
 
 to walk before us, under pretence * 
 
 of clearing the way ; but I did not 
 confine my precautions to them only ; fa 
 
 I told them I thought the child w 
 
 would be too much fatigued in p C 
 
 walking, and would put him into an 
 
 the canoe, as it would be a pleafure ^ 
 
 to us to relieve him. ( j 0 
 
 it 
 
 The heart of a parent is every’ ^ 
 
 where the fame; there is no one ^ 
 
 who does not conceive himfelf under ^ 
 
 an 
 
 
( x 5 .9 ) 
 
 an obligation for the fervice done to 
 bis child, and accepts it with plea- 
 sure. Ihus the boy became a 
 hoftage to us for the fidelity of his 
 father. We walked in this way, for 
 above a league, either in fnow, in 
 water, or upon ice ; our fatigue was 
 extreme, but hopes of the relief we 
 fhould find fupported and gave us 
 courage. We could not, however, 
 poflibly continue to drag this canoe, 
 and were nearly exhaufied, when 
 the Indian, touched with our filia- 
 tion, took it on his Ihoulder, carried 
 it to the fea, and put his wife and 
 child on board. As the canoe could 
 hold only four perfons, and confe- 
 quently there was but one of us 
 
 three 
 
three who could embark, the quef- 
 tion now was, which fliould be the 
 man ? I offered to flay, and to let 
 Meffrs. Furft and Leger agree be- 
 tween themfelves which fliould go. 
 Each of them wiflied to have the 
 preference, and were fearful of 
 lofing this opportunity of avoiding 
 an unhappy end. While they were, 
 difputing, the Indian made figns- 
 for me to come forward, and told 
 me he gueffed the caufe of difpute. 
 between my two companions, and 
 that he w r ould take none but me. 
 Without giving time for reply, he 
 pulled me into the canoe, and 
 puflied off. 
 
 Meffrs- 
 
( 161 ) 
 
 MefTrs. Furft and Leger then 
 deemed their deflrudion certain, 
 and loudly exprefTed their defpair. 
 I could not refill, and begged the 
 Indian to draw near the Ihore, that 
 I might fpeak a few words of con- 
 folation to my companions. When 
 I was near enough, I jullified my 
 condud towards them by repeating 
 what the Indian had faid, and ad- 
 vifed them to keep along the fea 
 Ihore; and promifed, on the word 
 of a divine, that, as foon as I 
 reached the Indian’s hut, I wotdd 
 come back to them with the canoe. 
 They knew me incapable of per- 
 juring myfelf; the affurances I gave 
 them calmed their minds, and they 
 
 £ aw. 
 
( l62 ) ' 
 
 faw us put to Tea without in- 
 quietude. k' 
 
 II 
 
 We landed the fame day, and pu 
 
 the Indian took his canoe on his kit 
 
 fhoulders, carried it near the wood, nac 
 
 and laid it on the fnow. As I was the 
 
 fatigued with being fo long on my on 
 
 knees in the canoe, I laid myfelf hart 
 
 down to reft on a ftone by the fea mad 
 
 fide 5 and thinking, after fome time, fiji 
 
 that the Indian was lighting his fire thre 
 
 with intent to fleep in that place, I the 
 
 took up my gun, two paddles, and meal 
 
 two large pieces of meat, which I time 
 
 had put into the boat to fave Meflrs. 
 
 Lcger and Furft the trouble of car- j n 
 
 rying them, and climbed up upon ^ 
 
 fome 
 
( *3 ) 
 
 fome ice which was fix feet high at 
 leaft. I was no fooncr there, than 
 I faw my Indian and his wife had 
 put on their rackets, which are a 
 kind of fnow Ihoes which the Ca- 
 nadian Indians ufe to walk quick on 
 the fnow . 1 he man took his boy 
 
 on his fhoulders, and both ran as 
 hard as they could : the cries I 
 made to flop them only made them 
 fly the fatter: as foon as I could 
 throw away my paddles, I got down 
 the ice, and with my gun and my 
 meat purfued their track for fome 
 time. 
 
 In getting up on the ice I 
 wounded my right leg confiderably, 
 
 which 
 
( i-64 ) 
 
 which received additional injury 1- 
 in my running — every ftep my leg tio 
 funk into the fnow, and that was of 
 every moment ; I loft my breath r ove 
 and was many times obliged to reft wa. 
 on my gun to recover it. While by j 
 in this pofture, I heard the voice of imir 
 M. Leger. This meeting gave us trbe 
 
 both great pleafure. I told him bell 
 
 what had pafted, and he in his turn iei/j 
 informed me that M. Furft, over- fwei 
 whelmed with fatigue, was unable jbowi 
 to keep up with him, and that he lifter 
 
 had left him extended on the fnow . « d 
 
 a confiderable diftance from where He b. 
 we then were.. ifoubi 
 
 jffluld 
 
 At 
 
VZT" 
 
 ( 1% ) 
 
 At any other time I fhould have 
 flown to his -affiftancci but as it was 
 of the utmolt importance to us to 
 overtake our fugitive, and M. Leger 
 was fenflble how much we riikcd 
 by lofing time in purfuing him, we 
 immediately ran towards the place 
 where I knew he had fled ; but as 
 he had quitted the fnow to take the 
 lea fide, which was low and Tandy, 
 we were detained fome time; we, 
 however, continued our courfe, and, 
 after walking a quarter of an hour, 
 we difeovered the Indian’s track ; 
 he had quitted his rackets, un- 
 doubtedly on a fuppofition that I 
 could not follow him fo far. This 
 
 circum- 
 
( >66 ) 
 
 circumftance made us believe we 
 were not far from his dwelling : we 
 
 L 
 
 redoubled our fpeed, and when we 
 approached a wood we heard a gun 
 fire ; this we did not think proper 
 to anfwer, concluding that it it was pc 
 
 he who had fired, he would put on ne 
 
 his rackets to enable him to run 
 with greater hafte when he knew ad 
 we were fo near. ire 
 
 ■ be* 
 
 We continued walking, and a pai 
 little time after the firft gun fired ?< 
 we heard a fecond : this made us agr- 
 
 fufpedt that the Indian defigned to fup 
 
 light his fire in this place, and reft fp 0 
 
 himfelf and family, but that he t 0 
 
 wifhed |» 
 
( 1 6 7 ) 
 
 wiflied firft to know if any one was 
 m purfuit of him. Our conjedure 
 herein was wrong. 
 
 Ten minutes after the fecond re- 
 port we heard a third, and were fo 
 near that we faw the flafh ; but we 
 did not anfwer, and continued to 
 advance in flence. On our road 
 we found a boat, on which they had 
 been at work, and about twenty 
 paces further we faw a large hut. 
 We entered with an air which 
 agreed with our fituation, that of 
 fuppliants, but an old man who 
 fpoke French would not permit us 
 to proceed. “Every man,” fays 
 he, “ is our equal. Your misfor- 
 
 “ tunes 
 
«■« tunes render you worthy, and I 
 “ look upon it as a favour granted 
 “ by heaven to be furnifhed with 
 “ an opportunity to do good to 
 “ men whom misfortune has pur- 
 “ fucd. I only alk of you a re- 
 “ lation of what has paffed fince 
 “ you have been in this ifland ; I 
 “ fhall be happy to condole with 
 “ you on your part: misfortunes, 
 “ and my fenfibility will add to 
 “ your confolation.” 
 
 At the fame time he ordered that 
 our meat fhould be drefled with 
 fome peas, and that nothing fhould 
 be omitted to prove that humanity 
 is as much a virtue among Ame- 
 
 rican 
 
( ^9 ) 
 
 ricaa Indians as more civilifed na- 
 tions. As foon as he had given his 
 inflru&ions, he requeued ns to 
 Satisfy his curiofity. I did Co, and 
 endeavoured to omit no one cir- 
 cumftance which had attended our 
 misfortune. After I had ended my 
 tale, I requeued the old man to tell 
 me why the two Indians, whom we 
 had feen in the height of our mif- 
 fortunes, had refufed us any help. 
 
 I he Indians,” fays he, “ trem- 
 ble at the name of lickncfs, and 
 “ a ^ my reafoning has not been 
 “ abIe m difpel that fear from thofc 
 “ you now fee in this cabin. Not 
 “ that they are infen fible to the 
 
 
 * * 
 
 r 
 
 mis- 
 
C l 7° ) 
 
 “ misfortunes of their brethren 
 u they would wifh to comfort them, 
 
 “ but the fear of breathing a cor- 
 rupted air, checks that emotion 
 “ in their hearts which naturally 
 leads them to companion. They 
 “ fear death, not like other men; 
 “and I know not if they would 
 “ not be guilty of the greateft 
 “ crimes to avoid it. 1 here, faul 
 he, {hewing me an Indian which 
 flood behind the others, “ is the 
 “ man who broke his word with 
 “ you. He returned to us about 
 “ the beginning of the moon, and 
 “ related to us the dreadful fitua- 
 “ tion in which he had feen the 
 “ Frenchmen, whom he thought 
 
 were 
 
( ) 
 
 ** were by this time all dead ; but 
 “ he would willingly have given 
 “ them affiifance, had not he feared 
 “ the corruption which raged among 
 “ them. There is the other,” faid 
 he, the wing me the man I had run 
 after j “ he arrived here before you, 
 “ and informed us there were three 
 “ Frenchmen if ill living, who were 
 “ longer in the jaws of death, 
 “ but who appeared well, and he 
 believed we might venture to 
 “ fuccour them without fear of in- 
 “ fedious air. We had deliberated 
 a few minutes ; afterwards we 
 “ f en t an Indian towards the place 
 “ where you were, that he might 
 “ inform you, by firing three guns, 
 i 2 “ of 
 
( 172 ) . 
 
 “ of the place of our abode. There- 
 “ fore it was the ficknefs among 
 “ you which alone prevented us 
 “ from affifting you; and perhaps 
 “ we might have come to you not- 
 “ withftanding, had we not been 
 “ told, that any help we could fend 
 “ you would be of no fervice, and 
 “ that we fhould run a great rilk 
 “ in approaching your dwelling, 
 “ which was filled and furrounded 
 “ with an atmofphere infectious 
 “ and dangerous to breathe.” 
 
 This difeourfe, from a man who 
 was one of a nation that a falfe 
 prejudice had taught us to believe 
 were incapable of thinking, and 
 
 whom 
 
( 1 73 ) 
 
 whom we had unjullly conclud'ed 
 to be deftitute of fentiment and ex- 
 predion, furprifed me greatly. In- 
 deed I mud confefs that, to impart 
 fuch an idea of this Indian as I 
 would wifh to give, it would be 
 necelTary to hear him. 
 
 When the old man had ended his 
 difcourfe, I endeavoured to exprefs 
 to him the gratitude we felt, and 
 defired him to accept of my mufket, 
 which, in point of goodnefs and 
 ornaments, was far preferable to 
 any in the hut. I afterwards told 
 him, that fatigue had prevented one 
 ot our comrades from following us, 
 and that we fhould cfteem it the 
 i 3 higheft 
 
( 174 ) 
 
 higheft favour if he would lend 
 out two of his men to alhil us in 
 bringing him in. My entreaties 
 were ineffectual the Indians are 
 afraid of going out in the night, 
 and we could not procure any to go 
 to M. Furft’s affiftance, but they 
 promifed to accompany me early in 
 the morning. This relufal made 
 me very unhappy ; the old Indian 
 law my uneafinefs, and told me it 
 would be ufelefs to feek for my 
 friend in the night, as he had no 
 mufkefc to give notice where he was, 
 and that we had better flay till the 
 morning. M. Furft was therefore, 
 obliged to pafs the night on the 
 {how, protected from death by the 
 
 hand 
 
 to 
 
( '75 ) 
 
 Ei and of God alone, for even in the 
 hut we endured a mod fevere cold. 
 The Indians make no fire when, 
 they fleep, and thefe had no blan- 
 kets, confequently we parted a mi- 
 ferable night. 
 
 On the next day, as we were 
 preparing to go in fearch of M. 
 Furft, we faw him coming towards 
 us; he had followed our traces, 
 and, to come up with us, he had 
 availed himfelf of the hardnefs of 
 the fnow which the cold of the 
 night occafions, and which will 
 then fupport the weight of thofe 
 who walk on it. Our firft care was 
 tn warm, then to give him fome 
 i 4 refrefh- 
 
( *76 ) 
 
 refrefhment, and we reciprocally 
 exprefted our pleafure at meeting 
 •each other again. 
 
 The 29th and 30th we remained 
 with the Indians ; we obferved that 
 the attention we paid to fome ex- 
 cited jealoufy in the reft, and they 
 all endeavoured to ftirpafs each 
 other in their fervices to us. We 
 were not in want either of the meat 
 of the bear, or carabou, during thofe 
 days, and they were fure to give us 
 the moft delicate pieces. I do not 
 know whether the duties of hof- 
 pitality are beft fulfilled by the 
 Europeans or the Indians, but I 
 am tempted to believe that the 
 
 latter 
 
latter execute them with the better 
 grace. 
 
 The lft of May they launched 
 their boat ; we all embarked, and 
 let fail. The wind failed us at 
 noon, when about fix leagues from 
 the continent. This greatly affected 
 me, for fear I Ihould not be able to 
 alfift my companions who remained 
 near the place of Ihipwreck; and 
 in this fear I requefted the old man 
 to let me have two men and a bark 
 canoe to get to the Ihore; With a 
 view to induce him to grant my 
 requeft, I promifed to fend to him* 
 and thofe who were with him in the 
 boat, fome tobacco and brandy, as 
 i 5. foon 
 
C *7» > 
 
 foon as I fhould get among the. hi 
 
 French fettlers. Although he was 
 willing to oblige me, yet he had a W£ 
 
 council before he acceded ; and it bu 
 
 was not without difficulty that my ht 
 
 requeft was granted. They were 
 fearful that a paflage of fix leagues ha' 
 
 was too much for a canoe, and they tre 
 
 were unwilling to expofe us to en; 
 
 danger. We departed, however, bra 
 
 and about half after eleven at night fo< 
 
 we reached the ffiore and fettlement. Tf 
 
 l went into the firft houfe I faw, o’c 
 
 which belonged to M. Volant, a. wh 
 
 native of St. Germain en Leye, my fe 
 
 friend, and chief of this poll. I pit 
 
 could not have fallen into better me 
 
 hands,, as he had not only the defire, 
 
 but 
 
E ■■ ■ *" 
 
 “ 
 
 ( > 79 ) 
 
 but ability to ferve me. At firft he 
 did not recollect me, and indeed I 
 was not in a ft ate to be recollected ; 
 but as foon as I told him my name, 
 he loaded me with expreftions of 
 friendlhip, and the pleafure we 
 had in meeting each other was ex- 
 treme. T at firft told him of my 
 engagement with the Indians, and 
 brandy and tobacco were prepared 
 for every one of our deliverers. 
 They did not reach us until ten 
 o’clock in the morning, during 
 which interval I gave M. Volant a 
 detail of our adventures, and forcibly 
 pleaded the caufe of the twenty-four 
 men who remained near the wreck. 
 My friend was much affeCted with 
 
 their 
 
mo 
 
 ( 180 ) 
 
 their fituation. He immediately 
 prepared a boat to go in fearch of 
 them, and alfo if the thirteen men 
 who were in the yawl were hill 
 alive. He failed, and when he 
 reached the neighbourhood in which 
 our fhip was wrecked, fired fome 
 mulkets, to give information to 
 thofe who had been left there. He 
 foon faw four men, who threw 
 themfelves on their knees, and with 
 folded hands entreated him to fave 
 their lives. Their haggard looks, 
 and the found of their voices, which 
 announced them to be on the brink 
 of the grave, affedted M. Volant 
 greatly. He joined them, and gave 
 them fome refrefhment, but very 
 
 moderate, 
 
 qua 
 
 No- 
 
 cau 
 
 g°! 
 
 H 
 
 n 
 
 dea 
 
 inte 
 
 fun 
 
 the 
 
 awa 
 
 fide 
 
 flop 
 
 For 
 
 val: 
 
 can 
 
V 
 
 \ 
 
 ( >81 ) 
 
 moderate, for fear that too large a 
 quantity might caufe their deaths-. 
 Notwithstanding this judicious pre- 
 caution, one of them named Ten- 
 guy, a Breton, died after drinking 
 a glafs of brandy. 
 
 ; i'tilY i' { 
 
 Twenty-one of the company were 
 dead ; thefe my friend ordered to be 
 interred, and the three who had 
 furvived the fatigues, famine, and 
 the rigour of the feafon, we brought 
 away. It was, however, a con- 
 fiderable time before they were re- 
 ftored to health; one of them, 
 Fourellot, the boatfwain, had inter- 
 vals of infanity, and the two others, 
 named Baudet and Bonaw, had their 
 
 bodies 
 
( '82 ) 
 
 bodies fwclled all over. Good food, the fe 
 
 and the care taken of them, redo red . that 
 them, if not to perfedt health, at deftit 
 
 leaft they were fo recovered as to mifei 
 
 depart with us for Quebec. 
 
 1 
 
 As he returned, M. Volant per- we v; 
 
 ceived on the. ihore two bodies ap- three 
 
 parently of drowned men, and iomc hehii 
 
 remains of a canoe. He drew nearer our 
 
 to be certain of what he faw, and atH | 
 
 fired fome guns to difcover if any e ^ ( 
 
 one was in the neighbourhood.. No 
 one appeared or anfwered, and I ^ 
 
 therefore concluded that the thir- ^ 
 
 teen men who were in the canoe 
 died of hunger and cold, for my 
 friend faw, at fome diftance from 
 
 the 
 
C 183 ) 
 
 the fea fide, a kind of hut, a proof 
 that they had landed, and, being 
 deftitute of help, mull have perilhed 
 miferably. 
 
 I need not tell you how much 
 we were a fife died when we faw the 
 three men arrive who had been left 
 behind ; you may naturally fuppofe 
 our interview was very aflfedting, 
 and that tears were not fpared on 
 either fide. 
 
 After our firft emotions, I en- 
 quired how they had been able to 
 exift fo long, and in what manner 
 their companions had ended their 
 lives. They told me that fome had 
 
 perilhed 
 
( *84 ) 
 
 perifhed by cold and hunger, and 
 others had been carried off by dread- 
 ful ulcers ; that their wants had 
 been fo great that the furvivors had 
 eaten even the fhoes of their dead 
 companions, after having firft boiled 
 them in melted fnow, and after- 
 wards broiled them. That when 
 this refource failed, they had re- 
 courfe to the leather breeches of the 
 deceafed, and that when M. Volant 
 found them they had but one or 
 two pairs remaining. 
 
 You may fee therefore that the 
 fituation of thefe poor men was as 
 afflicting as our own, and that they 
 fuffered perhaps more than we did, 
 
 parti- 
 
( ^5 ) 
 
 particularly as they were under the 
 -neceflity of eating the cloaths of 
 their deceafed companions. 
 
 Wc remained near fix weeks at 
 Mingan, which we employed only 
 in returning thanks to God, who 
 had preferved us in the midft of 
 fuch imminent danger. M. Leger 
 quitted us to go to Labrador, 
 there to get a paflage for Old 
 France; but we took our paflage, 
 on the 8 th of June, in a finall' veflel 
 for Quebec, and with a favourable 
 wind reached it on’ the 13th* 
 Every one was aftonilhed at our 
 return, as they thought we had been 
 in France, and were anxious to 
 
 know 
 
know what had happened to us 
 fmce our departure, and we fatisfied 
 thofe who were moft concerned to 
 know. _ 
 
 •9 
 
 Next day we put the three fea» 
 men that M. Volant had brought 
 away into the hofpital, and M. 
 Furft and I did all we could for 
 the perfect re-eftablifhment of our 
 health. As foon as 1 was fuffi- 
 ciently recovered, they gave me the 
 little living of Soulange, which I 
 fcrved for about a year, and then 
 received another order to return to 
 France. I embarked therefore as 
 chaplain to the king’s (hip the 
 Ruby, and failed the 21ft of Octo- 
 ber, 
 
( i8 7 ) 
 
 ‘ber, 1738, and reached Port Lewis, 
 in Bretagne, the 2d of December, 
 to take in provilions, as our hock 
 was nearly expended. Having Ap- 
 plied this want, we failed for 
 Rochefort, the place of our def- 
 tination, where my duty detained 
 me until the fhip was put out of 
 fer vice. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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