The
wildmen that brought us defended us above all things, if we would come
directly to them, that we should by no means land, and so goe to the river
to the other sid, that is, to the north, towards the sea, telling us that
those people weare very treacherous.
Now, whether they tould us this out of
pollicy, least we should not come to them ffirst, & so be deprived of what
they thought to gett from us [I know not]. In that you may see that the
envy and envy raigns every where amongst poore barbarous wild people as att
Courts. They made us a mapp of what we could not see, because the time was
nigh to reape among the bustards and Ducks. As we came to the place where
these oats growes (they grow in many places), you would think it strang to
see the great number of ffowles, that are so fatt by eating of this graine
that heardly they will move from it. I have seene a wildman killing 3 ducks
at once with one arrow. It is an ordinary thing to see five [or] six
hundred swans together. I must professe I wondred that the winter there was
so cold, when the sand boyles att the watter side for the extreame heate of
the Sun. I putt some eggs in that sand, and leave them halfe an houre; the
eggs weare as hard as stones. We passed that summer quietly, coasting the
seaside, and as the cold began, we prevented the Ice. We have the
commoditie of the river to carry our things in our boats to the best place,
where weare most bests.
This is a wandring nation, and containeth a vaste countrey. In winter they
live in the land for the hunting sake, and in summer by the watter for
fishing. They never are many together, ffor feare of wronging one another.
They are of a good nature, & not great whore masters, having but one wife,
and are [more] satisfied then any others that I knewed. They cloath
themselves all over with castors' skins in winter, in summer of staggs'
skins. They are the best huntsmen of all America, and scorns to catch a
castor in a trappe. The circumjacent nations goe all naked when the season
permitts it. But this have more modestie, ffor they putt a piece of copper
made like a finger of a glove, which they use before their nature. They
have the same tenents as the nation of the beefe, and their apparell from
topp to toe. The women are tender and delicat, and takes as much paines as
slaves. They are of more acute wits then the men, ffor the men are fools,
but diligent about their worke. They kill not the yong castors, but leave
them in the watter, being that they are sure that they will take him
againe, which no other nation doth. They burne not their prisoners, but
knock them in the head, or slain them with arrows, saying it's not decent
for men to be so cruell. They have a stone of Turquois from the nation of
the buff and beefe, with whome they had warrs. They pollish them, and give
them the forme of pearle, long, flatt, round, and [hang] them att their
nose. They [find] greene stones, very fine, att the side of the same bay of
the sea to the norwest. There is a nation called among themselves neuter.
They speake the beefe and Christinos' speech, being friends to both. Those
poore people could not tell us what to give us. They weare overjoyed when
we sayd we should bring them commodities. We went up on another river, to
the upper lake. The nation of the beefe sent us guifts, and we to them, by
[the] ambassadors. In the midle of winter we joyned with a Company of the
fort, who gladly received us. They weare resolved to goe to the ffrench the
next spring, because they weare quite out of stocke. The feast of the dead
consumed a great deale of it. They blamed us, saying we should not trust
any that we did not know. They upon this asked if we are where the
trumpetts are blowne. We sayd yea, and tould that they weare a nation not
to be trusted, and if we came to that sea we should warre against them,
becaus they weare bad nation, and did their indeavour to tak us to make us
their slaves.
In the beginning of Spring there came a company of men that came to see us
from the elders, and brought us furrs to intice us to see them againe. I
cannot omitt [a] pleasant encounter that happened to my brother as we weare
both in a cottag. Two of the nation of the beefe came to see us; in that
time my brother had some trade in his hands. The wildmen satt neere us. My
brother shews unto them the Image which [re]presented the flight of Joseph
and holy mary with the child Jesus, to avoid the anger of herod, and the
Virgin and child weare riding the asse, and Joseph carrying a long cloake.
My brother shewing that animal, naming it tatanga, which is a buffe, the
wildmen, seeing the representation of a woman, weare astonished and weeps,
pulls their haire, and tumbles up and downe to the fire, so continued half
an houre, till he was in a sweat, and wetted with his tears the rest of the
wildmen that weare there. One of them went out of the cottage. My brother
and I weare surprized; thought they might have seene a vision, ffor
instantly the man putt his hands on his face, as if he should make the
signe of the crosse. Now as he came to himselfe, he made us understand,
ffor I began to know much of their speech, that first we weare Devills,
knowing all what is and what was done; moreover, that he had his desire,
that was his wif and child, whome weare taken by the nation of the beefe
foure years agoe.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 71 of 115
Words from 71319 to 72354
of 117345
