A Book of American ExplorersHigginson, Thomas Wentworth
History
A Book of American Explorers
Higginson, Thomas Wentworth
America -- Discovery and exploration; United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
wherewith they live even as we do with ours.
In the midst of those fields is the city of Hochelaga, placed near, and
as it were joined, to a great mountain, that is tilled round about very
fertile, on the top of which you may see very far. We named it Mount
Royal.[118] The city of Hochelaga is round, compassed about with timber,
with three course of rampires,[119] one within another, framed like a
sharp spire, but laid across above. The middlemost of them is made and
built as a direct line, but perpendicular. The rampires are framed and
fashioned with pieces of timber, laid along on the ground, very well
and cunningly joined together after their fashion. This enclosure is in
height about two rods. It hath but one gate or entry thereat, which is
shut with piles, stakes, and bars. Over it, and also in many places of
the wall, there be places to run along, and ladders to get up, all full
of stones for the defence of it.
There are in the town about fifty houses about fifty paces long, and
twelve or fifteen broad, built all of wood, covered over with the bark
of the wood as broad as any boards, very finely and cunningly joined
together. Within the said houses there are many rooms, lodgings, and
chambers. In the midst of every one there is a great court, in the
middle whereof they make their fire. They live in common together:
then do the husbands, wives, and children, each one retire themselves
to their chambers. They have also on the top of their houses certain
garrets, wherein they keep their corn to make their bread withal. They
call it _carraconny_, which they make as hereafter shall follow. They
have certain pieces of wood, made hollow like those whereon we beat our
hemp; and with certain beetles of wood they beat their corn to powder;
then they make paste of it, and of the paste, cakes or wreaths. Then
they lay them on a broad and hot stone, and then cover it with hot
stones; and so they bake their bread, instead of ovens.
VI.――THE FESTIVITIES AT HOCHELAGA.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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