Glimpses of the Past: History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784Raymond, W. O. (William Odber)
History
Glimpses of the Past: History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784
Raymond, W. O. (William Odber)
New Brunswick -- History; Saint John River Valley (Me. and N.B.)
"This day in ye morning we had Intelligence that there was a priest
from ye River of Saint Johns expected to arrive at this place in a few
minutes, ye Indians made Great preparation for his Reception and at
his arrival shewed many symptoms of their Great Respect. Ye Priest was
conducted to ye Captain's camp, where after having passed many
compliments, the Priest asked ye Capt. of ye Indians who I was, and
when he Understood I was a prisoner, he asked me if I could speak
French. I told him a Little, and asked him concerning one Jonathan a
soldier that was a passenger on board of our Schooner when we was
taken, and was then at ye River of Saint Johns. Ye Priest gave me an
account of him, and told me to content myself in ye Condition that I
was then in, for I was in ye hands of a Christian nation and it might
prove very Beneficial both to my Body and Soul. I was obliged to
concur with his sentiments for fear of displeasing my masters. Ye
Indians built him a Table against a Large Tree, where he said mass,
and sung (louange au bon Dieu pour leur conservation jusqu'au present)
after they had concluded their mass, &c., the priest gave them
Permission to commence their making Connews and Took his leave of us.
This Day we was Imployed in making Connews of Elm and ash Bark."
The priest here mentioned was no doubt the Jesuit missionary, Charles
Germain, for the Governor General of Canada, the Marquis Beauharnois,
in his letter to the French minister, dated at Quebec 27 September of
this year, writes: "M. Germain, missionary on the lower part of the
River St. John, arrived here yesterday with the chief and 24 Indians
of his mission, the most of whom served in Mr. Marin's party."
The Indians with Capt. Pote made seven canoes, and in these they
proceeded down the Canaan river to Washademoak lake, thence up the St.
John river to Aukpaque. On the way several rather curious incidents
occurred. For example, on one occasion they caught some small fish,
which Pote attempted to clean, but the Indians snatched them from him
and boiled them "slime and blood and all together." "This," said Pote,
"put me in mind of ye old Proverb, God sent meat and ye D----l cooks."
On another occasion, he says, "we Incamped by ye side of ye River and
we had much difficulty to kindle a fire by Reason it Rained exceeding
fast, and wet our fire works; we was obliged to turn our connews
bottom up and Lay under them; at this time it thundered exceedingly,
and ye Indians asked me if there was not people in my Country
sometimes distroyed by ye Thunder and Lightning, yet I told them I had
known several Instances of that nature, they told me yt never any
thing hapned to ye Indians of harm neither by thunder nor Lightning,
and they said it was a Judgment on ye English and French, for
Incroaching on their Libertys in America."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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