The three ships that had been assigned to him were the Grande Hermine,
the Petite Hermine and the Emerillon, the first being a tall ship of
126 burthen and the others of sixty and forty respectively, and they
were provisioned for fifteen months. How the expedition encountered
storms and tempests, delaying its progress until they reached the
Strait of St. Peter, where familiar objects began to meet the eyes of
the captive Indians on board; how they eagerly pointed out to Cartier
the way into Canada; how they told him of the gold to be found in the
land of the Saguenay; how Cartier visited the lordly Donnacona, lord of
Canada; how at last on his resolve to pursue the journey to the land
of Hochelaga he found himself in the great river of Canada which he
named St. Lawrence; how he passed up the river by mountain and lowland,
headlands and harbours, meadows, brush and forests, scattering saints'
names on his way to Stadaconé[3] whence he determined to push his way
to Hochelaga before winter--can be read at length in the recital of the
second voyage of Jacques Cartier.
[Illustration: A CONFERENCE WITH THE INDIANS AT STADACONE]
It is legitimate only for us to place before our readers that part
concerning the approach to Hochelaga. Hitherto, on his journey, Cartier
had received all help in his progress from the friendly natives; but
effort was made to dissuade him from going up to Hochelaga. Cartier,
however, always made reply that notwithstanding every difficulty he
would go there if it were possible to him "because he had commandment
from the king to go the farthest that he could." On the contrary the
lordly savage Donnacona and the two captives, Dom Agaya and Taignoagny,
used every device to turn the captain from his quest. An attempt will
be made hereafter to prevent a visit to Montreal as we shall see when
we speak of Maisonneuve and the settlement of Ville Marie.
[Illustration: MANUSCRIPT OF NO. 5589 OF CARTIER'S SECOND VOYAGE]
Carrier's account has the following for September 18th:[4]
"HOW THE SAID DONNACONA, TAIGNOAGNY, AND OTHERS DEVISED AN
ARTIFICE AND HAD THREE MEN DRESSED IN THE GUISE OF DEVILS,
FEIGNING TO HAVE COME FROM CUDOUAGNY, THEIR GOD, FOR TO HINDER US
FROM GOING TO THE SAID HOCHELAGA.[5]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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