On the 24th of May, eighteen canoes of Savages having descended to Kebec, sieur de Champlain, suspecting that they might go on to the English, who had three vessels at Tadoussac and a bark far up the river, went into the Cabins of these Savages, and made to them a very suitable address through sieur Olivier the interpreter,[49] who is an excellent man and well fitted for this [227 i.e., 127] country. He said to them through the lips of this interpreter that the French had always loved and defended them, that he had assisted them in person in their wars; that he had greatly cherished the Father of the Captain to whom he was talking, who was killed at his side in a battle where he himself was wounded by an arrow;[50] that he was a man of his word, and that, notwithstanding the discomforts of the sea voyage, he had returned to see them again, as if they were his brothers; as they had expressed a wish that a French settlement should be made in their country, to defend them against the incursions of their enemies, he contemplated granting this desire, and it would already have been granted but for the obstacles created by the English; he was, moreover, then engaged in repairing the ruins that these wicked guests had left behind them; that he would not fail to satisfy them [228 i.e., 128] all as soon as he attended to the more urgent affairs; that the Fathers (speaking of us), would remain among them and would instruct them as well as their children. Yet, notwithstanding the great obligations that they [the Savages] were under to the French, they had descended the river with the intention of going to see the thieves who came to pillage the French. He said they should consider well what they were doing; that these robbers were only birds of passage, while the French would remain in the country as it belonged to them. This is a part of the discourse that sieur de Champlain delivered to them, as far as I have been able to learn, from the report made to me by those present. Pendant cette harangue, le Capitaine & ses gens escoutoient fort attentiuement, luy entr'autres paroissoit profondement pensif, tirant [229 i.e., 129] de son estomach cette aspiration de temps en temps, pendant qu'on luy parloit, _hám! hám! hám!_ comme approuuant le discours du truchement: lequel estant acheué, ce Capitaine prend la parole pour respōdre, mais auec vne rhetorique aussi fine & deliée, qu'il en scauroit sortir de l'escolle d'Aristote, ou de Ciceron. Il gagna au commencemẽt de son discours la bienueillance de tous les François par vne profonde humilité, qui paroissoit auec bonne grace dans ses gestes & dans ses paroles.