The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 5: Quebec, 1632-1633
History
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. 5: Quebec, 1632-1633
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America -- Canada; Jesuits -- Missions; Jesuits -- North America
I have become teacher in Canada: the other day I had a little
Savage on one side of me, and a little Negro or Moor on the other,
to whom I taught their letters. After so many years of teaching,
behold me at last returned to the A, B, C., with so great content
and satisfaction [58] that I would not exchange my two pupils for
the finest audience in France. This little Savage is the one who
will soon be left entirely with us. The little Negro was left
by the English with this French family which is here. We have
taken him to teach and baptize, but he does not yet understand
the language well; therefore we shall wait some time yet. When we
talked to him about baptism, he made us laugh. His mistress asking
him if he wanted to be a Christian, if he wanted to be baptized and
be like us, he said "yes;" but he asked if he would not be skinned
in being baptized. I think he was very much frightened, for he had
seen those poor Savages skinned. As he saw that they laughed at
his questions, he replied in his patois, as best he could: "You
say that by baptism I shall be like you: I [59] am black and you
are white, I must have my skin taken off then in order to be like
you." Thereupon all began to laugh more than ever, and, seeing that
he was mistaken, he joined in and laughed with the others. When
I told him to take his blanket and return to his master until he
should understand our language better, he began to cry, and refused
to take his blanket again. I told him to go away to the fort with
Father de Nouë, who was going there. He obeyed, but he was restored
on the way to his master, who cannot do long without him; otherwise
we would have retained him with us. His mistress, asking him why
he had not brought back the blanket with him, he answered: "Me not
baptized, no blanket. They said: 'Come, baptize thee,' and me not
baptized; and me not baptized, no return, no blanket." He [60]
meant that we had promised him the baptism, and that he did not
wish to return until he had received it; that will be in a short
time, if it please God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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