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
On the first day of November, all Saints' day, having learned that
a poor miserable Savage, eaten by a malignant ulcer or scrofulous
affection, was in a wretched hut beyond the great St. Lawrence,
abandoned by everybody except his wife, who was caring for him the
best she could, we did all in our power to have him brought near
our house, in order that we might help him both in regard to his
body and his soul. [23] Father de Nouë and our Brother went to see
him, and they were filled with compassion for him. I begged our
french interpreter to persuade the Savages to bring him to us,
for we could not go and fetch him. He spoke to one of them in my
presence, who asked what he would be given for it. He was told that
he would be given something to eat. I had them tell him that he
was very ungrateful; that the sick man was of his tribe, and that
we who were not of it wished to help him, and still he refused him
that little assistance. For this he made no other excuse than that
he was going very soon to the hunt, and that he had no time to
take his canoe there.
I'ay remarqué que les Sauuages font tres-peu d'estat d'vn homme de la
santé duquel ils desesperent, voire mesme ils les tuënt par fois, où
les laissent dãs les bois pour s'en deffaire, [24] ou pour ne les voir
languir.
I have observed that the Savages care but little for men whose
condition is so low that life is despaired of; indeed they
sometimes kill them, or leave them in the woods to get rid of them,
[24] or to avoid seeing them gradually fail.
Le 5. du mesme mois de Nouembre, vn grand ieune Sauuage s'en vint chez
nous retournant de la chasse aux castors, criant qu'il mouroit de
faim, il apportoit quantité de racines, entr'autres force oignons de
martagons rouges, dont il y a icy tres-grand nõbre, nous luy donnasmes
quelque chose, & goustasmes de ces oignons, ils sont tres-bons à
manger, il n'y fit point d'autre saulce que de les faire boüillir
dans l'eau sans sel, car les Sauuages n'en mangent point, quoy que
maintenant ils s'y accoustument fort bien.
On the 5th of the same month of November, a tall young Savage,
returning from beaver hunting, called upon us, crying out that
he was dying of hunger. He brought a number of roots, among them
several bulbs of the red lily variety, of which there are a great
many here. We gave him something, and tasted these bulbs, which are
very good to eat;[29] he made no other sauce than to boil them in a
little water without salt, which the Savages do not use, although
they are now accustoming themselves to it very well.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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