When the Savages have killed a number of Elks, and passed several days in feasting, they begin to think about drying them and laying them away. They will stretch upon poles the two sides of a large Moose, the bones thereof having [150] been removed. If the flesh is too thick, they raise it in strips and slash it besides, so that the smoke may penetrate and dry all parts. When they begin to dry or smoke this meat, they pound it with stones and tramp it under foot so that no juice may remain to spoil it. At last, when it is smoked, they fold and arrange it in packages, and this forms their future store. Dried meat is poor food, but the fresh meat of the Elk is very easy to digest. It does not remain long in the stomach, therefore the Savages do not cook it much. In regard to taste, it seems to me that beef is not inferior to good Elk meat. Le Castor ou le Bieure se prend en plusieurs façõs. Les Sauuages disent que c'est l'animal bien aymé des François, des Anglois, & des Basques, en vn mot des Europeans; i'entendois vn iour mon hoste qui disoit en se gaussant, _Missi picoutau amiscou_, le Castor fait toutes choses parfaictement bien, il nous faict des chaudieres, des haches, des espées, des couteaux, du pain, bref il fait tout; il se mocquoit de nos Europeans qui se passionnent pour la peau de cest animal, & qui se battent à qui dõnera le plus à ces Barbares, pour en auoir: [151] iusques là que mon hoste me dit vn iour me monstrant vn fort beau couteau, les Anglois n'ont point d'esprit, ils nous donnent vingts couteaux comme celuy là pour vne peau de Castor. The Castor or Beaver is taken in several ways. The Savages say that it is the animal well-beloved by the French, English and Basques,--in a word, by the Europeans. I heard my host say one day, jokingly, _Missi picoutau amiscou_, "The Beaver does everything perfectly well, it makes kettles, hatchets, swords, knives, bread; and, in short, it makes everything." He was making sport of us Europeans, who have such a fondness for the skin of this animal and who fight to see who will give the most to these Barbarians, to get it; [151] they carry this to such an extent that my host said to me one day, showing me a very beautiful knife, "The English have no sense; they give us twenty knives like this for one Beaver skin." Au Printemps, le Castor se prend à l'attrappe amorcée du bois dont il mange: les Sauuages sont tres-bien entendus en ces attrapes, lesquelles venant à se detendre, vne grosse piece de bois tombe sur l'animal & l'assomme, quelquefois les chiens rencontrant le Castor hors la Cabane, le poursuiuent & le prennent aisement; ie n'ay point veu cette chasse, mais on m'en a parlé, & les Sauuages font grand estat d'vn chiẽ qui sẽt & découure cét animal.