Or ces allées & venuës des Sauuages affamez ont duré quasi tout l'hyuer; nous faisions ordinairement quelque festin de pois & de farine boüillie à toutes les nouuelles bandes; i'en ay veu tel d'entre-eux qui en mangeoient plus de huict escuellées, deuant que de sortir de la place. Now these comings and goings of famished Savages lasted almost all winter; we usually made a little feast of peas and boiled flour for all the new bands, and I have seen certain ones among them eat more than eight bowlfuls of this before leaving the place. Pendant qu'on leur preparoit le banquet, nous leur parlions de Dieu, nous leur representions leurs miseres; ils auoient tous la meilleure volonté du monde de cultiuer au Printemps, ce qu'ont fait quelques vns: mais ils ne demeurerent pas assiduëment auprés de leurs bleds d'Inde, les abandonnans pour aller pescher, qui deça, qui delà. While the banquet was being prepared, we talked to them about God, we represented to them their poverty; they all had the best intentions in the world to cultivate the land in the Spring, as some of them have done; but they did not remain constantly near their Indian corn,--abandoning it to go fishing, some in one direction, some in another. Quand aux propositions que nous leur faisions de croire en Dieu, l'vn d'eux me dit vn iour. Si nous [79] croyons en vostre Dieu, neigera-il? Il neigera, luy dis je. La neige sera-elle dure & profonde? Elle le sera. Trouuerõs nous des Orignaux? Vous en trouuerez. Les tuerons nous? Ouy; Car comme Dieu sçait tout, qu'il peut tout, & qu'il est tres bon, il ne manquera pas de vous assister, si vous auez recours en luy, si vous receuez sa Foy, & luy rendez obeyssance. Ton discours est bon, repart-il, nous penserons à ce que tu nous as dit. Cependant ils s'en vont dans les bois, & mettẽt bien-tost en oubly ce qu'on leur a dit: Il est bien vray qu'à la parfin on fera quelque impression sur leur esprit, s'il n'est plus dure que la pierre qui se caue par des gouttes d'eau. As to the proposals we make to them to believe in God, one of them said to me one day, "If we [79] believe in your God, will it snow?" "It will snow," I said to him. "Will the snow be hard and deep?" "It will be." "Shall we find Moose?" "You will find them." "Shall we kill some?" "Yes; for as God knows all things, as he can do all things, and as he is very good, he will not fail to help you, if you have recourse to him, if you receive the Faith, and if you reader him obedience." "Thy speech is good," answered he, "we will think upon what thou hast told us." Meanwhile, they go off into the woods, and soon forget what has been said to them. It is indeed true that, in the end, some impression will be made upon their minds, if they are not harder than the stone hollowed out by drops of water.