The Mariner of St. Malo : A chronicle of the voyages of Jacques Cartier — John Shaqi
The Mariner of St. Malo : A chronicle of the voyages of Jacques CartierLeacock, Stephen
History
The Mariner of St. Malo : A chronicle of the voyages of Jacques Cartier
Leacock, Stephen
America -- Discovery and exploration -- French; Cartier, Jacques, 1491-1557; New France -- Discovery and exploration
The Hochelaga expedition, in which two boats were used, left the camp
at Cap Rouge on September 7, 1541. A number of Cartier's gentlemen
accompanied him on the journey, while the Viscount Beaupre was left
behind in command of the fort. On their way up the river Cartier
visited the chief who had entrusted his little daughter to the case of
the French at Stadacona at the time of Cartier's wintering there. He
left two young French boys in charge of this Indian chief that they
might learn the language of the country. No further episode of the
journey is chronicled until on September 11 the boats arrived at the
foot of the rapids now called Lachine. Cartier tells us that two
leagues from the foot of the bottom fall was an Indian village called
Tutonaguy, but he does not say whether or not this was the same place
as the Hochelaga of his previous voyage. The French left their boats
and, conducted by the Indians, walked along the portage path that led
past the rapids. There were large encampments of natives beside the
second fall, and they received the French with every expression of
good-will. By placing little sticks upon the ground they gave Cartier
to understand that a third rapid was to be passed, and that the river
was not navigable to the country of Saguenay.
Convinced that further exploration was not possible for the time being,
the French returned to their boats. As usual, a great concourse of
Indians had come to the spot. Cartier says that he 'understood
afterwards' that the Indians would have made an end of the French, but
judged them too strong for the attempt. The expedition started at once
for the winter quarters at Cap Rouge. As they passed Hochelay--the
abode of the supposed friendly chief near Portneuf--they learned that
he had gone down the river ahead of them to devise means with Agouhanna
for the destruction of the expedition.
Cartier's narrative ends at this most dramatic moment of his
adventures. He seems to have reached the encampment at Cap Rouge at the
very moment when an Indian assault was imminent. We know, indeed, that
the attack, which, from certain allusions in the narrative, seems
presently to have been made, was warded off, and that Cartier's ships
and a part at least of his company sailed home to France, falling in
with Roberval on the way. But the story of the long months of anxiety
and privation, and probably of disease and hostilities with the
Indians, is not recorded. The narrative of the great explorer, as it is
translated by Hakluyt, closes with the following ominous sentences:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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