Voyages of Samuel De Champlain — Volume 02Champlain, Samuel de
History
Voyages of Samuel De Champlain — Volume 02
Champlain, Samuel de
America -- Discovery and exploration -- French; Indians of North America -- Canada; New France -- Discovery and exploration
_A_. Place where the French were making bread.
_B_. The savages surprising the French, and shooting their arrows at them.
_C_. French burned by the savages.
_D_. The French fleeing to the barque, completely covered with arrows.
_E_. Troops of savages burning the French whom they had killed.
_F_. Mountain bordering on the harbor.
_G_. Cabins of the savages.
_H_. French on the shore charging upon the savages.
_I_. Savages routed by the French.
_L_. Shallop in which were the French.
_M_. Savages around our shallop, who were surprised by our men.
_N_. Barque of Sieur de Poutrincourt.
_O_. The harbor.
_P_. Small brook.
_Q_. French who fell dead in the water as they were trying to flee to the
barque.
_R_. Brook coming from certain marshes.
_S_. Woods under cover of which the savages came.
* * * * *
Upon the occurrence of this noise and that of our men, the sentinel, on our
vessel, exclaimed, "To arms! They are killing our men!" Consequently, each
one immediately seized his arms; and we embarked in the shallop, some
fifteen or sixteen of us, in order to go ashore. But, being unable to get
there on account of a sand-bank between us and the land, we threw ourselves
into the water, and waded from this bank to the shore, the distance of a
musket-shot. As soon as we were there, the savages, seeing us within arrow
range, fled into the interior. To pursue them was fruitless, for they are
marvellously swift. All that we could do was to carry away the dead bodies
and bury them near a cross, which had been set up the day before, and then
to go here and there to see if we could get sight of any of them. But it
was time wasted, therefore we came back. Three hours afterwards, they
returned to us on the sea-shore. We discharged at them several shots from
our little brass cannon; and, when they heard the noise, they crouched down
on the ground to avoid the fire. In mockery of us, they beat down the cross
and disinterred the dead, which displeased us greatly, and caused us to go
for them a second time; but they fled, as they had done before. We set up
again the cross, and reinterred the dead, whom they had thrown here and
there amid the heath, where they kindled a fire to burn them. We returned
without any result, as we had done before, well aware that there was
scarcely hope of avenging ourselves this time, and that we should have to
renew the undertaking when it should please God.
On the 16th of the month, we set out from Port Fortuné, to which we had
given this name on account of the misfortune which happened to us there.
This place is in latitude 41° 20', and some twelve or thirteen leagues from
Mallebarre. [226]
ENDNOTES:
210. Clearly a mistake. Champlain here says they "continued their course
north," whereas, the whole context shows that they must have gone
south.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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