Voyages of Samuel De Champlain — Volume 03Champlain, Samuel de
History
Voyages of Samuel De Champlain — Volume 03
Champlain, Samuel de
America -- Discovery and exploration -- French; Indians of North America -- Canada; New France -- Discovery and exploration
After this, and when everything had become settled, I proceeded to show
hospitalities to my host, D'Arontal, who admired our building, our conduct,
and mode of living. After carefully observing us, he said to me, in
private, that he should never die contented until he had seen all of his
friends, or at least a good part of them, come and take up their abode with
us, in order to learn how to serve God, and our way of living, which he
esteemed supremely happy in comparison with their own. Moreover he said
that, if he could not learn it by word of mouth, he would do so much better
and more easily by sight and by frequent intercourse, and that, if their
minds could not comprehend our arts, sciences, and trades, their children
who were young could do so, as they had often represented to us in their
country in conversation with Father Joseph. He urged us, for the promotion
of this object, to make another settlement at the Falls of St. Louis, so as
to secure them the passage of the river against their enemies, assuring us
that, as soon as we should build a house, they would come in numbers to
live as brothers with us. Accordingly I promised to make a settlement for
them as soon as possible.
After we had remained four or five days together, I gave him some valuable
presents, with which he was greatly pleased, and I begged him to continue
his affection for us, and come again to see our settlement with his
friends. Then he returned happy to the Falls of St Louis, where his
companions awaited him.
When this Captain D'Arontal had departed, we enlarged our habitation by a
third at least in buildings and fortifications, since it was not
sufficiently spacious, nor convenient for receiving the members of our own
company and likewise the strangers that might come to see us. We used, in
building, lime and sand entirely, which we found very good there in a spot
near the habitation. This is a very useful material for building for those
disposed to adapt and accustom themselves to it.
The Fathers Denis and Joseph determined to return to France, in order to
testify there to all they had seen, and to the hope they could promise
themselves of the conversion of these people, who awaited only the
assistance of the holy fathers in order to be converted and brought to our
faith and the Catholic religion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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