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
There is, also, at a distance of a two days' journey from them, in a
southerly direction, another savage nation, that produces a large amount of
tobacco. This is called _Nation Neutre_. They number four thousand
warriors, and dwell westward of the lake of the Entouhonorons, which is
from eighty to a hundred leagues in extent. They, however, assist the
_Cheveux Releves_ against the _Gens de Feu_. But with the Iroquois and our
allies they are at peace, and preserve a neutrality. There is a cordial
understanding towards both of these nations, and they do not venture to
engage in any dispute or quarrel, but on the contrary often eat and drink
with them like good friends. I was very desirous of visiting this nation,
but the people where we were dissuaded me from it, saying that the year
before one of our men had killed one of them, when we were at war with the
Entouhonorons, which offended them; and they informed us that they are much
inclined to revenge, not concerning themselves as to who struck the blow,
but inflicting the penalty upon the first one they meet of the nation, even
though one of their friends, when they succeed in catching him, unless
harmony has been previously restored between them, and gifts and presents
bestowed upon the relatives of the deceased. Thus I was prevented for the
time being from going, although some of this nation assured us that they
would do us no harm for the reason assigned above.
Thus we were led to return the same way we had come, and continuing my
journey, I reached the nation of the _Pisierinii_, [177] who had promised
to conduct me farther on in the prosecution of my plans and explorations.
But I was prevented by the intelligence which came from our great village
and the Algonquins, where Captain Yroquet was, namely, that the people of
the nation of the Atignouaatitans [178] had placed in his hands a prisoner
of a hostile nation, in the expectation that this Captain Yroquet would
exercise on the prisoner the revenge usual among them. But they said that,
instead of doing so, he had not only set him at liberty, but, having found
him apt, and an excellent hunter, had treated him as his son, on account of
which the Atignouaatitans had become jealous and resolved upon vengeance,
and had in fact appointed a man to go and kill this prisoner, allied as he
was. As he was put to death in the presence of the chiefs of the Algonquin
nation, they, indignant at such an act and moved to anger, killed on the
spot this rash murderer; whereupon the Atignouaatitans feeling themselves
insulted, seeing one of their comrades dead, seized their arms and went to
the tents of the Algonquins, who were passing the winter near the above
mentioned village, and belabored them severely, Captain Yroquet receiving
two arrow wounds. At another time they pillaged some of the cabins of the
Algonquins before the latter could place themselves in a state of defence,
so that they had not an equal chance. Notwithstanding this they were not
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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