But before baptism it was necessary that he should go to confession, and
this was the greatest difficulty to surmount. The Huron had still in his
pocket the book his uncle gave him. He did not there find that a single
apostle had ever been confessed, and this made him very restive. The
prior silenced him, by showing him, in the epistle of St. James the
Minor, these words: "Confess your sins to one another." The Huron was
mute, and confessed his sins to a Recollet. When he had done, he dragged
the Recollet from the confessional chair, and seizing him with a
vigorous arm, placed himself in his seat, making the Recollet kneel
before him:
"Come, my friend, it is said, 'we must confess our sins to one another;'
I have related to you my sins, and you shall not stir till you recount
yours."
Whilst he said this, he fixed his great knee against his adversary's
stomach. The Recollet roared and groaned, till he made the church
re-echo. The noise brought people to his assistance, who found the
catechumen cuffing the monk in the name of St. James the Minor. The joy
diffused at the baptizing at once a Low-Breton, a Huron, and an
Englishman, surmounted all these singularities. There were even some
theologians of opinion that confession was not necessary, as baptism
supplied the place of every thing.
The Bishop of St. Malo was chosen for the ceremony, who flattered, as
may be believed, at baptizing a Huron, arrived in a pompous equipage,
followed by his clergy. Miss St. Yves put on her best gown to bless God,
and sent for a hair dresser from St. Malo's, to shine at the ceremony.
The inquisitive bailiff brought the whole country with him. The church
was magnificently ornamented. But when the Huron was summoned to attend
the baptismal font, he was not to be found.