VOYAGE OF FATHER SIMON LE MOINE

TO THE COUNTRY OF THE IROQUOIS ONONDAGOES, IN JULY, August AND SEPTEMBER, 1654.

[Relation de la N. France és années, 1653 and 1654.]

On the second day of the month of July, the festival of the Visitation of the Most Holy Virgin always friendly to our undertakings, Father LeMoine departed from Quebec on a voyage to the Iroquois Onondagoes. He passed Three Rivers, and from thence by Montreal, where a young man of good courage, and an old habitant, joined him, with much piety. I shall follow the Father's Journal for greater facility.

On the 17th day of July, St. Alexis' day, we left home with this great and holy traveller, and departed for a land unknown On the 18th, following always the course of the River St. Lawrence, we met nothing but breakers and impetuous rapids, all strewed with rocks and shoals.

to us.

The 19th. This river grows wider and forms a lake, agreeable to the view, from eight to ten leagues in length. At night, an army of troublesome musquitoes foreboded the rain which poured down on us the whole of the night. To be in such circumstances without any shelter except the trees, which Nature has produced ever since the creation of the world, is a pastime more innocent and agreeable than could be anticipated.

20th. Nothing but islands, in appearance the most beautiful, which intersect here and there this very quiet river. The land on the north bank appears to us excellent; there is a range of high mountains towards the east, which we called St. Margaret's. 21st. Continuation of the islands. In the evening we break

our bark canoe; it rains all night. The naked rocks serve us for bed, mattrass and all. Whoever hath God with him reposes quietly every where.

22d. The precipices of water which for a while are no longer navigable oblige us to carry on our shoulders both our baggage and the canoe which carried us. At the other side of the Rapid, I perceived a herd of wild cows which were passing at their ease in great state. Five or six hundred are seen sometimes in these regions in one drove.

23d and 24th of the month. Our pilot being hurt, we must remain a prey to the musquitoes, and have patience, often more difficult in regard to the inconveniences which have no intermission neither night nor day, than to behold death before one's eyes.

25th. The river is so very rapid that we are obliged to throw ourselves in the stream to drag our canoe after us, amid the rocks, as a cavalier, dismounting, leads his horse by the bridle. At night we arrive at the entrance of Lake St. Ignatius, in which eels abound in a prodigious quantity.

26th. A high wind with rain forces us to debark, after having made four leagues. A hut is soon built. The neighbouring trees are stript of their bark; this is thrown on poles set in the ground on either side, bringing them together in the form of an arbor; and then our house is built. Ambition finds no entrance into this palace. It failed not to be as agreeable to us as if the roof was all covered with gold.

27th. We coasted along the shores of the lake; they are rocks on one side and the other, of an immense height, now frightful, now pleasing to the sight. It is wonderful how large trees can find root among so many rocks.

28th. Thunder, lightning and a deluge of rain oblige us to shelter ourselves under our canoe, which being inverted, serves us for a house.

29th and 30th July. A rain storm continues, which arrests us at the entrance of a great lake, called Ontario. We call it the Lake of the Iroquois, because they have their villages on the south side there. The Hurons are on the other shore, farther on

in the interior. This lake is twenty leagues wide; its length about forty.

31st. St. Ignatius' day. The rain and storm force us to seek for lost roads. We cross long islands, carrying our bagage, provisions and canoe on our shoulders. The road seems long to a poor weary man.

On the first day of the month of August, some Iroquois fishermen having perceived us from a distance, get together to receive us. One of them runs towards us, advancing a half a league to communicate the earliest news and the state of the country. It is a Huron prisoner, and a good Christian, whom I formerly instructed during a winter that I passed among the savages. This poor lad could not believe that it was he whom he never hoped to see again. We disembarked at a little village of fishermen. They crowd as to who shall carry our bagage. But alas! they are apparently only Huron squaws, and for the most part Christian women, formerly rich and at their ease, whom captivity has reduced to servitude. They requested me to pray to God, and I had the consolation to confess there at my leisure Hostagehtak, our antient host of the Petun Nation. His sentiments and devotion drew tears from my eyes; he is the fruit of the labors of Father Charles Garnier, that holy missionary whose death has been so precious before God.

The second day of August. We walked about twelve to fif teen leagues in the woods. We camp where the day closes.

The 3d. At noon we find ourselves on the bank of a river, one hundred or one hundred and twenty paces wide, beyond which there was a hamlet of fishermen. An Iroquois whom I at one time had treated kindly at Montreal, put me across in his canoe, and through respect carried me on his shoulders, being unwilling to suffer me to wet my feet. Every one received me with joy, and these poor people enriched me from their poverty. I was conducted to another village a league distant, where there was a young man of consideration who made a feast for me because I bore his father's name, Ondessonk. The Chiefs came to harangue us, the one after the other. I baptized little skeletons who

awaited, perhaps, only this drop of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

4th. They ask me why we are dressed in black? and I take occasion to speak to them of our mysteries with great attention. They bring me a little moribund whom I call Dominick. The time is passed when they used to hide the little innocents from us. They took me for a great Medicine-man, having no other remedy for the sick but a pinch of sugar. We pursued our route -in the middle of which we found our dinner waiting for us. The nephew of the first Chief of the country, who is to lodge me in his cabin, is deputed by his uncle to escort us, bringing us every delicacy that the season could afford, especially new corn bread, and ears (of corn) which we had roasted at the fire. We slept again that day by the beautiful light of the stars.

5th. We had to make four leagues before arriving at the principal Onondaga village. There is nothing but comers and goers on the road who come to salute me. One treats me as brother; another as uncle-never did I have such a number of relations. A quarter of a league from the village I began a harangue, which gained me much credit. I named all the Chiefs, the families and persons of note in a drawling voice and with the tone of a chief. I told them that Peace walked along with me; that I drove War afar off among the distant nations, and that Joy accompanied me. Two Chiefs made their speech to me on my arrival, but with a gladness and cheerfulness of countenance which I never had seen among savages. Men, women and children, all were respectful and friendly.

At night I called the principal men together to make them two presents. The first to wipe their faces, so that they may regard me with a kindly eye, and that I may never see a trace of sorrow on their foreheads. The second to clear out the little gall which they still might have in their hearts. After several other discourses they retired to consult together, and finally they responded to my presents by two other presents richer than mine.

6th. I was called to divers quarters to administer my medicine to weakly and hectic little things. I baptized some of them.