autant d'appetit & plus de ioye, que les chaffeurs ne
mangent vn Sanglier ou vn Cerf .
Pendant ce beau feftin le iour s'approche ; ces loups
eftans remplis d'vne viande qu'ils tiennent pour deli-
cate, & emmenent leurs prifonniers, vne femme nom-
inee Kicheuigb'kb'e, ne pouuant fuiure la bande, fut
affommee fur le champ. Plufieurs hommes & plu-
lieurs femmes fouhaitoient fon bon heur, car elle en
fut quitte pour bien peu. Pour moy, difoit celle qui
a raconte cette hiftoire, fi i'euffe efte baptifee, i'au-
rois eftime a faueur de mourir de la forte ; mes yeux
n'auroient pas efte contraints de voir les horribles
fpectacles, & les cruautez etranges qu'ils ont veu.
Entre toutes les femmes prifonnieres nous eftions
trois, qui auions chacun vn petit enfant d'enuiron
deux mois: nous n'auions pas fait grand chemin,
que ces mal-heureux nous les rauirent. Ah mon
Pere/ difoit-elle, ne t'etonne pas fi ie pleure mainte-
nant, ie iettay bien d'autres larmes quand ils arra-
cherent de mon fein [162] mon pauure petit fils:
mais helas ! fi ie ne f cauois que tu nous porteras co-
paffion, ie ne pafferois pas outre. Ils prirent nos
petits enfans, les attacherent a vne broche, les pre-
fenterent au feu, & les firent roftir tous vifs deuant
nos yeux. N'eftoit que i'efpere que vous autres
Francois, tirerez vengeance de ces cruautez, ie ne
1642] RELA TION OF 1642 255
wolves. The women and children wept bitterly, and
those half Demons took pleasure in hearing their
doleful chants. When the supper was cooked, these
wolves devoured their prey; one seized a thigh, an-
other [161] abreast; some sucked the marrow from
the bones; others broke open the skulls, to extract
the brains. In a word, they ate the flesh of men
with as much appetite as, and with more pleasure
than, hunters eat that of a Boar or of a Stag.
Daylight had approached during this fine feast.
When those wolves had gorged themselves on a meat
that they consider delicate, they took away their
prisoners. A woman named Kicheuigoukwe, who
was unable to keep up with the band, was at once
knocked on the head. Many men and women envied
her good fortune, for she had escaped from her mis-
ery very easily. " As for me," said she who told
the story, " if I had been baptized, I would have
considered it a mercy to die thus ; my eyes would
not have been forced to see the horrible sights and
unnatural cruelties that they have witnessed.
" Among all the captive women, we were three
who had each a little child, about two months old.
We had not journeyed far before those wretches
robbed us of them. Ah, my Father," she said, " be
not surprised if I weep now. I shed many tears
when they tore from my bosom [162] my poor little
son. But alas ! if I did not know that thou wilt have
compassion on us, I would say no more. They took
our little children, placed them on spits, held them
to a fire, and roasted them before our eyes. Did I
not hope that you Frenchmen will wreak vengeance
for such cruelties, I would be unable to speak. Those
poor little ones knew not as yet the fire, when they
256 LES RELATIONS DES JESUITES [Vol.22
pourrois parler. Ces pauures petits ne connoiffoient
pas encor le feu, quand ils en fentirent l'ardeur: ils
nous regardoient, & fe tuoient de pleurer: noftre
coeur fe fendoit les voyans tous nuds brufler a petit
feu : nous nous eff orcions de les retirer, mais en
vain, car nos liens & ces Barbares nous en empef-
choient. H<§! tuez-les, difions-nous ; tuez les, mef-
chans que vous eftes; que vous ont fait ces petits
innocens? Ils n'auoient point d'oreilles, point de
pitie ; ils fe rioient de nos larmes & de nos vains
efforts. Ce ne font pas des hommes, ce font des
loups. Apres qu'ils eurent fait mourir ces pauures
petits par le feu, ils les tirerent de la broche ou ils
eftoient liez, les iettent dans leurs chaudieres, les
font boiiillir, & les mangent en noftre prefence. Ie
vous confeffe, dit le Pere, qui nous a mande cette
tragedie, que voyant les larmes de [163] cette pauure
mere; & entendant ces cruautez inouyes, Connnota
funt vifcera mea. Ie fus touche iufques au cceur.
Mais pourfuiuons noftre chemin ; fuiuons ces prif on-
niers, & voyons quel accueil on leur fera dans les
bourgades Hiroquoifes.
; . Quand cette bande lugubre arriua au grand Sault
de la chaudiere, c'eft vn fleuue qui fe precipite tout
a coup dans la Riuiere des trois prairies, au deffus
de Mont-real, vne femme prifonniere voyant vn en-
droit de ce fleuue qui n'eftoit point glace\ fe iette
dedans par defefpoir, aimant mieux perir dans les
eaux, que de mourir dans le feu ; la rapidite du cou-
rant la reietta d'abord. Les Hiroquois accourent, la
veulent fauuer d'vn precipice ; pour la ietter dans vn
abyfme: mais l'ayans trouuee aux abois, ils l'affom-
merent, & luy couppent la tefte, emportans fa cheue-
1642] RELA TION OF 1642 257
felt its heat. They looked at us, and cried with all
their might. Our hearts were broken when we saw
them roasting, all naked, before a slow fire. We
tried to drag them away, but in vain, for our bonds
and those Barbarians prevented us. ' O! kill them,'
we cried, ' kill them, wretches that you are. What
have these poor little innocents done to you? ' They
had no ears, no pity ; they laughed at our tears, and
at our fruitless efforts. They are not men ; they are
wolves. After they had put the poor little babes to
death by fire, they drew them off the spit to which
they were fastened, threw them into their kettles,
boiled them, and ate them in our presence." " I con-
fess," says the Father who has written to us of this
tragedy, " that when I saw the tears shed by [163]
that poor mother and listened to such unheard-of
cruelties, Commota sunt viscera mea. I was touched
to the heart." But let us continue our journey; let
us follow these prisoners, and see what reception
awaits them in the Hiroquois villages.
When the dismal band reached the great Falls of
the chaudiere, — this is a river which suddenly falls
into the River of the three meadows, above Mont-
real, — a captive woman, observing a spot where the
stream was not entirely frozen over, cast herself into
it in her despair, preferring to perish in the water
rather than to die by fire. At first the rapidity of
the current threw her out. The Hiroquois ran up,
wishing to save her from a precipice in order to cast
her into an abyss. But when they saw her at the
last extremity, they clubbed her to death and cut off
her head, taking her scalp. It would occupy too
much time to relate all the incidents that occurred
on the way. Let us hasten.
258 LES RELATIONS DES JESUITES [Vol. 22
lure. Ie ferois trop long fi ie m'arreftois a toutes
les particularitez de leur chemin ; haftons-nous.
Les vidtorieux & les vaincus continuans leur route,
deux ieunes hommes prirent le deuant pour donner
aduis de la vidtoire. Auffi-toft vn grand nombre de
perfonnes viennent au deuant iufques a vne iournee
[164] de chemin, les femmes apportent du bled d'Inde,
& d'autres viures qu'elles prefentent a ces guerriers.
II fallut faire alte a la veue de ces viuandieres : on
fait dancer les prifonniers hommes & femmes, & la
nuidt fe paffa dans ces cris de rejoiiiffance.
Le lendemain arriuans proche d'vne Bourgade, ils
trouuerent vne grande cabane toute preparee, elle
eftoit meublee de feux & de braziers qu'on auoit faits
en diuers endroits. Quelques Demons y attendoient
les prifonniers qu'on amenoit en triomphe, liez &
garrottez comme de pauures vidtimes de la mort.
Vn monde d'hommes, de femmes & de petits enfans,
les enuironnoient, faifans retentir l'air d'vn fon auffi
lugubre aux vaincus, qu'il eftoit agreable aux vidto-
rieux. Entrans dans cet Enfer on les falue de grands
coups de bafton ; on leur paff e vne corde au poignet
de la main, que les plus robuftes d'entr'eux ferrent
auec vne fureur enragee. Cette douleur eft tres-
fenfible. On les taillade par les bras, on les decouppe
par le dos & par les epaules: on leur couppe les
doigts, aux vns plus, aux autres moins, non auec vn
couteau, mais auec des 6cailles de poiffon, arm que
le tourment foit [165] plus cruel, plus long & plus
fenfible. Cette pauure creature qui s'eft fauu6e, a
les deux pouces couppez, ou pluftoft hachez. Quand
ils me les eurent couppez, difoit-elle, ils me les vou-
lurent faire manger ; mais ie les mis fur mon giron,
1642] RELA TION OF 1642 259
While victors and vanquished pursued their route,
two young men went on in advance, to convey the
news of the victory. A great many persons came at
once to meet them a full day's [164] journey. The
women brought Indian corn and other food, which
they offered to the warriors who had come to a halt
on the arrival of these vivandieres. The prisoners,
both men and women, were made to dance, and the
night passed amid shouts of rejoicing.
On the following day, as they approached a Vil-
lage, they found a large cabin all prepared ; it was
furnished with fires and fireplaces, prepared in vari-
ous places. Some Demons were waiting there for
the captives, who were brought in triumph, tied and
bound like poor victims of death. A crowd of men,
women, and little children surrounded them, rending
the air with sounds as dismal to the vanquished as
they were pleasant to the victors. When they en-
tered this Hell, they were received with heavy blows
from sticks; cords were tied around their wrists,
which the strongest among their foes tightened with
enraged fury. The pain of this is very severe. Their
arms were slashed; their backs and shoulders were
gashed; their fingers were cut off, — on some, many;
on others, few, — not with knives, but with scales
of fishes, so that the torture might be [165] more
cruel, more lasting, and more painful. The poor
creature who escaped, had both her thumbs cut, or
rather hacked off. M When they had cut them
off," she said, " they wished to force me to eat them ;
but I put them on my lap, and told them that they
could kill me if they liked, but that I could not obey
them."
After this first reception, food was brought to them,
260 LES RELATIONS DES j£SUITES [Vol.22
& leur dis qu'ils me tuaffent s'ils vouloient, que ie
ne leur pouuois obeir.
Apres ce premier falut ils leur apportent a manger
pour leur donner nouuelles forces, arm de les tour-
menter plus long teps, & en faire leurs joiiets, comme
les Demons font des ames damnees. Ils comman-
dent aux hommes de chanter, & aux femmes de dan-
cer. Ils nous dechirent & arrachent nos robes, difoit
cette pauure creature, ils nous expofent toutes nues
a la rif ee & aux cris de toutes leurs Bourgades : ils
nous font dancer en cette pofture aux voix & aux
chants de nos compatriotes, Mufica in luclu importance
narratio. Helas/ quelle ioye peut auoir vn cceur en
vne dance au milieu des Demons?
Adrian Earimitagb'fltch, e'eftoit vn braue Chre-
ftien, homme bien fait, lequel, s'il euft preffenty fon
mal-heur, auoit fort preffe le Pere Buteux de le
baptifer deuant qu'il remontaft en fon pays; Pource,
difoit-il, [166] que ie pourray tomber entre les mains
de mes ennemis. Ce bon Neophyte eftant captif
auffi bien que les autres ; & ayant receu commande-
ment de chanter les femmes, n'entonna auec fes
camarades, que des chanfons Hiroquoifes \sc. Fran-
coif es ?]. Dequoy les Barbares s'etonnans, luy deman-
derent pourquoy il ne chantoit point a la facon des
Algonquins. II n'y a plus, dit-il, d'Algonquins, nous
fommes maintenant Francois ; les Francois font nos
vrais amis. Ie croy, remarque le Pere, qu'il vouloit
dire, que les Algonquins fe faifoient tous Chreftiens,
& qu'il ne pouuoit s'exprimer qu'en difant qu'ils
eftoient amis des Francois. On luy couppa les
doigts, non de trauers comme les autres, mais de
long, pour luy donner plus de douleur: en vn mot, on
1642J RELA TION OF 1642 261
to give them new strength, — in order to torment
them longer, and to make them their playthings, as
the Demons do with the souls of the damned. They
ordered the men to sing, and the women to dance.
" They tore and pulled off our garments," said this
poor creature; " they exposed us, entirely naked, to
the jeers and howls of all their Villages. They
made us dance in that condition, to the voices and
songs of our countrymen." Musica in luctn importuna
narratio. Alas ! what joy can a heart feel in a dance
amid Demons?
Adrian Earimitagousitch was a worthy Christian,
a powerful man, who, as if he had foreseen his
misfortune, had strongly urged Father Buteux to
baptize him before he returned to his own country,
"because," said he, [166] "I might fall into the
hands of my enemies." This good Neophyte was a
prisoner, as well as the others ; and on being ordered
to sing of women, he, with his comrades, sang only
Hiroquois \sc. French?] songs. The Barbarians were
astonished at this, and asked him why he did not
sing in the Algonquin fashion. " There are no
longer," said he, "any Algonquins. We are now
French; the French are our true friends." " I
think," says the Father, " that he meant to say that
all the Algonquins were becoming Christians, and
that he could express his meaning only by saying
that they were friends of the French." They cut
his fingers, — not across, like the others, but length-
wise, so as to make him suffer more. In a word, he
was put to death like a man of importance, that is,
with the most exquisite torture. He said to a young
Algonquin woman whom he saw, shortly before his
death: " If ever you see the French, tell them that
262 LES RELATIONS DES J E~ SUITES [Vol.22
le fit mourir en homme de confideration, c'eft a dire
auec des tourmens plus exquis. II dift a quelque ieune
femme Algonquine, qu'il apperceut vn peu deuant fa
mort. Si vous voyez iamais les Francois, dites-leur
que ie les aime en mourant ; & que ie me f ouuiendray
d'eux au dernier periode de ma vie, & de ce qu'ils
m'ont dit, & de ce qu'ils m'ont enfeigne. On fit
mourir les prifonniers en diuerfes Bourgades, c'eft
[167] pourquoy cette bonne femme ne les vid pas
tous fouffrir. Efcoutons ce qu'elle a de refte a nous
dire de ceux qu'elle a veus.
La nuidt s'eflant paffee dans les ioyes & dans les
trifteffes. On fit d6s le matin monter ces pauures
patiens fur vn grand echaffaut dreffe tout expres, afin
qu'ils peuffent eftre veus de tout le monde, & qu'il
n'y eut ny petit ny grand qui ne vift de fes yeux les
nouuelles cruautez qu'on leur deuoit faire endurer.
Ces Demons s'arment de flambeaux & de tif ons ; les
plus petits les appliquent fous les pieds de ces mife-
rables, par les ouuertures de l'echaffaut ; les autres
les portent aux cuiffes & coftez: en vn mot, aux
endroits les plus fenfibles, on commande aux femmes
captiues de brufler leurs marys & leurs compatriotes :
elles respondent, Qu'elles n'en feroient rien. II n'y
eut que la fille d'vn nomme Atteffenipin appelle des
Fracois, le charbon qui brufla indifferemment les
hommes & les femmes captiues. Elle s'imaginoit
que cette cruaute luy donneroit la vie, mais au con-
traire, elle luy caufa vne mort plus rigoureufe qu'aux
autres. Vn des prifonniers ne faifant paroiftre au-
cun figne de douleur dans le fort de fes tourmens
[168] & de fes fupplices. Les Hiroquois piquez de
rage de voir fa conftance, qu'ils prennent a mauuais
1642] RELA TION OF 1642 263
I loved them till death, and that I shall remember
them at the last period of my life, as well as what
they have told me and what they have taught me."
The prisoners were put to death in different Villages,
and that is [167] why this good woman did not see
them all suffer. Let us hear what she still has to
tell us of those whom she saw.
The night passed amid joy and sorrow. In the
early morning, the poor sufferers were made to ascend
a large scaffold erected for the purpose, so that they
might be seen by all the people, and that no one,
either great or small, should fail to witness the new
cruelties that they should be made to endure. Those
Demons armed themselves with torches and fire-
brands. The smallest among them applied these to
the soles of the feet of the unfortunates, through
openings in the scaffold, while the others applied
them to their thighs and sides, — in a word, to the
most sensitive parts of the body. The captive wom-
en were ordered to burn their husbands and their
countrymen. They replied that they would not.
There was only the daughter of one Awessenipin —
called by the French ' ' the coal ' ' — who burned the
captive men and women indifferently. She imag-
ined that such cruel conduct would save her life ; but,
on the contrary, it brought on her a more painful
death than on the others. One of the prisoners
manifested not the least sign of pain, in the height
of his torments [168] and sufferings. The Hiroquois
were furious with rage on observing this firmness,
which they consider an evil augury — for they be-
lieve that the souls of the warriors who despise them
will make them pay dearly for the death of their
bodies; seeing, I say, such firmness, they asked him
264 LES RELATIONS DES JESUITES [Vol.22
augure ; car ils croyent que les ames des guerriers
qui meprifent leur rage, leur feront bien payer la
mort de leurs corps : Voyans, dis-je, cette conftance,
ils luy demandent pourquoy ils ne crioyent [sc. il ne
crioit] point : Ie fais, repond-il, ce que vous ne f eriez
pas, fi on vous traitoit auec la mefme fureur que vous
me traittez: le fer & le feu que vous appliquez fur
mon corps, vous feroient crier bien haut, & pleurer
comme des enfans, & ie ne branfle pas. A ces pa-
roles ces tigres fe iettent fur cette victime a demy
bruflee ; ils luy enleuent la peau de la tefte, & iettent
fur fon crane tout fanglant, du fable tout rouge &
tout bruflant de feu. Ils le precipitent en bas de
rechaffaut, & le trainent a l'entour des cabanes. En
cet equipage il paroiffoit comme vn monftre; il n'a-
uoit que du fang & du fable ardent pour des cheueux ;
fes yeux, & toute fa face, eftoient couuerts de feux
& de fang: fon corps tout taillade & tout rofty, fes
mains fans doigts; en vn mot, non erat vulneri locus.
Les playes fe couuroient les vnes les autres. Cet
objet qui euft donne de l'horreur aux hommes, [169]
donnoit de la i'oye a ces Demons, qui pour dernier
ac5te de leur cruaute, fendent la poitrine a ceux qu'ils
veulent mettre a mort ; leur arrachent le cceur & le
foye qu'ils font roftir; leur couppent les pieds & les
mains, les font cuire partie fous la cendre, partie
auec vne broche deuant le feu ; bref ils les font roftir
& bouillir, & puis les mangent auec vne delicieufe
rage, homo homini lupus; l'homme deuient vn loup
enuers vn homme, quand il fe laiffe gouuerner aux
Demons. Helas ! feroit-il bien poffible, que le Pere
& les Francois, dont ie vay bien toft parler, fuflent
traitez de la forte par ces Barbares qui les ont pris,
& emmenez depuis peu en leur pays !
1642] RELA TION OF 1642 265
why he did not cry out. " I do," he replied, " what
you could not, if you were treated with the same
cruelty that you show me. The iron and the fire
that you apply to my body would make you cry out
very loud, and weep like children, while I do not
flinch." On hearing these words, those tigers threw
themselves on their half -consumed victim, tore off
his scalp, and cast sand, heated red-hot and burning
with fire, on his bleeding skull. They threw him
off the scaffold, and dragged him around the cabins.
In that condition he looked like a monster ; he had
only blood and hot sand for hair ; his eyes and his
entire face were covered with fire and gore ; his body
was all slashed and roasted ; his hands were finger-
less, — in a word, non erat vulneri locus. The wounds
overlapped one another. Such a sight, which would
have caused horror to men, [169] rejoiced those De-
mons, who, as their final act of cruelty, cut open the
breasts of those whom they wish to kill, tear out
their hearts and their livers, which they roast ; they
cut off their feet and their hands, which they cook
partly under the embers, partly on a spit before the
fire ; in short, they roast and boil them, and then
they eat them with delighted rage. Homo Jwmini
lupus; man becomes a wolf to other men, when he
allows himself to be governed by Demons. Alas!
can it be possible that the Father and the French-
men, of whom I will soon speak, have been treated
in like manner by the Barbarians who have recently
taken and carried them off to their country?
I learn that they killed only the men and the more
aged women, sparing about thirty of the younger
ones in order that they might dwell in their coun-
try, and marry as if they had been born there. The
266 LES RELATIONS DES JESUITES [Vol.22
I'apprends qu'ils ne tuerent que les hommes &
les femmes plus agees, donnans la vie a vne tren-
taine des plus ieunes pour viure dans leur pays & fe
marier, comme fi elles y auoient pris leur naiffance.
Les deux qui fe font fauuees, s'attendoient au mefme
fupplice qu'elles voyoient faire aux autres ; mais on
leur dift qu'elles n'en mourroient pas, qu'on fe con-
tentoit de les auoir bruflees auec des flambeaux, &
taillad6es par tout le corps.
La fureur de ces lions s'eftant appaifee [170] dans
le fang de leurs ennemis, ces pauures femmes refte-
rent auec leurs bleffeures & auec leurs brufleures, fans
y mettre autre emplaftre, ny appliquer autre remede
que la patience. Elles paffent l'Hyuer dans les
fouffrances & dans les trifteffes comme de pauures
efclaues, entendans tous les iours les rodomontades
que faifoient ces Barbares contre les Francois & con-
tre les Algonquins, qu'ils veulent entierement exter-
miner, a ce qu'ils difent, fe fentans appuyez & armez
des Hollandois.
Au Printemps, trois cens Hiroquois fe difpofans a
la guerre, on fe fert de ces femmes pour porter leurs
farines, ou leurs munitions de bouche. L'occafion fe
prefentant de fe fauuer, elles l'empoignent, fe gliffent
dans ces grandes forefts, fe perdent le plus qu'elles
peuuent dans ces bois pour fe mieux retrouuer. Elles
pafferent les premiers dix iours fans manger; au
bout defquels ayans fait rencontre de quelques beftes
fauuages, qu'vne efcoiiade d' Hiroquois, qui venoit en
guerre auoit tu6es, & a demy mangees, en enleue-
rent de longues pieces, qui leur firent grand plaifir.
Elles faifoient du feu auec des funis de bois de cedre,
qui font fort communs aux [171] Sauuages. Elles
1642] RELA TION OF 1642 267
two who escaped expected the same torture that they
saw the others suffer ; but they were told that they
should not die, — that their foes would rest satisfied
after having burned them with torches, and gashed
their bodies all over.
The fury of those lions being appeased [170] with
the blood of their enemies, these poor women re-
mained with their wounds and their burns, without
putting on any plaster or applying any other remedy
but patience. They passed the Winter in suffering
and sorrow, as wretched slaves, daily hearing the
bluster of those Barbarians against the French and
Algonquins, whom they wish to exterminate com-
pletely, so they say, knowing that they are supported
and armed by the Dutch.
In the Spring, three hundred Hiroquois prepared
for war, and these women were employed in carry-
ing their meal or provisions. An opportunity for
escaping presented itself ; they at once seized it, and
crept away into the deep forest, losing themselves
as much as possible in the woods, the better to find
their way home again. They had no food for the
first ten days, after which they found some wild
animals that a band of Hiroquois on their way to
war, had killed and half consumed. They cut off
long strips of flesh from these, which gave them
much pleasure. They produced fire by means of fire-
sticks made of cedar wood, which is very common
among the [171] Savages. 12 Afterward, they caught
some Beavers, and crossed great rivers, enduring
sufferings and hardships sufficient to kill men.
Finally, they reached the three Rivers almost naked ;
their poor bodies were all torn by the thorn bushes
and by the fatigues of the journey, and their minds
268 LES RELATIONS DES JESUITES [Vol.22
prirent par apres quelques Caftors, pafferent de
grandes riuieres, fouffrirent des peines, & endurerent
des trauaux capables de tuer des hommes. En fin
elles arriuerent quafi toutes nue's aux trois Riuieres :
leur pauure corps eftoit tout declare" des halliers &
des fatigues du chemin, & leur ame accablee de