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1 2 3

;*^roiTtf«ar «?Drit{on

Thi

Jesuits in North Anicricn

in the

Seventeenth Century

[France and England in North America
Part Seconds

FRANCIS PARKMAN

IN TWO VOLUMES
Volume One

GEORCE

TORONTO

A'. M(rR.l\(; ;,••
Limited
1900

co.Mr.iM

Kntcrcd acTor.linK „. Ac-t of Cngrc-.s, in the year ,867,
Hy Francis Parkman,

In the Clerk's Office of the Dis„.ict Court oHheDi
of Massachusetts.

district

Copyriir/it /S<jj,

By (Jkaci; p Coi iiv ,v > l-

^^oiiiN ANi) Kathkrin,; S. Cooi.ii)

W// righti rc.avcd.

CE.

1900
V, /

(Ttnilirrsitu ^iJrrss:

John VV .lson an,, Son, CAMURnuit, U.S.A.

PREFACE.

Few passages of history are more striking
than those whieh record the efforts (;f tlie earlier
French Jesuits to convert the Indians. Full as
they are of dramatic and philosophic hiterest,
bearing strongly on the political destinies of
America, and closely involved with the history
of its native population, it is wonderful that
they have been left so long in obscurity. While
the infant colonies of England still clung feebly
to the shores of the Atlantic, events deeply
ominous to their future were in progress, un-
known to them, in the very heart of the con-
tinent. It will be seen, in the sequel of this
volume, that civil and religious liberty found
strange allies in this Western World.

The sources of information concerning the
early Jesuits of New France are very copious.
During a period of forty years, the Superior of
the Mission sent, every summer, long and de-

PREPACK.

tailed reports, embodying or accompanied by the
reports of his subordinates, to the Provincial of
tlie Order at Paris, Avliere they were annually
pul)lisli(Ml, in duodecimo ^■()lumes, forming the
remarkable series known as the Jesuit Jiclations.
Though th(! pnjduetic^ns i.f men of scholastic
training, they are simple and often crude in
style, as might be expected of narratives hastily
written in Indian lodu;es or rude mission-houses
in the forest, am'd annoyances and interruptions
of all kinds. In resjx'ct to the value of their
contents, they are e>xeedingly unequal. Mod-
est records of marvellous adventures and sacri-
fices, and vivid pictares of forest life, alternate
with prolix and monotonous details of the con-
version of individual savages, and the praise-
worthy deportment of some exemplary neophyte.
AYith regard to the condition and character of
the i)rimitive inhabitants of North America, it
is impossible to exaggerate their value as an
authority. I slioidd add, that the closest exami-
nation has left me no doubt that these mission-
aries wrote in perfect good faith, and that the
Relations hold a high place as authentic and
trustworthy historical documents. They are
very scarce, and no complete collection of them
exists in America. The entire series was, how-

jprotttctmc lEDitton

FRANCIS PARKMAN'S WORKS

VOLUME THREE

M,lJ 7>lr '■• I

» M

nrTi;r;7ni-^T i -7^:~-r ,»,«;- „ „,

PREFACE.

ever, republisliod, in 1S.")S, l)y tlic Canadian
government, in tln^ee large octavo volumes.^

These form bnt a. part of the surviving writ-
ings of the French-American Jesuits. Many
additional reports, memoirs, journals, and let-
ters, official and private, have come down to ns ;
some of which have recently been printed, wliilc
others remain in manuscript. Nearlj' ev(^ry
prominent actor in the scenes to be d(^scril)cd
has left his own record of events in wliich lie
bore })art, in the shape of reports to his Superi-
ors or letters to his friends. I have stndicd and
compared these anthorities, as well as a great
mass of collateral evidence, with more than
usual care, striving to secure the greatest i)os-
sible accuracy of statement, and to re]n'(jduce an
image of the past with photographic clearness
and truth.

The introductory chapter of the volume is
independent of the rest ; but a knowledge of
the facts set forth in it is essential to the full
understanding of the narrative which follows.

In the collection of material, I have received

1 Butli editions — tlu' oM ami tln! now — arc citiul in tlu' fnllow-
in-r pajrus. Wiiore the refcronco is to tl:c old edition, it is indicatt-d
by the name of the publislier (Cranioihiy), appended to tlie eitation,
in braekets.

In I'Xtraets jrivcn in the notes, tlie anti(iuated orthoi^riipliy and
uei't'iit nation are preserveil.

Vlll

PREFACE.

valuable aid from Mr. J. G. Slica, Rov. Felix
Martin, S.J., the Abbes Laverdi^re and TI. R.
Casgrain, Dr. J. C. Tache, and tlie late Jacques
Viger, Esq.

I propose to devote the next volume of this
series to the discovery and occupation l)y the
French of the Valley of the Mississippi.

Boston, l.st May, 1807.

conte;n"ts.

f 1

INTRODUCTION.

N.MIVi; TUIHKS.

Divisions. — Tlio Aiujonquiiis. — 'I'lio lliiroiis: their IIouscs ; For-
l i ligations ; Habits; Arts; Women ; Trade ; Festivities; Medi-
cine. — Tlio Tobacco Nation. — Tlie Neutrals. — The Kries.
— The Anda,ste.s. — The Iroiiuois : Social and Political Orj^an-
ization. — iroqnois Institutions, Customs, and Character. —
Indian Religion and Superstitions. — The Indian Mind . . .

P.XfJK

CHARTER I.

1G34.

NOTnE-D.VME DES AVGKS.

Quehec in i634. — Father Le Jeune. — Tiie .Mission-house: its
Domestic Economy. — The Jesuits and their Designs . . .

CHAPTER II.

LOYOLA AND TIIK .fKStriTS.

Conversion of Loyola. — Foundation of the Soeiijty of .Te.«us. —
Preparation of the Novice. — Characteristics of the ( )nler. —
The Canadian Jesuits 95

CHAPTER III.

rAIL I,K JKUNK.

Le Jeune's Voyage: his First Pujiils; his Studios; his Indian
Teacher. — Winter at t!ie ^lission-lKJU.se. — Le Jeune's
School. — Reinforcenicnis 101

CONTENTS.

CriAPTEU IV.

1G33, l(i;J4.
LB JKUNE AND JlIi; HUNTIiUS.

Le Jenno joins tho Indians. — Tlio Fir.st Encampmont. — Tho
Aimtate. — Forest Life in Winter. — TIio Indian lint.—
Tho Sorcerer: lii.s rersccniion of tlio I'riost. — Evil Coin-
pany. — Magic. — Incantations. — Christtniis. — Starvation.

— Hopes of Conversion.— IJaclvsliding—lVril and E.srapo
of Lo Jeune; his ]{eturn

CIIAI'TER V.

IC.'J.'}, IG.'U.
THE nCKON MISSION.

Plana of Conversion. — Aims and Motives. — Indian Diplomacy.

— Iluroiis at C^noLec — Councils. — The Jesuit Ciuij)el. — Lo
Borgnc. — The Josuita thwarted. — Their Perseverance. —
The Journey to the Hurons. — Jean de Brcbeuf. — Tho Mis-
sion bugUD

CHAPTER VL

16.34, 10;3.').

BREnEIT AM) HIS ASSOCI A ; i;-!.

The Huron Mission-iiouso : its Inmates; its Furniture; its
Guests. — Tlie Jesuit as a Teaclier, — As an Engineer. — Bap-
tisms. — Huron Village Life. — Festivities and Sorceries.—
The Dream Feast. — The Priests accused of jMagic. — The
Drought and the IJed Cross

CHAPTER VII.

1636, 1637.
THE FEAST OP THE DEAD.

Huron Graves. — Preparation for tlif Ceremony. — Disinterment.

— The M(mrning. — Tiie Funeral .Marcli. — The Great Sep-
ulchre. — Funeral Games. — Encanij)mont of the Mourners.

— Gifts. — Harangues. — Frenzy of tho Crowd. — The Clos-
ing Scene. — Another Kite. — The Captive Iroquois. — Tho
Sacrilice

Pahk

110

129

146

159

CONTENTS.

PAriK

110

CHAl'TER VIII.

1636, 1637.

THE IlUliOX AND THK JKSflT.

Paue

Eiitlinsinsm for tlio Mission. — Sici<iif'ss uf tlio I'riosts. — Tho
JVst anion;,' tlio Ilurons. — Tlio Jcsnit on lii.s Honnd.s. — Kf-
forts at Conversion. — Triests and Soncrcrs. — 'i'lio Mau-
Dovil. — Tiie Magician'.s rrosc-ript ion. — Indian Doctors
and Patients. — Covert Baptisni.s. — Self-devotion of the
Jesuits 172

129

146

CHAPTER LX.

1637.

CIIARACTEn OF THE CANADIAN JE.SDIT.9.

Jean de Brehouf. — Charles Garnicr. — Joso])li Mario Ciiaumonot.
— Noel Ciiahanel. — Lsaac Joirnos. — Other Jesuits. — Nature
of their Faith. — Superuaturalism. — Visions. — Miracles . 188

CHAPTER X.
1637-1640.

PEKSECITION.

O-ssossane. — The New Chapel. — A Triumph of tho Faith. —
The Netlior Powers. — Sit!;ns of a Tempest. — Slanders. —
Ra^e against tho Jesuits. — Their Boldne.ss and Persistency.
-Nocturnal Council. — Danger of the Priests. — Brebeuf's
Letter. — Narrow Escapes. — Woes and Consolations . . . 200

159

CHAPTER XI.

1638-1640.

PRIEST AM) PAGAN.

Du Peron's Journey. — Daily Life of the Jesuits. — Their Mis-
sionary Excursions. — Converts at Ossossane— Machinery
of Conversion. — Conditions of Baptism. — Backsliders.-
The Converts and their Countrymen. — The Cannil)als at St.
Joseph

218

Xll

CONTENTS.

CIIAITKIJ xir.

ii;;)'.>, ir. 10.

TIIK TOIIACC ') NAru>N. — lUi; NlilTltALS.

Paoe

A Chatififc of rian. — Siiiiitti Mario. — Mission of the 'I'ohacco Na-
tion. — Winter Jonrnoyinj;. — Roceiitinn of tlic Miw>ionarii'.s.
— Supor.stitions 'Pcrrors. — Peril of (larnier ami Jniruer*. —
Mis.siun of tlio Neutrals. — Huron Intrisfucs. — Miracles. —
Fury of the Indians. — Intervention of Saint Micliael. — Ko-
turn to Sainte .Mario. — Intrepidity of tiio I'riesls. —Their
Mental Exaltation 230

CIIAPTEH XIII.
1G;JG-IG46.

Qi:EnEC AND ITS TENANTS.

Tho New novoriior. — Edifyin<:f Examples. — Lc .Tonne's Corre-
spondents. — Kank and Devotion. — Nnns. — Priestly Autlior-
ity. — Condition of (Jneliee. — 'i'iie Ilnndred Associates. —
Cinirch Disrijdine. — Plays. — Fireworks. — I'roee.ssions. —
Catechisinij. — Terrorism. — Pictures. — The Converts. — The
Society of , Jesus. — The Foresters 241

CIIAPTEll XIV.

1036-16.52.

DEVOTEES AND Nt'N.S.

The Huron Seminary. — Madame do la Peltrio : her Pious
Schemes; her Sham Marriajjje; she visits the Ursulines of
Tours. — Marie do Saint Bernard. — Marie de I'Inearnation ;
her F.ithusiasm; hor Mystical Marriage ; her Dejection ; her
Mental Conflicts; her Vision ; made Superior of the Ur.sulincs.
— The Ilotel-Dieu. — The Voyage to Canad.a. — Sillery. —
Labors and Sufferings of tlio Nuns. — Character of Marie de
ITucaruatiou. — Of Madame de la Peltrie 259

Page

Illustrations

VOLUME I.

Madamk i,e la Peltk.e Frontispiece

Pholoijravured hy Coupil ami Co., I\tris,/rom tin i,„i„t-
iitg by C. Iluut, in the Convent des Ursulines, Qtub<-r.

COL-NTRV OF TllK IIURONS pg,.g y

Paul lk Jeune uu

IJ o«

From an engravimj by Hem'' Lor/ton.
Le Jeune haptizino Indian Childken uoo

From a drawing by li. W<st Clinvdlnst.
DuciiEssE d'Aiouillov 244

From the painting in the IlStcl Dieu, Quebec.
Marie de l'Incarnation , . . «,-7

From an engraving by J. Edelinck, in the Convent des
Ursulines, Quebec,

259

THE JESUITS IN NOIiTII AMERICA.

■ 'a

\: B

(

THE

JESUITS IN NORTH AMERICA.

INTRODUCTION.

NATIVE TRIBES.

Divisions. — Tin: Ai,oo\qi-ins. — Tin: IIirons: thf.ir IIofSKs ;
Fortifications; IIaiutis; Aims; Womkn; Tuadk; Fkstivi-
TiKS ; Mkdicink. — TiiK ToHACCo Nation. — Tin; Nkituai.s. —
The Ekiks. — Tin: Andastks. — Tin; lKO(.^r()is: Social and
Political Oucjanization. — luoyrois Instititions, Cihtoms,
AND Charactkk. — Indian Kkligion and Sui'erstitions. —
The Indian Mind.

America, when it became known to Europeans,
was, as it had long been, a scene of wi(le-s})read
revolution. North and South, tribe w;is giving place
to tribe, language to language; for the Indian, hope-
lessly unchanging in respect to individual and social
development, was, as regarded ti'ibal relations and
local haunts, mutable as the wind. In Canada and
the northern section of the United States, the elements
of change were especially active. 'I'lie Indian popu-
lation which, in 1585, Cartier fou.id at Montreal and
Quebec, had disappeared at tlie opening of tlie next
century, and anotlier race liad succeeded, in language

INTRODUCTION.

and customs widely different; while, in the region
now forming the State of New York, a power was
rising to a ferocious vitality, which, ])ut for the
presence of Europeans, would probably have sub-
jected, a])sorl)ed, or exterminated every other Indian
community east of the Mississippi and north of the
Oliio.

The vast tract of wilderness from the iNIississippi
to the Atlantic, and from the Carolinas to Hudson's
Ray, was divided between two great families of
tril)es, distinguished by a radical difference of lan-
guage. A i)art of Virginia and of Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, soutlieastern New York, New England, New
lii'unswick. Nova Scotia, and Lower Canada were
occui)i('d, so far as occu})ied at all, by triljes speaking
various Algonquin languages and dialects. They
extended, moreover, along the shores of the Tapper
Lakes, and into tho dreary northern wastes beyond.
They lield Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana,
and detached bands ranged the lonely hunting-
ground of Kentucky. 1

Like a great island in the midst of the Algonquins
lay the coinitry of tril)es s})eaking the generic tongue
of the Iroquois. Tlie true Iro(pu)is, or Five Nations,

* Tlic wonl Ali/oni/iiin is licrc used in its 1)r()a(lost -sifrnification.
It was originally applicil to a group of tribes north of the river
St. Lawrence. The dilTereiice of language between the original
Algoncjuins and the Al)enakis of Ni'W Kiigland, the Ojibwas of the
Great Lakes, or the Illinois of the \Ve<t e()rres])()ndeil to the differ •
cnce between French and Italian, or Italian and Spanish. Each of
these languages, again, had its dialects, like those of different
provinces of France.

NEW-EXr,LA\D TRIBES. O

extended through Central New York, fi'om tlic
Ilndson to the Genesee. Southward lay tlu; AndasU's,
on and near the S'is([neliaiHia ; westward, tlie lOries,
ah)ng the southern sliore of Lake lOiie, and llie Neutral
Nation, ah)ng its nortlu'iii sliorc iVoin Niagara towards
tlie Detroit; while the towns oi" the Iluroiis lay near
the lake to whieli they have left liieir nanie.^

Of tlu? Algon(|uin populations, the densest, despite
a recent epidemic which had swe[)t them off hy thou-
sands, was in New England. Here were Mohicans,
Pequots, Narragansetts, Wampanoags, !\hissachusetts,
Penacooks, thorns in the side of the I'urilan. On
the whole, these savages were favorahlc s[)eciniens of
the Algon(piin stock, belonging to that section of it
which tilled the soil, and was thus in some measure
sj)ared the extremes of misery and degradation to
whi(^h the wandering hunter trihes weiv often reduced.
They owed nnich, also, to the bounty of the sea, and
hence they tended towards the coast; which, befoic;
the epidemic, (^hamplain and Smith had seen at
many points studded with wigwams and waving with
harvests of maize. Fear, too, dnjve them eastward;

' To tlio alK)vt' ^rciicral st.itciiuMifs tluTi' was, in the first lialf of
llic Sfvctitct'iitli ci'iiturv, luit niu' I'Xcvptioii wortli iioticr. A t\v-
taclu'd liraiich ol' the Dalicotali stock, tlu' \ViiiiU'l)a!,Mi, was cstal)-
lisluMl south of CrtH'ii May, on I.aki' Micliiiraii, in tiii' midst of thi-
Alironiiuiiis ; and small Dahcotah bands hail also ])lantiMl tlK'in-
Pi'lvt'S on tilt' eastiTn sidt' of tiu' Mississippi, nearly in the same
latitude.

'I'liere was another hraneli of the Iro(|nois in the (r'arolinas, con-
eistintr of the Tnsearoras and kindred hands. In 1710 they were
ji.ineil to the Five Nations.

IXTRODL'CTTON.

for the Iroquois jiiirsued them with an inveterate
enmity. Some })aitl yearly tribute to their tyrants,
wliih^ otliers were still subject to their inroads, flying
in terror at the sound of the Mohawk war-cry.
Westward, the ])opnlatioii thinned rapidly; north-
ward, it soon disappeared. Northern Nev.' Hampshire,
the whole of Vermont, and western Massachusetts
had no human tenants but the roving hunter or
prowling warrior.

We have said that this group of tiibes was rela-
tively very populous; yet it is more than doubtful
whether all of them united, had union been possible,
could have nuistered eight thousand lighting men.
To speak further of them is needless, for they were
not within the scope of the Jesuit labors. The heresy
of heresies had planted itself among them; and it
was for the a[)()stle Eliot, not tlie Jesuit, to essay
their conversion.^

^ Those Indians, tho Arniouchiqiiois of tlic old rronch writers,
were in a state of elironie war witti tiie t/ibes of New Brunswiek
and Nova Scotia. Cliamplain, on liis voyage of 1()0;5, heard strange
accounts of tiiein. The foUowing is literally rendered from the
first narrative of that heroic, but credulous explorer: —

"Tliey are savages of shape altogether nu)nstrou8: for their
heads are small, tlieir bodies short, and their arms tliin as a skele-
ton, as are also tlieir tiiiglis; but tiieir legs are stout and long, and
all of one size, and, wlu'U they are seated on their iieels, tlieir knees
rise more than half a foot above tlieir heads, wliich seems a thing
strange and against Nature. Nevertiieless, they are active and
bold, and tiiey iiave the best country on all tlie coast t wards
Acadia." — /^(S .^(lurdi/rs, f. ',]\.

This story may match that of the great city of Norembega, on
the Penobscot, with its popuhition oi. dwarfs, as related by Jean
Alphonse.

NEW-ENGLAXD TRIBES.

€

Lfindiiif]^ at liostoii, three years before a solitude,
let the traveller push northward, pass the river
Piseataqua and the Penaeooks, and cross the river
Saeo. Here, a ehange of dialect would indicate a
different ti'ihe, or L,n'oup of tribes. These were tlio
Al)enakis, found cliielly along the course of llie
Keiniebec and other rivers, on whose banks they
raised their rude harvests, and whose stn^iins they
ascended to Inuit the moose and bear in the forest
desert of northern Maine, or descended to lisli in the
neighboring sea.^

Crossing the Penobscot, one found a visible descent
in the scale of humanity. Eastern Maine and the
whole of New Brunswick were occupied b}- a race
called Etchemhis, to whom agriculture was unknown,
though the sea, lu'olilic of fish, lobsters, and seals,
greatly lightened their miseries. The Souriq\U)is, or
Micmacs of Nova Scotia, closely reseml)led them in
habits and condition. From Nova Scotia to the St.
Lawrence, there was no population worthy of the
name. From the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Lake
Ontario, the southern border of the great river liad
no tenants but hunters. Northward, between tlie
St. T^awrence and Hudson's Bay, roamed the scattered
hordes of the Papinachois, liersiamites, and others,
included by the French under the general name of
Montagnais. When, in spring, the Frencli trading-
ships arrived and anchored in the port of Tadoussac,

1 The Tarratines of New-England writers were the Abenakis, or
a portion of them.

INTRODUCTION.

tliey gatliorcd from far uiid near, toil in*,' j)ain fully
through the desolation of forests, mustering by hun-
dreds at the poiut of tralHc, and setting U|) their bark
\\'igwams along the strand of that wild harbor. They
were of the lowest Algonquin type. Their ordinary
sustenance was derived from the chase ; though
often, goaded by deadly famine, they would subsist
on roots, the bark and buds of trees, or the foulest
olfal; and in extremity, even cannibalism was not
rare among them.

Ascending the St. Lawrence, it was seldom that
the sight of a human form gave relief to the lone-
liness, until, at Quebec, the roar of Chami)lain's
cannon from the verge of the cliff announced that the
savage prologue of the American drama was drawing
to a close, and that the civilization of Europe was
advancing on the scene. Ascending farther, all was
solitude, except at Three Rivers, a noted place of
trade, where a few Algonquins of the tribe called
Atticamegues might possibly be seen. The fear of
the Iro(piois was everywhere; and as the voyager
passed some wooded point, or thicket-covered island,
the whistling of a stone-headed arrow proclaimed,
perhaps, the presence of these fierce marauders. At
^b)ntreal there was no human life, save during a
brief space in early summer, when the shore swarmed
with savages, who had come to the yearly trade from
the great communities of the interior. To-day there
were dances, songs, and feastings; to-morrow all
again was solitude, and the Ottawa was covered with
the canoes of the i-eturniiicf wnrrioi'S.

ned

i'oin

iere

all

nth

ALGONQUIXS.

V,'

Alon^ tins stroani, u main route of traffu', tho
silence of the wilderness wiis broken only by the
splash of the i)assin<]f paddle. To the north of the river
there was indeed a small Alu^oncpiin hand, called
Lk J'ctifr X((fi<)ii, together with one or two other
feeble connnnnities; l)nt they dwelt far from the
banks, thr(»»i*^h fear of the nbiipiitous Inupiois. It
was nearly three hnndred miles, by the windinL,''s
of the stream, befor(^ ont; reached that Ali^ompiin
tribe, L(( Xdtioii (Ic VIsli\ who occnpied the great
island of the Allnmettes. Then, after many a day
of lonely travel, the voyager fonnd a savage welcome
among the Nipissings, on the lake which bears their
name; and then circling west and sonth for a hnndri'd
and lift}' miles of solitnde, he reached for the first
time a people speaking a dialect of the Iroquois
tongue. ller(! all was changed. Populous towns,
rude bn'tifications, and an extensive, thongh bar-
barous tillage, indicated a people far hi advance of
the famislu'd wanderers of the Saguenay, or their less
abject kindred of New England. These wei-e the
Hurons, of whom the modern Wyandots are a rem-
nant. Both in themselves and as a type of their
generic stock they demand more than a passing
notice.^

1 The usual confusion of Indian tribal names prevails in the

case of the Hun

)ns.

The foUowinu'' are their sviionvnu's : —

Hurons (of French orij,nn); Ocliate^uins (Chaniphiiii) ; Atti-
trouantans (the name of one of their tribes, used by Chaniplain for
tlie wliole nation); Ouendat (their true name, according to Lale-
niant) ; Yendat, Wyandot, Cuyaiulot (corrujitions of the preceding) ;
Ouaouakecinatouek (rotier), (.^uatouies (Colden).

INTRODUCTION.

THE IIUUONS.

Moro than two centuries luive elapsed since the
Ilurons Viinislu'd from tlieir iinuient seats, and the
settlers of this rude solitude stand jH'rplcxed and
wonderini^ over the relies of a lost people. In the
damp shadow of what seems a vii'gin forest, the axe
and plough luring strange secrets to light, — huge
pits, close piK'ked with skeletons and disjointed
bones, mixed with weapons, c(^})por kettles, beads,
and trinkets. Not even the straggling Algonquins,
who linger about the scene of Huron prosperity, can
tell their origin. Yet on ancient worm-eaten pages,
between covers of begrimed parchment, the daily life
of this ruined community, its liresides, its festivals,
its funeral rites, are painted with a minute and vivid
fidelity.

The ancient country of the Ilurons is now the
northern and eastern portion of Simeoe County,
Canada West, and is embraced within the peninsula
formed by the Nottawassaga and Matchedash Bays of
Lake Huron, the river Severn, and Lake Simeoe.
Its area was small, — its population comparatively
large. In the year 1080 the Jesuits iMade an enu-
meration of all its villages, dwellings, and families.
The result showed thirty-two villages and hamlets,
-svith seven hundred dwellings, about four thousand
families, and twelve thousand adult i)ersons, or a
total population of at least twenty thousand.^

1 Lalemant, Relation ties Iluruns, 1040, 38 (Cramoisy). His words
are, " de feux enuiron deux mille, et unuiron douze inille personnos."

COrXTRY OF TIIK HUIIONS.

The rofrion whose bouiidarii's \vt; luive givon wna
an altermition of nii'iidows and deep forests, interlaced
with footpaths leading from town to town. Of (lieso
towns, some were fortified, but the tjreater nund)ei' were
open and defeneeless. They were of a eonstruetion
common to all tribes of Iro([Uois lineaj^e, and peculiar
to them. Nothing similar exists at the present day. ^
They covered a s[)ace of from one to ten acres, tlie
dwellings clustering together witli little or no pre-
tension to order. In general, these singular struc-
tures were about thirty or thirty-Jive feet in length,
breadth, and height; but many were much larger, and
a few were of prodigious length. In some of the
villages there were dwellings two hundred and forty

There were two families to every fire Tluit by " pcrsimnts " adiilta
only are niejint cannot be doubted, as the lielations abound in inri-
dental evidence of a total population far exceeding twelve thousand.
A Huron family usually numbered from five to ei^iht jier^ons. The
number of the Huron towns changed from year to year. Cham-
plain and Le Caron, in 1015, reckoned them at seventeen or eighteen,
with a population of about ten thousand, — meaning, no doubt,
adults. Brcbeuf, in lOiJo, found twenty villages, and, as he thiidcs,
thirty thousand souls. Both Le Mercier and l)e (^uen, as wedi as
Dollier de Casson and the anonymous author of the Rihttion of
1()(!0, state the population at from thirty to thirty-five tliousand.
Since the time of Champlain's visit, various kindred tribes or frag-
ments of tribes had been incorporated with the Ilurons, thus more
than balancing the ravages of a pestilence which had decimated
them.

1 The permanent bark villages of tlie Dahcotali of the St. Peter's
are the nearest modern approach to tlie Huron towns. The wiiole
Huron country abounds with evidences of having been occupied by
a numerous population. "On a close inspection of the forest," Dr.
Taehe writes to me, " the greatest part of it seems to have been
cleared at former periods, and almost the only places bearing liie
character of the primitive forest are the low grounils."

INTROnrCTTON'.

feet long, though in biviidth and liciglit tlicy did not
mucli oxceod the others.' In sluqx; they wen- much
like an arlx)!- ovcriirchiug a garden-wallc. Their
frame was of tall and strong sa[)lings, plantcil in a
douhlo row to form tiie two sides of the house, hcnt
till they met, and lashed together at Ihe top. To
thes(i other poles were hound transversidy, and the
whole was covered with large; sheets of the hark of
the oak, elm, sprnee, or white cedar, overlai)ping like
the shingles of a roof, upon which, for their In-tter
security, split poles were made fast with cords of
linden bark. At the crown of the arch, along the
entire length of the house, an opening a foot wide
was left for the admission of light and the esca[)e of
smoke. At each end was u close porch of similar
construction; and here were stowed casks of hark,
filled with smoked fish, Indian corn, and other stores
not liable to injury from frost. Within, on both
si«les, were wide scaffolds, four feet from the floor,
and extending the entire length of the house, like
the seats of a colossal onmibus.''^ These were formed

1 Brehfuf, Rt'ldtion dis I/itmns, 1(5;'"), 31, Cliainplain siiys that
ho saw tliem, in 1(515, more than tliirty fathoms h)n(^; whik' Van-
(k'nionc'k reports the U'ni^th, from actual measurement, of an Iro-
quois house, at a hundred and eighty yards, or five hundred and
forty feet !

^ Often, especially among the Iroquois, the internal arrangement
was different. The scaffolds or platforms were raised only a foot
from the earthen ll^or, and were only twelve or thirteen feet long,
with intervening sjmces, where the occupants stored their family
provisions and other articles Five or six feet ahove was another
platform, often occupied by children. One pair of platforms suf-
ficed for a famil}', and here during summer tliey slept peilniell, in
tiie clothes they wore by day, and without pillows.

IiniOX DWKLLINdS.

•s that
. Van-
tin Iro-
;(1 and

of thick slicets of Inirk, supported by posts ;iiul tmns-
vei-se poles, and covered witli mats luid skins. Here,
in siunnier, was tlu^ sleepin^-[)laec of the inmates,
and tlie spare heneatli served for storage of their fire-
wood. 'Die fires were on the ground, in a line down
tiie niiddlo of tlie liouse. Eaeh sulficed for two
families, who, in winter, slept closely packed around
them. Above, just under the vaulted roof, were a
great number of poles, like the i)erches of a hen-
roost; and here were susi)en(led weapons, clothing,
skins, and ornaments. Here, too, in harvest time,
the squaws hung the ears of unshellcd corn, till the
rude abode, through all its length, seemed decked
with a golden tapestry. In general, however, its
only lining was a thick coating of soot from the
sinokc of fires with neither draught, chimney, nor
window. So pungent was the snudce that it produced
inllammatioi; of the eyes, attended in old age with
frequent blindness. Another annoyance was the
fleas; and a third, the unbridled and unruly chil-
dren. Privacy there was none. The house was one
chamber, sometimes lodging more than twenty
families.^

^ One of tlie bc8t descriptions of the Huron and Iroquois liousos
is that of Sapard, Vniincje des ffurons, 118. 8oe also Chaniplain
(lti27), 78; lirchcuf, Relation des Ilnrons, 1635, 31; Vandordonck,
New NrthcrJands, in N. Y. Hist. Coll., Second Ser., i. lOG; Lafitau,
Maurs des Sanrn']ps, ii. 10. Tlie account given by Cartier of the
houGes he saw at Montreal corresponds with the above. He describes
them as about fifty yards long. In this case, there were partial
partitions for the several families, and a sort of loft above. Many
of the Iroquois and Huron houses were of similar construction,

INTKODUCTION.

IIo who entered on a winler night hehehl a strange
spectacle: the vista «>f fires ligliting the amoky con-
cave; tlie lu'onzed groups encircling each, — cooking,
eating, gambling, or annising themselves with idle
hiidinage; shrivelled s(juaws, hideous with threescore
years of hardship; grisly old warriors, scarred with
Iro(p!ois war-cluhs; young aspirants, whose honors
were yet to he won; damsels gay with ochre and
wam[)uni; restless children pellmell with restless
dogs. Now a tongue of resinous llame painted each
wild feature in vivid light; now the fitful gleam
expired, and the grou[) vanished from sight, as their
nation has vanished from history.

tliL' partitions bciii}; at tlu' siilcs odIv, Iraviii),' a witlo passage down
the niiddJL' of thu house. liartrain, Olmi rrationa on a Jonrnvi; from
Pninsi/I iinia to Cdnaiht, \!\\i.'» a description nnd plan of tlie Ircxiuois
Conncil-IIonse in 17")1, wlilcli was of tiiis constriu'tion. Indet'd, tlie
Iroquois preserved tills mode of builiiiuj,', in all essential jxjints,
down to a reeent period. Tiiey usually framed the sides of their
houses on rows of uprij,dit posts, archeil with separate poles for tlie
roof. The Ilurons, no doiibt, did the same in their larj^er struc-
tures. For a door, there was a «!ieel of hark hung on woodeu
hin^fi's, or suspended by cords from .move.

On the site of Huron towns which were destroyed by fire, the size,
shape, and arranj^ement of the houses can still, in some instances,
be traced by remains in the form of cliarcoal, as well as by the
charred bones and fragments of pottery found amonp the ashea.

Dr. Tache, after a zealous anil minute examination of the Huron
country, extended throuf,'h five years, writes to me as follows:
" From till' remains 1 liave found, 1 can vouch for tlic scrupulous
correctness of our ancient writers. With the aid of their indica-
tions and descriptions, I have been able to detect the sites of
villajies in the midst of the forest, and by tlie study, in situ, of
arclueologieal monuments, small as they are, to understand and
confirm their many interesting details of the habits, and especially
the funeral rites, of these extraordinary tribes."

iiiKoN roiniricATioNs.

If)

[the size,
[Stance*,
by the
[shes.
Huron
"oUows :
[upulous
indica-
Isites of
situ, of
ind and
pecially

TIio fdi'tiliiMl towns of the I lupous W(>ro all on llio
side exposi'tl to Iroquois incursions. 'I'lic fortitica-
tions of all this I'aiuily of trilics wert', like tlu'ir
(l\vi*llin;;s, in cssi-ntial points aliUf. A situation was
ciiosen I'avoi'aliit' to (iclcnci', — tho liank of a lake,
the crown ol a iliHiciilt liill, or a hii^^li jioiiit of laml
in tlic fork of conllumt livers. A ditcli, several feet
deep, was duii; around the villaiicc, and the eartli
thrown .ip on tlu* insidi'. 'I'l-ees were then felh-d In
an alternate process of huniinL,' and haekiuLC the
burnt part with stone hattliels, and i)\' simihir means
were cut into len^^ths to form palisades. These wvw
I)lanted on tlio emhankment, in one, two, three, or
four concontric rows, — those of eacdi row inelininsj^
towards tliosi; of the other rows until they intei'sected.
The whole was lined within, to the height of a man,
with heavy sheets of bark; and at the toj), where the;
palisades crossed, was a nailery of timber for tlu;
defenders, to^-etber with wooden gutters, by which
streams of water could be poured down on ilres
kindled by the enemy. I\Iaf,ni/.ines of stones, and
rude ladders for mountinij the rampart, completed
the provision for defence. The forts of the Inxiuois

were stronc^er and more elaborate than those of the
llurons; and to this day larj^e districts in New York
<are marked with frequent remains of their ditches
and eml)ankments.^

^ There is no mathematical rc).nilarity in those works. In tlicir
form, the huiiders were puidid iiu'rcly by the natun- of tlie ground.

I-

line of embankment occurs

riMjiK'ntly a preciijice or rivi^r sulHced for partial defence, and the

onl

on one or two sides.

n f)ne

INTRODUCTION.

Among these tribes there was no individual owner-
ship of land, but each family had for the time exclu-
sive right to as much as it saw fit to cultivate. The
clearing process — a most toilsome one — consisted in
hacking off branches, piling them together with
brushwood around the foot of the standing trunks,
and setting fire to the whole. The squaws, working
with their hoes of wood and bone among the charred
stumps, sowed their corn, beans, pumpkins, tobacco,
sunflowers, and Huron hemp. No manure was used ;
but at intervals of from ten to thirty years, when tht
soil was exhausted and firewood distant, the village
was abandoned and a new one built.

There was little game in the Huron country; and
here, as among the Iroquois, the staple of food was
Indian corn, cooked without salt in a variety of
forms, each more odious than the last. Venison was

instance, disiinci; traces of a double line of palisades are visible
along the embankment. (See Squier, Aboriginal Monuments of Neio
York, 38.) It is probable that the palisade was planted first, and
the earth heaped around it. Indeed, this is stated by the Tusca-
rora Indian, Cusick, in iiis curious Historic of the Six Nations (Iro-
quois). Bre'beuf says, that as early as lOSf) the Jesuits taught the
Hurons to build rectangular palisaded works, with bastions. The
Iroquois adopted the same practice at an early period, omitting the
ditch and embankment ; and it is probable that even in their primi-
tive defences the palisades, where the ground was of a nature to
yield easily to their rude implements, were planted simply in holes
dug for the purpose. Such seems to have been the Iroquois fortress
attacked by Champlain in 1015.

The Muscogeos, with other Southern tribes, and occasionally the
Algonquins, had palisaded towns ; but the palisades were usually
but a single row, planted upright. The tribes of Virginia occasion-
ally surrounded their dwellings with a triple palisade. — Beverly,
History of Virginia, 149.

THE ARTS,

il owner-
le exclu-
te. The
isisted in
lier with
f trunks,

working
J charred

tobacco,
vas used;
kvhen the
16 village

itry; and

food was

ariety of

iiison was

are visible
lents of New

d first, and

the Tusca-
\ations (Iro-

taught the

tions. The
)mitting the

their primi-
a nature to

ily in holes
lois fortress

sionally the

ere usually

ia occasion-

— Beverly,

a luxury found only at feasts ; dog-flesh was in high
esteem; and, in some of the towns, captive bears
were fattened for festive occasions. These tribes
were far less improvident than the roving Algonquins,
and stores of provision were laid up against a season
of want. Their main stock of corn M'as buried in
cdchrs, or deep holes in the earth, either within or
witlimit the houses.

In respect to the arts of life, all these stationary
tribes were in advance of the wandering hunters of
the North. The women made a species of earthen
pot for cooking, but these were supplanted by the
copper kettles of the French traders. They wove
rush mats with no little skill. They spun twine from
lienip, by the primitive process of rolling it on their
thiglis; and of this twine they made nets. They
extracted oil from fish and from tlie seeds of the
sunflower, — tlie latter, apparently, only for the pur-
pces of the toilet. They pounded their maize in
huge mortars of wood, hollowed by alternate burn-
ings and scrapings. Their stone axes, spear and
arrow heads, .md bone fish-hooks, were fast giving
place to the iron of the French ; but they had not
laid aside their shields of raw bison-hide, or of wood
overlaid with plaited and twisted thongs of skin.
They still used, too, their primitive breastplates and
greaves of twigs interwoven with cordage.^ The

^ Some of the norti.ern tribes of California, at the present day,
wef»r a sort of breastplate "composed of thin parallel battens of
very tough \vood, woven together witii a small cord."

VOL. I. — 2

1 I

IXTRODUCTIOX.

masterpiece of Huron liaiidiwork, however, was the
hirch canoe, in tlie construction of whicli the
Algonquiiis were no k'ss skilfuL The Iroquois in
tlie absence of the bircli were forced to use tlu^ l);iik
of tlie elm, which was greutly inferior both in lin'ht-
ness and stren^-th. Of pipes, than which nothin^^
was more important in their eyes, the Ilurons made
a f^n-eat variety, — some of baked clay, others of
v;i lions kinds of stone, carved by the men, during
tlu'ir loiiL;' [)eriods of monotonous leisure, often w' h
great skill and ingenuity. But their most mysterious
fabric^ was Main])nm. This was Jit once their cur-
rency, tli<'ir ornament, their pen, ink, and parcliment;
and its use was by no means confined to tribes of the
Iroquois sti ,'k. It consiste I of elongated beads,
white and [)urple, made from the inner part of certain
shells. It is not easv to conceive how, with their
rude implements, the Indians contrived to shape and
])(,'i'forate this intractable materiaL The art soon
fell into disuse, however; for wampum better than
their own was brought them by the traders, besides
abundant imitations in glass and porcelain. Strung
into necklaces, or wrouglit into collars, belts, and
bracelets, it was the favorite decoration of the Indian
girls at festivals and dances. It served also a graver
purpose. No compact, no speech, or clause of a
speech, to the representative of another nation, had
any force, unless confirmed by the delivery of a
string or belt of wampum. ^ The belts, on occasions

^ Boavor-skins and other valuable furs were sometimes, on such
oecasions, usctl as a substitute.

DRESS.

vas the
i^h the
uois in
le l);!i'k
II light-
nothing
18 made

lers

(luring
.'11 w' h
^terious
iir cur-
'hnient ;
3 of tlie
beads,
certain
:li tlieir
ipe and
I't soon
er than
)esides
Strung
:s, and
Indian
graver
)e of a
)n, had

L'asions
, on such

of importance, were wrong! it into significant devices,
suggestive of the substance of the compact or speech,
and designed as aids to memory. To one oi- more
old men of the nation was assigned the honora])le,
but very onerous, charge of keepers of «'he wampum,
— in other words, of the national records; and it Mas
for them to remember and interpret the meaning of
the l)elts. The figures on wampdm-belts Avere, for
the most part, simply mnemonic. So also we:'e those
carved on wooden tablets, or painted on l)ark and
skin, to preserve in memory the songs of war, hunt-
ing, or magic. ^ The Ilurons had, however, in com-
mon with other tribes, a system of rude jjictures and
arbitrary signs, by which they could convey to each
other, with tolerable precision, information touching
the ordinary subjects of Indian interest.

Their dress was chieflv of skins, cured with smoke
after tlie well-known Indian mode. That of the
wrnien, according to the Jesuits, was more modest
than that "of our most pious ladies of France." The
young girls on festal occasions must be excepted from
this connnendation, as they wore merely a kilt from
the waist to the knee, besides the wampum decora-
tions of the breast and arms. Their long black hair,
gathered behind tlie neck, was di'corated with disks
of native copper, or gay pendants made in France,
and now occasionally unearthed in numbers from

^ Engravings of many spcfinuMis of tlu'so figured son^s are L^ivcn
in till' voluminous reports on the coiidition of tlio Imlians, pub-
I'slud hy GovcTiiiiK'nt, uikUt tlie i-iHtorslup of Mr. Schoolcraft
Tlif specimens arc cliicHv Alnimuuin.

INlllODUCTlOX.

their graves. The men, in summer, were nearly
naked, — those of a Iv'indi'cd trilje wholly so, with
the sole exception of tlieir moccasins. In winter
they were clad in tunics and Ic^^gins of skin, and at
all seasons, on occasions of ceremony, were wrapped
from head to foot in robes of Ix'aver or otter fure,
sometimes of the greatest value. Or the inner side,
these robes were decorated witli painted iigures and
devices, or ('inl)roi(lered with the dyed quills of the
Canada hcd,L^eliog. In this art of embroidery, how-
ever, the Ilurons were equalled or surpassed by some
of the Algonquin tribes. Tliey wore tlieir hair after
a variet}' of grotesque and startling fashions. With
some, it was loose on one side, and tight braided on
the otlier; with others, close shaved, leaving one or
more long and cherished locks; while, with others
again, it Ijristlcd in a ridge across the crown, like the
back of a hyena. ^ Wlien in full dress, they were
painted witli ochre, white clay, soot, and the red
juice of certain berries. Tliey practised tattooing,
sometimes covering tlie whole body ^\•ith indelible
devices. 2 Wlien of such extent, the process was
very severe ; and though no murmur escaped the
sufferer, ho sometimes died from its effects.

Female life among the Hurons had no bright side.
It was a youth of license, an age of drudger}'.
Despite an organization which, while it perhaps made

^ Sot' Lo .Tc'unc, Relation, KY.]'.], ',]'>. " Quellos hurcs!" exclaimed
sonic astonished Frenchman. Hence tlie name, Iltirons.

- Bressani, Rvlaiion Ahreij€c, 72. Champlain has a picture of
a warrior thus tattooed.

marrtagp:.

nearly
f>, Avith

winter
, and at
^vrapped
ter fui-s,
ler side,
ires and
s of the
ry, how-
by some
air after
,. With
■aided on
^ one or
,h others
, Uke the
ley were

the red
attooing,
indelible
cess was
iped the

ght side,
rudgery.
aps made

exclaimed
picture of

them less sensible of pain, certainly made them less
snsceptible of passion, tlian tlie liiglior races of men,
the Ihirons were notoriously dissolnte, far exceed-
ing in this respect the watidering and starving
AlgoiKpiins.' Marriage existed among them, and
polygamy was exceptional; but divorce took place
at the will or caprice of cither party. A practice
also prevailed of temporary or experimental mar-
riage, lasting a day, a week, or more. The seal of

1 Amonjj the Iroquois tliere were more favorable featiirt'S in tlie
Cdiiilition of women. The malroiis liad often a eonsiderahle intlu-
ence nn the decisions of the councils. Latitau, whose book appeared
in ITi'l, says tliat tlie nation was corrupt in liis time, but that tiiis
was a de<,'eneracy from tlieir ancient manners. La Potherie and
("liarlevoix make a similar statement. Met;ai)olensis, howi'Ver, in
I'ilt, says that they were then exceedingly debauched; and Cjreen-
lialuh, in 1077, .uives ample evi<lence of a shameless license. One
of their most earnest advocates of the present day admits that the
])assion of love among them liad no other than an animal existence.
(Morgan, Loaijue <>fthc Jrotjuois, ."121'.) There is clea/ proof that the
triliis of the South were equally corrupt, (See Lav.oon, Caroliiui,
'.]\, and other early writers.) On tin- other hand, chastity in women
was recognized as a virtue by many tfilns. 'I'iiis was peculiarly
the case among the Algonciuins of (Jaspc', where a lapse in this
regard was counte(l a disgrace. (See Le (Merc, Xmivclle liddtittn de.
la (nisjiisii', 417, v.iure a contrast is drawn between the modi'sty of
the girls of tliis rt'gion and the ojjeii prostitution practised among
those of other tribes.) Among the Si(jux, adultery on the i)art of a
woman is i)unished by mutilation.

The remarkable forbearance observed by Kastern and Northern
tribes towards female ca])tives was i)roI)ably the result of a sujji'r-
stition. Xotwithstanding the j^revailing lii'ense, tiic Iro(iuois and
other tribes had among themselves certain conventiiuuil rules which
excited the admiration of the Jesuit celibates. Some of these had
a superstitious origin; others were in accordance with the iron
retpiirenu'nts of their savage etiquette. To make tlie Indian a lun/
of romance is mere nonsense.

INTKDDUCTIOX.

the compact was merely the aeooptance of a gift of
wampum made l)y tlie suitor to the object of his
desire or his whim. These gifts were never returned
on the dissohitiou of the connection; and as an attrac-
tive and enterprising damsel might, and often did,
make twenty such marriages before her final estab-
lishment, she thus collected a wealth of wampum
with which to adorn herself for the village dances.^
This provisional matrimony was no bar to a license
boundless and apparently universal, unattended with
loss of reputation on either side. Every instinct of
native delicacy (piickly vanished under the influence
of Huron domestic life; eight or ten families, and
often more, crowded into one undivided house, where
privacy was impossible, and where strangers were
free to enter at all hours of the day or night.

Once a mother, and married with a reasonable
permanency, the Iluron woman from a wanton became
a drudge. In ]March and April she gathered the
year's supply of firewood. Then came sowing, till-

^ " II s'en trouuo telle qui passe ainsi sa ieunosse, qui aura cu
])lu8 (le vinj^t maris, lesqui'ls vini;t maris no sent pas souls en la
jouyssaiu'o de ia bosto, quolquos niarioz (ju'lls soiont : ear la nuiet
vi'nue, les ieunes fiMunies eourent d'uno cabane en une autre, eonie
font les ieunes honnnes do leur eoste, qui en prennent par ou bon
lour scm])le, toutesfois sans violonco aueune, et n'on rofoiuent
aucune infamio, ny injure, la eoustuine du i).iys estant telle." —
Cbanijjlain (ICdT), "JO. Cdiujiare Sauard, ]'(iij(t;/e dm Jlurons, 170.
Hutii Wore personal observers.

The eeromony, even of tlie most serious marriatje, eonsisted
merely in the bride's brinuiiifX a disii of boiUd maize to the bride-
groom, together witli an armful of fuel. There was often a feast
of the relatives, or of the wliolu villajio.

IirilOX TRAFFIC.

iiii^, find hiirvesti !!(>•, smoking lisli, divssing skins,
milking cordagu luid clotliing, preparing food. On
tlie march it was she wlio bore tlie hnrden; for, in
the Avords of Champhdn, ''their women were tlieir
mules." The natural effect folhjwed. lu every
Huron town were shrivelled hags, hideous and
despised, wlio in vindictiveness, ferocity, and cruelty
far exceeded the men.

To the men fell the task of building the houses,
and making weapons, pipes, and canoes. For the
rest, their home-life was a life of leisure and amuse-
ment. The summer and autunni were their seasons
of serious employment, — of war, hunting, lishing,
and trade. There was an established system of
trallic between the llurons and the Alg<)n([uiiis of
the Ottawa and Lake Nipissincj: the llurons exehant^-
ing wamjjum, fishing-nets, and coi'U for lish and furs.'
From various relics found in their graves, it may
be inferred that they also traded with tribes of the
rpper Lakes, as well as with trilx^s far southward,
towards the Gulf of Mexico. Each branch of ti'allie
was the mono2)oly of the family or clan ]fy wlioiu it
was opened. They might, if they could, punish
interlopers, by stripping them of all they possessed,
unless the latter had succeeded in reaching home
with the frtiits of their trade, — in which case the
outraged monopolists had no further right of redress,
-uid could not attempt it without a breaking of the
public peace, and exposure to the authorized ven-
i Champliiin (1G:>7). «4.

INTRODUCTTOX.

gcance of the otlier purty.^ Their fisheries, too, were
reguhited by customs having the force of hiws.
These pursuits, witli their liuntiug, — in which tliey
were aided l)y a wolfish breed of (h)gs unable to Ijark,

— consumed the autumn and early winter; but before
the new year the greater part of the men were
gathered in meir villages.

Now followed their festal season; for it was the
season of idleness for the men, and of leisure for the
women. Feasts, gand)ling, smoking, and dancuig
filled the vacant hours. Like other Indians, the
Hurons were desperate gandjlers, staking tlieir all,

— ornaments, clothing, canoes, pipes, weapons, and
wives. One of their principal games was played
with phuu-stones, or wooden lozeiiges, black on one
side and white on the other. These were ^o. sed up
in a wooden bowl, by striking it sharply upon the
ground, and the players betted on the black or white.
Sometimes a village challenged a neighboring village.
The game was played in one of the houses. Strong
poles were extended from side to side, and on these
sat or perched the company, party facing party, while
two players struck the bowl on the ground between.
Bets ran high ; and ^^rilibeuf relates that once in mid-
winter, with the snow nearly three feet deep, the men
of his village returned from a gambling visit bereft
of tlieir leggins, and barefoot, yet in excellent
liumor.2 ]judicrous as it may appear, these games

1 Brebeuf, Relation dcs Hurons, 1036, 15G (Cramoisy).

2 Brebeuf, Relation di's Hurons, 103G, 113. Tliis game is still a

HURON FESTIVITIES.

were often medieiil prescriptions, and designed as a
cure of the sick.

Their feasts and dances were of various eliaracter,
social, medical, and mystical or I'cligious. Some of
their feasts were on a scale of extravaLCant ])rofu-
sion. A vain or amhitious host threw all hi suh-
staiice into one entertaiinnent, inviting the whole
villat^e, and })crhaps several neit,dd)oriiig villages
also. In the winter of IU-jO there was a feast at the
village of ('ontarrea, where thirty kettles were on the
lircs. and twenty deer and four bears ^vere served
xi\)^ The invitation was simple. The messenger
addressed the desired guest with the concise sum-
mons, "Come and eat;" and to r('fuse was a grave
ofTcnce. He took his dish and spoon, and repaired
to the scene of festivity. Each, as he entered,
greeted liis host with the guttural ejaculation, Ifu!
and ranged himself with the rest, scpiatted on the
c. rtlicn floor or on the platform along tlu; sides of
the house. The kettles wTre sluncr over the tires in
the midst. First, there was a long prelude of lugu-
brious singing. Then the host, who took no share
in the feast, proclaimed in a loud voice the contents
of each kettle in turn, and at each announcement the
company responded in unison, Jlo! The attendant
squaws filled with their ladles <he bowls of all the

favorite anion<:j tlic Iroquois, sonu' of whom hold to the hcliof that
thoy will play it after death in tlie rt'aliiis of liliss. In all their
important games of chance, they employed cliarm*, incantations,
and all the resonrcet; of their magical art, to gain good luck.
1 Brt'oeuf, Jutatioii des JIarons, l(i;]t!, HI.

INTKODI'CTION'.

pfuosts. Tliore was talking,', lau^-liincf, jcstiiio-, sinrr-
in^^ and HinokiiiLJf; and at times tliu ciitci'iainniL'nt
was jiroti'actcd tliroii^li tlic day.

When the feast liad a iiicdical or mystic cliarac-
ter, it was Indispciisaljhi that eacli nucst sliould
devour the wliole of tin' j)oi'tiou given liini, liowever
enormous. Should lie fail, the liost woukl he out>-
raged, th(! eonimunity slioeked, and the s[)irit.s roused
to vengeanec. Disaster would hel'all the nation, —
death, perhaps, the in<lividual. In somi; cases, the
iniaj^ined ellicaey of the feast was proportioned to
the rapidity with which the viands wev-o (k-spatclied.
Prizes of tobacco wen; olYcrcd to tlu; most rapid
feeder; and tlie spectack; then became truly i)orcine.^
Tliese fcHtijts (> 7n((/ii/( r tout were nnu.-li dreaded by
many of the ilurons, who, however, were never
known to decline them.

Invitation to a dance was no less concise than to a
feast. Sometimes a crier prockumed the a})[)roach-
iuLT festivity thronii'li the vilkin'c. The house was
crow(k'(k Old men, old wonuMi, and children
thronged tlu' j)latfornis, or clung to the i)ok>s whit'li
supported the si<les and roof. Fires were raked out,
and the earthen lk)or cleared. Two chiefs sang at
the top of tlieii ^;oices, keeping time to their song

1 This siiporstilioii was not coiifliu'il to tlic Ilurons, but oxtcndo'l
to many other trihc's, iIl(•Ill(lin,l,^ ])roliahly, all the Al'j,'()n(iuiMs, with
soiiK' of which it hoUls in full t'oriT to this day. A feastor, unable
to do his full i»art, ini.uht, if hv could, hire anotner to aid him;
otherwise, hu must remain in his place till the work was done.

i I

IIUllOX FKSTIVITIKS.

•27

SOI in-

with tortoiso-slicll rattles.* The iikmi daiirod with
great violence aiitl gestieiihitioii; the women, witli h
much more measured action. The former were
nearly divested of clothing, — in mystical dances,
sometimes wholly so; and, from a su[)erstitious
motive, thiR was now and then the case witii the
women. Both, however, were abundantly decorated
with paint, oil, beads, wampum, trinkets, and
feathers.

Religious festivals, councils, the entertainment of
an envoy, the inauguration of a chief, were all occa-
sions of festivity, in which social pleasure was joined
with matter of grave im[)ort, and which at times
gathered nearly all the nation into one great and har-
monious concourse. Warlike expeditions, too, were
always preceded by feasting, at which the warriors
vaunted the fame of their ancestors, and their own
past and prospective exploits. A hideous scene of
feasting followed the torture of a prisoner. Like the
torture itself, it was, among tlus Tlurons, partly an
act of vengeance, and partly a religious rite. If tlie

^ Sagard gives specimens of their soiiixs. In liotli dances iind
feasts tiiero was no little variety. Tiiese were sonietiiiies ciiniliiiicil.
It is imjxjssible, in brief space, to indicate more tlian tlieir {^Tueriil
features. In tlie famous "war-dance," — which was tn-ijuciitly
danced, as it still is, for anmsenient,--- speeches, exliortations, jests,
personal satire, and repartee were c(.iuni()nly introduced as a j>art
of tlie performance, sometimes by way of jKitriotic stimulus, sonic-
times for amusement. Tlie music in tliis case was tlie drum and
the war-song. Some of tlie otlier dances were also liitersptTstd
with speeches and sharp witticisms, always takt^n in ^ood part,
though Lafitau says that he has seen the victim so ]iitilessly ban
tered that he was forced to liide his iiead in his blanket.

iNTU()i)r( riox.

victim liiul sliown coiiniLjc, (lie liciirt was first roastod.
cut into small j»i('(!(!H, and ^nvcii to tiic yoiim^ mi'ii
and boys, wlio devoured it to increase tlieir own
coura^^e. The Itody was tlien divide(l, thrown into
tho ketth's, and eaten l)y tiie asseml)ly, th(! liead
l)ein}^' the portion ol' tlie cliiet". Many of tlio Ilurons
joined in the feast witii i-eluetaiiee and horror, whilo
others took ph'asnre in it J Tliis was tiie only form
of cannibalism amon^ them, since, unlike tho wan-
derinj^ Ali,n)n(|nins, they were rarely imder tho
des}»eration of extreme famine.

A great knowledijfe of simjdes for the cum of
disease is poindarly ascribed to the In<lian. Here,
however, as els(!where, bis knowledgi' is in fact
scanty. He rarely reasons from cause to effect, or
from effect to cause. Disease, in his belief, is tho
result of sorcery, the agency of spirits or su[)ernatural
influences, undetined and indefinable. The Indian
doctor was a conjurer, and his remedies were to tho
last degree preposterous, ridiculous, or revolting.
The well-known Indian sweating-bath is the most

1 " 11 y en a (lui en iiiiuiiiciit iiucc plaisir." — IBrtn)euf, Relation
dfs Ilitrnns, lO.'UI, 121. Li' MiTcitT {^ivi'S a (U'sscription of ono of
tlu'se sconi'S, at wliich lu' wms yjri'scnt. (fliid., \(VM, 118.) The
saiiK' horrible praetice prcvailinl to a creator exttiit amon^' tlie
Iroquois, One of tlie most reiiiarkaltle instanees of Indian eanni-
balisni is that furnished by a We-:tern tribe, tlie Mianiis, anionij
whom there was a ehiii, or family, whose hereditary duty and privi-
lege it was to devour the bodies of jirisoners burned to death. Tho
act had somewhat of a religious eharacter, was attended with cere-
monial observances, and was restricted to the family in (juestion.
See lion. Lewis Cass, in the appendix to Colonel Whiting's poem,
" Ontwa."

IirUOX MKDlCIN'i:.

prominent of tlie ft'W nioiins of cure Imst'd on ngonoios
hiiiiply physical ; iiiul tliis, witliall tlic other natural
rcnu'dii's, was applied, not hy tin- professed doctor,
Imt by the surrcrei' himself, or his friends.^

The Indian doctor beat, shook, and j)inehed his
p.itii'nt, howled, who(»[)ed, rattled a tortoise-shell at
his ear to expel tlu! evil spirit, bit liim till ])loo(l
llowed, and then disj)layed in triiniiph a small j)ieeo
of wood, bone, ov iron, which lu^ had hidden in his
mouth, and which he alhrnied was the source of the
disease, now happily removed. ^ Sometimes he i)re-
scrilu^d a (hmce, feast, or game; and the whole village
bestirred themselves to fulfil the injunction to the
letter. 'I'hey gamb' ■(! away their all; tlu-y gorged
themselves like vultures; they danced or played ball
naked among the snowdrifts from morning till night.
At a medical feast, some strange or unusual act was
conimonly enjoined as vital to the patient's cure: as,
for examph', ihv, departing guest, in place of the cus-

^ The Itiiliniis liiul many simple applications for wounds, said to
liaA'c liia'U very I'fficacious ; but tlit' i)urity of their blood, owinj; to
till' absiMico from tlitdr diet of condiments and stimuliints, as widl
as to their active habits, aided tlie remedy. In general, they were
remarkably exempt from disease or deformity, tiioutfh often seri-
ously injuri'il by alternations of hunjier and excess. Tiie llurons
sometimes died from the clTects of their /J',s7/h.s' n iiintic/rr tout.

- Tlie llurons bidieved that Llie cliief cause of disease and death
was a monstrous serjji-nt, tluit lived under the earth, By toueiiing
a tuft of liair, a feather, or a lraj,nuent of bone, with a portion of
his flesh or fat, the sorcerer imparteil power to it of entering the
body of his victim, and ^'radually killini; liim. It was an important
part of the doctor's function to extract these cluirms from the
vitals of his patient. Kagueneau, Relation des llurons, 104^, 75.

(

t X

TXTROI)UCl"rOX.

tomaiy i ionosy]hil)le of thanks, was required to
greet '>is host with an ngly grimace. Sometimes, by
prescription, lialf the village would throng into the
house whore the patient lay, led by old women dis-
guised with the heads and skins of bears, and beating
wi;]i sticks on slu'ets of dr}' bark. Here the assembly
danced and \\h()oi)ed for hours together, with a din
to which a t-ivilized patient would promptly have
succumbed. Sometimes the doctor wrought himself
into a pro})hetic fury, raving through the length and
breadth of the dwelling, snatching firebrands and
flinging them about him, to the terror of me squaws,
with whom, in their combustible tenements, fire was
a constant bugbear.

Among the llurons and kindred tribes, disease was
frequently ascribed to some liidden wish ungratified.
ITcnce the }utient was overwhelmed with gifts, in
thd hoj)e that in their multiplicity the desideratum
might be supplied. Kettles, skins, awls, pipes,
wampum, fish-hooks, weapons, objects of every con-
ceivable variety, were piled before him by a host of
charitable ccmtributors ; and if, as often happened, a
dream, the Indian oracle, had revealed to the sick
man the secret of his cure, his demands were never
rerascd, however extravagant, idle, nauseous, or
abominable.' Hence it is no matter of wonder that

1 " DiUis Ic pays de nos llurons, il sc faict aussi des assemblees cle
touti'S Ifs tilk's d'vn bourjj; aupri's d'vnc nialadc, tant a sa priero,
suyuant la ri'siu'rie ou k' soni;e quVlle en aura cue, que par I'or-
donnauee de Luki {the dortur), pour sa saute et guerison. Les fillea
ainsi assemblees, on leur denuinde a toutes, les vnes aprcs les autrea.

THE iiruoN-iROQrois.

sudden illness and sudden cures were frequent aniong
the Iluroiis. 'I'ln' patient reaped profit, and the
doctor oolli proht and lionor.

ees de
irloro,
r Tor-
i fiUes
mitrea.

I'lii: iiriiox-iuoQrois kamilv.

And now, before entering upon the very curious
subject of Indian social and tribal oi'LJ^anization, it
may be well brielly to observe^ the jiosition aiiil ])roiui-
ui'iit distinctive features of the various communities
speaking dialects of the generic tongue of the Iroquois.
In this remarkable family of tribes occur the fullest
(lcvelo])mcnts of Indian cliaracter, and the most con-
spicuous examples of Indian intelligence. If the
higher traits populai'ly ascribed to the race ai'e not to
be found here, they are to be found nowhere. A pal-

ci'hiy qu'i'lk'S vcuk'iit dcs icunt's linninics ilu houru'' jmur dorniir
aiU'C clU'.s la iiuict iiroi'li.iiiic : clli's cm iioiniiK'iit {'liacuiic vii, (|iii
Hdiit aussi-tnst ailiirrtis i)ar Us .Mai>tn,'S dc la (•cri'miinif, l"S(iiU'ls
viriiiU'iit tons an soir vn la iivcsi'iicc de la lualaiU' iloniiir chaciin
aiU'f ct'lk' (|ui I'u clioysi, d'vM liout ii rautrc i\v la Caliaiic it
passt'iit aiiisi toutc la nuict, i>t'iidaiit ([iic iUmix Capitaiiics aiix dcux
ImiuIs du l(i;^i.s cliaiiti'iit I't sDiiiicni dc iciir Tortiii'^ du soir an Iciidc-
iiiaiii matin, (itir la (•crcinonit' ci ssr. DiiMi viicilie' aholir viu- si
daiiinaiilc cI iiiallu'Ui'i'USf ftTi'inoiiii'." — Sa,i;;ird, \'oi/(H/r u'l s Ilurons,
I")S. 'i'his uniqiic iiiodc of curi', wiiicli was calliMl Andnordmli t, is
also iK'>(Til)('d by I/ilciiiiMit, wiio saw it. {Uddlinii dis llitrnna.
Mo'.*, S4.) It was one of tlif rccomii/cd miu'ilii's.

For tlio nu'iiical ])racii('is of tiic Ilurons, scr aiso ("liainiilain,
BrL'lx'uf, Lafitaii, CliarK'VoiN, and otluT early writers. Tiiosr of
till' Al<.;i)ii(niins wore in scoe points dilTcreiit. 'I'lie doctor often
('onsulte(l till' sjjirits, to learn the cause and cure of the disease, by
a method peculiar to that fannly of tribes, lie shut iiimself in a
isniall conical lo(l<:e, and tin- spirits here visited him, mani.cstini,'
their {)resciicc liy a violent shakiuLT of tiu' wiiole structure. This
buperstitiiui will be described in another connection.

INTRODUCTIOX.

pable proof of the superiority of this stock is afforded
in the size of the Iroquois and Huron brains. In
average internal capacity of the cranium, they sur-
pass, witli fcv/ and doul)tful exceptions, all other
aborigines of North and South America, not except-
ing the civilized races of Mexico and Peru.^

In the woody valleys of tlic JUue Mountains, south
of the Nottawassaga Bay of Lake Huron, and two
days' journey west of the frontier Huron towns,
lay the nine villages of the Tobacco Nation, or
Tionnontates.2 In manners, as in language, they
closely resembled the Hurons. Of old they were
their enemies, but were now at peace with them, and
alxmt the year 1610 became their close confederates.
Indeed, :'n the ruin which befell that hapless people,
the Tionnontates alone retained a tribal organization ;
and their descendants, with a trifling exception, are
to this day the sole inheritors of the Huron or
Wyandot name. Expatriated and wandering, they
held for generations a paramount influence among

1 "On comparing fivo Iroquois heads, I find tliat tliey give an
avcrast' intL-rnal capacity of cighty-cifxlit cubic inclies, wliicli is
witliin two inches of the Caucasian mean." — Morton, Craiiid Aimr-
irana, VX). It is remarl<al)k^ that tlie internal capacity of tlie skulls
of the barbarous American tril)es is greater than that of either the
Mexicans or the I'eruvians. " The difference in vohime is chiefly
confined to tlie occipital and basal portions," — in other words, to
the region of the animal projjcnsities ; and lience, it is argued, the
ferocious, brutal, and nncivilizable clniracter of the wild tribes.
See J. S. riiillips, Afl.rn^.i.^urempnt/i of Cnmia of the Principal Groups
of Indians in the United States.

2 Si/non/inies : Tionnontates, Ktionontates, Tuinontatck, Dionon-
dadies, Khionontaterrhonons, IVtuneux or Nation du I'etun (To-
bacco).

they

THE NEUTRAL NATION.

tlie Western tribes. ^ In their original seats among
the Bhie Mountains, they offered an example
extremely rare among Indians, of a tribe raising a
crop for the market; for they traded in tobacco
largely with other tril)es. Tlieir Huron confederates,
laH'U traders, would not suffer them to pass througli
tlieir country to traffic with the French, preferring to
secure for themselves the advantage of bartering
with them in French goods at an enormous profit.^

Journeying southward five days from the Tionnon-
tfite towns, the forest traveller reached the border
villages of the Attiwandarons, or Neutral Nation. ^
As early as 162(3, they were visited by the Franciscan
friar. La Roche Dallion, who reports a numerous
population in twenty-eight towns, besides many small
luunlets. Their country, about forty leagues in
extent, embraced wide and h^rtile districts on the
north shore of Lake Erie, and their frontier extended
eastward across the Niagara, where they had three or
four outlying towns. ^ Their name of "Neutrals"

1 • I

^ " L'aiiie (Ic tons los Conscils." — Charlevoix, I'oijaye, 199. In
17');] thoy were Pontiac's best warriors.

2 On tlio Tioiinontatcs, see Le Mercicr, Relation, l(>-'<7, 10;]; Lale-
niant, RiJatiim, 1(141, 09; Kagueneau, Rebition, 1048,01. An exeel-
k'lit summary of tlieir eliaracter and history, by Mr. Shea, will be
found in Hist. Ma;;., v. 202.

^ Attiwandarons, Attiwendaronk, Atirhaj^onrenrets, Rha^^onratka
{Jatnit Jirhifiohs), Attionidarons (Sdr/itnl). Tlu'V, and not the
Erios, wore the Kdldii-as of Seneca tradition.

* Lalemant, RiUition cles Ilnnms, 1041, 71. The Niajrara was
tlien caUed the " Hiver of the Neutrals," or the Oncruiaahra. Lale-
mant estinuites the Neutral population, in 1040, at twelve thousand,
in forty villages.

VOL. I — o

INTRODUCTTOX.

was clue to their neutrality in tlie war between the
Hurons and the Iroquois proper. The hostile war-
riors, meeting in a Neutral cabin, were forced to keep
the peace, though, once in the open air, the truce
was at an end. Yet this people were abundantly
ferocious, and, while holding a paciiic attitude betwixt
their warring kindred, waged deadly strife with
the ]\rascoutins, an Algonqiun horde l)eyond Lake
Michigan. Indeed, it was but recently that they
had been at blows with seventeen Algonquin tribes.^
They burned female prisoners, a practice unknown to
the IIurons.2 Their country was full of game, and
they were l)old and active hnnters. In form and
stature they surpassed even the Hurons, whom they
resemljled in their mode of life, and from whose
language their own, though radically similar, was
dialectically distinct. Their licentiousness was even
more open and shameless; and they stood alone in
the extravagance of some of their usages. They kept
their dead in their houses till they became insupport-
able ; then ^v''vaped the flesh from tlie bones, and dis-
played them in -ows along the -"v-nils, there to remain
till the periodical Feast of the Dead, or general
burial. In summer, the men wore no clothing what-
ever, but were usually tattooed from head to foot
with powdered charcoal.

1 Lfttrc (lit Pert La lior.he DaJlioh, 8 JidUct, 1027, in Le Clerc,
htahlibsniiont cle la Faij, i. 8-l(J.

'^ Wonii'ii were often Lurneil by tlie Iroquois : witness the case
of Catherine Mercier in Kiol, and many cases of Indian women
nieiitioned by tlio early writers.

■;;

THE "NATION OF TIIP: CAT."

The sagacious Tliirons refused them a passage
tlu'ough their country to tlie French ; and tlie Neutrals
apparently had not sense or reflection enough to take
the easy and direct route of Lake Ontario, — wliich
was i)robably ojien to them, though closed against
the Ilurons by Iroquois enmity. Thus the former
made excellent profit by exchanging French goods at
high rates for the valual)le furs of the Neutrals.^

Southward and eastward of Lake Erie dwelt a
kindred people, the Fries, or "Nation of the Cat."
Little besides their existence is known of them.
They seem to have occupied southwestern New York,
as far east as the Genesee, the frontier of the Senecas,
and in habits and language to have resembled the
Hurons.^ They w^ere noted warriors, fought with
poisoned arrows, and were long a terror to the neigh-
boring Iroquois.^

Clerc,

1 The Ilurons became very jealous, when La Roche Dallion
visited the Neutrals, K'st a direct trade should be opened between
the hitter and the French, against wlioni tliev at once put in circu-
lation a variety of slanders, — that they were a peojile wlio lived on
snakes and venom ; that they were furnished with tails; and tliat
French women, tlu)ugh haviuf^ but one breast, Ix^re six children at
a l)irtii. Tlie missionary nearly lost his life in consequence, the
Neutrals conceiving the idea tliat he would infect tiu'ir country
with a {lestilence. La Hoche Dallion, in Le Clerc, i. 310.

2 Kagueneau, Rilntimi iUa Ifiiroiis, KMS, 4<j.

' Le Mercier, lichitlo)), Kiol, 10. " Nous les a])pellons la Nation
Chat, a cause qu'il y a dans leur pais vne ([uantite prodigieuse de
Ciiats sauuages." — Ihid. The Iroquois are said to have given thu
Banie name, Jeijusam, Cat Xutinn, to tiie Neutrals. — Morgan, Zear/ue
of the IraijiKi/'s, 41.

Sijnoui/mcs : Erie's, Erigas, Eriehronon, Kiguehronon. The Jesuits
never bad a mission among them, though they seem to have beea

INTRODUCTION.

On the Lower Susquehanna dwelt the forniidahle
tribe called by the French Andastes. Little is known
of them, beyond their general re.seniblance to their
kindred, in language, habits, and character. Fierce
and resolute warriors, they long made head against
tlie Iroquois of New York, and were vanquished at
last more by disease than by the tomahawk.^

In central New York, stretching east and west
from the Hudson to the Genesee, lay that redoubted
people who have lent their name to the tribal family
of the Iroquois, and stamped it indelibly on the early
pages of American history. Among all the barbarous
nations of the continent, the Iroquois of New York
stand paramount. Elements which among other
tribes were crude, confused, and embryotic were
among tliem systematized and concreted into an
established polity. The Iroquois was the Indian of
Indians. A thorough savage, yet a finished and
developed savage, he is perhaps an example of the
highest elevation which man can reach without emerg-
ing from his primitive condition of the hunter. A
geographical position, commanding on one hand the

visited by Champlain's adventurous interpreter, Etienne Brule, in
the summer of 1015. They are probably the Carantouans of
Champlain.

* Gallatin erroneously places the Andastes on the Alleghany,
Bancroft and others adopting the error. The research of Mr. Shea
has sliown their identity with the Sust/uehannock-s of the English,
and the Miiuiuas of tlie Dutch. — See Illst. ^^a(J., ii. 2D4.

Si/nanj/mcs: Andastes, Andastracronnons, Andastaeronnons, ivn-
dastaguez, Antastoni (French), Susiiuehannocks (English), Mengwe,
Minquas (Dutch), Conestogas, Conessetagoes (English),

THE IROQUOIS.

in
of

jvn-

gwe,

portal of the Great Lakes, and on tlie other the
sources of the streams flowing Loth to the Atlantic
and the Mississippi, gave the ambitious and aggres-
sive confederates advantages which they })erfectly
understood, and by which they profited to the utmost.
Patient and politic as they were ferocious, they were
not only conquerors of their own race, but the power-
ful allies and the dreaded foes of the French and
English colonies, flattered and caressed by both, yet
too sagacious to give themselves without reserve to
either. Their organization and their histoiy evince
their intrinsic superiority. Even their traditionary
lore, amid ita wild puerilities, shows at times the
stamp of an energy and force in striking contrast
with the flimsy creations of Algonquin fancy. That
the Iroquois, left under their institutions t(> work out
their destiny undisturbed, would ever have developed
a civilization of their own, I do not believe. These
institutions, however, are sufficiently characteristic
and curious, and we shall soon have occasion to
observe them.^

^ Tlie name Iroquois is French. Charlevoix says : " II a (?tc forme
(lu torme Iliro, ou Hero, qui sipnifie J'ai (lit, et par lequelces sauvages
finipsent tons leur discours, coiiinio los Latins faisoicnt autrefois
par lour Dixi ; et de Koue, {\\\[ est un eri tantut de tristi'.'^so, lorsqu'on
le prononce en trainant, et tantot de joye, quand on le prononco
plus court." — HiAt. de. la N. /•'., i. "271. Tlifir true name is Ifodfno-
nannce, or " W'OY>\c of the Lon^,' Iloiisf," because tlifir confederacy
of live distinct nations, ranged in a line along central New York,
was likened to one of the long bark houses already described, with
five tires and five families. The name Aijonnonsiunni, or Aquanuscioni,
ascribed to them by Lafltau and Charlevoix, who translated it
" House-makers," Faiseurs de Cnbannes, may be a conversion of the

INTROI)L'CTION\

SOCIAL AND rOLITICAL OUGANIZATION.

Tn Indian social orc^anization, a ])r(»l)l(Mn at once
HUggcsts itself. In these eoniniunities, eonipai'atively
j)()pulons, how conhl sj)ii'its so lierce, and in many
rospeets so nngovei'tied, livi' top'ther in peace, with-
(Uit law and witliont eid'oreed antiiority? Yet tliere
were tt)wns M'1"M'(^ savages live(l to^'ether in tlion-
sunds, ^vith a liarniony which civilization niii^ht env}'.
'Ihis was in i^ood measure due to peculiarities of
Indian character and habits. Tliis intractable race
were, in certain externid I'cspects, tlie most pliant
and com})laisant of manUii'l. The early missionaries
were charmed by the docile acquiescence with which
their dop^mas were received; but they soon discovered
that their facile auditoi's neither believed nor under-
stood that to which they had so [)roniptly assented.
They assented from a kind of courtesy, which, while
it vexed the priests, tended (:freatly to keep the
Indians in mutual accord. That well-known self-

true name wit!i an erroneous rcmli'vinji. The following arc the
true names of the five nations severally, with their French and
English synonynu's. For other synonvmes, see "History of the
Conspiraey of rontiue/' chapter i., note.

"iigli.ih.

Mihawk,

Oncula,

' )iion(Iaga,

Cayuga,

Seneca,

The Iroquois teriuination in ouv — o- unon, as the French write it
— simply nieaus people.

Gaiu agr.oiio,
()nayoteka( no,
Onundagaono,
Gweugwclioiio,
Nunihiwaono,

French.
Agnier.
Ohucyut.
( •.iiiontague.
(ioyogouin.
Tsonnontouans.

:; il

INDIAN ("rENEROSITY.

the

and
the

control, which, originating in a form of pride, covered
tlie .savage nature of the man with a veil, opacjue,
though thin, eontrihuted not a little to the same end.
Though vain, arrogant, boastful, and vindietive, the
Indian bore abuse and sarcastn with an astonishing
patience. Thougii greedy and grasping, he was
lavish without stint, and would give- away his all to
soothe the niancs of a departed relative, gain influence
and applause, or iiigratiate himself with his neigh-
bors. I:i his di-ead of public opinion, he rivalled
some of Ids civilized successors.

All Indians, and especially these populous and
stati(mary triljcs, liad their code of courtesy, whoso
re(piirements were rigid and exact; nor might any
infringe it witlK,at the ban of ])ublic censure. Indian
nature, inflexible and unmalleable, was peculiarly
under the control of <;ustom. Established usage took
the piace of law, — was, in fact, a sort of common
law, with no tribunal to expound or enforce it. In
these wild democracies, — democracies in spirit,
though not in form, — a r-^'spect for native su])erior-
ity, and a willingness to yitdd to it, were always con-
spicuous. All wei'e prompt to aid each other in
distress, and a neighborly spirit was often exhiljited
among tliem. When a young woman was perma-
nently married, the other women of the village
supplied her with firewood for the 3'ear, each contrib-
uting an armful. When one or uKjre families were
without shelter, the men of the village joined in
building them a house. In return, the recipients of

INTROnrCTIOX.

tho favor gave a feast, if thoy could; if not, tlioir
thanks were sulliciont.^ Anionj^ the Irot^uois and
llnrons — and doubtless among tlic kindrcjd tribes —
there! were marked vlistinctions of iiobl(! and base,
])ros[)erous and poor; yet whih^ there was food in the
village, the meanest and the poorest need not suffer
want. He had but to enter i!«e nearest house, and
seat himself l)y the fire, when, without a word on
either side, food was phiced before him by the
women. 2

Contrary to the received oi)inion, these Indians,
like others of their race, when living in communities,
were of a very social disposition. Besides their inces-
sant dances and feasts, great and small, they were
continually visiting, s[)ending most of their time in
their neighbors' houses, chatting, joking, bantering

* The following testimony ('onperninjT Tndiiin cliarity and liospi-
tality is from Hagucnean : " As often as wo liavo si'cn trilies lirokin
up, towns cU'stroyc'd, and tlii'ir jx'opk' drivon to fligiit, wu iiavt' .^ci n
tlifin, to tliL- number of seven or eigiit imndred jiersons, receivid
with open arms by eharitable hosts, who gladly gave them aid, and
even distributed among them a i)art of tlie lan<ls already planted,
tliat they miglit have the moans of living." — Iiflati'in, lOoO, 28.

'^ The Jesuit lirebeuf, than whom no one kni'W the llurons better,
is very emj)]iatic in praise of their harmony and social spirit.
Speaking of one of the four nations of wliicii tlie llurons were
composed, he says : " lis ont vne doiiceur et vne alTabilitd quasi
incroj'able pour des Sauuages ; ils no se pie(Hient jias aiscmcnt. . . .
lis se maintiennent dans eette si i)arfaite inti'iligenee jiar les fre-
quentes visites, les seeours (ju'ils se donnent mutuellenu'iit dans
leurs maladies, i)ar les festins et les alliances. . . . ils sent moins
en leurs Cahanes que ehez leurs amis. . . . ^'ils ont vn bon inor-
ceau, ils en font festin h leurs amis, et ne le mangont <iuasi iamais
en lour particulier," etc, — licldtian des Jfiirmis, HV.M), US.

CI I

i^ i ,

. ■ Jl

INDIAN' Ul-hK OK DKSCKNT

one anotlior witli w itticisius, sliarp, broad, and in iKt
8(Misi; ('vlicatc, yet always taken in l,^(»i)(1 [)art. Kvi'iy
villa^'t' liad its adepts in these wordy tournainonls,
while the shiill lani;ii of yomiL^ sipiaws, untanL;'ht to
hlnsli, ('eh(ted I'aeh hai'dy jest or loneh sai'easni.

In the oi'L^^ani/atioii of the savage eonmumities of
the continent, one I'eatnre, nioi'e or less conspicuous,
continually appears. ICacli nation (tr trilu' — to ado[)t
the names l>y which these couununities are usually
known — is sulxlivided into several clans. These
clans are not locally se])arate, but are mingled
throun'hout the nation. All the members of (>acli
(Ian are, or are assumed to be, intimately joined in
consan^'uinity. Hence it is held an abomination for
two persons of the same clan to intei'inai'ry ; and
hence, a^^ain, it foHows that every family must con-
tain members of at least two clans, r.aeh clan has
its name, as tlie clan ;'! liie Ilawk, of the Wolf, or
of tlic Tortoise; and each has for its end)lem the
ligure of tlie beast, bird, reptile, plant, or other
object, from which its name is derived. This
emblem, called ti)tnii by the Algoncpiins, is often
tattooed on the clansman's body, or rudely painted
over the entrance of his lodge. The child belongs,
in most eases, to the clan, not of the fathei', but of
the mother. In other words, descent, not of the
totem alone, but of all rank, titles, and })ossessitms,
is through the female. The son of a chiel' can never
he a chief by hereditary title, though he may become
so by force of personal influence or achievement.

TNTKODCCTfOX.

Neither can lie inlierit Irum his Father so imieli as a
t()baeco-j)ip(;. All possessions alilvi! pass of ri^Mit to
the brotlu'i's of tiic^ chief, or -to the sons of his sisters,
sineo these are all spiiuiL,^ from a connnon niotluM*.
This ruhf of descent was noticed 1)V (Ihaniplain anion,i(
the Ilni.-nsin lOlo. That excellent observer reh-rs
it to an orit^in wiiich is donl)tless its Irne one. 'I'lu;
child may not be tlu^ son of his repnted father, but
must be the son of his mother, — a c(»nsi(h'ration of
niorc! than ordinary force in an Indian conunnnity.^

This system of clanship, with the rule of descent
usually Ijelonjjfint,' to it, was of very wide prevalence,
rndecd, it is more than [)robable that close observa-
tion would have detected it in every trilx! east of the
]\Iissis8ipi)i; while there is positive evidence of its
existence in by far the <^n'eater number. It is found
also amonj^ the Dahcotah and other tribes west of the
Mississippi; and there is reason to believe it uni-
versally prevalent as far as the Uocky Mountains, and
even beyond them. 'I'he fact that with most of these
hordes there is little })r()perty worth transmission, and
that the most influential becomes chief, with little
reg'j'd to inheritance, has blinded casual observers to
the existence of this curious system.

1 " Ia's enfiins no succcdont iamais aux biiMis ot (li<,Miitez de k'urs
peroH, (loubtant coinmc i'ay <lit du h'ur jii-nitcur, iiiais bit'ii font-ils
k'urs succt'HMi'urs ft lu'i-itiiTS, los cnfaiis de lours sa'iirs, ut ilivsqiads
ils sont assL'uroz dVstiv yssus ot sortis." — Cliaini)laiii (1<>27), !>1.

Captain Jolin Siiiitli had ohsorvod tlio sanu', sovcral yoars bofore,
anioim' tlu' tribos of Virginia : " Fur the Crowne, their Iie^-res inherite
not, but tlie tirst heyres of the Sisters." — True Rtlution, 43 (ed.
Deane).

INDIAN Un.K or DKSCKNT.

It was foiiml in full drvcloiJiiuMitiunoiipf tlu^ ('rcfks,
Choctiiws, Cherok(!CM, and otluT Soutlicrn trilics,
iuchuliii;^ that rcniarkalilc people, the Nateliez, who,
judged by their religious and polilieal institutions,
seem a dt'taelied offshoot of tin; Toltee family. It is
no less conspicuous among the roving Algompiins of
the extreme North, where the nundter of tutnns is
almost countless. Everywhere it formed the founda-
tion of the polity of all the tribes, where a polity
could 1)(! said to exist.

The Franciscans and Jesuits, close stmh'nts of the
languages and superstitions of the Indians, were ])y
no means so zealous to analyze their organization and
government. m llie middle of the seventeenth
century the Ilurons as a nation had ceased to exist,
and their political ])ortraiturc, as handed down to us,
is careless and untinished. Yet some decisive features
are plainly shown. The Huron nation was a confed-
eracy of four distinct contiguous nations, afterwards
increased to five by the addition of the Tionnontates.
It was divided into clans; it was governed by chiefs,
whose ofitice was hereditary through the female; the
power of these chiefs, though great, was wholly of a
persuasive or advisory character; there were two
principal chiefs, one for peace, the other for war;
there were chiefs assigned to special national func-
tions, as the charge of the great Feast f)f the Dead,
the direction of trading voyages to other nations,
etc. ; there were numerous other chiefs, equal in
rank, but very unequal in influence, since the measure

INTRODUCTION.

of their influence depended on the measure of their
personal ability; each nation of the confederacy had
a separate organization, but at certain pcn-iods grand
councils of the united nations were held, at which
were i)resent, not chiefs only, but also a great con-
course of the people; and at these and other councils
the chiefs and i)rineipal men voted on proposed
measures by means of small sticks or reeds, the
opinion of the plurality ruling. ^

THE IROQUOIS.

The Iroquois were a people far more conspicuous
in history, and their institutions are not yet extinct.
In early and recent times, they have been closely
studied, and no little light has been cast upon a sub-
ject as difficult and obscure as it is curious. By
comparing the statements of observers, old and new,
the character of their singular organization becomes
sufficiently clear. ^

i Tlic'se facts are gatlieroil licrc and thcro from Cliamplain,
Saj^ard, Brossani, and tlie Jesuit liidniions prior to 1(550. Of the
Jesuits, lire'beuf is tlie most full and satisfactory. Lafitau and
Cliarlevoix knew the Huron institutions only throuti'h others.

Tlie names of the four confederate Huron nations were the
Ataronehronons, Attignenonfxhac, Atti^niaouentans, and Ahrendar-
rhonons. There was also a subordinate " nation " called Tohotaen-
rat, which had but one town. (See the map of the Huron Country.)
They all bore tlie name of some animal or other object: thus the
Attif^naouentans were the "Nation of the Bear." As the clans are
usually named after animals, this makes confusion, and may easily
lead to error. The Bear Nation was the principal member of the
league.

2 Among modern students of Iroquois institutions, a place far in
advance of all others is due to Lewis II. Morgan, himself an Iro-

THE IROQUOIS. — THEIR OIIKHN.

Both reason and tradition [)oint to the conclusion,
that the Iroquois formed orinrinally one undivided
people. Sundered, like countless other tribes, by-
dissension, caprice, or the necessities of the hunter
life, they separated into five distinct nations, cantoned
from east to west alonc^ the centre of New York, in
the following order: Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas,
Cayugas, Senecas. There was discord among them;
wars followed, and they lived in nuitual fear, each
ensconced in its palisaded villages. At length, says
tradition, a celestial being, incarnate on earth, coun-
selled them to compose their strife and unite in a
league of defence and aggression. Another person-
age, wholly mortal, yet wonderfully endowed, a
renowned warrior and a miiihtv ma(»'ieian, stands,
with his hair of writhing snakes, grotesquely con-
spicuous through the dim light of tradition at this
birth of Iroquois nationality. This was iVtotarho, a

(|uois by adoption, and intimate with the rat'c from boyhood. His
work, 'J7ie Jaiii/up of the. JrcM/iiois, is a j)roduction of most thorough
;uid iihie rt'searcii, 'jonductod undor i)i'culiar advaiitagi's, and with
till' aid of an efficient co-hiboror, llasanoanda (HI}- S. TarkiT), an
I'chicatc'd and hi^iily intc'llijrcnt Iroquois of tiic Sfnt-ca nation.
Thtniiih often differing widely from Mr. Morgan's coiudiisions, I
caimot bear a too emphatic te.stimony to the value of his researches.
Tlie Xotcs (It) tlic Ir(i(jU(iis of Mr. H. K. Schoolcraft also contain
siinie interesting facts; but here, as in all Mr. Schoolcraft's ])roduc-
tidiis, the reailer must scrupulously reserve his right of private
jiidginent. None of the old writers are so satisfactory as hatitau.
His Work, Miiurs drs Saiini'/cs Aiiii'n'(/ii<iiiis rdui/Kt, a s tiiix Maitrs des
J'rriiiicrs Temps, relates chiefly to the Inx^uois and Ilurons: the
basis for his account of the former being his own observations and
tiiose of Father Julien Garnicr, who was a missionary among them
more than si.xty years, from his novitiate to his deatlu

INTRODUCTION.

chief of the Onondagas ; and from this honored source
has sprung a long lin(3 of chieftains, heirs not to the
hluod ah)ne, but to the name of their great predeces-
sor. A few years since, tliere lived in Onondaga
Hollow a liandsome Indian boy on whom the dwindled
remnant of the nation looked with pride as their
destined Atotarho. With earthly and celestial aid
the league was consummated, a: id througli all the land
tlie forests trembled at the name of the Iroquois.

The Iroquois people was divided into eight clans.
When the original stock was sundered into live parts,
each of these clans was also sundered into five parts ;
and as, l)y tlie principle already indicated, the clans
were intimately mingled in every village, hamlet, and
cabin, each one of the five nations had its portion of
each of the eight clans. ^ When the league was

1 With a view to clearness, tho above statement is made cate-
gorical. It re(iuires, however, to be qualified. It is not quite
certain, that, vt tlie formation of the confederacy, there were eight
clans, though there is positive proof of the existence of seven.
Neither is it certain, that, at the separation, every clan was repre-
sented in every nation. Among the ]\lohawks and Oneidas there
is no ])ositive proof of the existence of more than three clans, —
tlie Wolf, Hear, and Tortoise; though there is presumptive
evidence of the existence of several others. See Morgan, 81,
note.

The eight clans of the Iroquois were as follows: Wolf, Bear,
Beaver, Tortoise, Deer, Snipe, Heron, Hawk. (Morgan, 79.) The
clans of the Snipe and the Heron are the same designated in an
early French document as La famllle du Petit Pluricr and La famille
(In (iraiid Phivicr. {ypiv York Colonial iJornnirnfs, i.r. 47.) The
anonymous author of this document adds a ninth elan, that of the
Potato, meaning the wild Indian jjotato, Gli/'-ine apios. This clan,
if it existed, was very inconspicuous, and of little importance.

llemarkable analogies exist between Iroquois clanship and that

ORGANIZATION OF THE IROQUOIS.

formed, these separate portions readily resumed their

ancient tie of fraternity. Thus, of the Turtle clan,

all the members hecame brothel's again, — nominal

members of one family, whether Mohawks, Oneidas,

i)nondagas, Cayugas, orSenecas; and so, too, of the

remaining clans. All the Iroquois, irrespective of

nationality, were therefore divided into eight families,

each tracing its descent to a common mother, and

each designated by its distinctive emblem or tvtcin.

This connection of clan or family was exceedingly

strong, and by it the five nations of the league were

linked together as by an eightfold chain.

The clans were by no means equal in numbers,

influence, or honor. So marked were the distinctions

among them, that some of the early wri*:ers recognize

only the three most conspicuous, — those of ihe

Tortoise, the Bear, and the Wolf. T(^ some of the

clans, in each nation, belonged the right of giving a

chief to the nation and to the league. Others had

the right of giving three, or, in one case, four chiefs ;

while others could give none. As Indian clanship

was but an extension of the family relation, these

of otlior tribes. The ciglit clans of tlii' Trociuois wwc scpariiteil
into two divisions, four in ciich. ()rij;inally, marria^i' was intcT-
(iictfd bt'tweon all the nit'nihers of tlio saniu division, but in time
tiic interdict was limited to the members of the individual clans.
Another tribe, the Clioctaws, riiiioU' from the Iro(]uois, and radi-
cally different in lanjxuaj,'e, had also ei,i,d)t clans, similarly diviilcd,
with a similar interdict of marriaj^e. (Jallatin, Si/nnjisia, 10',).

The Creeks, accordinff to the account given by their old chief,
Sckopechi, to Mr. 1). W. Kakins, were divided into nine clans,
named in most cases from animals: clanship being transmitted,
as usual, through the female.

INTRODlXTrOX.

i I

chiefs wore, in a certain sense, hereditary; hut the
law of inheritance, tliouiu^li hindinf,^, was extremely
elastic, and eapaljle of stretehing to the fartliest limits
of the clan. 'J'he chief was almost invai'iahly suc-

ided h

ceedea l)y a near relative, always thronu;'h the lemale,
— as a hrother hy the same mother, or a nejdiew h}^
the sister's side. But if these were manifestly untit,
they were passed over, and a chief was chosen at a
council of the clan fi'om among remoter kindred. In
these cases, the successor is said to ha\'e heen nomi-
nated hy the matron of the late chief's household. ^
Be this as it may, the choice was never adverse to
the popular inclhiation. The new chief was "'raised
up," or installed, hy a formal council of the sachems
of the league; and on entering upon his ollice, he
dr()[)[)ed his own name, and assumed that which,
since the formation of the league, had belonged to
this especial chieftainship.

The nundjer of these princip.al chiefs, or, as they
have been called by way of distinction, sachems,
varied in the several nations from eight to fourteen.
The sachems of the live nations, fifty in all, assembled
in council, formed the government of the confederacy.
All met as equals, but a peculiar dignity was ever
attached to the Atotarho of the Onondagas.

There was a class of subordinate chiefs, in no sense;
hereditary, but rising to office by address, alility, or
valor. Yet the rank \\as clearly defined, and the
new chief installed at a formal council. This class

1 Lafitau, i. 471.

COUNCILS. —SACHEMS.

embodied, as might be supposed, the best talent of
the nation, and the most prominent warriors and
orators of the Iroquois have belonged to it. In its
character and functions, however, it was purely civil.
Like the sachems, these chiefs held their councils,
and exercised an influence proportionate to their
number and abilities.

There was another council, between which and
that of the subordinate chiefs the line of demarcation
seems not to have been very aofmite. The Jesuit
Latitau calls it ""the senate." P'amiliar with the
Iroquois at the height of their prosperity, he describes
it as the central and controlling power, so far, at
least, as the separate nations were concerned. In its
character it was essentially popular, but popular in
the best sense, and one which can find its application
only in a small community. Any man took part in
it whose age and experience qualified him to do so.
It was merely the gathered wisdom of the nation.
Lafitau compares it to the Roman Seiiate, in the early
and rude age of the Republic, and affirms that it loses
nothing by the comparison. He thus describes it:
"It is a greasy assemblage, sitting svr Icur derrQre,
crouched like apes, their knees as high as their ears,
or lying, some on their bellies, some on their backs,
each with a pipe in his mouth, discussing affairs of
state with as much coolness and gravity as the
Spanish Junta or the (irand Council of Venice."^

The young warriors had also their councils; so,

1 Lafitau, i. 478.

VOL. I.

INTRODL'CTION.

too, liad the wonioii; and the opinions and ^vishes
of each were represented by means of doputies
bef(>rc the "senate," or eounoil of the okl men, as
well as before the grand confederate council of the
sacliems.

'i'he government of this unique republic resided
wholly in councils. liy councils all questions were
settled, all regulations established, — social, political,
military, and religious. Tlie war-path, the chase,
the c(mncil-lire, — in these was the life of the
Iroipiois; and it is hard to say to which of the three
he was most devoted.

'J'he great council of the fifty sachems formed, as
we have seen, the government of the league. When-
ever a subject arose before any of the nations, of
im})ortance enough to demand its assembling, the
sachems of that nation nn"ght sunnuon their col-
leagues by means of rumiers, l)earing messages and
belts of wampum. The usual })lace of meeting was
the valley of Onondaga, the [)()litical as well as
geographical centre of the confederacy. Thither, if
the matter were; one of (Un^p and general interest, not
the sachems alone, but the greater part of the popu-
lation, gathered from east and west, swarming in the
hospitable lodges of the town, or bivouacked by
thousands in the surrounding fields and forests.
While the sachems deliberated in the council-house,
the chiefs and old men, the warriors, and often the
women, were holding their resi)ective councils apart;
and their opinions, laid by their deputies before the

THE GREAT COUNCIL.

jart ;
the

council of sachems, were never without influence on
its decisions.

The utmost order and deliberation reigned in the
council, with rigorous adherence to the Indian notions
of parliamentary propriety. Tlie conference o[)ened
with an address to the spirits, or the chief t)f all the
spirits. There was no heat in debate. No speaker
interrupted another. Each gave his opinion in turn,
supporting it with what reason or rlietoric he could
command, — but not until he liad stated the subject
of discussion in full, to prove that he understood it,
repeating also the arguments, -pro an(i co>>, of previous
s})eakers. Thus their debates were excessively prolix ;
and the consumption of tobacco was immoderate.
The result, however, was a thorough sifting of the
matter in hand; while the practised astuteness of
these savage politicians was a marvel to their civilized
contemporaries. "It is by a most subtle policy,"
says Lafitau, "that they have taken the ascendant
over the other nations, divided and overcome the
most warlike, made themselves a terror to the most
remote, and now hold a peaceful neutrality between
the French and English, courted and feared by
both."i

1 Lafitau, 1. 480. Many other French writers speak to the same
effect. The following are the word.-* of the soldier historian, La
Potlierie, after descrihing the ()r<raniziiti()n of the league: " C'est
done Ih cette politiiiue qui les unit si hien, a peu pros comnio tons
les ressorts d'une iiorloge, qui par une liaison adniirahle de toutes
les parties qui les eomposent, eontrihuent toutes unaniniement au
nierveilleu.xetfet qui v\\ rosulte." — Hist, dc rAineriqne StpU'iitrionale,
iii. 32. lie adds : " Les Franvois out avoiid eux-memes qu'ils ^toient

INTRODUCTION.

Unlike the Tlurons, tlicy required an entire una-
nimity in tlu'ir decisions. The ease and frequency
with wliich a requisition seenuiif^ly so (hH'cult was
fulfilled al't'ord a strikinj^ illustration of Indian nature,
— on one side, so stuhhorn, tenacious, and impracti-
cable; oi the ev, so pliinit and acquiescent. An
e\planati.!i «>!' im's harmony is to be found also in an
intense spiiir if i. tionality; for never shice the days
of Sparta were iii(h\.>.ual life and national life more
completely fused into one.

The sachems of the league were likewise, as we
have seen, sachems of their respective nations; yet
they rarely spoke in tlic councils of the subordinate
chiefs and old men, except to jtresent subjects of
discussion.^ Their inlluence in these councils was,
however, great, and even paramount; for they com-
monly succeeded in sc uing to their interest some of
the most dexterous and influential of the conclave,
through whom, while tluy themselves remained in
the biickground, they managed the debates. ^

nez pour l;i piuTre, & qr.t'lqnos maux qu'ils nous ayont faits nons
Ics avoiis toujoiirs estinu'Z." — Ibid., 2. La Potlierie's book was
])iil)lislicMl ill 1722.

1 Lafitau, i. 471).

2 The following;- from Lafihui is very cliaractoristic : "Ce que je
(lis do U'ur zJ'le pour Ic bieu public n'est cependant pas si universel,
quo plusieurs no ponsont k Icurs interets particuliers, & que les
Clu'fs {s(ir/iniis) priiu'ipak'inont no fassont joiior plusiours ressorts
soorots pour vonir u liout do lours intrigues. 11 y on a tel, dont
I'adresse joue si bion ti coup sfir, qu'il fait deniboror le Conseil
plusiours jours do suite, sur uno niatifero dont la dc^torniination est
arrotoo ontre lui .< les priiu'ipales totes aA-ant d'avoir oto' niise sur
le tapis. Cependant coramo les Cliofs s'ontre-rogardont, & qu'aucun

IlgiHAN POLITICIANS.

Tlierft was u class of luon among tlu juois

always mit Torward on public occasions to s} I'ak tlio
mird of the nation or lofend its interests. Nearly
all of them were of the number of the subordinate
chiefs. Nauirtj and training liad fitted them for
public speakin<,^ and they were deeply versed in the
history and traditions of tlie league. They v.ere in
fact professed orators, high in honor and intluciice
among tbe people. To a huge stock of conven<'onal
metaphors, the use of which required nothii. <• ; t
practice, they often added an astute intel et. "
astonishing memory, and an eloquence whic) .^s<. vcd
the name.

In one particular, tbe training of th ' .vage
politicians was never surpassed. They had no art
of writing to record events, or preserve the sti})ula-
tions of treaties. ]\Iemory, therefore, was tasked to
the utmost, and developed to an extraoi'dinary degree.
They had various devices for aiding it, such as
bundles of sticks, and that system of signs, emblems,
and rude pictures which they shared with other
tribes. Their famous wanipum-belts were so many
mnemonic signs, each standing for some act, speech,
treaty, or clause of a treaty. These represented the

no vcut paroitro se doniiiT uul' siijierioritc qui puissf pifjucr la ja-
lousie, ils so nu'nam'iit ilans li'S Const'ils plus qui' K's autres; &
quoiqu'ils en soicnt I'auu', leur i)()Iiti(|Uc' k-s oljHirc h, y j)arler peu,
& h. ccouttT i)lutot k' sontinu-nt d'autrui, (lu'a y dire k' Iciir; mais
chacun a un homine a sa main, (jui i-st cduiiir' uno espcrc de
Briilot, & qui etant sans constMiuonce pour sa jJiM-sonne hazarde un
ploino liliorto tout ce qu'il juire Ji jjropos, scion (}u'il I'a concortc
avec le Chef menie pour qui il a^it." — Maurs des S(inf<i(j(s, i. 481.

INTRODUCTION.

public archives, and were divided among various
custodians, each charged witli the memory and inter-
pretation of those assigned to him. The meaning of
the belts was from time to time expounded in their
councils. In conferences with them, nothing more
asttmishcd tlie French, Dutcli, and lOnglish officials
than the precision with wliicli, before replying to
their addresses, the Indian orators repeated them
point by point.

It was only in rare cases that crime among the
Iroquois or Ilurons was [junished by public authority.
Murder, the most h.-inous offence, except witchcraft,
recognized among them, was rare. If the slayer and
the slain were of the same household or clan, the
affair was regarded as a family quarrel, to be settled
by the immediate kin on both sides. This, under
the pressure of public opinion, was commonly effected
without bloodshed, by presents given in atonement.
But if the murderer and his victim were of different
clans or different nations, still more, if the slain was
a foreigner, the Avhole conununity became interested
to prevent the discord or the war which might arise.
All direced their efforts, not to bring the murderer
to punishment, but t(^ satisfy the injured parties by
a vicarious atonement.^ To this end, contributions
were made and presents collected. Their number

1 Lak'inant, wliile invcigliing against a practice wliicli made the
public, and not the criminal, answerable for an otYenct, admits that
heinous crinu-s were more rare tlian in France, where tlie guilty
party himself was punished. — Lcttrc au P. Provincial, 15
Maj/, 1045.

PUNISHMENT ()V ('UIMK.

•ind value w(3re dotcnniiuMl by cstaUlisluHl usiifjc.
Ain<)ii<if the Iliirons, tliirly {jrcsciits ot" very coiisid-
enildc value were tlio price of a mans life. That of
a woiuau's was lixed at forty, l>y reason of liei" weak-
ness, and because on her deixMided the continuanci!
and increase of the [)o|)ulation. This was when the
slain bi'lonn^ed to the nation. If of a foreiy;n tribe,
Ills death (UMiianded a higher "f)nij)ensation, sinct' it
involved the dauL^er of war. ^ These presents were
ol'b'red in solemn council, with jirescrilu'd formalities.
The relatives of the slain niiucht refuse tla-ni, if thev
chose, and in this case the murderer was oiven them
as Ji slave; but they mij^ht by no means kill him,
since in so d()in<:j they would incur i)ublic censure,
and be compelled in their tui-n to make atonement.
Besides the principal ^ifts, there was a ^reat number
of less value, all symbolical, and each delivered with
a set form of words: as, " |]y this we wash out the
blood of the slain: By this we cleanse his wound:
By this we clothe his corpse with a new shirt: By
this we place food on his grave f and so, in endless
prolixity, through particulars without nundter.-

The Hurons were notorious thieves; and perhaps
the Iroquois were not nuudi better, though the con-
trary has been asserted. Among both, the robbed

^ KafjiU'iicau, RiUition dcs Jfuroiis, l(i48, SO.

2 Haj^iU'nt'au, Ihlntion dcs IlurDns, KilH, pivos a doscription of
one of these ci'r(.'m()iii(.'S at Iciigtli. Those of the Inxjiiois on such
oceasions were similar. Many other tri1)es iiail tliu same euBtom,
hut attended with much less form and eiTemony. Comiiare
Perrot, 7i5-70.

INTRODUCTION.

was pcmiittcd not only to rctako his property l)y

orcif, if lio could, hut to Htrip the ro])bt'r of all he
had. This apjiaixMitly acted as a restraint in favor
only of the stront,% IcaviuL,' the weak a prey to the
plunderer; but here the tie of family and clan inter-
vened to aid him. Relatives and clansmen espoused
the (piarrel of iiim who could not ri^ht himself.'

Witches, with whom the Ilurons and Inxpiois
were grievously infested, were objects of utter abomi-
nation to both, and any one mii^ht kill them at any
time. If any person was guilty of treason, or by his
character and conduct made himself dangerous w
obnoxious to the public, the council of chiefs and
old men held a secret session on his case, condemned
him to death, and appointed some young man to kill
him. The executioner, watching his opportunity,
brained or stabbed him unawares, usually in the dark
porch of one of the houses. Acting by authority, lu;
could not be held answerable; and the relatives of
the slain had no redress, even if they desired it.
The council, however, commonly obviated all dil'ti-
culty in advance, by charging the culprit with witch-
craft, thus alienating his best friends.

The military organization of the Iroquois was
exceedingly imperfect and derived all its efficiency
from their civil union and their personal prowess.
There were two hereditary war-chiefs, both belonging

^ The prrpcc'iliiiffs for (k'tt'ctiiif? thiovos were rejjular ami
methodical, at'tcr cstabli.xhed customs. Accordlnjj to Bressani, no
thief ever inculi)ated the innocent.

MILITARY OIKiANIZATION.

to the Seneoiis; Imt, except on occasions of unusual
inij)ortance, it does not appear that tiiev took a Vi'i\
active part in tlio condutit of wars. Tlif Ircxpiois
lived in a state of chronic warfare with nearly all tin;
surrounding tribes, except a few from whom they
exacted tribute. Any man of sunicient jiersoiial
credit might raise a war-party when he chose. lie
})roclaimcd his pur^msc through the village, sang his
war-s(mgH, struck his hatchet into the war-post, and
danced the war-dance. Any who cliose joined him;
and the i)arty usually took up their march at once,
with a little i)arched ^orn-meal and maph.'-sugar as
tlieir sole provision. On great occasions, then; was
concert of action, — tlie various parties miHtiiig at a
rendezvous, and pursuing the march together. 'I'he
leaders of war-parties, like the orators, belonged, in
nearly all cases, to the class of subordinate chiefs.
The Iroquois had a discipline suited to the dark and
tangled forests where they fought. Here they were
a terrible foe : in an open country, against a trained
European force, they were, despite their ferocious
valor, far less formidable.

In ol)serving this singular organization, one is
struck by the incongruity of its spirit and its form.
A body of hereditary oligarchs was the head of the
nation, ^ ^.t the nation was essentially democratic.
Not that tlie Iroquois were levellers. None were
more prompt to acknowledge superioi-ity and defer
to it, whether established by usage and pres('iii)tio:i,
or the result of personal endowment. Yet each ujii.i,

INTRODUCTION.

whether of high or low degree, had a voice in the
conduct of affairs, and was never for a moment
divorced from his wild spirit of independence.
Where there was no property worthy the name,
authority had no fulcrum and no liold. The constant
aim of sachems and chiefs was to exercise it without
seemin"' to do so. They had no insignia of ollice.
They were no richer than others; Indeed, they were
often poorer, spending their suhstance in largesses
and hriht'S to strengthen their intluence. They
hunted and fished for oiuhsistence ; they were as foul,
greasy, and unsavory as the rest; yet in them, withal,
was often seen a native dignity of bearing, which
ochre and bear's grease could not hide, anil which
comported well with their strong, symmetrical, and
sometimes majestic propcntions.

To the institutions, traditions, rites, usages, and
festivals of the league the Iroquois was inseparably
wedded. He clung to them with Indian tenacity;
and he clings to them still. His political fabric was
one of ancient ideas and practices, crystallized into
regular and enduring forms. In its component parts
it has nothing peculiar to itself. All its elements
are hmnd iv other tril)es; most of them belong to
the whole Indian race. Undoubtedly there was a
distinct and detinite effort of legislation ; but Iroquois
legislation invented nothing. Like all sound legis-
lation, it built of materials already prepared. It
organized the chaotic past, and gave concrete forms
to Indian nature itself. The [)eople have dwindled

SPIRIT OF THE CONFEDERACY.

and decayed; but, banded by its ties of elan and kin,
the league, in feeble miniature, still subsists, and the
degenerate Iroquois looks back with a mournful pride
to the glory of the past.

Would the Iroquois, left vuidisturbed to work out
their own destiny, ever have emerged from tlu' savage
state? Advanced as they were beyond most other
American tribes, there is no indication whatever of
a tendency to overpass the conlines of a wild hunter
and warrior life. They were inveteratcly attached
to it, impracticable conservatists of barbarism, and in
ferocity and cruelty they matched the worst of their
race. Nor did the power of expansion apparently
belonging to their system ever produce much i-esult.
Between the years 1712 and 171'), the Tuscaroras, a
kindred people, were adnntted into the league as a
sixth nation ; but they were never admitted on equal
terms. Long after, in the period of their decline,
several other tribes were announced as new members
of the league ; but these admissions never took effect.
The Iroquois were always reluctant to receive other
tribes, or parts of tribes, collectively, into the pre-
cincts of the "Long House." Yet they constantly
practised a system of adoptions, from wluch, though
cruel and savage, they drew great advantages. Tlieir
prisoners of war, when they had l)urned and butchered
as many of them as would serve to sate their own iie
and that of their women, were divided, — man by
man, woman by woman, and child by child, — ado})ted
into different families and clans, and thus incorpo-

INTIIODUCTIOX.

rated into the nation. It was by this means, and
tliis alone, that they could offset the losses of their
incessant wars. Early in the eighteenth century,
and even long before, a vast i)roportion of their
population consisted of adopted prisoners. ^

It remains to speak of the religious and supersti-
tious ideas which so deeply influenced Indian life.

RELIGION AND SUPEKSTITIDNS.

The religious belief of the North-American Indians
seems, on a first view, anomalous and contradictory.
It certainly is so, if we adopt the popular impression.
Romance, Poetry, and Rhetoric point, on the one
hand, to the august conception of a one all-ruling
Deity, a Great Spirit, omniscient and onniipresent;
and we are called to admire the untutored intellect
which could conceive a thought too vast for Socrates
and Plato. On the other hand, we find a chaos of

1 liilatitin, l(t(>0, 7 (anonymous). Tiie Iroquois wore at the
lu'iiflit of tlu'ir ])rosi)erity about the year KioO. Morijan reckons
tlieir nuniher at this time at i;-"),00() souls ; hiit this is far too iiigh
an estimate. Tlie autlior of tlie Jiela/ion of Kiiil) makes tlieir wiiole
number of warriors L',200. Le MereiiT, in tlie luldtinu of Kilio, says,
2,'!">0. In the Journal of Greenhaly;h, an Englishman who visited
them in 1<)77, their warriors are set down at 2,150. l)u Chesneau,
in 1()81, estinuites tliem at 2,000; l)e la Barre, in 1084, at 2,000, they
having been strengthened ])y adoj)tions. A memoir addressed to
the Marquis de Seignelay, in 10S7, again makes them 2,000. (See
N. Y. Col. Docs., ix. 102, 100, ;!21.) These estimates imi)ly a total
population of ten or iwelve thousand.

The anonymous writer of the R> lotion of 1000 may well remark :
" It is marvtdlous that so few should nuike so great a havoe, and
strike such terror into so many tribes."

INDIAN rANTIIEISM.

degrading, I'idiculous, and incoherent snpei-stitions.
A closer examination \vill show that tlie contradic-
tion is more apparent than reaL We will begin with
the lowest forms of Indian belief, and thence trace it
upward to the highest conceptions to wliich the
unassisted mind of the savage attained.

To the Indian, the material world is sentient and
intelligent. liirds, beasts, and rc[)tiles have ears for
human prayers, and are endowed with an inlluence
on human destiny. A mysterious and inexplicable
power resides in inanimate things. They, too, can
listen to the voice of man, and influence his life for
evil or for good. Lak(^s, rivers, and waterfalls ai'e
sometimes the dwelling-place of spirits; but more
frequently they are themselves living beings, to be
propitiated by prayers and offerings. The lake has a
soul; and so has the I'iver, and the cataract. Each
can heal' the words of men, and each can be pleased
or off(Mided. In the silence of a forest, the gloom of
a dee}) ravine, resides a living mystery, iridetinite,
but redoubtable. Through all the works of Nature
or of man, nothing exists, however seemingly trivial,
that may not be endowed with a secret power for
blessing or for bane.

^len and animals are closely akin. Each species
of animal has its great archetype, its progenitor or
king, who is su])])osed to exist somewhere, prodigious
in size, tliougli in slia})e and nature like his subjects.
A l)elief pievails, vague, but perfectly apparent, that
men them:Oivef! owe their lirst parentage to beasts,

INTRODUCTION.

birds, or reptiles, — as bears, wolves, tortoises, or
cranes; and the names of the totemic clans, borrowed
in nearly every case from animals, are the reflection
of tliis idca.^

An Indian liunter was always anxious to propitiate
the animals \w sought to kill, lie has often been
known to address a wounded bear m a long harangue
of apology.2 'l]^^, i)ones of the beaver were treated
witli especial tenderness, and carefully kept from the
dogs, lest the spirit of the dead beaver, or his surviving
l)rethren, should take offence.^ This solicitude was
not confined to animals, but extended to inanimate
tilings. A remarkable example occurred among the
Hurons, a people comparatively advanced, vdio, to
propitiate thi'ir tishing-nets and persuade them to do

^ 'riiis ln'lk'f occasionally takes a jxTfcctly dofinlto shape.
There was a traditiim amoiij,^ Northern and Western tribes that
men were createtl from the carcasses of beasts, birds, and fishes, by
Manabozho, a mythical personage, to be described hereafter. The
Amikoiias, or JVoi)le ot the Reaver, an Algonquin tribe of Lake
Huron, ' lainu'd descent from tlie carcMiss of the great original
beavir, or fatiier of tlie beavers. They believed that the rapids
and cataracts on the French Kiver and the Upper Ottawa were
(MUsed by dams made by tlieir amphibious ancestor. (See the
traiiition in I'errot, Metiiuire stir les Mains, Cuustiuiirs rt lifllli/ion dt's
SuurdijtA ill' /'Aiiien'i/iii' Si jitiiitn'oiiitir, 20.) Charlevoi.x tells the
same story. Each Indian was supposed to inherit something of
the nature of ihe animal wiience lie sjjrung,

'^ McKiniU'V, /"'*'/;• fo the Liilis, 284, mentions the discomposure
of a party of Indians wiien shown a stulfed moose. Thinking that
its spirit would be offended at the indignity shown to its remains,
they surrounded it, Miaking apologetic speeches, and blowing
tobacco-smoke at it as a propitiatory offering.

3 This superstition was very prevalent, and numerous exam-
ph'^ of it occur in old and recent writers, from Father Le Jeune to
Captain Carver.

MAXTTOUS AND OKIES.

tlicir office with effec-. marrietl them every year to
two yomig girls of t\h^ tribe, with a ceremony far
more formal than tliat (observed in the case of mere
liuman wedlock.^ The lisli, too, no less than the
nets, must be propitiated; ai)d to tliis end they were
addressed every evening from the fisliing-camp hy
(/lie of the party chosen for that function, who
exhorted them to take courage and be caught, assur-
ing them that the utmost respect should be shown to
their bones. The harangue, which took place after
the evening meal, was made in solemn form; and
while it lasted, tlie \A)iole party, except the speaker,
were required to lie on tlieir backs, silent and
motionless, around the fire.^

Besides ascribing life and intelligence to the
ma 3rial world, animate and inanimate, the Indian
l)elieves in sujiernatural existences, known among the
Algonquins as Maiiituus, and among the Iroquois
and liurons as Okies or Otkuns. These words com-

1 TluTo are frctnient allusions to this coromoiiy in tlio oarly
writers. Tlu' Aluonciuins of the Ottawa praetised it, as well .'i^ the
Iliirons. Laleiuant, in his eiiajiter " Dii liej^ne de Satan ees

Contre'eF " {lichititiu dcs Iliirans, l(i.')!i), says that it took plao irly,
in the middle of Mareh. As it was indispensable that th rides
should he virjiins, mere ehililren wi're ehoseii. The net uas held
l)etween them ; and it sjjirit, or oZ/, was harangued hy oi of the
chiefs, who exhorted him to do his jiart in furnishiiij^f the tribe
with food. Laleniant was toM tli.it tiir spirit of tiie nt 'I'.d once
api)eared in human form to the Alj;()n(iuins, eomjilain j: that he
had lost his wife, and warnimr them, that, unless tiiey eould find
him another etiually immiiculali', they would eateh no more fish.

^ Sa^ard, /.c (irdinf \\ji/(ii/i' du /'ni/s df:s IJiiroits, l"i . Otht."
old writers make a similar statement.

INTRODUCTION.

prebend all forms of superiiiitunil being, from the
highest to the lowest, with the excei)tion, possibly,
of certain diminutive fairies or hobgoblins, and cer-
tain giants and ancnnalous monsters, which appear
under various forms, grotesque and horrible, in the
Indian lireside legends.^ There are local manitous
of streams, rocks, mountains, cataracts, and forests.
The conception of these ])eings betrays, for the most
part, a striking poverty of imagination. In nearly
every case, when tliey reveal themselves to mortal
siglit, they bear the semblance of beasts, reptiles, or
Ijirds, in shapes unusual or distorted. ^ There are
other manitous without local habitation, some good,
some evil, countless in number and indefmite in
attributes. Tliey fill the world, and control the
destinies of men, — tluit is to say, of Indians; for
the primitive Indian holds that the white man lives
undei' a spiritual rule distinct from that which
governs his own fate. These ])eings, also, appear
for the most part in the shape of animals. Some-
times, ho ,v ever, they assume human proportions; but
more frequently they take the form of stones, which,

^ Many tribes have talcs of diminutive heinfrs, wliich, in tlie
abst'iu'c- oi a bcttiT word, may be called " fairies." In the Travels
(if Liicix and Clnrkc, there i.-< mention v)f a hill on Hie Missouri,
sup])osed to be iiaunted by them. These Western fairies corre-
sjjond to tlie Pitch WiidJ Tiiitice of Ojibwa tradition. As an example
of the monsters alluded to, see tlie Saiiinaw story of the Weendi-
(joes, in Sehooleraft, Ali/ir Beseai-rhes, ii. 105.

2 The figure of a lar^e bird is periiaps tlie most common, — as,
for example, the sfood sjiirit of Kock Island: " He was white, with
wings like a swan, but ten times hirger." — Autubiography of
Blackhairk, 70.

THE GUARDIAN MANITOU.

being broken, are found full of living blood and
flesh.

Each primitive Indian has his guardian manitou,
to whom he looks for counsel, guidance, and protec-
tion. These spiritual allies are gained by the follow-
ing process. At the age of fourteen or fifteen, the
Indian boy blackens his face, retires to some solitary
place, and remains for days without food. Supersti-
tious expectancy and the exhaustion of a])stinence
rarely fail of their results. His sleep is haunted by
visions, and the form which first or most often appeare
is that of his guardian manitou, — a beast, a bird,
a fish, a serpent, or some other object, animate or
iniuiimate. An eagle or a bear is the vision of a
destined warrior; a wolf, of a succ -; f-il hunter;
while a serpent foreshadows the futiue medicine-
man, or, according to othei-s, portends disaster.^
The young Indian thenceforth wears about his pei-son
the object revealed in his dream or some portion of

^ Compare Cass, in North Amcrirnn Reriew, Second Series, xiil.
100, A turkey-buzzard, according to him, is the vision of a nie<li-
cinc-man. I onee knew an old Dahcotah chief, who was greatly
respected, but liad never :)een to war, tliough belonging to a family
of jjectdiarly warlike propensities. The reason was, that, in his
initiatory fast, he had dreamed of an antelope, — the peace-spirit
of his people.

Women fast, as well as men, — always at the time of transition
from childhood to maturity. In the Xarnitii-p of Jolin Tanner,
there is an account of an old woman who had fasteil, in her youth,
for ten days, and tliroughout her life placed the firmest faith in the
visions which had appeared to her at that time. Among tfie
Northern Algonquins, the practice, down to a recent day, was
almost universal.
VOL. I. — 5

INTRODrCTIOX.

it, — as a bone, a fcatlier, a snaku-skin, or a tuft of
hair. Tliis, in the modern langnaj^o of the forest
and praiiie, is known as liis "medicine."' Tiie Indian
yiehls to it a sort of worsliip, propitiates it witli
offerings of tol)acco, thanks it in i)rosperity, and
n[)hraids it in disastt'r. ' If his medicine fails to
bring tlic desired success, he will sometimes discard
it and adopt another. The sni)erstiti(m now becomes
mere fetich-worship, since the Indian regards the
mysterir)us object which he carries about him rather
as an embodiment than as a representative of a
supernatural power.

Indian belief recognizes also another and very
different class of beings. IJesides the giants and
monsters of legendary lore, other conceptions may be
discerned, more or less distinct, and of a character
partly mythical. Of these the most conspicuous is
that remarkable i)ersonage of Algonquin tradition,
called l^Ianabozho, Messou, Michabou, Nanabush, or
the Greit Hare. As each s})ecies of animal has
its archetype or king, so, among the Algonc^uins,
Manabozho is king of all these animal kings. Tradi-
tion is diverse as to liis origin. According to the
most current belief, his father was the West-Wind,

^ Tlio autlior has seen a Dalicotah warrior open his medicine-
bajr, talk witli an air of aiYoctionato respect to the hone, feather,
or horn witliin, an 1 bh)\v tol)aeeo-sni()ke upon it as an offerin};.
" Medicines " are acquired not otdy by fastinp, hut by casual
dreams, and otlierwise. They are sometimes even bouglit and sokl.
For a curious account of medicine-bags and feticli-worsiiip among
the Algonquins of Gaspe', see Le Clerc, Nuuvtlle liilaliun de la
Gaspesie, chap. xiii.

MA\AIU)ZII().

and liis inotlier a grciit-t^riUKldaui^litt'i' of tlio moon.
His C'liaracter is worthy ot" siuli a j)art'nta^('. Somo-
tiiiies lie is a wolf, a l)ir<l, oi' a ,L;ij,Mntic haiv, sur-
rounded by a court of (luadrupcds ; sonu'tinics lio
appeal's in human shape, majestic in stature and
wondi'ous in endowment, — a mii^'hty magician, a
destroyer of .serpents and e\ il manitous; sometimes
he is a vain and ti'caclierous imp, full of chihiish
w'hims and petty trickeiy, the hutt and victim of
men, beasts, and spii'its. His powers of transforma-
tion are without limit; his curiosity and malice arc
insatiable; and of the inimberless legends of which
he is the hi>ro, the greater part ;>"e as trivial as they
are incoherent.^ It does not a])pear that Maiiabozho
was ever an object of \\()rshi[); yet, desj)ite his
absurdity, tradition declares him to be chief among
the manitous, in short, the "(Ireat S[)irit."2 It was
lie who restored the woi'ld. svd)mei;>'e(l by a deluge.
He was hunting in company with a certain ^volf,
who Avas his brother, or, by other accounts, his
grandson, when his (piadrnped relative fell through
the ice of a frozen lake, and was at once devoured by

^ Mr. Sclioolfraf t ha:? colloctt'd many of ttu'S(> tales. Set- lii.s Alj/ir.
Resfrircla s, vol. i. Coiii])aro tlii' stories of Mcssoii, ^nvt'ii by Le
Jt'imc {lirldlions, l(i;]o, l<!o4), ami the account of Nanabiisli, by
Edwin James, in liis iKitcs to 'ramicr's Xdrrain-i nf ('ajitlnti/ and
Adventures duritxj a T/iirti/ Ymrs' Jlisidnici' uinann the Indians; also
til" account of the Great Hare, in tiie Menunre of Nicolas I'err ,t,
chaps, i., ii.

2 " IVesque toutos les Nations Aliionquines ont donnc' le nom
de (irand Lierre an Premier l'".sprit, quehines-nns I'appellunt
^[ichahiM (Manabozho)." — Charlevoix, Journal Ilistorii^ui, S44.

^ ^

INTllODUCTIOX.

cortain sorpcnts Inrkinj:^ in tlio dc^ptlis of tho waters.
Manabozlio, intent on revi3nt»'(', transfornKul liinisclf
into tho stnnij) of a tivc, and In this ailifico surprised
and slew tlio kiii^^ of tho sor[)cnts, as ho basked witli
liis fullowtTs in tla! noontido sun. Tlio sor[)onts,
wlio were all inanitous, caused, in their rage, tlie
waters of the lake to deluge tho earth. ^Tanabozho
elimhed a tree, which, in answer to his entreaties,
grew as the Hood lose around it, and thus saved him
IVoiii the vongeaneo of tho ovil spirits. Suhnicrged
to tho neck, ho h)oked abrojid on the waste of waters,
and at length descried tho bird known as tho loon, to
whom he appealed for aid in tho task of restoring the
world. The loon dived in search of a little mud, as
material for reeonstructior., but could not reach the
bottom. A musk-rat made the same attempt, but
soon reappeared floating on his back, and apparently
dead. INlanabozho, however, on searching his paws,
discovered in one of them a particle of the desired
mud, and of this, together with the Ijody of the loon,
created the world anew.^

There are various forms of this tradition, in some
of which Manabozho appeal's, not as the restorer, but
as the creator of the world, formimj mankind from
the carcasses of beasts, birds, and fishes.^ Other

1 Tliis is a form of the slory still curront among the remoter
Alffonquins. Coini)are the story of JNlcssou, in Le Jeuno, Relation,
10;j;3, 10. It is suhstuntially the same.

- In the hefiinninf,^ ol all things, ^^anah()zho, in tlie form of the
Great Hare, was on a raft, surrounded by animals who aeknowl-
edged him as their chief. No land could be seen. Anxious to

I :

ATAIIOCAN.

stories represent him as niiUTyinEf a frnialc musk-rat,
l)y n'liom he hccame the progenitor of tlie luunan

rare.

Searehing for some liiglier eoneeption of super-
natural existence, we liiul, among a portion of ijie
primitive Algon([uins, traces of a viiguc iK'licf in a
spirit dimly sliadowcd fortli uiuh-r the niimc of
Ataliocan, to whom it does not ap})ear that any attri-
l)utes were aserilied or any worslii[) offei'cd, and of
wliom the Indians professed to know nothing wliat-
ever;^ l)nt there is no evifh'nce tliat this helief
extended heyond certain trihes of tlie Lower St.
Lawrence. Otliers saw a supreme^ manitou in tlie
Sun.3 Tlie Algoncpiins ])elieved also in a malignant

create the world, the Great Ilare pcrsuiidfil the beaver to dive for
mud; but the adventurous tlivcr Ibiated to tlie >«urt'aee si'Msele>H.
Tlie otter next tried, and failed like bis predecessor. Tlie iiiiisk-rat
now otTered himself for the desperate task. He i)lini^cd, and, after
remaininp a day and nij^lit beneath the .'iiirface, reajipeareil, floatiiif.;
on iii.s back beside the raft, ai)parently dead, and witii all his paws
fast closed. On opening' them, tlii' other animals found in one of
tiiem a }i;rain of sand, and of this the (ireat Hare created tlie world.
— I'errot, Menwirp, chap. i.

^ Le Jeune, Jiihition, l(i;5:5, IH. The musk-rat is always a con-
spicuous fif^ure in Alj,'onqiiin cosmoj,^ony.

It is said that Messou, or ^lanabozlio, once jrave to an Iiuliaii
the pift of immortality, tied in a hundh', enjoiiiin<,' him never to
open it. The Indian'.s wife, however, impelh'd by curiosity, one
day cut the striiif,' : the })recious {,nft tl^w out, and Indians have
ever siix'e been subject to death. — Le .reiine, 7u Inliiui, lOot, 1;{.

'■^ Le Jeune, Ilihttion, 1038, 1(5; Hchiti",,, Ki;)!, 1;].

'' Miard, Relation, Kill, cliaj). viii. — This belief was very preva-
lent. The Ottawas, accordiiiif to l\a;,MU'iieau {Hilntuni lUi^ Ilnrons,
iniS, 77), were accustomed to invoke the "Maker of Heaven "at
their feasts ; but they recognized as distinct i)ersons the .Maker of

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TXTRODUCTIOX.

niiinitou, in wlioin tlio eiirly inissidimrics failed not to
recognize tiie Devil, l)ut who was 'ar less dreaded
than his wife. She wore a robe iiuule of the hair of
her vielinis, for she was the cause of death; and she
it was whom, hy yelling, dnmnniiig, and stamping,
they sought to drive away fi'om the sick. Some-
times, at niglit, she was seen hy some terrified squaw
in the forest, in sha[)e like a flame of lii-e; and wlx'n
the vision was announced to the circle crouched
around the lodge-hre, they burned a fragment of
meat to appease the female liend.

The East, tlie West, the North, and the South
were vaguely personilied as spirits or manitous.
Some of the winds, too, were personal existences.
The West-Wind, as we have seen, was father of
Manahozho. There was a Sunnner-Maker and a
Winter-Maker; and the Indians tried to keep the
latter at bay by throwing lirebrand.; into the air.

When we turn from the Algonquin family of tribes
to that of the Irocjuois, w(^ lind another cosmogony,
and other conceptions of s[)iritiial existence. While
the earth w^as as yet a w^aste of waters, there was,
according to Iroi^uois and Huron traditions, a heaven
with lakes, streams, plains, and forests, inhabited by
animals, by s[)irits, and, as some allirm, b}^ human
beings. Here a certain female spirit, named Ataentsic,

the Kartli, tht' Makir of WintiT, tho God of the Waters, and the
Seven Spirits of the Wind. IK- says, at the same time, "The peo-
ple of these countries liave received from their ancestors no
knowledfie of a (lod ; " and lie a(hls, that there is no sentiment of
religion in tliis invocation.

ATAENTSTC.

was once chasing a bear, whicli, slipping through a
hole, fell down to the earth. Ataentsic's dog fol-
lowed, when she herself, struck with despair, jumped
after them. Others declare that she was kicked out
of heaven by the spirit, her husband, for an amour
with a man; while others, again, hold the belief tliat
she fell in the attempt to gatlier for her husband the
medicinal leaves of a certain tree. Be this as it may,
the animals swinnniug in the watery waste below saw
her falling, and hastily met in council to determine
what should be done. The case was referred to the
beaver. The beaver commended it to the judgment
of the tortoise, who thereupon called on the other
animals to dive, bring up mud, and place it on his
back. Thus was formed a floating island, on which
Ataentsic fell; and here, being pregnant, she was
soon delivered of a daughter, who in turn bore two
boys, whose paternity is unexplained. They were
called Taouscaron and Jouskeha, and presently fell
to blows, Jouskeha killing his brother with the horn
of a stag. The back of the tortoise grew into a world
full of verdure and life; and Jouskeha, with his
grandmother, Ataentsic, ruled over its destinies.^

1 The above is the version of the story given by Bn'beuf, AV/a-
tioii (Ips Ihinma, IGUC), 8() (Cranioisy). No two Indians told it i)re-
eisely alike, though nearly all the Ilurons and Iroijuois agreed as
to its essential points. Compare Vanderdonek, Cusiek, Sagard,
and other writers. Aceording to Vanderdonek, Ataentsic became
mother of a deer, a bear, ami a wolf, by whom she afterwards bore
all the other animals, mankind included. Hr('beuf found also among
the Hurons a tradition inconsistent with that of Ataentsic, and
bearing a trace of Algonquin origin. It declares, that, in the
beginning, a man, a fox, and a skunk found themselves together on

i !

.( •■

INTRODUCTION.

! I

He is the Sun ; she is the Moon. He is beneficent ;
but she is malignant, like the female demon of the
Algonquins. They have a bark lioiise, made like
those of the Iroquois, at the end of the earth, and
tliey often come to feasts and dances in the Indian
villages. Jouskoha raises corn for himself, and
makes plentiful harvests for mankind. Sometimes
he is seen, thin as a skeleton, with a spike of shriv-
elled corn in his hand, or greedily gnawing a human
limb; and then the Indians know that a grievous
famine awaits them. I [e constantly interposes between
mankind and the malice of his wicked grandmother,
whom, at times, he soundly cudgels. It was he who
made lakes and streams: for once the earth was
parched and barren, all the water being gathered
under the armpit of a colossal frog; but Jouskeha
pierced tlie armpit, and let out the water. No
prayers were offered to him, his benevolent nature
rendering them superfluous.^

The early writers call Jouskeha the creator of the
world, and speak of him as corresponding to the
vague Algonquin deity, Atahocan. Another deity

an island, and that the man made the world out of mud brought
him by the skunk.

The Delawares, an Alfjonquin tribe, seem to have borrowed
somewhat of the Iroquois cosmogony, since they believed that the
earth was formed on the back of a tortoise.

According to some, .Fouskelia became the father of the human
race; but, in the tiiird generation, a deluge destroyed his posterity,
80 that it was necessary to transform animals into men. Charle-
voix, iii. 345.

^ Compare Brdbeuf, as before cited, and Sagard, Voyagt des
Ilurnns, 228.

;i it i

HIAWATHA.

appears in Iroquois mythology, with equal claims to
be regarded as supreme. He is called Areskoui, or
Agreskoui, and his most prominent attributes are
those of a god of war. He was often invoked, and
the flesh of animals and of ca})tive enemies was
burned in his honor. ^ Like Jouskeha, he was iden-
tified with the sun; and lie is perhaps to be regarded
as the same being, under different attributes. Among
the Iroquois proper, or Five Nations, there was also
a divinity called Tarenyowagon, or Teharonhiawagon,''^
whose place and character it is very difficult to de-
termine. In some traditions he appears as the son of
Jouskeha. He had a prodigious influence; for it was
he who spoke to men in dreams. The Five Nations
recognized still another superhuman personage, —
plainly a deified chief or hero. This was Taounya-
watha, or Hiawatha, said to be a divinely appointed
messenger, who made his abode on earth for the
political and social instruction of the chosen race, and
whose counterpart is to be found in the traditions of the
Peruvians, Mexicans, and other primitive nations. ^

^ Father Jogues saw a female prisoner Vnirned to Areskoui, and
two hears offered to him to atone for tlie sin of not biirninfj more
captives. — Lettre de Jotjues, 5 Aufj., 1043.

2 Le Mcrcier, Relation, 1(570, ()(>; Daldon, Rdati,,,,, 1(171, 17.
Compare Cusick, Megapolensi>», and Vanderdonck. Some writiTs
identify Tarenyowagon and Hiawatha. Vaiidcrdonek assumes that
Areskoui is the Devil, and Tarenyowagon is (iod. Tluis Indian
notions are often interpreted by the light of preconceived ideas.

8 For the tradition of Hiawatha, see Clark, I/istori/ nj' Uinmrlarfa,
i. 21. It will also be found in Schoolcraft's Xotes on tlip Irtx/uois,
and in his History, Condition, ami Prospects of Indian Tribes.

The Iroquois name for God is Ilawenniio, sometimes written

INTRODUCTION.

Close examination makes it evident that the primi-
tive Indian's idea of a Supreme Ik'ing was a conce})-
tion no higher tlian might liave been expected. Tiie
moment lie began to contemplate this object of his
faith, and sought to clothe it with attributes, it
became finite, and commonly ridiculous. The Creator
of the World stood on the level of a barbarous and
degraded humanity, while a natural tendency became
apparent to look beyond him to other powers sharing
his dominion. The Indian belief, if developed, would
have developed into a system of polytheism. ^

In the primitive Indian's conception of a God the
idea of moral good has no part. His deity does not
dispense justice for this world or the next, but leaves
mankind under the power of subordinate spirits, who
fill and control the universe. Nor is the good and
evil of these inferior beings a moral good and evil.
The good spirit is the spirit that gives good luck,
and ministers to the necessities and desires of man-
kind: the evil spirit is simply a malicious agent of
disease, death, and mischance.

Owayneo; but this use of the word is wholly due to the mission-
aries. Hawenniio is an Iroquois verb, and means he rules, he is
tiKister. Tiiere is no Iroquois word which, in its primitive meaning,
can be interpreted the Great Spirit, or God. On this subject, see
Etudes Philoloijiiiues sur iiiich/ncs Laiiyues S(iuv(v/es (Montreal, 1800),
wliere will also be found a curious exposure of a few of School-
craft's ridiculous blunders in this connection.

1 Some of tlie early writers could discover no trace of belief in
a supreme spirit of any kind. I'errot, after a life spent among the
Indians, ignores such an idea. AHouez emphatically denies that
it existed among the tribes of Lake Superior. (Relation, 1007, 11.)
He adds, however, that the Sacs and Foxes liclieved in a great
yenie, who lived not far from the French settlements. — Ibid., 21.

! I

TIIK (HIKAT SPIRIT.

In no Indian langnago could tlio early missionarios
find a word to express the idea of (iod. Manifoic
and Oki meant anything endowed with supernatural
powers, fr(>in a snake-skin, or a greasy Indian con-
jurer, up to Manabozho and Jonskeha. The priests
were forced to use a circundoeution, — ""The Great
Chief of Men," or " He who lives in the Sky." * Yet
it should seem that the idea of a supreme controlling
spirit might naturally arise from the peculiar ehariic-
ter of Indian belief. The idea that each race of
animals has its archetype or chief would easily sug-
gest the existence of a supreme chief of the sj)iiits
or of the human race, — a conception imperfectly
shadowed forth in Manabozho. The Jesuit mis-
sionaries seized this advantage. ''If each sort of
animal has its king," they urged, "so, too, have
men; and as man is above all the animals, so is the
spirit that rules over men the master of all the other
si)irits." The Indian mind readily accepted the
idea, and tribes in no sense Christian quickly rose to
the belief in one controlling s})irit. The Great Spirit
became a distinct existence, a pervading power in
the universe, and a dispenser of justice. Many tribes
now pray to him, though still clinging obstinately to
their ancient superstitions; and with some, as the
heathen portion of the modern Iroquois, he is clothed
with attributes of moral good.^

^ See " Divers Sentimens," appended to the Relation of 1035,
§ 27 ; and also many other passiij;es of early missionaries.

'^ In studying the writers of tiie last and of the jjfescnt cen-
tury, it is to be remembered that their observations w^-re made

^!' !

INTRODUCTION.

! 1

i '

! I

The primitive Indian Lclieved in tlio immortality
of tlio soul,' hut lio did not always bcliuvo in a state
of future reward and punishment. Nor, when sueli
a belief existed, w;is the good to be rewarded a moral
good, or tlie evil to be punislied a moral evil. Skil-
ful hunt,(!rs, brave warriors, men of intluenee and
eonsideration, went, after death, to the liappy hunting-
ground; while the slothful, the cowardly, and the
weak were doomed to eat serpents and ashes in dreary

upon 8avaj;<'8 who ha<l been for generations in contact, immediate
or otherwise, witli the (h)ctrines of Christianity. Many olisiTvers
have interpreteil tlu' relij^ious ideas of the Indians after precon-
ceived ideas of their own; anil it may safely he alHrnied tiiat an
Inilian will resjjond witli a grunt of acquiesci-nce to any (luestion
whatever touchin;' his spiritual state, hoskiel and tiie simple-
minded lleckeweMer write from a missionary point of view; Adair,
to support a tlieory of descent from tlie Jews; the worthy theo-
logian, .larvis, to maintain his dogma that all religions ideas of
the heathen world are perversions of revelation ; and so, in a
greater or less degree, of many others. By far the most close and
accurate observers of Indian superstition were the Frencli and
Italian Jesuits of the first half of the seventeenth century. Their
opportunities were unrivalletl ; and they used them in a sjjirit of
faithful inquiry, accumulating facts, and leaving theory to their
successors. Of recent American writers, no one l>as given so much
attention to the subject as Mr. Schoolcraft; but, mi view of his
t,pj)ortunities and his zeal, his results are nu>st luisatisfactory. The
work in six large ([uarto volumes, Jlistori/, Condition, and J'rosjX'rts
of Indian '/'rihcs, published by Government under his editorship,
includes the substance of most of his previous writings. It is a
singularly crude and illiterate production, stuffed with blunders
and contradictions, giving evidence on every page of a striking
unfitness either fur liistorical or pliilosophical inquiry, and taxing
to the utmost tiie patience of tliose who would extract what is
valuable in it from its oceans of pedantic verbiage.

1 The excejjtions are exceedingly rare. Father Gravier says
that a Peoria Indian once told him that there was no future life.
It would be difficult to find another instance of the kind.

THE JOrRNKY OF THE DEAD,

regions of mist and darkness. In tlie general belief,
however, there was bnt one land of shades for all
alike. The spirits, in form and feature as they had
been in life, wended their way tlirongh dark forests
to the villages of tlie dead, subsisting on bark and
rotten wood. On arriving, they sat all day in the
crouehing posture of the sick, and, when night eame,
hunted the sliades of animals, with th ^ shades of
bows and arrows, among the shades ot trees and
rocks: for all things, animate and inanimate, were
alike innnortal, and all passed together to the gloomy
country of the dead.

The belief respecting the land of souls varied
greatly in different tribes and different individuals.
Among the Hurons there were those who held that
departed spirits jjursued their journey through the
sky, along the Milky Way, while the souls of dogs
took another route, by certain constellations, known
as the "Way of the Dogs."i

At intervals of ten or twelve years, the Ilurons,
the Neutrals, and other kindred tribes, were accus-
tomed to collect the bones of their dead, and deposit
them, with great ceremony, in a common place of
burial. The whole nation was sometimes assembled
at this solemnity; and hundreds of corpses, brought
from their temporary resting-places, were inhumed
in one capacious pit. From this hour the immortal-
ity of their souls began. They took wing, as some
affirmed, in the shape of pigeons; while the greater

^ Sagard, Voyarje des Ilurons, 233.

•

INTRODUCTION.

i I I

nnniber dccliircd tluit they journeyed on foot, and in
tlicir own likeness, to the land of shades, lu-aring
with them the gliosts of the wanipnni-helts, heaver-
skins, hows, arrows, pipes, kettles, heads, and rings
huried with them in the connnon grave. ^ Hut as
the s[)irits of the old and of eliihlren are too feehle
for the mareh, they are forced to stay hel.ind, linger-
ing near their earthly villages, where the living often
hear the shutting of their invisihle (^ahin-doors, and
the weak voices of the disenihodied children driving
hirds from their corn-fields.'-^ An endless variety of
incolierent fancies is connected with the Indian idea
of a future life. They commonly owe their origin to
dreams, often to the dreams of those in extreme sick-
ness, who, on awakening, sui)posed that they had
visited the other world, and lelated to the wondering
hystanders what they had seen.

The Indian land of souls is not always a region of
shadows and gloom. The llurons sometimes repre-
sented the souls of their dead — those of their dogs
included — as dancing joyously in the presence of
Ataentsic and Jouskcha. According to some Algon-
quin traditions, heaven was a scene of endless festiv-
ity, t^e ghosts dancing to the sound of the rattle and

1 The practice of burying treasures with the dead is not peculiar
to the North American aborij^inos. Thus, the London Times of
Oct. 28, 18(i5, describing the funeral rites of Lord Palmerston, says:
" And as the words, ' Dust to dust, ashes t.j ashes,' were pronounced,
the chief n!"nrner, as a last precious offering to the dead, threw
into the grave several diamond and gold rings."

2 Bre'beuf, Relation dcs llurons, 1036, 99 (Cramoisy).

THE JOrilXEY OF THE DEAD.

tho drum, and preotinpj witli liosi)ital)le welcome the
occasioiiid visitor from the living world: for tho
spirit-liiiid was not far off, and roving hunters some-
tinu's passed its confines unawares.

Most of the traditions a<^ree, however, that the
spirits, on their journey hea^"nward, were heset with
dillieulties and i)erils. Tliere was a swift river whieh
nuist he crossed on a log that shook heneath their
feet, while a ferocious dog opposed their passage,
and drove many into the ahyss. This river was full
of sturgeon and other fish, which the ghosts speared
for their suhsistence. Beyond was a narrow i)ath
hetween moving rocks, which each instant crashed
together, grinding to atoms the less nimhle of tho
pilgrims who essayed to pass. The Ilurons helieved
that a personage named Oscotarach, or the I lead-
Piercer, dwelt in a hark house beside the path, and
that it was his office to remove the brains from the
heads of all who went by, as a necessary preparation
for immortality. This singular idea is found also
in some Algonquin traditions, according to which,
however, the brain is afterwards restored to its
owner. 1

■

^ On Indian ideas of another life, compare Sajjard, tho Jesuit
lii'Intions, Perrot, Cliarlevoix, and Latitau, witli Tanner, James,
Selioolcraft, and the Appendix to Morse's Indian Heport.

Le Clerc reeounts a singular story, current in his time among
the Algonquins of Gaspe and northern New Brunswick. Tiie fa-
vorite son of an old Indian died ; whereupon the father, with a party
of friends, set out for the land of souls to recover him. It was
only necessary to wade through a shallow lake, several days' jour-
ney in extent. This they did, sleeping at night on platforms of

' 1 '

,t-

INTKODUCTION.

DnMins wcro to i\w Iiuliiiu a luiivoi-sal oracle.
Tlu'v ri'vcalctl to liiin his ^Uiinliiiii spirit, taught liiin
tilt? ciirc! (h his ilist-ascs, warned liiin of tlu; devices of
sorcerers, guided him to tlie lurking-i)laces of liis
enemy or the haunts of gaine, and unfohled the
secrets of good and evil destiny. Tiio dream was
a mysterious and inexoral)U! power, whoso least
hehests must ])e obeyed to the lettei', — a source, in
every Indian town, of endless mischief and abomina-
tion. Tliere were professed dreamers, and professed
inlerpieters of dreams. One of the most notcul festi-
v.ils among the llurons and Iroquois was the Dream
Feast, a scene of frenzy, where the actors counter-
feited madness, and tlie towu was like a bedlam
turned loose. Each pretended to have dreamed of
something necessary to his welfare, and rushed from

poll's which Hupportc'd them iiljovc tho water. At length they
arrivi'il, aii<l wcro met )ty Tajjliodtparout, the Indian riuto, wiia
ruslieil on thcni in a rage, witli his war-cluh upraiaeil ; l)Ut, \)rv»-
cntly rek-nting, elian<,'e(l Ills niiml, ami challenged them to a game
of hall. They proved the victors, and won the stakes, consistinj? of
corn, tohacco, and certain fruits, which thus became known to
mankind. The bereaved father now beggi'*! hard for his son's
soul, and I'.ipkootparout at last fjave it to him, in the form ami
size of a nut, which, by pressinjj it hard Itetween his hands, he
forced into a snuill leather bag. The delighted jjarent carried it
back to earth, with instructions to insert it in the body of his son,
who would thereui)on return to life. When the adventurers
reached home, and reported the happy issue of their journey,
there was a dance of rejoicing ; and the father, wishing to take
part in it, gave his son's soul to the keeping of a squaw who
stood by. Being curious to see it, she opened the bag ; on which
it escaped at once, and took flight for the realms of Papkootparout,
])referring them to the abodes of the living. — Le Clerc, Nouvelle
Relation ilc la Gaspesie, 310-32i'

i i !

t 1 !

i I

i i

\.$\

INDIAN SOUCKUKHS.

house to hoUHo, (Iciimndinjjf of all he met to guess his
secret requirenuMit and satisfy it.

lU'llevin^ that tiie whole material world was
instinct with powers to inthuMico and control his
fate; that good and evil spirits, and existences name-
less and indelinahle, filled all Nature; that a pervad-
ing sorcery was ahove, below, and around him, and
that issues of life and death might be controlUid by
instruments the most uunoticeable and seemingly tlut
most feeble, — the Indian lived in perpetual fear.
The turning of a leaf, the crawling of an insect, the
cry of a bird, the creaking of a bough, might be to
him the mystic signal of weal or woe.

An Indian conununity swarmed with sorcerers,
medicine-men, and divinei>5, whose functions were
often united in the same person. The sorcerer, by
charms, magic sc^ngs, magic feasts, luul the beating
of his drum, had power over the spirits and those
occult influences inherent in animals and iniinimate
things. He could call to him the souls of his ene-
mies. They apjjeared before him in the form of
stones. lie chopped and bruised them with his
hatchet; blood and flesh issued forth; and the
intended victim, however distant, languished and
died. Like the sorcerer of the Middle Ages, he
made images of those he wished to destroy, and,
muttering incantations, punctured them with an awl,
whereupon the persons represented sickened and
pined away.

The Indian doctor relied far more on magic than

VOL. I. — 6

]'.:,

INTRODUCTION.

( 1

on natural rcriedies. Dreams, beating of the drum,
songs, magic feasts and dances, and howling to
frighten the female demon from his patient were his
ordiniuy methods of cure.

Tlu! prophet, or diviner, had various means of
reading the secrets of futurity, sucli as the flight of
birds, and th(! movements of water and fire. Tliere
was a peculiar practice of divination very general in
tlie AlgoiKpiin family of tribes, among some of whom
it still subsists. A small, conical lodge was made by
plaixting poles in a circle, lashing the tops together
at the height of about seven feet from the ground,
and cloj;ely coveiiug them with hides The prophet
crawled in, and closed the aperture after him. He
then beat his drum and sang his magic songs to
summon the spirits, whose weak, shrill voices were
soon heard, mingled with his lugubrious chanting;
while at intervals the juggler paused to interpret
their communications to the attentive crowd seated
on the ground without. During the whole scene, the
lodge swayed to and fro with a violence which has
astonished many a civilized beholder, and which some
of the Jesuits explain by the ready solution of a
genuine diabolic intervention. ^

The sorcerers, medicine-men, and diviners did not
usually exercise the function of priests. Each man

1 This practice was first observed by Champlain. (See " Pioneers
of France in the New World," ii. 1(59.) From Iiis time to the pres-
ent, numerous writers have remarked upon it, Le Jeune, in tiie
lieldtion of 1687, treats it at some length. The lodge was some-
times of a cylindrical, instead of a conical form.

Ill il.!

SAC III Fields.

; a

laii

sacrificed for himself to the powers lie wished to
propitiate, whether his guardian spirit, the spirits of
animals, or the other beings of his belief. The most
common offering was tobacco, thrown into the lire or
water; scraps of meat were sometimes Inirned to the
manitous; and, on a few rare occasions of public
solemnity, a white dog, the mystic animal of many
tribes, was tied to the end of an upright pole, as a
sacrifice to some superior spirit, or to the sun, with
which the superior spirits were constantly confounded
by the primitive Indian. In recent times, when
Judaism and Christianity liave modilied his religious
ideas, it has been, and still is, the practice to sacrifice
dogs to the Great Spirit. On these pul)lic occasions,
the sacrificial function is discharged by chiefs, or by
warriors appointed for the purpose.^

Among the llurons and Iroquois, and ^ .deed all
the stationary tribes, there was an incredible number

1 Many of the Indian feasts were feasts of sacrifice, — sometimes
to tlie guardian spirit of tiie host, sometimes to an anima! of wliich
he lias dreamed, sometimes to a local or other spirit. The food
was first oftereil in a loud voice to the l)eiiitf to be jjropitiated, after
which the guests proceeded to devour it for him. This unique
method of sacrifice was practised at war-feasts and similar solemni-
ties. For an excellent account of Indian religious feasts, see I'er-
rot, chap. v.

One of the most remarkable of Indian sacrifices was that prac-
tised by the llurons in the case of a person drowned or frozen to
death. The flesh of the deceased was cut off, and thrown into a
fire made for the purpose, as an otferiiig of jiropitiation to the spirits
of the air or water. What remained of the body was then buried
near the fire. Brebeuf, Rtlalion dcs Jlnrmis, Ki;)!!, 108.

The tribes of Virginia, as described ])y Heverly and others, not
only had priests who offered sacrifice, but idols and houses of
worship.

■ I

■:.i (

I '.. 1

INTRODUCTION.

of mystic ceremonies, extravagant, puerile, and often
disgusting, designed for the cure of the sick or for
the general weal of the community. Most of their
observances seem originally to have been dictated by
dreams, and transmitted as a sacred heritage from
generation co generation. They consisted in an end-
less variety of dances, masqueradings, and nonde-
script orgies; and a scrupulous adherence to all the
traditional forms was held to be of the last moment,
as the slightest failure in this respect might entail
serious calamities. If children were seen in their
play imitating any of these mysteries, they were
grimly rebuked and punished. In many tribes secret
magical societies existed, and still exist, into which
members are initiated with peculiar ceremonies.
These associations are greatly respected and feared.
They have charms for love, war, and private revenge,
and exert a great, and often a very mischievous influ-
ence. The societies of the Metai and the Wabeno,
among the Northern Algonquins, are conspicuous
examples ; while other societies of similar character
have, for a century, been known to exist among the
Dahcotah.^

A notice of the superstitious ideas of the Indians
would be imperfect without a reference to the tradi-
tionary tales through which these ideas are handed
down from father to son. Some of these tales can be

1 The Friendly Society of the Spirit, of which the initiatory
ceremonies were seen and described by Carver {Travels, 211), yr^j-
serves to this day its existence and its rites.

ii-i

TRADITIONARY TALES.

traced back to the period of the earliest intercourse
with Europeans. One at least of those recorded by
the first missionaries, on the Lower St. Lawrence, is
still current among the tribes of the Upper Lakes.
Many of them are curious combinations of beliefs
seriously entertained with strokes intended for humor
and drollery, which never fail to awaken peals of
laughter in the lodge-circle. Giants, dwarfs, can-
nibals, spirits, beasts, birds, and anomalous monsters,
transformations, tricks, and sorcery form the staple
of the story. Some of the Iroquois tales embody
conceptions which, however preposterous, are of a
bold and striking character; but those of the Algon-
quins are, to an incredible degree, flimsy, silly, and
meaningless; nor are those of the Dahcotah tribes
much better. In respect to tliis wigwam lore, there
is a curious superstition of very wide prevalence.
Tlie tales must not be told in summer ; since at that
season, when all Nature is full of life, the spirits are
awake, and, hearing what is said of them, may take
offence ; whereas in winter they are fast sealed up in
snow and ice, and no longer capable of listening.^

1 The prevalence of this fancy amonp the Algonquins in the
remote parts of Canada is well estaitlislieil. The writer found it
also among the extreme western bands of the Dahcotaii. He tried,
in the month of July, to persuade an old chief, a noted story-teller,
to tell him some of the tales ; but, though abundantly loquacious
in respect to his own adventures, and even his dreams, the Indian
obstinately refused, saying that winter was the time for the tales,
and that it was bad to tell them in summer.

Mr. Schoolcraft has published a collection of Algonquin tales,
under the title of Al(/ic liesearr/ies. Most of theni were translated

INTRODUCTIOX.

}

1 1

It is obvious that tlie Indian mind has never
seriously occupied itself with any of the higher
themes of thought. The beings of its belief are not
impersonations of tlie forces of Nature, the courses of
human destiny, or the movements of human intellect,
will, and passion. In the midst of Nature, the Indian
knew nothing of her laws. His perpetual reference
of her phenomena to occult agencies forestalled
inquiry and precluded inductive reasoning. If the
wind blew with violence, it was because the water-
lizard, which makes the wind, had crawled out of his
pool; if the liglitning was shar[) and frequent, it was
because the young of the tlnuider-bird were restless
in their nest; if a blight fell upon the corn, it was
because the Corn Spirit was angry; and if the beavers
were shy and difficult to catch, it was because they
had taken offence at seeing the bones of one of their
race thrown to a dog. Well, and even highly devel-
oped, in a few instances, — • I allude especially to the
Iroquois, — with respect to certain points of material

hy his wife, an educutod Ojibw.a lialf-l)rco(l. This book is perhaps
the best of Mr. Schoolcraft's works, tliough its value is much
impaired by the want of a literal rendering, and the introduction of
decorations which savor more of a popular montldy magazine than
of an Indian wigwam. Mrs. Eastman's interesting Lcfjrnds of the
Sioux (Dahcotah) is not free from the same defect. Other tales
are scattered throughout the works of Mr. Schoolcraft and various
modern writers. Some are to be found in the works of Lafitau and
the other Jesuits. But few of the Iroquois legends have been
printed, though a considerable number have been written down.
The singular History of the Fire Xdtiuus, by the old Tuscarora
Indian, Cusick, gives the substance of some of them. Others will
be found in Clark's History of Onondaga.

RESULTS.

concernment, the mind of the Indian in other respects
wiis and is ahnost hopelessly stagnant. The very
traits that raise him above the servile races are hostile
to the kind and degree of civilization which those
races so easily attain. His intractable spirit of inde-
pendence, and the pride which forbids him to be an
imitator, reinforce but too strongly that savage
lethargy of mind from which it is so hard to rouse
him. No race, perhaps, ever offered greater dillicul-
ties to those laboring for its improvement.

To sum up the results of this examination, the
primitive Indian was as savage in his religion as in
his life. He was divided between fetich-worship and
that next degree of religious development which
consists in the worship of deities embodied in the
human form. His conception of their attributes was
such as might have been expected. His gods were
no whit better than himself. Even when he borrows
from Christianity the idea of a Supreme and Universal
Spirit, his tendency is to reduce Him to a local hal)i-
tation and a bodily shape; and this tendency disap-
pears only in tribes that have been long in contact
with civilized white men. The primitive Indian,
yielding his untutored homage to One All-pervad-
ing and Omnipotent Spirit, is a dream of poets,
rhetoricians, and sentimentalists.

i ?i ji

CHAPTER I.

1634.

> ■ 'If

NOTRE-DAME DES ANGES.

Quebec iw 1034. — Father Le Jeune. — The Mission-House:
ITS Domestic Economy. — Tub Jesuits and theik Designs.

Opposite Quebec lies the tongue of land called
Point Levi. One who in the summer of the year
1G3-4 stood on its margin and looked northward,
across the St. Lawrence, would have seen, at the
distance of a mile or more, a range of lofty cliffs,
rising on the left into the bold heights of Cape
Diamond, and on the right sinking abruptly to the
bed of the tributary river St. Charles:. Beneath
these cliffs, at the brink of the St. Lawrence, he
would have descried a cluster of warehouses, sheds,
and wooden tenements. Immediately above, along
the verge of the precipice, he could have traced the
outlines of a fortified work, with a flagstaff, and a
few small cannon to command the river; while, at
the only point where Nature had made the heights
accessible, a zigzag path connected the warehouses
and the fort.

Now, embarked in the canoe of some Montagnais
Indian, let him cross the St. Lawrence, land at the

I :ll

i i

i •!

,i ;(,/!

1034.]

QUEBEC IN WM.

81 »

pier, and, passing the cluster of buildings, cliinb tlie
pathway up the cliff. Pausing for rest and breath,
lio might see, ascending and descending, tlie tenants
of this outpost of the wilderness, — u soldier of the
fort, or an officer in slouched hat and plume; a
factor of the fur company, owner and sovereign lord
of all Canada; a party of Indians; a trader from the
upper country, one of the precursors of that hardy
race of co%ireurs de hois^ destined t:) form a conspicuous
and striking feature of the Canadian population;
next, perhaps, would appear a figure widely diffeii-nt,
The close, black cassock, the rosary hanging from
the waist, and the wide, black hat, looped up at tlie
sides, proclaimed the Jesuit, — Father Le Jeune,
Superior of the Residence of Quebec.

And now, that we may better know the aspect
and condition of the infant colony and incipient
mission, we will follow the priest on his way.
Mounting the steep path, he reached the top of the
cliff, some two hundred feet above the river and
the warehouses. On the left lay the fort built by
Champlain, covering a part of the ground now form-
ing Durham Terrace and the Place d'Armes. Its
ramparts were of logs and earth, and within was a
turreted building of stone, used as a barrack, as
officers' quarters, and for other purposes. ^ Near the
fort stood a small chapel, newly built. The sur-
rounding country was cleared and partially culti-

1 Compare the various notices in Clianiplain (1032) witli that of
Du Creux, Historia Canadensis, 204.

KOTRK-DAMK DKS AXCJKS.

[1034.

' \

1 1

vated; yc»t only one (hvcllin^-lioiist' wortliy tlio mimo
appciiriMl. It wsiH a Miihstiuitial cdtta^'c, wlieic lived
Madaino Il(jlK!rt, widow of the llr.st Hottler of (!anada,
with hor dau^httT, hvv soii-iii-law ('onillanl, and
their children, — ^ood (Catholics all, who, two years
hefore, when (^ueluH! was evacuated by the Hn^dish,'
wept for joy at Ix-holdin^' Le Jeiine, and his brother
Jesuit I)e Nouli, crossing tiieir tlireshold to olTer
beneath their roof the long-forbidden saeriliee of the
Mass. 'I'here were entdosures with eatth; near at
hand; and the house, with its surroundings, betokened
industry and thrift.

Thenee Le Jeune walked on, across the site of the
modern mj.rket-place, and still onward, near the line
of the cult's which sank abruptly on his right.
Beneath lay the mouth of the St. Charles; and,
beyond, the wilderness shore of Heanport swept in a
wide curve eastward, to where, far in the distance,
the Gulf of Montmorenci yawned on the great river.^
The priest soon passed the clearings, and entered
the woods which covered the site of the present
suburb of St. John. Thence he descended to a lower
plateau, where now lies the suburb of St. Roch,
and, still advancing, reached a pleasant spot at the

1 See " Pioneers of France in the New WorM." Ilc'bert's oottajje
seems to liave stood between Ste.-Fiin»ille and Couillard Streets, as
ai)i)ears by a contract of WM, citetl by M. Ferland.

2 The settleimnt of Beauport was begun tills year, or the year
foUowinjr, by the Sieur Gifl'ard, to whom a hirj^e tract had been
granted here. Langevin, Notes siir les Archives ile N. D. de Beau-
port, 6.

i|iMi

1634.]

TIIK MISSION-HOUSE.

extremity of the Pointo-aux-Li'ivroM, a tnirt of
meadow land nearly enoloHcd by a sudden Ix'iid of
the St. Charles. Here lay a canoe or skill"; and,
paddling across the narrow stream, Le .Tcnne saw on
the meadow, two hnndred yards fiom tiie bank, a
H([naro emdosnre formed of palisades, lik*; a mo(U'rn
pieket fort of the Indian frontier.' Within lliis
enclosnre were two huildintjfs, one of which had hccn
lialf Imrned hy tlie Knglish, and was not yet repaired.
It served as storehouse, sta))le, workshoj), and bakery.
Opposite stood the principal building, a structure of
planks, plastered witli mud, and thatclied witli long
grass from the meadows. It consisted of one story,
a garret, and a cellar, and containe(l four principal
rooms, of which one served as chapel, another as
refectory, another as kitchen, and tlu; fourth as a
lodging for workmen. The furniture of all was
plain in the extreme. Until the preceding year, the
chapel had had no other ornament than a sheet on
which were glued two coarse engravings; but the
priests had now decorated their altar with an iinag(!
of a dove representing the Holy (ihost, an image of

1 This must have been very near tlu- point wIuto tlic strcainh't
called the river Lairet enters the St. Cliarles, Tlie place has a
triple historic interest. The winterinji-plaee of f'artier in l^h\i'>-'.>i\
(sec " Pioneers of France") si't lus to have been Iiere. Here, too, in
1750, Montcalm's brid^ie of boats crossed t)ie St. Cliarhs; and in a
larj^e intrenchment, whicii probably included the site of tiie Jesuit
mission-house, the remnants of his shattereil army rallied, after
their defeat on the I'hiins of Al»rahani. Stf the very curious A'(//-
ratire "/the Chevalier Johnstone, published by tlie Historical Society
of (Quebec.

(I,

NOTRE-DAME DES ANGES.

[1034.

Loyola, another of Xavier, and three images of the
Virgin. Four cells opened from the refectoiy, the
largest of which was eight feet square. In these
lodged six priests, while two lay brothers found
shelter in the garret. The house had been hastily
built, eight years l)efore, and now leaked in all parts.
Such was the Residence of Notre-Dame des Anges.
Here was nourished the germ of a vast enterprise,
and this was the cradle of the great mission of New
France.^

Of the six Jesuits gathered in the refectory for the
evening meal, one was conspicuous among the rest,
— a tall, strong d' tn, with features that seemed
carved by Nature for a soldier, but which the mental
habits of years had stamped with the visible impress
of the priesthood. This was Jean de Br(3]jeuf,
descendant of a noble family of Normandy, and one
of the ablest and most devoted zealots whose names
stand on the missionary rolls of his Order. His com-
panions were jNIasse, Daniel, Davost, De None,
and the Fatlier Superior, Le Jeune. IVIasse was the
same priest who had been the companion of Father
Biard in the abortive mission of Acadia.'^ By reason

1 The abovi" particulars arc ^Mthcrcd from the Rclationx of Ki-id
(Lalemant), ami 10;]2, 1():>;5, l<i;]4, lO.'Jo (Le Jeune), but cliiefly from
a long letter of tlie Father Superior to tlie Provincial of the Jesuits
at Paris, containinj^ a curiously minute report of the state of the
mission. It was sent from Quebec by the returning shij)s in the
summer of 1()84, and will be found in Carayon, Premiere Mission des
Jesuites an Canada, 122. The original is in the archives of the
Order at Eome.

- See " Pioneers of France in the New World."

I6;ji.]

THE JESUITS.

of his useful (qualities, Le Jeune Micknained him "le
Pere Utile." At present, his special function was
the care of the pigs and cows, which he kept in the
enclosure around the buildings, lest they should
ravage the neighboring fields of rj-e, barley, wheat,
and maize. ^ De Nouii had charge of the eight or ten
workmen emjiloyed by the mission, who gave him
at times no little trouble by their rcpinings and com-
plaints. ^ Tliey were forced to hear mass every morn-
ing jind prayers every evening, l)esides an exhortation
on Sunday. Some of them were for returning home,
while two or three, of a different com})lexion, wished
to be Jesuits themselves. The Fathei-s, in their
intervals of leisure, worked with their men, spade in
hand. P'or the rest, they were busied in i)reaching,
singing vespers, saying mass and hearing confessions
at the fort of Quebec, catechising a few Indians, and
striving to master the enormous dilliculties of the
Huron and Algonquin languages.

Well might Father Le Jeune write to his Superior,
"The harvest is plentiful, and the laborers few."
These men aimed at the conversion of a continent.

1 " Le P. Masse, que je nomine quelquefois vn riant le Vtrc lltiJp,
est bien co<inu de V. W. Tl a soin des choses (l()nu'Sti(iues et du
bestail que nous avons, en quoy il a tres-bien reussy." — Litlrv dii
P. Paul If Jriinr <in R. P. Prnrinriu/, in ("arayon, ll'L'. \,v Jeune
iloes not fail to send an inventory of tlu' " bestail " to iiis Superior,
namely: "Deux grosses truies qui nourissent chacune quatre petits
cochons, deux vaches, deux petites ^eni-sses, et un petit taureau."

2 The methodical Le deune si'ts down tlie causes of their discon-
tent under six different heads, each duly luunbered. Thus : —

" 1°. C'est le naturel di's artisans de se plaindre et de ^^ronder."
"2°. La diversitc des gaj^a's les fait murmurer," etc.

NOTRE-DAME DES ANGES.

[1634.

From their hovel on the St. Charles, they surveyed a
field of labor whose vastness might tire the wings of
thouglit itself, — a scene repellent and appalling,
darkened with omens of peril and woe. They were
an advance-guard of the great army of Loyola, strong
in a discipline that controlled not alone the body and
the will, but the intellect, the heart, the soul, and
the inmost consciousness. The lives of these early
Canadian Jesuits attest the earnestness of their faith
and the intensity of their zeal; but it was a zeal
bridled, curbed, and ruled by a guiding hand. Their
marvellous training in equal measure kindled enthu-
siasm and controlled it, roused into action a mighty
power, and made it as subservient as those great
material forces which modern science has learned to
awaken and to govern. They were drilled to a fac-
titious humility, prone to find utterance in expressions
of self-depreciation and self-scorn, which one may
often judge unwisely, when he condemns them as
insincere. They were devoted believers, not only in
the fundamental dogmas of Rome, but in those lesser
matters of faith which heresy despises as idle and
puerile superstitions. One great aim engrossed their
lives. " For the greater glory of God " — ad majorem
Dei (jloridui — they would act or wait, dare, suffer,
or die, yet all in unquestioning subjection to the
authority of the Superiors, in whom they recognized
the agents of Divine authority itself.

il n

lii'^

CHAPTER II.

LOYOLA AND THE JESUITS.

CONVKRSIOX OF LOYOI.A. — ForXDATION OF THE RoCIETT OP

Jksis. — Preparation of the Novice. — Ciiaractekistic8 op
THE Order. — The Canadian Jesi:its.

It was an evil day for new-horn Protestantism
when a French artilleryman fired the sliot tliat struck
down Ignatius Loyola in the lireach of Pampeluna.
A proud nohle, an aspiring soldier, a graceful
courtier, an ardent and daring gallant was meta-
morphosed by that stroke into the zealot whose brain
engendered and l)rouglit forth tlie mighty Society of
Jesus. His story is a familiar one, — how, in the
solitude of his sick-room, a change came over him,
upheaving, like an earthquake, all the forces of his
nature ; how, in the cave of ^Manresa, the mysteries
of Heaven were revealed to him ; how he passed from
agonies to transports, from transports to the calm of
a determined purpose. The soldier gave himself to
a new warfare. In the foi-ge of his great intellect,
heated, ])ut not disturbed by the intense fires of his
zeal, was wrought the prodigious enginery whose
power has been felt to the uttermost confines of the
world.

LOYOLA AND THE JESUITS.

i ;;

I !

Loyola's training liad been in courts and camps;
of books lie knew little or nothing. He had lived in
the unquestioning faith of one born and bred in the
veiy focus of Romanism; and thus, at the age of
about thirty, his conversion found him. It was a
change of life and purpose, not of belief. He pre-
sumed not to inquire into the doctrines of the Church.
It was for him to enforce those doctrines ; and to this
end he turned all the faculties of his potent intellect,
and all his deep knowledge of mankind. He did not
aim to build up barren communities of secluded
monks, aspiring to heaven through prayer, penance,
and meditation, but to subdue the world to the
dominion of the dogmas which had subdued him ; to
organize and discipline a mighty host, controlled by
one purpose and one mind, fired by a quenchless zeal
or nerved by a fixed resolve, yet impelled, restrained,
and directed by a single maste/ hand. The Jesuit is
no dreamer: he is emphatically a man of action;
action is the end of his existence.

It was an arduous problem which Loyola under-
took to solve, — to rob a man of volition, yet to pre-
serve in him, nay, to stimulate, those energies which
would mak'>- him the most efficient instrument of a
great design. To this end the Jesuit novitiate and
the constitutions of the Order are directed. The
enthusiasm of the novice is urged to its intensest
pitch; then, in the name of religion, he is summoned
to the utter abnegation of intellect and will in favor
of the Superior, in whom he is commanded to recog-

y I ', iiM a

LOYOLA'S SPIRITUAL EXERCISES.

nize the representative of God on earth. Thus the
young zealot makes no slavish sacrifice of intellect
and will, — at least, so he is taught, — for he sacri-
fices them, not to man, hut to his ]\Iaker. No limit
is set to his suhmission : if the Superior pronounces
black to he white, he is bound in conscience to
acquiesce.^

Loyola's book of Spiritual Exercises is well known.
In these exercises lies the hard and narrow path
which is the only entrance to the Society of Jesus.
The book is, to all appearance, a dry and supersti-
tious formulary ; but in the hands of a skilful director
of consciences it has proved of terrible ofiicacy. The
novice, in solitude and darkness, day after day and
night after night, ponders its images of perdition and
despair. He is taught to hear in imagination the
bowlings of the damned, to see their convulsive
agonies, to feel the flames that burn without consum-
ing, to smell the corruption of the tomb and the
fumes of the infernal pit. Tie must picture to him-
self an array of adveree armies, — one commanded by
Satan on the plains of Babylon, one encamped under
Christ about the walls of Jerusalem; and the per-
turbed mind, humbled by long contemplation of its
own vileness, is ordered to enroll itself under one or
the other banner. Then, the choice made, it is led
to a region of serenity and celestial peace, and soothed

1 Those who wish to know the nature of the Jesuit virtue of
obedience will find it set forth in the famous Letter on Obedience of
Loyola.

VOL. I. —7

LOYOLA AND THE JESUITS.

with images of divine benignity and grace. These
meditations last, without intermission, about a month;
and, under an astute and experienced directorship,
they have Ijeen found of such power that the Manual
of Spiritual Exercises boasts to have saved souls more
in number than the letters it contains.

To this succeed two years of discipline and prepa-
ration, directed, above all things else, to perfecting
the virtues of humility and obedience. The novice
is obliged to perform the lowest menial offices and
the most repulsive duties of the sick-room and the
hospital ; and he is sent forth, for weeks together, to
beg his bread like a common mendicant. He is
required to reveal to his confessor not only his
sins, but all those hidden tendencies, instincts, and
impulses which form the distinctive traits of charac-
ter. He is set to watch his comrades, and his com-
rades are cet to watch him. Each must report what
he observes of the acts and dispositions of the others ;
and this mutual espionage does not end with the
novitiate, but extends to the close of life. The char-
acteristics of every member of the Order are minutely
analyzed, and methodically put on record.

This horrible violence to the noblest qualities of
manhood, joined to that equivocal system of morality
which eminent casuists of the Order have inculcated,
must, it may be thought, produce deplorable effects
upon the characters of those under its influence.
Whether this has been actually the case, the reader
of history may determine. It is certain, however,

THE SOCIETY OF JESUS.

that the Society of Jesus has numbered among its
members men whose fervent and exalted natures
have been intensified, without being abased, by the
pressure to which they have been subjected.

It is not for nothing that the Society studies the
character of its members so intently, and by methods
80 startling. It not only uses its knowledge to thrust
into obscurity or cast out altogether those whom it
discovers to be dull, feeble, or unwilling instruments
of its purposes, but it assigns to every one the task to
which his talents or his disposition may best adapt
him: to one, the care of a royal conscience, whereby,
unseen, his whispered word may guide the destiny of
nations; to another, the instruction of children; to
another, a career of letters or science; and to the
fervent and the self-sacrificing, sometimes also to
the restless and uncompliant, the distant missions to
the heathen.

The Jesuit was, and is, everywhere, — in the
school-room, in the library, in the cabinets of princes
and ministers, in the huts of savages, in the trojjics,
in the frozen North, in India, in China, in Japan, in
Africa, in America ; now as a Christian priest, now
as a soldier, a mathematician, an astrologer, a
Brahmin, a mandarin, — under countless disguises,
by a thousand arts, luring, j)ersuading, or compelling
souls into the fold of Rome.

Of this vast mechanism for guiding and governing
the minds of men, this mighty enginery for subduing
the earth to the dominion of an idea, this harmony of

100

LOYOLA AND THE JESUITS.

contradictions, this moral Proteus, the faintest sketch
must now suflico. A disquisition on the Society of
Jesus would l)e without end. No religious Order
has ever united in itself so much to be admired and
so much to be detested. Unmixed praise has been
l)oured on its Canadian members. It is not for mo
to eulogize tliem, but to portray them as they were.

I*
11

M i i

m^' s,

CHAPTER III.

1G32, 10.33.

PAUL LE .TEINE.

Le.Tkiine's Voyage: his Fiiist Pi tii.s ; ins Strnirs ; ms Tntha;*
Teacher. — Wintkb at the Mission-house. — Le Jeune's
School. — REiNKOKCEiiENis.

In anotlier narrative, we liave seen how the Jesuits,
supplanting the Rdcollet friars, their predecessoi-s,
liad adopted as their own the rugged task of Cliris-
tianizing New France. We have seen, too, how a
descent of the English, or rather of Huguenots figlit-
ing under English colore, had overthrown for a time
the miseral)le little colony, with the mission to which
it was wedded; and how Quehec was at length
restored to France, and the broken thread of the
Jesuit enterprise resumed.*

It was then that Le Jeune had embarked for the
New World. He was in his convent at Dieppe when
he received the order to depart; and he set forth in
haste for Havre, filled, he assures us, with inexpres-
sible joy at the prospect of a living or a dying
martyrdom. At Rouen he was joined by De None,
with a lay brother named Gilbert; and the three

1 Pioneers of France in ''u' New World.

'; I

102

PAUL LE JKl'NE.

[1632.

flailed topfotlier on the (Mglitcciitli of April, 1032.
The st'ii tiuated tiicni nm^iily ; Lo .loiine was wretch-
edly sea-sick; and the slii[» nearly foundered in a
gale. At leni,'th tliey came in sij^dit of "that miser-
able country," as tlu; missionary calls tlie scene of
his future labors. It was in the liarlxtr of Tadoussai)
that he first encountered the objects of his a})ost()lio
cares; for, as he sat in the shij)'s cabin with the
master, it was suddenly invaded by ten or twelve
Indians, whom he com[)ares to a l)arty of maskers at
the Carnival. Some had llii'ir cheeks painted black,
their noses bine, and ti.e rest of their faces red.
Others were decorated with a broad band of black
across the eyes; and others, again, with diverging
rays of black, red, and bine on both cheeks. Their
attire was no less nncouth. Some of them wore
shaggy bear-skins, reminding the priest of the
pictures of St. John the Baptist.

After a vain attonpt to save; a nund)er of Iroquois
prisoners whom they were prepai'ing to burn alive on
shore, Le Jeune and his companions again set sail,
and reached Quebec on the fifth of July. Having
said mass, as already mentioned, under the roof of
IMadame Hebert and her delighted family, the Jesuits
made their way to the two hovels built by their pre-
decessors on the St. Charles, which had suffered woful
dilapidation at the hands of the English. Here they
made their abode, and applied themselves, with such
skill as they could command, to repair the shattered
tenementa and cultivate the waste meadows around.

« I

1032.]

MISSIONARY LABORS.

108

Tlie bepfinnin^ of Le Jciiiie's missionary liibors wiis
ncitlicr iinposiiij^ nor promising'. He (U'sciilu's liini-
Hclf st'iitt'd witli a snmll Indian hoy on one side and
a small negro on tlie otlier, the latter of whom had
been left by the Knglisli as a <^ift to Madame llel)ert.
As neitiier of the tiiree understood the langna^'e of
the others, the pupils made little progress in spiritual
knowledge. The missionaries, it was elear, must
learn Algon([nin at any cost; and, to this end, Lo
Jeune resolved to visit the Indian eneamjmientvS.
Hearing that a band of Montagnais were lishing for
eels on the St. Lawrence, between Tajx' Diamond
and the cove which now bears the name of Wolfe, he
set forth for the spot on a morning in October. As,
with toil and trei)idation, he scrambled around tlie
foot of the cape, — whose precipices, with a chaos of
loose rocks, thrust themselves at that day into the
Jeep tide-water, — he dragged down upon himself
the trunk of a fallen tree, which, in its descent, well-
nigh swept him into the river. The [)eril past, he
presently reached his destination. Here, among the
lodges of bark, were stretched innumerable strings of
hide, from which hung to dry an incredible multitude
of eels. A boy invited him into the lodge of a
withered squaw, his grandmother, who hastened to
offer him four smoked eels on a piece of birch-bark,
while other squaws of the household instructed him
how to roast them on a forked stick over the embei'S.
All shared the feast together, his entertainers using as
napkins their own hair or that of their dogs ; while

104

TAUL LE JEUNE.

[10:{2.

Lo Jeiino, intent on increiisin^ lil.s knowliMl^i* of
AIj,n)n(juiii, niainlainctl iin active discourse of broken
words iind jnintominio.*

The K'ssoii, however, was too laborious and of too
little prolit to be often rejjeated, and the missionary
Hou^dit anxiously for nion; stable instruction. To
find such vaa not easy. The interpreters — French-
men, who, in the interest of the fur company, had
spent years among the Indians — were averse to
Jesuits, and refused their aid. There was one
resource, however, of which Le Jeune would fain
avail himself. An Indian, called Pierre by the
French, had been carried to Fi-ani^e by the Ui^collet
friars, instructed, converted, and baptized. He had
lately returned to Canada, where, to the scandal of
the Jesuits, he had relapsed into his old ways, retain-
ing of his French education little besides a few new
vices, lie still haunted the fort at Quebec, lured by
the hope of an occasional gift of wine or tobacco, but
shunned the Jesuits, of who}?e rigid way of life he
stood in horror. As h^ .-.poke good French and good
Indian, he would have been invaluable to the embar-
rassed priests at the mission. Le Jeune invoked the
aid of the Saints. The effect of his prayers soon
appeared, he tells us, in a direct interposition of
Providence, which so disposed the heart of Pierre
that he quarrelled with the French commandant, who
thereupon closed the fort against him. He then
repaired to his friends and relatives in the woods, but

1 Le Jouno, Relation, 1G33, 2,

I 'J

Ifl32-:j:i.] "VVINTER AT TIIK MISSIOX-HOUSK. lOf)

only to encounter a ivlmtT from ii youn^ 8(iim\v to
whom he mudo his iuhlrcssfH. On this, lie turned
hiH Rte])a towiirds the niission-housf, aiHi, hciiit^
unfitted hy his Freiieli echiciitioii for su|)j)oitinj,' iiiin-
self hy hunting, Ijeijf^ed food and shelter from tlio
priests. Lc; .leune griitefully aeeepted him as u pfift
voueliaafed hy Heaven to his prayers, ijei-suadi'd a
hickey at the fort to give him a east-oiT suit of clothes,
promised him maintenanee, and installed him as his
teacher.

Seated on woo(hui stools hy the rou^^h tahle in the
refectory, the priest and the Indian pursued their
studies. "How thankful I am," writes Le Jeune,
"to those who gave me tohaeco last year! 2\.l every
difficulty I give my master a piece of it, to make him
more attentive." ^

Meanwhile, winter closed in with a severity rare
even in Canada. The St. Lawnnice and the St.
Charles were hard frozen; rivei's, ft)rests, and rocks
were mantled alike in dazzling sheets of snow. The
humhle mission-house of Notre-Dame des Anges was
half huried in the drifts, which, heajjcd up in front
where a path had been dug through them, rose two
feet above the low eaves. The priests, sitting at
night before the blazing logs of their wii'e-throated
chimney, heard the trees in the neighboring forest
cracking with frost, with a sound like the report of a

1 Relation, 1G3.'3, 7. lie continues: " le ne sraurois asscz remlro
graces b, Nostre Seigneur do cet heureux rencontre. . . . Que Dieu
soit beny pour vn iivmais, sa prouidence est adorable, et sa bont6
n'a point de liniites."

106

PAUL LE JEUNE.

[1633.

pistol. Le Jeune's ink froze, and his fingers were
benumbed, as he toiled at his declensions and conju-
gations, or translated the Pater Nostcr into blunder-
ing Algonquin. Tlie water in the cask beside the
fire froze nightly, and the ice was broken every morn-
ing with hatchets. The blankets of the two priests
were fringed with the icicles of their congealed
breath, and the frost lay in a thick coating on the
lozenge-shaped glass of their cells. ^

By day, Le Jeune and his companion practised
with snow-shoes, with all the mishaps which attend
beginners, — the trippings, the falls, and headlong
dives into the soft drifts, — amid the laughter of the
Indians. Their seclusion was by no means a soli-
tude. Bands of Montagnais, with their sledges and
dogs, often passed the mission-liouse on their way to
hunt the moose. They once invited De None to go
with them ; and he, scarcely less eager than Le Jeune
to learn their language, readily consented. In two
or three weeks he appeared, sick, famished, and half
dead with exhaustion. "Not ten priests in a hun-
dred," writes Le Jeune to his Superior, "could bear
this winter life with the savages." But what of
that ? It was not for them to falter. They were but
instruments in the hands of God, to be used, broken,
and thrown aside, if such should be His will.^

1 Le Jeune, Relation, 1633, 14, 15.

2 " Voila, mon Roucrend Pere, vn eschantillon de ce qu'il faut
soutYrir courant apres les Sauuagcs. ... II faut prendre sa vie, et
tout ce qu'on a, et le ietter k I'abandon, pour ainsi dire, se content-
ant d'vne croix bien grosse et bien pesante pour toute richesse. 11

I !

1633.]

LE JEUXE'S SCHOOL.

107

An Indian made Le Jeiine a present of two small
children, greatly to the delight of the missionary,
who at once set himself to teaching them to pray in
Latin. As the season grew milder, the numhcr of
his scholars increased; for when parties of Indians
encamped in the neighhorhood he wonld take his
stand at the door, and, like Xavier at Goa, ring a
bell. At this, a score of children would gather
around him ; and he, leading them into the refectory,
which served as his school-room, tiiught them to
repeat after him the Pater^ Ave, and Credo, expounded
the mystery of the Trinity, showed them the sign of
the cross, and made them repeat an Indian prayer,
the joint composition of Pierre and himself; then
followed the catechism, the lesson closing with sing-
ing the Fater Nostei\ translated by the missionary
into Algonquin rhymes; and when all was over, he
rewarded each of his pupils with a porringer of peas,
to insure their attendance at his next bell-ringing. ^

It was the end of May, when the priests one morn-
ing heard the sound of cannon from the fort, and

" 1 1-

est bien vray quo Dicu ne se laisse point vaincre, et que plus on
quitte, plus on trouue : plus on perd, plus on gaigne : mais Dion se
cache par fois, et alors le Calice est bien auier." — Le Jeune,
Rdntion, 1033, 19.

1 "I'ay commenced appeller quelquos enfans aucc vne petite
clochette. La premiere fois i'en auois six, puis douze, puis quiiize,
puis vingt et davantage ; ie leur fais diru le Paler, Aur,{}\. Credo,
etc. . , . Nous finissons par le Pati r Xyster, que i'ay compose quasi
en rimes en leur langue, que ie leur fais clumter: et pour derniere
conclusion, ie leur fais donner chacun vne escuellee de pois, qu'ils
mangent de boa appetit," etc. — Le Jeune, Relation, 1033, 23.

108

PAUL LE JEUXE.

[1633.

li'

were gladdened by the tidings that Samuel de
Champlain had arrived to resume command at
Quebec, bringing with him four more Jesuits, —
Br^beuf, Masse, Daniel, and Davost.^ Brdbeuf,
from the first, turned his eyes towards the distant
land of the Hurons, — a field of labor full of peril,
but rich in hope and promise. Le Jeune's duties as
Superior restrained him from wanderings so remote.
His apostleship must be limited, for a time, to the
vagabond hordes of Algonquins, who roan^ed the
forests of the lower St. La^vrence, and of whose lan-
guage he had been so sedulous a student. His diffi-
culties had of late been increased by the absence of
Pierre, who had run off as Lent drew near, standing
in dread of that season of fasting. INIasse brought
tidings of him from Tac'oussac, whither he had gone,
and where a party of English had given him liquor,
destroying the last trace of Le Jeune's late exhorta-
tions. "God forgive those," writes the Father,
"who introduced heresy into this country! If this
savage, corrupted as he is by these miserable heretics,
had any wit, he would be a great hindrance to the
spread of the Faith. It is plain that he was given
us, not for the good of his soul, but only that
we might extract from him the principles of his
language."^

Pierre had two brothers. One, well known as a
hunter, was named Mestigoit; the other was the

1 See "Pioneers of France in the New ^^'orld."

2 Relation, 1633, 29.

16.33.]

THE WINTER HUNT.

109

most noted "medicine-man," or, P3 the Jesuits called
him, sorcerer, in the tribe of the Montagnais. Like
the rest of their people, they were accustomed to set
out for their winter hunt in the autumn, after the
close of their eel-fishery. Le Jeuue, despite the
experience of De None, had long had a mind to
accompany one of these roving bands, partly in the
Lope that in some hour of distress he might touch
theii' hearts, or, by a timely drop of baptismal water,
dismiss some dying child to paradise, but chiefly
with the object of mastering their language. Pierre
had rejoined his brothers ; and, as the hunting season
drew near, tlic}^ all begged the missionary to make
one of their party, — not, as he thought, out of any
love for him, but solely with a view to the provis-
ions with which they doubted not he would be well
supplied. Le Jeune, distrustful of the sorcerer,
demurred, but at length resolved to go.

i !

CHAPTER IV.

1C33, 1634.

LE JEUNE AND THE HUNTERS.

Le Jettm: joins the Indians. — The First Encampment. — Tub
Apostate. — Forest Like in Winter. — The Indian Hut. —
The Sorcerer: his Persecition of the FhiEST. — Evil Com-
pany. — Ma(;ic. — Incantations. — Christmas. — Starvation. —
Hopes or Conversion. — Backsliding. — Peril and Escape
OF Lii Jeune: his Return.

On a morning in the latter part of October, Le
Jeune embarked with the Indians, twenty in all,
men, women, and children. No other Frenchman
was of the party. Champlain bade him an anxious
farewell, and commended him to the care of his red
associates, who had taken charge of his store of bis-
cuit, flour, corn, prunes, and turnips, to which, in an
evil hour, his friends had persuaded him to add a
small keg of wine. The canoes glided along the
wooded shore of the Island of Orleans, and the party
landed, towards evening, on the small island imme-
diately below. Le Jeune was delighted with the
spot, and the wild beauties of the autumnal sunset.

His reflections, however, were soon interrupted.
While the squaws were setting up their bark lodges,
and Mestigoit was shooting wild-fowl for supper,

1833.]

THE APOSTATE.

Ill

Pierre returned to the canoes, tapped the keg of
wine, and soon fell into the mud, helplessly drunk.
Revived by the immersion, he next appeared at the
camp, foaming at the mouth, threw down the lodges,
overset the kettle, and chased the shrieking squaws
into the woods. His brother Mestigoit rekindled the
lire, and slung the kettle anew; when Pierre, who
meanwhile had been raving like a madman along the
sliore, reeled in a fury to the spot to repeat his former
exploit. Mestigoit anticipated him, snatched the
kettle from the fire, and threw the scalding contents
in his face. " He was never so well washed before
in his life," says Le Jeuiie; "he lost all the skin of
his face and breast. Would to God his heart had
changed also!"^ He roared in his frenzy for a
hatchet to kill the missionary, who therefore thought
it prudent to spend the night in the neighboring
woods. Here he stretched himself on the earth,
while a charitable squaw covered him with a sheet of
birch-bark. "Though my bed," he writes, "had not
been made up since the creation of the world, it was
not hard enough to prevent me from sleeping."

Sucli was his initiation into Indian winter life.
Passing over numerous adventures by water and
land, we find the party, on the twelfth of November,
leaving their canoes on an island, and wading ashore
at low tide over the flats to the southern bank of the

1 " lamais il ne fut si bien laue, il cliarifron ile poau en la face ot
en tout restomacli : pleust a Dieu que son auie east change a uasi
bien que eon corps ! " — Relation, 1034, 59.

112

LE JEUNE AND THE HUNTERS. [1633.

'I V

St. Lawrence. As two other bands had joined theni,
their number was increased to forty-five persons.
Now, leaving the river behind, they entered those
savage liighLmds whence issue the springs of the St.
John, — a wiklerness of rugged mountain-ranges,
clad in dense, continuous forests, with no human
tenant but this troop of miserable rovers, and here
and there some kindred band, as miserable as they.
Winter had set in, and already dead Nature was
slieeted in funereal white. Lakes and ponds were
frozen, rivulets sealed up, torrents encased with
stalactites of ice; the black rocks and the black
trunks of the pine-trees were beplastered with snow,
and its heavy masses crushed the dull green boughs
into the drifts beneath. The forest was silent as the
grave.

Through this desolation the long file of Indians
made its way, all on snow-shoes, each man, woman,
and child bending under a heavy load, or dragging
a sledge, narrow, but of prodigious length. They
carried their whole wealth with them, on their backs
or on their sledges, — kettles, axes, bales of meat, if
such they had, and huge rolls of birch-bark for cover-
ing their wigwams. The Jesuit was loaded like the
rest. The dogs alone floundered through the drifts
unburdened. There was neither path nor level
ground. Descending, climbing, stooping beneath
half-fallen trees, clambering over piles of prostrate
trunks, struggling through matted cedar-swamps,
threading chill ravines, and crossing streams no

1 '1 ' r-

I ll J. '

iji ■'

1633.]

ALGOXQUIX WINTER LIFE.

113

longer visible, tlicy toiled on till the day liegan to
decline, then .stoi)ped to eneump.^ Burdens were
thrown down, and sledges unladen. The squaws,
with knives and hatchets, cut long poles of Inrch and
s})ruce saplings; while the men, with snow-shoes for
shovels, cleared a round or square space in the snow,
which formed an upright wall three or four feet high,
enclosing the area of the wigwam. On one side, a
passage was cut for an entrance, and the poles were
l)lanted around the top of the wall of snow, sloping
and converging. On these poles were spread the
sheets of birch-hark, a bear-skin was hung in the
passage-way for a door ; the bare ground ndthin and
the surrounding snow were covered with spruce
houghs; and the work was done.

This usually occupied about three houi-s, during
which Le Jeune, spent with travel, and weakened by
precarious and unaccustomed fare, had the choice of
shivering in idleness, or taking part in a labor which
fatigued, without warming, his exhausted frame.

( /

1 "S'il arriuoit quelque degd, 6 Dieu quelle peine! II me seui-
bloit que ie niarchois sur vn clieinln de verre qui se eassoit a tous
coups soubs mes pieds: la neige congelee venant h. s'ainollir, tom-
boit et s'eiifonvoit par esquarres on grandes pieces, et nous en
anions bien souuent iusqnes aux genoux, quelquefois iuscju'ii la
ceinture. Que s'il y auoit de la peine ii tomber, il y en auoit encor
plus a se retirer : car nos raquettes se chargcoient de neiges et se
rendoient si pesantes, que quand vous veniez h, les retirer il vous
senibloit qu'on vous tiroit les iambes pour vous denienibrer. I'en
ay veu qui glissoient tellenient soulis des souches enseiielies soubs la
neige, qu'ils ne pouuoient tirer ny iambes ny raquettes sans secours :
or figurez vous maintenant vne personne cliargee comme vn mulct,
et iugez si la vie des Sauuages est douce." — Ilddtivn, 1G31, 07.

VOL. I. — 8

114

LE JEUNK AND THE HUNTERS.

[\rm.

ri!'

The sorcerer's wife was in fur worse case. Though
in the extremity of ii uKjrtal sickness, they left her
lying in the snow till the wigwam was made, — with-
out a word, on her part, of remonstrance or com-
l)laint. Le Jeune, to the great ire of her husband,
SOI' '.'times spent the interval in trying to convert
her; but she proved intractable, and soon died
unbaptized.

Thus lodged, they remained so long as game could
be found Avithin a circuit of ten or twelve miles, and
then, subsistence failing, removed to another spot.
Early in the winter, they hunted the beaver and
the Canada porcupine; and, later, in the season of
deep snows, chased the moose and the caribou.

Put aside tiie bear-skin, and enter the hut. Here,
in a space some thirteen feet si^uare, were packed
nineteen savages, men, women, and children, with
their dogs, crouched, squatted, coiled like hedge-
hogs, or lying on their backs, with knees drawn up
perpendicularly to keep their feet out of the lire. Le
Jeune, always methodical, arranges the grievances
inseparable from these rough quarters under four
chief heads, — Cold, Iieat, Smoke, and Dogs. The
bark covering was full of crevices, through which tiie
icy blasts streamed in upon him from all sides ; and
the hole above, at once window and chimney, was so
large, that, as he lay, he could watch the stars as
well as in the open air. While the fire in the midst,
fed with fat pine-knots, scorched him on one side,
on the other he had much ado to keep himself from

1033-34. J

THE INDIAN HUT.

115

freezing. At times, liowever, the crowded hut
seemed heated to the tempemtiire of an oven. But
these evils were light, when compared to the intoler-
ahle plague of smoke. During a snow-storm, and
often at other times, the wigwam was lillcd with
fumes so dense, stilling, and aeri , that all its inmates
were forced to lie Hat on their faces, ])reathing
through mouths in contact with the cold earth.
Their throats and nostrils felt as if on fire; their
scorched eyes streamed with tears; and when Le
Jeune tried to read, the letters of his breviary seemed
printed in blood. The dogs were not an unmixed
evil, for, by sleeping on and around him, they kept
liim warm at night; but, as an offset to this good
service, they walked, ran, and jumped over him as
he lay, snatched the food from his birchen dish, or,
in a mad rush at some bone or discarded morsel, now
and th jn overset both dish and missionary.

Sometimes of an evening he would leave the filthy
den, to read his breviary in peace by the light of the
moon. In the forest around sounded the sharp crack
of frost-riven trees; and from the horizon to the
zenith shot up the silent meteors of the northern
lights, in whose fitful flashings the awe-struck
Indians behc-ld the dancing of the spirits of the dead.
The cold gnawed him to the bone; and, his devotions
over, he turned back shivering. The illumined hut,
from many a chink and crevice, shot forth into the
gloom long streams of light athwart the twisted
boughs. He stooped and entered. All within

110

I.H JEUNI-: AND THE IIL'XTKRS. [lfl:i;J-3l.

! i

glowed red and fiery around the ])lizing pine-knots,
wliere, like In-utes in their kennel, were gathered the
savage erew. He stepjjed to his plaee, over recum-
bent bodies and leggined and moceasined limbs, and
seated himself on the carpet of spruce boughs. Here
a tribulation jiwaited him, the crowning misery of
his winter-quarters, — worse, as he dechires, than
cold, heat, and dogs.

Of the three brothers who had invited him to join
the party, one, we have seen, was the luuiter,
Mestigoit; another, the sorcei'er; and the third,
Pierre, whom, ])y reason of lils falling away from the
Faith, Le Jeune always nmitions as the Ajjostate.
He was a weak-minded young Indian, wliolly under
the influence of his brother the sorcerer, who, if not
more vicious, was far more resolute and wily. From
the antagonism of their respective professions, the
sorcerer hated the priest, who lost no opportunity of
denouncing his incantations, and who ridiculed his
perpetual singing and drumming as puerility and
folly. The former, being an indifferent hunter, and
disabled by a disease which he had contracted,
depended for subsistence on his credit as a magician ;
and in undermining it Le Jeune not only outraged
his pride, but threatened his daily bread. ^ He used

^ "le ne laissois pordre aucune occasion do le conuaincre do
niaiserie et de puerilite, mettant au iour rinipertinonce de sea super-
stitions : or c'estoit luy arrachcr Tamo du corps par violence : car
comme il ne S(,'auroit plus chassor, il fait plus que iamais du
Prophcte ct du Magioien pour consonuT son credit, et pour auoir
les bous morceaux; si bien qu'esbranlant son authorite qui se va

1033-:H.] LE JKUNK AND THE SOIUKUKR.

117

every device to retort ridicule upon his rival. At the
outset, he hud proffered his iiid to Le Jcuue in his
study of the Algoii([uin; and, like the Indian prac-
tical jokers of Acadia in the ease of Father Hiard,'
I)alnied off ufjon him the foulest words i»: the lan-
guafTc us the ('([uivalent of things spiiitual. Thus it
happened, that, while the missionary sought to
explain to tlie assendiled wigwam some point of
Christian doctrine, he was interrupt(nl by peals of
laughter from men, children, and s(piaws. And
now, as Le Jeune took his place in tlie circle, the
sorcerer bent upon him his malignant eyes, and began
that course of rude bantering which lilled to over-
flowing the cup of the Jesuit's woes. All took their
cue from him, and made their afilicted guest the butt
of their inane witticisms. "Look at him! llis face
is like a dog's I " — "His head is like a pumpkin! " —
"He has a beard like a rabbit's! " The missionary
bore in silence these and countless similar attacks;
indeed, so sorely was he hara inl, that, lest he
should exasperate his tormentor, he sometimes passed
whole days without uttering a word.^

pordant tons les iours, ic lo toucliois ii la prunclle do roeil." —
Relation, lO.'U, 50.

1 See "Tioneon of France in the New World," ii. 119.

2 Ri'Iafion, 1G:U, 207 (Cranioisy). " lis nic cIiarKfoii'nt incessa-
ment do niille brocards & de millo injuri's; jc nie siiis veu en trl
estat, que pour ne les ai;.^rlr, je passois les jours entiers sans ouvrir
la bouclie." Here follows tlie abuse, in (lie ori^iinal Indian, with
French translations. Le .Teuiic's account of Ids experience is singu-
larly graphic. The followinii is his sunitnary of liis annoyances:

" Or ce miserable homme [the sorcerer] &, la f unide m'out esto les

118

LK JFXNK A\I) THH IirXTKIiS. rir,;5:5-;}4.

,1 '%

Lo Jeuno, a iiiiiii of exci'llcut <)l)S('rviiti(in, alrciuly
knew Ills red associiitcH well ('nf)ii<(li to uiidcrstaiKl
tliat their rudenesH did not ol' necessity imply ill-will.
The rest of tli(> ])arty, in tlieir turn, fared no better.
They rallied and hantered each other incessantly,
with as little forhearanci^ and as little malice as a
troo}) of uahridhMl sehool-hoys.' No one took offence.
To have dtmo so would have heen to hrin^ upon one's
self genuine contumely. This motley household was
a model of harmony. True, they showed no tender-
ness or consideration towards the sick and disabled;
but for the rest, (>ach shai'ed with all in weal or woe:
the famine of one was tin; famine of the whole, and
the smallest portion of food was distributed in fair and
e(pial partition. llpl)raidin<^s and complaints were
unheard; they bore each other's foibles with won-
drous equanimity; and while persecuting Le Jeune
with constant importunity for tobiU'co, and for
eveiything else he had, they never begged among
themselves.

(U'ux plus grands tournK'ns que i'aye endure parmy ces nar1)ares :
ny le froid, ny le eliaml, ny rincoininodite des cliiens, ny coucIkt k
I'alr, ny dorniir sur un lict de terre, ny la posture qu'il taut tousiours
tenir dans leurs eabanes, se raniassans en jieloton, ou se couchans,
ou s'asseans sans siege & sans niattelas, ny la faiiu, ny la soif, ny la
pauuretc „ salete de leur boucan, ny la inaladie, tout eela ne m'a
semble que ieu h. coniparaison de la fuinee & de la malice du Sor-
cwrr — Iielatloii, l(j;M, 201 (Crainoisy).

1 "Leur vie se pusse b, manger, u rire, et a railler les vns des
autres, et de tous les peuples qu'ils eognoissfut ; ils n'ont rien de
serieux, sinon par fois I'exterieur, faisans parmy nous les graues et
les retenus, mais entr'eux sont de vrais badins, de vraia enfans, qui
ne demandent qu'k rire." — Relation, 1034, 30.

innr^-.U] HIS IM)IAX COMPANION'S. 110

Wlu'M tlio fire bunicd wrll and food was abuiidiint,
tlu'ir convorsiition, siicli as it was, was inci'ssaiit.
They used no oaths, for tliclr lancfnaijfo supjilicd
non(\ — douhtU'SS ht'causo th^'ir niytholoL'v hail no
beings suHifiently distinct to swear by. 'I'hcir cx^ne-
tives were foul words, of which tliey liad a suiicra-
bundanco, and whicli men, women, and eliihb'en alike
used with a fre([nency and liardihood that amazed
and scandalized the priest.' Mor was he better
pleased with their postures, in which they consulted
nothing but their ease. Thus, of an evening when
the wigwam was heated to suffocation, the sorcerer,
in the closest possible approach to nudity, lay on his
back, with his right knee phinted upright and his
left leg crossed on it, discoursing volubly to the com-
pany, who, on their part, listened in postures scarcely
less remote from decency.

There was one point touching which Le Jeune and
his Jesuit brethren had as yet been unable to solve
their doubts. Were the Indian sorcerers mere
impostors, or were they in actual league with the
Devil? That the fiends who possess this land of
darkness make their power felt by action direct and
potential upon the persons of its wretched inhabi-

1 " Aussi lour disois-jo par fois, quo si los pourccaux et los chions
s^auoicnt parU'r, ils ticndroiont lour laii<^ai,'o. . . . Les fillos ct Ics
it'unt'S fc'innu'S sont a IV-xttTieur tres honnestement couucrtcs, nmis
entre elles k'urs (liscours sont pii!int>., conime (ks cloaqut'S." —
Relation, 1084, l]2. The social niarniLTs of remote tribes of the
present time correspond perfectly witli Le Jeune's account of those
of the Montagnais.

120

LE JEUXE AND THE HUXTERS. [1633-34.

' I I i ii

tants there is, argues Le Jeune, good reason to con-
clude ; since it is a matter of grave notoriety that the
fiends who infest Brazil are accustomed cruelly to
beat and otherwise torment the natives of that
country, as many travellers attest. "A Frenchman
worthy of credit," pursues the Father, "has told me
that he has heard with his own ears the voice of the
Demon and the sound of the blows which he dis-
charges upon these his miserable slaves; and in
reference to this a very remarkable fact has been
reported to me, — namely, that when a Catholic
approaches, the Devil takes fLght and beats th3se
wretches no longer, but that in i)resence of a Hugue-
not he does not stop beatirj them."^

Thus prone to believe in the immediate presence of
the nether powers, Le Jeune watched the sorcerer
with an eye prepared to discover in his conjurations
the signs of a genuine diabolic agency. His obser-
vations, however, led him to a different result; and

1 " Surquoy on mo rapporto vne cliose trcs rcmarquablc, o'cst quo
le Diablo s'onfiiit, et no frappo point ou cesso ile frapj)C'r cos misc>r-
ablos, quand vn Catholiquo ontro en lour compaf^nio, et qu'il ne
lalss point fie les battrc on la prosonce d'vn Hufiuenot : d'ou viont
qu'vn ioiir so voyans l)attus on la comj-a^nie d'vn certain Francois,
lis luv diront : Nous nous ostonnon"-, quo le (liable nous batto, toy
ostant auec nous, vcu qu'il n'oseroit le faire quand tes conii)ajiiions
sont presents. Luy so douta ineontini'nt que cola pouuoit ])rouenir
do sa relisjion (ear il estoit Caluiniscc"* ; s'iiddressant done h. Dieu, il
luy proniit de so faire Catliolique si le dial)le eessoit do battro cos
pauuros pouples en sa presence. Le va'u fait, iamais |dus aucun
Demon ne molosta Ameriquain on sa eompaj^nio, d'oli vient qu'il se
fit Catliolique, solon la promesse qu'il en auoit faiete. Mais retour-
none \ nostre discours." — liclation, 1034, 22.

1633-34.]

MAGIC.

121

he could detect in his rival nothing but a vile com-
pound of impostor and dupe. The sorcerer believed
in the efficacy of his own magic, and was continually
singing and beating his drum to cure the disease
from which he was suffering. Towards the close of
the winter, Le Jeune fell sick, and in his pain and
weakness nearly succumbed under the nocturnal
uproar of the sorcerer, who hour after hour sang and
drummed without mercy, — sometimes yelling at the
top of his throat, then hissing like a serpent, then
striking his drum on the ground as if in a frenzy,
then leaping up, raving about the wigwam, and
calling on. the women and children to join him in
singing. Now ensued a hideous din; for every throat
was strained to the utmost, and all were beating
with sticks or fists on the bark of the hut to increase
the noise, with the charitable object of aiding the
sorcerer to conjure down his malady, or drive away
the evil spirit that caused it.

He had an enemy, a rival sorcerer, whom he
charged with having caused by charms the disease
that afflicted him. He therefore announced that he
should kill him. As the rival dwelt at Gaspd, a
hundred leagues off, the present execution of the
threat might appear difficult; Init distance was no
bar to the vengeance of the sorcerer. Ordering all
the cliildren and all but one of the women to leave
the wigwam, he seated himself, with the woman who
remained, on the ground in the centre, while the men
of the party, together with those from other wig-

■ I

122

LE JEUNE AND THE IIUXTERS. [1633-34.

fif

■ ' (

;. : i

warns in the neighborhood, sat in a ring around.
Meatigoit, tlie sorcerer's brother, then ])rought in the
charm, consisting of a few small pieces of wood, some
arrow-heads, a broken knife, and an iron hook, which
lie wrapped in a piece of hide. The woman next
rose, and walked around the hut, behind the com-
pany. Mestigoit a mI the sorcerer now dug a large
hole with two pointed stakes, the whole assembly
singing, drumming, and howling meanwhile with a
deafening uproar. The hole made, the charm,
wrapped in the hide, was thrown into it. Pierre, the
Apostate, then brought a sword and a knife to the
sorcerer, who, seizing them, leaped into the hole, and
with furious gesticulation hacked and stabbed at the
charm, vellinsr with the whole force of his luno^s.
At length he ceased, displayed the knife and sword
stained with blood, proclaimed that he had mortally
wounded his enemy, and demanded if none present
had heard his death-cry. The assembly, more occu-
pied in making noises than in listening for them,
gave no reply, till at length two young men declared
that they had heard a faint scream, as if from a great
distance ; whereat a shout of gratulation and triumph
rose from all the company.^

1 " Lc ma^ncion tout glorioiix (lit que son hommo ost frappc, qu'il
mourra bion tost, ilemande si on n'a point intend ii scs cris : tout le
nionde tlit quo non, horsmis (Unix icuncs honimos ses parens, qui
disent r.u;::r ouy des plaintes fort gourdes, et eoninie de loinj^, O
qu'ils le firent aise ! Se tournant Aors nioy, il se init a rire, disant :
Voyez cette robe noire, qui nous vient dire qu'il ne faut tuer per-
Bonne. Comnie ie res^ardois attenti\ienient I'espe'e et le poifjnard, il
me les fit presenter : Regarde, dit-il, qu'est cela ? C'est du sang,

1633-34.]

INCAXTATIONS.

123

There was a young prophet, or diviner, in one of
the neighboring hvits, of whom the sorcerer took
counsel as to the prospect of liis restoration to lioalth.
The divining-lodge was formed, in this instance, of
five or six upright posts planted in a circle and
covered with a blanket. The prophet ensconced
himself witliin; and after a long interval of singing,
the spirits declared their presence by their usual
squeaking utterances from the recesses of the mystic
tabernacle. Their responses were not unfavorable;
and the sorcerer drew much consolation from the
invocations of his brother impostor.^

Besides his incessant endeavors to annoy Le Jeune,
the sorcerer now and then tried to frig^hten him. On
one occasion, when a period of starvation had been
followed by a successful hunt, the whole party
assembled for one of the gluttonous feasts usual witli
them at such times. While the guests sat expectant,
and the squaws were about to ladle out the banquet,
the sorcerer suddenly leaped up, exclaiming that he
had lost his senses, and that knives and hatchets must
be kept out of his way, as he had a mind to kill some-
body. Then, rolling his eyes towards Le Jeune, he
began a series of frantic gestures and outcries, —
then stopped abruptly and stared into vacancy, silent

repartis-ie. De qui ? De quflinic Oriuniac ou d'autre animal, lis
se mocquerent de nioy, disants que c'estoit du san^^ do ci- SorcuT ile
Gaspe. Comment, dis-je, il est h. ])\n» de cent lieues d'iey ^ 11 est
vray, font-ils, niais c'ost le Maiiitoii, c'i\st a dire le Diahle, qui
.ipporto son sang pardcssous la terre." — Rihitio)!, 1(534, 21.
^ See Introduction. Also, " Pioneers of Franee," ii. 100.

124

LE .TEUXE AND THE HUNTERS. [1033-34.

and motionless, — then losumed his former clamor,
raged in and out of the hut, and, seizing some of its
supporting 2)oles, broke them, as if in an uncontrol-
lable frenzy. Tlie missionary, tliough alarmed, sat
reading his breviary as before. When, however, on
the next morning, the sorcerer Ijegan again to play
tlie maniac, the thought occurred to him that some
stroke of fever might in truth have touched his ])rain.
Accordingly, he approached liim and felt liis pulse,
which he found, in his own words, "as cool as a
fish." The pretended madman looked at him with
astonishment, and, giving over the attempt to frigliten
him, presently returned to his senses.^

Le Jeune, robbed of his sleep by the ceaseless
thumping of the sorcerer's drum and the monotonous
cadence of his medicine-songs, improved the time in
attempts to convert him. ""I began,'' he says, "l)y
evincing a great love for him, and by praises, which
I threw to him as a bait whereby I might catch him
in the net of truth. " ^ But the Indian, though pleased
wiih che Father's flatteries, was neither caught nor
concdiated.

1 The Indians, it is well known, ascribe mysterious and super-
natural powers to the insane, and respect them accordin<;]y. Tiie
Neutral Nation (see Intnxhiction, ;>.'») was full of pretended
madmen, who raved about the villages, throwing firebrands, and
making other displays of frenzy.

2 " it> c'onimenvay par vn tcmoignage de grand amour en son
endroit, et ])ar des loiianges que ie luy icttay eoniine vne amorce
pour le prendre dans les filets de la verite. Je luy fis entendre que
si vn esprit, capable des choses grandes comme le sien, cognoissoit
Dieu, que tons les ISauuages induis par son exemple le voudroient
aussi cognoistre." — liclatiun, 1(J.'3-1, 71.

1 I

10;]3-34.] CHRISTMAS. 12")

Nowhere was his magic in more requisition than
in procuring a successful chase to the hunters, — a
point of vital interest, since on it hung the lives of
the whole })arty. Tliey often, however, returned
empty-handed; and for one, two, or thi-ee successive
days no other food could be had than the bark of
trees or scraps of leather. So long as tobacco lasted,
they found solace in their pipes, which seldom left
their lips. "Unhappy infidels," writes Le Jeune,
''who spend their lives in smoke, and their eternity
ill llames ! "

As Christmas approached, their condition grew
desperate. Beavers and porcupines were scarce, and
the snow was not deep enough for hunting the moose.
Night and day the medicine-drums and medicine-
S(mgs resounded from the wigwams, mingled with
the wail of starving children. The hunters grew
weak and emaciated; and as after a forlorn march
the wanderers encamped once more in the lifeless
forest, the priest remembered that it w'as the eve of
Christmas. "The Lord gave us for our supper a
porcupine, large as a sucking pig, and also a rabbit.
It was not much, it is true, for eighteen or nineteen
jjcrsons; but the Holy Virgin and St. Josejih, her
glorious spouse, were not so w'ell treated, on this
very day, in the stable of Bethlehem."^

1 " Pour nostrc souper, N. S. nous donna vn Porc-ospic gros
coinnn' vn coclion de lait, ft vn lit'urf ; c'l'stoit pt'U ]nnir dix-huit
oil vinjrt personnt'S (jiu' nous ustions, il est vray, niais la saincte
ViiTffi' (,'t son glorieux Espoux sainct loscpli ni; furunt pas si biun
traictt'Z ii mc-sniu iour dans I'establi de Bethleein." — lUlation,
io;u, 74.

12G

LE JEUNE AND THE HUNTERS. [1683-34.

II ,

On Chribtnuis Day, the despairing huntei-s, again
unsuccessful, came to pniy succor from Le Jeunc.
Even the Apostate had become tractable, and the
famislied sorcerer was ready to try the efficacy of an
a[)j)('al to tlie deity of his rival. A bright hope
possessed the missionary. lie composed two prayers,
whicli, with the aid of the repentant Pierre, he trans-
lated into Algoiupiin. Then he hung against the
side of the hut a na[)kin which he had brought with
him, and agaijist the napkin a crucifix and a reliquary,
and, this done, caused all the Indians to kneel before
them, with hands raised and clasped. He now read
one of the prayers, and required the Indians to repeat
the other after him, promising to renounce their
superstitions and obey Christ, mIiosc image they saw
before them, if he would give them food and save
them from perishing. The pledge given, he dis-
missed the hunters with a benediction. At night
they returned with game enough to relieve the imme-
diate necessity. All was hilarity. The kettles were
sluncc, and the feasters assembled. Le Jeune rose to
speak, when Pierre, who having killed nothing was
in ill humor, said, with a laugh, that the crucifix and
the prayer had nothing to do with their good luck;
while the sorcerer, his jealousy reviving as he saw
his hunger about to be appeased, called out to the
missionary, " Hold your tongue ! You have no sense ! "
As usual, all took their cue from him. They fell to
their repast with ravenous jubilation, and the disap-
pointed priest sat dejected and silent.

is t

read

1C:M.J LK JEUNE LEAVES THE INDIANS. 127

Rcpeutcdly, lu-fore tlu' spriiiL,% Ihcy wore thus
threiiteiu'd with starvation. iS'or ^Vi!S tlieir rase
exceptioMal. It was the orduiary wintei' life of all
those Northern trn)es who did not till the soil, ])iit
lived by hunting and lishing alone. The desertion
or the killing of the aged, siek, and disabled, occa-
sional cannibalism, and frei^uent deatli from famine
were natural incidents of an existcnice which durhig
half the year was but a desperate pursuit of the mere
necessaries of life under the worst conditions of hard-
ship, suffering, and debasement.

At the beginning; of April, after roaming for five
months among forests and mountains, the party made
their last march, regained the bank of the St.
Lawrence, and waded to the island where they had
hidden their canoes. Le Jeune was exhausted and
sick, and Mestigoit offered to carry him in his canoe
to Quebec. This Indian was by far the best of the
three brothers, and both Pierre and the sorcerer
looked to him for support. lie was strong, active,
and daring, a skilful hunter, and a dexterous canoe-
man. Le Jeune gladly accepted his offer; embarked
with him and Pierre on the dreary and tempestuous
river; and, after a voyage full of hardship, during
which the canoe narrowly escaped l)eing ground to
atoms among the floating ice, landed on the Island of
Orleans, six miles from Quebec. The afternoon was
stormy and dark, and the river was covered with ice,
sweeping by with the tide. They were forced to
encamp. At midnight the moon had risen, the ri»er

128

LE JKUNE AND THE HUNTERS.

[1G31.

was comparatively miencuinbered, and they embarked
once more. Tlie wind increased, and tlie waves
tossed furiously. Nothing saved them l)ut the skill
and courage of Mestigoit. At length they could see
the rock of Quebec towering through the gloom, but
piles of ice lined the shore, while floating masses
were drifting down on the angry current. The
ludiar. watched liis moment, shot his canoe through
them, gained the fixed ice, leaped out, and shouted
to his companions to follow. Pierre scrand)led up,
but the ice was six feet out of the water, and Le
Jeune's agility failed him. He saved himscdf by
clutchin^j the ankle of Mestigoit, by whose aid he
gained a lirm foothold at the top, and, for a moment,
the three voyagers, aghast at the narrowness of their
escape, stood gazing at each other in silence.

It was three o'clock in the morning when Le
Jeune knocked at the door of his rude little convent
on the St. Charles; and the Fathers, spriv^ing in
joyful haste from their slumbers, embraced their long-
absent Superior with ejaculations of praise and
benediction.

CHAPTER V.
1633, 1634.

THE HURON MISSION.

Plans of Conversion. — Aims and Motives. — Indian Diplo-
macy, — HURONS AT QCEHEC. — ^'otlNCI I.s, — TlIi; Jl- IT

Chai'el. — Le Borone— The Jesiits TiiwAuxEn.— Their
Perseverance. — The Joitrnev to the IIlrons. — Jean de
BRfenELF. — The Mission Begun.

Le Jeune had learned the difficulties of the
Algonrjuin mission. To iniaf:^ine that he recoiled or
faltered would be an injustice to his Order; but on
two points he had gained convictions : first, that little
progress could be made in converting these wandering
hordes till they could be settled in fixed abodes ; and,
secondly, that their scanty numbers, their geographi-
cal position, and their slight influence in the politics
of the wilderness offered no flattering promise that
their conversion would be fruitful in further triumphs
of the Faith. It was to another quarter that the
Jesuits looked most earnestly. By the vast lakes of
the West dwelt numerous stationary populations, and
particularly the Hui'ons, on the lake which bears
their name. Here was a hopeful basis of indefinite
conquests; for, the Hurons won over, the Faith
vol. I. — 9

130

THE HURON MISSION.

[10:j:j.

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'^'l

^ A

-i'

would spread in wider and wider circles, embracing,
one by one. the kindred tribes, — tlie Tobacco Nation,
the Neuti'.ds, the Erics, and the Andastes. Nay, in
His own time, God mij^dit lead into His fold even the
potent and ferocious Iroquois.

The way was pathless and long, by rock and tor-
rent ar; 1 the gloom of savage forests. The goal was
more dreary yet. Toil, hardshi[), famine, filth, sick-
ness, solitude, insult, — all that is most revolting to
men nurtured among arts and letters, all that is most
terrifij to monastic credulitv, — such were the promise
and the reality of the Huron mission. In the eyes of
the Jesuits, the Huron country was the innermost
stronghold of Satiin, his castle and his donjon-keep.^
All the weapons of his malice were prepared against
the bold invader who should assail him in tliis, the
heart of his ancient domain. Far from shrinking,
the 211'ic'st's zeal rose to tenfold ardor. He signed
the cross, invoked St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier, or
St. Francis Borgia, kissed his reliquary, said nine
masses to the Virgin, and stood prompt to battle with
all the hosts of Hell.

A life sequestered from social intercourse and
remote from every prize which ambition holds worth
the pursuit, or a lonely death under forms perhaps
the most appalling, — these were the missionaries'
alternatives. Their maligners may taunt them, if
they will, with credulity, superstition, or a blind

i"Une dea principales forteresses & comme un donjon dos
Demons." — Lalemant, liclation des llurons, 1(33'.), 100 (Cranioisy).

I0;i3.]

JESUIT SCIIKMKS.

131

mtlmsiasiii; but sliiiidcr itself cannot acciiso them of
liypot'risy or aiiiltilion. Douhtk'ss, in their propa-
gaiidisni tliry \vc'ro actint,' in concurrence witli a
nnuidano policy; hut, for the present at least, thin
policy was rational and humane. Tliey were pnmiot-
iiig the ends of eonnnerei' and national ex})ansion.
The foundations of French dominion were to he laid
deep in the heart and conscience of the savage. His
stuhhorn necdv was to he suhdued to the "yoke of the
Faith." li'lie power of the priest estahlished, that of
the temporal ruler was secure. These santruinary
hordes, weaned from intestine strife, were to unite in
a common allegiance to (iod and the King. Mingled
with French tradeis and French settlers, softened by
French mannei-s, guided by French priests, ruled by
French oilicers, their now divided bands would becomo
the conotir.uents of a vast wilderness cmi)ire, which
in time might span the continent^ Si)anish civiliza-
tion crushed the Indian; EnglLsh civilization scorned
and nen-lected him; French civilization embraced and
cherished him.

Policy and commerce, then, built their hopes on
the priests. These commissioned interpreters of the
Divine Will, accredited with letters patent from
Heaven and afliliated to (lod's anointed on cart'.,
would have pushed to its most uiupialified application
the Scripture metaphor of the shepherd and the
sheep. They would have tamcjd the wild man of the
woods to a condition of o])cdience, unquestioning,
passive, and a])Solute, — repugnant to manhood, and

1 '

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132

Tin: IIIJUON MISSION.

Ixim.

I ' I

advei'se to tho invigoiiiting and cxpiuisivo Hpirit of
modcnii civiliziiUon. Vet, lull of crmr luid full of
danger Ji.s whs their .system, tliey embnieed its serene
und si!:ilini( falsehoods with the sineerity of martyrs
and the self-devotion of saints.

Wo have spoken already of the llurons, of their
populous villages on the horders of the great " l^'rt^sh
Sea," their trade, their rude agrieulture, their soeial
life, their wild and incongruous superstitions, and
the sorcerers, divincsrs, and medicine-men who lived
on their credulity.' Irocpiois hostility left open but
one avenue to their country, the long and circuitous
route which, eighteen years before, had ])een explored
by Cliamplain,- — up the river Ottawa, across Lake
Nipissing, down French River, and along the shores
of the great Georgian Hay of Lake Huron, — a route
as dillicult as it was tedious. Midway, on Allumette
Island, in the Ottawa, dwelt the Algonquin tribe
visited by Cliamplain in 1613, and who, amazed at
the apparition of the white stranger, thought that he
had fallen from the clouds. ^ Like other tribes of this
region, they were keen traders, and would gladly
have secured for themselves the benefits of an inter-
mediate traffic between the llurons and the French,
receiving the iars of the former in barter at a low
rate, and exchanging them with the latter at their full
value. From their position, they could at any time
close the passage of the Ottawa; but as this would

1 See Introduction.

2 " rioueors of France." ii. 221.

8 Ibid. ii. 202.

10M3.]

II r RONS AT QIKUKC.

liiivo \)ccr\ a porilona oxoivise of their ripflits,^ thoy
wcM'O forced to act with (liscrction. An (tiipoitiuiity
for the practice of their diijioinaey liad lately occurred.
On or near tlio Ottawa, at some distance h('h)\v tlieni,
dwelt a small Alg'oniiuin trihe, called Lk I'ctitr
Xation. One of this people had lately killed a
Frenchman, and the murderer was now in the hands
of Cliam])lain, a prisoner at the fort of Quehec. TW
savage politicians of Allumette Island conti'ived, as
will soon be seen, to turn this in(;i(lent to prolit.

In the July that preceded Le Jeune's wintering,'
with the Montagnais, a Ilui-on Indian, well known
to the French, came to Quehec with the tidings that
the annual canoe-lleet of his countrymen was descend-
ing the St. Lawrence. On the twonty-eighth, the
river was alive with them. A hundivd and forty
canoes, with six or seven hundred savages, landed at
tlie warehouses beneath the fortilied rock of Quebec,

1 Nevertheless, the Hiirons always passed tliis way as a mutter
of favor, ami j^ave yearly i)risi'nts to the AljioiKiiiins of tlie islam!,
in acknowUMliriiu'iit of tlu' i)rivik'{je. (Le .leiiiU', Rilatiim, Hi.'lfi,
70.) By the uiiwritttu laws of the Iluroiis ami Ait^'oiKiuiiis, every
trihe had the rij^ht, I'vcii in full peaee, of proliihitinjx the passage of
every other triho aeross its territory. In ordinary cases, such pro-
liihitions were quietly siilmuttcd to.

"Ces Tnsnlaircs voudraicnt hicn que les Iluronsne vinssent poiiu
aux Francois & que les Fram.ois n'allassent point aux Ilurons, aliu
d'emporter eux seals tout le trafic," etc. — Rchttiim, Ki-'l.'', 20',
(f'ramoisy), — "desirans eux-mesmes alter recueiller les niarclian
discs des peuplcs circonvoisins ])our Ics apporter aux Francois."
This "Nation de risle" has hi'cn erroneously located at Montreal.
Its true position is indicatcil on tiie niiij) of I)u Crcux, and on an
ancient M8. map in tlie I)vp6t (A.s Cnrti s, of wiiicli a fac-sjmile is
before me. Sec also " I'ionccrs of France."

134

THE IIUIIOX MISSIOX.

[103.3.

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% t

and set up their huts and camp-sheds on tlie strand
now covered by the lower town. The greater number
brought furs and tobacco for the trade; others came
as sight-seers; others to gamble, nvd others to steal, ^
— accomplishments in wliich the llurons were profi-
cient; their gainbling skill being exercised chiefly
against each other, and their thieving ttdents against
those of other nations.

The routine of these annual visits was nearly uni-
form. On the first day, the Indians Iniilt tlieir huts ;
on the second, they held their council with the
French ofBcers at the fort; on the third and fourth,
they bartered their furs and tobacco for kettles,
hatchets, knives, cloth, beads, iron arrow-heads,
coats, shirts, and other connnodities ; on the fifth,
they were feasted by the French ; and at daybreak
of the next morning, they embarked and vanished
like a flight of birds. ^

On the second day, then, the long file of chiefs and
warriors mounted the pathway to the fort, — tall,
well-moulded figures, robed in the skins of the beaver
and the bear, each wild visage glowing with paint
and glistening with tlie oil which the llurons extracted
from the seeds of the sunflower. The lank black
hair of one streamed loose upon his shoulders; that

1 " Qiiolqnes vns il't'iitre uux lU' vii'iiiu'iit i). hi traite niu'o Uvs
Francois que pour iouiir, d'autrt'S jtour voir, quelqui-s vns pour
derober, t-t k'S phis sages et les plus riches pour traflquer." — Le
Jeiine, Relation, lO.'v], oA.

2 "Coninu" uue voUv d'oiseaux." — Le Jouno, IMatlan, 10."!.'5, liK)
(Cranioisy). Tlie tohacco hrou^lrt to the French by the llurons
may have bei'n raised by the adjacent tribe of the Tionnontates,
wlio cultivated it largely for sale. See Introduction,

1633.] IIURONS AT THE MTSSIOX-IIOUSE.

135

of another was close sliaven, except an upright ridge,
which, bristling like the crest of a dragoon's helmet,
crossed the crown from the foreliead to tlie neck;
while that of a third hung, long and flowing from one
side, but on the other was cut sliort. Sixty cliiefs
and principal men, with a crowd of younger warriors,
formed their council-circle in the fort, those of each
village grouped together, and all seated on the ground
with a gravity of bearing suiliciently curious to those
who had seen the same men in the domestic circle of
their lodge-fires. Here, too, were the Jesuits, robed
in black, anxious and intent; and here was Champlain,
who, as he surveyed the throng, recognized among
the elder warriors not a few of those who, eighteen
years before, had been his companions in arms on his
hapless foray against the Iroquois.^

Their harangues of compliment Ijeing made and
answered, and the inevitable presents given and
received, Champlain introduced to the silent conclave
the three missionaries, Brdbeuf, Daniel, and Davos t.
To their lot had fallen the honors, dangers, and woes
of the Huron mission. "These are our fathers," he
said. " We love them more than we love ourselves.
The whole French nation honoi's tliem. They do
not go among you for your furs. Tliey have left
their friends and their country to show you the way
to heaven. If you love the French, as you say you
love them, then love and honor these our fathera.''^

^ See " Pioneers of France," ii. 227.

" Lo Jeune, Relation, 1(3;3;3, 274 (Cramoisy) ; .\fereure Fraufuis
1(5.']4, 845.

' 1 *■

iti

136

THE HURON MISSION.

[1G33.

•Hi 1^

'! '^']

Two chiefs rose to reply, and each lavished all his
rhetoric in praises of Chaniplain and of the French.
Brdbeuf rose next, and spoke in broken Huron, — the
assembly jerking in unison, from the bottom of their
throats, repeated ejaculations of applause. Then they
surrounded him, and vied with each other for the
honor of carrying him in their canoes. In short,
the mission was accepted; and the chiefs of the
different villages disputed among themselves the
privilege of receiving and entertaining the three
priests.

On the last of July, the day of the feast of St.
Ignatius, Chaniplain and several masters of trading-
vessels went to the house of the Jesuits in quest of
indulgences; and here they were soon beset by a
crowd of curious Indians, who had finished their
traffic and were making a tour of observation. Beiner
excluded from the house, they looked in at the
windows of the room which served as a chapel; and
Chaniplain, amused at their exclamations of wonder,
gave one of them a piece of citron. The Huron
tasted it, and, enraptured, demanded what it was.
Chaniplain replied, laughing, that it was the rind of
a French pumpkin. The fame of this delectable
production was instantly spread abroad ; and, at every
window, eager voices and outstretched hands i)eti-
tioned for a share of the marvellous vegetable. They
were at length allowed to enter the chapel, which
had lately been decorated with a few hangings,
images, and pieces of plate. These unwonted splen-

1633.]

THE JESUITS THWARTED.

137

dors filled them with admiration. Tlioy asked if the
dove over the altar was the hird tliat makes the
thunder, and, pointing to the images of Loyola and
Xavier, inquired if they were oJik\% or spirits; nor
was their perplexity much diminished by Brebeuf's
explanation of their true character. Three images of
the Virgin next engaged their attention ; and, in
answer to their questions, they were told that tliey
were the mother of Ilim avIio made the world. I'his
greatly amused them, and they demanded if he had
three mothers. " Oh! " exclaims the Father Superior,
"had we but images of all the holy mysteries of our
faith! They are a great assistance, for they S2:)eak
their own lesson."^ Tlie mission was not doomed
long to suffer from a dearth of these inestimable
auxiliaries.

The eve of departure came. The three priests
packed their baggage, and Champlain paid their
passage, or, in other words, made presents to the
Indians who were to carry them in their canoes.
They lodged that night in the storehouse of the fur
company, around which the Hurons were encamped;
and Le Jeune and De None stayed v.'ith them to bid
them farewell in the morning. At eleven at night,
they were aroused by a loud voice in the Indian
camp, and saw Le Borgne, the one-eyed chief of
Allumette Island, walking round among the huts,
haranguing as he went. Br(?beuf, listening, cauglit
the import of his words. ^' We luive begged the

1 Relation, 1003, 38.

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1 1 •

138

THE IIUIIOX MISSIOX.

[1634.

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1 1 i

French captain to spare the life of the Algonquin of
the Petite Nation whom he keeps in prison; but lie
will not listen to us. The prisoner will die. Then
his people will revenge him. They will try to kill
the three black robes whom you are about to carry to
your country. If you do not defend them, the French
will be angry, and charge you with their death. But
if you do, then the Algonquins will make war on you,
and the river will be closed. If the French captain
will not let the prisoner go, then leave the three
black-robes where they are ; for if you take them with
you, they will bring you to trouble."

Such was the substance of Le Borgne's harangue.
The anxious priests hastened up to the fort, gained
admittance, and roused Champlain from his slumbers.
He sent his interpreter with a message to the llurons
that he wished to speak to them before their depar-
ture ; and, accordingly, in the morning an Indian
crier proclaimed through their camp that none should
embark till the next day. Champlain convoked the
chiefs, and tried j^ersuasion, promises, and threats;
but Le Borgne had been busy among them with his
intrigues, and now he declared in the council, that,
unless the j)risoner were released, the missionaries
would be murdered on their way, and war would
ensue. The politic savage had two objects in view.
On the one hand, he Avished to interrupt the direct
intercourse between the French and the Hurons;
and, on the other, he thought to gain credit and
influence with the nation of the prisoner by effecting

1631.]

THE JESUITS THWARTED.

139

liis release. ITis first pi^int was won. Clianiplain
would not give up tlie murderer, knowing tliosc with
whom he was dealing too well to take a eourse whieh
would have proclaimed the killing of a Fi-enelunan a
venial offence. The Hurons thereupon refused to
carry the missionaries to their country; C()U[)ling the
refusal with many regrets and manv [)rotestatioiis of
love, partly, no doubt, sincere, — for the Jesuits had
contrived to gain no little favor in their eyes. The
council broke up, the Ilurons embarked, and the
priests returned to their convent.

Here, under the guidance of Br(jbeuf, they em-
ployed themselves, amid their other avocations, in
studying the Huron tongue. A year passed, and
again the Indian traders descended from their vil-
lages. In the mean while, grievous calamities had
befallen the nation. They had suffered de[)lorable
reverses at the hands of the Iroquois; while a pesti-
lence, similar to that which a few years before had
swept off the native populations of New England, had
begun its ravages among them. They a])peared at
Three Rivers — this year the place of trade — in
small numbers, and in a miserable state of dejection
and alarm. Du Plessis Bochart, connnander of the
French fleet, called them to a council, harangued
them, feasted them, and made them presents; l)ut
they refused to take the Jesuits. In })rivate, how-
ever, some of them were gained ovei-; then again
refused; then, at the eleventh hour, a second time
consented. On the eve of end)arkatioii, lliey once

}!'

140

Tin: HURON MTSSIOX.

[1G31.

more wavered. All was confusion, doubt, and un-
certainty, when 15r{;beuf Letliouglit him of a a'cw to
St. Joseph. The vow was made. At once, he says,
the Indians became tractable; the Fathers embarked,
and, amid salvos of cannon from the ships, set forth
for the wild scene of their apostleship.

They reckoned the distance at nine hundred miles ;
but distance was the least repellent feature of this
most arduous jviurney. Barefoot, lest their shoes
should injure the frail vessel, each crouched in his
canoe, toiling with unpractised han s to propel it.
Before him, week after week, he saw tlie same lank,
unkempt hair, the same tawny shoulders, and long,
naked arms ceaselessly plying the paddle. The
canoes were soon separated; and, for more than a
month, the Frenchmen rarely or ne^'er met. JIl6-
beuf spoke a little Huron, and could converse with
his escort ; but Daniel and Davost were doomed to a
silence unbroken save by the occasional unintelligible
complaints and menaces of the Indians, of whom
many Avere sick with the epidemic, and all were terri-
fied, desi)onding, and sullen. Their only food AA'as a
pittiince of Indian corn, crushed between two stones
and mixed with water. The toil was extreme. Brd-
beuf counted thirty-five portages, where the canoes
were lifted from the water, and carried on the shoul-
ders of the voyapi'ers around rapids or cataracts. More
than fifty times, besides, they were forced to wade in
the raging current, pushing up their empty barks, or
dragging them with ropes. Brdbeuf tried to do his

'4 I

1G34.]

THE JOURXEY TO THE HUllONS.

141

part; but the boulders and sharp rocks wounded his
naked feet, and conii)elled liim to desist. He and his
companions bore their sliare of the baggage across the
portages, sometimes a distance of several miles.
Four trijDS, at the least, were required to convey the
whole. The way was tlirough the der.se forest, in-
cumbered witli rocks and logs, tangled with roota and
nniderbrnsh, damp with perpetual shade, and redolent
of decayed leaves and moiddering wood.^ The In-
dians themselves were often spent with fatigue.
l^r(5beuf, a man of iron frame and a nature uncon-
querably resolute, doa])ted if his strength would sus-
tain him to the journey s end. lie complains that he
had no moment to read his Ijreviary, except l)y the
moonlight or the tire, when stretched out to sleep on
a bare rock by some savage cataract of the Ottawa, or
in a damp nook of tlie adjacent forest.

All the Jesuits, as well as several of their country-
men who accompanied them, suffered more or less at
the hands of their ill-humored conductors.^ Davost's

1 " Ailioiistez k ces difRcmltoz, qu'il faut coucIkt sur la terro nue,
on sur quolque dure roclie, I'autu di; trouucr dix uu iU)uzo picds dt-
terro en quarrc pour placer vno cla'tiuo caliaiiu; qu'il faut suntir
incossainmcnt la puantour dos Sauuagos recrtMis, iiiarclu'r dans loa
caux, dans Ics fannos, dans robscuritc ot I'lwnbarras dcs forest, oh
Ic'S piqueurt'S d'vno nmltitude inflnio de niousciuillcs ft cousins voub
iniportunont fort." — Brelx'uf, Rihition dcs Ilurons, 1(5;]5, 25, 20.

'■^ "En CO voyafjo, il nous a fallu tons commonccr par ces experi-
ences a porter la Croix (juc Nostre Seij,nieur nous j)resente i)()ur son
honneur, ct pour le saint de ces pauures Barbares. Certes io me
suis trouue quelquesfois si las, que le corps n'en pouuoit plus.
Mais d'ailleurs nion anie ressentoit de tres-j^rands contenteniens,
considerant que ie souft'rois pour Dleu : nul no le si/ait, s'il ne I'ex-

;

142

THE HURON MISSION.

[i(j;3i.

Indian robbed him of ji part of his ])aggage, tin . a
part into the river, including most of the hooks ..nd
writing-materials of the three; priests, and then eft
him behind, among the Algonquins of AUiiiii tte
Islard. He found means to contii"i',' the journey,
;ii' 1 i). length reael.^d the Huron towns in a lament-
•ril.O^ s^ate of ])odily prostration. Daniel, too, was
ilest rt"d, ])ut fortunately found another party who
received him into tlieir canoe. A young Frenchman,
named ]\Iartin, was abandoned among the Xipissings ;

porinicnto. Tons n'cn out pas cste quittus ii si bun inarcht'." — Bro-
bt'ilf, litltition (Irs fliiroiis, KilJo, 2(i.

Three years ii^'terwanls, a i)aj)er was printed by the Jesuits of
Paris, called Instruction jmur hs J'eri's <h \()Strp Coni/Hir/nie i]h< sennit
cniKilvz (tii.r Jlitrons, and eontainiiij,' direetions for their conduct on
this routv by the Ottawa. It is hij,dily characteristic, liotli of the
missionaries and of the Indians. Some of the i)oints are, in sul)-
stance, as fnllows: You shouM love the Indians like brothers, with
wiiom you , v' to spend the rest of your life. — Mever make them
wait for you in embarkinj,'. — Take a Hint and steel to light their
pipes and kindle their fire at nijilit,for these little services win their
hearts. — Try to eat their sagamite as they cook it, bad and dirty as
it is. Fasten uj) the skirts of your cassock, that you may not
carry water or sand into the canoe. — Wear po shoes or stockings
in tlie canoe; but you may put them on in crossing the portages. —
Do not make yourself troulilesonie, even to a single Indian. — Do
not ask them too many questions. — Bear their faults in silence,
and appear always cheerful. — Buy fish for them from the tribes
you will pass ; and for this purpose take with you some awls, beads,
knives, and fish-liooks. — Be not ceremonious with the Indians;
take at once what they offer you; ceremony offend.* them. — Be
very careful, wlu-n in the canoe, that the brim of you. nat does not
annoy tliem. I'erhaps it would be better to wear your night-cap.
There is no such thing as impr(){)riety among Indians. — KenuMnber
that it is Christ and his cross that you are seeking; and if you aim
at anything else, you will get nothing but afiliction for body and
mind.

16;54.]

I}R£BKUF'S aukival.

143

.mother, named Baron, on reaching tlie Huron coun-
try, was robbed by liis conductors of ;dl ho luui,
except t!ic weapons in his hands. Of these lie made
cro' d use, compelling the robbers to restore jv part of
tiieir plunder.

Descending French River, and following the lonely
shores of the great Georgian Bay, the canoe which
carried ]5r(5])('uf at length neared it8 destination,
thirty days after leaving Three P! /ers. Before him,
stretched in savage sluml)er, Liy tlr forest shore of
the Hurons. Did his spirit '<.\ as he approached
his dreary home, ojjpressed v,^Ai a iark foreboding of
what the future should ])riii,r forih? There is some
reason to think so. Yet it "\. , out the shadow of a
moment; for his masculine heart had lost the sense of
fear, and his intrepid nature was lired witli a zeal
before which doubts and uncertainties fled like the
mists of the morning. Not the grim enthusiasm of
negation tearing up the weeds of rooted falsehood, or
with bold hand felling to the earth the baneful growth
of overshadowing abuses: his was the ancient faith
uncurtailed, redeemed from the decay of centuries,
kindled with a new life, and stimulated to a preter-
natural growth and fruitfulness.

Brdbeuf and his Huron companions having landed,
the Indians, throwing the missionary's baggage on
the ground, left him to his own resources: and, with-
out heeding his remonstrances, set forth for their
respective villages some twenty miles distant. Thus
abandoned, the priest kneeled, not to implore succor

144

THE IIUKON MISSION.

[1834.

in his perplexity, ])iit to offer tliankH to the Provi-
dence wliicli liiul sliielded liiin tlius far. Then, ris-
ing, he pond<'red lus to what course he should take.
He knew the spot well. It was on the borders of the
small inlet called Thunder Bay. In the neighboring
Huron town of Toanehd he had lived three years,
preaching and l)ai)tizing;^ but Toanch(5 had now
ceased to exist. Here, hJtienne Brul<i, ("haniplain's
adventurous interpreter, had recently been nnirdered
l)y the inliabilantvS, who, in excitement and alarm,
dr(!ading the consequences of their deed, had de-
serted the spot, and built, at the distance of a few
miles, a new town, called Ihonatiria.'^ Br<^beuf hid
his baggage in the woods, including the vessels for
the mass, more i)recious than all the rest, and began
his search for this new abode. He passed the burnt
remains of Toanch<i, saw the charred poles that had
foruicd the frame of his little chapel of bark, and
found, as he thought, the spot where Brul<:; had fal-
len.3 Evening was near, when, after following, 1)0-
wildered and anxious, a gloomy forest path, he issued

1 From 1020 to 1020. Tlioro is no record of the events of this
first mission, which was cndi'd with tlie English occupation of
Quebec. Brc'beuf had previously spent tiie winter of 1025-20 among
the Algonquins, like Le Jeune in l();].')-.34. — Lett re dn P. Charles
Lalemant ait T. 1\. I'. Miitio Vitclleschi, 1 Aug., 102(5, in Carayon.

^ Concerning Hrule, see "Pioneers of France," ii. 2:14-237.

8 "le vis pareillement I'endroit ou le pauure Estienne BruMauoit
este barbarement et traitreusement assomme'; ce qui me fit penser
que quelque lour on nous pourroit bien traitter de la sorte, et desirer
au moins que ce fust en pourchassant la gloire de N. Seigneur." —
Brebeuf, lieiucio.. Jes JJiirons, 1035, 28, 29. The missionary's prog-
nostics were but too well founded.

l(]:Vt.]

HUrjUCrF'S IlIXEPTTOX.

14.1

upon a wild clearing, and saw before him tlie bark
roofs of Ilionatiria.

A crowd ran out to meet him. " Echom lias come
afT^ain! Echom has come again I" they cried, ivi-og-
nizing in the disUince the stately figure, robed in
])lack, that advanced from the border of the forest.
They led him to the town, and the whole population
swarmed about ^'im. After a short rest, he set out
with a number of young Indians in quest of liis bag'
gage, returning with it at one o'clock in tlie morning.
There was a certain Awandoay in the village, noted
as one of the richest and most hospitable of the
Ilurons, — a distinction not easily won where hospi-
tality was universal. His hovise was large, and
amply stored with beans and corn; and though his
prosperity had excited the jealousy of the villagers,
he had recovered their good-will by his generosity.
With him Br^beuf made his abode, anxiously waiting,
week after week, the arrival of his companions. One
by one, they appeared, — Daniel, weary and worn;
Davost, half dead with famine and fatigue; and their
French attendants, each with his tale of hardship and
indignity. At length, all were assembled under the
roof of the hospitable Indian, and once more the
Huron mission was begun.

!^ (

VOL. I.

CHAPTER VI.

1G;34, 1 035.
nH/<:nKUF and his associatks.

TiiK Iliiiov Missk)\-II()i:.sk: Its Inmatkh; Its Fi'iisiTfHK; Its
(Ji i;hth. — TiiK Jksi'it as a Ti;AruEK, — As an Kncinkku. —
Bai'tihmh. — IIi'noN Viij.A(iK LiiK. — Fkhtivitiks and Soh-
CKiuKH. — Tin; Dhkam Fkast. — Tin; I'imksts accusku of

MaOIC. — TlIK DltOlfillT AM) TIIK UkD Cu< .-S.

Where should the Fatliers mako their abode?
Their first tlioiight hud l)een to estal)lish tliemselves
at a place called by the French Rochelle, the largest
and most important town of the Huron confederacy;
but Br(3l)euf now resolved to remain at Ihonatiria.
Here he was well known ; and here, too, he flattered
himself, seeds of the Faith had been planted, which,
with good nurture, would in time yield fruit.

By the ancient Huron custom, when a man or a
family wanted a house, the whole village joined in
building one. In the present case, not Ihonatiria
only, but the neighboring town of Wenrio also, took
part in the work, — though not without the expecta-
tion of such gifts as the priests had to l)estow. Be-
fore October, the task was finished. The house was
constructed after the Huron model. ^ It was thirty-
^ See Introduction, 11-13.

in.Tl-35.] TUK HT'ROy MlSSIOX-IIorsK.

147

six feet long and about tuonty fert widr, framod
widi strong saplinnr poles planted in tlie earth to form
the sides, with the ends bent into an arch for the
roof, — the whole LisIumI lirinly tt)gelher, braced with
cross-poles, and closely covered with overlapping
sheets (»f bark. Without, the structure was strictly
Indian; but within, the prii'sts, with the aid of their
tools, made innovations which were the astonishment
of all the country. They divided their dw(dling liy
transverse partitions into three apartuients, each with
its wooden door, — a wcmdions novelty in the eyes of
their visitors. The lirst served as a hall, an ante-
room, and a plaeo of storage for corn, l)eans, and
dried fish. The second — the hirgcst of the three —
was at once kitchen, woiksliop, dining-room, draw-
ing-room, school-room, and bed-chamber. The thiiul
was the chapel. Here they made their altar, and
here were their images, pictures, and sacred vessels.
Their fire was on the ground, in the middle of the
second apartment, the smoke esca})ing by a hole in
the roof. At the sides were placed two wide plat-
forms, after the Huron fashion, four feet from the
earthen floor. On these were chests in which they
kei)t their clothing and vestments, and ])eneath them
they slept, reclining on sheets of ])ark, and covered
with skins and the garments they wore by day. Rude
stools, a hand-mill, a laige Indian mortar of wood for
crushing corn, and a clock, completed the furniture
of the room.

There was no lack of visitors, for the house of (lie

148 BR12HI:UF and his associates. [1634-85.

hiack-robes contained marvels ^ the fame of wliieli wa^
noised abroad to the uttermost confines of the Huron
nation. Chief among them was the clock. The
guests would sit in expectant silence by the liour,
squatted on the ground, waiting to hear it strike.
They tliought it was alive, and asked what it ate.
As the last stroke sounded, one of the Frenchmen
would cry "Stop!" — and, to the admiration of the
company, the obedient clock was silent. The mill
was another wonder, and they were never tired of
turning it. Besides these, there was a prism and a
magnet; also a magnifying-glass, w^ierein a flea was
transformed to a frightful monster, and a multiplying
lens, which showed them the same object eleven
times repeated. "All this," says Brtlilieuf, "serves
to gain their affection, and make them more docile in
respect to the admirable and incomprehensible mys-
teries of our Faith ; for the opinion they have of our
genius and capacity makes them believe whatever wo
tell them. "2

"What does the Captain say?" was the frequent
question; for by this title of honor they designated
the clock.

1 " lis ont pcnse qu'elle cntendoit, principalcmont qiiand, pour
riro, quelqu'vn de nos Francois s'csfrioit an dernier coup do mar-
teau, c'est assez sonno, et que tout aussi tost elle se taisoit. lis
ra})pellent le Capitaine du iour. Quand elle sonne, ils disent qu'elle
parle, et demandent, quand ils nous viciiiient veoir, combien de fois
le Capitaine a desia parle. lis nous inti'rropent de son manger,
lis denieurent les heures entieres, et quehjuefois ])lusieurs, afin de
la pouuoir ouyr parler." — Brebeuf, liclntion des lliirons, ltj."35, i]3.

' Brebeuf, liclation des Ilurons, 1(!;>5, Do,

M..L

L634-35.

ch was

Huron

The

; hour,

strike.

it ate.
ichmeii

of the
lie mill
:ired of
1 and a
lea was
dplying

eleven
" serves
locile in
lie mys-
) of our
ever we

requent
signated

and, pour
p lie mui-
lisoit. lis
.>nt qu'cUe
it'll (le fois
1 manger,
rs, afin de
.635, 33.

I63i-3.5.] THE JESUITS AND THEIR GUEST.S. 149

"When he strikes twelve times, he says, 'Hang
on the kettle ' ; and when he strikes four times, Ik^
says, 'Get up, and go home.'''^

Both interpi-etations were well remembered. At
noon, visitors were never wanting, to share the
Fathers' sagamite; but at the stroke of four, all rose
and departed, leaving the missionaries for a time in
peace. Now the door was barred, and. gathering
around the fire, they discussed the prosjiects of the
mission, compared their several experiences, and took
counsel for the future. But the standing topic of
their evening talk was the Huron lano-uatre. Con-
cerning this each had some new discovery to relate,
some new suggestion to offer ; and in the task of ana-
lyzing its construction, and deducing its hidden laws,
these intelligent and highly cultivated minds found a
congenial emplo3^ment.

But while zealously lal)oring to perfect their knowl-
edge of the language, the}' spared no pains to turn
their present acquirements to acc'tunt. Was man,
woman, or child sick or suffering, they were always
at hand with assistance and relief, — adding, as they
saw opportunity, explanations of Christian doctrine,
pictures of Heaven and Hell, and exhortations to
embrace the Faith. Their friendly ofHces did not
cease here, but included matters widely different.
The Hurons lived in constant fear of the Iroquois.
At times the whole village i)op illation would fly to
the woods for concealment, or take refuge in one of

1 Lalemant, Relation des Hurons, 1030, 17 (Cramoisy).

150

BRl^BEUF AND HIS ASSOCIATES. [1631-35.

i:l''

the neighboring fortified towns, on tlio rnnior of an
approaching war-party. The Jesuits proniisL'd them
the aid of the four Freuehmen armed with an^ue-
buses, who liad come with them from Tliree Rivers.
Tliey advised tiie liurons to make tlieir palisade forts,
not, as hitherto, in a circular form, but rectangular,
with small flanking towers at the corners for the
arqiiebuse-men. The Indians at once saw the value
of the advice, and soon after began to act on it in the
case of their great town of Ossossand, or Rochelle.^

At every opportunify, the missionaries gathered
together tne children of the village at their house.
On these occasions, Hi'ol)eaf, for greater solenmity,
put on a surplice and the close, angular cap worn by
Jesuits in their convents. First, he chanted the
Pater Nostci\ translated by Father Daniel into Huron
rhymes, — the children chanting in their turn. Next,
he taught them the sign of the cross ; made them
repeat the Ave^ the Credo^ and the Conunandmcnls :
questioned them as to past instructions; gave them
briefly a few new ones: and dismissed them with a
present of two or three beads, raisins, or prunes. A
great ennilation was kindled among this small fry of
heathendom. The })ri('sts, with amusement and de-
light, saw them gathered in groups about the village,
vying with each other in making the sign of the cross,
or in repeating the rhymes they had Iciirned.

At times, the elders of the people, the repositories
of its ancient traditions, wtu-e induced to assemble at

1 Brebcuf, Relation des Uurona, lOoO, 8(5.

1634-35.]

ATTEMPTS AT CONVEKSIOX.

151

the house of the Jesuits, who exphiined to them tlie
principtJ points of their doctrine, and invited them to
a discussion. The auditors proved pliant to a fault,
responding, "Good," or "That is true," to every pro-
position; ]>ut when urged to iidopt the faith which so
readily met their approval, they had always the same
reply: "It is good for the French; Imtwe are another
people, with different customs." On one occasion,
Brebeuf appeared before the chiefs and elders at a
solemn national council, described Heaven and llcll
with images suited to their comprehension, asked to
which they preferred to go after death, and then, in
accordance with the invariable Huron custom in
affairs of importance, presented a large and valuable
belt of wampum, as an invitation to take the path to
Paradise. 1

Notwithstanding all their exhortations, the Jesuits,
for the present, baptized but few. Indeed, during
the first year or more, they baptized no adults except
those apparently at the point of death. ; for, with ex-
cellent reason, they feared backsliding and recanta-
tion. They fovuid especial pleasure in the baptism of
d}ing infants, rescuing them from the flames of per-
dition, and changing them, to boj-row Le Jeune's
phrase, "from little Indians into little angels. "^

1 Brcl)euf, Relation des Ilurons, 1030, 8L For the use of wampum
belts, see Introduction, 18-19.

" "Lc st'iziesnic du luesino mois, deux jietits Sauva<res furent
chan^ez en deux petits Anges." — Rilatinn, 1030, 80 (C'ranioisy).

"() nion elier trere, vous jjourrois-je expli([uer (Hielle consolation
X' ni'etoit quand je voyois un pauuie baptise' mourir deux beures,

152 BRf^BEUF AND IIIS ASSOCIATf:S. [1G34-35.

The Fiitliers' sliinibers were brief and broken.
Winter was the season of Huron festivity; and as
they lay stretclied on their liard couch, suffocating
with smoke and tormented by an inevitable multitude
of fleas, the thumping of the drum resounded all
night long from a neighboring house, mingled with
the sound of the tortoise-shell rattle, the stamping
of moccasined feet, and the cadei^ce of voices keep-
ing time with the dancers. Again, some ambi-
tious villager w'ould give a feast, and invite all
the warriors of the neighboring towns; or some
grand wager of gambling, with its attendant drum-
ming, singing, and outcries, filled the night with
discord.

Rut these were light annoyances, compared with
the insane rites to cure the sick, prescribed by the
"medicine-men," or ordained by the eccentric inspira-
tion of dreams. In one case, a young sorcerer, by
alternate gorging and fasting, — both in tlie interest
of his profession, — joined with excessive exertion in
singing to tlie spirits, contracted a disorder of the
brain, which caused him, in mid-winter, to run naked
about the village, howling like a wolf. The ^\■hole
population bestirred itself to effect a cure. The pa-

unc (lemi journoo, nne on deux journoi'S apros son baptesmc, par-
ticulieroiiunt quand c'ctoit un petit cntant!" — Ltttre dii Pere (!<ir-
nier a son f'rere, MS. Tliis form of bcnovolencc is beyond heretic
appreciation.

" La joye qu'on a quand on a baptise un Sauvace qui se meurt
pen apres, & qui s'envole droit an Ciel, pour devenir un Ango, cer-
tainement c'est une joyo qui surpassc tout ce qu'on se pent imagi-
ne^." — Le Jeune, Relation, 1035, 221 (Cranioisy).

1634-35.1

CURE OF A IMADMAX.

i:)3

tient liad, or protended to have, a drearn, in whicli
tlie conditions of liis recovery were revealed to liini.
These were eqnally ridiciilons and difficult; ])ut the
eldei-fi met in council, and all the villagers lent tlii'ir
aid, till every requisition was fulfilled, and the incon-
gruous mass of gifts which the madman's dream had
demanded were all l)estowed upon him. This cure
failing, a "medicine-feast" was tried; then several
dances in successicm. As the i)atient remained as
crazy as before, ]H'e])arations -wei'c hcgun for a grand
dance, more potent than all the rest. F)i(:)beuf says,
that, except the masquerades of tlic Carnival among
Christians, he never saw a folly equal to it. "Some,"
he adds, "had sacks over their heads, v/itli two holes
for the eyes. Some were as naked as your hand, with
horns or feathers on their hcnids, tlieir bodies painted
white, and tlieir faces black as devils. Others were
daubed with red, black, and white. In short, every
one decked himself as extravagantly as he could, to
dance in this ballet, and contribute something towards
the health of the sick man." ^ This remedy also fail-
ing, a crowning effort of the m oal art was essay-:d.
Brdbeuf does not describe it, • fear, as he sa^'S. of
b' ing tedious; but, for the time, the village was a
pandemonium.'^ This, with other ceremonies, was

1 liclatwn dcs TTurons, lOnn, IKl

2 "Suffit pour le prt'sent i\v dire on froncral, (iiic iamais li'S Bac-
chantes forcfnt't'S du temps ])ass(5 iic tirciit ricii dc jdiis t'iiri<'ii.\ en
leurs orgyes. Cost icy u s'lTitretucr, discnt-ils, {)ar dcs sorts (|u'ils
s'entroiettent, dont la c(jini)ositi())'. (.'>t d'oiiglcs d'Murs, dc tlcnts de

IFA

bri<:hi:if and his associaths.

[16:55.

t.<

supposed to be ordered by a certain image like a doll,
which a sorcerer placed in his tobacco-pouch, whence
it uttered its oracles, at the same time moving as if
alive. "Truly," writes Brebeuf, ""here is nonsense
enough; but I greatly fear there is something more
dark and mysterious in it."

But ^11 these ceremonies were outdone ])y the grand
festival of the Ononhara, or Dream Feast, — es-
teemed the most })owerful remedy in cases of sick-
ness, or when a village was infested with evil spirits.
The time and manner of holding it were determined
at a solemn council. Tliis scene of madness began at
night. Men, women, and children, all [uetending to
have lost their senses, rushed shrieking and howling
from house to house, upsetting everything in their
way, throwing fire-brands, beating those they met or
drenching them with water, and availing themselves
of this time of license to take a safe revenge on any
who had ever offended them. This scene of frenzy
continued till daybreak. No corner of the village was
secure from the maniac crew. In the morning there
was a change. They ran from house to house, ac-
costing the inmates by name, and demanding of each
the satisfaction of some secret want revealed to the
pretended madman in a dream, but of the nature of
which he gave no hint whatever. The person ad-

Loup, d'ergotg d'Aiglcs, de ccrtaiiu's picrros ot do lu-rfs de Cliiun ;
c'cst a rendrt' du sani^ par la bouclio ft par Ics nariiu's, on ])lust(ist
d'vni.' pondre roujre qu'ils prennont subtilenieiit, cstaiis toinbcz soun
le sort, ct blossoz ; ct dix inilk''antros sottisos ([ul' ie laissc voloii-
tiers." — BTQheui, lielatioii dirs Jliirons, KioO, 117.

1635.]

THE DREAM 1 TAST.

loo

dressed tliereupon tlirew to liiin at random any article
at hand, as a liatchot, a kettle, or a pipe; and the
applicant continued his rounds till tlic desiivd gift
was hit upon, when he gave an outcry of iKliglit,
echoed hy gratulator}- cries from all prrst-nt. If,
after all his efforts, he failed in o])taiTiing tlie ohject
of his dream, he fell into a deep dejection, convinced
that some disaster was in store for liinu^

The approach of sunnuer brought Axith it a compar-
ative peace. Many of the villagi'i's dispcrst'd, — some
to their fishing, some to expeditions of trade, and
some to distant lodges by tlieir detaclu'd coin-lirlds.
The priests availed themselves of the respite to en-
gage in those exercises o+' private devotion whicli the
rule of St. Ignatius c^y'ins. About midsummer,
however, their quiet was suddenly l)roken. The
crops were withering under a severe drought, a ca-
lamity which tne sandy nature of the soil made
douljly serious. The sorcerers put forth their utmost
power, and, from the tops of the houses, yi'lled inces-
sant invocations to the spirits. All was in vain; the
pitiless sky was cloudless. Tliere was thunder in the
east and thunder in the west; but over Jhonatiria all

1 Brcbeuf's a*'c(nnU of the Dreani Feast is brief. The above
particulars are drawn eliietly from Charlevoix, Junnial //isiitri'/in ,
356, and Sajfard, V<ni<i(jc du I'm/s drs /litr<i/is, l'H). See alsD L.ifitaii,
and otlier early writers. This een-niony was not confined 'o tlie
llurons, but prevailed also amonji' tlie Ircxjuois, and doubtless otliiT
kindred tribes. The Jesuit Dabhrn saw it in jierfection at ( Mioii-
daga. It usually t(M)k ]iiaee in February, oeciii'yiiiL'' about 'brc'e
days, and was often attended witli ;xreal inde<eiieii •>. Tl word
oHonliant means "turninfj; of tlie brain."

156

BREIiElF AXI) HIS ASSOCIATES.

[in;}r).

'(:.'(

was sorene. A renowned "rain-iniiker," seein^j liis
reputation tottering under liis repeated failures, be-
tliouglit him of accusing the Jesuits, and gave out
that the red color of the cross wliich stood before
their house scared tlie bird of thunder, and caused
him to fly another way.' On this a clamor arose.
The popular ire turned against the priests, and the
obnoxious cross was condennied to be hewn down.
Aghast at the threatened sacrilege, they {ittem})ted
to reason away the storm, assuring the crowd that
the lightning was not a bird, but certain hot and fiery
exhalati(ms, which, being imprisoned, darted this way
and that, trying to esca})e. As this philosophy failed
to convince the hearei-s, the missionaries changed
their line of defence.

" You say that the red color of the cross frightens
the bird of thunder. Then paint the cross white,
and see if the thunder will come."

1 The following is the aoL-ouiit of the nut are of thunder, given
to Breljeuf on a former occasion hy another sorcerer: —

"It is a man in the form of a turkey-cock. The sky is his pal-
ace, and he remains in it when the air is clear. When the clouds
begin to grumble, he descends to the earth to gath«3r up snakes,
and other objects which the Indians call nkies. The lightning
Hashes whenever he opens or closes his wings. If the storm is
more violent than usual, it is because his young are with him, and
aiding in the noise as well as they can." — F.cldtiun clcs Ilitrons,
lO-Jf), 114.

The word ok-i ig here used to denote any object endued with
supernatural power. A belief similar to the above exists to this
day among the Dacotahs. Some of tlie Ilurons and Iroquois, how-
ever, held that the thunder was a giant in human form. Accord-
ing to one story, he vomited from time to t'nie a numlier of snakes,
which, fulling to the earth caused the appearance of lightning.

(v.]rx

Ifi^.i]

THE DRorniiT and tiik cuoss.

ir)7

Ins

])0-
Ollt

ore
sed

)se.
the

Ull.

ted
lilt
U'ly
way
ileil

This was accoi'(liii;^dy (h»iie ; l)ut tlic clouds still kept
aloof. Tlie Jesuits followed up tlieir advautapfe.

"Your spirits caiiuot liel[) you, and your sorcerers
have deceived you with lies. Now ask the aid of
Him who made tlie world, and perhaps He will listen
to your [)rayers." And they added that if the In-
dians would renounce tlieir sins and ; hey the true
God, they would make a procession daily to iniplf)re
His favor towards them.

There was no want nf promises. Tiie processions
were begun, iis were also nine masses to St. Joseph;
and as heavy rains occurred soon after, the Indians
couceived a high idea of the efficacy of the French
" medicine. " '

In spite of the hostility of the sorcei'crs, and the
transient commotion raised by the red cross, the Jes-
uits had gained the confidence and good-will of the
Huron population. Their patience, their kindness,
their intrepidity, their manifest disinterestedness, the
blamelessness of their lives, and the tact which, in
the utmost fervors of their zeal, never failed them,
had won il:e hearts of these w^ayward savages; and
chiefs of distant villages v:',ame to urge thac they

' " Xous (louons aussi boaucoup an glorioiix sainct los^i'pli, osi)oux
do Xnstrc Dame, ot ])roti'rtciir dcs Iliirons, -lont nous auons toiu'lie
an (loij.'-t I'assistanc'o pliisieurs fois. Tc fut vnc clioso rcmarquable,
que la iour de «a feste et duraiit rOctaue, les cninnioditt'/ nous
vonoieiit de toutes parts." — Hre'beiif, Relntion dfs Ifnrons, Kloi'), 41.

Tlie above extract is f^iven as one out of many illustrations of
the confidence with \vhicli the priests rested on tin- actual and
direct aid of their celestial fjuardians. To St. Joseph, in particular,
they find no words for their gratitude.

158

lillKHKlT AND HIS ASSDCTATES.

[ir,;5o.

would miiko their itbode with tlicni.* Ah yet, the
results of the mission liad l)eeii taint and few; but
tlie priests toiled on courageously, hirrli in hope that
an abundant harvest of souls woulil ono day reward
tlii'ir labors.

1 Hrt'bc'uf preserves a speocl' mftdc to him by one of thcRe cliiefH,
as a Bpt'cimtn of Huron eloquence. — lielation drs JIuroHs, 1030, I2'd,

»*<r#«>

CHAPTER VII.

1G36, 1637.
Tin: FEAST OF TIIK DKAI).

Huron Ghavks. — I'hki'aration von thk Ckkkmosy. — Dihi?<tkr-
MKNT. — Tm: MoiniNiNo. — TiiK Finkhal Maucii. — Tim; (Jukat

Si;iM I.CItUi:. FlNKKAI, GaMKS. — EnCAMPMKNT ok TIIK MoiHN-

EUS. — ChlTS. — IlAltAN(iri;S. — FUKNZV OF 1IIK CuoWU. 'I'lIK

Cmjsino ScENK. — Anothku Kite. — Tin: Caitivi; luoyfois.—
Tub Sacuikk'e.

Mention has Ijceu iiuide of thos(» great tlcpositories
of Imiiian bones found at tin; present day in the
ancient country of the Hurons.i Tlicy have ))een a
theme of abundant speculation ; ^ yet their origin is a
subject, not of conjecture, but of historic certainty.
The peculiar rites to which they owe their existence
were tirst described at length by Br^ibeuf, who, in
the summer of the year 1030, saw them at the town
of Ossossan(i.

The Jesuits had long been familiar with the ordi-
nary rites of sepulture among the Ilurons, — the
corpse placed in a crouching jjosture in the midst of
the circle of friends and relatives ; the long, measured

1 See Introduction, 7(1-77.

* Anionj,' tliosi' who liuvo womlereil and speculated over these
remains is Mr. Schoolcraft. A wli^iht acquaintance with the early
writers would have solved his doubts.

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160

THE FEAST OF THE DEAD.

[1636.

wail of the mourners; tlie speeches in praise of the
dead, and consolation to the living; the funeral
feast; the gifts at the place of burial; the funeral
games, where the young men of the village contended
for prizes ; and the long period of mourning to those
next of kin. The body was usually laid on a scaffold,
or, more rarely, in the earth. This, however, was
not its final resting-place. At intervals of ten or
twelve vears, each of the four nations which com-
posed the Huron Confederacy gathered together its
dead, and conveyed them all to a common place of
sepulture. Here was celebrated the great " Feast of
the Dead," — in the eyes of the Hurons, their most
solemn and important ceremonial.

In the spring of 1636, the chiefs and elders of the
Nation of the Bear — the principal nation of the Con-
federacy, and that to which Ihonatiria belonged —
assembled in a general council, to prepare for the
great solemnity. Tiiere was an unwonted spirit of
dissension. Some causes of jealousy had arisen, and
three vr four of the Bear villages announced their
intention of holding their Feast of the Dead apait
from the rest. As such a procedure was thouglit
abhorrent to every sense of propriety and duty, tlio
announcement excited an intense feeling; yet Bt6-
beuf, who was present, describes the debate which
ensued as perfectly calm, .and wholly free from per-
sonal abuse or recrimination. The secession, how-
ever, took place, ard each party withdrew to its
villages to gather and prepare its dead.

1636.]

DISINTEIIIMENT.

161

The corpses were lowered from their scaffolds, and
lifted from their graves. Their coverings were re-
moved by certain functionaries appointed for the
office, and the hideous relics arranged in a row, sur-
rounded by the weeping, slirieking, howling con-
course. The spectacle was frightful. Here were all
the village dead of the last twelve years. The
priests, connoisseui's in such matters, regarded it as
a display of mortality so edifying, tliat they hastened
to summon their French attendants to contemplate
and profit by it. Each family reclaimed its own, and
immediately addressed itself to removing wliat re-
mained of flesh from the bones. These, after being
tenderly caressed, with tears and lamentations, were
wrapped in skins and adorned with pendent robes of
fur. In the belief of the mourners, they were sen-
tient and conscious. A soul was thought still to
reside in them ; ^ and to this notion, very general
among Indians, is in no small degree due that
extravagant attachment to the remains of their dead,
which may be said to mark the race.

These relics of mortality, together with the recent
corpses, — which were allowed to remain entire, but
which were also wrapped carefully in furs, — were
now carried to one of the largest hou-'>es, and hung to
the numerous cross-poles, which, like rafters, sup-

! . i r

1 In the general belief, the soul took flight after the great cere-
mony was ended. Many thought that tliere were two souls, one
remaining with the bones, while the other went to the land of
spirits.

VOL. I. — 11

162

THE FEAST OF THE DEAD.

[103G.

11:

ported the roof. Here the concourse of mourners
seated themselves iit a funeral feast; and, as the
squaws of the household distributed the food, a chief
harangued the assembly, lamenting the loss of the
deceased, and extolling their virtues. This solem-
nity over, the mourners began their march for Os-
sossan(3, the scene of the final rite. The bodies
remaining entire were borne on a kind of litter, while
the bundles of bones were slung at the shoulders of
the relatives, like fagots. Thus the procession slowly
defiled along the forest pathways, with which the
country of the Ilurons was everywhere intersected;
and as they passed beneath the dull shadow of the
pines, they uttered at intervals, in unison, a dreary,
wailing cry, designed to imitate the voices of disem-
bodied souls winging their way to the land of spirits,
and believed to have an effect peculiarly soothing to
the conscious relics which each man l)ore. When, at
night, they stopped to rest at some village on the
WMy, the inhabitants came forth to welcome them
with a grave and mournful hospitality.

From every town of the Nation of the Bear, —
except the rebellious few that had seceded, — proces-
sions like this were converging towards Ossossand.
This chief town of the Hurons stood on the eastern
margin of Nottawassaga Bay, encompassed with a
gloomy wilderness of fir and pine. Thither, on the
urgent invitation of the chiefs, the Jesuits repaired.
The capacious bark houses were filled to overflowing,
and the surrounding woods gleamed with camp-fires :

1G3G.]

THE (aiKAT SEPULCHRE.

1G3

for the processions of monrners were fast arriving,
and the throng was sweUcd ]»y invited guests of other
tribes. Funeral games were in progress, tlie young
men and women practising archery and other exer-
cises, for j)rizes offered ])y tlie mourners in the name
of their dead rehilives.^ Some of the chiefs con-
ducted Brebeuf and liis companions to the phice pre-
pared for the ceremony. It was a cleared area in the
forest, many acres in extent. In tlie midst was a pit,
about ten feet deep and thirty feet wide. Around it
was reared a hifjh and stronq- scatToldinc:; and on this
were planted numerous upright poles, with cioss-
poles extended between, for lianging the funeral gifts
and the remains of the dead.

jNIeanwhile there was a long delay. The Jesuits
were lodtjed in a house where more tlian a hundred
of these bundles of mortalit>- were hanging from the
rafters. Some were mere sliapeless rolls ; otliers
were made up into clumsy efligies, adorned with
feathers, beads, and belts of dyed porcu})ine-quills.
Amidst tiiis throng of the living and tlie dead, the
priests spent a night which the imagination and the
senses conspinnl to render almost insupportable.

At length the olTliciating chiefs gave the word to
prepare for the ceremony. The relics were taken
down, opened for the last time, and the bones ca-
ressed and fondled by the women amid paroxysms of

' f

1 FiiniTal pamcs were not confiiu'il to tlu' Ilurons and Iroquois:
Perrot lui'ntions liavinjj seen tlicni among the Ottawas. An illus-
trated description of them will be found in Lafitau.

104

THE FKASr OF THE DKAI).

[1036.

? ^

lamentation.^ Tlien all the processions were formed
anew, and, each bearing its dead, moved towards the
area prepared for tlie last solemn rites. As they
reached the gronnd, they deliled in order, each to a
spot assigned to it, on tlie ontei limits of the clearing.
Here the bearers of the dead laid their bundles on the
ground, while those who carried the funeral gifts out-
spread and displayed them for the admiration of the
beholders. Their number was immense, and their
value relatively very great. Among them were many
robes of 1)eaver and other rich furs, collected and pre-
served for years, with a view to this festival. Fires
were now lighted, kettles slung, and, anmnd the
entire circle of the clearing, the scene was like a fair
or caravansa This continued till three o'clock in

the afternoon, when the gifts were repacked, and the
bones shouldered afresh. Suddenl}-, at a signal from
the chiefs, the crowd ran forward from every side
towards the scaffold, like soldiers to the assault of a
town, scaled it by rude ladders with which it was
furnished, and hung their relics and their gifts to
the forest of poles which sunnounted it. Then the

1 " radniiray la ti'iidresse d'vne feinnic cnuers son pore et ses
enfans ; die t'St fille d'vn Capitaine, qui est niort fort a^ii, et a estc
autrefois fort considerable dans le Pais : elle luy peignoit sa cheue-
lure, elle nianioit ses os les vns apres les autres, aucc la niesme
affection que si elle luy eust voulu rendre la vie ; elle luy mit aupres
de luy son AtsatoneHai, e'est k dire son pacquet de buchettes de
Conseil, qui sont tous les liures et papiers du Pais. Pour ses petita
enfans, elle leur mit des brasselets de Pourcelaine et de rassade aux
bras, et baigna leurs os de ses larmes ; on ne I'en pouuoit quasi
8ei)arer, niais on pressoit, et il fallut incontinent partir." — Brebeuf,
Jielatiun dcs lluruns, 1030, 134.

1636.]

FRENZY OF TlIK AIOUUXKllS.

).)

ladders were removed; and a nnniLor of chiefs, stand-
ing on tlio scaffold, haningned tlie crowd below,
praising the dead, and extolling the gifts, which the
relatives of the departed now bestowed, in their
names, U})on tlieir surviving friends.

During these harangues, other functionaries were
lining the grave throughout with ricli robes of
beaver-skin. Three large copper kettles were next
placed in tlie middle,^ and then ensued a scene of
hideous confusion. The bodies wliicli had been left
entire were brought to the edge of the grave, flung
in, and arranged in order at the bottom by ten or
twelve Indians stationed there for the purpose, amid
the wildest excitement and the uproar of many hun-
dred mingled voices. ^ When this part of tlie work
was done, night was fast closing in. Tlie concourse
bivouacked around the clearing, and lighted their
camp-fires under the lirows of the forest which hedged
in the scene of the dismal solemnity. Brdbeuf and
his companions witlidrew to the village, where, 'in
hour before dawn, they were roused by a clamor
which might have awakened the dead. One of the
bundles of bones, tied to a pole on the scaffold, had

1 In some of these pravos, recently discovered, five or six large
copper kettles have been found, in a position correspondinp witli
the account of Brebeuf. In one, there were no less tiian twenty-six
kettles.

2 " lamais rien ne m'a mieux fljjure' la confusion qui est parniy
les damnez. Vous eussiez vcu decharfrer de tons costez des corps k
demy pourris, et de tous costoz on entendoit vn liorribU' tiiitainarro
de voix confuses de personnes qui parloicnt et ne s'entendoient
pas." — Br(fbeuf, Relation des Hurons, lOijtJ, loo.

' I

166

THE FKAST OK TIIH DKAD.

[1030.

chanced to fall into the ^ravo. Tiiis accident had pre-
cipitated the closin;^ act, and j)eiha[)S increased its
frenzy. (Jnided by the nnearthly din, and the In'oad
glare of (lames fed witii heajjs of fat {liiie logs, the
priests soon reached the spot, and saw what sccnied,
in their eyes, an iiiuige of Hell. All aroi.iul blazed
conntless fires, and the air resonnded with discordant
ontcries.* The naked multitude, on, inider, and
around tlie scaffold, were flinging the remains of their
dead, discharged from their envelopments of skins,
pell-mell into the pit, where Hri'beuf discerned men
who, as the ghastly shower fell around them, arranged
the bones in their places with long poles. All was
soon over; earth, logs, and stones were cast upon the
grave, and the clamor subsided into a funereal chant,

— so dreary and lugubrious, that it seemed to the
Jesuits the wail of despairing souls from the abyss of
perdition. 2

1 " Approc'hans, nous visnios tout h, fait uuo imaffo de TEnfiT :
cetto fjrando placu cstoit toute ri'Miplii.' di- tViix I'i (le flaninu'S, & I'air
rctoiUissoit de toutt's parts dcs voix cdut'tiscs de cos IJar'jares," etc.

— IJrcl)i'uf, Ri'liition dis /Iiirnns, l(i;i(), 20!) ((,'rainoisy).

■■' "Se iiiircnt a cliantor, inais d'un ton si laim-ntablo &. si lugubro,
qu'il nous roprt-si-ntoit riiorrilik- tristi'sse & rahysnio du di-si'spoir
dans loqut'l sont plongoes pour ianiais ces aiucs nialheurcuscs." —
Ilu'd., 210.

For other descriptions of those rites, see Ciiarlevoix, Bressani,
T)n Creux, and esi)ecially Lafitau, in wliose works tiiey are illustra-
ted with engravinjfs. In one form or anotiuT, tliey were wididy
prevalent. Hartrani found them ainouf^ the Floridian tril)es.
Traces of a simihir practice have been observc<l in recent times
among the Dacotalis. Remains of places of sepulture, evidently of
kindred origin, have been found in Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky,
and Uiiio. Many have been discovered in several parts of New

'H, •

1036.]

THE IROQI'OIS PRISONER.

107

Such was the origin of one of those strange sepul-
chres which are the wonder and perplexity of tlie

York, especially near the river Niajjiira. (See Squier, Ahnrlijitml
Monuiitriits o/'AVh' )'<;/-^-.) This was the eastern extremity of the
ancient territory of the Neuters. ( )ne of these deposits is saiil to
have containeil tlie hones of several thousaml in livitluals. Tiure
is a larj^e mound on Tonawanda Island, said Ky the modern Seiucas
to he a Neuter hiirial-plaee. (See Marsliall, Jllston'idl Sk-fti/ua />/
the Xi(i(/nra Frontier, K ) In Canada West, they are found throuffJi-
out the re^jion once occupied hy the Neuters, and are fretjuent in
the Huron district.

Dr. Tache' writes to me, — " I have inspected sixteen honc-i)its " (in
the Huron country), " tiie situation of wiiich is indicated on the
little pencil map I send you. They contain from six hundred to
twelve hundred skeletons each, of hoth sexes and all a^'es, all mixed
together j)urj>()!irli/. W'ith one exception, these j)its also contain
pipes of stone or clay, small earthen pots, shells, and wampum
wrou^jht of these shells, copper ornaments, l)eads of jjlass, and other
trinki'ts. Some pits containe<l articles of copper of itburiijinal Mexi-
can/dhrir."

Tills remarkable fact, tofjether with the frequent occurrence In
these graves of large conch-shells, of which wampum was made, and
which could have been procured only from the (iulf of Mexico, or
some part of the southern coast of the United States, proves the
extent of the relations of traffic hy which certain articles were
passed from tribe to tribe over a vast region. The transmission of
pipes from the famous Heil I'ipe-Stone Quarry of the St. Teter's to
tribes more than a thousand miles distant is an analogous modern
instance, though much less remarkable.

The Taclic Museum, at the Laval I'niversity of Quebec, contains
a large collection of remains from these graves. In one instance,
the human bones are of a size that may be calleil gigantic.

In nearly every case, the Huron graves contain articles of use
or ornaments of Kuropean workmanship. From tliis it may be
inferred that the nation itself, or its practice of inhumation, does
not date back to a period long before the arrival of tlie French.

The Northern Algonquins had also a solemn Feast of the Dead ;
but it was widely ditferent from that of the llurons. See the very
curious account of it by Lalenuvnt, Relation des llurons, 1042, U4.
V)6.

t >

ins THE FEAST OF THE DEAD. [1037.

modern settler in tlie abandoned forests of tlie
Ilurons.

The priests were soon to witness anotlier and a
more terrible rite, yet one in which they found a con-
solation, since it sij^nalized the saving of a soul, —
the snatcliiii*^ from perdition of one of that dreaded
race, into wliose veiy midst they hoi)ed, with devoted
darinf(, to bear hereafter the cross of salvation. A
band of Huron warriors had surprised a small party
of Iroquois, killed several, and captured the rest.
One of the prisoners was led in triumph to a village
where the priests then were, lie had suffered
greatly; his hands, especially, were frightfully lacer-
ated. Now, however, he was received with every
mark of kindness. "Take courage," said a chief,
addressing him; "you are among friends." The
best food was prepared for him, and his captors vied
with each other in offices of good-will.^ He had been
given, according to Indian custom, to a warrior who
had lost a near relative in battle, and the captive was
supposed to be adopted in place of the slain. His
actual doom was, however, not for a moment in
doubt. The Huron received him affectionately, and,
having seated him in his lodge, addressed him in a
tone of extreme kindness. "My nephew, when I
heard that you were coming, I was very glad, think-
ing that you would remain th me to take the place

1 Tliis pretended kindness in the treatment of a prisoner destined
to the torture was not exceptional. Tlie Ilurons sometimes even
supplied their intended victim with a temporary wife.

1037.]

THE SACUTFICK

ir.o

of him I liave lost. Hut now tliut I sco your condi-
tion, and your hands crushed and torn so tliat you
will never use them, I change my mind. Tlii'ivioro
take courage, and prepare to die to-night lil^e a hrave

man.

The prisoner coolly asked what should be the man-
ner oi his deatli.

((

By fire," was the reply,

"It is well," returned the Iroquois.

Meanwhile, the sister of the slain IIuroTi, in whoso
place the prisoner was to have been adopted, brought
liim a dish of food, and, her eyes flowing with teai-s,
placed it before him with an air of the utmost tender-
ness; while, at the same time, the warrior brought
him a pipe, wiped the sweat from his bi'o\\', and
fanned him with a fan of feathers.

About noon, he gave his farewell feast, after the
custom of those who knew themselves to be at the
point of death. All were welcome to tliis strange
banquet; and when the company were gathered, the
host addressed them in a loud, firm voice: "My
brothers, I am about to die. Do your worst to me.
I do not fear torture or death." Some of those pres-
ent seemed to have visitings of real compassion ; and
a woman asked the priests if it would be wrong to
kill him, and thus save him from the fire.

The Jesuit^s had from the first lost no opportunity
of accosting him; while he, grateful for a genuine
kindness amid the cruel hypocrisy that surrounded
him, gave them an attentive ear, till at length,

fj i

170

Tin: FKAST OF Till': i)K\n.

11637.

Hiitisfu'd with liis iuiswci's, tlicy Itaptizcd him.
His ctcniiil hliss Nt'fuirc, all elsu wiis as n(>thiii<^;
smd tiii'y awaited tliu i.ssuo witli .suiiiu degree of
coiiii)()sur(».

A crowd liad jjfatliered from all the surrounding
towns, and after nightfall the pn.'sidin^ chief har-
angued them, exhorting them to act their parts well
in the approaeliing sacrifice, since they would Ix)
looked upon by the Sun and the God of War.* It is
needless to dwc^ll on the scene tiuit ensued. It took
place in the lodge of the great war-chief, Atsan.
Eleven fnvs blazed on the ground, along the middle
of this capacious dwelling. The platforms on each
side were closely jiacked with s[)ectat()rs; and, be-
twixt these and the lires, the younger warrioi-s stood
in lines, each bearing lighted pine-knots or rolls of
l)irch-bark. The heat, the smoke, the glare of flames,
the wild yells, contorted visages, and furi(jus gestures
of these human devils, as their victim, goaded by
their torches, bounded through the fires again and
again, from end to end of the house, transfixed the
priests with horror. IJut when, as day dawned, the
last spark of life had fled, they consoled themselves
with the faith that the tortured wretch had found his
rest at hist in Paradise.^

1 Arcskoui (see Introduction). He was often regarded as iden-
tical with the Sun. The seini-sacriflcial character of the torture in
this case is also shown by the injunction, "que pour ceste nuict on
n'allast point folastrer dans les bois." — Lc Mercier, iie/u</on des
Ilurons, KioT, 114.

!* Le Mercier's h.. .a ..inute account of the torture of this

t ■

VVM.]

Tin: SACRIFICE.

171

pri>>nniT is too ri'voltinn to l>i' dwdt upon. Om' of the nioHt
jitrocioiiH fcatun'H of tin- nvnv wan tliu nltiTimtioti of raillery
nnd irotiiral ('oinpliinciit which atti'n<K'<l it throimhoiit, art wrll
UM thf pains taken to pnstTVi' life ami (dnHtiniisiii»s in tiii' vic-
tim an hm^r ua p<<.<«!tiiik>. rortion^ of hiu IIckIi wcrc uftcrwanlM
(k'vuurctl.

I 1^

i
I

ijC^ t

CHAPTER VIII.

1636, 1637.

THE HURON AND THE JESUIT.

Enthusiasm for the Mission. — Sickness of the Priests. — The
Pest among tiik Hurons. — The Jesuit on his Hounds. —
Efforts at Convkrsion. — Priests and Sorcerers. — The
Man-Devil. — The Magician's Prescription. — Indian Doc-
tors and Patie .ts. — Covert Baptisms. — Self-Dkvotion of
the Jesuits.

Meanwhile, from Old France to New came suc-
cors and reinforcements to the missions of the forest.
More Jesuits crossed the sea to urge on the work of
conversion. These were no stern exiles, seeking on
barbarous shores an asylum for a persecuted faith.
Rank, Avealth, power, and royalt}^ itself smiled on
their enterprise, and bade them God-speed. Yet,
withal, a fervor more intense, a self-abnegation more
complete, a self-devotion more constant and enduring
will scarcely find its record on the page of human

Holy ]\Iother Church, linked in sordid wedlock to
governments and thrones, numbered among her ser-
vants a host of the worldly and the proud, whose ser-
vice of God Avas but the service of themselves, — and
many, too, who, in the sophistry of the human heart,

1636.]

KXTIIUSIASM FOR THE MISSIOX.

173

thought tlieniselves true sohliers of Heaven, wliile
earthly pride, interest, and passion were tlie life-
spnngs of their zeaL This nn'glity Church of Rome,
in her imposing marcli along the high road of history,
heralded as bifallihle and divine, astounds the gazing
world with prodigies of contradiction, — now the
protector of the oppressed, now the right arm of
tyrants; now hreathing charity and love, now dark
with the passions of Ilell; now beaming with celes-
tial truth, now masked in hypocrisy and lies; now a
virgin, now a harlot; an imperial queen, and a tin-
selled actress. Clearly, she is of earth, not of
heaven; and her transcendently dramatic life is a
t}^e of the good and ill, the baseness and nobleness,
the foulness and purity, the love and hate, the pride,
passion, truth, falsehood, fierceness, and tenderness,
that battle in the Te:.tless heart of man.

It was her nobler and purer i)art that gave life to
the early missions of New France. That gloomy
wilderness, those hordes of savages, had nothing to
tempt the ambitious, the proud, the grasping, or the
indolent. Obscure toil, solitude, privation, hardship,
and death were to be the missionary's portion. lie
who set sail for the country of the Ilurons left behind
him the world and all its prizes. True, he acted
under orders, — obedient, like a soldier, to the word
of command ; but the astute Society of Jesus knew
its members, weighed each in the balance, gave each
his fitting task; and when the word was passed to
embark for New France, it was but the response to a

174

THE HURON AND THE JESUIT.

[1G36.

secret longing of the fervent heart. The letters of
these priests, departing for tlie scene of their labors,
breathe a spirit of enthusiastic exaltation, svliich, to a
colder nature and a colder faith, may sometimes seem
overstrained, but which is in no way disproportionate
to th(i vjistness of the effort and the sacriiice de-
manded of them.^

All turned with longing eyes towards the mission
of the Hurons; for here the largest harvest promised
to repay their labor, and here hardships and dangers
most abounded. Two Jesuits, Pijart and Le ^ler-

^ Tlif followiiijf aro i)assii^ri'S from k'ttiTs of iiiissionarit'S at this
time. Sec "Divers Seiitiiiu'iis," appomied to tlu' Uvlntimi of 10;}5.

"Un ilit (jue les prt'iniers (jiii foiuleiit les Kglisos d'ordinaire sont
saincts : cotte puiisco m'attcMdrit si fort le caMir, que quoy que ie
nie voye icy fort inutile dans eeste fortunc'e Nouuelle France, si
faut-il que i'auoUe que ie lU' nie s(,'aurois defendre d'vne pense'e qui
me presse le eoeur: C'lijiio inipeii'li, ct sitiierim))fii(li jiro r(/liis, l*auure
Nouuelle France, ie desire uie sacrifier pour ton bien, et quaTid il
mc deuroit couster niille vies, nioyeiniant que ie puisse aider ii sauuer
vne seule aine, ie seray trop heureux, et nia vie tres bien employee."

"Ma ';()nsoiation parmy les Hurons, c'est que tous les iours ie me
confesse, et puis ie dis la Messe, comnie si ie deuois prendre le
Viatique et mourir ce iour Ik, et ie ne crois pas qu'on puisse mieux
viure, ny auec plus de satisfaction et de courage, et mesme de
merites, que viure en un iieu, oii on pense ])ouuoir mourir tous les
iours, et auoir la deuise de S. Paul, (iuotidif morior,fr(itres, etc. mes
freres, ie fais estat de mourir tous les iours."

" Que ne void la Nouuelle France que par les yeux de chair et de
nature, il n'y void que des bois et des croix ; mais qui les considere
auec les yeux de la grace et d'vne bonne vocation, il n'y void que
Dieu, les viM-tus et les graces, et on y trouue tant ct de si solides
consolations, (jue si ie pouuois acheter la Nouuelle France, en don-
nant tout le Faradis Terrestre, certainement ie I'acheterois. Mon
Dieu, qu'il fait bon estre au lieu oil Dieu nous a mis de sa grace!
veritablenu'iit i'ay trouue icy ce (jue i'auois espere', vn ca'ur seloa
le ca>ur de Dieu, qui ne cherche que Dieu."

]\Ier-

1636-37.] PESTILENCE AMONG THE IIURONS. 175

cier, had been sent thither in 1635 ; and in midsum-
mer of the next year three more arrived, — Jogues,
Chatelain, and Garnier. When, after their long and
h)nely journe}', tliey reached Ihonatiria one by one,
they were received by their brethren with scanty fare
indeed, but witli a fervor of affectionate welcome
which more than made amends; for among these
priests, united in a community of faitli and enthusi-
asm, there was far more than the genial comradeship
of men joined in a connnon enterprise of self-devotion
and peril.' On their way, they had met Daniel and
Davost descending to Quebec, to establish there a
seminary of Huron children, — a project long cher-
ished by Brdbeuf and his companions.

Scarcely had the new-comers arrived, when they
were attacked by a contagious fever, which turned
their mission-house into a hospital. Jogues, Garnier,
and Chatelain fell ill in turn ; and two of their domes-
tics also were soon prostrated, tliough tlie only one of
the number who could hunt fortunately escaped.
Those who remained in health attended the sick, and
the sufferers vied with each other in efforts often
beyond their strength to relieve their companions in

; -i

^ " le luy preparay do cc quo nous anions, pour lo roceuoir, mais
quel festin ! vno poijinoo ilo ])otit poisson soo auoc vn pon do farino;
i'enuoyay cliorclior ()uol({nos nouuoaux osjiics, (jno nous luy lisnu'S
rostir a la fa^on du pays ; niais il ost vray (juo dans son ouMir ot a
I'ontondre, il no fit iainais nioillenro clicro. La ioyo qui so rossont
a COS entreueutis somblo ostro quohiuo imairo du contt iitoinont clcs
bion-lieuronx a lour arriueo dans lo C'iol, tant ollc ost ploine de
suauite." — Le Morcier, Relation des Ilnrons, 10:37, lOJ.

17G TIIK HURON AND THE JESUIT. [1636-37.

misfortune. 1 The disease in no case proved fatid;
but scarcely had health begun to return to their
household, when an unforeseen calamity demancu^d
the exertion of all their energies.

The pestilence, which for two yeare past had from
time to time visited the Huron towns, now returned
with tenfold violence, and with it soon appeared a
new and fearful scourge, — the small-pox. Terror
was universal. The contagion increased as autumn
advanced; and when winter came, far from ceasing,
as the priests had hoped, its ravages were appalling.
The season of Ilui'on festivity was turned to a season
of mourning ; and such was the despondency and dis-
may, that suicide became frequent. The Jesuits,
singly or in pairs, journeyed in the depth of winter
from village to village, ministering to the sick, and
seeking to commend their religious teachings by their
efforts to relieve bodily distress. Happily, perhaps,
for their patients, they had no medicine but a little
senna. A few raisins were left, however; and one
or two of these, with a spoonful of sweetened water,
were always eagerly accepted by the sufferers, who
thought them endowed with some mysterious and
sovereign efficacy. No house was left unvisited. As
the missionary, physician at once to body and soul,
entered one of these smoky dens, he saw the inmates,
their heads muffled in their robes of skins, seated
around the fires in silent dejection. Everywhere was

1 LcUrc de Brebeufau T. R. P. Mntlo Vitelleschi, 20 Mai, 1637, in
Carayon, 157. Lo Mercier, Relation des Iluruns, 1037, 120, 123.

[1636-37.

id fatal;
to their
jmandod

ad from
returned
reared a

Terror
autumn
ceasing,
)palling.
a season
and dis-
Jesuits,
■ winter
ick, and
by their
perhaps,
a little
md one

water,
rs, who
)us and
ed. As
id soul,
nmates,

seated
ere was

;, 1637, in
123.

1636-37.]

THE JESUIT OX HIS ROUNDS.

177

hoard the wail of sick and dying cliildren; and on or
under the platforms at the sides of the house crouched
squalid men and women, in all the stages of the dis-
temper. The Fatlier approached, made inquiries,
spoke words of kindness, administered his liarndess
remedies, or offered a howl of broth made from gam(^
brought in by the Frcnclunan who hunted for the
mission.^ Tlie body cared for, lie next addressed
himself to the soul. "This life is short, and very
miserable. It matters little whether we live or die."
The paticmt remained silent, or grumbled his dissent.
The Jesuit, after enlarging for a time, in broken
Huron, on the brevity and nothingness of mortal
weal or woe, passed next to the joys of Heaven and
the pains of Hell, which he set forth with his best
rhetoric. His pictures of infernal lires and torturing
devils were readily comprehended, if the listener had
consciousness enough to comprehend anything; but
with respect to the advantages of the French Para-
dise, he was slow of conviction. "I wish to go
where my relations and ancestors have gone,"' was a
common reply. *■' Heaven is a good place for French-
men," said another; "but I wish to be among In-
dians, for the French will give me nothing to eat
when I get there. "2 Often the patient was stolidly

1 Game was so scarce in the Huron country that it was j^roatly
prized as a luxury. Le Mercier speaks of an Imlian, sixty years of
age, who walked twelve miles to taste the wild-fowl killed hy the
French liunter. The ordinary food was corn, beans, pumpkins, and
fish.

2 It was scarcely possible to convince tlie Indians that there was

VOL. I. — 12

178 THE HURON AND THE JESUIT. [lG;}G-;)7.

A.:.

^ i

silent ; sometimes lie was hopelessly perverse and con*
tiadictoiy. Again, Nature triumphed over Graee.
•'Which will you choose," demanded the priest of a
dying woman, "Heaven or Hell?" "Hell, if my
children are there, as you say," returned tlie mother.
"Do they Imnt in Heaven, or make war, or go to
feasts?" asked an anxicms inquirer. "Oh, no!"
i-eplied tlie Father. "Tiien," returned the querist,
"I will not go. It is not good to he lazy." But
above all other obstacles was the dread of starvation
in the regions of the l)lest. Nor, when the dying
Indian had been induced at last to express a desire
for Paradise, was it an easy matter to bring bin; to a
due contrition for his sins; for he would deny with
indignation that he had ever committed any. When
at length, as sometimes happened, all these difficul-
ties gave way, and the [)atient had been brouglit to
what seemed to his instructor a fitting frame for bap-
tism, the priest, with contentment at his heart,
brouglit water in a cup or in the hollow of his hand,
touched his forehead with the mystic drop, and
snatched him from an eternity of woe. But the con-
vert, even after his baptism, did not always manifest
a satisfactory spiritual condition. "Why did you
baptize that Iroquois ? " asked one of the dying neo-
phytes, speaking of the prisoner recently tortured;

but one God for themselves and the whites. Tlie proposition was
met by sucli arguments as tliis : " If we had been of one Father, we
shouhl know liow to make knives and coats as well as you." — Le
Merv'ier, Rtlation des lluruns, lOoT, 1-17.

k« !

lG;iG-:)7.

lid con-
Grace.

[3St oC il

if my
nother.
1- go to
, no!"
querist,
" But
irvation
3 dying
ii desire
liui to a
ny with

Wlien
difficul-

)Ugllt to

for bap-
heart,
hand,
1, and
le con-

aanifest
id you

iig neo-

)rtured ;

sition was
"athtT, we
)u." — Le

1636-37.]

nilESrs AND SORCERERS.

179

"he will get to Heaven before us, and, when he sees
us coming, he will drive us out."'

Thus did these worthy priests, too conscientious to
let these unfortunates die in peace, follow them with
benevolent persecutions to the hour of their death.

It was clear to the Fathers that their ministrations
were valued solely because their religion was sup-
posed by many to be a "medicine," or charm, effica-
cious against famine, disease, and death. They
themselves, indeed, lirmly believi'd that saints and
angels were always at hand with tem[)oral succors for
the faithful. At their iiiti-rcession, St. ,I()se])h liad
interposed to procure a hap})y delivery to a squaw in
protracted ])ains of childbirth;- and they never
doubted that, in the hour of need, the celestial
powers would confound the uid)eliever with interven-
tion direct and manifest. At the town of Wenrio,
the people, after trying in vain all tlie feasts, dances,
and preposterous ceremonies l)y which their medicine-
men sought to stop the pest, resolved to essay the
"medicine" of the French, and, to that end, called
the priests to a coimcil. "" What nuist we do, that
your (iod may take jdtyonus?" Brdbeuf's answer
was uncompromising: —

"Believe in Ilim; keep His connnandmcnts; ab-
jure your faith in dreams ; take but one wife, and be

1 Most of the above traits are drawn from Ja' Mercier's report
of 1().'{7. Tile rest are from Hreljcuf.

'•^ Brebeiif, liilntitn) ths //iirniis, l(i;!(!, W. Another woman was
delivered on toiiehing a rel'e of St. Ignatius. Ibid., l»U.

180

THE IIUllOX AND THK JESUIT. [1036-37,

true to her; ^ivo up your superstitious feasts; re-
nounce your jisscinhlics of (lebauoliery ; eat no liunian
flesli; never give feasts to tlenions; and make a vow,
that, if (i()(l will deliver you from this pest, you
will build a chapel to offer Mini thanksgiving and
praise." ^

The terms were too hard. They would fain bar-

to be let off with buildincr tlu; chai)el ak

l)Ut

gain to be let oil witn huilduig tn(! cliapei alone;
Hr(jbeuf would l)ate them nothing, and the council
broke up in despair.

At Ossossand, {i few miles distant, the people, in a
frenzy of terror, accepted the conditions, and prom-
ised to renounce their superstitions and reform their
manners. It was a labor of Hercules, a cleansing of
Augean stables; but the scared savages were ready to
make any promise that might stay the pestilence.
One of their })rincii)al sorcerers i)roclaimed in a loud
voice through the streets of the town that the God of
the French was their master, and tliat thenceforth all
must live according to His will. "What consola-
tion," exclaims Le Mercier, "to see God glorified by
the lips of an imp of Satan I " ^

Their joy was short. The proclamation was on the
twelfth of December. On the twenty-first, a noted
sorcerer came to Ossossan(j. He was of a dwarfish,
hum})-backed figure, — most rare among this sym-
metrical people, — with a vicious face, and a dress
consisting of a torn and shabb}^ robe of beaver-skin.

1 Lc Mcri'ior, H<'lation drs /fiiroDi^, 1(537, 114, 11(5 (Cramoisy).
' IbiiL, 127, 128 (Cramoisy).

U'M-r,

1630-37.] THE MAGICIAN'S PRESCRIPTION. 181

ts ; rc-
liuniiin
a vow,
;t, yoii
ng and

in bar-
iie; but
council

)le, in a
I prom-
•m their
ising of
■eady to
itilenco.
1 a loud
God of
orth all
3onsola-
ified by

3 on the
a noted
warfish,
is sym-
a dress
er-skin.

loisy).

Scarcely h.ad he arrived, when, with ten or twelve
otlier savages, he ensconced himself in a kennel of
bark made for the occasion. In tlie midst were
placed several stones, lieated red-hot. On these tlie
sorcerer tlu'ew tobacco, producing a stilling fumiga-
tion; in tlie midst of which, for a full half-hour, he
sang, at the top of his throat, those boastful, yet
meaningless, rhapsodies of which Indian magical
songs are com})osed. Then came a grand "'medicine-
feast;" and the disapi)ointed Jesuits saw i)lainly that
the objects of their spiritual care, unwilling to throw
away any chance of cure, were bent on invoking aid
from God and the Devil at once.

The hum])-backed sorcerer became a thorn in the
side of the Fathers, who more than half believed his
own account of his origin. lie was, he said, not a
man, but an o/.;z, — a spirit, or, as the priests rendered
it, a demon, — and had dwelt with other okies under
the earth, when the whim seized him to become a
man. Therefore he ascended to the upper world, in
company with a female spirit. They hid beside a
path, and, when they saw a woman passing, they
entered her womb. After a time they were born,
but not until the male oH had quarrelled with and
strangled his female companion, who came dead into
the world.i The character of the sorcerer seems to
have comported reasonably w-ell with this story of his
origin. He pretended to have an absolute control

1 Le Mcrcier, Relation des Ilurons, 1037, 72 (Cramoisy). This
"petit sorcier" is often mentioned elsewhere.

i I

182 TIIK IH'ROX AXI) TIIK JKSriT. [l(i;J0-a7.

over tho postilciicc, uimI liis prescriptions wore Hcrii-
pulonsly followed.

lit! liiid several eonsjjicnoiis rivals, besides a liost
of liuiiibler eoiiipetitors. One of these iiiaL,ncian-
doetors, who was nearly hlind, made for himself a
kennel at tlu; end of his honse, wiiere he fasted for
seven days.' On the sixth day the s|)irits apju-ared,
and, amonLT other revelations, told him that the dis-
ease conld lu' friiLjhtened away by means of imai,^es of
straw, lik(! searecrows, jilaced on tla^ tops of the
honses. Within forty-eiLjht honrs after this an-
nounoement, the roofs of Oinientisati and the neif^h-
boring villaj:(es were eovei-ed with an army of these
efHigies. The Indians tried to persnade tlu* Jesuits
to pnt them on the mission-honse; but the [iriests
re[)lie(l, that tlie eross before their door was a better
prote(!t(ir; and, for further security, they set another
on their roof, decdariiif'' that they would rely on it to
save them from infection.''^ The Indians, on their
part, anxious that their scarecrows should do their
oflice well, addressed them in loud harangues and
burned offerings of tobacco to them.''^

There was another sorcei'cr, whose medical practice
was so extensive, that, unable to attend to all his
patients, he sent substitutes to the surrounding
towns, first ini[)arting to them his own mysterious

1 Soo Introduction.

^ " QuVn vortu de ce signe nous no redoutions point les demons,
ft (.'spcrions que Diou preserui-roit nostro jjetite iiiaison di' cette
nialadio contagieuse." — La Merciur, Relation dis J/nruns, 1().'57, 150.

8 Ibid., 157.

:j: f

lQ:jf^ 37.] INDIAN DOCTOltS AM) PATIKNTS. 183

power. Olio of tlieso dcputieH ouino to OssossiiiK^
wliilc tlu' priests wi-n; there. Tlic priiici[)iil liouso
was tliroiiiTcd with exjK'ctant savafjes, anxiously wait-
mrr liis arrival. A cliicf carried Ix'fore him a ketth^
of mystic water, witli wiiicii the envoy sj)riiikled the
company,^ at the same tinu; fanning them with the
wijij( of a wild turkey. Tluin came a grand ine<licine-
feast, followed by a mcdieine-dance (if women.

Opinion was divided as to tlie nature of tlie pest;
but the greater number were agreed that it was a
malignant (J./, who came from Lake Huron. 2 As it
was of the last moment to C(>neiliate or frighten liitn,
no means to these ends were neglected. Feasts were;
held for him, at which, to do him lionor, each guest
gorged himself like a vulture. A mystic fiaternity
danced with lirebrands in their mouths: while other
dancers wore masks, and i)retcnded to be hump-
backed. Tobacco was l)urned to the Demon of the
Pest, no less than to the scarecrows which were to
frighten him. A chief climbed to the roof of a house,

(

f :

1 The idea socnia to have heon tak^n from tlii> lioly watir of the
French. Le Mcrcicr says tliat a Huron wlio had hi'iii to (.^ucln'c;
once asked him tlie use of tlie vase of water at the door of the
ehaj)el. The priest tohl him that it was "to frijjhten away the
devils." On this, he he^^ed earnestly to have some of it.

'^ Many l)elii .ed that the eountry was l>i'\viti'hed l>y wiekt'd sor-
cerers, one of whom, it was said, hail heen seen at ni),dit roamiin^
around the villaij;es, vomitinti' fire. (Le Mereier, h'l/nti'iii (hs //hioiis,
1(!.'{7, l.'>4.) This sujjerstition of sorcerers vomiting' fire was com-
mon among the Iro(|uois of New York. (>tliers held that a sister of
Etienne Brule caused the evil, in reven^a- for the death of her
brother, murdi-red some years before. She was saiil to have been
seen Hying over the ountry, breathing forth pestilence.

IHt TIIK HIKOX AM) THE JKSl^IT. [103n-:?7,

and shouted tr) tlio iiiviHiMo inonstor, "If yoti wiint
flrsli, «ro to our t'lu'inics, po to the; Iroquois!" —
^vllilt', to add tt'rmr to jK'i-suasion, tho crowd in tlic
dwcUini,' Ik'Ionv yt'lli'd with ull tin- forctiof tlicir lung's,
und lu'iit furiously witii sticks on tho walls of hark.

Besides these puhlic efforts to stay the pestilence,
th(! sufTerers, each for himself, liad their own meth-
ods of cure, dictated hy dreams or j)rescrilKMl hy estah-
lishcd usa^M'. Thus two of the i)riests, entering a
h(»use, saw a sick man crouched in a corner, while
near him sat three friends. Before each of these was
placed a hu^^' portion of food, — t;nough, the witness
declares, for four, — and though all were gorged to
sulTocation, with starting eyeballs and distended
veins, they still held stanchly to their task, resolved
tit all costs to devour the whole, in order to cure the
patient, who nu'anwhile ceased not, in feel)le tones, to
praise their exertions, and implore them to j)ei'severe.^

Turning from these eccentricitii's of the "nohle
savage "2 to the zealots who were toiling, according

1 " Kn fin il li'ur fallut rendrt' K^rR*'. <-'i' qu'lls firt-nt h, diuorHos
roprisc'8, nc laissiuits jias ])()iir ci'lii de coiitiinuT ii vuidcr lour i)lat."
■^ liO Mi'TcitT, III liition ill s /Iitiiins, 1().'57, Itli. Tliis bi-astly supiT-
stition exists in some tribes at tlio i)resent day. A kindred super-
stition onct' fi'll under tlie writer's notice, in the ease of a wounded
Indian, wiio lieji:^a'd of every one he met to drink a hirge bowl of
water, in order tliat lie, the Indian, mi^rht be cured.

- in tile midst of tliese absurdities we find recorded one of tho
best traits of the Indian character. At Ilionatiria, a house oecu-
pietl by a family of orjihan children was burned to the ground,
leaving the inmates destitute. The villagers united to aid them.
Each contributed something, and tiicy were soon better providt-d
for than before.

I <

1030-37.]

COVKRT H APT ISM.

1 Y)

to their light, to snutcli him from the clutcli of Siitiin,
we HL'O the irrcprcssihU' Jesuits roamiiiLf from town to
town in restless (piest of suhji'cts for liii|»tism. In
the ciise of adults, tliey thou^^ht soiue litth' prepari-
tion essential; hut tiieir efl'oitw to this end, even Wilh
tlie aid of St. Joscfiij, whom thev constantly invokt'd,'
were not always successful; and, cheaply as llicy
ofTerod salvation, tiiey sometimes failed to lind a
purciiaser. With infants, h«)wever, a simple drop of
water sutheed for the transfer from a prospective Hell
to an assured Paradise. The Indians, who at lirst
had Honj^ht hajjtism as a cure, now hi'gan to reifard it
as a cause of death; and when the priest entered a
lodge where a sick child lay in extremity, the scowl-
ing parents watched him witli jealous distrust, lest
unawares the deadly drt p shoidd he applied. The
Jesuits were e(pial to the em 'rt^n-ncy. Father I^e
Mercier will host tell his own story: —

"On the third of May, Father Pierre Pijart hap-
tized at Anonatea a little child two months old, in
manifest danger of death, without l)eing seen l)y the
parents, who would not give their consent. This is
the device which he used. Our sugar does wonders

^ "C'c'St nostrc refugo ordiimire en 8('ml)labk's noccssitez, ot
(i'ordinaire auuc tels succez, (|ui' nous auoiis sujul d'eii liuiiir Dieii a
iamais, qui nous fait cognoistre vu cftti' l)arl)ario le crtMlit i\v cc S.
I'atriaridie auprt'S dc' son infiiiie iiiist'rirordc." — Lf .\I( rcii r, liildtinn
des JIurons,h>'-'>l, !•>{. In the case of a woman at < iniHiitisati," Dii'U
nous inspirade luy vouiir (iiichiucs Mussi'S iii riioiiiU'iir dc S. Joscpli."
The etTect was proinj)!. In lialf an hour tlu' woman was ready for
baptism. On the san>e page we have anotiier subject secured to
Heaven," sans <loute par les merites du glorieux I'atriarche S..Josei)ii''

186

THE HURON AXD THE JESUIT. [1G36-37.

for us. He pretended to make the child drink a little
sugared water, and at the same time dipped a finger
in it. As tlie fatlier of the infant hegaii to suspect
something, and called out to him not to baptize it, he
gave the sjioon to a woman Avho was near, and said
to her, 'Give it to him yourself.' She approached
and found the child asleep; and at the same time
Fatlier Pijart, under pretence of seeing if he was
really asleep, touched his face with his wet finger,
and baptized him. At the end of forty-eiglit hours
he went to Heaven.

"Some days before, the missionary had used the
same device {indnstrie) for baptizing a little boy six
or seven years old. I [is father, who was very sick,
had several times refused to receive baptism; and
when asked if he would not be glad to have his son
baptized, he had answered, No. 'At least,' said
Father Pijart, 'you will not object to my giving him
a little sugar.' 'No; but you must not baptize him.'
The missionary gave it to him once ; then again ; and
at the third spoonful, before he had put the sugar
into the water, he let a drop of it fall on the child, at
the same time pronouncing the sacramental words.
A little girl, who was looking at him, cried out,
'Father, he is baptizhig him!' The child's father
was much disturbed; but the missionary said to him,
' Did you not see that I was giving him sugar? ' The
child died soon after; but (xod showed His grace to
the father, who is now in perfect health." ^

1 Le Mcrcier, Relation dcs Ifunms, VV.]~, 105. Various other
ciisos of the kind are mentioned in the Relation.

iM.

1636-37.] SELF-DEVOTIOX OF THE JESUITS. 187

That equivocal morality, lashed by the withering
satire of Pascal, — a morality built on the doctrine
that all means are pci-missible for saving souls from
perdition, and that sin itself is no sin wlien its object
is the "greater gh)ry of God," — -found far k'ss scope
in the rude wihlei-ness of tlie Hurons tlian amoner tlie
interests, andjitions, and passions of civilized life.
Nor were these men, chosen fi'om the jjui't^st of their
Order, personally well titted to illnstrate the capabili-
ties of this elastic system. Yet now and then, by
the light of their own Avritings, we may observe that
the teachings of the school of Loyola had not been
wholly without effect in the formation of their ethics.

But when we see them, in the gloomy Febrnarv of
1637, and the gloomier months that followed, toiling
on foot from one hifected town to another, wading
through the sodden snow, under the bare and di-ip-
ping forests, drenched with incessant rains, till they
descried at length through the storm the clustered
dwellings of some barbarous handet, — when we see
them entering, one after another, these wretched
abodes of misery and darkness, and all for one sole
end, the ba]:)tism of the sick and dying, we may
smile at the futility of the object, but we must needs
admire the self-sacrilicing zeal with which it was
pursued.

I d

CHAPTER IX.

1637.
CHARACTER OF THE CANADIAN JESUITS.

Jean de BufenKt'F. — Chaules Gaknier. — Joseph Marie Chah-
MONOT. — Noel Chahanel. — Isaac Jogues — Othek Jesiits.
— Nateue of their Faith. — Sepernaturalism. — Visions. —
Miracles.

Before pursuing farther these obscure, but note-
worthy, scenes in the drama of human history, it will
be well to indicate, so far as there are means of doing
so, the distinctive traits of some of the chief actors.
Mention has often been made of Br^beuf, — that mas-
culine apostle of the Faith, — the Ajax of the mis-
sion. Nature had given him all the passions of a
vigorous manhood, and religion had crushed them,
curbed them, or tamed them to do her work, — like
a dammed-up torrent, sluiced and guided to grind
and saw and weave for the good of man. Beside
him, in strange contrast, stands his co-laborer,
Charles Garnier. Both were of noble birth and gen-
tle nurture; ])ut here the parallel ends. Garnier's
face was beardless, though he was al)ove thirty yeare
old. F'or this he was laughed at by his friends in
Paris, but admired by the Indians, who thought him

ilii ,

1637.]

CHARLES GARNI i:il.

189

haiidsonio.^ Tlis constitution, bodily or mental, was
by no means robust. From boybood, be bad sbown
a delicate and sensitive nature, a tender conscience,
and a prrnieness to relic^ious emotion. Tie bad never
gone witb bis schoolmates to inns and otber places of
anuisement, but kept bis pocket-money to give to
be^'gars. One of bis brothers relates of bim, tbat,
seeing an obscene book, be bought and destroyed it,
lest otiier boys should be injured by it. He bad
always wished to be a Jesuit, and, after a novitiate
which is described as most edifying, he became a pro-
fessed member of the Order. The Church, indeed,
absorbed the greater part, if not the whole, of this
pious family, — one brother being a Carmelite, an-
other a Capuchin, and a third a Jesuit, while there
seems also to have been a fourth under vows. Of
Charles Garnier there remain twenty-four letters,
written at various times to his father and two of his
brothers, chietiy during his missionary life among the
Hurons. They breathe the deepest and most intense
Roman Catholic piety, and a spirit enthusiastic, yet
sad, as of one renouncing all the hopes and prizes of
the world, and living for Heaven alone. The affec
tions of his sensitive nature, severed from earthly
objects, found relief iu an ardent adoration of the
Virgin ^biry. With none of the bone and sinew of
rugged manhood be entered, not only without besita-

1 "Cost pourquoi j'ai bk'ii jraixni' Ji (luittcr la Franco, on vou8
mo fosioz la t;iiorro do n'avoir point ilo harlio; car c'ost co (jui
me fait ostinior beau des Sauvagos." — Littns de (iitrnler, MS.S.

! I:

100 CHARACTER OF CANADIAN JESUITS. [1037.

tion, but witli eagerness, on a life which wouhl have
ti'ied the ])oklest; and, sustained by the spirit witliin
him, lie "vvas more tlian equal to it. His fellow-
missionaries thought him a saint; and had he lived a
century or two earlier, he would perhaps liave been
canonized: yet, while all his life was a willing mar-
tyrdom, one can discern, amid his admirable virtues,
some slight lingerings of mortal vanity. Thus, in
three several letters, he speaks of his great success
in ba})tizing, and plainly intimates that he had sent
more souls to Heaven than the other Jesuits. ^ ,

Next appears a young man of about twenty-seven
years, Joseph ]\Iarie Chaumonot. Unlike Br(:3beuf
and Garnier, he was of humble origin, — his father
being a vine-dresser, and his mother the daughter of
a poor village schoolmaster. At an early age they
sent him to Chatillon on the Seine, where he lived
with his uncle, a priest, who taught him to speak
Latin, and awakened his religious susceptibilities,
which were naturally strong. This did not prevent
him from yielding to the persuasions of one of his

1 Tlie abovo sketcli of Garnier is drawn from various sources.
Oliscrrdtionn (hi P. Henri de St. ,fusr/ili Cdnnc, sur son Frere If P.
C/iitrleH Garnier, 'Sl'^. — Ahre/e de hi Vie dn R. Pere Charles Gitr-
ni(r, MS. Tills uniiublii^hed sketrii boars the signature of tiie
.Jesuit Ragueneau, with tlu' ilate l(i")2. For tiie opportunity of con-
sultin}4' it I am indt'bteil to liev. Felix Martin, S. J. — Lettres du P.
C/duies (larnier, MSvS. These embrace his correspondence fi'om the
Huron country, and are exceedinj^ly characteristic and strikinjf.
There is another letter in Carayon, Prtiniire Mission. Oaruier's
family was wraltliy, as widl as noble. Its members seem to liavi»
been stronjj;ly attiiched to each other, and tlu' younij priest's
father was greatly distressc'd at his departure for Canada.

tflii

1637.]

JOSKPII MARIK CIIArMOXOT.

191

companions to nin off to Beaune, a town of Bur-
gundy, where the fugitives proposed to study music
under the Fathers of tlie Oi-atory. To provide funds
for the journey, he stok; a sum of about the vahie of
a dollai- fro/n liis uncle, tlie priest. This act, which
seems to have been a mere peccadillo of boyisli levity,
determined his future career. Finding himself in
total destitution at Beaune, he wrote to his motlier
for money, and received in reply an order from his
father to come home. Stung with the thought of
being posted as a thief in his native village, he re-
solved not to do so, but to set out forthwith on a pil-
grimage to Rome; and acuordiiigly, tattered and
penniless, he took the road for the sacred city. Soon
a conflict began within him l^etween his misery and
the pride which forbade him to beg. The pride was
forced to succumb. He beecged from door to dooi-:
slept under sheds by the wayside, or in haystacks;
and now and then found lodging and a meal at a
convent. Thus, sometimes alone, sometimes with
vagabonds whom he met on the road, he made his
way through Savoy and Lombardy in a pitiable con-
dition of destitution, filth, and disease. At length
he reached Ancona, when tlie thought occurred to
him of visiting the Holy House of Loretto, and im-
ploring the succor of the Virgin Mary. Nor were
his hojjes disap[)ointed. He had reached that re-
nowned shrine, knelt, ])aid his devotions, and offered
his prayer, when, as he issued from the door of the
chapel, he w^as accosted by a young man, whom he

■ I

102 CllAlJACTEK OF CANADIAN JESUITS. [1637.

conjectures to have been an angel descended to his
relief, aiid who was probably some penitent or de-
votee bent on works of charity or self-niortitication.
With a voice of tlie greatest kindness, he [)roffered
his aid to the wretched boy, whose appearances was
alike fitted to awaken pity and disgust. Tlie con-
quering of a natural repugnance to filtli, in the inter-
est of charity and humility, is a cons[)icuous virtue
in most of tlie Roman Catholic saints; and whatever
merit may attach to it was acquired in an extraordi-
nary degree by the young man in question. Appar-
ently, he was a physician; for he not only restored
the miserable wanderer to a condition of comparative
decency, but cured him of a grievous malady, the
result of neglect. Chaumonot went on his way,
thankful to his benefactor, and overflowing with an
enthusiasm of gratitude to Our Lady of Loretto.^

' f

1 " Si la moindro damo ni'avoit fait rcndre ce service par le der-
nier de ses valets, n'aurois-je pas diis lui en rendre toutes les re-
connoissances possibles? Kt si apres une telle eharite elle s'e'toit
otferte k nie servir tonjours de mesme, comment aurois-je dii
riionorer, lui obeir, I'aiiner toute ma vie ! I'ardon, Heine iles Anges
et des liommes ! jjurdon de ce (lu'apres avoir ret;ii de vims tant de
maniues, par lesquelles vous m'avez convaineu que vous m'avez
adoj)te pour votre Ills, j'ai eu I'ingratitude pendant des annees
entieres de nu' eomjiorter encore i)lutot en esclave de Satan qu'en
enfant d'une Mere Viertie. O que vous 6tes bonne et ciiaritable!
puisque (iuel(|ues obstacles que mes pcches ayent pii mettre a vos
{jraces, vous n'avcz jamais cesse de m'attirer an bien ; jusqiie Ik
que vous m'avez fait admi'ttre dans la Sainte Compajjjnie de Jesus,
votre fils."— •"'baumouot, lie, 20. Tiie above is from tbe very
curious aut()l)iograpby written by Chaumonot, at the command of
his superior, in 1688. The original manuscript is at the Hotel Dieu
of Quebec. Mr. Shea has printed it.

H.,li

1637.]

JOSEPH MARIE CIIAUMOXOT.

193

As he journeyed towards Rome, an old Imrgher, at
whose door he had begged, employed liim as a ser-
vant. He soon became known to a Jesuit, to whom
he had confessed liimself in Latin; and as his ac-
quirements were considerable for his years, lie was
eventually employed as teacher of a low class in (me
of the Jesuit schools. Nature had inclined him to a
life of devotion. He would fain be a hermit, and, to
that end, practised eating green ears of wheat; but
finding he could not swallow them, conceived that he
had mistaken his vocation. Then a strong desire
grew up within him to become a Ri'collet, a Capu-
chin, or, above all, a Jesuit; and at length the wish
of his heart was answered. At the age of twenty-
one, he was admitted to the Jesuit novitiate.^ Soon
after its close, a small duodecimo volume was placed
in his hands. It was a Relation of the Canadian

^ His ape, when he left his uncle, the priest, is not mentioned.
But he must have been a mere child ; for at the end of his novi-
tiate he had forgotten his native language, and was forced to learn
it a second time.

"Jamais y eut-il homme sur terre plus oblige que moi k la Sainte
Famille de Jesus, de Marie et de Joseph ! Marie en me gue'rissant
de ma vilaine galle ou teigne, me delivra d'une infinite de peines
et d'ineommoditds eorporelles, quo cotte ludeuse maladie qui ine
rongeoit m'avoit cause'. .Toseph m'ayant obtenu la grace d'etre
incorpore' a un corps aussi saint qn'est celui des Je'suites, m'a pre-
serve d'une infinite de miseres spirituelles, de tentations trbs daii-
gereuses et de pe'che's tres e'normes. Je'sus n'ayant i)as permis que
j'entrasse dans aucun autre ordre qu'en celui qu'il iioiiore tout k la
fois de son beau nom, de sa douce presence et de sa protection
spc'ciale. O Jesus! O Marie ! O Joseph! qui nie'ritoit inoins que
moi vos divines faveurs, et envers qui avez vous etc plus prodigue ? "
— Chaumonot, Vie, 37.
TOL. I. — 13

194 CIIARACTPUl OF CANADIAN JESUITS. [10:57.

mission, and contained one of those narratives of
Brdbeuf which have heen often cited in tlie preceding
pages. Its effect was innnediate. liuruing to share
tliose gh)rious toils, tlie young priest asked to be sent
to Canada; and liis recjuest was granted.

Before embarking, lie set out with the Jesuit Pon-
cet, who was also destined for Canada, on a pilgrim-
age from Rome to the shrine of Our Lady of Loretto.
They journeyed on foot, begging alms by the way.
Chaumonot was soon seized with a pain in the knee,
so violent that it seemed impossil)le to proceed. At
San Severino, where they lodged with the Barnabites,
he bethought him of asking the intercession of a cer-
tain poor woman of that place, who had died some
time before with the reputation of sanctity. Accord-
ingly he addressed to her his prayei", promising to
publish her fame on every possible occasion, if she
would obtain his cure from God.^ The intercession
was accepted; the offending limb became sound
again, and the two pilgrims pursued their journey.
They reached Loretto, and kneeling before the Queen
of Heaven, implored her favor and aid ; while Chau-
monot, overflowing with devotion to this celestial
mistress of his heart, conceived the purpose of build-
ing in Canada a chapel to her honor, after the exact
model of the Holy House of Loretto. They soon
afterwards embarked together, and arrived among
the Hurons early in the autumn of 1639.

1 " Je me recoramandai a elle en lui promettant do la faire con*
noitre dans toutea les occasions que j'on aurois jamais, si ell©
m'obtenoit de Dieu ma guerison." — Chaumonot, Vie, 40.

IH.

[WM.

1637.] XOKL CIIABANKL AND ISAAC JOGUES. 105

ves of
ceding
I sluiio
je sent

b Pon-
ilijiini-
oretto.
G way.
I knee,
l1. At
iiil)ites,
: a cer-
[1 some
Vccord-
sing to

if she
■cession

sound
3urney.

Queen

Cliau-
clestial

build-
e exact

y soon

among

aire con-
si elld

Noiil ('lial)an('l camo later to the mission; for ho
did not reach tlie Huron conntiy until 1<)43. IIo
detested the Indian life, — tlu; smoke, the vermin,
the lilthy food, the ini[)ossil)ility of privacy. lie
could not study by the smoky lodge-lire, among the
noisy crowd of men and squaws, with their dogs, and
their restless, screeching children. He had a natural
inaptitude to learning the language, and labored at it
for five years with scarcely a sign of progress. The
Devil whispered a suggestion into his ear: Let him
procure his release from these barren and revolting
toils, and return to France, where congenial and use-
ful employments awaited him. Chal)anel refused to
listen; and when the temptation still beset him, he
bound himself by a solenni vow to remain in Canada
to the day of his death. ^

Isaac Jogues was of a character not unlike Garnier.
Nature had given him no especial force of intellect or
constitutional energy, yet the man was indomitable
and irrepressible, as his history will show.

We have but few means of chai'acterizing the re-
maining priests of the mission otherwise than as their
traits appear on the field of their labors. Theirs was
no faith of abstractions and generalities. For them,
heaven was very near to earth, touching and mingling
with it at many points. On high, God the Father
sat enthroned; and, nearer to human sympathies,

* Ahreije de la Vie dii Pere Xuiil CIkiIkhw!, MS. Tin.. anon\'niou8
paper bears tlie signaturi' of Ha<,nieneaii, in atti'Station of its truth.
See also Rigueneau, lielatiun, lOoO, 17, 18. Cliabanel's vow is hero
given verbatim.

196 CIIAllACTEU OF CANADIAN JESUITS. [10;J7.

Divinity incarnate in the Son, with tho lK'nif:fn form
of liis innnuculate niotlior, and licr spoiiso St. Joseph,
the chosL'n patron of Now Fiiinco. Intcnu'ding sainta
and departed friends bore to the tlirone of grace tho
petitions of those yet lingering in mortal honthige and
formed an ascending cliai)\ from earth to heaven.

These priests lived in an atmosphere of supernat-
uralism. livery day liad its miracle. Divine power
declared itself in action immediate and direct, con-
trolling, guiding, or reversing the laws of Nature.
The missionaries did not reject the ordinary cures for
disease or wounds; hut they relied far mru-o on a
prayer to the Virgin, a vow to St. Joseph, or tho
promise of a ncuvainc or nine days' devotion to some
other celestial personage ; while the touch of a frag-
ment of a tooth or hone of some departed saint was
of sovereign efficacy to cure sickness, solace pain, or
relieve a suffering squaw in the throes of childbirth.
Once, Chaumonot, having a headache, remembered
to have heard of a sick man who regained his health
by commending his case to St. Ignatius, and at the
same time putting a medal stam[)ed with his image
into his mouth. Accordingly he tried a similar ex-
periment, putting into his mouth a UKulal bearing a
represertation of the Holy Family, which was the
object of his especial devotion. The next morning
found him cured. ^

The relation between this world and the next was
sometimes of a nature curiously intimate. Thus,

^ Chauniouot, Vie, 73.

[loaT.

n form
fosopli,
' siiints
ice tlio
L<;o uud
11,

pernat-

power

t, con-

^'J^aturo.

ires for

on a

or tlio

bo some

a f rag-

int was

pain, or

dbirtli.

mbcred

health

at the

imago

ilar ex-

iaring a

vas the

lorning

3xt was
Thus,

1637.]

MIRACLES.

107

when Chaumonot heard of Oaniier'a death, he hiime-
diatcly addressed his dejjarted eoHeague, and prom-
ised him the henelit of ull the good works whieh lie,
Chaumonot, miglit perform during tlie next, week,
I)rovided the defiinet missionary would make liim
heir to his knowledge; of tlie Huron tongue.^ And
he ascribed to the deceased (Jarnier's influenee the
mastery of that language wliicli he afterwards
acquired.

The efforts of the missionaries for the conversion
of the savages were i)owerfully seconded from the
other world, and the refractory subject who was deaf
to human persuasions softened l)efore the superhu-
man agencies Aviiich the priest invoketl to his aid.^

It is scarcely necessary to add, tliat signs and
voices from another world, visitations from Hell and
visions from Heaven, were incidents of no rare occur-
rence in the lives of these ardent apostles. To Brd-

* "Jc n'ous pas plutot appris sa i^loriciiso mort, (|iii\je lui promis
tout CO qui je ferois (K- hit-u pc'iKlimt liiiit jours, ii coiKlilioii (ju'll
rue fiToit sou heritior ilau.s la CDUUoissaucc jiarfaiti.' qu'il avdit
du Ilurou." — Cliauuiouot, IVc, Ol.

'^ As tlic'si' may l)t* supposod to bo cxplmU'd idras of the past,
the writer may recall au iu(.'ideut of his youth, wliile si)endiut,' a
few days iu the couveut of the Tassiouists, near tlie Coliseum at
Kome. These worthy monks, after usiuir a variety of ar^'umeiits
for his conversion, expressed the hope that a miraculous interpo-
sition would he vouchsafed to that end, and that the Virgin would
manifest herself to him in a nocturnal vision. To this end they
gave him a small brass medal, stamped with lu'r imasje, to be worn
at his neck, while they were to repeat a certain number of Area
and Paters, in which he was urgently invited to join ; as the result of
which, it was hoped the Virgin would appear on the same night.
No vision, however, occurred.

108 ClIAKACTKU OF CANADIAN' .IKSl'I iS. [KW.

beiif, whose i\vv[) imturc, like; ii fiinuicc wiiitc liot,
glowed Willi tliL' still inti;iisity of his cuthiisiasiii,
they were cspecdally I'rcciueiit. Demons in ti'oops
iippeared hel'ore him, somi'times in the guistj of men,
sometimes as hears, wolves, or wild-eats. lie ealled
on God, and the apparitions vanished. Death, like
a skeleton, sometimes menaeed him, and ontie, as ho
faced it with an nn([iiailinL,' eye, it fell powerless at
liis feet. A demon, in the I'orin of a woman, i.ssai'ed
liim with tlie temi)tation which heset St. IJenediet
amonj^ the roeks of Snl)iaeo; hut IJreheuf signed the
cross, and the infernal siren melted into air. Ho
saw the vision of a vast and j^orgeous pahice; and a
miraculous voice assured him that sueh was to he tho
reward of those who dwelt in savaj^^e hovels for tho
cause of God. Angels a{)peared to hijn; and more
than onco St. Joseph and the Virgin were visibly
present before his sight. Once, when he Avas among
the Neutral Nation, in the winter of 1G40, he beheld
the ominous apparition of a great cross slowly ap-
proaching from tho quarter where lay the country of
the Iroc^uois. He told the vision to his comrades.
"What was it like? How large was it?" they
eagerly demanded. "Largo enough," rei)lied the
priest, "to crucify us all."^ To explain such plie-

1 Quelques Remarqucs sur la Vie. dn Pere Jean de Brebenf, MS.
On the margin of this paper, opposite several of tlio statements
repeated above, are the words, siirned by Hagueneau, " Ex ipsius
autocjrapho," indieiiting tliat the statements were made in writing ])y
Br(?beuf himself.

Still other visions are recorded by Chaumonot as occurring to

[1037.

1037.]

SELF-l)i:V()TI()N.

100

nomonii is the provinco of itsycliolojif}', and not of his-
tory. Their occurivnt'o is no iniittiT of surpri^^c, and
it would bo snpcrfhions to doubt tliat thi^ wCiO re-
counted in good faith, and with a full belief in their
reality.

In these enthusiasts we shall find striking t'xanij)les
of one of the morbid forees of human nature; yet in
candor let us do honor to what was genuine in them,
— that principle of self-abnegation which is the life
of true religion, and which is vital no less to the
highest forms ot heroism.

Bnfbfuf, when they were to^i'thor in the Neutral country. See also
the lonj,' notice of Hrcheuf, written by liis eolleaj,MU', Ha^rueiieau,
in the Rdation of 104U; and Tanner, Socidas Jesu .\Jilitans, 033.

CHAPTER X.

1637-1640.
PERSECUTION.

Ossos9.v>rfe. — The New Chapel. — A Triumph of the Faith. —
The Nether Powers. — 8if;\s of a Tempest. — Slan'ders.—
Rage against the Jeslt. .. — Their Boi.dxess and Persist-
ency. — NocTi'RNAL Council. — Danger of the Priests. —
Br6bkuf's Letter. — Narrow Escapes. — Woes and Consola-
tions.

j'ii !-

The town of Ossossand, or Rochelle, stood, as we
have seen, on the borders of Lake Huron, at the
skirts of a gloomy wilderness of pine. Thither, in
May, 1G37, repaired Father Pijart, to found, in this,
one of the largest of the Huron towns, the new mis-
sion of the Immaculate Conception.^ The Indians
had promised Brdbeuf to build a liouse for tlie black-
robes, and Pijart found the work in progress. There
were at this time about fifty dwellings in the town,
each containing eight or ten families. The quad-
rangular fort already alluded to had now been com-
pleted l^y the Indians, under the instruction of the

.fc 2

1 The doctrine of the immaculate concoption of the Virgin,
recently sanctioned by the Pope, has long been a favorite tenet of
the Jesuits.

2 Lettns de Gamier, MSS. It wa.s of upright pickets, ten feet
Iiigh, with flanking towers at two angles.

1637.]

THE NEW CHAPEL.

201

The new mission-liouse was cabout seventy feet in
length. No sooner had the savage workmen secured
the bark covering on it« top and sides tlian the i)riests
took possession, and began tlieir preparations for a
notable ceremony. At the farther end they made an
altar, and Innig such decorations as they had on tlie
rough walls of bu"k throughout half the length of the
structure. This formed tlieir chapel. On the altar
was a crucifix, with vessels and ornaments of si lining
metal; while above hung several pictures, — amono-
them a painting of Christ, and another of the Vii-«riii
both of life-size. There was also a representation of
the Last Judgment, wherein dragons ar^d serpents
might be seen feasting on the entrails of the wicked,
while demons scourged them into the flames of Hell.
The entrance was adorned with a quantity of tinsel,
together with green boughs skilfully disposed. ^

Never before were such splendors seen in the land
of the Hurons. Crowds gathered fi'om afar, and gazed
in awe and admiration at the marvels of the sanctuary.
A woman came from a distant town to behold it,
and, tremulous between curiosity and fear, thrust her
head into the mysterious recess, declaring that she
would see it, though the look should cost her life. 2

^ "Nostre Cliapi'llo cstoit cxtraordinairement h'wn ornoo, . .
nous auions dresse vii portuiiu' iMitortillc de foiiilIa,i,'(', incsh' d'ori-
peau, en vn mot nous auions t'stallo tout ec quo vostro K. nous a
enuoie de beau," etc., etc, — T.e Mercier, Relation des Ilnrons, l(i;]7,
175, 170, In his Relation of tlio next yi-ar he recurs to tlie subject,
and describes the pictures displayed on this memorable occasion.
— Relation des nitrons, \(Y.]S, 33.

2 Ibid., 1037, 170.

202

PERSECUTION.

[1637.

i I.

One is forced to wonder at, if not to admire, the
energy with which these priests and their scarcely
less zealous attendants ^ toiled to carry their pictures
and ornaments through the most arduous of journeys,
where the traveller was often famished from the sheer
difficulty of transporting provisions.

A great event had called forth all this preparation.
Of the many baptisms achieved by the Fathers in the
course of their indefatigable ministry, the subjects
had all been infants or adults at the point of deatli;
but at length a Huron, in full health and manhood,
respected and influential in his tribe, had been won
over to the Faith, and was now to be baptized with
solemn ceremonial in the chapel thus gorgeously
adorned. It was a strange scene. Indians were
there in throngs, and the house was closely packed,
— warriors, old and young, glistening in grease and
sunflower-oil, with uncouth locks, a trifle less coarse
than a horse's mane, and faces perhaps smeared with
paint in honor of the occasion ; wenches in gay attire ;
hags muffled in a filthy discarded deer-skin, their
leathery visages corrugated with age and malice, and
their hard, glittering eyes riveted on the spectacle
before them. The priests, no longer in their daily
gar!) of black, but radiant in their surplices, the genu-

^ The Jesuits on these distant missions wore usually attended
by followers who had taken no vows, and could leave their service
at will, hut whose motives were religious, and not mercenary. Proba-
bl}' this was the character of their attendants in the present case.
They were knov.n as flonties, or, " given men." It appears from a
letter of tlie Jesuit Du Peron, that twelve hired laborers were
soon afte'" sent up to the mission.

[1G37.

lire, the
scarcely
pictures
)urneys,
lie sheer

aration.
•s in the
subjects
: death;
anhood,
3en won
ed with
•geously
IS were
packed,
ase and
5 coarse
•ed with
y attire ;
n, their
ice, and
pectacle
ir daily
le genu-

attenJed
ir service
y. Proba-
3ent case.
rs from a
rers were

1637.]

THE NETHER POWERS.

203

flections, the tinkling of tlie bell, the swinging of
the censer, the sweet odors so unlike tlie funics of
the smoky lodge-fires, the mysterious cievation of the
Host (for a mass followed the baptism), and the agi-
tation of tlie neophyte, whose Indian imperturbability
fairly deserted him, — all these combined to produce
on the minds of the savage beholders an impression
that seemed to promise a rich harvest for the Faith,
To the Jesuits it was a day of triumph and of hope.
The ice had been broken; the wedge luui entered;
light had dawned at last on the long night of heath-
endom. But there was one feature of the situation
which in their rejoicing they overlooked.

The Devil had taken alarm. He had borne with
reasonable composure the loss of individual souls
snatched from him by former baptisms; but here was
a convert whose example and influence tlireatened to
shake his Huron empire to its very foundation. In
fury and fear, he rose to the conflict and put forth all
h:s malice and all his hellish ingenuity. Such, at
least, is the explanation given by the Jesuits of the
scenes that followed. ^ Whether accepting it or not,

1 Several of tlie Jesuits allude to this siii)i)()so(l excitement
amoiiK the tenants of the nether world. Thus, Ia- Mercii-r says :
"Le Dia])le se sentoit presse de pros, il ne poiiuoit supporter le
Baptesme solennel de (|uc'<iut's Siuiua!:;es des i)lus sij,nialez." —
ReJdtion (It's Ilnnms, \\V.\H^ :!:}. Several otlier baptisms of less note
j'ollowed that above described. Gamier, writii.^r to his l)rotlier,
repeatedly alludes to the alarm excited in Ilidl by the recent suc-
cesses of the mission, and adds, — " Vous pouvez jujjer quelle con-
solation nous etcit-ce de voir le (liable s'armer ''ontre nous et se
servir de ses esclaves pour nous attaquer et taclicr de nous perdre
in haine de J. C."

204

TERSECUTTON.

[1637-40.

i ;

let us examine the circumstances wliicli gave rise
to it.

The mysterious strangers, garhed in black, who of
late years had made their ahode among them from
motives past finding out, marvellous in knowledge,
careless of life, had awakened in the breasts of the
Hurons mingled emotions of wonder, perplexity, fear,
respect, and awe. From the first, they had held
them answerable for the changes of the weather,
commending them when the crops were abundant,
and upbraiding them in times of scarcity. Tliey
thought them mighty magicians, masters of life and
death; and they came to them for spells, sometimes
to destroy their enemies, and sometimes to kill grass-
hoppers. And now it was whispered abroad that it
was they who had bewitched the nation, and caused
the pest which threatened to exterminate it.

It was Isaac Jogues who first heard this ominous
rumor, at the town of Onnentisati ; and it proceeded
from the dwarfish sorcerer already mentioned, who
boasted himself a devil incarnate. Tlie slander
spread fast and far. Their friends looked at them
askance; their enemies clamored for their lives.
Some said that they concealed in their houses a
corpse, which infected the country, — a perverted
notion, derived from some half-instructed neophyte,
concerning llio body of Christ in the Eucharist.
Others ascribed the evil to a serpent, others to a
spotted frog, others to a demon which the priests
were supposed to carry in the barrel of a gun.

[1637-40.
ive rise

wlio of
in from
wledge,
i of the
ty, fear,
id held
veather,
aiii(hint,
They
life and
inetimes
11 grass-
that it
L caused

Dniinons
'oceeded
^d, who

slander
at them
r lives,
ouses a
Brverted
3ophyte,
icharist.
?^s to a
I priests

a gun.

1637-40.] TERROR OF THE IIUROXS.

205

Others again gave out that they had pricked -^n in-
fant to death with awls in the forest, in order to kill
the Huron children by magic. "Perhaps," observes
Father Le Mercier, " the Devii was enraged because
we had placed a great many of these little innocents
in Heaven. "1

The picture of the Last Judgment became an ob-
ject of the utmost terror. It was regarded as a
charm. The dragons and serpents were supposed to
be the demons of the pest, and the sinners whom
they were so busily devouring to represent its vic-
tims. On the top of a spruce-tree, near their house
at Ihonatiria, the priests had fastened a small
streamer, to show the direction of the wind. This,
too, was taken for a charm, throwing off disease and
death to all quarters. The clock, once an object of
harmless wonder, now excited the wildest alarm; and
the Jesuits were forced to stop it, since, when it
etruuk, it was supposed to sound the signal of death.
At sunset, one would have seen knots of Indians,
their faces dark with dejection and terror, listening
to the measured sounds which issued from within the
neighboring house of the mission, whciu, with bolted
doors, the priests were singing litiinies, mistaken for
incantations by the awe-struck savages.

Had the objec^ts of these charges been Indians,
their term of life would liave been very short. The

^ "Le (liable enrageoit peutcstro do co quo nous avions plac(<
dans le ciel quantite' do cos potits inuocona." — Le Mercier, Relation
des Htirons, 1038, 12 (Cramoisy).

200

PERSECUTION.

[l(5:}7-40.

blow of a liatclic't, stealthily sti'uck in the dusky en-
trance of a lodge, would have promptly avenged the
vietinis of their sorcery, and delivered the country
from peril. IJut the pi'iests ins[)ired a strange awe.
Nocturnal councils were held; their deatli was de-
creed; and, as they walked their rounds, whispering
groups of children gazed after them as men doomed
to die. But who slumld be the executioner? They
were reviled and upl)raided. Tlu; Indian boys threw
sticks at them as they passed, and then ran behind
the houses. When they entered one of these pestif-
erous dens, this impish crew chunbered on the roof
to pelt them with snowballs through the smoke-holes.
The old squaw who crouched by the lire scowled on
them with mingled anger and fear, and cried out,
"Begone! there are no sick ones here." The inva-
lids wrapped their heads in their blankets ; and when
the priest accosted some dejected warrior, the savage
looked gloomily on the ground, and answered not a
word.

Yet nothing could divert the Jesuits from their
ceaseless quest of dying subjects for baptism, and
above all of dying children. They penetrated every
house in turn. When, through the thin walls of
bark, the}" heard the wail of a sick infant, no menace
and no insult could repel them from the threshold.
They pushed boldly in, asked to buy some trifle,
sjiokc of late news of Iroquois forays, — of anythirg,
in short, except the pestilence and the sick child;
conversed for a while till suspicion was partially

:f t

'''i

[10:37-40.

3 dusky en-
vcng-t'd tiie
lie t'ountiy
nuige awe.
til was de-
wliisperiiig
L'li doomed
er? They
boys tlirew
■an behind
lese ijestif-
11 the roof
toke-holes.
cowled on
cried out,
The inva-
and when
he savaofe
red not a

ram tlieir
ism, and
ted every
walls of
o menace
hreshold.
lie trifle,
mythirg,
dv child;
partially

/.c'-A 'fiW h.i!'ii:i}i^

}!i! n.ji.m t :-i.!r<n

.? .:

WL'

10:57.]

THE GREAT COUN( IL.

207

lullod to sleep, .'ind tlien, preteiulinpf to ol)serve tlie
sufferer for tlio first time, jqiproached it, felt its
pulse, and usked of its health. Now, while a[)i>ar-
eutly fanuiuj^ the heated bmw, the dexterous visitor
touched it with a corner of his handkerehief, whicli
ho had previously dipped in water, niunnurcd the
baptismal words with motioidess lips, and snatched
another soul from the fangs of the "Infernal VVolf."^
Thus, with the patience of saints, the courage of
heroes, and an intent truly charitable, did the Fathers
put forth a nimble-fingered adroitness that would
have done credit to the profession of which the func-
tion is less to dispense the treasures of another world
than to grasp those which pertain to this.

The Huron chiefs wtre summoned to a great coun-
cil, to discuss the state of the nation. The crisis
demanded all their wisdom; for while the continued
ravages of disease threatened them with annihilation,
the Iroquois scalping-parties infested the outskirts of
their towns, and murdered them in their fields and
forests. The assembly met in August, 10:37; and
the Jesuits, knowing their deej) stake in its delibera-
tions, failed not to be present, with a liberal gift of

1 Ce loup in/ernnl is a title often bestowt'il in the Relations on
the Devil. The above details are jratiiered from the narratives of
Brebeiif, Le Mercier, and Laleniant, and letters, jjublished and
unpublished, of several otiit-r Josuits.

In another case, an Indian t?irl was carrying on her back a siek
child, two months old. Two Jesuits approaeliid, and while one of
thera amused the glvl with iiis rosary, "I'autre K' bai)tise leste-
ment; le pauure petit u'attendoit que ceste faucur du Ciel pour
a'y enuoler."

! ; I

208

I'KHSKCUTIOX.

[1637.

wiinipvini, to sliow their Hympatliy in the i)ul)lio calam-
ities. Ill private, they sought to gain the good-will
of the (le[)uties, one by one; but though they were
successful in some cases, tho rotiult on the whole was
far from hopeful.

In the intervals of tho council, Hrel)euf discoui-sed
to the crowd of chiefs (m the wonders of the visible
heavens, — the sun, the moon, the stars, and the
planets. They were inclined to believe what he told
them ; for he had lately, to their great amazement,
accurately predi(!ted an eclipse. From the fires above
he passed to the fires beneath, till the listeners stood
aghast at his hideous pictures of tho flames of perdi-
tion, — the only species of Christian instruction which
produced any perceptible effect on this unpromising
auditory.

The council opened on the evening of the fourth of
August, with all the usual ceremop- s; and the night
was spent in discussing questions of treaties and alli-
ances, with a deliberation and good sense which tlie
Jesuits could not help admiring. ^ A few days after,
the assembly took up the more exciting question of
the epidemic and its causes. Deputies from three of
the four Huron nations were present, each deputation
sittii g apart. The Jesuits were seated with the Na-
tion of the Bear, in whose towns their missions were
established. Like all important councils, the session
was held at night. It was a strange scene. The
light of the fires flickered aloft into the smoky vault

1 Le Mercior, Rclatinn dm Ilurons, 1G38, 38.

10.17.]

Tin: .iKsriTs nirKAciiKi).

200

and iiinong tlio soot-bcgriiiKMl riiftcrs of the grciit
couiicil-lioiise,* uiid cast an unct'itain j,d»'ani on tlio
wild and dejected tlwong tliat filled the platfonn.s
and the floor. "I think I never .saw anythiuLf more
Ingubrious," writes I^e Mereier: *'they looked at eaeh
other like so many cor|)ses, or like men who already
feel the terror of death. When they s[)oke, it was
oidy with sij^dis, eaeii reckoning np the sick and dead
of his own family. All this was to excite each other
to vomit poison against lis."

A grisly old chief, named Ontitarac, withered with
age and stone-blind, ])nt renowned in past years for
elo([iience and counsel, oix-ned the debate in a lond,
thongh treinnlons voice. First lie sainted each of
the three nations present, then each of the chiefs in
tnrn, — congratulated them that all were there as-
sembled to deliberate on a snbject of the last impor-
tance to the pnblie welfare, and exhorted them to
give it a mature and calm consideration. Next rose
the chief whose otVice it was to preside over the Feast
of the Dead. lie painted in dismal coloi-s the woful
conditifm of the comitiy, and ended with charging it
all upon the sorceries of the Jesuits. Another old
chief followed him. "My brothers," he said, "you
know well that. I am a war-chief, and very rarely
speak except in councils of war; but I am compelled
to speak now, since nearly all the other chiefs are
dead, ami I must utter what is in my heart before I

^ It must have been the hnuso of a cliicf. Tlio Ilurons, unlike
Borae other tribi's, had no houses set apart I'ur public oeeauions.
VOL, 1. — 11

210

PERSECUTION.

[1637.

follow them to the gmve. Only two of my family
are left alive, aiul perhaps even these will not long
escape the fury of the pest. T luivc; seen other dis-
eases ravaging the country, but notliing tluit could
compare with this. In two or three moons we saw
their end ; but now we have suffered for a year and
more, and yet the evil does not abate. Am(, what is
worst of all, we have not yet discovered its source."
Then, with words of studied moderati(»n, alternating
with bursts of angry invective, he })roceeded to accuse
the Jesuits of causing, l)y their sorceries, the unpar-
alleLd calamities that arihctedthem; and in support
of his charge he '^duced a prodigious mass of evi-
dence. When he had spent his eloquence, Br(ibeaf
rose to reply, and in a few words exposed the absurd-
ities of his statements; whereupon another accuser
brought a new array of charges. A clamor soon
arose from tlie whole assembly, and they called upon
Brt^beuf with one voice to give up a certain charmed
cloth which was the cause of their miseries. In \ain
the missionary protested that he had no such cloth.
The clamor increased.

"If you will not believe me," said Br()beuf, "go to
our house; search everywhere; and if you are not
sure which is the charm, take all our clothing and all
our clotli, and throw them into the lake."

"Sorcerers always talk in that way," was tii3
reply.

"Then what will you have me say?" demanded
Br^beuf.

[1637.

my family
. not loiif^
other dis-
hat could
IS we saw
. year and
t(, what is
5 source."
Iternating
. to accuse
the unpar-
in support
lss of evi-
?, Brebeuf
lie ahsurd-
3r accuser
LUior soon
died upon
1 charmed
. In x'din
Lich cloth.

uf, "go to
•u are not
ng and all

Avas tiio

demanded

1637.]

DANGER OF THE PRIESTS.

211

"Tell us the cause of the pest."
^ Brdbeuf rei.lied to the best of his power, mingling
his explanations with instructions in Christian doc-
trine and exhortations to endjrace the Faith. He was
continually interrupted; and tlie old chief, Ontitarac,
still called up(m him to produce the charmed cloth.
Thus the de])ate continued till after midnight, when
several of the assend)]3-, seeing no prospect of a ter-
mination, fell asleep, and others went away. One
old chief, as he passed out, said to Brebeuf, " Jf some
young man should split your liead, we should have
nothing to say." The pi-iest stiU continued to har-
angue tlie dindnished conclave on the necessity of
obeying (Jod, and the danger of offending Him, when
the chief of Ossossand called out impatiently, " What
sort of men are these? They au' always saying the
same tiling, and repeating the same words a hundred
times. They are never done; witli telling us about
their Oki, and what he demands and what he forbids,
and Paradise and Hell."i

"Here was the end of this miserable council,"
writes Le INIercier; . . . "and if less evil came of 'it
than was designed, we owe it, after (Jod, to the Most
Holy Virgin, to whom we had made a vow of nine
masses in honoi- of her immaculate conception."

The Fathers had escaped for the time; but they
were still in deadly peril, 'i^iey had taken pains to

^ Tlie .above account of tlio council is drau-n from Lo .Afcrcior
Relafio,, des Hurons, l(i;J8. cluip. ii. See ul.o Uressaui. IMatiun
Abreijee, 1(J3.

212

TERSECUTION.

[1637.

secure friends in private, and tliero were those who
were attached to their interests; yet none dared
openly take tlieir part. The few converts tliey had
lately made came to them in secret, and warned them
that their death was determined upon. Their house
was set on fire; in puljlic, every face Avas averted
from them; and a new council was called to pro-
nounce the decree of death. They appeared before it
with a front of such unflinching assurance that their
judges, Indian-like, postponed the sentence. Yet it
seemed impossible that they should much longer
escape. Brebeuf, therefore, wrote a letter of fare-
well to his Superior, Le Jeune, at Quebec, and con-
fided it to some converts whom he could trust, to be
carried by them to its destination.

"We are perhaps," he says, "about to give our
blood and our lives in the cause of our Master, Jesus
Christ. It seems that His goodness will accept this
sacrifice, as regards me, in expiation of my great and
numberless sins, and that He will tlius crown the
past services and ardent desires of all our Fathers
here. . . . Blessed be His name forever, that He has
chosen us, among so many better than we, to aid Him
to bear His cross in tliis land! In all things. His
holy will be done I" He then acquaints Le Jeune
that he has directed the sacred vessels, and all else
belonging to the service of the altar, to be placed, in
case of his death, in the hands of Pierre, the convert
whose baptism has been described, and that especial
care will be taken to preserve the dictionary and

[1637.

lose who
le dared
they had
lied them
sir house
^ averted
to pro-

before it
that their
. Yet it
h longer
• of fare-

and coii-
ust, to be

give our
ter, Jesus
ccept this
great and
rown tlie
p Fathers
at He has
-) aid Him
lings, His
Le Jeune
A all else
placed, in
lie convert
it especial
onary and

1637.]

THE FAREWELL FEAST.

213

other writings on the Huron language. The letter
closes with a request for masses and prayers. ^

The imperilled Jesuits uow took a singular, Imt
certainly a very wise step. They gave one of those
farewell feasts —festins cV adieu — which Huron cus-
tom enjoined on those about to die, whether in the
course of Nature or by public execution. Being

1 The following is the conclusion of the letter (Le Mercier
Relation des Ilunms, 1038, 43) : — '

En tout, sa sainte volonto soit faitc; s'il vent que desceste heurc
nous mourions, u la bonne heure pour nous ! s'il veiil nous reseruer
k (I'autres trauaux, qu'il soit beny; si vous entendez que Dieu ait
couronne' nos petits trauaux, ou plustost nos desirs, benissez-le :
car c'est pour luy que nous desirons viure et inourir, et c'est luy
qui nous en donne la srace. Au reste si quelques-vns suruiuent
i'ay <lonne ordre de tout ee qu'ils doiuent faire. I'ay este d'aduis
que nos Peres et nos domestiques se retirent eliez eeux qu'ils croy-
ront estre leurs moilleurs amis; i'ay donne charirc. qu'on jjorte ehez
Pierre nostre premier Clirestien tout ce qui est de la Sacristie, sur tout
qu'on ait vn soin particulier deniettre en lieu d'asseurance le Diction-
naire et tout ce que nousauons de la laniiiu'. Pourmoy, si Dieu me
fait la grace d'aller au Ciel, ie prieray Dieu pour eiix, jtour les
pauures Ilurons, et n'oublieray pas Vostre Keucrence.

Apres tout, nous supplions V. K. et tons nos IVns de ne nous
oublier en leurs saincts Sacrifices et prieres, afin cju'en la vie et
apres la mort, 11 nous fasse niisericorde; nous somines tons en la
vie et k TEternite,

De vos're Rcuerence tres-humbles et tres-affectionnez soruiteurs
en Nostre Seigneur,

If: AN DE Bkkhkvf.
Fraxcois losKPir Lf, Mercier.
Pierre ruASTEi.i.AiN.
Charles Gakmer.
Pave Ka<;ve.\eav.

En la Residence de la ron(Hi)tiun, a ( )ssos9ane',
oe 28 Octobre.

I'ay laiss<< en la Residence de sainct Joseph les Peres Pierro
Pijart et Isaac logves, dans les mesnies sentimens.

214

PERSECUTIOX.

[1637.

interpreted, it was a declaration tliat tlie priests
knew their danger, and did not slirink from it. It
might have the effect of changing overawed friends
into open advocates, and even of awakening a certain
sympathy in the breasts of an assembly on whom a
bold bearing could rarely fail of influence. The
house was packed with feasters, and Brdbeuf ad-
dressed them as usual on his unfailing themes of
God, Paradise, and Hell. The throng listened in
gloomy silence ; and each, when he had em})tied his
bowl, rose and departed, leaving liis entertainers in
utter doubt as to his feelings and intentions. From
this time forth, however, the clouds that overhung
the Fathers became less dark and threatening.
Voices were heard in their defence, and looks were
less constantly averted. They ascril)ed the cliange
to the intercession of St. Joseph, to whom they had
vowed a nine days' devotion. By whatever cause
produced, the lapse of a week wrought a hopeful
improvement in their prospects ; and when they went
out of doors in the morning, it A\as no longer with
the expectation of having a hatchet struck into their
brains as they crossed the threshold.^

The persecution of the Jesuits as sorcerers contin-
ued, in an intermittent form, for years; and several
of them escaped very narrowly. In a house at Ossos-

1 "Tant y a que dopuis k- t!. do Noiu'iubre quo nous achcuasmcs
nos Messes votiues a son lionneur, nous auons iouy d'vn repos
incroyable, nous nous en enuTuillons nous-mesnies de iour en iour,
quand nous eonsiderons en (juel estat estoient nos afTaires il n'y a
que huict iours," — Le Mercier, Relation d>s Ilurons, 1038, 44.

m .

[1637.

1637-40.]

NARROW ESCAPES.

215

3 priests
n it. It
I friends
a certain

wliom a
e. The
beuf ad-
lenies of
tened in
[)tied his
niiiers in
;. From
)ver]iung
niteiiing.
)ks were
3 change
they liad
er cause

hopeful
ley Avent
;^er with
nto their

s contin-
l several
it Ossos-

Liheuiisnu's
I'vn ri'pos
ur en iour,
OS il u'y a
1,44.

sand, a young Indian rushed suddenly upon Francois
Du Peron, and lifted his tomahawk to brain him,
when a squaw caught his hand. Paul Ragueneau
wore a crucifix, from which hung the image of a
skull. An Indian, thinking it a cliarm, snatched it
from him. The priest tried to recover it, ^^■hen the
savage, his eyes glittering witli nuirder, brandished
his hatcliet to strike. Ragueneau stood motionless,
waiting the bhjw. His assailant forl)ore, and with-
drew, muttering. Pierre Chaumonot was emerging
from a house at the Huron town called by the Jes-
uits St. Michel, where he had just baptized a dying
girl, when her brother, standing hidden in the door-
way, struck him on the head with a stone. Chau-
monot, severely wounded, staggered witliout falling,
when the Indian sprang upon In in with his toma-
hawk. The bystanders arrested the blow. Fran-
cois Le Mercier, in the midst of a crowd of Indians
in a house at the town called St. Louis, was assailed
by a noted chief, who rushed in, raving like a mad-
man, and ir. a torrent of words charged upon him all
the miseries of tlie nation. Tlien, snatching a brand
from the fire, he shook it in the Jesuit's face and told
him that he should be burned alive. Le IMercicr
met him with looks as determined as his own, till,
abashed at his undaunted front and bold denuncia-
tions, the Indian stood confounded.^

1 Tlie iibovi' iiiciik'nts arc from Le MiTciir, Lalumant, Eri'ssani,
the autobio^^raphy of Cliaunionot, tlie uiipul)lislKMl writiii.ics of
Garnier, and the ancient nianuscrii)t volume of memoirs of tlie
early Canadian missionaries, at St. Mary's College, Montreal.

216

PERSECUTION.

[1637-40.

The belief that their persecutions were owing to
the fury of the Devil, driven to desperation by the
home-thrusts he had received at their hands, was an
unfailing consolation to the priests. "Truly," writes
Le Mercier, "it is an unspeakal)le happiness for us,
in the midst of this barbarism, to hear the roaring of
the demons, and to see Earth and Hell niging against
a handful of men who will not even defend them-
selves."^ In all the copious records of this dark
period, not a line gives occasion to suspect that one
of this loyal band flinched or hesitated. The iron
Brdbeuf, the gentle Garnier, the all-enduring Jogues,
the enthusiastic Chaumonot, Lalemant, Le Mercier,
Chatelain, Daniel, Pijart, Ragueneau, Du Peron,
Poncet, Le Moyne, — one and all bore themselves
with a tranquil boldness, which amazed the Indians
and enforced their respect.

Father Jerome Lalemant, in his journal of 1639, is
disposed to draw an evil augury for the mission from
the fact that as yet no priest had been put to death,
inasmuch as it is a received maxim that the blood of
the martyrs is the seed of the Church. ^ He consoles

1 " Cost verital)Iement un bonliour indiciblo pour nous, au
milieu (le cette barbaric, d'entendre les rugissemens des demons, &
de voir tout I'Enfer & quasi tous Ics hoinmes unimez & romplis de
fureur contre uno petite poignee de gens qui ne voudroicnt pas
se defendre." — Ri'lation des Jfurons, KUO, ol (Cramoisy).

2 " Nous auons quolquo fois doute', s^auoir si on pouuoit esperer
la conuersion de ce pais sans qu'il y eust effusion de sang : le prin-
cipe re^eu ce semble dans I'Eglise de Dieu, que le sang des Martyrs
est la semence des Chrestiens, me faisoit conelure pour lors, que
cela n'estoit pus a esperer, voire niesme qu'il n'etoit pas h, souhaiter,

[1637-40.

owing to
n by the
S was an
•," writes
s for us,
oaring of
g against
id them-
liis dark
that one
rhe iron
1 Jogues,
Mercier,
I Peron,
emselves
I Indians

CONSOLATIONS.

217

16.37-40.]

himself with the liope that the daily life of the mis-
sionaries may be accepted as a living martyrdom;
since abuse and threats without end, the smoke,
fleas, filth, and dogs of tlie Indian lodges, — which
are, he says, little images of Hell, — cold, hung(M-,
and ceaseless anxiety, and all these continued for
years, are a portion to which many might prefer the
stroke of a tomahawk. IleasomdJe as the Father's
hope may be, its expression proved needless in the
sequel; for the Huron church was not destined to
suffer from a lack of martyrdom in any form.

consider^ la ploire qui reuient h, Diou do la Constance dcs Martyrs,
du sang dosciiu'ls tout le restc dc la torro ayant tantost cstc' abrcuur,
cc seroit vne espece do malediction, que ce quartier du iiiondi' no
participast point au bonheur d'auoir contribue' h. I'esclat de ceBte
gloire." — Lalemant, Relation des Iltirons, 103l>, 50, 67.

1639, is

ion from

to death,

blood of

consoles

nous, au

demons, &

remplis de

Iroient pas

loit esperer
ig : le prin-
les Martyrs
r lors, que
I, souhaiter,

* .•

li,

CHAPTER XL

1C38-1640.
PRIEST AND PAGAN.
Dv 7'p:uon's Journey. — Daily Lni; of thk .T:si;iti'. — Their

MlSSIONAKV KXCCRSIONH. — CoNVEItTS AT OSSOSSANE. Ma-

ciiiNioKV OK Convi;ksio\. — Conditions ok Baptism. — Ha( k-
8LH)i;i{s, — TiiK C\)NVKKr8 and tiieik Countkvmen. — TlIK
Canniijals at St. Joseph.

We have already touched on the domestic life of
the Jesuits. That we may the better know then*, we
will follow one of tlieir u'^iher on his journey
towards tlie scene of his .; , and observe wliat
awaited him on his arriva;

Father Francois ju. Peroi. came up the Ottawa in
a Huron canoe in Septend)er, 1038, and was well
treii.ted by the Indian owner of the vessel. Lalemant
and Le Moyne, wlio liad set out from Three Rivers
'^efore him, did not fare so well. The former was
assailed by an iVlgonquin of Vllumette Island, who
tried to ,;tranglo him in revenge for the death of a
child, which a Frenchman in the employ of the Jes-
uits had hitely bled, Imt had failed to restoi'C to
health by the operation. Le Moyne was abandoned
by his Huron conductors, and remained for a fort-
night by the bank of the river, with a French atten-

1638.]

I)U PEROX'S JOURNKY.

210

I. — Their

NE. Ma-

1, — Hack-

[EN. — TUE

c life of

lien*, we

journey

what

►ttawa in
kvas A\'ell
^alemant
je Rivers
iner was
uul, who
3ath of a
the Jes-
estore to
jandoned
•r a fort-
3h atten-

dant who supported him by liuntini^. Another
Huron, belonging to the flotilla that carried I)u
Peron, then took him into his canoe; hut, becom-
ing tired of him, was a])out to Icaxo liiiu on a rock
in the river, when his brotlier priest bribed tlie sav-
age with a blanket to carry him to his ji.urncy's end.
It was midnight, on the twenty-ninth of Septem-
ber, when Du Peron landed on the shore of Thunchn*
Bay, after paddling without rest since one o'clock of
the preceding morning. The night was rainy, and
OssosMand was about liiuen miles distant. His In-
dian companions were impatient to reach their towns;
the rain prevented the kindling of a lire; while the
priest, who for a long time had not heard mass, was
eager to renew his comnnniion as soon as possible.
Hence, tired and Iningiy as he was, he shouldered his
sack, and took the path for Ossossand without break-
ing his fast. He toiled on, half-spent, amid the
ceaseless pattering, trickling, and whispering of in-
numerable drops among innumerable leaves, till, as
day dawned, lie reached a clearing, and descried
through the mists a cluster of Huron houses. Faint
and })edrenched, he entered the princi})al one, and
was greeted with the moiK)syllable Shai/f — "Wel-
come!" A squaw spread a mat for him l)y the fire,
roasted four ears of Indian corn before the coals,
baked two squashes in the em])ers, ladled from her
kettle a dish of sagamite, and offered them to her
famished guest. Missionaric^s seem to have been a
novelty at this place; for, while the Father break-

220

PRIEST AND PAGAN.

[1638.

! t

I ;

fasted, a crowd, chielly of children, ^atlicrcMl about
him, and stared at him in siU'nce. One examined
the texture of his cassock; anotlier put on his liat*, a
third took the slioes from liis feet, and tried them on
her own. I)u I'eron reciuited his entertainers with
a few trinkets, and begged, ])y signs, a guide to
Ossossand. An Indian accordingly set out with him,
and conducted him to the mission-house, wJiich he
reached at six o'clock in the evening.

Here he found a warm welcome, and little other
refreshment. In respect to the connnodities of life,
the Jesuits were but a step in advance of the Indians.
Their house, though well vevitilated by numberless
crevices in its bark walls, always smelt of smoke, and
when the wind was in certain quarters was filled
with it to suffocation. At their meals, the Fatliers
sat on logs around the fire, over which their kettl?
was slung in the Indian fashion. Each had his
wooden platter, which, from the dilliculty of trans-
portation, was valued in the Huron country at the
pi'ice of a robe of beaver-skin, or a hundred francs.^
Their food consisted of sagamite, or " mush," made
of pounded Indian-corn, boiled with scraps of smoked
fish. Chaumonot compares it to the paste used for
papering the walls of houses. The repast was occa-
sionally varied by a pumpkin or squash baked in the
ashes, or, in the season, by Indian corn roasted in

^ "No8 plats, quoyquc (k* bois, nous oofltt-nt plus clicr que los
votrcs ; ils soiit dc la valcur d'uiio vohv <lt' castor, ti'ost ii dire cent
francs." — Ar/^v dn P. /hi Pitou h so,, /-'/rrf, 27 .ImV, 1G39. Tlie
Father's appraisement seems a little <iiustionable.

[16.38.

I Jibout
Xiunined
s liiit; ii
tbem on
Drs witli
piide to
itli him,

lich he

;le other
^ of life,
Indians,
mberless
oke, and
[IS filled
Fathers
ir kettlv-^
had liis
)f trans-
Y at the
francs.'
I," made
smoked
iised for
^is occa-
d in the
isted in

:t que li'S

<liro cent

039. The

103S-40.]

JKSriT DAHA' LIKE.

221

the ear. They used no salt whatever. Th»\v could
hrinpf their eiunhrous jiictiuvs, ornanienls, and vest-
ments throut^di tlie savage journey of the Ottawa;
but they eould not bi-liij^ the common necessaries of
life. By (hiy, they read and stuclied by the liLfht
that streamed in through the larger smoke-boles in the
roof, — at nit^dit, by the bla/e of the lire. Their only
candles were a few of wax, for the altar. They cul-
tivated a patch of <;i'omi(l, but raised nothing on it
except wheat for making the sacramental bread.
Their food was supplied by the Indians, to whom
they gave in return cloth, knives, awls, needles, and
various trinkets. Their snpply of wine for the ICu-
charist was so scanty, that they limited themselves
to four or five drops for each mass.^

Their life was regulated with a conventual strict-
ness. At four in the morning, a bell roused them
from the sheets of bark (m which they slept. Masses,
private devotions, reading leligious books, and break-
fasting iilled the time until eight, when they opened
their door and admitted the Indians. As many of

^ Tlie above pnrticiilars are <lrann from a lonj,' letter of Fran-
cois l)u I'eron to liis brother, .Josepli-Inibert Du I'eroii, dated at
La Conception (Ossossane), April 27, lO.'Jit, and from a h'tter e(|ually
lonj;, of Chaunioiiot to Father Philippe Nappi, dated Dii I'ays des
Ilurons, May 2(5, KilO. Hotli are in ('arayoii. Tiiese private
letters of the Jesuits, of wiiicb many are extant, in some cases
written on birch-bark, are invaluable as illustrations of the
subject.

The .Tesuits soon learned to make wine from wild fjrapes.
Those in Maine and Acadia, at a later i»eriod, madr ;,'o()(l cjindles
from the wa.xy fruit of tlie shrub known locally as tlie
" bayberry."

000

PRIKST AND PAflAX.

[10:18-10.

t
x
\

k 1

tlu'so j)r()Vi'(l iMt(il('rii])lo nuisiinccs, they took wluit
L;il(Miiunt calls the Imntirtc lilH'ity of tnniiii^M)iit tliu
most intrusive and iiiipracticahlc, — an act jx'rrornuHl
with all tact and courtesy, and randy taken in dud-
geon. Having thus wiiuiowcd their coni[)any, they
catechis(!<l those that remained, as o|)[)ortunity of-
fered. In the intervals, the guests .S(iuatted by tlie
lire and smoked their pipes.

As among the Spartan virtues of the llurons tliat
of thieving was especially conspicuous, it was neces-
sary that one or mon; of the Fathers should remain
on guard at the house all thiy. The rest went forth
on th.eir missionary lahoi's, l)a[)tizing and instructing,
as we have seen. To each i)riest who could speak
Huron ^ was assigned a certain nund)er of liouses, —
in some instances, as man\' as forty; and as these
often liad live or six tires, with two families to each,
his spiritual Hock was as numerous as it was intract-
able. It was his care to see that none of the luunber
died without baptism, iind by every means in his
power to connnond the doctrines of his faith to the
iicceptance of those in health.

At diinier, which was at two o'clock, grace was
said in Huron, — -for the benetit of the Indians pres-
ent, — and a chapter of the Funle was read aloud
during the meal. At four or tive, according to the
season, the Indians were dismissed, the door closed,
and the evening spent in writing, reading, studying

^ At the riid of the year 1038, there were seven prieste who
spoke Huron, and three who had begun to learn it.

;

[loan-io.

>k what

^ out tilt!

'rtorim;tl
ill (lud-
iiy, tlii'y
iiiity of-
l by tho

oris that
us neces-
l rcnuiin
.Mit forth
;i'uctiiig,
Id si)i'iik

)USC'S, —

aa these

to each,

iiitract-

nuiuber

■; ill liis

to the

ice was
ns pres-
l aloud
r to the
closed,
tudyiiig

ii'ste who

MISSIONARY KXCrilSloNS.

223

the lan<^Mia<^e, devotion, and conversation on the af-
fairs of th(! niisMion.

The: h)('al missions here referred to emhraeed Os-
Kossaiul and tlie viUa^es of tint neiL,dihoihood ; hiil the
priests hy no means eontined tlieniselves witiiin these
limits. 'I liey made distant excursions, two in com-
pany, until every house in every Huron town liad
heard the annunciation of thi^ new doctrine. On
these journeys, tlu^y carried l)lanl<ets or lai'n;(' man-
tles at tlieir l)aeks, for shjcpin^' in at nij^dit, hesich's a
supply of needles, awls, beads, and other small arti-
cles to i)ay for their lod^'infj and entertainment; for
the Iliirons, hosi)itable without stint to each other,
expected fnll compensation from the .lesnits.

At Ossossancj, the house of the Jesuits no lonjijer
served the double pinpose of dwellim,^ and chapel.
In 1G38, they liad in their ])!iy twelve artisans and
laborers, sent U[) from Qnebec,' who had l>uilt, before
the close of the year, a cliaprl of wood.''^ Hither they
removed their picti\res and (»rnaments; and here, in
winter, several fires were kept burnin^% for the com-
fort of the half-naked converts.^ Of these they now
had at Ossossan^ about sixty, — a large, thoiioh evi-
dently not a very solid nucleus for the Huron church,
— and they labored hard and anxiously to confirm
and multiply them. Of a Sunday morning in win-

^ Du IVroii in Carayoii, 17;>.

2 "La t'liapL'Ui' I'st faitL' d'uno cliarponte h'lun jolic, si'inhlablo
presque en £a(;()n ct j,'raii(li'ur, a iiotru chapullu du St. Julit-n." —
Jbitl., 18;}.

' Lak'inant, lieiation ties Ilnrons, lOJW, (32.

224

PRIEST AND PAGAN.

[1638-40.

\ 1!

: '1.

ter, one could have seen them coming to mass, often
from a considerable distance, "as naked," says Lale-
mant, "as your hand, except a skin over their backs
like a mantle, and in tlie coldest weather a few skins
around tneir feet and legs." They knelt, mingled
with the French mechanics, before the altar, — very
awkwardly at first, for the posture was new to them,
— and all received the sacrament together: a specta-
cle which, as the missionary chronicler declares, re-
paid a hundred times all the labor of their conversion.^
Some of the principal methods of conversion are
curiously illustrated in a letter written l)y Garnier to
a friend in France. "Send me," he says, "a picture
of Christ without a beard." Several Virgins are also
requested, together with a variety of souls in perdi-
tion, — (l7}ies daiunccs^ — most of them to be mounted
in a portable form. Particular directions are given
with respect to the demons, dragons, flames, and
olher essentials of these works of art. Of souls in
bliss, — cimes hienlienreuses^ — he thinks that one will
be enough. All tlie pictures must be in full face,
not in profile; and they must look directly at the
beholder, with open eyes. The colors should be
bright; and there must be no flowers or animals, as
these distract the attention of the Indians. ^

f 1

1 Lalcmant, Rdniion rlrx TTurnns, 1030, 62.

2 Garnier, l.ettre 17"'«, MS. Tlioso directions sliow an excellent
knowledge of Indian peculiarities. The Indian dislike of a beard
is well known. Catlin, the painter, once caused a fatal quarrel
among a party of Sioux, by representing one of them in profile,
whereupon he was jibed by a rival as being but lialfa man.

[1638-40.

Lss, often
lys Lale-
)ir backs
ew skins
mingled
•, — very
to them,
a specta-
lares, re-
version.^
rsion are
arnier to
I picture
; are also
n perdi-
mou?ited
re given
lies, and
souls in
one will
nil face,
y at the
lould be
imals, as

1638-40.]

CONDITIOXS OF BAPTISM.

225

1 excellent

of a beard

al quarrel

in profile,

an.

The first point with the priests was of course to
bring the objects of their zeal to an acceptance of the
fundamental doctrines of the Roman Church ; but as
the mind of the savage was by no means that beauti-
ful blank which some have represented it, there was
much to be erased as well as to be written. They
must renounce a host of superstitions, to which they
were attached with a strange tenacity, or which may
rather be said to have been ingrained in their very
natures. Certain points of Christian morality were
also strongly urged by the missionaries, who insisted
that tlie convert should take but one wife, and not
cast her off without grave cause, and that he should
renoiuice the gross license almost universal among
the Hurons. Murder, cannibalism, and several other
offences were also forbidden. Yet while laboring at
the work of conversion with an energy never sur-
passed, and battling against the powers of darkness
with the mettle of paladins, the Jesuits never had
the folly to assume towards the Indians a dictatorial
or overbearing tone. Gentleness, kindness, and
patience were the rule of their intercourse. ^ They

1 The following,' passapfe from the "Divers Sontinicns," before
cited, will illustrate this point: "Pour conuertir les Saunajres, il
n'y faut pas tant de science que de bonte et vertu bien solide. Les
quatre Elemens d'vn lionimo Apostoliquo en la Nouuelle France
sont rAffabilite, rHumilitc, la Patience et vne Charite jrenereuse.
Le zele trop ardent brush' plus qu'il n'eschauffo, et ^Mste tout ; il
faut vne grande magnanimite' et condescendance, pour attirer pen
b, pen ces Sauuagcs. lis n'entendent pas bien nostre Tlieologie,
mais ils entendent parfaictement bien nostre humilite' et nostre
*fEabilitc, et se laissent gaigner."

So too Brcfbeuf, in a letter to Vitellesclii, General of the Jesuits

VOL. I. — 15

226

PRIEST AXD PAGAN.

[16;58-10.

'> i

f ■

studied the nature of the savage, and conformed
themselves tr it with an acbnirable tact. Far from
treating tlie Indian as an alien and ])arbarian, they
would fain have adopted him as a countryman ; and
they proposed to the Ilurons that a number of young
Frenchmen should settle among them, and marry
their daughters in solemn form. The listeners were
gratified at an overture so flattering. " But what is
the use," they demanded, "of so nmch ceremony?
If the Frenchmen want our women, they are welcome
to come and take them whenever they please, as they
always used to do."^

Tiie Fathers are well agreed that their difficulties
did not arise from any natural defect of understand-
ing on the part of the Indians, who, according to
Chaumonot, were more intelligent than the French
peasantry, and who in some instances showed in
their way a marked capacity. It A\'as the inert mass
of pride, sensuality, indolence, and superstition that
opposed the march of the Faith, and in which the
Devil lay intrenched as behind impregnable breast-
works.'^

(see Carayon, 103) : "Co qu'il faut domander, avant tout, des ouv-
riers destine's k cette mission, c'est une douceur inalterable et une
patience a toute e'preuve."

1 Le Mercior, Relation des Ilunms, 1037, 100.

^ In tliis connection, the followinfi^ specimen of Indian reasoning
is worth noting. At the height of tiie pestilence, a Huron said to
one of the priests, "I see plainly that your God is angry with us
because we will not believe and ()l)ey him. Ihonatiria, wl.ere you
first tauglit his word, is entirely ruined. Tlien you came Iiere to
Oesossane', and we would not listen; so (Jssossane is ruined too.

1638-40.]

BACKSLIDERS.

227

It soon became evident that it was easier to make
a convert than to keei) him. ]\Ianv of the Indians
clnng to the idea tliat baptism was a safeguard
against pestilence and misfortune; and when the
fallacy of this notion was made apparent, their zeal
cooled. Their only anuisements consisted of feasts,
dances, and games, many of which were, to a greater
or less degree, of a su[)erstitious character; and as
the Fathers could rarely prove to their own satisfac-
tion the absence of the dial)olic element in any one
of them, they proscribed the whole indiscriminately,
to the extreme disgust of the neophyte. His coun-
trymen, too, beset him with dismal })i()gnostics, —
as "You will kill no more game;" "All your hair
will come out before spring;" and so forth. Vari-
ous doubts also assailed him with regard to the sub-
stantial advantages of his new profession ; and several
converts were filled with iinxiety in view of the prob-
able want of tobacco in Heaven, saying that they
could not do without it.^ Nor was it pleasant to
these incipient Christians, as they sat in class listen-
ing to the instructions of their teacher, to find them-

Tliis year you have boon all tlirousli our country, anrl found
scarcely any one who would do wlir.t (iod conunaiids; tlierefore the
pestilence is everywhere." After premises so hopeful, the Fathers
looked for a satisfactory conclusion; but tlie Iiulian proceeded:
" My ojjinion is tiuit we ought to sluit you out from all the houses,
and stop our ears when you speak of God, so that we cannot hear.
Then we shall not l)e so guilty of rejecting the truth, and he will
not punish us so cruelly." — Lalenuint, Relation des llurons,
IWO, 80.

1 Ibid., 1039, 80.

228

PRIEST AND PAGAN.

[1638-40.

' I ,

'I t

selves and liim suddenly made the targets of a shower
of sticks, snowballs, corn-cobs, and other rubbish,
flung at them by a screeching rabble of vagabond
boys.i

Yet while most of the neophytes demanded an
anxious and diligent cultivation, there were a few of
excellent promise ; and of one or two especially, the
Fathers, in the fulness of their satisfaction, assure
us again and again " that they were savage only in
name. ^

As the town of Ihonatiria, where the Jesuits had
made their first abode, was ruined by the pestilence,
the mission established there, and known by the
name of St. Joseph, was removed, in the summer of
1638, to Teanaustayd, — a large town at the foot of a
range of hills near the southern borders of the Huron
territory. The Hurons, this year, had had unwonted
successes in their war with the Iroquois, and had
taken, at various times, nearly a hundred prisoners.
Many of these were brought to the seat of the new
mission of St. Joseph, and put to death with fright-

1 Lalemant, Relation des Hurons, 1639, 78.

2 From June, 1639, to June, 1640, about a thousand persons were
baptized. Of these, two hundred and sixty were infants, and many
more were children. Very many died soon after baptism. Of the
whole number, less than twenty were baptized in health, — a num-
ber much below that of the preceding year.

The following is a curious case of precocious piety. It is that
of a child at St. Joseph : " Elle n'a que deux ans, et fait joliment
le signe de la croix, et prend elle-nicMnc de I'eau be'nite ; et une fois
se mit k crier, sortant de la Chapelle, h, cause que sa mere qui
la portoit ne lui avoit donne le loisir d'en prendre. II I'a fallu re-
porter en prendre." — Lettres de Gamier, MSS.

I 1 '■

■■! I

[1638-40.

I shower
rubbish,
agabond

ided an
a few of
ally, the
, assure
only in

Liits had
stilence,
by the
mmer of
foot of a
e Huron
n wonted
md had
risoners.
the new
L fright-

rsons were
and many
1. Of the
— a num-

It is that
t joliment
■t une fois

mere qui
a fallu re-

1638-40.] THE CANXTBALS AT ST. JOSEril. 229

ful tortures, though not before several had been con-
verted and baptized. The torture was followed, in
spite of the remonstrances of the priests, by those
cannibal feasts customary with the Ilurons on such
occasions. Once, when the Fathers had been strenu-
ous in their denunciations, a hand of the victim, duly
prepared, was flung in at their door, as an invitation
to join in the festivity. As the owner of the severed
member had been baptized, they dug a hole in their
chapel, and buried it with solemn rites of sepulture. ^

1 Lalomant, Relation des Iluronc, 1639, 70.

CHAPTER XII.

1G39, 1640.

THE TOBACCO NATION. — THE NEUTRALS.

A Change of Plav. — Sainte Marie. — Mission of the Toiiacco
Nation. — Winter Journeying. — Keception of the Mission-
aries. — Sii'EusTiTiors Tehuors. — 1'eril of Garmeu and
Joci'ES. — Mission of the Xeitrai-s. — IIiron iNTRKiiEs. —
Miracles. — Firy of the Indians. — Intervention of Saint
Michael. — Hetirn to Sainte Marie. — Intrepidity of the
Priests. — Their Mental Exaltation.

It had been the first purpose of the Jesuits to form
permanent missions in each of the principal Huron
towns; but before the close of tlie year 1639 the
difficulties and risks of this scheme had become fully
apparent. They resolved, therefore, to establish one
central station, to be a base of operations, and, as it
were, a focus, whence the light of the Faith should
radiate through all the wilderness around. It was
to serve at once as residence, fort, magazine, hospi-
tal, and convent. Hence the priests would set forth
on missionary expeditions far and near; and hither
they might retire, as to an asylum, in times of sick-
ness or extreme peril. Here the neophytes could be
gathered together, safe from perverting influences;
and here in time a Christian settlement, Hurons

1,1

1630.]

SAIXTE MARIE.

231

iS.

TOUACCO

; MissiON-

NIKK AM)
KKifES. —

or Saint

Y OV THE

to form
Huron
639 tlie
ne fully
iish one
id, as it
. should
It was
;, hospi-
iet forth
X hither
of sick-
iould be
luences ;
Hurons

mingled with Frenchmen, miglit spring up and
thrive under the shadow of the cross.

The site of the new station was admiral)ly chosen.
The little river Wye flows from 'he southward into
the Matchedash Bay of Lake Huron, and at ahout a
mile from its moutli passes through a small lake.
The Jesuits made choice of the riu'ht l)ank of the
Wye, where it issues from this lake; gained per-
mission to Iniild from the Indians, though not with-
out dithculty, and began their labors with an {d)undant
energy and a very deficient suj)[)ly of workmen and
tools. The new establishment was called Sainte
Marie. The house at Teanaustayd and the house
and chapel at Ossossand were abandoned, and all was
concentrated at this spot. On one hamb it had a
short water communication with Lake Iiuron; and
on the other, its central position gave the readiest
access to every part of the Iiuron territory.

During the summer before, the priests had made a
survey of their field of action, visited all the Iiuron
towns, and christened each of them with the name of
a saint. This heavy draft on the calendiir was fol-
lowed by another, for the designation of the nine
towns of the neighboring and kindred 2)eople of the
Tobacco Nation. 1 The Iiuron towns were portioned
into four districts, while those of the Tobacco Nation
formed a fifth, and each district was assigned to the
charge of two or more priests. In November and
December, they began their missionary excursions, —

1 See Introduction, ■]2.

232

Tlir. TOI?\CCO NATION.

[l;,.}9.

for the Indians were n >w gathered in their settle-
ments, — and journeyed i foot thrc ugii the denuded
forests, \v mud and spoav bearing on tlieir hacks tlie
vessels and utensils nc < ssar^' for tli.e service of the
altar.

The new i;nd perilous missinn of he I'ohacco Na-
tion fell to Garnier and Jogues'. They were well
chosen; and yet neither of them was rohnst by na-
ture, in body or mind, though Jogues was noted for
personal activity. The I'obaeco Nation lay at the
distance of a two days' jf)urney from the Huron
towns, among the mountains at the head of Notta-
wassaga Bay. The two missionaries tried to find a
guide at Ossossand ; but none would go with them,
and they set forth on their wild and unknown pil-
grimage alone.

The forests were full of snow; and the soft, moist
flakes were still falling thickly, obscuring the air,
beplastering the gray trunks, weighing to the earth
the boughs of spruce and pine, and hiding every foot-
print of the narrow path. The Fathers missed their
way, and toiled on till night, shaking down at every
step from the burdened branches a shower of fleecy
white on their black cassocks. Night overtook them
in a spruce swamp. Here they made a fire Avith
great ditliculty, cut the evergreen l)oughs, piled them
for a bed, and ' .y down. The storm presently
ceased; and, "praised be God," writes one of the
travellers, "we passed a very good night. "^

1 JogiU's and Garnier in Lalcmant, Relation drs Hurons, 1G40, 95.

:i'

■^i!

r Hettle-
leniided
icks tlio
5 of tlio

ceo Na-

!re well

liy na-

)ted for

' at the

Huron

Notta-

D find a

1 them,

wn pil-

t, moist
:he air,
le earth
ry foot-
k1 their
it every
f fleecy
)lv them
re with
3d them
resently
of the

, 1G40, 95.

1639.]

RECEiTIOX.

233

In the morning they 1)reakfasted on a morsel of
corn bread, and resuming tli r journey fell in with a
small party of Indians, wh' n tliey followed all diiv
without food. At eight in tne evening, tlicy reached
the first Tol)acco town, — a miserable cluster of bark
cabins, hidden among forests and lialf l)uried in snow-
drifts, wiiere the savage childi-en, seeing tlie two
black apparitions, screamed that P^imine isnd the
Pest were coming. Their evil fame liad gone before
them. r^'py were unwelcome guests; nevertheless,
shiveHiig ,d famished as they were in the cold and
dark;;)t s mey boldly jjushed their way into one of
thebtj "I IS of barbarism. It was precisely like a
Hu'-on liouse. Five or six fires blazed on the earth-
em lienor, and around them were huddled twice that
number of families, sitting, crcmching, standing, or
flat on the ground; old and young, women and men,
children and dogs, mingled })ell-mell. The s(^ene
would have been a strange one by daylight: it was
doubly strange by the flicker and glare of the lodge-
fires. Scowling brows, sidelong looks of distrust and
fear, the screams of scared children, the scolding of
squaws, the growling of wolfish dogs, — this was the
greeting of the strangers. The chief man of the
household treated them at first with the decencies of
Indian hospitality; but when he saw them kneeling
in the litter and ashes at their devotions, his suj)-
pressed fears found vent, and he began a loud har-
angue addressed half to them and half to the Indians:
"Now, what are these okics doing? They are making

234

THE XEUTRALS.

[inio.

r J
I h

charms to kill us, and dostroy all tluit tlie pest has
spared in this house. I heard that thoy were sorcer-
ers; and now, when it is too lato, I helieve it."^ It
is wonderful that tlio priests escaped the tomahawk.
Nowhere is the i)ower of courac^e, faith, and an un-
flinching purpose more strikingly displayed than in
the record of these missions.

In other Tobacco towns their reception was much
the same; but at the largest, called by them St.
Peter and St. Paul, they fared worse. They reacliXMl
it on a winter afternoon. Every door of its capa-
cious bark-houses was closed against them ; and they
heard the squjiws within calling on the young men to
go out and split their heads, while children screamed
abuse at tlie black-rol)ed sorcerers. As night a^t-
proached, they left the town, when a band of young
men followed them, hatchet in hand, to put them to
death. Darkness, the forest, and the mountain fav-
ored them ; and, eluding their pursuers, they escaped.
Thus began the mission of the Tobacco Nation.

In the following November, a yet more distant and
perilous mission was begun. Brdbeuf and Chau-
monot set out for the Neutral Nation. Tliis fierce
l^eople, as we have already seen, occupied that part
of Canada which lies immediately nortli of Lake
Erie, while a wing of their territory extended across
the Niagara into Western New York.^ In their atli-

^ Lalemant, Relation des Hurons, 1040, 90.

2 IntroiUu'tion. The river Niagara was at this time, 1040, well
known to the Jesuits, thougli none of them had visited it. Lale-

[1010.

lOlO.]

PF.RTLS.

235

pest lias
e sorcer-
it."i It
mihiiwk.

I ill! 1111"

tliaii in.

as much
lieiii St.
readied
ts capa-
Liul they
y men to
icreamed
ight ap-
)f young
i them to
:ain fav-
escaped.
111.

tant and
\ Chau-
lis fierce
hat part
of Lake
d across
heir atli-

1040, well
it. Lale-

h;tic proportions, tlie ferocity of their manners, and
the extravagiuice of their superstitions, no Aiiicrican
triho has ever (!XLc>"(h.'d them. 'I'licy carried to a
preposterous excess the Indian notion that insanity
is endowed with a r.iysterioiis and supeihunian power.
Tiieir country was full of pretended maniacs, wlio to
propitiate their guardian s[)irits, or oA/Vs, and ae{[nir(^
the mystic virtue wiiich pertained to madness, raved
stark naked through tlie villages, scattering the
brands of the lodge-iires, and upsetting everything
in their way.

The two priests left Sainte ^larie on the second ot
November, found a Huron guide at St. Joscjih, jtnd
after a dreary march of live days through the forest,
reached the first Neutral town. Advancing thence,
they visited in turn eighteen others; and their pro-

niant speaks of it as tlic " famous river of tliis nation " (tin- Neu-
trals). Tilt' following translation, from his llihttiim of Kill, shows
that both Lake Ontario and Lake I'lrie liad alreaiiy taken their
present names : —

"Tiiis river [the Xia<iara] is tlie same hy which our jjreat lake of
the Ilnrons, or Fresh Sea, (liseharf;es itself, in the first place, into
Lake Erie {If lac d'Erle), or the Lake of the Cat Nation. Then it
enters the territories of the Neutral Nation, and takes tlie name of
Onguiaahra (Niagara), until it tlischarges itself into Ontario, or the
Lake of St. Louis; whence at last issues the river which passes
before Quebi'C, and is called the St. I-awrence." lie makes no
allusion to the cataract, which is first mentioned as follows by
1-Jagueneau, in the litldtlmi of l(i4S: —

" Nearly south of this same Neutral Nation tliere is a great lake,
about two hundreil leagues in circuit, nanu'd Kric (l'.ri('), which is
formed by the discharge of the Fresh Sea, and wliich precipitates
itself by a cataract of friglitful height into a tiiinl lake, named
Ontario, which we call Lake St. Louis." — Rilution dcs Jfuruns,
1G48, 4().

236

THE NEUTUALS.

[into.

\ '

gross Wiis a storm of inalc'liotions. lii/'lunif cspe-
ciiilly was accounted tlui most pestilent of sorcerers.
The Ilurons, restrained by a superstitious awe, and
iinwilling to kill the i)riests, lest they should end)roil
themselves with the; French at Quebec, conceived
that their object mi^dit be safely ^^'ained l»y stirring
up the Neutrals to ])ecome their executioners. To
that end, they sent two emissaries to the Neutral
towns, who, calling the chiefs and younjr warriors to
a council, denounced the Jesuits as destroyers of the
human race, and made thiiir auditors a gift of nine
French hatcliets on condition that they would put
them to death. It was now that Brebeuf, fully con-
scious of the danger, half starved aiul half frozen,
driven with revilings from every door, struck and
spit upon by pretended maniacs, beheld in a vision
that great cross which, as we have seen, moved on-
ward through the air, above the wintry forests that
stretched towards the land of the Iroquois.^

Chaumonot records yet another miracle: "One
evening, when all the chief men of the town were
deliberating in council whether to put us to death,
Father lirdbeuf, while making his examination of
conscience, as we were together at prayers, saw the
vision of a spectre, full of fury, menacing us both
with three javelins which he held i his hands.
Then he hurled one of them at us; but a more pow-
erful hand caught it as it flew: and this to.^k place a
second and a third time, as he hurled his two remain-

» See ante, p. 198.

(

[in 10.

rccivrs.
vc, iuul
('inl)r(»il
iiccivcd
stirring

S. 1 ()

Neutral
liors to
of llie
(»r iiiuo
lid put
lly C'ou-
IVozeu,
ck and
I vision
ved ou-
sts that

"One

'n Ave re

death,

tion of

;aw the

lis l)0tll

hands,
re pow-
place a
[•emain-

1010.]

TIIK AIJCIIANCKL MICIIAKL.

237

inj? javt'lins. . . . Late at niiifht our host cauio back
from the council, where the two lliudii cuiissaries
ha<l made tlu'ir ,i;ift of hatchets to have us kiileih
He wakened us to sav iliat three times we liad l)een
at the point of (K'ath; for tlie youn<jf men had offi'red
three times to strike the blow, and tliree times tiie
old men had dissuaded them. Tliis explaineil the
meaning,' of leather Breheuf's vision."^

They had escaped for the time; hut the Indians
agreed amon^ themselves that thenceforth no one
sliould j^nve them shelter. Ai ni^ht, pierced with
cold and faint with hunn'cr, they found everv door
closed aufainst them. They stood and watched, saw
an Indian issue from a house, and l)y a (piiek move-
ment pushed throuf^h the half-open (h)or into this
abode of smoke and liith. The inmates, aghast at
their bohhiess, stared in silence. Then a messeuf^er
ran out to carry the tidings, and an angry crowd
collected.

"Go out, and leave our country," said an ohl clnef,
"or we will put you into the kettle, and make a feast
of you."

"I have liad enough of the dark-colored flesh of
our enemies," said a young brave; "I wish to know
the taste of white moat, and I will eat yours."

A warrior rushed in like a madman, drew his bow,
and aimed the arrow at Chaumonot. "I looked at
him fixedly," writes the Jesuit, "and commended
myself in full confidence to St. Michael. Without

^ Chauiiionot, Vic, 55.

238

THE NEUTRALS.

[IGIO.

I •;

1 1

1 ^ I

doul)t, this great archaiigi 1 saved us; for almost
immediately the fury of the warrior was a})peased,
and the rest of oui' enemies soon began to listen to
the explanation we gave them of our visit to their
country."^

'I'lie mission was Ijarren of any other fruit than
hardslii]) and danger, and after a stay oi" four months
the two priests resolved to return. On the way, they
met a geiniine act of kindness. A heavy snow-
storm arresting tlieir ju'ogress, a Neutral woman
took tiiem into her lodge, (entertained them for two
weeks with her best fare, persuaded her father and
relatives to l)efriend them, and aided them to make
a vocabulary of the dialect. I5idding their generous
hostess farewell, they journeyed northward, through
the melting snows of spring, and reached Sainte
Marie in safety. ^

The Jestiits had borne all that the human fi-ame
seems capable of bearing. Tliey had escaped as by
miracle from torture and death. Did their zea.l flag
or their courage fail? A fervor inten^'.e and un-
quencliable urged them on to more distant and more

1 Cliauiiionot, Me, 57.

'^ LiiU'iiiiint, ill liis RchttiDU of 1(541, gives the narrative of this
mission at Iciijitli. His account coincides perfectly with the
liricfer notice of ("haunioiiot in iiis Autohiograph}'. Chaunionot
describes the ditHculties of tlie journey very grapliically in a k'tter
to ills friend. Fallier Xajijii, dated Aug. D, 1(340, preserved in Cara-
yon. See also tiie next k'tter, /irchi ii/nu T. R. P. Mutio I'itel/esc/ii,
20 Aoul, 1(141.

Tile Hecollet La Koche Dallion liad visited tlie Xcutra\s four-
teen years before (see Introduction, oo, note), and, like his two
successors, had been seriously endangered by Huron intrigues.

[1640.

r almost

ppeased,

listen to

to their

uit than
r months
vay, they
y snow-
[ woman

for two
ther and
to make
generons

through
1 Sainte

m frame
:'d as by
zeal flag
and un-
,nd more

ivc of this
with the
l^hauniouot
■ in a k'tter
'd in Cara-
I'itel/eschi,

itrals four-
ce iiis two
•igues.

IGIO.]

MENTAL EXALTATION.

230

deadly ventures. The beings, so near to mortal
sympathies, so human, yet so divine, in whom their
faith impersonated and dramatized the great princi-
ples of Christian truth, — virgins, saints, and angels,
— hovered over them, and held before their raptured
siHit crowns of glorv and garlands of innnortal bliss.
Tiiey burned to do, to suffer, and to die ; and now,
from out a living martyrdom, they turned their heroic
gaze towards an liorizon dark with perils yet more
appalling, and saw in hope the day when tliey should
bear the cross into the blood-stained dens of the
Iroquois. 1

But in this exaltation and tension of the powers
was there no uKjiuent when the recoil of Nature
claimed a temporary sway? When an exile from
his kind, alone, beneath the desolate rock and the
gloomy pine-trees, the priest gazed forth on the piti-
less wilderness and the hovels of its dark and ruth-
less tenants, his thoughts, it may be, flew longingly
beyond those wastes of forest and sea that lay be-
tween him and the home of his boyhood; or rather,
led l)y a deeper attraction, they revisited the ancient
centre of his faith, and he seemed to stand once more
in that gorgeous temple, where, shrined in lazuli and
gold, rest the hallowed bones of Loyola. Cohunn
and arch and dome rise u[)on his vision, radiant in.
painted light, and trembling with celestial nnisic.

1 Tliis zoal was in no depreo due to success; for in Hi41, after
seven years of toil, tlie mission counted only abjut fifty living
converts, — a falling off from former years.

240

THE NF.UTRALS.

[1640.

)

♦ . ■ :

Again he kneels before the altar, from whose tabla-
ture beams upon him that loveliest of shapes, in
Avhich the imagination of man has embodied the spirit
of Christianity. The illusion overpowers him. A
thrill shakes his frame, and he bows in reverential
rapture. No longer a memory, no longer a dream,
but a visioned presence, distinct and luminous in the
forest shades, the Virgin stands before him. Pros-
trate on the rocky earth, he adores the benign angel
of his ecstatic faitli, then turns with rekindled fer-
vors to his stern apostleship.

Now, by the shores of Thunder Bay, the Huron
traders freight their ])irch vessels for their yearly
voyage; and, embarked Avith them, let us, too, re-
visit the rock of Quebec.

[1640.

)se tabla-
lapes, in
the spirit
him. A
verential
a dream,
Ills in the
1. Pros-
gn angel
died fer-

16 Huron

ir yearly

too, re-

CHAPTER XIII.

163G-1()4G.

QUEBEC AND ITS TENANTS.

"The New Goj-ernoh. — EDrFYixc. Examples, — Le Jeine's Coure-

SPONDENTS. — KaNK AM) DeVOTION. — Nl'NS. — I'UIESTEV Al-

TiioHiTY. — Condition ok Quehec. — The IIindred Associates.
— Cii' iirii l)is( iPi-iNE. — Plavs. — Fireworks. — Proces-
sions. — CATEflllSINi;. — TeRRORIi^M. — PlCTlRES. — TlIE CON-
VERTS. — The bociETV of Jests. — The Foresters.

I HAVE traced, in another vol time, the life and
death of the noble founder of New France, Sanniel
de Champlain. It was on Christmas Day, 1G85, that
his heroic spirit hade farewell to the frame it had
animated, and to the rugged cliff where he liad toiled
so long to lay the corner-stone of a Christian empire.

Quebec was without a governor. VVlio should suc-
ceed Champlai)i; and would his successor be found
equally zealous for tlie Faith, and friendly to the
mission? These do\d)ts, as he himself tells us, agi>
tated the mind of the Fatlier Superior, I^e Jeune
but they were happily set at rest, wlien, on a morn-
ing in June, lie saw a ship anchoring in the basin
below, and hastening with his brethren to the land-
ing-place, was there met by Charles Huauit de Mont
magny, a Knight of ]\Ialta, followed by a train of

officers and gentlemen. As they all climbed the
vol. i. — 10

242

QUEBEC AXD ITS TEXAXTS.

[1030.

rock togetlior, ^Montmagiiy saw a crucifix planted ])v
the path. lie instantly fell on his knees before it;
and nobles, soldiers, sailors, and priests imitated liis
example. The Jesuits sang Te Vcuin at the church,
and the cannon roared from the adjacent fort. Here
the new governor was scarcely installed, when a Jes-
uit came in to ask if he would be godfather to an
Indian about to Ije baptized. "Most gladly," replied
the pious Montmagny. He repair-'d on the instant
to the convert's hut, with a comj)any of gayly a})par-
elled gentlemen; and while tlie inmates stared in
amazement at tlie scarlet and end)r(>idery, he bestowed
on the dying savage the name of Josepii, in honor of
the spouse of the Virgin and the patron of New
France. 1 Three days after, he was told tliat a dead
proselyte was to ])e buried; on which, leaving the
lines of the ncnv fortifieatioii he was tracing, he took
in hand a torch, De Lish' his lieutenant took another,
Kepentigny and St. Jean, gentlemen of his suite,
with a band of soldiers followed, two priests bore the
corpse, and tlr.is all moved together in. procession to
tlie place of burial. The Jesuits were comforted.
Champlain himself had not displayed a zeal so
edifying."

A considerable reinforcement came out with Avlont-

* Lo Jenno, Relation, 10.'3(), 5 (Cramoisy). "^Monsieur le Gou-
veriu'ur !«c triins])()rtc.' aux Cabaiics (U; ct's j-auures harhares, suivy
(I'lmL' k'ste Xobk'ssc. Ju vous laisse a jicnscr (|ik'1 cstoiHK'iiK'iit a
cos Pi'uplos (U' voir tant d't'carlati', tant do pltjiuuhl'S bicn laitos
sous Ic'urs toits d'ocorct' ! "

^ lliii/., bo (('raiiu)isy).

i I

L1G3G.

uitcd l)v
efore ic;
;ated his
; church,
t. Here
ill a Jes-
er to an
" replied
3 instant
y appai--
tared in
jestowed
lionor of
of New
it a dead
ving tlie
, he took
another,
is suite,
bore the
ession to
niforted.
zeal so

til xvlont-

iir le Gnu-
iires, suivy
niK'iiK'iit a
bien I'aites

1030.]

FERVORS FOR THE MISSION.

243

niagny, and anionf]^ the rest several men of birth and
substance, with theii' families and <le[)endants. "It
was a sijrht to tliaiik (iod foi-," exclaims Father \a'
JeuiiC, "to behold tliese delicate youiin^ ladies and
these tender infants issuing from their wooden
prison, like day from the sliades of night.'' Tlie
Father, it will l)e I'cmembered, liad for some veai's
past seen iiotliiiig but scpiaws, with jjapooses swathed
like nnunmies and strapped to a board.

He was even more i)leased witli tlie contents of a
huge packet of letters that was placed in Ids hands,
bearing the signatures of nuns, pi'iests, soldiers, cour-
tiers, and princesses. A great interest in the mis-
sion had been kindled in France. Le Jenm 's
printed Relations had been read M'itli avidity; and
his Jesuit brethnMi, wlio as teachers, pi'eachers, and
confessors had si)read themselves througli the nation,
had successfully fanned the; rirung fkinie. The Father
Superior iinds no words f..r his joy. "Heaven," he
exclaims, "is the conductor of this enterprise. Na-
ture's arms are not long enough to touch so many
hearl ^ He reads ho\v, in a single convent, thir-
teen uis have devoted iliemselves l)y a vow to the
worK of converting the Indian women and children;
hoA\, in the church of Montmartre, a mui lies pros-
tr ■ day and night before tlie altar, pi'aying for the
mission;^ how "the Carmelites are all on lire, the
Ursulines full of zeal, the sisters of the Visitation

^ " C'est Dieu qui ciniduit cttte oiitri'prisc. I^a Nature n'u pas
les bras asscz lonos," I'tc. — Uddtinn, W-y>, :].
'^ Brebeiif, Relation da lluruns, 1030, 70.

244

QUEBEC AND ITS TENANTS.

[1G36.

>»

how

have no words to spoak their ardor; " ^ now some ^
son unknown, but blessed of Heaven, means to found
a sehool for llui'on cliilch'en; liow the Duchcsse
d'AiguiUon h;is sent out six workmen to buikl a hos-
pital for the Indians; how, ii every house of the Jes-
uits, young })riests turn eager eyes towards Canada ;
and liow on the voyage thither the devils raised a
tem})est, endeavoring, in vain fury, to drown the
invaders of their American domain. ^

Great was Le Jeune's delight at the exalted rank
of some of those who gave their i)atronage to the mis-
sion; and again and again his satisfaction flows from
his pen in mysterious allusions to these eminent per-
sons.''^ In his eyes, the vicious imbecile who sat on
the throne of France was the anointed champion of
the Faith, and the cruel and ambitious priest who
ruled king and nation alike was the chosen instru-
ment of Heaven. Church and State, linked in alli-
ance close and potential, played faithfully into each
other's hands; and that enthusiasm, in which the
Jesuit saw the direct inspiration of God, was fos-

1 Lo JiHine, Rel'tion, 1080, 6. Compare "Divers Sentiinens,"
appi'iidt'd to tilt" llcldllon of Kioo.

^ " L'EntVr (.'nratifant do nous vooir allor en la Nouuelle France
pour oonuertir les in^delles et diininuer sa puissance, par depit
il sousleuoit tons les Eleiiujns contro nous, et vouloit abysraer la
flotte." — Dicers Srnti)iieiit>.

3 Among Ills c(>rros])ondents was tiie younj.; Due d'Enphien,
afterwards the Great Condr, at this time fifteen years old. "Dieu
8oit loiid! tout le eiel do nostre eiiere I'atrie nous promet de fauor-
ables influences, iusijues a ee nouuel astro, (jui commence ii pa-
roistre jjarmy ceux de la premiere grandeur" — Le Jeune, Relation,
1(330, 3, 4.

[1G36.

)ine por-
to found
)uclK'sse
.d a hos-
tile Jes-
Ciuiada ;
raised a
own the

3ed rank
the niis-
^vs from
tent per-

sat on
inpion of
iest wlio

1 instru-
[ in alli-
nto each
hich the
was fos-

k'ntiraens,"

ellc France
, par depit
ahysuier la

d'Enphicn,
)hl. " DkHi
et de fauor-
lonco a pa-
le, Relation,

hdi'hf^St^ .i 'Alt 'l/'ntt

«;f

f f

J t

' i

*y{

,1
I ^ if

loao-io.]

TKIKSTLY AUTHORITY.

245

tered l)y all the i)rosti^'o of royalty and all tlic patron-
age of power. And, as often happens where the
interests of a hierarchy are identified with the inter-
ests of a ruling class, religion was become a fashion,
as graceful and as comforting as the courtier's em-
broidered mantle or the court lady's i-obe of fur.

Such, we ma} well believe, was the c(»mi»lexion of
the enthusiasm which animated some of Le Jeune's
noble and princely correspondents, lint there were
deeper fervors, glowing in the still dei»ths of convent
cells, and kindling the breasts of their inmates with
quenchless longings. Yet we hear of no zeal for the
missicm among religious conununities of men. The
Jesuits regarded the lield as their own, and desired
no rivals. They looked forward to the day when
Canada should be another Paraguay.^ ^t was to tiie
combustible hearts of female recluses ^liat the torch
was most busily a])[)lied; and here, accordingly,
bla/X'd forth a prodigious and amazing flame. "If
all had their pious will," writes Le Jeune, "Quebec
would soon be flooded with nuns."^

Both Montmagny and De Lisle were half church-
men, for both were Knights of Malta. More and
more the powers spiritual engrossed the colony. As
nearly as might be, the sword itself was in priestly
hands. The Jesuits were all in all. Authority, ab-

^ " Que si celuy qui a cscrlt cettc lettre ii Icu la Ki'lation dc co
qui se passe au I'araguais, qu'il a vcu ci' (pii sf fera uii jour uii 'n
Nouucllo France." — Le Jeuno, llilatirm, K);}?, ;]()4 (Crainoiwy).

2 Chaulraer, Le Xouccuu Monde Chrcsticn. 41, is i >quent on
this theme.

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24G

QUEBEC AX. ITS TENANTS.

[IfilO.

solute, and without appeal, was vested in a council
composed of the governor, Le Jcune, and tlie syndic,
an official supposed to represent the interests of the
inliabitants.i Tliere was no tribunal of justice, and
tlie governor pronounced summarily on all complaints.
The church adjoined the fort; and before it was
planted a stake bearing a placai'd with a prohibition
against blasphemy, drunkenness, or neglect of mass
and other religious rites. To the stake was also
attached a chain and iron collar; and hard by was a
wooden horse, whereon a culprit was now and then
mounted by way of example and warning. ^ In a
community so absolutely priest-governed, overt of-
fences were, however, rare ; and except on the annual
arrival of the ships from France, when the rock
swarmed with godless sailors, Quebec was a model
of decorum, and wore, as its chroniclers tell us, an
aspect unspeakably edifying.

In the year 1G40, various new establishments of
religion and charity might have been seen at Quebec.
There was the beginning of a college and a seminary
for Huron children, an embryo Ursuline convent, an
incipient hospital, and a new Algonquin mission at a
place called Sillery, four miles distant. Champlain's
fort had been enlarged and partly relaiilt in stone by
Montmagny, who had also laid out streets on the
site of the future city, though as yet the streets had
no houses. Behind the fort, and very near it, stood

^ Le Clero, ^tahlissement de la Foi/, chap. xv.
2 Le Jeuue, Jielatioii, 1030, 15U, 151 (Cnunoisy).

IGIO.]

THE IIUNDllHI) ASSOCIATES.

247

the church and a liouse foi' the Jesuits. Both were
of pine wood; and this year, 1G40, hoth were burned
to the ground, to hu afterwards rebuilt in stone. The
Jesuits, howevci-, continued to occupy their rude
mission-house of Notre-Dame des Angos, oji the St.
Charles, where we first found them.

The country around Qucl)ec was still an unbroken
wilderness, with the exception of a small clearing
made by the Sieur Giffard on his seigniory of Beau-
port, another made by INI. de Puiseaux between Que-
bec and Sillery, and possibly one or two feel)le
attempts in other quarters.^ The total population
did not imich exceed two hundred, including women
and children. Of this number, by far the greater
part were agents of the fur company known as the
"Hundred Associates,'' and men in their employ.
Some of these had brought over their families. The
remaining inhabitants were priests, nuns, and a very
few colonists.

The Company of the Hundred Associates was
bound by itt> charter to send to Canada four thou-
sand colonists ])efore the year 1G48.2 It had neith(;r
the means nor the will to fulfd this engagement.
Some of its members were willing to make personal
sacrifices for promoting the missions, and building up

1 For Giffard, ruiscaux, and otluT colonists, compare Lanpovin,
Notes snr Ics Arcln'ns de Xotrc-Dainc dc BfitHport, 5,0,7; IVrland,
Notra snr les Arc/tins dc X. I), de Qnehcr, 22, 24 (180.']) ; Ibid., Cours
d'Histoire dii Canada, i. 2()l); Lc Jouik', Palation, 1030, 45; Faillon,
Illftfoire de la Colmiie Fraii^'aise, I. c. iv., V.

^ Sfc " rioncers of Franco/' ii. 2.31).

248

QUEBEC AND ITS TENANTS.

[1640.

.11

a colony purely Catliolic. Otliei-s thon[,'lit only of
the profits of trade ; and the practical att'airs of the
company liad passed entirely into the hands of this
portion of its niendiers. Tliey sought to evade ohli-
gations the fullilnient of which would have ruined
them. Instead of sending out colonists, they granted
lands witli the condition that the grantees should fur-
nisli a certain number of settlers to clear and till
them, and these were to be credited to the Company. ^
The grantees took the land, but rarely ful tilled the
condition. Some of these grants were corrupt and
iniquitous. Tluis, ji son of Lauson, president of the
Company, received, in the name of a third pei-son, a
tract of land on the south side of the St. T^awrence
of sixty leagues front. To this were added all the
islands in that river, excepting those of Montreal and
Orlciins, together with the exclusive right of fishing
in it through its whole extent. ^ Lauson sent out not
a single colonist to these vast concessions.

There was no real motive for emigration. No per-
secution expelled the colonist from liis home; for
none but good Catholics Avere tolerated in New
France. The settler could not trade with the In-

1 This appears in many early grants of the Company. Tlius, in
a grant to Simon Le Maitre, Jan. 15, lfi30, " que les hommes que le
(lit . . . fera passer en la N. F. tourneront a la dccharge de la (lite
Compagnie," etc., etc. — See /'/civs snr la Tt'iiiirc Sei<jneun'<ile, pub-
lished by the Canadian government, passim.

2 Art-hires {In Seiiiiriairf de ViUcmarie, cited by Faillon, i. 350.
Lauson's father owned Montreal. Tiie son's grant extended from
tlie river St. Francis to a point far above Montreal. — La Fontaine,
Memoire siir la Famille dt Lausun.

1640.]

CONVENTS. — HOSPITALS.

249

ditin.s, excc])t on condition of selling again to the
Company at a fixed price. lie might hunt, hut he
could not fish; and he was forced to heg or buy food
for yeai-s before he could obtain it from that rude soil
in sufficient quantity for the wants of his family.
The Company importcnl provisions every year for
those in its employ; and of these supplies a portion
was needed for the relief of starving settlers, (iift'ard
and his seven men on his seigniory of Beauport were
for some time the only settlei-s — excejjting, perhaps,
the Hubert family — who could support themselves
throughout the year. The rigor of the climate re-
pelled the emigrant; nor were the attractions which
Father Le Jeune held forth — "piety, freedom, and
independence" — of a nature to entice him across the
sea, when it is remembered that this freedom con-
sisted in subjection to the arbitrary will of a priest
and a soldier, and in the liability, should he forget
to go to mass, of being made fast to a post with a
collar and chain, like a dog.

Aside from the fur trade of the Company, the
whole life of the colony was in missions, convents,
religious schools, and hospitals. Here on the rock of
Quebec were the appendages, useful and otherwise,
of an old-established civilization. While as yet there
w^ere no inhabitants, and no immediate hope of any,
there were institutions for the care of children, the
sick, and the decrei)it. All these were supported by
a charity in most cases precarious. Tlie Jesuits re-
lied chiefly on the Company, who by the terms of

250

QUEBEC AND ITS TENANTS.

[1010.

tlic'ir patent were obliged to inaiiitiiiii religions wor-
ship.^ Of the origin of the convent, hospital, and
seminary I shall soon have occasion to speak.

Qnebec wore an aspect half military, half monastic.
At sunrise and sunset, a squad of soldiers in tlie pay
of the Company paraded in the fort; and, as in
Champlain's time, the bells of the church rang morn-
ing, noon, and night. Confessions, masses, and pen-
ances were punctiliously observed; and, from the
governor to the meanest laljorer, the Jesuit watched
and guided all. The social atmosphere of New Eng-
land itself was not more suffocating. By day and by
night, at home, at church, or at his daily work, the
colonist lived under the eyes of busy and over-zealous
priests. At times, the denizens of Quebec grew rest-
less. In 1639, deputies were covertly sent to beg
relief in France, and "to represent the hell in which
the consciences of the colony were kept by the union
of the tempcu'al and spiritual authority in the same
hands." '^ In 10-12, partial and ineffective measures

^ It is a principle of the Jesuits, tliat each of its establishments
shall find a support of its own, and not be a burden on the general
funds of tlie Society. Tiie Jii.'latiuiis are full of appeals to the
charity of devout persons in behalf of the missions.

" Of what use to the country at this period could have been two
communities of cloistered nuns ? " asks the modern historian of
the Ursulines of Quebec ; and he answers by citing' the words of
Pop.? Grefjory the Great, who, when Rome was ravaged by famine,
pestilence, and the barbarians, declared that his only hope was in
the prayers of the three thousand nuns then assi'inbled in the liuly
city. — r^cs Ursitliiits <le Quebec, Introd,, \'\.

■i >' i>our lour representer la gehcnne oii estoient les consciences
de la Colonic, de se voir gouverne ])as les niesmes personnes pour
le si)irituel et pour le temporel." — Le Clerc, i. 478.

1636-46.]

TlIK TRIEST AS A lirLKH.

2:.l

wor-
iuul

were taken, witli the coiiiitenance of Uiclielieii, for
iiitr()<lu('in<j into Neu' France an Order less ijreedv of
seigniories and endowments tliaii tlie .Jesuits, and less
prone to political encroachment.' No favorahlc rt'sult
followed: and the colony remained as hcfore, in a
pitiful state of cramping and dwarling vassalage.

This is the view of a heretic. It was the aim of
the founders of New France to build on a foundation
purely and supremely Catholic. What this involved
is plain; for no degree of personal virtue is a guar-
anty against the evils which attach to the lemporal
rule of ecclesiastics. Burning with love and devotion
to Christ and his innnaculate Mother, the fervent and
conscientious priest regards with mixed pity and in-
dignation those who fail in this supreme allegiance.
Piety and charity alike demand that he should hring
back the rash wanderer to the fold of his divine Mas-
ter, and snatch him from the perdition into which his
guilt must otherwise plunge him. And while he, the
priest, himself yields reverence and obedience to the
Superior, in whom he sees the representative of
Deity, it behooves him, in his degree, to recjuire
obedience from those whom he imagines that God has
confided to his guidance. His conscience, then, acts
in perfect accoi'd with the love of power iiniate in the
human heart. These allied forces mingle \\ ith a [u'r-
plexing subtlety; pride, disguised even from itsi-lf,

^ Declaration <le Pierre Breanf, par t/irant li-s ycfnirrn du I\'>;i, MS.
The Order was that of tlie Capuehiiis, wlio, like the tlie Ue'eollets,
are a brancli of tlie Franeisuaiis. Their iiitroiliictioii into Canada
was i)revented; but they established themselves in Maim;.

252

QUEBEC AND ITS TENANTS. [16:50-10.

! 1 ;

walks in tho likeness of love and <uity; iiiul a thou-
sand times on the pages of history we hnd Ilell l)egnil-
ing the virtues of Heaven to do its work. The
instinct of domination is a weed that grows vnnk in
the shadow of the temple, elind)S over it, possesses
it, covere its ruin, and feeds on its decay. The un-
checked sway of priests has always been the most
mischievous of tyrannies; and even were they all
well-meaning and sincere, it would l)e so still.

To the Jesuits, the atmosphere of Quebec was
well-nigh celestial. "In the climate of New France,"
they write, "one learns perfectly to seek only God,
to have no desire but God, no j)urpose but for God."
And again: "To live in New France is in truth to
live in the bosom of God." "If," adds Le Jeune,
" one of those who die in this country goes to

pt ation, I think he will be doubly guilty."*

The very amusements of this pious community
were acts of religion. Thus, on the fete-day of St.
Joseph, the patron of New France, there was a show
of fireworks to do him honor. In the forty volumes
of the Jesuit Relations there is but one pictorial
illustration; and this represents the pyrotechnic con-
trivance in question, together with a figure of the

1 " La Nouuelle France est vn vray climat oil on apprend par-
faictcment bien k ne chercliiT que Dieu, no dcsirer que Dieu soul,
auoir I'intontion puroniont a Dion, etc. . . . Viure on la Nouuelle
France, c'est a vray dire viure dans le soin do Dieu, ot ne respirer
que I'air do sa Diuine conduite." — Divers Sentimens. " Si quolqu'iin
do ceux qui niourent on cos contro'es se damne, je croy qu'il Pera
doublenient coupable." — Relation, 1040, 5 (Cramoisy).

.ill h

J.'io-io.

lU3(3-40.]

PLAYS. —PROCESSIONS.

253

tliou-

nk ill

le un-

inost

y all

was

Governor in the Jict of touching it off.^ But, whiit
is more curious, u Catholic writer of the present day,
tiie Ablxi Faillon, in an elaborate and learned work,
dilates at length on tlie details of tlie display; and
this, too, with a gravity which evinces his conviction
that S(|uilts, rockets, hlue-lights, and serpent.s are im-
portant instruments for the saving of souls. ^ On
JMay-Day of the same year, 1G37, jNIontmagny })liinted
before the church a May-pole surmounted hy a triple
crown, luineath which were three symbolical circles
decorated with wreaths, and bearing severally the
names, Ic-ius^ Maria^ Joseph ; the soldiers drew up
before it, and saluted it with a volley of musketry.^

On the annivei-sary of the Dauphin's birth there
was a dramatic performance, in which an unbeliever.,
speaking Algonquin for the profit of the Indians
present, was hunted into Hell by fiends.'* Keligi(ms
processions were frequent. In one of them, the
Governor in a court dress and a baptized Indian in
beaver-skins were joint supporter of tiie canopy
which covered the llost.^ In another, six Indians
led the van, arrayed each in a velvet coat of scarlet
and gold sent them by the King. Then came other
Indian converts, two and two; then the foundress
of the Ursuline convent, with Indian children in
French gowns; then all the Indian girls and women,
dressed after their own way; then the priests; then

1 Relation, 1037, 8. The Relations, as orij^inally published, com-
prised about forty volumes.

a Jlistoire de la Colonic Frangaise, i. 201, 202. 3 Relation, lOHT, 82.
* Viniout, Relation, 1G40, 0. * Le Jeune, Relation, 1038, 6.

.!'

254

Qri:ni:c axd its tkxaxts. rioan-tn.

tlu; ( Jovcnior; and liiially tho wlioln Frciicli j)C)])ulii-
tioii, iiialc and feniak', nxcopt tlic artilU'ry-nicn at tlic
loit, wlio saluted witli tlicir cannon the cross and
banner borno at tlie liead of the [jrocession. W'licn
all was over, the (iovernor and the Jesuits rewarded
the Indians with a least. ^

Now let the stran^t^cr enter the church of Notre-
Danu! d(! la Kecouvrance, after vespeis. It is full,
to the very porch, — olHcers in slouched hats and
plumes, musketeers, pikemen, mechanics, and labor-
ers. Here is Moiitma^'ny himself; Uepentigny and
Poterie, gentlemen (tf good birtli; damsels of inir-
ture ill-litted to the Canadian woods; and, mingled
with these, the motionless Indians, wrapped to the
throat in endn'oidcrcd moose-hides. Le .leune, not
in ])ricstly vestments, but in the connnon black dress
of his Order, is l)efore tho altar; and on either sidti is
a row of small reil-skinned children listening with
exemi)lary decorum, while, with a cheerful, smiling
face, he teaches them to kneel, clas[) their hands, and
sign the cross. All the principal members of this
zealous community are present, at once amused and
edified at the grave deportment, and the prompt,
shrill replies of the infant cateclu^.mens ; while their
parents in the crowd grin delight at the gifts of beads
and trinkets with which Le Jeune rewards his most
proficient pui)ils.2

We have seen the methods of convei'sion practised

1 Le Jeuno, ReMhm, 1(530, 3.

2 Ibid., 1G37, 122 (Cramoisy).

10;w-i(i.]

TKKHORISM.

25')

ainon<jj tlic IIuroMs. Tlifv were iniicli tlic simic at
QiKjlu't!. Tlu' priiicipiil iij»|M':il was td frai-.' ""You
do good to your tVii'iids," said L»' .Icuiu' to an Algoii-
quiu chief, "and you hum your cucinirs. (i(td does
the saiuo." And In* [)aint('(l IIcU to tlic startled
iioo})liyti' as a j)hn't' wiiere, wlien lie was liun<^ry, he
wouhl get notliing to eat l)ut fiogs and snakes, and,
ulien tiiirsty, notliing to drink hut tlanies.^ Pictures
were found invahiahh'. "These lioly representa-
tions," pui-sues tiie Father Sniu-rior, "are hiilf tlu^
instruction that can Ik- given to tlu^ Indians. I
wanted some pictures of Hell and souls in })ei(lition,
and a few were sent us on jKipt-r; hut they are too
confused. The devils and the men are so mixed uj),
that (me can make out nothing without particular
attention. If three, four, or live devils weic painted
tormenting a soul with diffei'ent punishments, — one
applying tire, another sei'[)ents. another teai'ing him
with pincers, and another holding him fast with a
chain, — this would have a good effect, especially if
everything were made distinct, and misery, rage, and
desperation api)eared plainly in his face."^

1 Ia' .Ii'uiu", A'»/(///o», KCJO, lU), jind l(i;]7, .">2 (Cramoisy). "La
craintc est riiuan couriere de la foy <liins ci's osprits liarbaroa."

•^ Ihid., 1().57, 80-S2 (Cramoisy). " Avoif faiia ft ne inan^'iT
que (les serpens et des crajjaux, avoir soil" et ne boire que des
Haniines."

8 "Les heretiques sont grandenient hlasinables, de condamncr et
de l)ri,ser les iinajjes (jui out de si lions et'fets. Ces sainetes lif^iires
sont la moitie de rinstruetioii ([ii'oM pent donner aux Sauuaj.'es.
Fauois desire (inelques ])ortraits de I'eiifer et de I'anie dainnee ; on
nous en a eniioye quelques vns et en jjajiier, niais cela est trop
confus. Les dialtles sont telleinent nieslez aiiec les homnies, qu'on

2r)G Qi*i:iu:c and its tkxants. [1030-10.

The prepariitioii of tlio convert for baptism was
often very slij^Mit. A dyinjjf Al^onciuin, wlio, tlioiigh
meaj^re as a skeleton, l»ad thrown himself, with a last
effort of expirinjif ferocity, on nn Iroquois prisoner,
and torn off his ear witii his teeth, wius baptized al-
most innnediatelv.' In the case of converts in health
there was far more preparation; yet these often apos-
tatized. The various objects of instruction may all
be included in one compichensive word, submission,
— an abdication of will and jud<;ment in favor of the
spiritual director, who was the inter{)reter and vice-
gerent of (lod. The director's function consisted in
the enforcement of dogmas by which he had himself
l)een subdued, in which ho believed profoundly, and
to which he often clung with an alxsorbing enthusi-

n'y jU'Ut ric'ii n-copnoistro, qu'aiK'd viit' particiiliiTt- attention, (iui
(lt'|)(iii(lroit trois on (luatro on rii\([ demons, tournii'iitans vni> Aino
»K' (liuiTs sujiplicc'S, I'vn luy appliiinant (Ics feux.raufre des Hi-rpcns,
I'autri' la tciiiiillant, I'autri' la tenant liee auec des cliaisnes, cela
nuroit vn bon ell'et, notaniment si tout estoit bien distingue, ft que
la rajre et la tristesse parussent bien en la face de cctte aine deses-
peree." — lUlalion, KilJT, ;5:i (Cramoisy).

1 "Ce seroil vne estrauj^o eruauto de voir dcsoendro vnc ftmo
toute viuante dans les enters, par le refus d'vn bien que lesus
t'iirist Iny a aecinis au prix de son sang." — Relation, 1(587, 00
(Cramoisy).

"Considerez d'aiitre cote la prande apprehension que nous
avions sujet de redouter la guerison ; pour autaiit que bien souvent
etant ^nieris il ne Icur reste du St. iiaptume que le caractere." —
Lcttna (le (ianiirr, MSS.

It was not very easy to make an Indian comprehend the nature
of l)aptism. An Iroquois at Montreal, hearing a missionary speak-
ing of the water whicli cleansed the soul from sin, said that he was
well acquainted witli it, as the Dutch had once given him so much
that they were forced to tie him, liand and foot, to prevent him
from doing mischief. — Faillon, ii. 43.

10:jn-lfl.]

80CIKTY OF .TESrS.

or,7

uHiii. TIio JcHuits, un OnltT tliorou^Mily iind vt'lio-
mcntly reactive, liad revived in I'jirojM? tlio iiiedia'val
tvi»u (if ('hristiaiiity, with all iU atlondaiit HUpersti-
tioiis. or tiiese tlie Canadian missions in-ar jil)undant
marks. Vet, on tho wiiole, tlu) lalxirs of tlio mission-
aries tended ^neatly to tlio ])onelit of the Indians.
Ueclaimed, as tla; Jesnits tried to reclaim them, from
their wanderin^^ life, settled in hahils of j)eacefnl in-
dnstry, and rednced to a jiassive and childlike (thedi-
once, they would liavt; gained njore than cnou^di to
comiiensate them for tho loss of their ferocious and
miserahle indepen(h'nce. At least, they would have
escaped ainiihilation. Tho Society of Jesus asjiii-ed
to tho mastery of all Now France; hut tho methods
of its andation were consistent with a Christian
l)enovolonco. Had this heen otherwise, it would
liavo emi)lo3ed other instrumentxS. It would not
have chosen a Jogues or a (iarnior. The Society
had men for every work, and it used thorn wisely.
It utilized tlu; apostolic virtues of its Canadian mis-
sionaries, fanned th(.'ir enthusiasm, and do(;oratod it-
self with th(;ir martyr crowns. With joy and gratu-
hitioii, it saw them rival in another hemisphere tho
noble nionifiry of its saint and hero, Francis Xavier.^

I have spoken of the colonists as living in a state
of temporal and spiritual vassalage. To this there
was one exception, — a small class of men whose

1 Em-niics of the .Tosuits, while denoiincinp thom in unineasurcfl
terms, sjji'ak in strong: euh)iry of niiiiiy of tlu- Canadian mission'
aries. Si-t-, for example, Steinmetz, IJistonj u/'thi' ,/tsuits, ii. 415.

VOL. I. — 17

258

QUEBEC AND ITS TENANTS. [1636-4G.

home was the forest, and tlieir companions savages.
They followed the Indians in their roamings, lived
with them, grew familiar with tlieir langnage, allied
themselves with their women, and often became ora-
cles in the camp and leaders on tlie war-jjatli.
Champlain's hold interpreter, l^Uienne Brnld, whose
adventures 1 have recounted elsewhere,^ maybe taken
as a type of this cliuss. Of the rest, the most con-
spicuous were Jean Nicollet, Jacques llertel, Fran-
9ois Marguerie, and Nicolas Mai-solet.^ Doubtless,
when they returned from their rovings, they often
had pressing need of penance and absolution; yet,
for the most part, they were good Catholics, and
some of them were zealous for the missions. Nicollet
and others were at times settled as interpreters at
Three Rivers and (^uel)ec. Several of them were
men of great intelligence and an invincible couragi;.
P^rom hatred of restraint and love of a wild and
adventurous independence, they encountered priva-
tions and dangers scarcely less than those to which
the Jesuit exposed himself from motives widely dif-
ferent, — he from religious zeal, charity, and the
hope of Paradise ; they simply because they liked it.
Some of the best families of Canada claim descent
from this vigorous and hardy stock.

1 " rioiu'ors of Prance," ii. 2.')4.

^ See Ferland, Xo'es sur Irs Jic'iistrcs dc X. D. de Quebec, 30.

Nicollet, especially, was a remarkable man. As early as l(i;30,
he ascended the Green Bay of Lake Michigan, and crossed to the
waters of the Mississipj)!. 'i'liis was first shown by tlie researches
of Mr. Siiea. See his Discovery and Exjdoration of the Mississippi
Vidlei], XX.

i'.

and

CHAPTER XIV.

1G3G-1G52.
DEVOTEES AND NUNS.

The IIluon Semixaky, — Maoaaie de la Pelthie : her Pious
Schemes: hek Sham Makkia(;e ; she visits the Uustlines
OF TouKS. — Mauie de Saint Ueuxaud. — Makie de i/Incar-

NATION : HEU E.NTHISIASM ; HER MVSTICAL MaRKIAUE ; HER

Dejection; her Mental Conflicts; her Vision; made

Sl'PERIOR OF THE UrSULINES. TlIE IIOTKL-DlEl.'. — TllE VoV-

AGE TO Canada. — Sillerv. — Lai{(»rs and Sufferings of the
Nuns. — Character of Marie de l'Incarnation. — Of Ma-
dame DE LA PELTRIE.

Quebec, as we have seen, had a seminary, a hospi-
tal, and a convent, before it had a popnlation. It
will be well to observe the orioin of these institutions.

The Jesuits from the first had cherished the plan
of a seminary for Huron boys at Quebec. The (jov-
ernor and the Company favored the design ; since not
only would it be an el'ficieni means of spreading the
Faith and attaching the tribe to the French interest,
but the children would be pledges for the good be-
havior of the parents, and hostages for the safety of
missionaries and traders in the Indian towns. ^ In

1 " .M. (le Montmafrny copmiit bion riinpnrtance de co Reminairo
pour la tiloire de Nostiv Sei^in'iir, ct pour Ic Cominerce de cfs
Messieurs." — Relation, 10.']7, 200 (Craiiuii.^y).

260

DEVOTEES AND NUNS.

[1620-36.

the summer of 163G, Father Daniel, descending' from
the Huron country, worn, emaciated, liis cassock
patched and tattered, and his shirt in rags, l>rought
with him a boy, to whom two others ^\■ere soon
added; and through the influence of the interpreter,
Nicollet, the number was afterwards i.xcreased by
several more. One of them ran away, two ate them-
selves to death, a fourth was carried home by his
father, while three of those remaining stole a canoe,
loaded it with all they could lay their hands upon,
and escaped in triumph with their plunder,"^

The beginning was not hopeful; but the Jesuits
persevered, and at length established their seminary
on a firm basis. The Marquis do Gamache had given
the Society six thousand crowns for tounding a col-
lege at Quebec. In 1(337, a year before the building
of Harvard College, the Jesuits began a wooden
structure in the rear of the fort; and here, within
one enclosure, was the Huron seminary and the col-
lege for French boys.

Meanwhile the female children of both races were
without instructors; but a remedy was at hand. At
Alenc^on, in 1G03, was born INIarie Madeleine do
Chauvigny, a scion of the hmde noUesse of Normandy.
Seventeen years later she was a young lady, abun-
dantly wilful and superabundantly enthusiastic, —
one who, in other circumstances, might perhaps have
made a romantic elopement and a mesalliance.^ But

1 Le Joune, lieJation, 1037, 5r)-50. Ibid., Relation, 1038, 23.

'^ There is a portrait of her, taken at a later period, of which a

1G26-36.] MADAME DE LA TELTRIE.

2G1

her impressible and ardent nature was absorbed in
other objects. Religion and its ministers possessed
her wholly, and all her enthusiasm was spent on
works of charity and devotion. Her father, passion-
ately fond of her, resisted her inclination for the
cloister, and sought to wean her back to the world ;
but she escaped from the chateau to a neighboring
convent, where she resolved to remain. Her father
followed, carried her home, and engaged her in a
round of fetes and hunting parties, in the midst of
which she found herself surprised into a betrothal to
M. de la Peltrie, a young gentleman of rank and
character. The marriage pi-oved a happy one, and
INIadame de la Peltrie, witli an excellent grace, bore
her part in the world she had wished to renounce.
After a union of iive years, her husband died, and
she was left a widow and childless at the aefe of
twenty-two. She returned to the religious ardors of
her girlhood, again gave all her thoughts to devotion
and charity, and again rcsolvi'd to l)e a nun. She
had heard of Canada; and when Le Jeune's first
Relations appeared, slie read them with avidity.
"Alas I" wrote the Father, "is there no charitable
and virtuous lady who will come to this country to
gather up the blood of Christ, by teaching His word
to the little Indian girls?" His ai)peal found a

photograph is hcforo nu'. She lias a KiMiii-rcliLrioiis dress, hands
c'lasi)tMl in ])rayer, lari,H' (hirk eyes, a siuiliiiu' and mischievous
mouth, and a faeo somewhat pretty and very coquettish. An
engraving from the ])ortrait is prefixeil to tlie " Notice Hiographique
de Madame de la Peltrie" in Fas Crsiilines dc (liteher, i. ;]48.

262

devotep:s and nuns.

[102(5-30.

prompt and veliement response from the breast of
Madame de la Peltrie. Tlienceforth slie thought of
nothing but Canada. In the midst of her zeal, a
fever seized her. The physicians despaired; but at
the height of the disease tlie patient made a vow to
St. Joseph, that, should (iod restore lier to health,
she would build a house in lionor of Ilim in Canada,
and give her life and her wealth to the instruction of
Indian girls. On the following morning, say her
biographers, the fever had left her.

Meanwhile her relatives, or those of her husband,
had confirmed her pious purposes by attempting to
tnwart them. They pronounced her a romantic vis-
ionary, incompetent to the cliarge of her property.
Her father, too, whose fondness for her increased
with his advancing age, entreated her to remain with
him while he lived, and to defer the execution of her
plans till he should be laid in his grave. From en-
treaties he passed to conmiands, and at length threat-
ened to disinherit her if she persisted. The virtue of
obedience, for which she is extolled by her clerical
biographei-s, however abundantly exhibited in respect
to those who held charge of her conscience, was sing-
ularly wanting towards the parent who in the way of
Nature had the best claim to its exercise; and Ma-
dame de la Peltrie was more than ever resolved to
go to Canada. Her father, on his part, was urgent
that she should marry again. On this she took coun-
sel of a Jesuit,! Avho, "having seriously reflected

1 " Partagce ainsi entre ramom filial ct la rtliffion, en proie aux
plus poignantes angoissos, elle s'adressa h, tin roligit'ux de la Com-

'.S

1038.]

A SHAM :MARRIAGE.

263

before God," suggested a device, which to the hereti-
cal mind is a little startling, but which commended
itself to Madame de la Peltrie as fitted at once to
soothe the troul)led spirit of her father, and to save
her from the sin involved in the al)andonment of her
pious designs.

Among her acquaintance was M. de Bernieres, a
gentleman of high rank, great wealth, and zealous
devotion. She wrote to liim, cxphiined the situa-
tion, and requested him to feign a marriage with her.
His sense of honor recoiled: moreover, in the fulness
of his zeal, he had made a vow of chastity, and an
apparent breach of it would cause scundal. He con-
sulted his spiritual director and a few intimate
friends. All agreed that the glory of God was con-
cerned, and that it behooved him to accept the some-
what singular overtures of the young widow, ^ and
request her hand from her father. M. de Chauvigny,
who greatly esteemed Bernieres, was deliglited; and
his delight was raised to transport at the dutiful and
modest acquiescence of liis daughter.'^ A betrotlial

pagnio (le Jesus, dont ellc connaissait la prudence cumsommee, et le
supplia (le IVchiirer de ses luinieres. Ce reiljrieux, apre.s y avoir
serieuseuient re'tlee.ii devaut Dieu, lui repondit qu'il croyait avoir
trouve un nioyen de tout (;oiKilier." — Casgrain, \'ie dc Marie
de rinciinuitioii, 24^5.

1 Enfin apres avoir lonuteinps implore les luinieres du eiel, il
remit toute I'alTaire entre les mains dv son directeur et de quelques
amis intinifs. Tons, d'un conunun accord, lui deelarerent que la
gloire de Dieu y etait iiiturcssee, et qu'il devait accepter." —
Ibid., 244.

2 "The prudent young widow answered him with much respect

2G4

DEVOTEES AXD NUNS.

[1638.

took place ; all was harmony, and for a time no more
was said of disinheriting Madame de la Peltrie, or
putting her in wardship.

Bernieres's scruples returned. Divided l)etween
honor and conscience, lie postponed the marriage,
until at length M. de Chauvigny c<mceived misgiv-
ings, and again hegan to speak of disinherituig liis
daughter unless the engagement was fullilled.^ Ber'
nieres yielded, and went with Madame de la Peltrie
to consult "the most eminent divines.'"-* A sham
marriage took place, and she and her accomplice ap-
peared in puhlic as man and wife. Her relatives,
however, had already renewed their attempts to de-
prive her of the control of her property. A suit, of
what nature does not appear, had been decided
against her at Caen, and she had appealed to the
Parliament of Normandy. Her law}'ei"s were in de-
spair; but, as her biographer justly observes, "the
saints have resources which others have not." A

and modesty, that, as she knew M. de Berniores to be a favorite
witli liim, site also preferred liini to all others."

The above is from a letter of Marie de I'lncarnation, translated
by Mother St. Thomas, of tlie Ursuline convent of (inebee, in her
Life of Madame de la Peltrie, 41. Compare T.es Ursuliiies de Quebec,
10, and the " Notice Biof^raphique " in the same volume.

1 " Our virtuous widow did not lose courage. As slie had pivcn
her confidence to AI. de Berniores, slie informed him of all that
passed, while she flattered her father each day, tellinfj him that
this nobleman was too honorable to fail in keeping his word." —
St. Thomas, Life of Madame de la Peltrie, 42.

2 "He [Berniores] went to stay at the house of a mutual friend,
where they had frequent opportunities of seeing each otlier, and
consulting the most eminent divines on the means of eitecting tliis
pretended marriage." — Ibid., 43.

1639.]

DEATH OF M. DE CIIAUVIGNY

20o

iP,

vow to St. Josepli secured his intercession and ofaincd
her case. Another tlionght now lillcd licr \villi a^n-
tation. Her plans were hiid, and the time of action
drew near. How couhl she endure the (hsti'css of
lier fatlier, when he learned that slie had deluded
him with a false marriage, and that she and all that
was hers were hound for the wilderness of Canada?
Happily for him, he fell ill, and died in ignorance
of the deceit that had heen practised upon him.^

Whatever may he thought of the quality of Ma-
dame de la Peltrie's devotion, tliere can he no rea-
sonahle douht of its sincerity or its ai'dor; and yet
one can hardly fail to see in lier the signs of tliat
restless longing for ('clat, which with some women

1 It will be of inttTcst to obsiTvc tlii' view taken of this pre-
tended marriage by Madame de la IVltrie's Catholic liiographers.
Charlevoix tells the story witlumt comiueiit, but with apparent
approval. Sainte-Foi, in liis J'rtiniens ('rmtliiics dc p'ntnrc, says,
that, as God had taken her under His guidance, we siiowld not ven-
ture to criticise her. Casgrain, in his Vie d( Marie ilc rincanmtldn,
p. 247, remarks ; —

"Une telle conduite pent encore aujourd'liui paraitre etrange a
bien des personnes; mais outre que I'avenir tit l)ien voir que c'etait
une inspiration du ciel, nous pouvons n'pondre, avee un savant et
pieux auteur, que nous ne dcvons point juger ceux que Dieu se
charge lui-meuie de conduire."

Mother St. Tiiomas highly a|)proveH tlu' proceeding, and says: —

"Thus ended the i)retended engagement of tiiis virtuous lady
and gentleman, whicli caused, at tlu' time, so mucli iiKjuiry and
excitement among the nobility in France, and whicli, after a lajjse
of two hundred years, cannot fail exciting feelings of adnuration
in the heart of every virtuous woman!"

Surprising as it may aj^pear, tlie book from which the above is
taken was written a few years since, in so-calldl English, for tlu-
instruction of the pupils in tlie Ursuliny Convent at Quebec.

2GG

DEVOTKFS AND NI'XS.

[1030.

is a rulinj^ jjiission. When, in coni^Kiny witli IJcr-
niorcs, slie passed from Alenroii to Tours, and from
Tours to Paris, an object of attention to nuns,
priests, and jirelates, — when the Queen lierself sum-
moned her to an interview, — it may he tliat the pro-
found contentment of soul ascribed to her had its
ori^nn in sources not exclusively of the spii-il. At
Toui-s, she repaired to the L'rsuline convent. The
Superior and all the nuns met her at the entrance of
tlio cloister, and, separating" into two rows as she
appeared, sani^ the Vc/ii Ci'ctitoi\ while the bell (»f
the monastery sounded its loudest peal. Then they
led her in triuni[)h to their ciiurch, sang Te Dcuiii^
and, while the honored guest knelt before the altar,
all the sisterhood knelt around her in a semicircle.
Their hearts beat high within them. That day they
were to know who of their number weri' ciiosen for
the new convent of Quebec, of which Madame de la
Peltrie was to be the foundress ; and when their de-
votions were over, they flung themselves at her feet,
each begging with tears that the lot might fall on her.
Aloof from this throng of enthusiastic suppliants
stood a young nun, Marie de St. Bernard, too timid
and too modest to ask the boon for which her fervent
heart was longing. It was granted without asking.
This delicate girl was chosen, and chosen wisely.^

1 Casffrain, Vic ilo Marie de l'Iitr((nt(tti(ni, 271-273. TIkto is a
long account of Marie dc St. Bcruanl, by Haiiuciicau, in the liilu-
tio)i of 1()52. Hf.Te it is said tiiat she siiowcd an unaccountable
indilYcrcnce as to wlietiicr slic went to Cana<la or not, wliicli, liow-
ever, was followed by an ardent desire to '-o.

;i(;:]o.

Ber-

froiii

lllUS,

sum-

•

pro-

l its

The

cje of

she

11 of

they

Vl/.'ll,

Itiir,

I'cle.

they

for

le la

•de-

Peet,

her.

ants

miid

vent

ing.

} is a

L'. U>-

talilo

liow-

Mn ic'

./(• riih

dniJtii.m.

l(;20-38.] MAKIK DK I/INTARXATIOX. i'JT

TlicTO was another mm who stooJ a^jart, siK'iit and
motioiilt'ss, ~a stately li^nuv, witli fcatuivs stnui^dy
inai'ki'd and perhaps somewhat masculine;' hut, if
so, they helied her, for Marie de rinearnatiou was u
woniau to the eore. For lier there was no nee(l of
entreaties; for she knew tliat the Jesuits had made
her their ehoice, as Superior of the new (ionvent.
She was horn, forty years hefore, at 'i'ours, of a ^-ood
hourijrois hunUy. As she grew up towards maturity,
her qualities soon declared themselves. She had
uncommon talents and stron,*,' religious sus(!e[itil)ili-
ties, joined to a vivid imagination, — an alliance not
always desirahle under a form of faith wheiv hoth are
excited hy stinudauts so many and so powerful.
Like Madame de la I'eltrie, she married, at the de-
sire of her parents, in her eighteenth year. The mar-
riage was not happy. Her hiogra[)hcrs say that there
was no fault on either side. Ai)parcntly, it was ii
severe case of "incom[)atihility."' She sought her
consolation in the churches; and kneeling in dim
chapels, held conununiugs with Christ and the an-
gels. At the end of two years her hushand died,
leaving her with an infant son. She gave him to th(>,
charge of her sister, ahandoned hci-self to solitudi!
and meditation, and heeame a mystic of the intense
and passional school. Yet a strong maternal instinct

1 Tliere is an c'nt,'rtivi'(l portrait of Iht, taki'ii soiiii.' yi.'ar8 later, of
wliich a photograph is WU^rv inc. Wlion she was "in the world,"
i.iT stately proijortions arc said to have attracted j:ciicr:il attention.
Her family name was Marie Uuyard. She was born on the eighteenth
of Octoljor, 15'J1).

268 DEVOTEES AND NUXS. [1620-38.

battled painfully in her In-cast with a sense of reli-
gious vocation. Dreams, visions, interior voices,
ecstasies, revulsions, jjcriods of rapture and periods
of deep dejection, made u[) the agitated tissue of lier
life. She fasted, wore hair-clotli, scourged herself,
washed dishes among the servants, and did their
most menial wf)rk. She heard, in a trance, a mirac-
ulous voice. It was that of Christ, promising to
become her spouse. Months and years passed, full
of troubled hopes and fears, when again the voice
sounded in her ear, with assurance tliat the promise
was fulfdled, and that she was indeed his bride.
Now ensued phenomena wliich are not infrequent
among Roman Catholic female devotees when unmar-
ried, or married unhappily, and which have their
source in the necessities of a woman's nnture. To
her excited thought her divine spouse became a liv-
ing presence; and her language to him, as recorded
by herself, is that of the most intense passion. She
went to prayer, agitated and trenuilous, as if to a
meeting with an eartldy lover. " O my Love ! " she
exclaimed, "when shall I embrace you? Have you
no pity on me in the torments tliat I suffer? Alas!
alas ! my Love, my Ik^uity, my Life ! instead of heal-
ing 1 ly pain, you take pleasure in it. Come, let me
embrace you, and die in your sacred arms!" And
again she writes: "Tlien, as T was spent with fatigue,
I was forced to say, ' My divine Love, since you wish
me to live, I pray you let me rest a little, that I may
the better serve you; ' and I promised him that after-

i «

,'^«'».>

1620-38.]

DEJECTION.

269

ward I would suffer ni^'self to consume in his cluiste
and divine endH'iices."^

Clearly, here is a case for the physiologist as well
as the theologian; and the "holy widow," as her
biographers call her, becomes an example, and a
lamentable one, of the tendency of the erotic princi-
ple to ally itself with high religious excitement.

But the wings of imagination will tire and droo]),
the brightest dream-land of contemplative fancy grow

I «

1 "Allant h, roraison, jo trossaillois on moi-inemi', et disois :
Allons dans la solitmU", mon olicr amour, atin que je vous ombrasse
a luon aise, ot quo, rospirant mon anu' on vous, olio no .«oit ;)Ius que
vous-memo par union d'amour. . . . I'uis, mon corps otant hriso de
futi.nuos, j'otois oontrainto do diro : Mon divin aniour, jo vous prie
do mo laisser prondro un pen do ro])os, afin quo jo ])uisso mioux vous

sorvir, puisquo vous vouloz quo jo vivo Jo lo priois do me

laissor ai^ir; lui i)romottant ilo mo laissor apros oola oonsumor dans
80S oliastos ot divins ombrassomons. . . . O amour! quand vous
ombrassorai-jo ? N'avoz-vous point jtitie' do moi dans lo tourmont
que jo souffro ? liolas! liolas ! mon amour, ma boauti', ma vio! au
lioii do mo ^uorir, vous vous plaisoz a mos maux. \'oiU'Z done que
jo vous ond)nisso, ot quo jo mouro ontn- vos bras saoroz ! "

Tito above passages, from various pages of her journal, will
suffice, tliough thi'V give but an inadequate idea of tiiose strange
extravagances. What is most astonishing is, tluit a man of sense
like Ciiarlevoix, in ids l.lj'c of Marie di' r Im-iinKtliou, should
extract them in full, as matter of edification and evidence of saint-
ship. Ilor recent biographer, the Abbe' Casgrain, refrains from
quoting them, tiiough lie mentions tliem ap])rovingly as evincing
fervor. The Ablic Hai'iiie, in his Ihsnnirs a I'Orrdsion dii l',):i''"'e
Atuiii'i rsm'rc dr riicurciist' Mart <!<' lit I'cii. Mcrr dp I' fiicdnidtinu,
delivered at (^uobi-c in ]S()4, speaks of them as transcendent proofs
of the supreme favor of Ileavt'u, Some of the pupils of Marie de
ITnoarnation also liad mystical marriages with C'iirist; and 'he
impassioned riia])sodies of one of them being overheard, she nearly
lost her character, as it was tliought that she was apostrophizing
an earthlv lover.

270 DEVOTEES AND NUXS. [1020-38.

dim, and an abnormal tension of the faculties find its
inevitable reaction at last. F'roin a condition of
higliest cxaltatio]!, a mystical heaven of liglit and
glory, the unliap[)y dreamer fell ba(,'k to a dreary
earth, or rather to an abyss of darkness and misery.
Her biographei'S tell us that she became a prey to
dejection, and to thoughts of infidelity, despair,
estrangement from God, aversion to mankind, pride,
vanity, impurity, and a su})reme disgust at the rites
of religion. Exhaustion i)roduced cf)nnnon-sense,
and the dreams whicli had ])een her life now seemed
a tissue of illusions. Her confessor became a weari-
ness to her, and his words fell dead on her ear.
Indeed, she conceived a rei)ugnance to the holy man.
Her old and favorite confessor, her oracle, guide, and
comforter, had lately been taken from her by promo-
tion in the Church, — which may serve to explain her
dejection; and the new one, jealous of Ids predecessor,
told her that all his counsels had been visionary and
dangerous to her soul. Having overwhelmed her with
this announcement, he left her, apparently out of
patience with her refractory and gloomy mood; and
she remained for several months deprived of spiritual
guidance.^ Two years elapsed before her mind re-
covered its tone, when she soared once more in the
seventh heaven of imaginative devotion.

Marie de 1' Incarnation, we have seen, was unre-
lenting in every practice of humiliation, — dressed
in mean attire, did the servants' work, nui-sed sick

1 Casgrain, lUo-197.

in20-;58.] IMMl'RED WITH TIIK URSULIXES. 271

beg.G^ars, and, in lici" moditalions, taxed hor brain
with nietapliysiral processes of self-annihilation. And
yet when one reads her "Spiritual Letters," the con-
viction of an enormous spiritual pride in the writer
can hardly be repressed. She aspired to that inner
circle of the faithful, that aristocracy of devotion,
which, while the connnon herd of Christians are bus-
ied Avith the duties of life, eschews the visible and
the present, and claims to live only for God. In her
strong maternal affection she saw a lure to divert
her from the path of perfect saintship. Love for lier
child long withheld her from becoming a nun; but
at last, fortified by her confessor, she left him to his
fate, took the vows, and inunured herself with the
Ursulines of Tours. The boy, frenzied by his deser-
tion, and urged on by indignant relatives, watched
his opportunity, and made his way into the refectory
of the convent, screaming to the horrified nuns to
give him back his mother. As he grew older, her
anxiety increased; and at length she heard in her
seclusion that he had f.illen into bad company, had
left the relative who had sheltered him, and run off,
no one knew whither. The wretched mother, torn
with anguish, hastened for consolation to her con-
fessor, who met her with stern upbraidings. Yet
even in this her intensest ordeal her enthusiasm and
her native fortitude enabled her to maintain a sem-
blance of cahnness, till she learned that the boy had
been found and lirought back.

Strange as it may seem, this woman, whose habit-

272 DEVOTEES AND NUNS. [1G20-38.

ual state was one of mystical abstraction, was gifted
to a rare degree witli tlie faculties most useful in the
practical affairs of life. She liad spent several years
in the house of her In-otlior-in-law. Here, on tlie one
liand, her vigils, visions, and penances set utterly at
nauglit the order of a well-governed family; while,
on the other, she made amends to iier impatient rela-
tive by able and el'lieient aid in tlie conduct of his
public and private affairs. Her bi()gra])liei"s say, and
doubtless witli truth, that her heart was far away
from these mundane interests; yet her talent for busi-
ness was not the less disphiyed. Her spiritual guides
were aware of it, and saw clearly that gifts so useful
to the world might be made equally useful to the
Church. Hence it was that she M^as chosen Superior
of the convent which jMadame de la Peltrie was about
to endow at Quebec.^

Yet it was from heaven itself that Marie de 1' In-
carnation received her first "vocation" to Canada.
The miracle was in this wise.

In a dream she beheld a lady unknown to her.
She took her hand; and the two journeyed together
westwai'd, towards the sea. They soon met one of
the Apostles, clothed all in white, who, with a wave
of his hand, directed them on their way. They now
entered on a scene of surpassing magnificence. Be-
neath their feet was a pavement of squares of white

1 The combination of rclitrioiis ontlmsiasin, however extravafjant
and visiojiary, with a taU'nt for business, is not very rare. Nearly
all the founders of monastic Orders are examples of it.

[1020-38.

'as gifted
111 ill the
I'al years
1 the one
ittei'ly at
'; while,
eiit rehi-
it of his
say, and
ai- away
for biisi-
d guides
!0 useful
1 to tlie
Superior
as about

de rin-
Canada.

to her.
together
: one of

a wave
ley now
e. Be-
f white

travaf^ant
. Nearly

1620-38.]

A VISION.

273

marble, spotted with vermilion, and intersected with
lines of vivid scarlet; and all around stood monas-
teries of matchless architecture. But the two trav-
ellers, without stopping to admire, moved swiftly on
till they beheld the Virgin seated witli her Infant
Son on a small temple of white marble, A\liich s(,'rved
her as a throne. She seemed about fifteen years of
age, and was of a "ravishing licauty." Her head was
turned aside ; she was gazing fixedly on a wild waste
of mountains and valleys, half concealed in mist.
Marie de I'lncarnation approached with outstretched
arms, adoring. The vision bent towards lier, and,
smiling, kissed her three times ; whereupon, in a rap-
ture, the dreamer awoke. ^

She told the vision to Father Dinet, a Jesuit of
Tours. He was at no loss for an interpretation.
The land of mists and mountains was Canada, and
thither the Virgin called her. Yet one mystery re-
mained unsolved. Who was the unknown companion
of her dream? Several years had passed, and signs
from heaven and inward voices had raised to an in-
tense fervor her zeal for her new vocation, when, for
the first time, she saw Madame de la Peltrie on her
visit to the convent at Tours, and recognized, on the
instant, the lady of her nocturnal vision. No one can
be surprised at this who has considered with the slight-
est attention the phenomena of religious enthusiasm.

1 Marie de I'lncarnation recounts this dream at great length in
her letters, and Casgrain copies the whole, verbatim, as a revelation
from God.

VOL. I. — 18

274

DEVOTEES AND XIJXS.

[16:51).

On the fourth of May, 1639, Madame de hi Pel-
trie, Marie de 1' Incarnation, Marie de St. Bernard,
and another Ursuline embarked at Dieppe for Can-
ada. In the sliip were also three young hospital
nuns, sent out to found at (^uehec a Ilotel-Dieu,
endowed by the famous niece of Richelieu, the I)u-
chesse d'Aiguillon.^ Here, too, were the Jesuits
Chaumonot and Poncet, on the way to their mission,
together witli Father Vimont, who was to succeed
Le Jeune in his post of Superior. To the nuns, pale
from their cloistered seclusion, there was a strange
and startling novelty in this new world of life and
action, — the ship, the sailors, the shouts of com-
mand, the flapping of sails, the salt wind, and the
boisterous sea. The voyage was long and tedious.
Sometimes they lay in their berths, sea-sick and
woe-begone; sometimes they sang in choir on deck,
or heard mass in the cabin. Once, on a misty
morning, a wild cry of alarm startled crew and pas-
sengers alike. A huge iceberg was drifting close
upon them. The peril was extreme. Madame de la
Peltrie climg to Marie de I'lncarnation, who stood
perfectly calm, and gathered her gown about her feet
that she might drown with decency. It is scarcely
necessary to say tiiat they were saved by a vow to the
Virgin and St. Joseph. Vimont offered it in behalf
of all the company, and the ship glided into the open
sea unharmed.

They arrived at Tadoussac on the fifteenth of July ;

1 Juchereau, Ilistoire de I'llolel-Uieu de Quebec, i.

lonn.]

BRULART DE STLLERY.

275

and the nuns ascended to Quebec in a small cruft
deeply laden with salted codfish, on which, uncooked,
they subsisted until the first of August, when they
reached their destination. Cannon roared welcome
from the fort and batteries; all labor ceased; the
storehouses were closed; and the zealous Mont-
magny, with a train of priests and soldiers, met the
new-comers at the landing. All the nuns fell pros-
trate, and kissed the sacred soil of Canada.^ '^'hey
heard mass at the church, dined at the fort, and pres-
ently set forth to visit the new settlement of Sillery,
four miles above Quebec.

Noel Brulart de Sillery, a Knight of Malta, who
had once filled tlie highest offices under the Queen
Marie de Mddicis, had now severed his connection
with his Order, renounced the world, and become a
priest. He devoted his vast revenues — for a dispen-
sation of the Pope had freed him from his vow of
poverty — to the founding of religious esta])lish-
ments.2 Among other endowments, he had placed
an ample fund in the hands of the Jesuits for the
formation of a settlement of Christian Indians at the
spot which still bears his name. On the strand of
Sillery, between the river and the woody heights

^ Juchereau, 14; Lo Clerc, ii. 3.'>; Katfiifnoau, Vie de Catherine
de St. Au</ustiii, " Epistro dodicatoiro ; " Lc Jt'unt", Rdation, 1039,
chap. ii. ; Charlevoix, Vie de Marie de I' Inrarnation, 204:-, "Aetede
Reception," in Les Crsiiliius de Qnefier^ i. 21.

^ See Vie de I'f /lustre Scrritcnr de iJien Xoel Drtdart de Sillery;
also Etudes et Rechcnlica Bi();/r<ijihiques .sur Ir ('liev(dier Xuel Brulart
de Sillery, and several documents in Martin's translation of Bressani,
Appendix IV.

270

DEVOTEES AND NUXS.

[1030-42.

behind, were clustered the small log-euhiiis of a imni-
ber of Algonquin converts, together with a church,
a mission-house, and an infirmary, — the wliole sur-
rounded by a palisade. It was to this place that tlie
six nuns were now conducted l)y the Jesuits. The
scene delighted and edilied them ; and, in the tnms-
ports of their zeal, they seized and kissed every fe-
male Indian child on whom they could lay hands,
"without minding," says Father Le Jeune, "whether
they were dirty or not." " Love and charity," he adds,
"triumphed over every human consideration."^

The nuns of the Hutel-Dieu soon after took up
their abode at Sillery, whence they removed to a
house built for them at Quebec by their foundress,
the Duchesse d'Aiguillon. The Ursulines, in the
absence of better quarters, were lodged at first in a
small wooden tenement under the rock of Quebec, at
the brink of the river. Here they were soon beset
with such a host of children that the floor of their
wretched tenement was covered with beds, and their
toil had no respite. Then came the small-pox, carry-
ing death and terror among the neighboring Indians.
These thronged to Quebec in misery and desperation,
begging succor from the French. The labors both of
the Ursulines and of the hospital nuns were prodi-
gious. In the infected air of their miserable hovels,
where sick and dying savages covered the floor, and

^ " . . . sans prendre jjarde si ces petits cnfiins sauvapcs estoient
gales on non ; ... la loy (ramonr et de cliarite romportoit par
dessus toutes les considerations humaines." — liclatiun, 10;>9, 26
(Cramoisy).

SISTER ST. JOSKPII.

277

1039-42.]

were packed one al)ove another in lu-rtlis, — amid i.ll
that is most distressing and most revoltint,'-, witli lit-
tk; food and less sleep, these women passed the roiin'h
heirinninij of their new life. Several (tf tiieiii lell ill.
But the excess of tlu' evil at leiit;(h hroni^'ht relief;
for so many of the Indians died in tliese pest-houses
that the survivoi-s shunned them in horror.

But how did these women hear themselves amid
toils so arduous ? A pleasant record has comedown
to us of one of them, — that fair and delicate j.;irl,
Marie de St. Bernard, calhsd in the convent Sister
St. Joseph, who had heen chosen at Tours as tlie
companion of Marie de rincarnation. Another I'rsu-
line, writing at a period when the severity of their
lahors was somewhat relaxed, says, "Her disjjosition
is charming. In our times of recreation, she often
makes us cry with laughing: it would he hard to he
melancholy when she is near." '

It was three years later lie fore the Ursulines and
their pupils took possession of a massive convent of
stone, built for them on the site which they still
occupy. IMoney had failed hefoi'e the work was
done, and the interior was as unfmished as a barn.-
Beside the cloister stood a large ash-tree; and it

^ Lettre de la Merc S''- C'lairr a inif (h- .svs Sniirs I'l-fntliiics de I'dris,
Quebec, 2 Sept., 1(!40. S^o I.is rrsu/inrs dp (luelnr, i. ;W.

2 The interior was finislu'd nfter a year or two, with cells as
usual. There were four chimneys, with tiri'places biii-iiiii;^ a hun-
dred and seventy-five cords of wood in a winter; and tlioiiuh the
nuns were boxed up in IhmIs wliich cldscil like chests, Marie de
rincarnation conii)lains bitterly of the cold. See her letter of Aiitr.
20. 1044.

S I

■ \

278 DKVOTEKS AND NTXS. [in;]!)-42.

stands tlicrc still. Hoin'atli its shade, says tlio con-
vent traditioii, Marit; do T Incarnation and her niuis
instructed tlu; Indian children in the trnths of salva-
tion; but it ini^ht seeni rash to al'linn that their
teachings were always either wise or useful, sinci;
Father Viniont tells us ajiproviui^ly that they reared
their j)Upils in so chaste a horror of the other sex,
that a littU^ <^irl, whom a man had playfully taken by
the hand, ran cryinuf to a bowl of water to wash off
the unlKillowed influence.^

Now and henceforward one fij^ure stands nobly
cons})icu()US in this devoted sisterhood. Marie de
r Incarnation, no lont^'er lost in the vap^aries of an
insane mysticism, but engaged in the duties of Chris-
tian charity and the i-esponsibilities of an arduous
post, displays an ability, a fortitude, and an earnest-
ness which eonnnand respect and admiration. Her
mental intoxication had ceased, or recurred only at
intervals; and false excitements no longer sustained
her. She was racked with constant anxieties about
her son, and. was often in a condition descri})ed by
her biographers as a " dijprivation of all spiritual con-
solations." Her position was a veiy dii'iicult one.
She herself speaks of her life as a succession of
crosses and humiliations. Some of these were due
to Madame de la Peltrie, who in a freak of enthusi-
asm abandoned her Ursulines for a tinie, as we shall
presently see, leaving them in the utmost destitution.
There were dissensions to be healed among them;

1 Vimont, Relation, 1042, 112 (Cramoisy).

1039-412.] FOI'NDIIKSS OF TIIK L'KSL'LINES. 279

and moiioy, overytliincr, in sliort, to bo provided.
Muriu do riiKjiirnatioii, in lier siiddcst iiioineiiUs,
lU'itliL'r failed in jndguient nor siaekened in ell'ort.
Siie eai'iied on a vast correspondenee, emhraeing
every one in Fraiu-e wiio eould aid her infanl coni-
munity witli money or inllnenee; siie iiarnionized
and regnlated it with exeellent skill; and, in tiie
midst t)!' relentless austerities, she was loved as a
mother hy her pupils and dependants. Catholie
writers extol her as a saint. ^ Pi'otestants may see
in her a Christian herohie, admirable, with all her
follies and her faults.

The traditions of tlu I'rsulines are full of the vir-
tues of Madame de la Peltrie, — her humility, her
charity, lier penanees, and her aets of mortilieation.
No doubt, with some little allowance, these traditions
are true ; but there is more of reason than of unchai-i-
tableness in the belief, that her zeal would have been
less ardent and sustained if it had had fewer specta-
tors. She was now fairly conmiitted to the conven-
tual life, her enthusiasm was kept within prescribed
bounds, and she was no longer mistress of her owm
movements. On the one hand, she was anxious to

^ There is a letter extant from Sister Anne tie S*" Claire, an
Ursuline who eaine to Qiieliee in 1040, written soon after her arrival,
and containing curious evidence tliat a reputation of saintship
already attached to Marie de I'lncarnation. "When I spoke to
her," writes Sister Anne, si)eakini,' of iier first interview, "I per-
ceived in the air a certain odor of sanctity, which gave me the sen-
sation of an agreeable perfume." See the letter in a recent Catholic
work. Lea [Jrsuh'neti de Queher, i. oS, where the ])assage is printed in
Italics, as worthy the especial attention of the pious reader.

280

DKVOTKICS AND NTNS.

[1030-42.

acounniliito inorits a^iiinst the Day of Judpfnient;
and, (»n tlu! '>tlior, slie had a keen appreciation of the
api)laus(! wliicli the sacrilicc of her fortune and her
acta of l)iety liad {^^uiiied for licr. Mortal vanity takes
many slmju'S. Souictinies it arrays itself in silk and
jewels; soumtimes it walks in sackcloth, and speaks
the language of sclf-ahasenient. In the convent, aa
in the world, the fair devotee thirsted for admiration.
'I'he halo of saintshii) glittered in her eyes like a dia-
mond crown, and siic as[)ircd to outshine her 8istei*s
in humility. Siic was as sincere as Simeon Stylites
on his colunni; and, like him, found encouragement
and coud'ort in the gazing and w(mdering eyes
below. ^

1 Mndaino do la T'oltric died in hi-r convent in 1G71. Marie de
rinciirniition dii-d tlic toUowiiij,' year. Siic liad tim consolation of
knowing that iicr son had fuUillcd her ardent wishes, and become a
priest.

END OF VOL. I.

[1030-42.

(lament;
)n of the

and her
ity takes
silk and
:1 speaks
ivent, as
ni ration,
ke a dia-
jr siHtera

Stylites
•ageinent
ng eyes

Marie de

.solution of
1 becoiuu a