Guns

Aprés auoir bien chanté, dansé & parlementé les vns aux autres, le iour venu, mes compagnons & moy estions tousiours couuerts, de peur que les ennemis ne nous veissent, preparans nos armes le mieux qu'il nous estoit possible, estans toutesfois separez, chacun en vn des canots des sauuages montagnars. Aprés que nous fusmes armez d'armes legeres, nous prismes chacun vne arquebuse & descendismes à terre. Ie vey sortir les ennemis de leur barricade, qui estoient prés de 200. hommes forts & robustes à les voir, qui venoient au petit pas audeuant de nous, auec vne grauité & asseurance qui me contenta fort à la teste desquels y auoit trois chefs.

After much singing, dancing, and talk back and forth, day came. My companions and I stayed hidden all the while, so the enemy would not see us. We got our weapons ready as well as we could. We were separated, each in one of the canoes of the Montagnais Savages. When we had put on light armor, each of us took an arquebus and landed. I watched the enemy leave their barricade. There were nearly two hundred of them, strong and sturdy to look at. They came toward us at a slow pace, with a dignity and confidence that greatly impressed me. Three chiefs led them.

Aussitost que fusmes à terre, ils commencerent à courir quelque deux cens pas vers leurs ennemis qui estoient de pied ferme, & n'auoient encores aperçeu mes compagnons, qui s'en allerent dans le bois auec quelques sauuages. Les nostres commencerent à m'appeller à grands cris : & pour me donner passage ils s'ouurirent en deux, & me mis à la teste, marchant quelque 20. pas deuant, iusqu'à ce que ie fusse à quelque 30. pas des ennemis, où aussitost ils m'aperceurent, & firent alte en me contemplant, & moy eux. Comme ie les veis esbranler pour tirer sur nous, ie couchay mon arquebuse en iouë, & visay droit à vn des trois chefs, & de ce coup il en tomba deux par terre, & vn de leurs compagnons qui fut blessé, qui quelque temps aprés en mourut. I'auois mis quatre balles dedans mon arquebuse.

As soon as we were ashore, our people began to run about two hundred paces toward their enemies. The enemy stood their ground. They had not yet seen my companions, who had slipped into the woods with some of the Savages. Our people began calling for me with loud shouts. They split in two to let me through, and I went to the front. I marched about twenty paces ahead of them, until I was about thirty paces from the enemy. They saw me at once and halted, gazing at me as I gazed at them. As soon as I saw them start to move to shoot at us, I put my arquebus to my cheek and aimed directly at a chief, one of the three. With that shot two of them dropped, and another of their men was wounded and died some time later. I had loaded four balls into my arquebus.

Deffaite des Yroquois au Lac Champlain. A Le fort des Yroquois. B Les ennemis. C Les Canots des ennemis faits d'escorce de chesne, qui peuuent tenir chacun 10. 15. & 18. hommes. D. E. Deux chefs tués, & vn blessé d'vn coup d'arquebuse par le sieur de Champlain. F Le sieur de Champlain. G Deux Arquebusiers du sieur de Champlain. H Montaignets, Ochastaiguins & Algoumequins. I Canots de nos sauuages aliés faits d'escorce de bouleau. K Les bois.

Defeat of the Iroquois at Lake Champlain. A: The Iroquois fort. B: The enemy. C: The enemy’s canoes, made of oak bark, each of which can hold 10, 15, or 18 men. D, E: Two chiefs killed, and one wounded by a shot from the sieur de Champlain’s arquebus. F: The sieur de Champlain. G: Two of the sieur de Champlain’s arquebusiers. H: Montagnais, Ochastaiguins, and Algonquins. I: The canoes of our allied Savages, made of birch bark. K: The woods.

Del cuero, que es muy grueso, hazen adargas los guerreros, tan fuertes, que bien curado, no le pasa vna bala de arcabuz. Susténtase este pescado solo de yerua que pace, como si fuera buey verdadero, de donde cobra su carne tan buen gusto, y es de tanta sustancia, que con pequeña cantidad queda vna persona más satisfecha, y con más fuerças que si comiera doblado de carnero. Debaxo del agua detiene poco el resuello, y así donde quiera que anda, saca á menudo el hocico para cobrar nuevo aliento, de donde le viene su total destruición, pues él mismo se va mostrando á su enemigo; veenle los Indios, y siguiéndole, en canoas pequeñas, le aguardan á que queriendo respirar saque la cabeça, y clauándole con sus arpones, que hazen de conchas, le quitan la vida: diuídenle en partes medianas, que asadas sobre parrillas de palo, duran sin interrupción más de un mes. No hazen del cezinas para todo el año (que son de mucho precio), por no tener sal en abundancia, que la que vsan para templar sus comidas, es muy poca, y hecha de cenizas de cierto género de palmas, que más es salitre que sal.

From its hide, which is very thick, the warriors make shields so strong that, when well cured, an arquebus ball will not go through them. This fish lives only on grass, which it grazes like a real ox. That is why its meat tastes so good. It is so nourishing that a small amount satisfies a person more, and gives more strength, than twice as much mutton. It cannot hold its breath long under water, so wherever it goes it often lifts its snout to take a new breath. That is its undoing, for it shows itself to its enemy. The Indians see it and follow it in small canoes. They wait until it raises its head to breathe, and then they drive their harpoons, made of shell, into it and kill it. They cut it into middling pieces, which they roast on wooden grills, and these keep for more than a month. They do not dry and salt it to last the whole year, which would be very valuable, because they have little salt. What they use to season their food is very scarce and made from the ashes of a certain kind of palm. It is more saltpeter than salt.

He made signs for me to sit down on his right hand: which I did. Our Leader set on several grand-pipes, and smoked all round, according to their usual custom: not a word was yet spoke on either side. Smoking being over, Buffalo flesh boiled was served round in baskets of a species of bent, and I was presented with 10 Buffalo tongues. Attickasish my Guide, informed him I was sent by the Great Leader who lives down at the great waters, to invite his young men down to see him and to bring with them Beaver skins, & Wolves skins: & they would get in return Powder, Shot, Guns, Cloth, Beads, &c. He made little answer: only said that it was far off, & they could not paddle. Then they entered upon indifferent subjects until we were ordered to depart to our tents, which were pitched about a full quarter of a Mile without their lines.

He made signs for me to sit down at his right hand, which I did. Our leader set out several grand pipes, and they smoked all round, according to their usual custom. Not a word was yet spoken on either side. When the smoking was over, boiled buffalo meat was served round in baskets of a kind of grass, and I was presented with 10 buffalo tongues. Attickasish, my guide, told him I had been sent by the Great Leader who lives down at the great waters, to invite his young men down to see him. They were to bring beaver skins and wolf skins with them. In return they would get powder, shot, guns, cloth, beads, and so on. He made little answer. He only said that it was far off, and they could not paddle. Then they talked of other matters until we were told to go to our tents, which were pitched a full quarter of a mile outside their lines.

Je ne me dissimulais pas que cette extrême douceur les rendrait insolens ; j'avais cependant tâché de les convaincre de la supériorité de nos armes : on avait tiré devant eux un coup de canon à boulet, afin de leur faire voir qu'on pouvait les atteindre de loin ; et un coup de fusil à balle avait traversé, en présence d'un grand nombre de ces Indiens, plusieurs doubles d'une cuirasse qu'ils nous avaient vendue, après nous avoir fait comprendre par signes qu'elle était impénétrable aux flèches et aux poignards ; enfin, nos chasseurs qui étaient adroits, tuaient les oiseaux sur leur tête. Je suis bien certain qu'ils n'ont jamais cru nous inspirer des sentimens de crainte ; mais leur conduite m'a prouvé qu'ils n'ont pas douté que notre patience ne fût à toute épreuve.

I knew perfectly well that such extreme mildness would make them insolent. Still, I had tried to convince them that our weapons were superior. We fired a cannonball in front of them, to show that we could reach them from far away. In front of a large crowd of these Indians, a musket ball went through several layers of an armor vest they had sold us, after telling us by signs that arrows and daggers could not pierce it. And our hunters, who were good shots, killed birds over their heads. I am quite sure they never thought they made us afraid. But their behavior showed me they never doubted that our patience would hold out against anything.