French

Do brachten sie mich vor des Königes hütten, der hieß Vratinge Wasu, Das ist auff Teutsch gesagt, der grosse weisse vogel, vor desselbigen hütten lag ein heufflin frischer erden, da führten sie mich bey, und satzten mich darauff, und etliche hielten mich, da meinte ich nicht anders, dann sie würden mich da als baldt zu todt schlagen, und sahe mich umb nach dem Iwera Pemme, darmit sie die leut erschlagen, und fragte, ob sie mich so baldt tödten wollen, da sagten sie, noch nicht; da kam eine fraw auß dem hauffen bey mich, und hatte ein schiberstück von einem Christallen, zwischen einem dinge gleich als gebogen reißlin, und schar mir mit demselbigen Christallen die weimbron an den augen ab, und wolte mir den bart vom maul auch abschneiden, solchs wolt ich nicht leiden, und sagte sie sollen mich mit dem bart tödten. Da sagten sie, sie wollen mich noch nicht tödten, und liessen mir den bart. Doch nach etlichen tagen schnieden sie mir in ab mit einer scheer, so die Frantzosen inen geben.

Then they brought me before the hut of the king, whose name was Vratinge Wasu, which in German means "the great white bird." In front of his hut lay a little heap of fresh earth. They led me to it and sat me down on it, and some of them held me. I thought they were surely going to kill me there at once. I looked around for the iwera pemme, the club they use to kill people, and asked whether they meant to kill me so soon. They said, "Not yet." Then a woman came out of the crowd to me. She had a sliver of crystal set in something like a bent twig. With it she shaved off my eyebrows, and she wanted to cut off my beard as well. I would not let her. I said they should kill me with my beard on. They said they did not mean to kill me yet, and left me my beard. But a few days later they cut it off with a pair of scissors the French had given them.

Wie nun der tantze ein ende hatte, ward ich dem Ipperu Wasu überliffert. Daselbst hatten sie mich in guter bewarung. Da sagte er mir, ich hette noch etlich zeit zu leben. Und sie brachten ire abgötter alle so in der hütten waren, und setzten sie umb mich her und sagten, Die hettens geweissaget, das man einen Portugaleser hette sollen fangen. Da sagte ich, die dinger haben keine macht, und können auch nicht reden, und ligen, das ich ein Portugaleser bin, sonder ich bin der Frantzosen freund verwanten einer, und das landt da ich daheime bin, heysset Allemanien.

When the dance was over, I was handed over to Ipperu Wasu, and there they kept me under close guard. He told me I still had some time to live. They brought all the idols that were in the hut, set them around me, and said these had foretold that they would capture a Portuguese. I said, "These things have no power and cannot speak. They are lying when they say I am Portuguese. I am a friend and kinsman of the French, and the land where I am at home is called Allemanien."

Mais quoy que c'en soit, nos Toüoupinambaoults, tant hommes, femmes qu'enfans, estans dès leur ieunesse accoustumés de la manger toute seiche au lieu de pain, sont tellement duits & faconnez à cela que, la prenant avec leurs quatre doigts dans la vaisselle de terre ou autre vaisseau où ils la tiennent, encores qu'ils la iettent d'assez loin, ils rencontrent neantmoins si droit dans leurs bouches qu'ils n'en espanchent pas un seul brin. Que si entre nous Francois, les voulans imiter, la pensions manger de ceste facon, n'estans point comme eux stylez à cela, au lieu de la ietter dans la bouche, nous l'espanchions sur les ioues & nous enfarinions tout le visage : partant, sinon que ceux principalement qui portoyent barbe eussent voulu estre accoustrez en ioueurs de farces, nous estions contraints de la prendre avec des cuilliers.

However that may be, our Toüoupinambaoults, men, women and children, have been used to eating this flour dry instead of bread since childhood. They are so practiced at it that they take it with four fingers from the clay dish or pot where they keep it. Then they toss it into their mouths from quite a distance, yet they aim so straight that they do not spill a single crumb. When we French tried to copy them and eat it this way, we were not trained to it as they were. Instead of tossing it into our mouths, we scattered it over our cheeks and floured our whole faces. So we had to take it with spoons, unless we wanted to look like clowns in a farce, especially those of us with beards.

Ils s'estonnent & se plaignent souuẽt de ce que dés que les Frãçois hantent & ont commerce auec eux, ils se meurent fort, & se depeuplent. Car ils asseurent qu'auant ceste hantise, & frequentation, toutes leurs terres estoyent fort populeuses, & historient par ordre coste par coste, qu'à mesure qu'ils ont plus cõmencé à traffiquer auecques nous, ils ont plus esté rauagez de maladies: adjoustans, que la cause pourquoy les Armouchiquoys se maintiennent en leur nombrosité, c'est à leur aduis, parce qu'ils ne sont point nonchalants.

They are astonished, and they often complain, that ever since the French have come among them and traded with them, they have been dying in great numbers and their land is emptying of people. They insist that before this contact, all their lands were thickly peopled. They tell the history in order, coast by coast: the more they began to trade with us, the more they were ravaged by sickness. They add that, in their opinion, the Armouchiquois keep up their numbers because they are not idle.

O yee poore people, you shall have their booty, but you shall pay dearly for it! Every one cryes out for hungar; the women become baren, and drie like wood. You men must eate the cord, being you have no more strength to make use of the bow. Children, you must die. ffrench, you called yourselves Gods of the earth, that you should be feared, for your interest; notwithstanding you shall tast of the bitternesse, and too happy if you escape. Where is the time past? Where is the plentynesse that yee had in all places and countreys? Here comes a new family of these poore people dayly to us, halfe dead, for they have but the skin & boans.

O you poor people, you shall have their booty, but you shall pay dearly for it! Everyone cries out with hunger. The women become barren and dry as wood. You men must eat your bowstrings, since you no longer have the strength to use the bow. Children, you must die. Frenchmen, you called yourselves gods of the earth, so that you would be feared, for your own profit. Yet you shall taste the bitterness, and be only too happy if you escape. Where is the time past? Where is the plenty you had in all places and countries? Every day a new family of these poor people came to us, half dead, for they were nothing but skin and bones.

Cependant mon ami fut chez l'Interprète, lui raconter la même chose, pour l'engager d'aller dire au Commandant, qu'il étoit bon que les François fissent leurs effors pour empêcher cette destruction ; l'Interprete s'y porta par une raison d'intérêt particulier, le Commandant y consentit, y envoya un Soldat, avec ordre d'y rester pour empêcher que le Malade n'abrégeât son mal avec sa vie, & de l'avertir dès qu'il y auroit apparence de mort. Le Soldat partit & y resta jusqu'à ce qu'il vît ce Soleil à l'agonie & qu'il avoit déja les jambes froides.

Meanwhile my friend went to the Interpreter and told him the same thing. He wanted him to tell the Commandant that the French should do all they could to prevent this destruction. The Interpreter took it up for reasons of his own. The Commandant agreed and sent a Soldier with orders to stay there. He was to stop the sick man from cutting short his illness by taking his own life, and to report as soon as death seemed near. The Soldier went and stayed there until he saw this Sun in his last agony, with his legs already cold.

“The bloody tommahawke, so long lifted against our brethren the English, must now be buried deep, deep in the ground, never to be raised again; and whoever shall act contrary to any of these articles, must expect a punishment equal to his offence. Should a strict observance of them be neglected, a war must necessarily follow, and a second peace may not be so easily obtained. I therefore once more recommend to you, to take particular care of your behaviour towards the English, whom we must now look upon as ourselves; they have the French and Spaniards to fight, and we enough of our own colour, without medling with either nation. I desire likewise, that the white warrior, who has ventured himself here with us, may be well used and respected by all, wherever he goes amongst us.”

“The bloody tomahawk has been lifted so long against our brothers the English. Now it must be buried deep, deep in the ground, never to be raised again. Whoever acts against any of these articles must expect a punishment equal to his offense. If we neglect to keep them strictly, a war must follow, and a second peace may not be so easily won. So I urge you once more to take particular care how you behave toward the English, whom we must now look on as ourselves. They have the French and Spaniards to fight, and we have enough of our own color, without meddling with either nation. I also ask that the white warrior who has ventured here among us be well treated and respected by all, wherever he goes among us.”