REiVE LAUDONNIERE a.d, 



1565. 



should not come to burne the houses of Utina, he set 



forward on his way to come unto me unto our Fort, 



where he up and told me how every thing had passed : 



and withall that he had promised the twelve souldiers, 



that he would come backe againe to fetch them. Then 



the kings my neighbours all enemies to Utina, being 



advertised of the returne of my Lieutenant, came to 



visite me with presents and to enquire how things had 



passed, praying me all to receive them into my favour, 



and to become enemie to Utina, which notwithstanding I 



would not grant them for many reasons that mooved me. 



The Indians are wont to leave their houses and to A custome of 



retire themselves into the woods the space of three the Indians to 



moneths, to wit January, February, and March : during: ^^^^^ ^^^" 



,. 1 .' 1 -^ ^' -^' T J. T- ^ houses for ^ or 



which time by no meanes a man can see one Indian, ror moneths and 



when they goe on hunting, they make little cottages in to live in the 

 the woods, whereunto they retire themselves, living upon woods. 

 that which they take in hunting. This was the cause that 

 during this time, we could get no victuals by their meanes : 

 and had it not beene that I had made good provision 

 thereof, while my men had store, untill the end of Aprill They lookefir 

 (which was the time when at the uttermost, we hoped to succour out of 

 have had succour out of France) I should have beene P^^^*^^ h ^{^ 

 greatly amazed. This hope was the cause that the at the utter - 

 souldiers tooke no great care to looke well unto their most. 

 victuals, although I devided equally among them that 

 which I could get abroad in the countrey, without re- 

 serving unto my selfe any more then the least souldier 

 of al the company. The moneth of May approching and 

 no manner of succour come out of France, we fell into 

 extreme want of victuals, constrained to eate the rootes 

 of the earth and certaine sorrell which we found in the 

 fields. For although the Savages were returned by this 

 time unto their villages, yet they succoured us with no- 

 thing but certaine fish, without which assuredly wee had 

 perished with famine. Besides they had given us before 

 the greatest part of their maiz and of their beanes for our 

 marchandise. This famine held us from the beginning 



59 



