RENE LAUDONNIERE a.d. 



^565. 



which he dried and beate into powder to make bread 

 thereof. The effects of this hideous famine appeared 

 incontinently among us, for our bones eftsoones beganne 

 to cleave so neere unto the skinne, that the most part of 

 the souldiers had their skinnes peirced thorow with them 

 in many partes of their bodies : in such sort that my 

 greatest feare was, least the Indians would rise up against 

 us, considering that it would have bene very hard for us 

 to have defended our selves in such extreme decay of all 

 our forces, besides the scarsitie of all victuals, which 

 fayled us all at once. For the very river had not such 

 plentie of f sh as it was wont, and it seemed that the 

 land and water did fight against us. Now as we were 

 thus upon termes of dispayre, about the end of the 

 moneth of May, and the beginning of June, I was New come by 

 advertised by certaine Indians that were my neigh- ^^^ ^^^ e/" 

 hours, that in the high Countrey up above the river, ^P-\^ 

 there was new Maiz, and that that countrey was most 

 forward of all. This caused me to take upon me to go 

 thither with a certaine number of my men, and I went 

 up the river to a place called Enecaque : where I met The village of 

 the sister of Utina in a village where she made us very Enecaque. 

 good cheere and sent us fish. We found that which 

 was tolde us to be true : for the maiz was now ripe : but 

 by this good lucke one shrewde turne happened unto 

 me. For the most part of my souldiers fell sicke with 

 eating more of it then their weakened stomackes could 

 digest. We had also beene the space of foure dayes 

 since we departed from our Fort, without eating any 

 thing, saving little pinockes, and a little fish, which we A little greene 

 got of the fishers which wee met sometimes along the fruite that 

 river. And yet this was so little that certaine souldiers i.^y'^^^^ ^^^^he 

 eate privily little whelpes which were newly whelped. Jl^herks ^^ 

 The next day I purposed to go into ye He of Edelano The He of 

 to take the king which had caused one of my men to Edelano. 

 be slaine, as I have mentioned before : but being adver- 

 tised of my departing out of my Fort, and of the way 

 which I tooke up the river, he feared that I went foorth 



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