[sulte] RADISSON in THE NORTHWEST, 1661-63 227 



believe what the wikliueii told me concerning the sea to be neare 



directly to the point We came to a remarquable place. 



. . , . It's like a great Portail,-® by reason of the boating of the 

 waves. The lower part of that oppening is as bigg as a tower, and 

 grows bigger in the going up. There is, I believe, 6 acres of land. 

 Above it a shipp of 500 tuns could passe by, soe bigg is the arch. 

 I gave it the name of the portail of St. Peter, because my name is 

 so called, and that I was the first " Christian that ever saw it. There 

 is in that place caves very deepe, caused by the same violence .... 

 some dayes afterwards we arrived to a very beautifull point of sand 

 where there are 3 beautifull islands ^® that we called of the Trinity, 

 there be 3 in triangle. From this place we discovered a bay ^® very 

 deepe, where a' river empties itselfe with a noise for the quantifie and 

 dept of the watter. We must stay there 3 dayes to waite for faire 

 weather to make the Trainage,^** which was about 6 leagues wide. Soe 

 done, we came to the mouth of a small river, where we killed some 

 Oriniacks .... Commers and goers by making that passage 

 shortens their passage by 8 dayes by touring about that point that 

 goes very farr in that great lake .... In the end of that point, 

 that goeth very farre, there is an isle, as I was told, all of copper.^^ 

 This I have not seen. They say that from the isle of copper, which 

 is a league in the lake when they are minded to thwart it in a faire 

 and calme weather, beginning from sun rising to sun sett, they come to 

 a great island,^- from whence they come the next morning to firme 

 lande att the other side,^^ so liy reason of 20 leagues a day that lake 

 should be broad of 6 scores and 10 leagues. The wildmen doe not 

 much lesse when the weather is faire. Five dayes after we came to 

 a place where there was a company of Christinos that weare in their 

 cottages .... We went on and came to a hollow river which was 

 a quarter of a mile in bredth."* j\Iany of our wildmen went to win 

 the shortest way to their nation .... seaven boats stayed of 

 the nation of the Sault. We went on half a day before we could 

 come to the landing place, and weare forced to make another carriage 

 a point ^^ of 2 leagues long and some 60 paces broad. As we came 

 to the other sid we weare in a bay ^® of 10 leagues about, if we had 

 gone in. By goeing about that same point we passed a straight, for 

 that point was very high the other side, which is a cape very much 

 elevated like pyramides. That point should be very fitt to build and 

 advantageous for the building of a fort, a? we did ^^ the spring follow- 

 ing .... The wildmen gave thanks to that which they worship, 

 we to God of Gods, to see ourselves in a place where we must leave 

 our navigation .... The men told us that wee liad 5 great 



