230 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



respected. I have seen a man having 14 wives. There they have no 

 wood, and make provision of mosse for their firing. This their place 

 is environed with pearches which are a good distance one from another, 

 that they gett in the valleys where the Buffe used to repair^', uppon 

 which they do live. They sow corne, but their harvest is small. The 

 soyle is good, but the cold hinders it, and the graine very small. In 

 their coimtrey are mines of copper, of pewter and of ledd.'*® There 

 are mountains covered with a kind of Stone that is transparent and 

 tender, and like that of Venice. The people stay not there all the 

 yeare; they retire in winter towards the woods of the north, where they 

 kill a quantity of Castors, and I say that there are not so good in the 

 whole world, but not in such a store as the Christines, but far better. 



" We stayed there 6 weeks, and came back with a company of 

 people of the nation of the Sault, that came along with us loaden with 

 booty. We weare 12 dayes before we could overtake our company that 

 went to the lake. The spring approaches, which is the fitest time to 

 kill the Oriniack. A wildman and I with my brother killed that time 

 above 600, besides other wild beasts. We came to the lake side with 

 much paines, ffor we sent ovt wildmen before, and we two weare forced 

 to make cariages 5 dayes through the woods. After we mett with a 

 company that did us a great d( ale of service, ffor they carryed what 

 we had, and arrived att the appointed place *' before 3 dayes ended. 

 Here we made a fort.^^ Att our arrivall we found att least 20 cot- 

 tages full. 



" One very faire evening we went to finde what we hide before, 

 which we finde in a good condition. We went about to execute our 

 resolution, fforseeing that we must staye that yeare *" there, ffor which 

 we weare not very sorry, being resolved to know what we heard before. 

 We waited untill the Ice should vanish, but received news that the 

 Octaouacks built a fort on the point that formes that Bay, which resem- 

 bles a small lake .... We resolved to cover our bussinesse better, 

 and close our désigne as if we weare going a hunting .... We 

 thwarted a place of 15 leagues. We arrived on the other side ^^ att 

 night .... We are received with much Joy by those poore 

 Christines .... We went away with all haste ])0ssible to arrive 

 the sooner att the great river.^^ We came to the seaside ''- where we 

 finde and old howse all demolished and battered with boulletts .... 

 They tell us particularities of the Europeans .... We went 

 from Isle to Isle all that summer .... We weare well beloved, 

 and weare overjoyed that we promised them to come **' with such shipps 

 as we invented. This place hath a great store of cows. The wildmen 

 kill them not except for necessary use. We went further in the bay 



