168 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
Durant cet yuer nos boissons gelerent toutes, horsmis le vin d’Espagne. 
On donnoit le cidre à la liure. La cause de ceste parte fut qu'il ne auoit point 
de caues au magazin: & que l’air qui entroit par des fentes y estoit plus aspre 
que celuy de dehors. Nous estions contraints d’vser de tresmauuaises eaux, 
& boire de la nege fondue, pour n’auoir ny fontaines ny ruisseaux: car il 
n’estoit pas possible d’aller en la grand terre, à cause des grandes glaces que 
le flus & reflus charioit, qui est de trois brasses de basse & haute mer. Le 
trauail du moulin à bras estoit fort penible: d’autant que la plus part estans 
mal couchez, avec l’incommodité du chauffage que nous ne pouuions auoir a 
cause des glaces, n’auoient quasi point de force, & aussi qu'on ne mangeoit que 
chair salée & legumes durant l’yuer, qui engendrent de mauuais sang: ce qui 
à mon opinion causoit en partie ces facheuses maladies. Tout cela donna du 
mescontentement au sieur de Mons & autres de l'habitation. 
Il estoit mal-aisé de recognoistre ce pays sans y auoir yuerné, car y 
arriuant en eté tout y est [£6] fort aggreable, à cause des bois, beaux pays & 
bonnes pescheries de poisson de plusieurs sortes que nous y trouuasmes. Il y 
a six mois d’yuer en ce pays. 
TRANSLATION. 
CHAPTER VI. 
Of the mal de terre, a very desperate malady. How the Indians, men and women, 
spend their time in winter. And of all that occurred at the settlement while we were 
passing the winter. 
When we arrived at the Island of St. Croix,’ each one had finished his place 
of abode. Winter came upon us sooner than we expected, and prevented us 
from doing many things which we had proposed. Nevertheless, Sieur de 
Monts did not fail to have some gardens made on the island. Many began to 
clear up the ground, each his own. I also did so with mine, which was very 
large,? where I planted a quantity of seeds, as also did the others who had 
any, and they came up very well. But since the island was all sandy, every- 
thing dried up almost as soon as the sun shone upon it, and we had no water 
for irrigation, except from the rain, which was infrequent. 
Sieur de Monts caused also clearings to be made on the mainland for mak- 
ing gardens,*® and at the falls three leagues from our settlement* he had work 
done and some wheat sown which came up very well and ripened. Around 
our habitation there is at low tide a large number of shell fish, such as cockles,° 
mussels, sea-urchins and sea-snails, which were a great boon to all. 
The snows began on the sixth of October. On the third of December we 
saw ice pass which came from some frozen river.” The cold was sharp, more 
severe than in France, and of much longer duration; and it scarcely rained at 


1 After the journey described in the preceding chapter. 
2 This was no doubt the garden at L. on the plan (Fig. 9) adjoining Cham- 
plain’s house. 
? Shown on Champlain’s map (Fig. 9). 
* At the present site of Calais and St. Stephen. 
5 He means doubtless clams, which, with the others mentioned, are exces- 
sively abundant on this island. (See earlier, page 140). 
® Champlain’s account of the winter of 1604-5 shows that it was of unusual 
severity. (See earlier, page 138.) The ice came of course from the head of tide 
on the St. Croix near Calais and St. Stephen. ; 
