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Voyages 2 - Chapter 1 |
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Voyages 2 - Chapter 13 |
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Voyages 2 - Chapter 18 |
Voyages 2 - Chapter 19 |
Voyages 2 - Chapter 20 |
Voyages 2 - Chapter 21 |
Voyages 2 - Chapter 22 |
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Voyages 2 - Chapter 25 |
Voyages 2 - Chapter 26 |
Voyages 2 - Chapter 27 |
Voyages 2 - Chapter 28
Original translation from
the French by Charles Pomeroy Otis, Ph.D. Republished by
the Prince Society, Boston: 1878.
MEMOIR OF
SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN
Volume II
1604-1610
CHAPTER XI
WHAT TOOK PLACE AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF SIEUR DE MONTS,
UNTIL, NO TIDINGS OF WHAT HE HAD PROMISED BEING
RECEIVED, WE DEPARTED FROM PORT ROYAL TO RETURN TO
FRANCE.
As soon as Sieur de Monts
had departed, a portion of the forty or forty-five who
remained began to make gardens. I, also, for the sake of
occupying my time, made one, which was surrounded with
ditches full of water, in which I placed some fine
trout, and into which flowed three brooks of very fine
running water, from which the greater part of our
settlement was supplied. I made also a little sluice-way
towards the shore, in order to draw off the water when I
wished. This spot was entirely surrounded by meadows,
where I constructed a summer-house, with some fine
trees, as a resort for enjoying the fresh air. I made
there, also, a little reservoir for holding salt-water
fish, which we took out as we wanted them. I took
especial pleasure in it, and planted there some seeds
which turned out well. But much work had to be laid out
in preparation. We resorted often to this place as a
pastime; and it seemed as if the little birds round
about took pleasure in it, for they gathered there in
large numbers, warbling and chirping so pleasantly that
I think I never heard the like.
The plan of the settlement was ten fathoms long and
eight wide, making the distance round thirty-six. On the
eastern side is a store-house, occupying the width of
it, and a very fine cellar from five to six feet deep.
On the northern side are the quarters of Sieur de Monts,
handsomely finished. About the back yard are the
dwellings of the workmen. At a corner of the western
side is a platform, where four cannon were placed; and
at the other corner, towards the east, is a palisade
shaped like a platform, as can be seen from the
accompanying illustration.
* * * * *
CHAMPLAIN'S EXPLANATION OF THE ACCOMPANYING MAP.
L'ABITASION DU PORT ROYAL.
_The figures indicate fathoms of water_.
_A_. Dwelling of the artisans.
_B_. Platform where the cannon were placed.
_C_. The store-house.
_D_. Dwelling of Sieur de Pont Gravé and Champlain.
_E_. The blacksmith's shop.
_F_. Palisade of pickets.
_G_. The bakery.
_H_. The kitchen.
_O_. Small house where the equipment of our barques was
stored. This Sieur de Poutrincourt afterwards had
rebuilt, and Sieur Boulay dwelt there when Sieur de Pont
Gravé returned to France.
_P_. Gate to our habitation.
_Q_. The Cemetery.
_R_. The River.
NOTES. The habitation of Port Royal was on the present
site of the hamlet of Lower Granville in Nova Scotia.
_I_. Points to the garden-plots. _K_. Takes the place of
_Q_, which is wanting on the map, and marks the place of
the cemetery, where may be seen the crucifix, the
death's-head, and cross-bones. _L_. Takes the place of
_R_, which is wanting, to indicate the river. _M_.
Indicates the moat on the north side of the dwelling.
_N_. Probably indicates the dwelling of the gentlemen,
De Monts and others.
* * * * *
Some days after the buildings were completed, I went to
the river St. John to find the savage named Secondon,
the same that conducted Prevert's party to the copper
mine, which I had already gone in search of with Sieur
de Monts, when we were at the Port of Mines, though
without success. [181] Having found him, I begged him to
go there with us, which he very readily consented to do,
and proceeded to show it to us. We found there some
little pieces of copper of the thickness of a sou, and
others still thicker imbedded in grayish and red rocks.
The miner accompanying us, whose name was Master
Jacques, a native of Sclavonia, a man very skilful in
searching for minerals, made the entire circuit of the
hills to see if he could find any gangue, [182] but
without success. Yet he found, some steps from where we
had taken the pieces of copper before mentioned,
something like a mine, which, however, was far from
being one. He said that, from the appearance of the
soil, it might prove to be good, if it were worked; and
that it was not probable that there could be pure copper
on the surface of the earth, without there being a large
quantity of it underneath. The truth is that, if the
water did not cover the mines twice a day, and if they
did not lie in such hard rocks, something might be
expected from them.
After making this observation, we returned to our
settlement, where we found some of our company sick with
the _mal de la terre_, but not so seriously as at the
Island of St. Croix; although, out of our number of
forty-five, twelve died, including the miner, and five
were sick, who recovered the following spring. Our
surgeon, named Des Champs, from Honfleur, skilful in his
profession, opened some of the bodies, to see whether he
might be more successful in discovering the cause of the
maladies that our surgeons had been the year before. He
found the parts of the body affected in the same manner
as those opened at the Island of St. Croix, but could
discover no means of curing them, any more than the
other surgeons.
On the 20th of December, it began to snow, and some ice
passed along before our Settlement. The winter was not
so sharp as the year before, nor the snow so deep, or of
so long duration. Among other incidents, the wind was so
violent on the 20th of February, 1605, [183] that it
blew over a large number of trees, roots and all, and
broke off many others. It was a remarkable sight. The
rains were very frequent; which was the cause of the
mild winter in comparison with the past one, although it
is only twenty-five leagues from Port Royal to St.
Croix.
On the first day of March, Pont Gravé ordered a barque
of seventeen or eighteen tons to be fitted up, which was
ready, on the 15th, in order to go on a voyage of
discovery along the coast of Florida. [184] With this
view, we set out on the 16th following, but were obliged
to put in at an island to the south of Manan, having
gone that day eighteen leagues. We anchored in a sandy
cove, exposed to the sea and the south wind. [185] The
latter increased, during the night, to such an
impetuosity that we could not stand by our anchor, and
were compelled, without choice, to go ashore, at the
mercy of God and the waves. The latter were so heavy and
furious that while we were attaching the buoy to the
anchor, so as to cut the cable at the hawse-hole, it did
not give us time, but broke straightway of itself. The
wind and the sea cast us as the wave receded upon a
little rock, and we awaited only the moment to see our
barque break up, and to save ourselves, if possible,
upon its fragments. In these desperate straits, after we
had received several waves, there came one so large and
fortunate for us that it carried us over the rock, and
threw us on to a little sandy beach, which insured us
for this time from shipwreck.
The barque being on shore, we began at once to unload
what there was in her, in order to ascertain where the
damage was, which was not so great as we expected. She
was speedily repaired by the diligence of Champdoré, her
master. Having been put in order, she was reloaded; and
we waited for fair weather and until the fury of the sea
should abate, which was not until the end of four days,
namely, the 21st of March, when we set out from this
miserable place, and proceeded to Port aux Coquilles,
[186] seven or eight leagues distant. The latter is at
the mouth of the river St. Croix, where there was a
large quantity of snow. We stayed there until the 29th
of the month, in consequence of the fogs and contrary
winds, which are usual at this season, when Pont Gravé
determined to put back to Port Royal, to see in what
condition our companions were, whom we had left there
sick. Having arrived there, Pont Gravé was attacked with
illness, which delayed us until the 8th of April.
On the 9th of the month he embarked, although still
indisposed, from his desire to see the coast of Florida,
and in the belief that a change of air would restore his
health. The same day we anchored and passed the night at
the mouth of the harbor, two leagues distant from our
settlement.
The next morning before day, Champdoré came to ask Pont
Gravé if he wished to have the anchor raised, who
replied in the affirmative, if he deemed the weather
favorable for setting out. Upon this, Champdoré had the
anchor raised at once, and the sail spread to the wind,
which was north-north-east, according to his report. The
weather was thick and rainy, and the air full of fog,
with indications of foul rather than fair weather.
While going out of the mouth of the harbor, [187] we
were suddenly carried by the tide out of the passage,
and, before perceiving them, were driven upon the rocks
on the east-north-east coast. [188] Pont Gravé and I,
who were asleep, were awaked by hearing the sailors
shouting and exclaiming, "We are lost!" which brought me
quickly to my feet, to see what was the matter. Pont
Gravé was still ill, which prevented him from rising as
quickly as he wished. I was scarcely on deck, when the
barque was thrown upon the coast; and the wind, which
was north, drove us upon a point. We unfurled the
mainsail, turned it to the wind, and hauled it up as
high as we could, that it might drive us up as far as
possible on the rocks, for fear that the reflux of the
sea, which fortunately was falling, would draw us in,
when it would have been impossible to save ourselves. At
the first blow of our boat upon the rocks, the rudder
broke, a part of the keel and three or four planks were
smashed, and some ribs stove in, which frightened us,
for our barque filled immediately; and all that we could
do was to wait until the sea fell, so that we might get
ashore. For, otherwise, we were in danger of our lives,
in consequence of the swell, which was very high and
furious about us. The sea having fallen, we went on
shore amid the storm, when the barque was speedily
unloaded, and we saved a large portion of the provisions
in her, with the help of the savage, Captain Secondon
and his companions, who came to us with their canoes, to
carry to our habitation what we had saved from our
barque, which, all shattered as she was, went to pieces
at the return of the tide. But we, most happy at having
saved our lives, returned to our settlement with our
poor savages, who stayed there a large part of the
winter; and we praised God for having rescued us from
this shipwreck, from which we had not expected to escape
so easily.
The loss of our barque caused us great regret, since we
found ourselves, through want of a vessel, deprived of
the prospect of being able to accomplish the voyage we
had undertaken. And we were unable to build another; for
time was pressing, and although there was another barque
on the stocks, yet it would have required too long to
get it ready, and we could scarcely have made use of it
before the return from France of the vessels we were
daily expecting.
This was a great misfortune, and owing to the lack of
foresight on the part of the master, who was obstinate,
but little acquainted with seamanship, and trusting only
his own head. He was a good carpenter, skilful in
building vessels, and careful in provisioning them with
all necessaries, but in no wise adapted to sailing them.
Pont Gravé, having arrived at the settlement, received
the evidence against Champdoré, who was accused of
having run the barque on shore with evil intent. Upon
such information, he was imprisoned and handcuffed, with
the intention of taking him to France and handing him
over to Sieur de Monts, to be treated as justice might
direct.
On the 15th of June, Pont Gravé, finding that the
vessels did not return from France, had the handcuffs
taken off from Champdoré, that he might finish the
barque which was on the stocks, which service he
discharged very well.
On the 16th of July, the time when we were to leave, in
case the vessels had not returned, as was provided in
the commission which Sieur de Monts had given to Pont
Gravé, we set out from our settlement to go to Cape
Breton or to Gaspé in search of means of returning to
France, since we had received no intelligence from
there.
Two of our men remained, of their own accord, to take
care of the provisions which were left at the
settlement, to each of whom Pont Gravé promised fifty
crowns in money, and fifty more which he agreed to
estimate their pay at when he should come to get them
the following year. [189]
There was a captain of the savages named Mabretou, [190]
who promised to take care of them, and that they should
be treated as kindly as his own children. We found him a
friendly savage all the time we were there, although he
had the name of being the worst and most traitorous man
of his tribe.
ENDNOTES:
181. _Vide antea_, pp. 25, 26.
182. _La gangue_. This is the technical word for the
matrix, or substance containing the ore of metals.
183. For 1605, read 1606.
184. Florida, as then known, extended from the peninsula
indefinitely to the north.
185. Seal Cove, which makes up between the south-west
end of the Grand Manan and Wood Island, the latter being
South of Manan and is plainly the island referred to in
the text. This cove is open to the South wind and the
sea in a storm. Wood Island has a sandy shore with
occasional rocks.
186. _Port aux Coquilles_, the harbor of shells. This
port was near the northeastern extremity of Campobello
Island, and was probably Head Harbor, which affords a
good harbor of refuge.--_Vide_ Champlain's Map of 1612,
reference 9.
187. By "harbor" is here meant Annapolis Bay. This wreck
of the barque took place on the Granville side of Digby
Strait, where the tides rise from twenty-three to
twenty-Seven feet.
188. North-east. The text has _norouest_, clearly a
misprint for _nordest_.
189. These two men were M. La Taille and Miquelet, of
whom Lescarbot speaks in terms of enthusiastic praise
for their patriotic courage in voluntarily risking their
lives for the good of New France. _Vide Histoire
Nouvelle France_, Paris, 1612, pp. 545, 546.
190. _Mabretou_, by Lescarbot written Membertou.
Sources/Notes:
Samuel de Champlain.
1567-1635. "Voyages of Samuel de Champlain"
Edited by Edmund F. Slafter, (Boston: Prince Society
1878)
Samuel de Champlain image:
Warwick Stevens Carpenter. The Summer Paradise in
History. Albany: General Passenger Department, The
Delaware and Hudson Company. 1914. Courtesy of John and
Barbara Gallagher.
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