Page 194 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686
P. 194
on the way iwo-ecare Savagee from ihe North Bay. il8) 1 conveyed to
them ihe first iidhgr af ~he Fajih, [or which ihey ttienked me witli some
poli lenefis.
"Coniinuing our journey, on the sevenleenih we croased a parlion of
our grc.at Lake, (lu) paddling for iuelve hours wjthout dropping the pad-
dle ironi ihe hand. God rendered nie verr iensihle ajd; Ior, ad tliere
were but three of us in anr Cnnoe, 1 was obliged to paddle with al1 my
slrengih, iogeiher wiili ihe Savages, in order to make the niost of the
cah, wi~hout whicli WP would have beru iii great danger, utterly spcnt
as WP were wilh toi1 end Iick of food. Nevertheleas we luy dowii supper-
les. ut nighifall, and on ihe morraw coiilented our~slves with u frugal
meal of Indian corn and water; for !lie wind and the rain prevenied nur
Savages irom custing llieir nels.
"On the nincteentli, invilcd by ihe beautiEul weslher, we covered
eighteen leagucç, paddling Irom daybreak iill Sunset, without respite
and without landjng.
"Oa the twentieth, finding oolhing in out neis, we continued on Our
journey, munching some grains of dry coin. On ~he foiiowing dey, God
refresbed us wilh iwo small fisliee, which gave us new lire. lieaven's
blessings increased on ~he nent day, our Savagea catching so many siur-
gzon ~hat ~hey were obligcd LO leave perr of ihem ui the waier's edge.
"Coasling along the Yorthern aliore oI lhis peet Lake on the iwenty-
ihird, we paased from Island io Islaud, these being vety Erequent. There
is one, ai leas1 lwenly leagner bng, where are tound pieces of capper,
which iu ticld ,by Frcnchrntn who have examiried il here to be [rue red
copper. 12'))
"Aher aeeomplishiiig a good part 01 out journey on the Luke, we
le[t il on the rwenty-hfth of lhis monlh of May, aud couuigned ourselvea
to a River, so iull ol ~npidri and Ialls tbal wen our Savages could go no
(18) Thr "North Bay". "Sea 01 the North", and shilar expressions, were used by
tbe French ai tliis period LO d~àignate Hüdson'e Bay. They were oot errlain
as yei lhat ihe Xorth Bay of which ihe InJians spoke was ihe came as that
wbieh ihey knew Henry Hudron hnd diseovered See JR, vol. LIV,. p. 15,
where Father Dablon gives reasons for taking a Lrip to rhe Nortli Sen, and
wonder. iI it will prove to be "Hudson's Bay".
The Indians from the Nonh Bey that Allouez met were most probably Kilia-
iiuior or Crecs.
(le) Nelljs M. Crouse, in his Oocioral Dis~erlation, "Conlribuiions oi the Canadien
Jcsuits to the Geograpbieal Knowlerlge nt New Frence", etates (p. 1231,
"This rernarkahle feal of crossing cven e por~ion of Lake Snperior waa not
an iionsnd one wit h ihe Indians, for by taking advarilage of favorable weaiher
rhey could eovrr ~hc disiance [rom Keweenaw Yoiot ta Isle Royale (appron-
imaiely ioriy-hve miles) irom riuntiae io sunse~." But it does not seem thai
Allouez cro~srd the Lake ai ihat place, for il appeere from ihe narrative thai
it was only ao May 23rd, iint oii rhe 19th, thal they came nrar Isle Royale.
It j6 VFV proliable ibai he cmssed much nearer the head of rhe Lake in aome
point M the Minnesoia portion 01 the northern 6hore.
(20) There can be littlr doubi lhal ihie war TEIF Royale. On the Jesuil map of
Lskc Superior 01 1671, and on other early maps, it waa cdled Isle Minong.
In hi6 deseriptjon of tb~ eopper deposits on ihe shores of LBke Superi~r in
I~P Relation nf 1669-71 (IR, vol. LIV, pp. 159 and Ioll.), Father Dablon givee
n luli aceount O[ this ieland and iis red copper as be bed heard of ihem imm
Jndiene aud French voyageurs.
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