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In the
spring the hunting was still made thus, as it was
except when the females enter on the rutting-time. At that time the hunting
was done at night upon the rivers in a canoe. Counterfeiting the cry of the
female, the Indians with a dish of bark would take up some water, and let it
fall into the water from a height. The noise brought the male, who thought it
was a female making water. For this object they let themselves go softly along
the stream; if they were ascending, they paddled very softly, and from time to
time they made water fall, counterfeiting always the female. They went all
along the border of the river, and if
there was any male in the woods who heard the sound of this water, he came
there. Those who were in the canoe would hear him coming, because of the noise
the beast made in the woods, and they kept on constantly imitating the cry of the
female, which made him come close up to them. They were all ready to draw upon
him, and never missed him. The darkest night was best for this hunting, and
also the most calm, (since) the wind prevented the noise made by the fall of
the water from being heard.
In winter
the hunting was different. Because of the snow, snow-shoes were used, by means
of which one marches over the snow without sinking in, especially in the
morning, because of the freezing in the night. At that time it bears the Dogs,
but the Moose does not find good going, because he sinks into the snow, which
fatigues him greatly in travelling.
To find the
Moose, the Indians ran about from one place to another, seeking wood that was
bitten. For at this time of year they eat only the twigs of wood of the year's
growth. Where they found the wood eaten, they met straightway with the animals,
which were not far distant, and approached them easily, they being unable to
travel swiftly. They then speared them with the lance, which is the large shaft
of which I have spoken; at its end is fixed that large pointed bone which
pierces like a sword. But if there were several Moose in the band, they made
them flee. At that season the Moose arranged themselves one after another, and
made a large ring of a league and a half, or two leagues, and sometimes of more,
and beat down the snow so well by virtue of moving around, that they no longer
sank into it. The one in front becoming weary, dropped to the rear. But
the Indians, who were more clever than they, placed themselves in ambush, and
waited for them to pass, and there they speared them. There was always one
person chasing
them; at each circuit always one of them fell; but in
the end they scattered into the woods, some in one direction and some in another. There fell always five or six,
and, when the snow would carry, the Dogs followed whatever ones were left. Not
a single one could escape. But in those times they killed only their
provision, and they only went hunting in proportion as they had need of meat.
All their hunting and fishing were done only as they had need for food.1
The hunting of the Beaver took place in summer with
arrows, when they were taken in the woods, or else in the lakes or ponds,
where the Indians placed themselves in canoes at a proper spot to watch until
they came to the surface of the water to take air. But the commonest and most
certain way was to break their dam, and make them lose the water. Then the
Beavers found themselves without water, and did not know any more where to go;
their houses showed everywhere. The Indians took them with blows of arrows
and of spears; and, having a sufficiency, they left all the rest.
The Beavers, hearing no more noise, reassembled and
set about repairing the dam. It is at this we have seen them working, and this
makes it well believable that all I have said of their work is true. I do not
consider that the work of making their dams entirely anew is so difficult as
to repair them when broken in the middle.
In winter
the hunting of them was done differently, the dams and the lakes being all
frozen. Then the Indians have their Dogs, which are a kind of Mastiff, but
more lightly built. They have the head of a Fox, but do
not yelp, having only a howl which is not of great sound. As for their teeth,
these are longer and sharper than those of Mastiffs. These Dogs serve for
hunting the Moose, as I have related, in the spring, summer, and autumn, and
in the winter when the snows will bear them. There is no hunter who has not
from seven to eight of them. They cherish them greatly. If they have little
ones which the mother cannot nourish, the women suckle them, when they are
large they are given soup. When they are in condition to be serviceable, they
are given nothing but offal of the beasts which are killed. If eight days pass
without any animals being killed, they are just so long without eating. As to
the bones, they are not given any, for fear of damaging their teeth, not even
those of the Beaver. If they should eat of that, it would keep the Indians
from killing any, and the same if one were to burn them. For it is well to remark here
that
1.The hunting of moose on the snow was a main
reliance of the Indians in winter, and practically every writer from Champlain
(191,Laverdiere ed.) onwards speaks of it. In consequence in winters when the
snow was scant, and they could
not thus
capture the moose, they were often reduced to misery if not
starvation, as several times shown in the
Jesuit
Relations (XXXII.41,XLV.6l,XLIX.1959).
the Indians
had many superstitions about such things, of which it has been much trouble to
disabuse them. If they had roasted an Eel, they also believed that this would
prevent them from catching one another time. They had in old times many beliefs
of this kind, which they have no more at the present time, and of which we have
disabused them.
Their wealth
was in proportion to their Dogs, and as a
testimony to a friend of the esteem in which they held him,
they give him that Dog to eat which they valued the most; (this was) a mark of
friendship. They say that it is very good eating. They still do this, and the
French eat it when they are present at their feasts, of which they tell great
stories. They like it better than mutton. But that, nevertheless, has never
given me any desire to eat it.
When they
took their Dogs to hunt the Moose in spring, summer, and autumn, the Dogs would
run about for some time, some in one direction and some in another. The one
which first met some track followed it without giving tongue. If he overtook the
beast, he got in front of it, jumping for the nose.
Then he howled. The Moose amused himself, and wished to kick the Dog in front.
All the other Dogs which heard it came running up and attacked it from all
sides.
It defended
itself with its feet in front; the Dogs tried to seize its
nose or ears. In the meantime the Indian arrives, and tries without being seen
to approach within shot below the wind. For if the animal perceives him or his
smell, the Moose takes to flight and scorns the Dogs, unless the hunter gives
it an arrow-shot. Being injured, it has difficulty in saving itself from the
Dogs, which follow it incessantly, as does also the Indian, who overtakes it and
shoots again. But sometimes the Dogs, which have seized the ears or the muzzle,
drag it to earth before the Indian has come up. They are not inclined to abandon
it, for very often they have had nothing to eat for eight days. The Indian
arrives, completes the kill, splits open the belly, and gives all the entrails
to his Dogs, which have a great junket. It is this which makes the Dogs keen in
the chase. As for the winter, when it has rained upon the snow, which (thus) can
carry the Dogs, they made use of them as I have already described, because they
have not at that time so much trouble to catch the Moose. For these cannot then
run so fast; being much heavier than the Dogs, they sink into
the snow, and are unable to advance farther except by
leaps.
As for that (hunting) of the Beavers, it also was
done in winter with Dogs, but they were only used to find the houses in which
they smelled the Beavers through the ice. Having found them, the Indians cut
through the ice and made a hole large enough to let through a Beaver. Then
they made another hole twenty-five or thirty paces away, on the open surface
of the lake. In this place an Indian or two took their stand with a bow and an
arrow which has a harpoon of bone at the end, made like a barbed rod, like
that which was used in fishing the Sturgeon, but smaller. It has also a cord
to which it is attached at one end, and the Indian took hold of the other.
Everything being ready, another Indian went to the other hole near the house
of the Beavers. Lying down on his belly upon the ice, he placed his arm
through the hole to find the Beavers' opening, that by which they place their
tail in the water. There they are all arranged one against the other, that is
to say, all those of one Beaver family. Having found them, the Indian passed
his hand very gently along the back of one several times, and, approaching
little by little to the tail, tried to seize it.
I have heard it said by the Indians that they have kept the arm so long in the
water that the ice froze all around the arm. When they once seized the tail
they drew the Beaver all at one swoop out from the water upon the ice, and at
the same time gave it the axe upon the head. They killed it for fear lest the
Beaver bite them, for wherever these set their teeth they take out the piece.
Having thus drawn one out they tried to obtain another, which they did in the
same way, rubbing them gently. That does not put them to flight, for they
imagine they are touching one another. But nevertheless three or four of them
having been removed, the remainder taken to flight and throw themselves into
the water. Not being able to remain long without breathing, the daylight which
shows over the hole out on the surface leads them to go there to get the air.
The other Indians who are there in ambush, so soon as they appear, give them
an arrow shot; the harpoon, which has teeth, holds in some part of the Beaver
from which it cannot be drawn out. The cord is then pulled and the Beaver is
drawn out through the hole; then they raise it upon the ice and kill it. Some
time after there comes another which is taken in the same way. Few in a house
are saved; they would take all. The disposition of the Indians is not to spare
the little ones any more than the big ones. They killed all of each kind of animal that there was when they could capture it.
It is well to remark here that they were more fond of the young
than of the
grown of various species of animals, whatever these might be, to such a
degree that often when they were chasing two Elks, male and female, they
quitted the male if they perceived that the female was pregnant, in order to
obtain the young ones, for ordinarily they carry two, and it is for them a
great dainty.
As to the
Bears, if they killed them in winter, it was
necessary that they should happen upon them when hunting. Coming upon some
large trees they looked to see whether
there came out any breath in the form of vapour from
within. If they saw any it was a sign that the Bear was there.
They mounted upon the tree and killed the Bear with their spears; then they
drew it out. In the spring they met
them in the woods, when they followed their track. Or they killed them
sometimes upon an Oak where they were eating acorns. Then a shot of an arrow
straightway brought it to the ground, and so soon as it was down they gave it
another arrow, and then they killed it with blows from axes. If
they meet it upon the ground, and they draw upon it, according to whether the
Bear is hurt (or not) it (either) flees or comes to the man, who has
immediately another arrow ready. If he does not bring it down, the Bear
embraces him, and will very soon have torn him to pieces with its claws. But
the Indian to escape this throws himself face down upon the ground. The Bear
smells him, and if the man does not stir, the Bear turns him over and places
its nose upon his mouth to find if he is breathing. If it does not smell the
breath, it places its bottom on the (man's) belly, crushes him as much as it
can, and at the same time replaces its nose upon
the mouth. If it does not then smell the breath, and the
man does not move, it leaves him there and goes fifteen or twenty
paces away. Then it sits down on its haunches and watches (to see) if the man
does not move. If the man remains some time immovable, it goes away. But if
it sees him move, it returns to the man, presses him once more upon the belly,
for a long time, then returns to smell at his mouth. If it
perceives that the man breathes it will press him like that until it believes
it has suffocated him, if in the meantime its wounds do not bring it down. To
guard against this, it is necessary to take good care neither to breathe nor
to move until it is far off. They do not do any other harm. When one
has Dogs one is guaranteed against all this.
As for the
Lynxes, if the Indians meet them and they or their Dogs pursue them, this animal
mounts into a tree where it is easily killed, whilst the Dogs are terrifying it
with their barkings. All the other animals are not really difficult to kill, and
there is not one of them capable of
attacking a
man, at least unless it be attacked first.
They kill with the arrow only all kinds of
game, both water and land, whether flying or upon the ground. As for the
Squirrel, the Partridge, and other small game, it is the children who amuse
themselves with that.
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