Читать книгу Under the Lily and the Rose - Arthur G. Sir Doughty - Страница 7

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Twenty days after the departure of the ships from St. Malo, the real adventures of Jacques Cartier began. Surprises there were in plenty and days of alternate hope and despair.

Land was first sighted off the coast of Newfoundland, and to this he gave the name of Bonavista, or Fair View. Beautiful indeed it was to look at, but dangerous to approach, for guarding every entrance were floating mountains of ice, glistening in the sun. And so, as a prudent pilot, he sought shelter within a friendly harbour to the south called St. Catherine’s. When the ice had passed he continued his voyage northward and skirted an island completely covered with strange birds. They were curious-looking creatures, larger than fat geese, with a beak broader than the palm of the hand. These were the great auk, which is not seen any more. There were also some smaller birds which Cartier says “were ugly to attack for they bite like dogs,” so that the bears which swam out to catch them often had a hard time; at least I hope so. After capturing some of the fat birds, Cartier turned into the Straits of Belle Isle and thus touched the mainland of Canada. And here the sturdy Pilot of St. Malo received a rude shock. Always in his mind, looking forward, was the fair land of Cathay, and the silks and spices and gold and precious stones. And behind him was the beautiful land of France. But this new country was a dreadful place, so ugly and horrible, with stunted shrubs and moss, that poor Cartier thought it must surely be “the land which God gave to Cain.” It was his duty to take possession of all lands in the name of the King, and so he set up a cross, but the King’s name was not upon it. For this land, said he, “should not be called the new land.” If he had returned, one would not have blamed him, but he pushed on and his perseverance was soon rewarded. Listen to his words a few days later when he had reached the shores of a bay which he called “Chaleur.” “Their country is more temperate than Spain and the finest it is possible to see and as level as the surface of a pond. There is not the smallest plot of ground bare of wood and even on sandy soil, but is full of wild wheat that has an ear like barley, and the grain like oats, as well as of pease as thick as if they had been sown and hoed; of white and red currant bushes, of strawberries, of raspberries, of white and red roses and of other plants of strong pleasant odour.” Here he established friendly relations with the Indians and set up another cross, and this time it bore the inscription: “Long live the King of France.” After he had persuaded two Indians, Dom Agaya and Taignoagny, to accompany him, he set sail for France to tell his story to the King.

The tale that he had to tell was not as colourful as that of Columbus, neither was it a tale the King expected. Nevertheless, he had taken possession of an immense country in the name of France and the Court was not displeased.

And so upon the following Whitsuntide there was another ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Malo which the people attended to witness the departure of Jacques Cartier on his second voyage. And this time he had under his command three ships of the King.

Now this is only a very short history of Canada, and therefore we must not tarry much longer with Cartier, as there are so many people to meet. But I have given you a map of Canada which once belonged to Jacques Cartier, showing the first voyage, and the course of the second voyage.

You will see that Cartier followed almost the same course as on his first voyage until he came to Anticosti. Then he left the Gulf and entered the noble river since known to us as the Saint Lawrence.

Sailing up the river he cast anchor off a large island covered with beautiful trees, and an abundance of hazel nuts, which were better than those of France. He therefore named it Ile aux Coudres, or Hazelbush Island. Some distance beyond were several small islands, and as one of them was inhabited he decided to land. The natives thought it better to make themselves scarce. But Cartier had with him the two Indians he had captured on his first voyage, and after Dom Agaya had conversed with them in their own tongue they became friendly and offered melons, corn and fish.

Leaving the island the ships continued their course and came to anchor before the great rock of Quebec.

Throughout the day there was a great commotion on the river, and many questions were put to the warrior-chief Donnacona, lord of Canada. From whence came these huge ships with curious sails and banners of white and gold? And for what purpose?

And so the next day Donnacona, with many canoes, put off to meet these mysterious visitors. Standing in the foremost canoe he began a long harangue all of which was quite unintelligible to the white men. But when Dom Agaya told them of the wonders of France, and of the presents he had received, they shouted and swayed their bodies in manifestation of their delight. From the Indians Cartier learned that farther up the river was Hochelaga, the stronghold of a powerful tribe. And thither he decided to go. But first he found a suitable place for his ships, and chose the river Lairet, a tributary of the St. Charles.

The conduct of the two Indians was causing Cartier some anxiety. They seemed less friendly, and when he proposed to take them to Hochelaga they did not wish to go. Taignoagny claimed that Donnacona was vexed because the French carried so many weapons. And now for some reasons they tried to persuade him that Hochelaga was a dangerous place to visit, and adopted a curious means to convince him. The Indians withdrew to the woods and began to shout and howl in a most horrible manner. Then three men dressed up in black and white dog skins, with long horns and blackened faces, were placed in a canoe so that they could be seen from the ships. They were perfectly hideous creatures. The chief told Cartier that these demons were messengers from the Indian god Cudouagny and had come to warn him against Hochelaga. Ice and snow covered the place, and all who went thither would surely perish. But Cartier only laughed at them, for he had been warned that Dom Agaya and Donnacona were rogues and traitors. And so on the morrow he departed.

Hochelaga was really a wonderful place. It was situated on the site of McGill University. Within a large circular palisade were a number of square or oblong huts and in the centre a square. Inside the palisade a platform was constructed to which access was gained by a ladder. On the platform were piled large stones which could be thrown upon the heads of invaders. It was the most pretentious place Cartier had seen. On his arrival he was given a boisterous welcome by the chief and bidden to partake of the feast. Cartier was not much impressed with the banquet, as the Indians cook without salt. On the next day a visit was made to the top of the mountain, and Cartier beheld the marvellous panorama visible therefrom. He named it Mont Réal (which means Royal Mountain) and this name it has borne ever since. After making a few presents, Cartier returned to Stadacona. It would have been well for him if he had sailed directly for France. During his absence in Hochelaga the crew had made good progress with the fort, and the two ships had already been set up for the winter. Strong barriers were placed at the entrance and only the masts of the ships could be seen. Soon the winter came, the river was frozen, and ice and snow covered the land.

The weary months dragged on, and scurvy, a horrible disease, broke out in the fort. One by one the men sickened and died, and before the spring there were twenty-five graves in the snow. Of the remaining company there were three only who were not weak and ill. Now a new danger threatened them. The Indians were found lurking outside the fort in a suspicious manner. Why were the crews of the ships so silent, and why were they never seen? Soon they became bolder and approached the fort in numbers, listening and pondering over the silence.

Then poor Cartier was really afraid, not for himself but for the men under his charge. The Indians must be kept off at any cost. But how? What was he to do with three men against savages who only respected force? So he thought of a plan to deceive them. The Indians must think that the crews were busy below decks repairing the ships. So he ordered the men, even the sick, to make a great clatter with sticks and stones, and the men who were well were sent to a place where they could be seen by the Indians. Then Cartier came out with a big stick and pretended to beat them and threw stones at them, and in a loud voice told them to return to their work for they were idle. So the Indians believed that the men were all very busy and went away.

One day when everything seemed very black within the little fort Cartier went outside the barriers and began to walk up and down on the ice, and sad were his thoughts. Presently he saw a band of Indians approaching, and amongst them Dom Agaya. This was a surprise for Cartier, for twelve days before he had seen Dom Agaya, who then was very ill with scurvy: his limbs were swollen, his teeth were decaying and he was indeed in a very bad state. And now he was in good health. Then Dom Agaya told him of the virtues of the tree “Annedda,” and that the leaves, the juice and the dregs were the only cure for scurvy. So a squaw brought him nine or ten branches, for Cartier said that his servant was ill.

Cartier at once ordered a drink to be made according to the directions of the Indians; but none of the men would taste it. Silly men, you will say. Perhaps. But how many times has the doctor sent you a nasty medicine which would make you well, and you have refused to take it! At length one or two thought they would risk a trial, and as soon as they drank it they felt better, and in a day or two they were completely recovered.

CARTIER’S CREW GATHERING THE TREE ANNEDDA

H. R. Perrigard, A.R.C.A.

“When this became known,” says Cartier, “there was such a rush for the medicine that they almost killed each other to have it first. So that in less than eight days a whole tree was used up, and produced such result that had all the doctors of Louvain been there with all the drugs of Alexandria they could not have done as much in a year as this tree did in eight days.”

Now Cartier was glad; but as soon as the river was open he steered his course for his beloved home in St. Malo, taking with him as prisoner the crafty Donnacona.

No doubt he made appeals to the King to allow him to continue his exploration; but the Court would have been more pleased with a few bales of silk, a few sacks of spices, a few nuggets of gold, and a few handfuls of precious stones than it was with the vast unproductive country which he had added to the Kingdom of France. Therefore, it was not until 1541 that he found a patron willing to provide the money necessary for another voyage.

This time Cartier avoided Stadacona over which Donnacona once held sway, and he built a fort at the mouth of the Cap Rouge River, nine miles above Quebec. Here he had a large garden and grew lettuce and cabbage and turnips—the first grown by Europeans in the New World. And he found clear stones which he thought were diamonds, but they were not. These little stones may still be found in Quebec, and that is why the great rock is called Cape Diamond.

But the Indians gave Cartier great trouble and he did not remain long. The Marquis de la Roche, his patron, spent a winter in this fort, but still France failed to obtain a foothold, and for nearly three-quarters of a century we do not hear of Canada again.

CARTIER SETS UP THE CROSS AT GASPÉ

C. W. Simpson, R.C.A.