Letter 168

My dear son,

I wouldn’t be satisfied if I saw the north east wind for which the fleet is waiting at our port if I didn’t take a minute’s leisure to tell you of the goodness of God to us and this country which subsists only by the support of His Divine Providence. I have told you something of it by the first ship but we didn’t know then all our good Jesus was doing for us. We have known and experienced it since. What you have heard last year is true that the Iroquois have made peace with us, all except one nation. Piqued by jealousy because a Father had visited another nation in preference to them, they took up arms to avenge themselves on the French and their allies. The others kept their word. The dissidents continued their hostility till the beginning of July with such ferocity that no place was safe. When the snows melted they massacred many French and Indians whom they found in unprotected places. They went into places where they were not expected led by renegades who knew the secret ways. They weren’t able to do anything against the main body of the French because during the Winter different paths were made in the snow. This frightened them and obliged them to retreat because they are treacherous but not courageous. Besides, the Algonquins seeing the French take heart were encouraged and along the new paths that had been made, they have taken several leading Iroquois. They burnt four of them alive with horrible torments and yet that is only roses compared with what they inflicted on the French and on the Indians that they had been able to capture. The four I have mentioned were converted to the Faith and baptised before their death. Their conversion was easy because they had already heard of the Faith from Christians who had been captives in their country so that they remembered easily our mysteries and things necessary for salvation. Fr Chaumonot assisted them at their execution. An Algonquin woman, having been taken by the Iroquois with all her family, her husband was tightly bound in all parts and said to her if she wished she could save them all. She understood well what he meant, so taking her time she seized a hatchet and split the skull of a captain and cut the throat of another and acted so furiously that she put all others to fight. She untied her husband and children and they all retired to a safe place.

The Alqonquins have made many such raids being enraged against the Iroquois and with good reason, because they have almost annihilated their nation by their ferocity. The Hurons also attacked them and fought furiously. The Iroquois came to grips with the French in Montreal and Three Rivers and were so badly defeated that they said, “Let us not go there again because they are demons”. The big numbers they have lost in the encounters prevents them from attacking the settlements. But they continue to prey on out-lying families. The worst blow came to the Isle aux Oyes where an honourable citizen of Paris, M. Moyen, who had bought the place had settled with all his family. He was surprised on Corpus Christi, when all his workers were away. Himself and his wife were killed and his children with those of a settler were taken prisoner. In another place where employees of M Denis Bourgeois of Tours had settled in this country, the people were also surprised and murdered. Several others have been killed as well, among them a Jesuit Brother on his way.All that has been done treacherously so that people have had great difficulty in sowing the seed this year. Everybody is so frightened especially by what happened to M. Moyen that they had neither the strength nor the courage. Besides rumour said that the English were in Acadie with four war-ships and that they had other ships defending the entrance to the St Laurence to stop the ships we were expecting and to make themselves masters of Quebec. Wouldn’t anyone say being caught between two perils all was lost? It was being said and for my part, though I wish for nothing but what our good God wills, I confess that seeing that Christianity here is in danger of extinction my heart suffered inexpressible anguish and I must admit there is no cross like that which involves God’s Glory and the salvation of souls.

In July a vessel from Nantes arrived without bringing us any letters. Still it brought us great joy assuring us that the English were not quite so near. They were at Acadie for trading purposes, yet they have seized that country in lieu of debt and taken away Mons. de la Tour who owned the place as prisoner to England. One of our anxieties was thus eased and the people began to breathe freely. At the same time, several Iroquois including many Captains were seized by the French in both Montreal and Three Rivers. This was an unspeakable humiliation for the barbarians. The captives met with mild treatment from the French. They were only imprisoned with their feet in irons; mild punishment compared with burning alive. They on their part, knowing we had their chief Captains, treated the French prisoners well and let them go of their own accord asking for a renewal of the peace. They were so insistent on this demand that they let the French prisoners go without asking for an exchange, to assure us of the sincerity with which they wanted an alliance with the French. All the prisoners were liberated, the better to win them. The other Iroquois nations who had kept the peace sent Ambassadors to assure the French that they had perpetrated no act of hostility since the peace Treaty in the Autumn. The Agniers brought letters from the Dutch testifying their sincerity.

The Agnerognons thus declared their desire for peace but on one condition. They were making peace with the French but not with the Hurons and Algonquins. This was accepted within limits. They were not allowed to attack a French Settlement. This they keep to but I see no assurance but hatred between these tribes and the way they have massacred each other. The French suffer from it as they are obliged to support the new Christians. They are dragged into their quarrels and difficulties. The barbarians persist in demanding miracles. Fr le Moine has been given to them and he has set out accompanied by two Frenchmen. Since they left there has been peace. The French have returned to their homes which they had abandoned to take refuge in Quebec. The grain has been harvested, the meadows mown and the eel fishing was good. All this has brought joy to the whole country. As well a second vessel has arrived bringing our other necessities. In all this we see God’s Providence over us which revives us when we thought we were dead.

These having left, the Ambassador of the Onontageronons and of the other Iroquois nations have arrived and told us they met Fr le Moine who has actually written that the Agniers had told him all that had happened but they don’t want a conditional peace but a complete peace with everybody. This the Father confirms in his letter, so they are at peace with our Christians which is a great consolation. The peace has been affirmed with a great many presents which I haven’t time to list in detail. It all took place at Quebec with great pomp in the presence of 500 or 600 Frenchmen and of all the Indians of the region. The important thing about this peace is that these people have declared they want to become Christians and they want the Frenchmen to settle in their country, which means they want houses built for the Missionaries, as has been done for the Hurons, and they want fifty Frenchmen to visit them to ratify the alliance. All their requests were granted except the last which was deferred till spring. They had been given two Fathers and one French man to instruct them in the Faith. Frs. d’Ablon and Chaumonot have been selected. They are happy to be chosen for this enterprise and abandon themselves to its dangers with zeal and fervour. For without mentioning the danger of death from the ferocity of these people, they will endure labours unimaginable by those who don’t know what it is to be in a barbarous country deprived of all the help that a European would regard as essential. Yet those brave workers for the Gospel fly as if going to Paradise placing all their happiness in gaining souls for Jesus Christ. They forget themselves and the interests of nature. While all the ambassadors were in Quebec they visited us several times as did a woman chief with her retinue. We feasted them splendidly according to their style because this is what must be done to attract them. They took special pleasure in seeing and hearing our seminarians and among others a little Huron girl of 10 or 11 to whom we are giving a French education. She can read write and sing in three languages, that is Latin, French and Huron. She rear out the Catechism to her companions in their presence.

She made a little speech to the Leader of the group, expressing her pleasure at the peace and that Fathers were sending us the Iroquois girls to be instructed with the Seminarians and that she would treat them as sisters. He accepted the offer with a little present that she made for him and admired again the intelligence and poise of the little girl. She gave a present to a woman chief who promised to send her daughter and she caressed the girl with a show of affection unusual among the Indians. Fr Chaumonot had been instructing three Iroquois for some time and two of them were baptised in our little Church. These are the first Christians of their Nation. I leave you to judge if we put our hearts into the Te Deum at the end of the Ceremony. We were seen with tears in our eyes and jubilation in our hearts in seeing those who up to this, were destroying Christianity, embrace it with such devotion and become children of God. Fr Chaumonot has written to me from Montreal which he is leaving for Onnontageronnons. He tells me he has six catechumens and a little travelling Church composed of those who were baptised here. He tells me that the woman captain asked him to tell me that she is praying to God and invites the others to join her. She tells me to take courage that she will send me her sister and that her daughter whom she promised me is still too small. She repeats all this she has so much heart. It is true that I sent her a dress for her daughter and other presents for her companions. They told a group of their companions whom they had left at Montreal of the great welcome they got in Quebec. These were so touched that they came expressly to see us. Women came to our seminary where they were given a feast and presents according to their culture. You would be surprised at the wiles we must use to attract souls to the Faith. Oh, how we long to see a group of Iroquois in our seminary. How we would cherish them for love of Him who shed His blood for them as well as for us. It is important that we have some hostages on account of the priests who are in their country. Among the ceremonial presents one was to invite the Iroquois to send girls to the Seminary. To act as hostages was the unspoken intention. The real reason was to teach them the faith. We have with our Huron Christians a troop of Iroquois who did not want to return with their ambassadors but stayed to be instructed in the Faith delighted with the example of our Christians.
 
Fr Chaumonot tells me that the woman Captain is able to sing at Mass like the Huron Christian women and she is so zealous that she calls the others to prayer. Fr D’ablon has just arrived from France so he does not know the language well. She is continually by his side teaching him words. I cannot speak to you at greater length of these matters nor of the fervour of our good Christians and the heroic virtues they practise to the confusion of those who were born into the Faith. Pray for them, pray for the conversion of the Iroquois, pray for the Gospel workers and finally pray for me that the Divine Goodness may have mercy on me, forgive my sins and give me the grace to persevere in my vocation which I esteem above everything on earth.
I pray to him to make you a saint.

From Quebec. 12 October 1655.
(Pages 214 to 216).