Découverte de quelques pays et nations de l´Amerique Septentrionale [The Discovery of Several Countries and Nations in North America]

              [English translation]




in Summer, and the skin becomes as soft as velvet. At that season, the Indians use the hides for making fine robes, which they paint in various colors. The flesh and the fat of the Pisikious are excellent, and constitute the best dish at feasts. Moreover, they are very fierce; and not a year passes without their killing some Indians. When attacked, they catch a man on their horns, if they can, toss him in the air, and then throw him on the ground, after which they trample him under foot, and kill him. If a person fire at them from a distance, with either a bow or a gun, he must, immediately after the shot, throw himself down and hide in the grass; for if they perceive him who has fired, they run at him, and attack him. As their legs are thick and rather short, they do not run very fast, As a rule, except when angry. They are scattered about the prairie in herds; I have seen one of 400.



We continued to advance, but, as we knew not whither we were going, - for we had proceeded over one hundred leagues without discovering anything except animals and birds, - we kept well on our guard. On this account, we make only a small fire on land, toward evening, to cook our meals; and, after supper, we remove Ourselves as far from it as possible, and pass the night in our Canoes, which we anchor in the 









[OCR of French page; consult page images for accurate text]


t'Amenqm Stptentfwnale. t% te en Efte , & ia peau devient douce comme velours: c'eft pour lors que les Sauvages em- ployent leurs peaux pour leur faire des robbes qu'ils peignent de diverfcscouleuts/ La chair & la graiife des PifiKibus eft excellente" & faic le meilleur mets de leurs feftins : au refte ils font tres.dangereux, il lie le paffe point d'annee qu'ils ne tuent quelques Sauvages , quand oa vient les attaqucr , ils prennent s'ils peuyent un homme avec les cornes, renlevent en Fair, puis ils le jcttcnt centre terre , le foulent des- pieds & le tuent. Si Ton tire de loin fur eux de fore oi^ du fiml,il faut fi-toft apres Ie coup fe jerter a terre & Ie cacber dans Pherbe: car s'ils apper^bivent celuy qui a tire, ils courent apres & le vont attaquer: comme ils ont les pieds gros & ailez courts ils ne vont pas bien Tifte,.fi ce n'eft lorfqu ils font irritez^ ils font epatts dans des prairies comme des troupeaux^ I'en ay veu une bande de quatre cen,s.
Nous ^van<jons toujours , mais coname nous lie fgavons ou nous aliens , ayant fait deja plus de cent lieues fans avoir rien decGuvert que des beftes &: des oyfeaux , nous nous te¬ nons bien fiij: nos gardes ^ c'eft pourquoy nous ne faifons qu'un petit feu a terre fi^r le foit pour preparer noftre repas , & apres foepct iibus nous eloignons de terre le plus que nous pouvons & nous aliens pafler la nuit dans nos l^aijiots ^ que ^us tei;ions a I'ancre % fe riU