greatly astonished and amazed, for they thought the heaven
had fallen upon them, and put themselves to flight,
howling, crying and shrieking, so that it seemed hell
was broken loose.'

Next day the Indians made one more attempt to dissuade
Cartier from his journey. Finding that persuasion and
oratory were of no avail, they decided to fall back upon
the supernatural and to frighten the French from their
design. Their artifice was transparent enough, but to
the minds of the simple savages was calculated to strike
awe into the hearts of their visitors. Instead of coming
near the ships, as they had done on each preceding day,
the Indians secreted themselves in the woods along the
shore. There they lay hid for many hours, while the French
were busied with their preparations for departure. But
later in the day, when the tide was running swiftly
outward, the Indians in their canoes came paddling down
the stream towards the ships, not, however, trying to
approach them, but keeping some little distance away as
if in expectation of something unusual.

The mystery soon revealed itself. From beneath the foliage
of the river bank a canoe shot into the stream, the
hideous appearance of its occupants contrasting with the
bright autumn tints that were lending their glory to the
Canadian woods. The three Indians in the canoe had been
carefully made up by their fellows as 'stage devils' to
strike horror into Cartier and his companions. They were
'dressed like devils, being wrapped in dog skins, white