Now to resume our course: as one enters the river, there are beautiful
islands, which are very pleasant and contain fine meadows. We proceeded to
a place to which the savages guided us, where the river is not more than an
eighth of a league broad, and at a distance of some two hundred paces from
the western shore there is a rock on a level with the water, of a dangerous
character.[98] From here to the Isle Haute, it is fifteen leagues. From
this narrow place, where there is the least breadth that we had found,
after sailing some seven or eight leagues, we came to a little river near
which it was necessary to anchor, as we saw before us a great many rocks
which are uncovered at low tide, and since also, if we had desired to sail
farther, we could have gone scarcely half a league, in consequence of a
fall of water there coming down a slope of seven or eight feet, which I saw
as I went there in a canoe with our savages; and we found only water enough
for a canoe. But excepting the fall, which is some two hundred paces broad,
the river is beautiful, and unobstructed up to the place where we had
anchored. I landed to view the country, and, going on a hunting excursion,
found it very pleasant so far as I went. The oaks here appear as if they
were planted for ornament. I saw only a few firs, but numerous pines on one
side of the river; on the other only oaks, and some copse wood which
extends far into the interior.[99] And I will state that from the entrance
to where we went, about twenty-five leagues, we saw no town, nor village,
nor the appearance of there having been one, but one or two cabins of the
savages without inhabitants. These were made in the same way as those of
the Souriquois, being covered with the bark of trees. So far as we could
judge, the Savages on this river are few in number, and are called
Etechemins. Moreover, they only come to the islands, and that only during
some months in summer for fish and game, of which there is a great
quantity. They are a people who have no fixed abode, so far as I could
observe and learn from them. For they spend the winter now in one place and
now in another, according as they find the best hunting, by which they live