Here is some tobacco that you may all
smoke together, and that it may give you wisdom until I return and the
Governor sends you his word. Attend to your mother during my absence,
and see that she does not want for provisions, for if you do not take
care of her, on my return I will not give you a drink of brandy.
"M. de Tonty replaces me; I pray you to be on good terms with him."
FORTY SOLS, chief of the Hurons, spoke for all the indians:--
"We remember well, father, of what we said yesterday because you repeat
it to-day. We thank you for having listened to us and granted all we
asked you. We thank the women for not going away, because their
remaining is as if you remained. From to-morrow we will stimulate our
young men to go after provisions for our mother.
"It is three years ago, when in Montreal at the general meeting our
chiefs died, the governor told us to have courage, that he was sorry
for us, that he saw we were very far to come and get goods in Montreal,
and he invited us to come and settle around you, and that he would send
us merchandise at the same price as in Montreal. This worked well for
two years, but goods rose up too much in price the third year.
"The first year you came, we were very happy, but now we are naked, not
even having a bad shirt to put on our back. We would be pleased by the
establishment of several stores here, because if we were refused in
one, we could go to another.
"We are very glad of M.
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