Spencer+P

__Diary of Jaques Jaqueson__ Today was a cold day, even colder than yesterday. The mill is deserted; there hasn’t been a harvest for a long time. I came here for new opportunity, but this land is harsher than the one I came from. It is hard to provide for the seigneur. Next season I shall plant corn seeds, they seem easy to grow. I have almost finished clearing the land, and have finished a barn and a shed. For food I had to slaughter a cow for food, but we have been mostly surviving on fish. Another thing I have discovered is a wonderful delicacy called eel. It is wonderful, and if I had heard about it before I would have come to this small plot of land without a second thought. It is easy to catch, abundant and tastes like the food of the gods. I always have two or three buckets of it at home. My home is small, with only two rooms between my family of eight. It’s all we can have with this tiny fireplace. In my home there are only some pots, a stove and some chairs. I haven’t had the time to construct a bed, but I have no doubt about completing it this winter. My humble clothing is just barely enough to keep me alive in the winter, just an overcoat tied with a sash, some pants, and a toque the fabric was harvested from my sheep; the wool is one of the warmest things I could find. I usually hunt for fun, using my arquebuse, loaded with several shots it can easily fell two or three animals. . In a blizzard that happened recently, my youngest son disappeared. We are still in mourning. One day a Sunday, several weeks ago, I travelled to the church to pray on the holy day. I noticed one of my neighbours was not there. After returning I found him working on his field, I asked him what he was doing and he said he was too busy to be religious. During the night I beheaded his chickens, setting an example for him and my children. Sacrilege and blasphemy will not be tolerated.

-- Diary 2 Today I met a courier de bois, Jaynes Klouch. He was passing through on a voyage to the northwest. I had never met one before; He said that his job was to collect furs from beavers to make valuable hats for the wealthy in the homeland of France. He was a very friendly man, and we exchanged stories over our pipes. I gave him some food that I had so he would bring me back some eels; my supplies had run low. The fighting that has broken out between the heathen and me has upset the seigneur of my land. The God-forsaken man had the nerve to blame me, and although I am guilty I am confident that god will protect me from the Jacques Dupont’s wrath. The fatherless neighbor of mine will not be so lucky, as he said that because he has decided to not follow the words of our lord, he doesn’t have to give to the church. Ha-ha, I assume he shall be justly smitten and his and his family’s wretched lives will be ended abruptly, only leading them to an eternal unrest in the devil’s lands. Recently there were some problems with the indigenous Indians. The seigneur ordered all men of age to prepare their weapons for war, and warned us that some of us may die. He said that although our lives may end, our legacy would go on. I loaded my arquebuse and tested it on my neighbor’s animals. It seems to be in working order. He was not as happy as I was about this. Other than that there has not been very much worth mentioning around my farm.

Bibliography

"Mathurin Brochu of New France" by Christopher Moore "Life in New France" by Rosemary Neering "New France & the Fur Trade" by Douglas Baldwin "Les Canadiens: The French in Canada 1600-1867" by Stewart K. " Beginnings: From the First Nations to the Great Migrations" by Marshall Jamieson