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MIKLÓS VASSÁNYI
Jolliet in 1694.% For Hudson’s crew, however, this was no more than a snare,
similar to the one used by Appalachee Indians to entrap the Spaniard Juan Ortiz,
a survivor of the 1528 Narvaez expedition (later found in 1539 by the Hernando
de Soto-expedition in the area of present day Tampa, Florida).”” By the time of
the next meeting the following day, the English have grown confident in the
Nunavimmiut or Nunavik Inuit and as they go ashore esssentially unarmed
for gathering sorrel and trading, they are surrounded by the Aboriginals, who
stage a surprise attack, butchering several of the English.**
Behind the brute facts, on the face of it, there is no immediately manifest
motivation on the part of the Nunavimmiut for this attack. They were,
apparently, a relatively, though not completely, uncontacted group living
in a degree of isolation at Digges Sound along the Eastern coast of the
36 Markham (ed.), Voyages of Davis, 2 and 6; Louis Jolliet, Journal de L. Joliett allant a la
descouverte de Labrador, in Rapport de l’Archiviste de la province de Québec pour 1943¬
1944, Québec, Rédempti Paradis, Imprimeur de Sa Majesté le Roi, 1944, 168-206, see
especially 194-195.
“...chegando ao porto a vista do pouo, virä em terra hüa cana chätada no chäo & &cima
fendida & metida hüa carta & creram que ho gouernador a auia deixado pera dar nouas de si
quando detriminou entrar a terra dentro, & a quatro ou cinco indios que pela praya andauä
a pedirä & elles por aceno lhe disserä que fossem eles a terra por ella: ho que cötra vöta de
dos outros Joä Ortiz & outro fizeram: & tanto que forä em terra, das casas do pouo sahiram
muitos indios que os cercaram & tomaram em parte que nam podiam fugir: & a outro que se
quiz defender logo alli ho matara & a Joa Ortiz tomaram as mäos & leuaram no a Ucita seu
senhor...” (Gentleman of Elvas, Relagam verdadeira dos trabalhos que ho gouernador don
Fernando de Souto y certos fidalgos portugueses passarom no descobrimento da prouincia
da Frolida!. Agora nouamente feita per hun fidalgo Deluas, Euora, 1557, Chapter 9, 24 recto.)
“Now when we came, they made signes to their dogges [...], and pointed to their mountaine
and to the sunne, clapping their hands. Then Henry Greene, John Thomas, and William
Wilson stood hard by the boate head, Michael Perse and Andrew Moter were got up upon
the rock a gathering of sorrell; not one of them had any weapon about him, not so much as
a sticke, save Henry Greene only, who had a piece of a pike in his hand: nor saw I any thing
that they had wherewith to hurt us. Henry Greene and William Wilson had looking-glasses,
and Jewes trumps, and bels, which they were shewing the people. The savages standing round
about them, one of them came into the boats head to me to shew me a bottle: I made signes to
him to get him ashoare, but he made as though he had not understood me, whereupon I stood
up and pointed him ashoare. In the meane-time another stole behind me to the sterne of the
boat, and when I saw him ashoare that was in the head of the boat I sate downe againe, but
suddenly I saw the legge and foote of a man by mee. Wherefore I cast up my head, and saw the
savage with his knife in his hand, who strooke at my breast over my head: I cast up my right
arme to save my brest, he wounded my arme, and strooke me into the bodie under my right
pappe. [...] Whiles I was thus assaulted in the boat, our men were set upon on the shoare. John
Thomas and William Wilson had their bowels cut, and Michael Perse and Henry Greene,
being mortally wounded, came tumbling into the boat together. When Andrew Motor saw
this medley, hee came running downe the rockes, and leaped into the sea, and so swamme to
the boat, hanging on the sterne thereof, till Michael Perse took him in, who manfully made
good the head of the boat against the savages, that pressed sore upon us. Now Michael Perse
had got an hatchet, wherewith I saw him strike one of them, that he lay sprawling in the
sea. [...] The savages betooke them to their bowes and arrows, which they sent amongst us,
wherewith Henry Greene was slaine outright, and Michael Perse received many wounds, and
so did the rest.” (Prickett, Larger Discourse, in Asher [ed.], Henry Hudson, 130-131.)
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