Untitled - Libr@rsi

1651 - 52] RELA TION OF j6ji -32 241
CHAPTER VII.
OF THE MISSION OF THE ASSUMPTION IN THE COUNTRY
OF THE ABNAQUIOIS.
SOME Savages from the country of the Abnaquiois,
coming to visit Noel Negabamat, Captain
of the new Christians at the Residence of
saint Joseph,— commonly called the Residence \J^'\
of Sillery,— and seeing that this man was leading an
entirely new life, were charmed with the novelty of
his talk and the beauty of his morals, and had them-
selves instructed in his belief,— which appeared to
them so beautiful and so reasonable that they embraced
it with ardor. And, having then received
holy Baptism, they returned to their own country,
all full of joy, like the Eunuch of Queen Candace, to
communicate to their countrymen the good news of
the Gospel. Baptism made them Christians and
Preachers at the same time; and they spoke boldly
of Jesus Christ, in public and in private. The chief
men of their country, desirous of participating in
this good fortune, sent some of their number as
delegates to the Father Superior of our Missions, to
obtain some Missionaries of our Society, who should
teach them the way to Heaven (as they expressed it),
whereof their fellow-countrymen had given them the
first intimation. They arrived at saint Joseph on
the 14th of August of the year 1646; and after they
had declared the purpose of their embassy, Father