sizes, containing many nut-trees and vines, and fine meadows, with
quantities of game and wild animals, which go over from the main land to
these islands. Fish are here more abundant than in any other part of the
river that we had seen. From these islands, we went to the mouth of the
River of the Iroquois, where we stayed two days, refreshing ourselves with
good venison, birds, and fish, which the savages gave us. Here there sprang
up among them some difference of opinion on the subject of the war, so that
a portion only determined to go with me, while the others returned to their
country with their wives and the merchandise which they had obtained by
barter.

Setting out from the mouth of this river, which is some four hundred to
five hundred paces broad, and very beautiful, running southward, [335] we
arrived at a place in latitude 45 deg., and twenty-two or twenty-three leagues
from the Trois Rivieres. All this river from its mouth to the first fall,
a distance of fifteen leagues, is very smooth, and bordered with woods,
like all the other places before named, and of the same forts. There are
nine or ten fine islands before reaching the fall of the Iroquois, which
are a league or a league and a half long, and covered with numerous oaks
and nut-trees. The river is nearly half a league wide in places, and very
abundant in fish. We found in no place less than four feet of water. The
approach to the fall is a kind of lake, [336] where the water descends, and
which is some three leagues in circuit. There are here some meadows, but
not inhabited by savages on account of the wars. There is very little water
at the fall, which runs with great rapidity. There are also many rocks and
stones, so that the savages cannot go up by water, although they go down
very easily. All this region is very level, covered with forests, vines,
and nut-trees. No Christians had been in this place before us; and we had
considerable difficulty in ascending the river with oars.