greater, more beautiful
and better than any other "of all these countries." He notes the
incredible number of deer, the native mode of taking them by
driving them into a gradually narrowing enclosure, their practice
of killing every animal they find whether they needed it or not. The
reason alleged was that if they did not kill all, the beasts that
escaped would tell the others how they had been chased, so that
afterwards when the Indians needed game it would be impossible to get
near it. He enumerates moose, beaver, wild-cats, squirrels larger
than those of France, bustards, turkeys, cranes, etc., as abundant,
and remaining in the country through the winter. The winter was
shorter and milder than "in Canada." No snow had fallen by the 22nd
November. The deepest was not more than two and a half feet. Thaw set
in on the 26th of January. On the 8th March the snow was gone from the
open places, but a little still lingered in the woods. The streams
abounded in very good fish. The ground produced more corn than was
needed, besides pumpkins, beans and other vegetables in abundance, and
excellent oil. He expresses his surprise that the Merchants' Company had
not sent some Frenchman to winter in the Country: for it would be very
easy to get the Neutrals to trade and the direct route would be much
shorter than that by way of French River and the Georgian Bay. He
describes the Neutrals' country as being nearer than the Huron to the
French, and as being on one side of the lake of the Iroquois (Lake
Ontario) whilst the Iroquois were on the other. The Neutrals, however,
did not understand the management of canoes, especially in the rapids,
of which there were only two, but long and dangerous. Their proper
trade was hunting and war. They were very lazy and immoral. Their
manners and customs were very much the same as those of the Hurons.
Their language was different, but the members of the two nations
understood one another. They went entirely unclad.

Sagard adds that "according to the opinion of some," the Neutrals'
country was eighty leagues (about 200 miles) in extent, and that they
raised very good tobacco which they traded with their neighbors. They
were called Neutrals on account of their neutrality between the Hurons
and the Iroquois; but they were allies of the Cheveux Releves (the
Ottawas) against their mortal enemies of the Nation of Fire. Sagard was
dissuaded by some members of the French trading company from attempting