The Indians were convinced that their deity had held communication with their ancestors.  One day five Indians ran towards the setting sun where they met God, who asked them, “Where are you going?” “We are going to seek our life,” they replied.  Then God said, “You will find it here.”  But they did not hear the divine word, and went away.  Then God took a stone and touched two of them, and they were immediately turned into stones.  Addressing the three other Indians, God asked the same question, “Where are you going?” and He was given the same answer.  “Do not go further,” said the divine voice, “you will find your life here.”  Seeing nothing, however, they continued their journey.  Then God took two sticks and touched two of them, and they were at once turned into sticks.  The fifth Indian, however, paused, and God gave him some meat, which he ate, and he afterwards returned to his countrymen.

These Indian tribes had their jugglers, whom they called pilotois, from the Basques, or autmoins, which means a magician.  These jugglers exercised great sway over the Indians, who would not hesitate to kill a Frenchman if the jugglers decided that it was necessary.

In spite of their superstitions Champlain believed that it would be an easy task to convert the Indians to Christianity, especially if the French resided near them.  This desirable end was not to be attained without great difficulty, as Champlain soon realized, for the missionaries toiled for many years before their efforts were crowned with success.

Champlain now proceeded to explore the river Saguenay for a distance of twelve to fifteen leagues, and he thus describes the scenery:—­

“All the land I have seen is composed of rocks, covered with fir woods, cypress, birch, very unpleasing land, where I could not find a league of plain land on each side.”  He also learned from the Indians of the existence of Lake St. John, and of a salt sea flowing towards the north.  It was evidently Hudson Bay to which these northern tribes directed Champlain’s attention, and if they had not seen it themselves they had probably heard of its existence from the Indians dwelling around the southern or south-western shores of the bay, who came annually to Nemiscau Lake to trade their furs.  This lake was half way between Hudson Bay and the river St. Lawrence.  The Kilistinons and other Indians of the north had regular communication with their congeneres scattered along the shores of the St. Maurice and the several rivers which flow into Lake St. John.

When the French arrived in Canada with Chauvin, in the year 1600, they began to monopolize the fur trade of all the Indian nations, but some years later the English established themselves on the shores of Hudson Bay, and prosecuted the trade for their own benefit.

Champlain could not, evidently, have been in possession of any exact information as to the existence of this large bay, as he was searching for a northern passage to Cathay, the great desideratum of all the navigators and explorers of the time.