September 10, 1535
After marching to Hochelaga, where the village headman and other fellow Indians met us, I am sad to say that there was not much worth seeing near Hochelaga. We were greeted and treated kindly by the village, but the only land we were able to name was an adjacent mountain to the village, which we named Mont Royal. After the treacherous climb up the mountain I was greeted with a beautiful view, only to be able to see the western part of La Grande Riviere. Unfortunately, the rapids seem too rough for the longboats and I’m afraid that we will not be able to travel any farther west, and sadly not reach China. The village there was very civil though to my surprise and had not only strong shelter, but also crops. I have returned to Stadacona to prepare the boats for the long winter ahead. It seems though, that many of my shipmates are coming down with scurvy and I fear for my own health. Already ten have died and at least 15 more sailors have dark purple splotches on their skin and their teeth are becoming weak and rotting. The winter has only just begun and my ships are stuck in ice, so we have no choice but to rough it out. Although I do not trust the Indians, Donnacona visited to try and help us with the stubborn illness. If I had not seen him myself just a week ago with the same dark spots, I would not have believed he came with a cure. He gave me about a dozen branches from a tree and instructed me to boil the sap and juice into a drink; it will help to cure the scurvy. There is nothing else to do but to try to potion and hope it works and keeps my sailors healthy until spring.