As a great mark of trust he gave to Donnacona two swords, a basin of plain brass and a ewer--gifts which called forth renewed shouts of joy.

Before the assemblage broke up, the chief asked Cartier to cause the ships' cannons to be fired, as he had learned from the two guides that they made such a marvellous noise as was never heard before.
'Our captain answered,' writes Cartier in his narrative, 'that he was content: and by and by he commanded his men to shoot off twelve cannons into the wood that was hard by the people and the ships, at which noise they were greatly astonished and amazed, for they thought the heaven had fallen upon them, and put themselves to flight, howling, crying and shrieking, so that it seemed hell was broken loose.' Next day the Indians made one more attempt to dissuade Cartier from his journey.

Finding that persuasion and oratory were of no avail, they decided to fall back upon the supernatural and to frighten the French from their design.

Their artifice was transparent enough, but to the minds of the simple savages was calculated to strike awe into the hearts of their visitors.

Instead of coming near the ships, as they had done on each preceding day, the Indians secreted themselves in the woods along the shore.