The
next day we embarqued, saving the Christinos, that weare afraid of a sight
of a boat made of another stuff then theirs, that they went back as we came
where the Iroquoits' boat was.
Our words proved true and so proceeded in
our way.
Being come nigh the Sault, we found a place where 2 of these men sweated, &
for want of covers buried themselves in the sand by the watter side to
keepe their bodyes from the flyes called maringoines, which otherwise had
killed them with their stings. We thwarted those 2 great lakes with great
pleasur, having the wind faire with us. It was a great satisfaction to see
so many boats, and so many that never had before commerce with the ffrench.
So my brother and I thought wee should be wellcomed. But, O covetousnesse,
thou art the cause of many evils! We made a small sayle to every boate;
every one strived to be not the last. The wind was double wayes favourable
to us. The one gave us rest, the other advanced us very much, which wee
wanted much because of the above said delay. We now are comed to the
cariages and swift streames to gett the lake of the Castors. We made them
with a courage, promptitud, and hungar which made goe with hast as well as
the wind. We goe downe all the great river without any encounter, till we
came to the long Sault, where my brother some years before made a
shipwrake. Being in that place we had worke enough. The first thing wee saw
was severall boats that the Ennemy had left att the riverside. This putt
great feare in the hearts of our people. Nor they nor we could tell what to
doe; and seeing no body appeared we sent to discover what they weare. The
discovers calls us, and bids us come, that those who weare there could doe
us no harme.
You must know that 17 ffrench made a plott with foure Algonquins to make a
league with three score hurrons for to goe and wait for the Iroquoits in
the passage att their retourne with their castors on their ground, hoping
to beat and destroy them with ease, being destitut of necessary things. If
one hath his gun he wants his powder, and so the rest. Att the other side
without doubt had notice that the travelers weare abroad, and would not
faile to come downe with a company, and to make a valiant deede and heroick
action was to destroy them all, and consequently make the ffrench tremble
as well as the wildmen, ffor the one could not live without the other; the
one for his commodities, the other ffor his castors; so that the Iroqoits
pretending to wait for us at the passage came thither fflocking. The
ffrench and wild company, to putt the Iroquoit in some feare, and hinder
his coming there so often with such confidence, weare resolved to lay a
snare against him. That company of souldiers being come to the farthest
place of that long sault without being discovered, thought allready to be
conquerors making cariage, having abroad 15 men to make discoveries, but
mett as many ennemyes. They assaulted each other, and the Iroquoits found
themselves weake, left there their lives and bodyes, saving 2 that made
their escape, went to give notice to 200 of theirs that made ready as they
heard the gunns, to help their foreguard. The ffrench seeing such great
odds made a retreat, and warned by foure Algonquins that a fort was built
not afar off, built by his nation the last yeare, they fled into it in an
ill houre. In the meane while the Iroquoits consulted what they should doe;
they sent to 550 Iroquoits of the lower nation and 50 Orijonot that weare
not afar off. Now they would asault the ffrench in their ffort, the ffort
not holding but 20 men. The hurrons could not come in and could not avoid
the shott of the ennemy. Then the ffrench pulled downe the fort, and closed
together they stoutly began to worke. Those that the ffrench had killed,
cutt their heads off & put them uppon long poles of their fort. This
skermish dured two dayes & two nights. The Iroquoits finds themselves
plagued, ffor the ffrench had a kind of bucklers and shelters. Now arrives
600 men that they did not think of in the least. Here is nothing but cryes,
fire, and flame day & night. Here is not to be doubted, the one to take the
other, the one to defend himselfe till death. The hurrons seeing such a
company submitted to the ennemyes, but are like to pay for their cowardise,
being in their hands weare tyed, abused, smitten, and burned as if they
weare taken by force, ffor those barbarous weare revenged on their boanes
as any was wounded or killed in the battaille.
In this great extremity our small company of one and twenty did resist 5
days against 800 men, and the two foremost dayes against 200 which weare
seaven dayes together without intermission, & the worst was that they had
no watter, as we saw, ffor they made a hole in the ground out of which they
gott but litle because they weare on a hill. It was to be pitied. There was
not a tree but was shot with buletts. The Iroquoits come with bucklers to
make a breach. The ffrench putt fire to a barill of powder, thinking to
shoake the Iroquoits or make him goe back; but did to their great
prejudice, for it fell againe in their fort, which made an end of their
combat. Uppon this the Ennemy enters, kills and slains all that he finds,
so one did not make an escape, saveing one that was found alive; but he
stayed not long, for in a short time after his fortune was as the rest; for
as he was brought to one of the Forts of the Irokoits, as he was bid to sit
down he finds a Pistolet by him, and takes it at adventure, not knowing
whether it was charged or no.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 73 of 115
Words from 73372 to 74414
of 117345
