Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan

“ There are here fifty men bearing arms. 50 The armorial bearings of this Nation are the Heron for the Achagué, or Heron tribe; the Beaver for the Amekoves; the Birch for the Bark tribe (la famille de l'Ecorce) ; Blood for the Miskouaha or the Bloody people. Remark, Sir, if you please, that besides the bearings of the principal stocks to which I exclusively confine myself, leisure not permitting me to obtain thorough details, each tribe distinguishes itself by peculiar devices. The Iroquois who are masters of this village amount to no more than sixty-three – I mean warriors. ”

“ If there be several tribes in the war party, each paints the animal of his tribe with the scalps and prisoners it has made, as before, but always after that which is head of the party.
When they have scalps they give them to one or two men who suspend them behind them to their girdle.
These men who carry these scalps follow the others at a distance, that is to say, at a quarter of a league, because they pretend that when they retreat and have scalps, if these precede the others they cannot march any further because they are seized with terror at the sight of the dripping blood. ”

“ The great varieties of Nations which are in these countries, the changeable and perfidious disposition of the Iroquois and the barbarism of all these tribes not permitting us to hope for any stable peace with them except inasmuch as it can be maintained by the terror of the king’s arms, it is not, to be wondered at that peace succeeds war so easily, and that wars terminate so quickly in peace. ”

“ The bed of this river is one hundred to one hundred and fifty paces wide almost throughout, though at its mouth it is somewhat narrower: its borders are decorated with beautiful pines through which we can walk with ease; as in fact fifty of our men have done a foot by land nearly twenty leagues of the way from the mouth of the river to the Sault, which is so called, though it is not properly a waterfall but only an impetuous rapid full of rocks, that arrest it course and render the navigation almost impossible for three quarters of a league. ”

“ Though it be true that the Iroquois are subtle, adroit and great cheats, I nevertheless cannot persuade myself that they possess so much intelligence, so much tact, and that they are such great politicians as to have had recourse to the ruses and intrigues imputed to them to destroy the French, the Hurons, the Algonquins, and their allies. ”

“ We bear in our hands more than five hundred children and a number of adults, the most part of whom died after Baptism. We have re-established Faith and piety in the hearts of a poor captive church, the first foundations of which we had laid in the Huron Country. We have proclaimed the gospel unto all the Iroquois Nations so that they are henceforth without excuse, and God will be fully justified against them at the great day of judgment. ”

“ The rain and storm force us to seek for lost roads. We cross long islands, carrying our bagage, provisions and canoe on our shoulders. The road seems long to a poor weary man.
On the first day of the month of August, some Iroquois fishermen having perceived us from a distance, get together to receive us. One of them runs towards us, advancing a half a league to communicate the earliest news and the state of the country. It is a Huron prisoner, and a good Christian, whom I formerly instructed during a winter that I passed among the savages. ”

“ This river grows wider and forms a lake, agreeable to the view, from eight to ten leagues in length. At night, an army of troublesome musquitoes foreboded the rain which poured down on us the whole of the night. To be in such circumstances without any shelter except the trees, which Nature has produced ever since the creation of the world, is a pastime more innocent and agreeable than could be anticipated. ”

“ We are engaged in new wars; Onnontio encourages us. We shall entertain no other thaught towards h th those of peace. They reserved their richest presents for these last four words; but I can assure you their countenances told more than their tongues, and expressed joy mingled with so much mildness that my heart was full. What appeared to me most endearing in all this was that all our Huron Christians and the captive women, lighted this fire which melts the hearts of the Iroquois. ”

“ At twenty leagues from there still towards the West is the village of Cayuga, of three hundred warriors, where in the year 1657, we had a mission which formed a little church filled with piety in the midst of these Barbarians.
Towards the termination of the Great Lake, called Ontario, is located the most numerous of the Five Iroquois Nations, named the Senecas, which contains full twelve hundred men in two or three villages of which it is composed.
These last two nations have never openly made war on us, and have always remained neuter. ”

“ Fifteen leagues towards sunset is Onnontagué, which has full three hundred men. We have been formerly received there as friends and treated as enemies, which obliged us to abandon that post, where we remained two years, as if in the centre of all the Iroquois Nations, whence we proclaimed the gospel to all those poor people, assisted by a garrison of Frenchmen sent by Monsieur de Lauzon, then Governor of New France, to take possession of those countries in his Majesty’s name. ”

“ Here are the views of the Iroquois politicians. The common people did not penetrate so far ahead; curiosity to see strangers come from such distance the hope of deriving some little profit, created a desire to see them; but the Christian Hurons and captives among the people and those who approved their lives and conversations which they sometimes held regarding our belief, breathed nothing in the world so much as the coming of Preachers of the Gospel who had brought them forth unto Jesus Christ. ”

“ Our game does not leave us; it seems that venison and game follow us every where. Droves of twenty cows plunge into the water as if to meet us. Some are killed, for sake of amusement, by blows of an axe. ”

“ But the difficulty was to embark unperceived by the Iroquois who constantly beset us. The batteaux, canoes and all the equipage could not be conveyed without great noise, and yet without secrecy there was nothing to be expected save a general massacre of all of us the moment it would be discovered that we entertained the least thought of withdrawing. ”

“ In the middle of the cabin was a partition which divided the cabin in two.
Weary of knowing no one, and consequently unable to marry, they all married among themselves; which is the reason that their name signifies two cabins united together.
Each tribe has in the gable end of its cabin, the animal of the tribe painted; some in black, others in red.
When they assemble together for consultation, the first Division ranges itself on one side of the fire in a cabin; and the other Division places itself on the other side. ”

“ In 1728 there was a small village of this nation retired on an island to the number of 20 The Sakis. The Bay at the head of this Lake is the sojourn, or rather the country of the Sakis. This nation could put under arms one hundred and fifty men. Others do not count, but one hundred and twenty. They have for device, a Crab, a Wolf, and a She-Bear. ”

“ I believe rather that the Onnontagué Iroquois demanded some Frenchmen in sincerity, but with views very different. The Chiefs finding themselves engaged in heavy wars against a number of nations whom they had provoked, asked for Hurons as reinforcements to their warriors; they wished for the French to obtain firearms from them, and to repair those which might be broken. Further, as the Mohawks treated them sometimes very ill when passing through their villages to trade with the Dutch, they were anxious to rise out of this dependence in opening a trade with the French. ”

“ This act of hostility having obliged M. Dailleboust, then commanding in this country, to cause a dozen of Iroquois, in part Onnontagués and mostly Mohawks, to be arrested and put in irons at Montreal, Three Rivers and Quebec, where they happened to be at the time, both Iroquois Nations became irritated at this detention of their people, pretending that it was unjust; and to cruelly avenge themselves convoked a secret Council where they formed the scheme of an implacable war against the French. ”

“ It is true they never imagined that we should have had the courage to undertake this exploit, knowing well that we had neither canoes, nor sailors, and that we were unacquainted with the paths topped by precipices where a dozen Iroquois could easily defeat us: Besides, the season was insupportable on account of the cold of the frozen water through which, under all circumstances, the canoes were to be dragged, throwing ourselves into the river and remaining there entire hours, sometimes up to the neck, and we never had undertaken such expeditions without having savages for guides. ”

“ But so soon as the Captains and Chiefs became masters of their enemies, having crushed all the Nations who had attacked them; so soon as they believed that nothing could resist their arms, the recollection of the wrongs they pretended to have formerly experienced from the Hurons; the glory of triumphing over Europeans as well as Americans, caused them to take the resolution to revenge themselves on the one and destroy the other ”

“ It is from this point that all the Iroquois Nations can be reached, by various direct except the Mohawks, the route to whom is by the River Richelieu, of which we can safely say two words since they regard it that our troops have already constructed the three fort of which we have spoken. ”

“ Proceeding towards the West, at a distance of forty-five leagues, is found the second Nation, called Oneida, which has no more, at most, than one hundred and forty warriors, and has never wished to listen to any negotiations for peace ”

“ But when only 20 leagues distant from their villages he encountered new Ambassadors bringing back the Frenchmen taken near Fort St. Anne, and who were coming to offer every satisfaction for the murder of those who were slain and new guarantees for peace, so that this Captain having returned with his troops, there was no more talk but of peace, which they pretended to conclude by a general council of all the Tribes who had at the time delegates at Quebec. ”

“ Fix youself in the heart of the country, since you ought to possess our hearts. There we shall go for instruction, and from that point you will be able to spread yourself abroad in every direction. Be unto us careful as fathers and we shall be unto you submissive as children. ”

“ They regard one another – terror seizes them; they imagine they have to do with Devils. They saw no batteau, and even if they saw it they could not imagine that our Frenchmen would be so rash as to precipitate themselves into rapids and breakers, among rocks and horrible dangers in which themselves though very expert in passing through Saults and Cascades, often lose their lives. ”

“ Thunder, lightning and a deluge of rain oblige us to shelter ourselves under our canoe, which being inverted, serves us for a house.
29th and 30th July. A rain storm continues, which arrests us at the entrance of a great lake, called Ontario. We call it the Lake of the Iroquois, because they have their villages on the south side there. The Hurons are on the other shore, farther on in the interior. This lake is twenty leagues wide ”

“ Then every one prepares to receive the prisoners, when there are any, and to torment each as they deem proper.
Those who are condemned to be burnt are conveyed to the cabin which has been given them. All the warriors assemble in a war cabin and afterwards send for them to make them sing, dance, and to torment them until they are carried to the stake.
During this time two or three young men are preparing the stake, placing the fuel near and keep their guns loaded. When every thing is ready, he is brought and tied to the stake and finally burnt. ”

“ A more difficult or longer march than that of this little army, can scarcely be met with in any history, and it required a French courage and the perseverance of M. de Courcelles, to undertake it. In addition to the embarrassment caused by the snow shoes, which is a species of great inconvenience and that of the burthen which each one was obliged to carry, it was necessary to walk three hundred leagues on the snow; cross lakes and rivers continually on the ice in danger of making as many falls as steps ”

“ Of the Six Nations the Mohawks or Mohocks, Onondages and Senecas are considered as the chief and elder branches. The Oneidas, Cayuagas and Tuscaroras are younger; the last mentioned Nation having many years ago retired from the South, and were admitted into the confederacy with the then Five Nations, the Oneidas giving them land and they now enjoy all priviledges with the rest. Oneidas 250 Two villages, one 25 miles from Fort Stanwix, the other twelve miles west of Oneida Lake, with emigrants in several places towards the Susquehanna river. ”

“ One nation is about 10 days journey from any Christians and trade onely with one greatt house, nott farr from the sea, and the other trade only, as they say, with a black people. This day of them was burnt two women, and a man and a child killed with a stone. ”