of the Entouhonorons'. And having traversed this Lake, we passed a water fall, proceeding always down along the course of said river, about sixty four leagues, which is the entrance of the said valley of the Entouhonorons, and passed by land five rapids (sauts), some four or five leagues long, where there are several lakes of pretty considerable extent; the said river which flows between them also abounds with good fish, and all this country is very fine and agreeable. In several places along the banks, the trees would seem to have been planted for ornament. All this country was formerly inhabited by Savages, who have since been constrained to abandon it, through fear of their enemies. Vines and nuts are in great quantities, and grapes come to maturity there, but they leave always a sharp sour taste, which proceeds from want of cultivation; but those that have been cultivated in these parts are of pretty good flavour.

*

We continued along the border of the Lake of the Entouhonorons, always hunting as above mentioned; being there, we crossed over at one of the extremities, tending Eastward, which is the beginning (l'entrée) of the river Saint Lawrence, in the parellel of forty-three degrees of Latitude. There are some beautiful and very large Islands in this passage. We made about fourteen leagues to cross to the other side of the Lake, proceeding southward, towards the enemy's country. The Indians concealed all their canoes in the woods, near the bank. We travelled by land about 4 leagues over a sandy plain, where I observed a very pleasing and fine country, watered by numerous small streams, and two little rivers which empty into said Lake, and a number of ponds and prairies, where there was an infinite quantity of game, a great many vines and fine trees, vast number of chestnuts, the fruit of which was yet in the shell. It is quite small, but well flavored. All the canoes being thus concealed, we left the bank of the Lake, which is 80 leagues long and 25 wide. It is inhabited for the greater part by Savages, along the sides of the streams, and we continued our journey overland some 25 to 30 leagues. In the course of four days, we traversed a number of streams and one river issuing from a lake which empties into that of the Entouhonorons. This lake is 25 to 30 leagues in circumference, with many beautiful Islands, and is the Iroquois fishing ground, fish being in abundance there.

The 9th of October; Our Indians going out scouting, encountered eleven Savages whom they took prisoners; to wit, 4 women, three boys, one girl and three men, who were going fishing, four leagues distant from the enemy's fort. Now is to be noted that one of the Chiefs seeing these prisoners, cut the finger off one of those poor women, as the commencement of their usual tortures. Whereupon I interfered, and censured the Iroquet Captain, representing to him that a Warrior, as he called himself, was not in the habit of acting cruelly towards women, who have no defence but their tears and who, by reason of their helplessness and feebleness, ought to be treated with humanity. That on the contrary this act would be supposed to proceed from a vile and brutal courage, and that if he committed any more of those cruelties, he would not encourage me to assist them, nor to favor their war. Whereupon he replied, that their enemies treated them in the same manner. But since such customs displeased me, he would not act so any more to women, but exclusively to men.

Next day, at three o'clock in the afternoon we arrived before the enemy's fort, where the Savages had some skirmishes, the one against the other, though it was not our design to discover ourselves until the morrow: But the impatience of our Savages would not brook this, as well through the desire they felt to see us fire on their enemies, as to liberate some of their men who had ventured too far. Then I advanced and presented myself, but with the few men I had; nevertheless I

1 Lake Ontario, presumed to have been so called by the Hurons from the fact of their having to cross it to get to the Autouoronons, or Senecas, who lived on the South side of it.

shewed them what they never saw nor heard before. For as soon as they saw us, and heard the reports of the Arquebus, and the balls whistling about their ears, they retired promptly within their Fort, carrying off their wounded and dead; and we retreated in like manner to our main body, with five or six of our wounded, one of whom died.·

This being done, we retired within gun shot, beyond the view of the enemy, contrary, however, to my advice, and to what they had promised me: Which moved me to make use of and express to them pretty rude and angry words, in order to incite them to their duty, foreseeing, that if every thing went according to their fantasy, and council, nothing but misfortune would result, to their ruin and destruction. Nevertheless, I failed not to send to them and to propose means necessary to be used to overcome their enemies; which was, to construct a moveable tower (cavalier) of timber to overlook their pickets, whereupon I should post four or five of our Arquebusseers, who would fire over the palisades and galleries, which were well supplied with stones, and by this means, the enemy who annoyed us from their galleries would be dislodged; and in the mean time we should give orders for some boards to form a species of parapet to cover and protect our men from the arrows and stones. These things, namely, the tower and parapets could be moved by main force; and one was made in such a way that water could not extinguish the fire to be applied to the front of the fort; and those on the tower would do their duty with some Arquebusseers posted there, and thus acting, we should so defend ourselves that they could not approach to extinguish the fire, that we should apply to their pickets. Approving this, they began next morning, to construct and prepare said tower and parapets; and made such progress that these were finished in less than four hours. They were expecting the arrival this day of the five hundred men that had been promised, which was however doubtful; not being at the rendez-vous, as directed and as they had promised, our Savages were much afflicted. But seeing that they were numerous enough to capture the forts, and for my part, considering delay to be always prejudicial, at least in most cases, I urged them to attack said fort, representing that the enemy discovering their strength and the effect of our arms, which pierced what was arrow proof, would barricade and shelter themselves, which indeed, they did very well. For their village was enclosed with strong quadruple palisades of large timber, thirty feet high, interlocked the one with the other, with an interval of not more than half a foot between them; with galleries in the form of parapets, defended with double pieces of timber, proof against our Arquebuses, and on one side they had a pond with a never failing supply of water, from which proceeded a number of gutters which they had laid along the intermediate space, throwing the water without, and rendered it effectual inside, for the purpose of extinguishing fire.

Such was their mode of fortification and defence, which was much stronger than the villages of the Attigouantans [Hurons] and others.

We advanced, then, to attack the village, causing our tower to be carried by two hundred of our strongest men. They placed it within a pike's length in front and I posted on it four Arquebusseers, well sheltered from any arrows and stones that might have been shot at them. Nevertheless, the enemy did not, for all that, cease discharging and throwing a great number of arrows and stones over their pickets. But the multitude of Arquebus shots that were fired, constrained them to vacate and abandon their galleries. But according as the tower was moved, instead of bringing the parapets as ordered and that on which we were to have placed the fire, they abandoned them and commenced to yell against their enemies, shooting arrows within the fort, which, in my opinion, did not do much execution. They are very excusable, for they are not soldiers, and are moreover averse to discipline or correction and do only what they like. Wherefore, one inconsiderately applied the fire to the wrong side of the fort, or to leeward, so that it produced no VOL. III.

2

effect. On the fire being kindled, the most of the savages began to set wood against the pickets but in such small quantities, that the fire did not much good. The disorder that supervened was in consequence so great, that it was impossible to hear. In vain I cried to them and remonstrated as well as I was able against the imminent danger to which they exposed themselves by their stupidity. They heard nothing in consequence of the violent noise they made. Seeing that by shouting I was only splitting my skull, and that my remonstrances were in vain and that this disorder was irremediable, I resolved to do what was in my power with my men, and fire on those we could discover or perceive. Yet, the enemy profited by our disorder. They went to the water and discharged it in such abundance, that rivers, it may be said, spouted from their gutters, so that the fire was extinguished in less than no time, and they continued to pour arrows on us like hail. Those on the tower killed and wounded a great many.

This engagement lasted about three hours. Two of our chiefs and leaders were wounded; to wit, one called Ochateguain; the other Orani, and about fifteen individuals besides. The rest seeing their folks, and some of their chiefs wounded, began to talk of retreating, without fighting any more, expecting the five hundred men whose arrival was not far off; and so they withdrew, having accomplished nothing save this disorderly splutter. However, the chiefs have no absolute control of their companions who follow their whim, and act their pleasure, which is the cause of their disorder and ruins all their affairs. In having taken a resolution, any poor devil can make them violate it and change their plan. Thus, the one with the other, they effect nothing as may be seen by this expedition.'

Having received two wounds from arrows, one in the leg and the other in the knee, which sorely incommoded me, we withdrew into our fort. Being all assembled there, I remonstrated with them several times on account of the disorder that had occurred. But all my talk was in vain; they said many of their men had been wounded and I also, and that it would be very inconvenient and fatiguing to carry them, on the retreat; that there was no means of returning again to the enemy as I had proposed to them; but that they would willingly wait four days more for the five hundred men that were expected, on whose arrival they would renew the effort against the enemy, and execute what I had told them, better than they had already done. It was necessary to stop there, to my great regret. Here is represented the manner in which they fortify their towns, and by this engraving it may be understood and seen that those of friends and enemies are similarly fortified.

Next day blew a very strong and violent wind which lasted two days, particularly favorable for setting the enemy's fort in a blaze, which I strongly urged on them. But fearing a failure, and moreover representing themselves as wounded, they would not do any thing.

We remained encamped until the 16th of the month. Several skirmishes occurred during that time between the enemy and our people who became oftenest engaged with them rather by their imprudence than through want of courage; and I can assure you, that every time they made a charge, we were obliged to extricate them from the difficulty, not being able to extricate themselves except by the help of our arquebuses which the enemy dreaded and greatly feared. For as soon as they perceived one of our Arquebuseers, they immediately retreated, telling us by way of persuasion not to meddle with their fights, and that their enemies had very little courage to require our assistance; with many other such like discourses.

Seeing that the five hundred men were not coming, they proposed to depart and retreat at once, and began to make certain litters to convey their wounded, who are put in them, tumbled in a heap,

1 The point at which the above engagement took place is marked on the annexed map. It seems to have been fought in the neighborhood of lake Canandaigua.