colour. The point of the snout is like that of a hog. This fish makes war on all others in the lakes and rivers1 and possesses, as those people assure me, a wonderful instinct; which is, that when it wants to catch any birds, it goes among the rushes or reeds, bordering the lake in many places, keeping the beak out of the water without budging, so that when the birds perch on the beak, imagining it a limb of a tree, it is so subtle that closing the jaws which it keeps half open, it draws the birds under water by the feet. The Indians gave me a head of it, which they prize highly, saying, when they have a headache they let blood with the teeth of this fish at the seat of the pain which immediately goes away.

Continuing our route along the west side of the Lake, contemplating the country, I saw on the east side very high mountains capped with Snow. I asked the Indians if those parts were inhabited? They answered me, Yes, and that they were Iroquois, and that there were in those parts beautiful vallies, and fields fertile in corn as good as I had ever eaten in the country, with an infinitude of other fruits, and that the Lake extended close to the mountains, which were, according to my judgment, 15 leagues from us. I saw others, to the South, not less high than the former; only, that they were without snow. The Indians told me it was there we were to go to meet their enemies, and that they were thickly inhabited, & that we must pass by a waterfall which I afterwards saw, and thence enter another lake3 three or four leagues long, and having arrived at its head, there were 4 leagues overland to be travelled to pass to a river' which flows towards the coast of the Almouchiquois, tending towards that of the Almouchiquois, and that they were only

1 Sagard mentions in his Grand Voyage du Pays des Hurons; Paris 1632, having seen one of these fish in the Huron Country and describes it in the same terms as Champlain. Compare the above description with that of the Garfish and Bony Pike, in Nat. Hist. of N: York: Part III. Reptiles and Amphibia: pp. 227 and 271, and corresponding Plates. Prof: Agassiz mentions a similar fish in a recent work on the Natural History of the Upper Lakes.

2 Ticonderoga. 3 Lake George. 4 Hudson's River. 5 The Indians west of Kennebec River, beginning at Chouacoet, (Saco) and thence Westwardly as far as Cape Cod were called Almouchiquois. GALLATIN's Synopsis of the Indian Tribes, in Trans: of the Am: Antiq: Soc: ii. 31.

two days going there in their canoes, as I understood since from some prisoners we took, who, by means of some Algonquin interpreters, who were acquainted with the Iroquois language, conversed freely with me about all they had noticed.

Now, on coming within about two or three days journey of the enemy's quarters, we travelled only by night and rested by day. Nevertheless, they never omitted their usual superstitions to ascertain whether their enterprise would be successful, and often asked me whether I had dreamed and seen their enemies. I answered, no; and encouraged them and gave them good hopes. Night fell, and we continued our journey until morning when we withdrew into the picket fort to pass the remainder of the day there. About ten or eleven o'clock I lay down after having walked some time around our quarters, and falling asleep, I thought I beheld our enemies, the Iroquois, drowning within sight of us in the Lake near a mountain; and being desirous to save them, that our Savage allies told me that I must let them all perish as they were good for nothing. On awaking, they did not omit, as usual to ask me, if I had any dream? I did tell them, in fact, what I had dreamed. It gained such credit among them that they no longer doubted but they should meet with success.

At nightfall we embarked in our Canoes to continue our jourLey, and as we advanced very softly and noiselessly, we encountered a war party of Iroquois, on the twenty ninth of the month, about ten o'clock at night, at the point of a Cape which jus into the Lake on the West side. They and we began to shout, each seizing his arms. We withdrew towards the water and the Iroquois repaired on shore, and arranged all their canoes, the me beside the other, and began to hew down trees with villainous axes, which they sometimes got in war, and others of stone, and fortified themselves very securely.

Our party, likewise, kept their canoes arranged the one alongside the other, tied to poles so as not to run adrift, in order to fight alltogether should need be. We were on the water about an arow-shot from their barricades.

When they were armed and in order, they sent two canoes from he fleet to know if their enemies wished to fight, who an

swered they desired nothing else; but that just then, there was not much light, and that we must wait for day to distinguish each other, and that they would give us battle at sun rise. This was agreed to by our party. Meanwhile the whole night was spent in dancing and singing, as well on one side as on the other, mingled with an infinitude of insults and other taunts, such as the little courage they had; how powerless their resistance against their arms, and that when day would break they should experience this to their ruin. Ours, likewise, did not fail in repartee; telling them they should witness the effects of arms they had never seen before; and a multitude of other speeches, as is usual at a seige of a town. After the one and the other had sung, danced and parliamented enough, day broke. My companions and I were always concealed, for fear the enemy should see us preparing our arms the best we could, being however separated, each in one of the canoes belonging to the savage Montagnars'. After being equipped with light armour we took each an arquebus and went ashore. I saw the enemy leave their barricade; they were about 200 men, of strong and robust appearance, who were coming slowly towards us, with a gravity and assurance which greatly pleased me, led on by three Chiefs. Our's were marching in similar order, and told me that those who bore three lofty plumes were the Chiefs, and that there wer but these three and they were to be recognized by those plume, which were considerably larger than those of their companions, and that I must do all I could to kill them. I promised to do what I could, and that I was very sorry they could not clearly understand me, so as to give them the order and plan of attacking their enemies, as we should indubitably defeat them all;

1 At the first settlement of Canada, all the St Lawrence Indians living below and some distance above Quebec were designated by the name of Montanars or Montagnés. This appellation was derived from a range of hills or muntains which, extending Northwesterly from Cape Tourmente (five miles bebw Quebec) divides the rivers that fall above that Cape into the St Lawrence the Ottowa, and Lake Superior, from those, first of the Saguenay, and afterwards of the Hudson's bay. . . . . The great trading place of the Montagnars was Tadoussac, at the mouth of the river Saguenay. . . The name (Nontagnars) from the identity of language, was soon after extended to all the S Lawrence Indians, as high up as Montreal. GALLATIN, in Trans. of the Am Antiq. Soc. ii., 24.

but there was no help for that; that I was very glad to encourage them and to manifest to them my good will when we should be engaged.

The moment we landed they began to run about two hundred paces towards their enemies who stood firm, and had not yet perceived my companions, who went into the bush with some savages. Our's commenced calling me in a loud voice, and making way for me opened in two, and placed me at their head, marching about 20 paces in advance, until I was within 30 paces of the enemy. The moment they saw me, they halted gazing at me and I at them. When I saw them preparing to shoot at us, I raised my arquebus, and aiming directly at one of the three Chiefs, two of them fell to the ground by this shot and one of their companions received a wound of which he died afterwards. I had put 4 balls in my arquebus. Our's, on witnessing a shot so favorable for them, set up such tremendous shouts that thunder could not have been heard; and yet, there was no lack of arrows on one side and the other. The Iroquois were greatly astonished seeing two men killed so instantaneously, nothwithstanding they were provided with arrow-proof armour woven of cotton-thread and wood; this frightened them very much. Whilst I was re-loading, one of my companions in the bush fired a shot, which so astonished them anew, seeing their Chiefs slain, that they lost courage, took to flight and abandoned the field and their fort, hiding themselves in the depths of the forest, whither pursuing them, I killed some others. Our savages also killed several of them and took ten or twelve prisoners. The rest carried off the wounded. Fifteen or sixteen of ours were wounded by arrows; they were promptly cured.

After having gained the victory, they amused themselves plundering Indian corn and meal from the enemy; also their arms which they had thrown away in order to run the better. And having feasted, danced and sung, we returned three hours afterwards with the prisoners.

The place where this battle was fought is in 43 degrees some minutes latitude, and I named it Lake Champlain.'

1. The reference in Champlain's map locates this engagement between Lake George and Crown Point; probably in what is now the town of Ticonderoga, Essex Co.

INTO WESTERN NEW YORK: ANNO 1615.

[Six years after the occurrences above noted, Champlain proceeded to the Upper Waters of the Ottawa River; thence crossed over to Lake Nipissing, and having discovered the Huron Lake, which he called La Mer douce, or the Fresh Water Sea, he joined some Hurons in an expedition against one of the Five Nations, south of Lake Ontario, the particulars of which are as follow:] Arrival at Cahiague; Description of the Beauty of the Country; Nature of the Indians who dwell there, and the Inconveniences We experienced.

On the seventeenth day of August I arrived at Cahiague', where I was received with great joy and gratitude by all the Indians of the Country. They had intelligence that a certain Nation of their allies with whom the Iroquois were at war and who resided three good days journey higher up (plus haut) than the Entouhonorons, wished to assist this expedition with five hundred good men, and enter into alliance and amity with us, having a great desire to see us, and that we should wage war all together; and they testified their satisfaction at being acquainted with us; and I, in like manner, for having obtained this opportunity to satisfy the desire, I had, of learning something about that country. That Nation is very warlike according to the representation of the Attigouotans. They are only three villages in the midst of more than twenty others against which they wage war, not being able to receive assistance from their friends, especially as they must pass through the country of the Chouontouaroüon which is very populous, or else go a great way around.

Having arrived at this village, it suited me to sojourn there whilst waiting until the Warriors should come in from the circumjacent villages, then to leave it as soon as possible. During this interval, it was a continual series of feasting and dancing, through joy for seeing us so determined to assist them in their war, and as a guarantee already of victory.

1 Stated to be in 44 deg. north; probably between Lake Simcoe & the Georgian bay of Lake Huron, in Western Canada. It was at the time the Huron Country.

2 One of the five confederated tribes of the Wyandot, or Huron Nation; it was composed of twelve villages and gave its name to Lake Huron which was called, at the time of its discovery by Champlain, Lake Attigouatan.