We
Examined Our Prisoners, Who Tould Us No News; Non Could Understand Them,
Although Many Huron Words Weare In Their Language.
In this place we
perceived 2 men a hunting afarre off; we thought [it] not convenient to
discover ourselves, least we should be discovered and passe our aime.
We
tooke another day, 2 before and the rest after, thee prisoners in the
midle. We speedily went the rest of thee day through a burned country, and
the trees blowne downe with some great windes. The fire over came all, over
15 leagues in length and 10 in breadth. We layd in the very midle of that
country upon a faire sandy place where we could see 3 or 4 leagues off
round about us, and being secure we made the prisoners sing which is their
Acconroga before death. There we made a litle fire to make our Kettle boyle
a tourkey, with some meale that was left. Seeing no body persued, we
resolved to goe thence before daylight to seeke for more booty. We stayed
14 nights before we turned back to the village, during which time we mett
with nothing, and having gon on all sides with great paines without
victualls. Att last we came to kill 2 Stagges, but did not suffice 12 of
us. We weare forced to gather the dung of the stagges to boyle it with the
meat, which made all very bitter. But good stomachs make good favour.
Hunger forced us to kill our Prisoners, who weare chargeable in eating our
food, for want of which have eaten the flesh. So by that means we weare
freed from the trouble.
The next day we came neere a Village. Att our coming we killed a woman with
her child, & seeing no more for us that way we tourned backe againe for
feare of pursueing, and resolved to goe backe to the first village that was
3 days' journey; but on the way we mett with 5 and 20 or 30 men and women,
who discovered us, which made [us] go to it. They fought & defended
themselves lustily; but [there is] no resisting the Strongest party, for
our guns were a terrour to them, and made them give over. During the fight
the women ranne away. Five of the men weare wounded with arrowes and foure
escaped, but he that was sent with me att first to make a discovery was
horribly wounded with 2 arrowes and a blow of a club on the head. If he had
stuck to it as we, he might proceed better. We burned him with all speed,
that he might not languish long, to putt ourselves in safty. We killed 2 of
them, & 5 prisoners wee tooke, and came away to where we left our boats,
where we arrived within 2 days without resting, or eating or drinking all
the time, saveing a litle stagge's meate. We tooke all their booty, which
was of 2 sacks of Indian corne, stagges' skins, some pipes, some red and
green stoanes, and some tobacco in powder, with some small loaves of bread,
and some girdles, garters, necklaces made of goats' haire, and some small
coyne of that country, some bowes and arrowes, and clubbs well wrought. The
tournes of their heads weare of snakes' skin with bears' pawes. The hayre
of some of them very long, & all proper men. We went on the other side of
the river the soonest we could, and came to our fort. After we looked about
us least we should be surprised, and perceiving nothing, we went about to
gett meat for our wants & then to sleepe.
Att midnight we left that place. Six of us tooke a boate, 5 an other, and 2
the litle one. We row the rest of the night with all strength, & the
breaking of the day hid ourselves in very long rushes & our boats. The
litle boat went att the other side of the river, those hid it in the wood.
One of them went up a tree to spie about, in case he could perceive any
thing, to give notice to his comrades, & he was to come within sight of us
to warne us. We weare in great danger going downe the streame of that river
in the night time. We had trouble enough to carry all our baggage without
the least noise. Being come to the end of the river which empties it selfe
into a lake of some 8 or 9 leagues in compasse, we went into a small river
to kill salmons, as in deed we tooke great many with staves, and so
sturgeons, of which we made provision for a long while. Att last finding
our selves out of all feare & danger, we went freely a hunting about the
lake, where we tarried 3 dayes, and 2 of our Company mett with 2 women that
runned away from the Sanoutin's country, which is of the Iroquoit nation.
Those poore creatures having taken so much paines to sett themselves att
liberty to goe to their native country, found themselves besett in a
greater slavery then before, they being tyed [and] brought to us.
The next day we went from thence with the 5 prisoners & the 22 heads. So
much for the litlenesse of our boats as for the weight we had to putt upon
them, being in danger, which made us make the more hast to the place where
we intended to make new boats. For 9 days we went through dangerous places
which weare like so many precipices with horrible falling of watters. We
weare forced to carry our boats after the same maner as before, with great
paines. We came att last to a lake where we contrived other boats, and
there we parted our acquisited booty, and then each had care of his owne.
We ordered the biggest boat should hould 4 men and 2 prisoners; the next 3
men and the 2 women that last weare taken; the 3d should hould 3 and the
other prisoner.
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