Few Days After I Was Invited To A Military
Banquett Where Was The Captayne, A Yong Gallant Of 20 Years Old, With A
Company Of 8, And I Made The 10th.
We all did sing and made good cheare of
a fatt beare.
We gave our things to slaves, we carried only our musquetts.
Our kindred brought us a great way. My sister could not forbeare crying,
yett tould me to be of a stout heart. We tooke att last [leave and] bid
them adieu. We tooke on our journey over great snowes for to come to the
great Lake before the Spring. We travelled 7 days through woods and
indifferent country, easie in some places and others difficult. The Rivers
weare frozen, which made us crosse with a great deale of ease.
Wee arrived the 7th day in a village called Nojottga [Footnote: Nojottga,
or Oneioutga, Oneida.], where we stayed 2 days. From thence came a young
man with us. We arrived into another village, Nontageya [Footnote:
Nontageya, Onontaguega, or Onondaga.], where we stayed foure days. Wee
had allways great preparations, and weare invited 9 or tenne times a day.
Our bellyes had not tyme to emptie themselves, because we feeded so much,
and that what was prepared for us weare severall sortes, Stagg, Indian
corne, thick flower, bears, and especially eels. We have not yett searched
our baggs wheare our provision was. In this place wee mended them. For my
part I found in myne 6 pounds of powder and more then 15 pounds of shott, 2
shirts, a capp, 8 pairs of shoes, and wherewith to make a paire of
breeches, and about 1000 graines of black and white porcelaine, and my
brother as many. Wee had new covers, one to our body, another hung downe
from our shoulders like a mantle. Every one [had] a small necklace of
porcelaine and a collar made with a thread of nettles to tye the Prisoners.
I had a gunne, a hattchett, and a dagger. That was all we had. Our slaves
brought the packs after us.
After we marched 3 dayes, we came to a village, Sonon-teeonon,[Footnote:
Sononteeonon, Tionnontonan, or Seneca.] there we layd a night. The next
day, after a small journey, we came to the last village of their
confederates. Heere they doe differ in their speech though of [our] nation.
It's called Oiongoiconon. [Footnote: Oiongoiconon is Cayuga.] Here we
stay 2 dayes, and sent away our slaves and carryed our bundles ourselves,
going allwayes through the woods. We found great plaines of 2 leagues and a
halfe journey without a tree. We saw there stagges, but would not goe out
of our way to kill them. We went through 3 villages of this nation neare
one another. They admired to see a frenchman accompanying wild men, which I
understood by their exclamations. I thought I grewed leane to take litle
voyage, but the way seemed tedious to all. The raquett alwayes with the
feet and sometimes with the hands, which seemed to me hard to indure, yett
have I not complained.
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