To
That Purpose Knowing The Place Where They Weare To Land, Which Was In An
Island In The Midle Of The River, A League Long & A Quarter Broade, They
Resolved To Murder Them In The Said Place, Which Was Promptly Executed In
This Maner Following:
-
They embarqued both hurron men and women in their boats, and among them
made up som 20 that embarked themselves in 2 of their boats, in a posture
as if they should goe to the warrs, & went before the breake of day. We
weare but 7 frenchmen, & they put us 7 [in] several boats. I find meselfe
with 3 Iroquoits & one Hurron man. Coming within sight of the Isle where
they weare to play their game, one of the Iroquoits in the same boate as I
landed, takes his gunne & charges it. The hurron and I saw this, but
neither dreamed of the tragedy that was att hand. After goes into the
woode, & the Iroquois that governed the boat takes up a hattchett & knocks
downe the poore hurron, that never thought to be so ended, and the other
that charged his musket in the wood shoots him and fell downe uppon my
heels. My feet soone swims in the miserable hurron's bloode. He did quiver
as if he had an ague, and was wounded with great many wounds, that still
they doubled. Both Iroquoits came to me and bid [me have] courage, ffor
they would not hurt me; but [as] for him that was killed, he was a dogg,
good for nothing. The small knowledge that I have had of their speech made
of a better hope; but one that could not have understood them would have
ben certainly in a great terror. This murder could not be committed so but
that the rest of the boats should heare it, and therefore in that very time
we heard sad moans and cryes horidly by hurron women. They threwed the
corps immediately into the water and went the other side of the river into
the abovesaid isle. Being landed together, the poore women went in a flock
like sheep that sees the wolves ready to devour them. There were 8 hurron
men that tooke theire armes. The Iroquoits not hindering them in the least,
but contrarily the Captayne of the Iroquoits appeared to defend their
cause, giving sharp apprehensions to those that held up armes, and so farr
that he did beat those that offered to hurt them.
In this example you may perceive the dissimulation & vengence of this
cursed people. So that the Company, reassured in some respects, the
affrighted company, made them goe up to the toppe of the hill and there
errect cottages some 40 paces from them; during the while I walked on the
side where they weare hard at work and firmly believed that the poore
hurron was killed by the Iroquoit out of malice, so much trust I putt in
the traiterous words. As I was directly coming where the hurrons weare,
what should I see?
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