We Told Him If He
Would Not Fight, To Leave Our Company; Which Perceived By The Iroquoits,
Made Them Looke To Themselves.
They came & assured us of their good will.
The 4 frenchmen that understood not longed for the schermish & die for it.
Att last the ffather prevailed with us, & tould us what was done in
Councell.
Two Iroquoits came to us with weapons, who signifies there is
nothing layd against you, & commanded their compagnions to put by their
armes, that they weare our brethren. The agreement was made. Some went to
the feast, some stayed. Having eaten, the ffather calls them againe to
councell, & for that purpose borrows some porcelaine from the captayne to
make 3 guifts.
All being together the ffather begins his speech, throwing the first guift
into the midle of the place, desiring that it might be accepted for the
conservation of the ffriendshipe that had ben long between them and us, and
so was accepted with a ho, ho, which is an assurance & a promise, as
thanks. The 2nd was for the lives of the women which weare in their hands,
& to conduct them with saftie into their country, which was accepted in
like manner. The 3rd was to encourage them to bring us to their owne
country & carry our Marchandises in such [manner] that they may not be
wett, nor leave them behind, which was, as abovesaid, punctually observed.
The councell being ended, the captaynes made speeches to encourage the
masters of the boats to take a bundle to his care & charge, & give an
account of it in the country. I wish the lotts weare so distributed before
we came from mont royall, but that it is the miserable comfort, better late
then never. Att night every one to his cabben, and the women dispersed into
every cabban with their children, which was a sight of compassion. The day
following being the 8th day of our departure, some went a hunting, some
stayed att home. The next day to that we embarqued all a sunder, a boat for
each. I was more chearfull then the rest, because I knewed a litle of their
language, and many saw me in the low country. Wherefore [they] made me
embarque with a yong man, taller & properer then myselfe. We had paines and
toyles enough; especially my sperit was grieved, and have souffred much
troubles 6 weeks together. I thought we should come to our journey's end &
so help one another by things past; ffor a man is glad to drive away the
time by honest, ingenuous discours, and I would rejoyce very much to be
allwayes in company uppon my journey. It was contrary to me all the voyage,
ffor my boat and an other, wherein weare 2 men & a woman Iroquoit, stayed
behind without seeing or hearing from one another. I leave with you to
think if they weare troubled for me or I for them. There was a great
alteration a litle before; a whole fleete of boats, now to be reduced [to]
2 onely.
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