150 The Ottawa Naturalist. [September 



settlements on the St. Lawrence, whilst the main force of the 

 confederacy is directed against their tribal strong-holds in what is 

 now western Ontario. 



In imagination, this romantic and picturesque spot is trans- 

 formed into a cleverly constructed ambush. Wary sentinels posted 

 at the upper end of the portage pass the word that the enemy is 

 approaching from the upper reaches of the river and is about to 

 run the rapids. The council is broken up, the canoes are manned 

 and with ready musket and uplifted paddle the warriors await the 

 signal ot attack. Once within the rift of the Little Chaudi^re and 

 all retreat, for the luckless Huron or Algonkin is out of the 

 question. Retreat up the river is hopeless, for the foot of the 

 portage is held by the enemy. Escape by the lower portage is 

 equally futile, for the same implacable foe will intercept them 

 before they can reach it, or overtake them before they can pass it. 

 The attack is delivered with the usual results, and the Iroquois 

 return to their concealment laden with the spoils of war, with scalps 

 and prisoners. 



Now the manufacturer of yellow literature would like to 

 describe the torture and death of these prisoners at the hands of 

 their captors ; but we know that the Iroquois were not always 

 given to vengeance and that they adopted large numbers of Hurons 

 that were thus taken in battle. 



Mr. William E. Connelly, in his excellent papers on "The 

 Wyandots," in the Ontario Archaeological Report of 1899, in 

 writing of " the oldest branch of the Iroquoian family," informs us 

 that the clan system in the Five nations was the feature of real 

 strength. He goes on to say that: "The clan system was 

 responsible for much of the fierce warfare made by one tribe upon 

 another. It was a religious duty to keep the clan full, i.e. every 

 name in the clan lisi of proper names. No name was allowed in 

 ancient times to become wholly obsolete. The animal from which 

 the clan claimed descent was always angry when these names were 

 not in use, for they were not in his honor. To suffer a clan to 

 become extinct was a reproach to the nation or tribe. It was 

 followed by dire calamity. This both the old Wyandots and 

 Senecas have often told me. War was often undertaken to 

 replenish the depleted ranks of a decaying clan. White men were 

 eagerly adopted and to such an extent had this practice been 

 carried by the Wyandots that after the year 1820 there was not a 

 full blood Wyandot alive. Few women and girls were slain in 

 battle or tortured as prisoners even in ancient times. They were 

 adopted into the different clans of the tribe." 



"The Wyandots claim that as late as 1800 at least, the 

 Wyandots and Cherokees made war upon each other for the sole 

 purpose of obtaining women and children for adoption." 



