322 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



reviled and persecuted, their lives were threatened, they had to submit 

 to all manners of degradation, but they remained faithful at their posts, 

 appearing even to weloome persecution and privation that they might 

 advance the cause of Christianity. 



The old rivalry between the Iroquois and the Hurons became more 

 intense and soon there reached this country the reports of forays and 

 depredations of the Iroquois on the St. Lawrence. As we read now the 

 account of the Iroquois expeditions it would seem that a great plan of 

 campaign had been laid dowoi, as though by some Master General. The 

 Iroquois had determined to annihilate all their lold enemies and rivals. 

 It was not the impulse of a sudden attack but an extensive campaign 

 that appears Napoleonic in its extent. The Iroquois were now raiding 

 in one direction, a few weeks later in another; one hand was supporting 

 another; even the old Ottawa was unsafe. But the Hurons plannied 

 nothing in return. They were oblivious of their danger, — they were 

 {improvident. The Jesuit Fathers had advised them to strengthen their 

 villages and improve their methods lof defence, but the Hurons were not 

 so far seeing as the Iroquois. Moreover, the Dutch traders had 

 furnished the Iroquois with guns and powder and thus given them a 

 most decided advantage. The Iroquois gradually extended their opera- 

 tions and about 1647 a band came in by way of "The Narrows" between 

 Lakes Simooe and Couchiching, and captured the nearest Huron village 

 Contarea, killing many and taking the remainder back as prisoners to 

 incorporate them in their own nation. Years after Jesuit missionaries 

 found them in the Iroquois country and were delighted to find that they 

 had not forgotten all their teachings. Again the Iroquois came back in 

 1648 and took the second village, Teanaustaye or St. Joseph II. In this 

 fight the first Jesuit missionary was killed, Father Daniel. 



The work of the Iroquois was thorough : the village was completely 

 destroyed by fire, the inhabitants cut down and 700 who could not escape 

 were talvcn back as prisoners to be tortured or to be incorporated in their 

 own nation. 1649 saw the Inoquois once more return, but earlier, before 

 the snows of winter had all disappeared. They pushed further up into 

 the peninsula. St. Ignace fell before them, and then, but two miles 

 further on, St. Louis. The smoke of burning St. Louis oould be seen 

 from the Jesuit Mission of St. Mary on the Wye, but little did the 

 missionaries there think as they saw the smoke arising that even then 

 their own brethren Brebeuf and Lalemant had been captured and taken 

 back to St. Ignace to suffer most cruel tortures. The stor}^ of the death 

 of these two missionaries is one of the most terrible tales in the history 

 of the human race. After the retreat of the Iroquois, the brethren from 

 the mission found the majngled and charred bodies of the two martyrs. 



