42 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Some of the prisoners were taken up the River St. John in the 

 captured schooner to Ekpahawk, the others proceeded overland. 

 Pote was among the latter. He and his fellows were taken up the 

 Petitcodiac river in a small schooner until they arrived at the portage 

 to the Washademoak, which they crossed and encamped. Soon 

 afterwards the Abbé Germain arrived from the River St. John. 

 Pote says: "The Priest asked ye Capt. of ye Indians who I was, 

 and when he understood I was a prisoner, he asked me if I could 

 speak French. I told him a little. . . . He told m.e to content 

 myself in the condition that I was then in, for I was in ye hands of a 

 Christian nation and it might prove very beneficial both to my body 

 and soul. Iwas obliged to concur with his sentiments for fear of 

 displeasing my masters." 



Having made seven canoes of elm and ash bark the party pro- 

 ceeded down the Washademoak to the St. John and up the latter to 

 the Indian village of Ekpahawk. On their way they caught some 

 small fish which Pote tried to clean, but the Indians snatched them 

 from him and boiled them, "sHme and blood and all together." 

 "This," said Pote, "put me in mind of ye old proverb, God sent 

 meat and the Devil cooks." On another occasion, being overtaken 

 by a violent thunderstorm, they were obliged to take shelter under 

 the upturned canoes. Pote writes in his journal: "At this time it 

 thundered exceedingly and ye Indians asked me if there was not 

 people in my country sometimes destroyed by ye thunder and light- 

 ning. Yes, I told them, I had known several instances of that nature. 

 They told me that never anything happened to the Indians of harm 

 neither by thunder nor lightning, and they said it was a judgment 

 on ye English and French for incroaching on their liberties in America." 

 On his arrival at Ekpahawk, on the evening of the 6th July, Pote 

 found that his schooner "Montague" had arrived some days before 

 with the other prisoners. The newcomers received an unexpected 

 reception, which we shall allow Capt. Pote to describe in his own 

 words: "At this place the Squaws came down to the edge of ye river, 

 dancing and behaving in the most brutish manner, and taking us 

 prisoners by ye arms, one Squaw on each side of a prisoner, they led 

 us up to their village and placed themselves in a large circle round us. 

 After they had got all prepared for their dance they made us set down 

 in a small circle, about 18 inches asunder, and began their frolick, 

 dancing round us and striking of us in ye face with English scalps 

 that caused ye blood to issue from our mouths and noses in a very 

 great and plentiful manner, and tangled their hands in our hair and 

 knocked our heads together with all their strength and vehemence. 



