1642.] AMONG THE MOHAWKS. 221 



the remaining Hurons, and at last Jogues. As they 

 passed, they were sakited with yells, screeches, 

 and a tempest of blows. One, heavier than the 

 others, knocked Jogiies's breath from his body, and 

 stretched him on the ground ; but it was death to 

 lie there, and, regaining his feet, he staggered on 

 with the rest.^ When they reached the town, the 

 blows ceased, and they were all placed on a scaf- 

 fold, or high platform, in the middle of the place. 

 The three Frenchmen had fared the worst, and 

 were frightfully disfigured. Goupil , especially, was 

 streaming with blood, and livid with bruises from 

 head to foot. 



They were allowed a few minutes to recover 

 their breath, undisturbed, except by the hootings 

 and gibes of the mob below. Then a chief called 

 out, " Come, let us caress these Frenchmen ! " — 

 and the crowd, knife in hand, began to mount 

 the scaffold. They ordered a Christian Algonquin 

 woman, a prisoner among them, to cut off Jogues's 

 left thumb, which she did ; and a thumb of Goupil 

 was also severed, a clam-shell being used as the 

 instrument, in order to increase the pain. It is need- 

 less to specify further the tortures to which they 

 were subjected, all designed to cause the greatest 

 possible suffering without endangering life. At 

 night, they were removed from the scaffold, and 

 placed in one of the houses, each stretched on his 

 back, with his limbs extended, and his ankles and 

 wrists bound fast to stakes driven into the earthen 



1 This practice of forcing prisoners to " run the gauntlet " was by no 

 means peculiar to the Iroquois but was common to many tribes. 



19* 



