1643.] HIS NARROW ESCAPE. 227 



the emblem of the faith in which was his only con- 

 solation and his only hope, is alike a theme for the 

 pen and a subject for the pencil. 



The Indians at last grew tired of him, and 

 sent him back to the village. Here he remamed 

 till the middle of March, baptizing infants and try- 

 ing to convert adults. He told them of the sun, 

 moon, planets, and stars. They listened with 

 interest; but when from astronomy he passed to 

 theology, he spent his breath in vain. In March, 

 the old man with whom he lived set forth for his 

 spring fishing, taking with him his squaw, and 

 several children. Jogues also was of the party. 

 They repaired to a lake, perhaps Lake Saratoga, 

 four days distant. Here they subsisted for some 

 time on frogs, the entrails of fish, and other garb- 

 age. Jogues passed his days in the forest, repeat- 

 ing his prayers, and carving the name of Jesus on 

 trees, as a terror to the demons of the wilderness. 

 A messenger at length arrived from the town ; and 

 on the following day, under the pretence that signs 

 of an enemy had been seen, the party broke up 

 their camp, and returned home in hot haste. The 

 messenger had brought tidings that a war-party, 

 which had gone out against the French, had been 

 defeated and destroyed, and that the whole popula- 

 tion were clamoring to appease their grief by tor- 

 turing Jogues to death. This was the true cause of 

 the sudden and mysterious return ; but when they 

 reached the town, other tidings had arrived. The 

 missing warriors were safe, and on their way home 

 in triumph with a large number of prisoners. Again 



