1647.] NEW NEGOTIATIONS'. 343 



and, if possible, the Senecas also, to conclude a 

 treaty with the Hurons, these last would be enabled 

 to concentrate their force against the Mohawks, 

 whom the Andastes would attack at the same time, 

 unless they humbled themselves and made peace. 

 This scheme, it will be seen, was based on the 

 assumption, that the dreaded league of the Iroquois 

 was far from being a unit in action or counsel. 



Charles, with some of his colleagues, now set 

 out for home, to report the result of their mission ; 

 but the Senecas were lying in wait for them, and 

 they were forced to make a wide sweep through 

 the AUeghanies, Western Pennsylvania, and appar- 

 ently Ohio, to avoid these vigilant foes. It was 

 October before they reached the Huron towns, 

 and meanwhile hopes of peace had arisen from 

 another quarter.^ 



Early in the spring, a band of Onondagas had 

 made an inroad, but were roughly handled by the 

 Hurons, who killed several of them, captured oth- 

 ers, and put the rest to flight. The prisoners were 

 burned, with the exception of one who committed 

 suicide to escape the torture, and one other, the 

 chief man of the party, whose name was Annenrais. 

 Some of the Hurons were dissatisfied at the mercy 

 shown him, and gave out that they would kill him ; 

 on which the chiefs, who never placed themselves 

 in open opposition to the popular will, secretly 

 fitted him out, made him presents, and aided him 

 to escape at night, with an understanding that he 



1 On this mission of the Hurons to the Andastes, see Kagueneau, 

 Relation des Hurons, 1648, 58-60. 



