408 CHABANEL. [1649. 



sally, and saw the ashes of their desolated homes 

 and the ghastly relics of their murdered families, 

 they seated themselves amid the ruin, silent and 

 motionless as statues of bronze, with heads bowed 

 down and eyes fixed on the ground. Thus they re- 

 mained through half the day. Tears and wailing 

 were for women ; this was the mourning of war- 

 riors. 



Garnier's colleague, Chabanel, had been recalled 

 from St. Jean by an order from the Father Supe- 

 rior, who thought it needless to expose the life of 

 more than one priest in a position of so much dan- 

 ger. He stopped on his way at St. Matthias, and 

 on the morning of the seventh of December, the 

 day of the attack, left that town with seven or eight 

 Christian Hurons. The journey was rough and dif- 

 ficult. They proceeded through the forest about 

 eighteen miles, and then encamped in the snow. 

 The Indians fell asleep ; but Chabanel, from an 

 apprehension of danger, or some other cause, re- 

 mained awake. About midnight he heard a 

 strange sound in the distance, — a confusion of 

 fierce voices, mingled with songs and outcries. It 

 was the Iroquois on their retreat with their pris- 

 oners, some of whom were defiantly singing their 

 war-songs, after the Indian custom. Chabanel 

 waked his companions, who instantly took fiight. 

 He tried to follow, but could not keep pace with 

 the light-footed savages, who returned to St. Mat- 

 thias, and told what had occurred. They said, how- 

 ever, that Chabanel had left them and taken an 

 opposite du'ection, in order to reach Isle St, Joseph. 



