440 THE DESTROYERS. [1655 



forests towards the west, till they were gathered 

 into one body, when, fortifying themselves with 

 palisades and felled trees, they awaited the ap- 

 proach of the invaders. By the lowest estimate, 

 the Eries numbered two thousand warriors, be- 

 sides women and children. But this is the report 

 of the Iroquois, who were natiu'ally disposed to 

 exaggerate the force of their enemies. 



They approached the Erie fort, and two of 

 their chiefs, dressed like Frenchmen, advanced and 

 called on those within to surrender. One of them 

 had lately been baptized by Le Moyne ; and he 

 shouted to the Eries, that, if they did not yield in 

 time, they were all dead men, for the Master of Life 

 was on the side of the Iroquois. The Eries an- 

 swered with yells of derision. " Who is this master 

 of your lives 1 " they cried ; " our hatchets and our 

 risht arms are the masters of ours." The Iro- 

 quois rushed to the assault, but were met with a 

 shower of poisoned arrows, which killed and wound- 

 ed many of them, and drove the rest back. They 

 waited awhile, and then attacked again with un- 

 abated mettle. This time, they carried their bark 

 canoes over their heads like huge shields, to pro- 

 tect them from the storm of arrows ; then plant- 

 ing them upright, and mounting them by the 

 cross-bars like ladders, scaled the barricade with 



based, of course, on Iroquois reports, the Iroquois force is also set down 

 at twelve hundred, but that of the Eries is reduced to between two and 

 three thousand warriors. Even this may safely be taken as an exag- 

 geration. 



Though the Eries had no fire-arms, they used poisoned arrows with 

 great effect, discharging them, it is said, with surprising rapidity. 



