History of Vermont. 277 



The five nations, at that time, had been for^ 

 tunate in their victories over some of the Indi- 

 an tribes with which they were at war ; and 

 with whom, the French had carried oh a lucra- 

 tive tradco To piit an end to their triumphs, 

 and to the obstruction which they gave to the 

 French trade, De Nonville determined to carry 

 war into their own country. To effect these 

 purposes, in 1687, he assembled a body of two 

 thousand French troops, and six hundred Indi- 

 ans at Montreal ; and directed all the officers 

 in the upper parts of the country to meet him 

 at Niagara, with all the force that they could 

 collect. While these preparations were taking 

 place, hostilities were commenced. Two par- 

 ties of the English, who were trading on the 

 lakes were seized by the French, their effects 

 were confiscated, and their persons imprisoned. 

 A French officer with two or three hundred 

 men, had surprized two villages of the confede- 

 rates, whom they had invited to settle in their 

 country : And so anxious were the French to 

 prevent any of these Indians from escaping, and 

 carrying the intelligence to their countrymen, 

 that they were all conveyed to fort Frontenac. 

 In the treatment of these captives, the French 

 exceeded the barbarities of the savage tribes : 

 All the captives, thirteen excepted, were burnt 

 at the stake ; and spent their last moments iri 

 singing with an heroic and undaunted spirit^ 

 the baseness and perfidy of the French. The 

 rest, by the particular order of Lewis XIV. 

 were put in irons, sent to Quebec, embarked 

 from thence to France, and there put on boar4 

 the galliesi ~ ^ 



