THE FALL OF NEW FRANCE 95 
then turned upon the Miamis and defeated them, and 
drove the Shawnees a long way down the Ohio. Some 
time before this they had conquered the Delawares; 
and this circumstance should be taken into account in 
considering the remarkable success of Penn and his 
followers in keeping clear of Indian troubles. A con- 
ciliatory policy had no doubt something to do with 
this; but it is not true that the Quakers were the only 
settlers who paid for their lands instead of taking them 
by force, for the Puritans of New England had done 
so in every case except that of the Pequods. It is 
worthy of consideration that, at the time when Penn- 
sylvania was colonized, the Delawares had been 
thoroughly humbled by the Iroquois, and forced into a 
treaty by which they submitted to be called “women” 
and to forego the use of arms. The price of the lands 
sold to Penn was paid twice over — to the Delawares, 
who actually occupied them, and again to the Iroquois, 
who had obtained them by conquest. Thus the vic- 
tors were kept in good humour, and the vanquished 
Indians did not dare to molest the Quaker settle- 
ments for fear of Iroquois vengeance. 
But the Iroquois had a deeper reason for wishing to 
keep on good terms with the English. As early as 
the time of Champlain they had been brought into 
deadly collision with the French, who certainly had 
not yet learned the importance of their friendship, and 
perhaps were not in a condition to secure it if they 
had. Settling first among the Algonquin tribes of 
the St. Lawrence, it was perhaps inevitable that the 
French should court the friendship of these tribes by 
defending them against their hereditary enemies. In 
1609 Champlain attacked the Mohawks near Ticon- 
