1682.] HIS BOASTS. 79 



" Tegannisorens loves the French," he wrote to 

 Frontenac, " but neither he nor any other of the 

 upper Iroquois fear them in the least. They anni- 

 hilate our allies, whom by adoption of prisoners 

 they convert into Iroquois ; and they do not hesi- 

 tate to avow that after enriching themselves by our 

 plunder, and strengthening themselves by those 

 who might have aided us, they will pounce all at 

 once upon Canada, and overwhelm it in a single 

 campaign." He acids that within the past two 

 years they have reinforced themselves by more 

 than nine hundred warriors, adopted into their 

 tribes. 1 



Such was the crisis when Frontenac left Canada 

 at the moment when he was needed most, and 

 Le Febvre de la Barre came to supplant him. The 

 new governor introduces himself with a burst of 

 rhoclomontade. " The Iroquois," he writes to the 

 king, " have twenty-six hundred warriors. I will 

 attack them with twelve hundred men. They 

 know me before seeing me, for they have been 

 told by the English how roughly I handled them 

 in the West Indies." This bold note closes rather 

 tamely ; for the governor acids, " I think that if the 

 Iroquois believe that your Majesty would have the 

 goodness to give me some help, they will make 

 peace, and let our allies alone, which would save 

 the trouble and expense of an arduous war." 2 He 

 then begs hard for troops, and in fact there was 

 great need of them, for there were none in Canada ; 



1 P. Jean de LamberviUe a Frontenac, 20 Sept., 1682. 



2 La Barre au Roy, (4 Oct. ?) 1682. 



