1689.] IROQUOIS DEFEAT. 193 



in the powder magazine ; and, further, that when 

 he and his men were five leagues on their way to 

 Montreal a dull and distant explosion told them that 

 the mines had sprung. It proved afterwards that 

 the destruction was not complete ; and the Iroquois 

 took possession of the abandoned fort, with a large 

 quantity of stores and munitions left by the gar- 

 rison in their too hasty retreat. 1 



There was one ray of light through the clouds. 

 The unwonted news of a victory came to Montreal. 

 It was small, but decisive, and might be an earnest 

 of greater things to come. Before Frontenac's 

 arrival, Denonville had sent a reconnoitring party 

 up the Ottawa. They had gone no farther than the 

 Lake of Two Mountains, when they met twenty- 

 two Iroquois in two large canoes, who immediately 

 bore down upon them, yelling furiously. The 

 French party consisted of twenty-eight coureurs 

 de hois under Du Lhut and Mantet, excellent 

 partisan chiefs, who manoeuvred so well that the 

 rising sun blazed full in the eyes of the advancing 

 enemy, and spoiled their aim. The French re- 

 ceived their fire, which wounded one man ; then, 

 closing with them while their guns were empty, 

 gave them a volley, which killed and wounded 

 eighteen of their number. One swam ashore. The 

 remaining three were captured, and given to the 

 Indian allies to be burned. 2 



1 Frontenac an Ministre, 15 Nov., 1689; Recueil de ce qui s' 'est passe en 

 Canada depuis Vannfa 1G82. 



2 Frontenac an Ministre, 15 Nov., 1689 ; Ckampigny an Ministre, 16 Nov., 

 1689. Compare Belmont, whose account is a little different ; also N. Y. 

 Col. Docs., IX. 435. 



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