198 RETURN OF FRONTENAC. [1690. 



in their hands, and promised soon to give up the 

 rest. A treaty had been made ; and it was this 

 event which the Seneca sachem now announced to 

 the council. Having told the story to his assem- 

 bled colleagues, he exhibited and explained the 

 wampum belts and other tokens brought by the 

 envoys from the lakes, who represented nine dis- 

 tinct tribes or bands from the region of Michilli- 

 mackinac. By these tokens, the nine tribes 

 declared that they came to learn wisdom of the 

 Iroquois and the English ; to wash off the war- 

 paint, throw clown the tomahawk, smoke the pipe 

 of peace, and unite with them as one body. " On- 

 ontio is drunk," such was the interpretation of 

 the fourth wampum belt ; " but we, the tribes of 

 Michillimackinac, wash our hands of all his actions. 

 Neither we nor you must defile ourselves by 

 listening to him." When the Seneca sachem had 

 ended, and when the ejaculations that echoed his 

 words had ceased, the belts were hung up before 

 all the assembly, then taken down again, and dis- 

 tributed among the sachems of the five Iroquois 

 tribes, excepting one, which was given to the mes- 

 sengers from Albany. Thus was concluded the 

 triple alliance, which to Canada meant no less than 

 ruin. 



" Brethren," said an Onondaga sachem, " we 

 must hold fast to our brother Quicler [Peter Schuy- 

 ler, mayor of Albany), and look on Onontio as 

 our enemy, for he is a cheat." 



Then they invited the interpreter from Albany 

 to address the council, which he did, advising them 



