402 FRENCH AND ENGLISH RIVALRY. [1694-96. 



peace, and told his Indian allies to wage war to 

 the knife. There was a dog-feast and a war-dance, 

 and the strife began anew. 



In all these conferences, the Iroquois had stood 

 by their English allies, with a fidelity not too well 

 merited. But, though they were loj^al towards the 

 English, they had acted with duplicity towards the 

 French, and, while treating of peace with them, 

 had attacked some of their Indian allies, and in- 

 trigued with others. They pursued with more 

 persistency than ever the policy they had adopted 

 in the time of La Barre, that is, to persuade or 

 frighten the tribes of the west to abandon the 

 French, join hands with them and the English, and 

 send their furs to Albany instead of Montreal ; for 

 the sagacious confederates knew well that, if the 

 trade were turned into this new channel, their 

 local position would enable them to control it. 

 The scheme was good ; but. with whatever consis- 

 tency their chiefs and elders might pursue it, the 

 wayward ferocity of their young warriors crossed 

 it incessantly, and murders alternated with in- 

 trigues. On the other hand, the western tribes, who 

 since the war had been but ill supplied with French 

 goods and French brandy, knew that they could 

 have English goods and English rum in great 

 abundance, and at far less cost ; and thus, in spite 

 of hate and fear, the intrigue went on. Michilli- 

 mackinac was the focus of it, but it pervaded all 

 the west. The position of Frontenac was one of 

 great difficulty, and the more so that the intestine 

 quarrels of his allies excessively complicated the 



