76 FOSSIL MEN. 



Indians who professed to be survivors of the Hochela- 

 gans, was the front of the escarpment of Mount Royal, 

 the same with that occupied by Cartier, their Indian 

 informants would have at their very feet the old resi- 

 dence of their fathers, and their remarks as to its soil 

 and exposure would be naturally called forth by the 

 view before them. The story of the Jesuit fathers is 

 that the two aged Indians who accompanied Maison- 

 neuve to the mountain top after the ceremony of 

 founding the new town, said that they were descend- 

 ants of the original inhabitants ; that their tribe had 

 at one time inhabited all the surrounding country even 

 to the south of the river, possessing many populous 

 villages ; that the Hurons, who at that time were hos- 

 tile to them, had expelled them ; that some of them 

 had taken refuge among the Abenaquis, others among 

 the Iroquois, others among the Hurons themselves. 

 They were now associated with a band of Algonquins 

 from the Ottawa. Their grandfathers had cultivated 

 their corn in the very spot at their feet, but they had 

 been driven to become migratory hunters. 



The only other probable explanation of the remains 

 would be that they belong to the more recent settle- 

 ment of the Indians above referred to when invited by 

 the French to return. This, however, was a very 

 temporary occupation, not sufficient to give so large 

 an amount of remains. Further, at a time when 

 the Indians were in constant association with the 

 French, and when missionaries were labouring among 

 them, it is probable that their place of residence would 



