38 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 190 



and die among the Hurons, I must give him a present; I must give 

 him a hatchet," and with that he applied a red-hot hatchet to his feet. 

 Another made liim a pair of stockings from old rags which he then 

 set on fire. Often, after having made him utter loud cries, he asked 

 him, "And now, uncle, have you had enough?" and when he replied, 

 onfia chouatan, onna^ "Yes, nephew, it is enough, it is enough," they 

 replied, "No, it is not enough" and continued to burn him at intervals, 

 demanding of him every time if it was enough. From time to time 

 they gave him something to eat and poured water into his mouth so 

 that he would last until morning. At the fire, there might be green 

 ears of corn roasting at the same time as the red-hot hatchets were 

 heated and sometimes while they were giving him ears to eat, they 

 were putting hatchets on his feet. If he refused to eat, they said, 

 "Indeed, do you think you are master here?" and so added, "For my 

 part, I believe you were the only chief in your country. But let us 

 see, were you not very cruel to prisoners? Now just tell us, did you 

 not enjoy burning them ? You did not think you were to be treated 

 in the same way, but perhaps you did think you had killed all the 

 Hurons?" (JR 13:59-71). 



As the day began to break, fires were lighted outside the village 

 in order to display the cruelties to the sun. The victim was led to 

 this place. Two Indians took hold of him and made him mount a 

 scaffold 6 or 7 feet high. Three or four followed him. They tied 

 him to a tree which passed across the scaffold in such a way that he 

 was free to turn around. Then they began to burn him more severely 

 than ever, leaving no part of his body untouched by fire. When he 

 tried to avoid one torturer, he fell into the hands of another. From 

 time to time, the torturers were supplied with new brands, which they 

 thrust down his throat, and even forced them into his fundament. 

 They burned his eyes ; they applied red-hot hatchets to Ms shoulders ; 

 they hung some around his neck, putting them first on his back, then 

 on his breast, according to the position he took to avoid their weight. 

 If he tried to sit or crouch down, someone thrust a brand from under 

 the scaffolding which made him arise. They so harassed him that 

 they finally put him out of breath. Then they poured water into his 

 mouth to strengthen his heart and the chiefs said he should take a 

 little breath. But he remained still. Fearing that he would die other 

 than by the knife, one cut off a foot, another a hand, and, almost at 

 the same time, a third cut off his head. The head was thrown to the 

 crowd, where someone caught it and took it to the village chief to 

 whom it had been promised [see above] so that he could make a feast. 

 The trunk remained in the village where he had been killed and a 

 feast was made of it the same day (JR 13: 77-79). 



If the prisoner had been particularly brave before he died, the 

 Indians would eat his heart, blood, and roasted flesh in order to be 



