hoffman] BALL GAME CONSPIRACY 131 



shouted at the height of his voice. Rushing and striking, tripping their adversaries 

 or hurling them to the ground, they pursued the animating contest amid the laughter 

 and applause of the spectators. Suddenly, from the midst of the multitude, the 

 ball soared into the air and, descending in a wide curve, fell near the pickets of the 

 fort. This was no chance stroke. It was part of a preconcerted stratagem to insure 

 the surprise and destruction of the garrison. As if in pursuit of the hall, the play- 

 ers turned and came rushing, a maddened and tumultuous throng, toward the gate. 

 In a moment they had reached it. The amazed English had no time to think or act. 

 The shrill cries of the ball players were changed to the ferocious war-whoop. The 

 warriors snatched from the squaws the hatchets, which the latter, with this design, 

 had concealed beneath their blankets. Some of the Indians assailed the spectators 

 without, while others rushed iuto the fort, and all was carnage and confusion. At 

 the outset several strong hands had fastened their grip upon Etherington and Leslie 

 and led them away from the scene of massacre towards the woods. Within the area 

 of the fort the men were slaughtered without mercy. 



Henry l escaped and ran to the house of Langlade, secreting himself 

 in the garret. Quoting Henry, Parkman continues: 



This shelter obtained, if shelter I could hope to find it, I was naturally anxious to 

 know what might still be passing without. Through an aperture, which afforded 

 me a view of the area of the fort, I beheld, in shapes the foulest and most terrible, 

 the ferocious triumphs of barbarian conquerors. The dead were scalped and man- 

 gled; the dying were writhing and shrieking under the unsatiated knife and toma- 

 hawk; and from the bodies of some, ripped open, their butchers were drinking the 

 blood, scooped up in the hollow of joined hands, and quaffed amid shouts of rage and 

 victory. I was shaken not only with horror, but with fear. The sufferings which 

 I witnessed I seemed on the point of experiencing. No long time elapsed before, 

 every one being destroyed who could be found, there was a general cry of "All is 

 finished." 



According to Shu'nien and other prominent mitii'wok, the traditional 

 origin of the ball game is as follows : 



Ma'niibiish wanted to discover and destroy those of the ana'maqki'u 

 or underground evil ma'nidos, who were instrumental in the death of 

 his brother, the Wolf. He therefore instituted the ball game, and asked 

 the Thunderers to come and play against the ana'maqki'ii as their 

 opponents, after which the game should be the property of the Thun- 

 derers. The Kine'u T , Golden-eagle, came in response to this invitation, 

 and brought with him the ball. He was accompanied by all the other 

 Thunderers, his brothers and younger brothers. Then the ana'maqki'u 

 began to come out of the ground, the first two to ajipear beiug the head 

 chiefs in the guise of bears — one a powerful silvery white bear, the 

 other having a gray coat. These were followed by their brothers and 

 younger brothers. 



The place selected by Ma'nabtish for a ball ground was near a large 

 sand bar on a great lake not far from where Mackinaw is now located. 

 Adjoining the sand bar was a large grove of trees, in the midst of 

 which was a glade, smooth and covered with grass. At one end of this 

 clearing was a knoll, which was taken possession of by the bear chiefs, 

 from which point they could watch the progress of the game. Then the 



1 Parkman, op. cit., pp. 300-301. 



