530 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Our Warriors entered that Country remote though it was from 

 Onnontague, before they were perceived. Their arrival spread such 

 a panic that villages and dwellings were abandoned to the mercy of 

 the Conqueror, — who after burning everything, started in pursuit 

 of the fugitives. The latter numbered from two to three thousand 

 besides women and children. Finding themselves closely followed, 

 they resolved, after five days' flight to build a fort of wood and 

 there await the enemy who numbered only 1200. Accordingly, they 

 intrenched themselves as well as they could. The enemy drew near, 

 the two head chiefs showing themselves in French costume, in order 

 to frighten their opponents by the novelty of their attire. One of 

 the two who had been Baptized by Father le Moyne and was very 

 well instructed, gently urged the besieged to capitulate, telling them 

 that they would be destroyed if they allowed an assault. " The Mas- 

 ter of life fights for us," said he ; " you will be ruined if you resist 

 him." "Who is the Master of our lives?" was the haughty 

 reply of the Besieged. " We acknowledge none but out arms and our 

 hatchets." Thereupon the assault was made and the. palisade at- 

 tacked on all sides ; but the defence was as spirited as the attack, 

 and the combat was a long one, great courage being displayed on 

 both sides. The Besieging party made every effort to carry the 

 place by storm, but in vain ; they were killed as fast as they ad- 

 vanced. They hit on the plan of using their canoes as shields; and 

 bearing these before them as protection, they reached the foot of 

 the entrenchment. But it remained to scale the large stakes, or 

 tree trunks of which it was built. Again they resorted to their 

 canoes, using them as ladders for surmounting the stanch palisade. 

 Their boldness so astonished the Besieged that, being already at the 

 end of their munitions of war, — with which, especially powder they 

 were but poorly provided, — they resolved to flee. This was their 

 ruin ; for, after most of the first fugitives had been killed, the others 

 were surrounded by the Onnontaguehronnons, who entered the fort 

 and there wrought such carnage among the women and children that 

 blood was knee deep in certain places. Those who had escaped, wish- 

 ing to retrieve their honor, after recovering their courage a little, re- 

 turned to the number of 300, to take the enemy by surprise while 

 he was retiring and off his guard. The plan was good but it was ill 

 executed ; for frightened at the first cry of the Onnontaguehronnons, 

 they were entirely defeated. The Victors did not escape heavy 

 losses, — so great indeed, that they were forced to remain two 

 months in the enemy's country, burying their dead and caring for 

 their wounded. 



The Eries are commonly said to have been exterminated but this 

 is not entirely true. They became exterminated only in the sense 

 that they ceased to exist as an independent people. The surviving 

 Eries who did not flee to other tribes became the captives of the 

 Iroquois, who in accord with their usual policy adopted the indi- 

 viduals into their families and gradually absorbed them. 



