1 68 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



with them for their ceremony." A thousand Ktchemins, Algou- 

 mequins and ]^Iontagnez had defeated lOO Iroquois at the mouth 

 of the river called from them, and flowing from Lake Cham- 

 plain. They had to do this by surprise, for the Iroquois were 

 more numerous than all three nations, controlling all the St 

 Lawrence above Three Rivers. He got an account of the 

 JMohawk country at this time, two rivers leading to it. The same 

 year the Iroquois were again beaten in a small fight, though the 

 odds were in their favor. While on the New^ England coast in 

 1605, Champlain saw a river which he thought went *' toward 

 the Hiroquois, a nation wdio have open war with the ]\Iontagnars, 

 who are in the great river St Lawrence." They w^ere not men- 

 tioned again till 1609. 



It does not appear that Hudson encountered any Iroquois in 

 his voyage of that year. Assertions of this have no sound basis, 

 the J\Iohawds:s living many miles from the river and their ene- 

 mies everywhere holding its banks. Champlain had a different 

 fortune while exploring the land. In doing this, he met with the 

 Hurons, whom he at first called Ochateguins from one of their 

 chiefs, but learned that these were '' good Yroquois. The other 

 Yroquois, their enemies, are more to the south." These he soon 

 sought. 



He left the Chambly rapids on the River of the Iroquois, July 

 2, 1609, Avith 20 canoes and 60 Indians, called Montagnars from 

 the mountains near Quebec. Two Frenchmen were with him. 

 In Lake Champlain he came to four large islands, inhabited 

 before the war. The eastern shore had then belonged to the 

 Iroquois, but they now lived farther south, beyond Lake George, 

 and the route was clearly described to him. July 29 they encoun- 

 tered 200 Iroquois, but the brief battle took place next day. It 

 dififered much from our ideas of Indian warfare. Some days 

 before the chiefs of his party assigned each man his place and 

 part by carefully arranging as many sticks, and there was a drill 

 on this. The Iroquois had stone axes and some of iron, obtained 

 in war or trade. Amicable arrangements were made for the 

 morrow's combat 1)y the opposing chiefs. Next day the Mo- 



