178 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



soon became excellent marksmen. This became the real foun- 

 dation of their great power, though they were good warriors 

 before. 



A Dutch document of 1646 says of this new feature that '' they 

 have now achieved many profitable forays where before they had 

 but little advantage ; this caused them also to be respected by 

 the surrounding Indians even as far as the Sea coast, who must 

 generally pay them tribute, whereas, on the contrary, they were 

 formerly obliged to contribute to these." 



The war with the Canadian Indians still continued. When 

 some missionaries were making their first ascent of the St Law- 

 rence in 1632, they found as low down as Tadoussac a party 

 which had returned with nine Iroquois prisoners, and their tor- 

 tures were graphically described. One strong and courageous 

 chief sang during his tortures at Quebec. " When they came to 

 tell him he must die, he said, as if very glad, ' Well, I am satis- 

 fied. I have taken many Montagnards ; my friends will take 

 more of them, and will well avenge my death.' " 



Though the French had killed many Iroquois, they first retal- 

 iated in 1633, when they killed two Frenchmen and wounded 

 four more. In the same year 30 or 40 Iroquois boarded a French 

 shallop, but withdrew when aid came. 



The next year the Senecas defeated the Hurons in the spring, 

 and the latter promptly made peace with them and hoped to do 

 so with the other four nations. Negotiations were in progress 

 the following year, but an account in 1636 shows the independent 

 character of the several nations. A young Seneca did not favor 

 this peace, and married among the Onondagas that he might have 

 liberty to continue in the field. He was taken prisoner with seven 

 others, while fishing in Lake Ontario, and the story of his death 

 is of the most tragic character, bringing out some curious fea- 

 tures of aboriginal life. After his first torture he was treated 

 most tenderly, was handsomely dress-ed and presided at his own 

 farewell feast, before the final and terrible scene. The Iroquois 

 sometimes treated their own captives much like this, but usually 

 subjected them to every indignity from the outset. 



