﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IROQUOIS 
  151 
  

  

  weakness, 
  and 
  then 
  turned 
  their 
  arms 
  against 
  the 
  Adirondacks 
  

   or 
  Algonquins 
  with 
  success. 
  Charlevoix 
  adds 
  that, 
  while 
  the 
  

   Algonquins 
  took 
  no 
  precautions 
  against 
  surprise, 
  " 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  

   alone 
  use 
  more 
  circumspection 
  in 
  war, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  

   it 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  causes 
  of 
  the 
  superiority 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  

   acquired 
  over 
  the 
  enemies 
  who 
  have 
  never 
  yielded 
  to 
  them 
  in 
  

   valor, 
  and 
  might 
  easily 
  have 
  crushed 
  them 
  by 
  numbers." 
  That 
  

   this 
  war 
  was 
  recent 
  when 
  Champlain 
  came 
  is 
  evident. 
  Though 
  

   this 
  had 
  caused 
  them 
  to 
  abandon 
  the 
  islands 
  of 
  Lake 
  Champlain, 
  

   the 
  Indians 
  with 
  the 
  great 
  explorer 
  in 
  1609 
  told 
  him 
  that 
  the 
  Ver- 
  

   mont 
  shore 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Iroquois, 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  beau- 
  

   tiful 
  valleys 
  and 
  fertile 
  cornfields 
  there. 
  Even 
  in 
  1636 
  a 
  mission- 
  

   ary 
  on 
  the 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  said 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  savages 
  have 
  shown 
  me 
  some 
  

   places 
  where 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  formerly 
  cultivated 
  the 
  land." 
  He 
  

   advised 
  them 
  to 
  use 
  these, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  greatly 
  

   changed. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  this 
  war 
  in 
  Champlain's 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  proposed 
  peace 
  between 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  and 
  Algon- 
  

   quins 
  in 
  1622. 
  The 
  Indians 
  said 
  " 
  they 
  were 
  tired 
  and 
  weary 
  of 
  

   wars 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  had 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  fifty 
  years 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  

   their 
  fathers 
  had 
  never 
  wished 
  to 
  enter 
  into 
  treaty, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  

   the 
  desire 
  for 
  vengeance 
  which 
  they 
  wished 
  to 
  obtain 
  for 
  the 
  

   murder 
  of 
  their 
  friends, 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  killed 
  ; 
  but, 
  having 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  the 
  good 
  which 
  might 
  result, 
  they 
  resolved, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  

   said 
  to 
  make 
  peace." 
  

  

  This 
  would 
  place 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  war 
  about 
  1570. 
  

   In 
  the 
  Relation 
  of 
  1660 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  varying 
  fortunes 
  

   of 
  the 
  Mohawks 
  since 
  1600 
  and 
  before. 
  ' 
  Toward 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   last 
  century 
  the 
  Agnieronnons 
  had 
  been 
  brought 
  so 
  low 
  by 
  the 
  

   Algonquins 
  that 
  there 
  appeared 
  almost 
  no 
  more 
  of 
  them 
  upon 
  

   the 
  earth. 
  In 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  they 
  overcame 
  their 
  foes 
  and 
  reduced 
  

   them 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  state. 
  Then 
  the 
  Andastes 
  harassed 
  them, 
  and 
  

   they 
  were 
  in 
  great 
  fear. 
  The 
  Dutch 
  came 
  and 
  gave 
  them 
  guns 
  ; 
  

   they 
  were 
  again 
  victors 
  and 
  never 
  lost 
  their 
  advantage. 
  All 
  that 
  

   the 
  French 
  could 
  learn 
  of 
  th$ir 
  military 
  history 
  went 
  not 
  far 
  

   back 
  in 
  the 
  16th 
  century." 
  

  

  