﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IROQUOIS 
  175 
  

  

  acted 
  as 
  they 
  had." 
  It 
  is 
  evident 
  there 
  was 
  then 
  no 
  treaty 
  of 
  

   friendship. 
  

  

  De 
  Laet 
  makes 
  the 
  statement 
  that 
  a 
  fort 
  was 
  built 
  at 
  Albany 
  

   in 
  1614 
  and 
  constantly 
  occupied 
  till 
  1617. 
  Also 
  that 
  Henry 
  

   Christians 
  first 
  commanded, 
  and 
  in 
  his 
  absence 
  James 
  Elkens, 
  

   who 
  received 
  authority 
  from 
  the 
  States 
  General 
  in 
  1614. 
  This 
  

   seems 
  well 
  attested. 
  Elkens 
  traded 
  near 
  Fort 
  Orange 
  in 
  1633, 
  

   and 
  testified 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  lived 
  four 
  years 
  with 
  the 
  Indians. 
  He 
  

   was 
  then 
  42 
  years 
  old, 
  which 
  would 
  have 
  made 
  him 
  23 
  in 
  1614. 
  

   Another 
  witness 
  said 
  that, 
  if 
  they 
  could 
  have 
  stayed 
  there 
  another 
  

   month, 
  the 
  Mohawks 
  would 
  have 
  brought 
  them 
  4000 
  beaver 
  skins, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Mahicans 
  300 
  more. 
  Only 
  through 
  such 
  trade 
  could 
  

   they 
  get 
  wampum 
  and 
  other 
  supplies. 
  

  

  The 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  fight 
  between 
  the 
  Mohawks 
  and 
  Dutch 
  

   reached 
  Canada 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days, 
  and 
  some 
  Canadian 
  visitors, 
  the 
  

   next 
  winter, 
  were 
  solicited 
  by 
  the 
  Mahicans 
  to 
  break 
  the 
  peace 
  

   already 
  made 
  and 
  take 
  sides 
  with 
  them. 
  Some 
  favored 
  and 
  some 
  

   opposed 
  this, 
  but 
  the 
  war 
  feeling 
  was 
  so 
  strong 
  that 
  some 
  Iro- 
  

   quois 
  deputies 
  were 
  badly 
  treated. 
  Another 
  violent 
  act 
  occurred. 
  

   In 
  1627 
  a 
  Frenchman 
  went 
  on 
  a 
  peace 
  embassy 
  to 
  the 
  Mohawks, 
  

   with 
  some 
  Canadian 
  Indians. 
  Some 
  Senecas 
  came 
  who 
  had 
  

   recently 
  suffered 
  from 
  the 
  Algonquins, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  rage 
  they 
  at 
  

   once 
  killed 
  all 
  the 
  ambassadors 
  before 
  the 
  Mohawks 
  could 
  pre- 
  

   vent 
  it. 
  The 
  Algonquins 
  retaliated 
  by 
  torturing 
  an 
  Iroquois 
  

   hostage, 
  and 
  war 
  followed. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  these 
  Senecas 
  were 
  of 
  

   nations 
  east 
  of 
  those 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  name 
  was 
  afterward 
  restricted. 
  

  

  The 
  temporary 
  subjection 
  of 
  Canada 
  to 
  the 
  English 
  came 
  in 
  

   1629, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  privations 
  which 
  preceded 
  this 
  Champlain 
  seri- 
  

   ously 
  thought 
  of 
  seizing 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  towns, 
  with 
  50 
  or 
  60 
  

   Frenchmen, 
  " 
  passing 
  there 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  summer, 
  autumn 
  and 
  

   winter, 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  die 
  of 
  hunger 
  one 
  after 
  another 
  in 
  the 
  

   plantation." 
  

  

  Soon 
  after 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  Mahicans 
  left 
  the 
  Hudson 
  because 
  of 
  

   the 
  war, 
  but 
  still 
  retained 
  their 
  territorial 
  rights, 
  as 
  was 
  then 
  the 
  

   custom. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  favorable 
  time 
  to 
  buy 
  Indian 
  lands, 
  and 
  Kiliaen 
  

   Van 
  Rensselaer 
  embraced 
  the 
  opportunity 
  in 
  1630, 
  acquiring 
  most 
  

  

  