﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IROQUOIS 
  199 
  

  

  being 
  baptized. 
  To 
  avenge 
  his 
  death, 
  a 
  Mohawk 
  party 
  came 
  

   near 
  that 
  place 
  the 
  following 
  winter, 
  but 
  the 
  French 
  strength- 
  

   ened 
  their 
  works 
  and 
  doubled 
  the 
  guard. 
  The 
  enemy 
  withdrew, 
  

   but 
  a 
  small 
  party 
  returned 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  making 
  ambushes 
  and 
  

   doing 
  much 
  damage. 
  Father 
  Poncet 
  was 
  taken 
  prisoner 
  Aug. 
  

   20, 
  1653, 
  with 
  another 
  Frenchman 
  who 
  was 
  burned. 
  Poncet 
  was 
  

   soon 
  released, 
  because 
  of 
  new 
  proposals 
  for 
  peace. 
  While 
  in 
  the 
  

   Mohawk 
  country 
  he 
  was 
  adopted 
  by 
  a 
  widow, 
  and 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  So 
  soon 
  as 
  I 
  entered 
  her 
  cabin 
  she 
  began 
  to 
  sing 
  the 
  song 
  of 
  

   the 
  dead, 
  in 
  which 
  she 
  was 
  joined 
  by 
  her 
  two 
  daughters. 
  I 
  was 
  

   standing 
  near 
  the 
  fire 
  during 
  these 
  mournful 
  dirges 
  ; 
  they 
  made 
  

   me 
  sit 
  upon 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  table 
  slightly 
  raised, 
  and 
  then 
  I 
  understood 
  

   I 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  dead, 
  for 
  whom 
  these 
  women 
  renewed 
  

   the 
  last 
  mourning, 
  to 
  bring 
  the 
  deceased 
  to 
  life 
  again 
  in 
  my 
  per- 
  

   son, 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  custom. 
  

  

  Unexpected 
  events 
  had 
  happened 
  and 
  his 
  release 
  came 
  quickly. 
  

   He 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  month 
  in 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois. 
  I 
  came 
  in 
  the 
  

   fourth 
  of 
  September; 
  I 
  went 
  out 
  the 
  third 
  of 
  October. 
  And 
  in 
  

   this 
  brief 
  time 
  I 
  had 
  intercourse 
  with 
  the 
  Hollanders 
  ; 
  I 
  had 
  seen 
  

   Fort 
  Orange 
  ; 
  I 
  had 
  passed 
  three 
  times 
  through 
  the 
  four 
  villages 
  

   of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  Agniers 
  ; 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  cap- 
  

   tivity 
  was 
  occupied 
  in 
  my 
  going 
  and 
  my 
  return. 
  I 
  was 
  taken 
  by 
  

   the 
  River 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  and 
  Lake 
  Champlain, 
  and 
  consequently 
  

   there 
  were 
  but 
  two 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  journey 
  by 
  land. 
  And 
  I 
  was 
  

   brought 
  back 
  by 
  another 
  route, 
  so 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  passed 
  over 
  the 
  

   two 
  routes 
  which 
  their 
  armies 
  and 
  their 
  warriors 
  take 
  when 
  they 
  

   come 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  us. 
  

  

  Montreal 
  suffered 
  much 
  from 
  the 
  Iroquois, 
  but 
  Maison-neuve 
  

   brought 
  100 
  settlers 
  from 
  France, 
  and 
  conditions 
  improved. 
  One 
  

   event 
  became 
  historic, 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  era. 
  In 
  the 
  midst 
  

   of 
  alarms, 
  60 
  Onondagas 
  came 
  to 
  Montreal 
  June 
  26, 
  1653, 
  to 
  

   propose 
  peace, 
  saying 
  that 
  the 
  Cayugas 
  and 
  Oneidas 
  favored 
  

   their 
  coming. 
  They 
  warned 
  the 
  French 
  also 
  that 
  600 
  Mohawks 
  

   were 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  intending 
  to 
  fall 
  on 
  Three 
  Rivers. 
  The 
  Onon- 
  

   dagas 
  had 
  a 
  good 
  reception, 
  going 
  also 
  to 
  Quebec, 
  and 
  sent 
  a 
  

   second 
  deputation 
  there 
  in 
  September. 
  

  

  One 
  Mohawk 
  party 
  was 
  defeated 
  by 
  the 
  Hurons 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  

   of 
  Montreal, 
  the 
  captain 
  and 
  four 
  principal 
  men 
  being 
  made 
  pris- 
  

  

  