﻿HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  IROQUOIS 
  203 
  

  

  which 
  were 
  inland, 
  they 
  may 
  have 
  ascended 
  Cattaraugus 
  creek 
  

   or 
  gone 
  to 
  the 
  head 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Alleghany, 
  perhaps 
  both. 
  The 
  

   story 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  and 
  its 
  causes 
  is 
  interesting. 
  The 
  Eries 
  had 
  sent 
  

   30 
  men 
  to 
  the 
  Senecas 
  to 
  treat 
  of 
  peace, 
  and, 
  while 
  they 
  were 
  

   there, 
  a 
  Seneca 
  was 
  elsewhere 
  killed 
  by 
  an 
  Erie. 
  The 
  Senecas 
  fell 
  

   on 
  the 
  ambassadors, 
  of 
  whom 
  but 
  five 
  escaped. 
  War 
  ensuing, 
  the 
  

   Onondaga 
  chief, 
  Annenraes, 
  was 
  taken 
  before 
  he 
  knew 
  of 
  the 
  

   outbreak 
  ; 
  but 
  he 
  proved 
  as 
  persuasive 
  as 
  of 
  old 
  and 
  was 
  given 
  

   to 
  the 
  sister 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  ambassadors, 
  with 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  

   he 
  might 
  preserve 
  peace. 
  She 
  was 
  not 
  then 
  at 
  home, 
  but 
  they 
  

   doubted 
  not 
  her 
  acceptance, 
  clothed 
  him 
  handsomely 
  and 
  feasted 
  

   him 
  well. 
  When 
  she 
  returned, 
  she 
  refused 
  all 
  offers, 
  though 
  

   this 
  might 
  ruin 
  her 
  country. 
  He 
  must 
  die, 
  and 
  they 
  had 
  to 
  yield. 
  

   They 
  took 
  him 
  from 
  the 
  feast, 
  stripped 
  him 
  of 
  his 
  robes 
  and 
  

   kindled 
  the 
  fire. 
  " 
  He 
  cried 
  out 
  before 
  dying 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  

   going 
  to 
  burn 
  a 
  nation 
  in 
  his 
  person, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  cruelly 
  

   avenge 
  his 
  death." 
  An 
  Iroquois 
  army 
  quickly 
  took 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  

   made 
  his 
  words 
  good. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  fanciful 
  Seneca 
  tradition 
  of 
  this 
  war 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   credited 
  by 
  many, 
  but 
  which 
  has 
  no 
  likeness 
  to 
  the 
  contempo- 
  

   raneous 
  account, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  has 
  some 
  difficulties. 
  According 
  

   to 
  this 
  the 
  Eries 
  abandoned 
  most 
  of 
  their 
  towns, 
  but 
  at 
  last 
  made 
  

   a 
  stand 
  in 
  a 
  strong 
  fort 
  and 
  w 
  T 
  ere 
  summoned 
  to 
  surrender. 
  They 
  

   refused, 
  and 
  a 
  terrible 
  assault 
  began, 
  which 
  was 
  long 
  unsuccess- 
  

   ful. 
  The 
  palisades 
  were 
  high 
  and 
  well 
  defended. 
  The 
  Iroquois 
  

   took 
  their 
  canoes 
  and 
  bore 
  them 
  before 
  them, 
  using 
  them 
  first 
  as 
  

   shields 
  and 
  then 
  as 
  ladders. 
  The 
  fort 
  was 
  carried 
  with 
  the 
  loss 
  

   of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  assailants, 
  but 
  with 
  terrible 
  carnage 
  to 
  the 
  inmates. 
  

   After 
  this, 
  300 
  rallied 
  and 
  planned 
  a 
  surprise, 
  which 
  was 
  badly 
  

   conducted. 
  At 
  the 
  first 
  Iroquois 
  yell 
  they 
  lost 
  heart 
  and 
  fled. 
  

   The 
  invaders 
  suffered 
  much, 
  but 
  except 
  as 
  captives 
  the 
  Eries 
  

   appeared 
  no 
  more. 
  One 
  campaign 
  destroyed 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  Iroquois 
  invaders 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  1800 
  men, 
  but 
  

   it 
  is 
  safe 
  to 
  reduce 
  this 
  estimate, 
  and, 
  as 
  the 
  Eries 
  fought 
  bravely 
  

   on 
  the 
  defensive 
  in 
  a 
  strong 
  fort, 
  their 
  numbers 
  could 
  hardly 
  have 
  

   been 
  large, 
  and 
  archeologic 
  evidence 
  rather 
  favors 
  this. 
  This 
  

  

  