﻿530 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Our 
  Warriors 
  entered 
  that 
  Country 
  remote 
  though 
  it 
  was 
  from 
  

   Onnontague, 
  before 
  they 
  were 
  perceived. 
  Their 
  arrival 
  spread 
  such 
  

   a 
  panic 
  that 
  villages 
  and 
  dwellings 
  were 
  abandoned 
  to 
  the 
  mercy 
  of 
  

   the 
  Conqueror, 
  — 
  who 
  after 
  burning 
  everything, 
  started 
  in 
  pursuit 
  

   of 
  the 
  fugitives. 
  The 
  latter 
  numbered 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  three 
  thousand 
  

   besides 
  women 
  and 
  children. 
  Finding 
  themselves 
  closely 
  followed, 
  

   they 
  resolved, 
  after 
  five 
  days' 
  flight 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  fort 
  of 
  wood 
  and 
  

   there 
  await 
  the 
  enemy 
  who 
  numbered 
  only 
  1200. 
  Accordingly, 
  they 
  

   intrenched 
  themselves 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  they 
  could. 
  The 
  enemy 
  drew 
  near, 
  

   the 
  two 
  head 
  chiefs 
  showing 
  themselves 
  in 
  French 
  costume, 
  in 
  order 
  

   to 
  frighten 
  their 
  opponents 
  by 
  the 
  novelty 
  of 
  their 
  attire. 
  One 
  of 
  

   the 
  two 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  Baptized 
  by 
  Father 
  le 
  Moyne 
  and 
  was 
  very 
  

   well 
  instructed, 
  gently 
  urged 
  the 
  besieged 
  to 
  capitulate, 
  telling 
  them 
  

   that 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  destroyed 
  if 
  they 
  allowed 
  an 
  assault. 
  " 
  The 
  Mas- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  life 
  fights 
  for 
  us," 
  said 
  he 
  ; 
  " 
  you 
  will 
  be 
  ruined 
  if 
  you 
  resist 
  

   him." 
  "Who 
  is 
  the 
  Master 
  of 
  our 
  lives?" 
  was 
  the 
  haughty 
  

   reply 
  of 
  the 
  Besieged. 
  " 
  We 
  acknowledge 
  none 
  but 
  out 
  arms 
  and 
  our 
  

   hatchets." 
  Thereupon 
  the 
  assault 
  was 
  made 
  and 
  the 
  palisade 
  at- 
  

   tacked 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  defence 
  was 
  as 
  spirited 
  as 
  the 
  attack, 
  

   and 
  the 
  combat 
  was 
  a 
  long 
  one, 
  great 
  courage 
  being 
  displayed 
  on 
  

   both 
  sides. 
  The 
  Besieging 
  party 
  made 
  every 
  effort 
  to 
  carry 
  the 
  

   place 
  by 
  storm, 
  but 
  in 
  vain; 
  they 
  were 
  killed 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  they 
  ad- 
  

   vanced. 
  They 
  hit 
  on 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  using 
  their 
  canoes 
  as 
  shields 
  ; 
  and 
  

   bearing 
  these 
  before 
  them 
  as 
  protection, 
  they 
  reached 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  

   the 
  entrenchment. 
  But 
  it 
  remained 
  to 
  scale 
  the 
  large 
  stakes, 
  or 
  

   tree 
  trunks 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  built. 
  Again 
  they 
  resorted 
  to 
  their 
  

   canoes, 
  using- 
  them 
  as 
  ladders 
  for 
  surmounting 
  the 
  stanch 
  palisade. 
  

   Their 
  boldness 
  so 
  astonished 
  the 
  Besieged 
  that, 
  being 
  already 
  at 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  their 
  munitions 
  of 
  war, 
  — 
  with 
  which, 
  especially 
  powder 
  they 
  

   were 
  but 
  poorly 
  provided, 
  — 
  they 
  resolved 
  to 
  flee. 
  This 
  was 
  their 
  

   ruin 
  ; 
  for, 
  after 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  fugitives 
  had 
  been 
  killed, 
  the 
  others 
  

   were 
  surrounded 
  by 
  the 
  Onnontaguehronnons, 
  who 
  entered 
  the 
  fort 
  

   and 
  there 
  wrought 
  such 
  carnage 
  among 
  the 
  women 
  and 
  children 
  that 
  

   blood 
  was 
  knee 
  deep 
  in 
  certain 
  places. 
  Those 
  who 
  had 
  escaped, 
  wish- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  retrieve 
  their 
  honor, 
  after 
  recovering 
  their 
  courage 
  a 
  little, 
  re- 
  

   turned 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  300, 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  enemy 
  by 
  surprise 
  while 
  

   he 
  was 
  retiring 
  and 
  off 
  his 
  guard. 
  The 
  plan 
  was 
  good 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  ill 
  

   executed 
  ; 
  for 
  frightened 
  at 
  the 
  first 
  cry 
  of 
  the 
  Onnontaguehronnons, 
  

   they 
  were 
  entirely 
  defeated. 
  The 
  Victors 
  did 
  not 
  escape 
  heavy 
  

   losses, 
  — 
  so 
  great 
  indeed, 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  forced 
  to 
  remain 
  two 
  

   months 
  in 
  the 
  enemy's 
  country, 
  burying 
  their 
  dead 
  and 
  caring 
  for 
  

   their 
  wounded. 
  

  

  The 
  Eries 
  are 
  commonly 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  exterminated 
  but 
  this 
  

   is 
  not 
  entirely 
  true. 
  They 
  became 
  exterminated 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  sense 
  

   that 
  they 
  ceased 
  to 
  exist 
  as 
  an 
  independent 
  people. 
  The 
  surviving 
  

   Eries 
  who 
  did 
  not 
  flee 
  to 
  other 
  tribes 
  became 
  the 
  captives 
  of 
  the 
  

   Iroquois, 
  who 
  in 
  accord 
  with 
  their 
  usual 
  policy 
  adopted 
  the 
  indi- 
  . 
  

   viduals 
  into 
  their 
  families 
  and 
  gradually 
  absorbed 
  them. 
  

  

  