406 THE SENECA NATION 



Today a Huron joined us, having quitted us the day before 

 our attack for the purpose of trying to get some scalps. He got 

 two — of an old man and woman. He reported that the conster- 

 nation was so great among them that they were going aimlessly 

 about; they seemed to have taken the road to the Andastogues, 

 a tribe which they had destroyed some years ago. We found in 

 the village English arms which were placed there three years ago 

 when M. de la Barre expected to go to war. They antedated it 

 by one year. (?) 



On the twenty-second in the afternoon, having burned the 

 old corn and ravaged the new, we came back to our camp at 

 Totiacton in order to destroy that which was left. A rainstorm 

 hindered our plan; four Iroquois, animated by the example of 

 the Huron, went off also to get scalps. 



On the twenty-third, the weather having cleared up, we 

 began the harvest. It is an astonishing thing what a quantity 

 they had in reserve. They had at least 15,000 or 16,000 ears. 

 Putting the old and the new corn together, it could be estimated 

 at 400,000 minots. We found in the village a plank inscribed 

 according to their custom, from which we learned of the agree- 

 ment which the savage Iroquois had with the English at a council 

 where they were urged to join the war against us. 



The first two villages did not decide. Only in the last village 

 the chief Onongueritoust, a great friend of the French, said what 

 ought to be done. The Onondaga is depicted on that plank as a 

 bird who sees in the distance all that he wishes to do without 

 mixing himself up in the affair. We read this by means of an 

 interpreter, Aria, a woman who had come on horseback with the 

 Sonontouans. Her horse had a hatchet in its mouth, meaning 

 to say that she came to talk of war. We could not very well get 

 it explained without showing her what was depicted- There were 

 also some of our savages, who gave the same explanation. 

 Without them I do not think we could have guessed what it 

 really meant." 



Denonville at once gave formal notice that he considered the 

 devastation of the country a sufficient basis for a French claim to 

 it as conquered territory. On July 19th, then being in the village 

 of Totiakto or La Conception, he formally took possession of 

 'Totiakton, as he has done of the other three villages, called 

 Gannagoro, Gannondata and Gannongarae, and of a Fort half a 



