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considerable time after their departure, [15] the dogs kept bringing back fragments of human bodies to the French settlement.

“ There has not passed,” say the memoirs which have reached us, “ a single month of the year in which these Hunters have not visited us by stealth and tried to surprise us. But finally, on the twentysixth of June, there appeared sixty of them, belonging to those who are called by the Hurons, Onnontaeronnons, requesting from afar a safe-conduct for some of their number, and calling out that they were sent on behalf of their whole Nation to learn whether the hearts of the French would be inclined to peace."

It is strange how much confidence these Infidels have in our word, although they are well aware that they have betrayed us [16] almost as often as they have treated with us, and that consequently they themselves deserve like usage. Our Frenchmen were, indeed, planning to deceive them, and to put these treacherous and perfidious people to the sword; but, when they saw them advancing unarmed and defenseless, such frankness softened their hearts and made them believe that God had granted the prayers which they had offered him through the mediation of the blessed Virgin, whom they had petitioned for help against so faithless and powerful an enemy.

When they had entered the Fort of our French people and had declared the purposes and wishes of their Nation, you would have said, -since nothing was any longer talked about but confidence and peace and good will, that they had never waged any [17] war, and that they were indisposed ever to begin it again. Our Frenchmen were, nevertheless, always under arms and all ready to fight, although

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armes, & tous prefts de combattre, quoy que ces bonnes gens fuffent parmy eux, fans verge ny baston, fe contentans de la feule parole qu'on leur auoit donnée, pour toute leur deffence.

On les traita auec amour, on receu leurs presens, & on leur en fit de reciproques, & apres vne reiouïffance publique, de part & dautre: ils s'en retournerent en leur pays, rauis de ioye, d'auoir trouué des efprits, & des cœurs amateurs de la paix. Ie trouue dans quelques memoires, qu'ils donnerent parole, qu'on auroit bien-toft de leurs nouuelles, & on nous a mandé, que quelques [18] vns de cette Nation, font defcendus à Quebec auec des prefens, comme il se verra au Chapitre cinquiefme, où il eft parlé de la paix. Pour ceux dont nous parlons prefentement, on nous dit, qu'en paffant, à leur retour, par le Bourg d'Onneiout, ils deplierent deuant les Habitans de cette Bourgade, les prefens qu'on leur auoit fait a Montreal, racomptans mille biens des François: ce font, difoyent-ils, des Demons quand on les attaque: mais les plus doux, les plus courtois, & les plus affables, qui foyent au monde, quand on les traite d'amis: ils protesterent, qu'ils alloient tout de bon, contracter vne etroitte alliance auec eux.

Les Onneichronnons voulurent estre de la partie. Ils deleguerent quelque temps apres vne [19] Ambaffade à Montreal, auec vn grand colier de porcelaine; qui témoignoit, que toute leur Nation vouloit entrer dans le traité de paix, que les Onnontaeronnons auoient commancé auec les François. Et pour donner quelque marque, de la fidelité de leur parole, ils nous donnerent auis, que fix cent Iroquois Anniehronnons, eftoient partis de leur païs, à deffein d'enleuer le

those simple people were in our midst without rod or staff, satisfied with the mere word that had been given them for their sole defense.

They were treated with kindness; their presents were received, and others given them in return; and, after a public rejoicing on both sides, they returned to their own country, overcome with joy at having found minds and hearts desirous of peace. I find in some memoirs that they gave their promise that news should soon be heard from them; and we have received word that some [18] from that Nation came down to Quebec with presents, as will be seen in the fifth Chapter, where the peace is described. As for those of whom we are speaking at present, we are told that, on their way back, they called at the Village of Onneiout and displayed, before the Inhabitants of that Village, the presents that had been given them at Montreal. They said a thousand things in favor of the French: “ They are," said they, “ Demons when they are attacked, but the gentlest, most courteous, and most affable people in the world, when they are treated as friends.” They declared they were really going to contract a close alliance with them.

The Onneichronnons, wishing to be parties to it, some time afterward sent an [19] Embassy to Montreal, with a large porcelain collar, declaring that all their Nation wished to enter into the treaty of peace that the Onnontaeronnons had begun with the French. And, in order to give some proof of their sincerity, they informed us that six hundred Anniehronnon Iroquois had set out from their country with the purpose of capturing the Village built by the French at three rivers. This was found to be true. treuue, des gens de bien, ou des personnes de bon naturel. Quelques Anglois, s'approchans du Pere, luy firent vne petite aumosne. Il faut confesser que c'est vne chose bien rude, & bien facheuse, de faire, comme on dit, naufrage au port. Ce pauure Pere, & tous les passagers, & les matelots du mesme equipage, ayans souffert les fatigues de la mer, dans vn long voyage, n'estans pas loing de leur patrie, goustans par auance le repos, & la douceur, qu'ils attendoyent de la veuë, & de la communication de leurs parens & de leurs amis: se vïrent miserablement pris & enleués, par des [10] gens, qui ne portent pas le nom d'ennemis, mais qui en font toutes les actions. Dieu soit beny de tout, pour conclusion les Anglois ayans retenu quelques iours le Pere à Pleymouth, le firēt paffer au Havre de Grace, à la follicitation de quelques Capitaines François, dont les vaiffeaux auoyent esté pris, & conduits dans ce mesme port. Voila comme nous auons receu les fragmens des memoires, qu'on nous enuoyoit.

approached the Father and bestowed on him a small gift of charity. It must be admitted, it is a very harsh and trying experience to suffer shipwreck in port, as the saying is. This poor Father and all the passengers and sailors of the same ship, after they had endured the fatigues of the sea during a long voyage, and when they were not far from their native land,- and tasting, in anticipation, the rest and delight which they expected from seeing and conversing with their relatives and friends, - saw themselves miserably captured and carried off by [10] those who did not bear the name, although they displayed all the conduct, of enemies. Let God be blessed for all things. To conclude, after the Eng. lish had kept the Father for some days at Pleymouth, they sent him over to Havre de Grace, at the solicitation of some French Captains whose vessels had been captured and brought into this same port. It is thus that we received the fragments of the memoirs that were sent to us.

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