40 FIRST SETTLEMENT AT ONONDAGA,

could have served the enemy for a Fort , whence at each step he could have struck and tired on uswithout being perceived. God ’s protection visibly accompanied us during the remainder of the road,in which we walked through perils which made us shudder after we escaped them, having at nightno other bed except the snow after having passed entire days in the water and amid the ice.

Ten days after our departure we found Lake Ontario on which we floated, still frozen at its mouth.We were obliged to break the ice, axe in hand, to make an opening, to enter two days afterwards arapid where our little fleet had well nigh foundered. For having entered a Great Sault withoutknowing it, we found ourselves in the midst of breakers which, meeting a quantity of big rocks,threw up mountains of water and cast us on as many precipices as we gave strokes of paddles. Ourbatteaux which drew scarcely half a foot, were soon filled with water and all our people in such con-fusion, that their cries mingled with the roar of the torrent presented to us the spectacle of a dreadfulwreck. It became imperative, however, to extricate ourselves, the violence of the current draggingus despite ourselves into the large rapids and through passes in which we had never been. Terrorredoubled at the sight of one of our canoes being engulfed in a breaker which barred the entire rapidand which, notwithstanding, was the course that all the others must keep. Three Frenchmen weredrowned there, a fourth fortunately escaped, having held on to the canoe and being saved at the footof the Sault when at the point of letting go his hold, his strength being exhausted. * * *

* The 3d of April we landed at Montreal , in the beginning of the night.

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You noticed above.how our Fathers and our Frenchmen withdrew from their habitation built

on the banks of Lake Ganantaa, near Onnontague. That happened at night, and without noise andwith so much address, that the Iroquois , who cabined at the doors of our house, never perceived theremoval of the canoes and batteaux and baggage which were launched, nor the embarcation of fifty-threepersons. Sleep in which they were deeply enveloped, after considerable singing and dancing, deprivedthem of all consciousness; but at length night having given place to day, darkness to light, sleep toawaking, these Barbarians left their cabins, and roving round our well locked house, were astonishedat the profound silence of the Frenchmen . They saw no one going out to work; they heard no voice-They thought at first that they were all at prayer, or in council, but the day advancing and these prayersnot getting to an end, they knocked at the door. The dogs, which our Frenchmen designedly leftbehind, answered by barking. The cock’s crow which they heard in the morning and the noise ofthe dogs, made them think that the masters of these animals were not far off; they recovered thepatience which they had lost. But at length the sun began to decline and no person answeringneither to the voice of men nor to the cries of animals, they scaled the house to see the condition ofour people in this terrible silence. Astonishment now gave place to fright and trouble. They openthe door; the chiefs enter every where ; ascend the garret; descend to the cellar; not a Frenchmanmakes his appearance dead or alive. They regard one another—terror seizes them; they imaginethey have to do with Devils. They saw no batteau, and even if they saw it they could not imaginethat our Frenchmen would be so rash as to precipitate themselves into rapids and breakers, amongrocks and horrible dangers in which themselves though very expert in passing through Saults andCascades, often lose their lives. They persuade themselves either that they walked on the waves,or fled through the air; or as seemed most probable, that they concealed themselves in the woods.They seek for them; nothing appears. They are quasi convinced that they rendered themselvesinvisible ; and as they suddenly departed, so will they pounce as suddenly on their village.