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OF THE WAR AND THE TREATIES OF PEACE OF THE FRENCH WITH THE IROQUOIS .
[ Relation, &c., t-s annees, 1663, 1666. ]
The great varieties of Nations which are in these countries, the changeable and perfidious dis-position of the Iroquois and the barbarism of all these tribes not permitting us to hope for anystable peace with them except inasmuch as it can be maintained by the terror of the king’sarms, it is not to be wondered at that peace succeeds war so easily, and that wars terminate soquickly in peace.
The ambassadors of five different Nations were seen in one year at Quebec , who came thereto solicit peace; yet these did not prevent us punishing by a good war those who answeredbadly by their conduct the promises of their deputies.
The first of these Ambassadors who came from the Upper Iroquois, were presented to M. deTracy in the month of December of the year 1665, and the most influential among them was afamous Captain, called Garacontie, who always signalized his zeal for the French , and employedthe credit which he has among all these tribes, in extricating our prisoners from their hands, ashe has liberated very recently Sieur Le Moine, an inhabitant of Montreal , who had been cap-tured three months ago by these Barbarians.
M. de Tracy having notified him by the usual presents that he would give him a friendly audience,he pronounced a harangue full of good sense and an eloquence evincing no trace of the barbarous.It contained nothing but courtesies and offers of friendship and service on the part of all his tribe;wishes for a new Jesuit Mission, and expressions of condolence on the death of the late Father Le
Moine, the intelligence of wliich he had just received.
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However as no advantage can be expected Horn these Nations except in so far as we appeal- ableto injure them, preparations were made for a military expedition against those with whom no peacecould be concluded. Monsieur de Courcelles, who commanded, used every possible diligence so thathe was ready to start on the 9th January of the year-1666, accompanied by M. du Gas, whom hetook for his Lieutenant; by M. de Salamper, Gentleman Volunteer; by Father Pierre Katteix,Jesuit; by 300 men of the Regiment of Carignan Salieres and 200 Volunteers, habitans of the French Colonies. This march could not but be tedious, every one having snow shoes on his feet, to the useof which none were accustomed, and all, not excepting the officers nor even M, de Courcelles him-self, being loaded, each with from 25 to 30 pounds of biscuit, clothing and other necessary supplies.
A more difficult or longer march than that of this little army, can scarcely be met with in anyhistory, and it required a French courage and the perseverance of M. de Courcelles, to undertake it.In addition to the embarrassment caused by the snow shoes, wliich is a species of great inconve-nience and that of the burthen which each one was obliged to carry, it was necessary to walk threehundred leagus on the snow : cross lakes and rivers continually on the ice in danger of making asmany tails as steps ; sleep only on the snow in the midst of the forest and endure a cold surpassingby many degrees in severity that of the most rigorous European winters.
Our troops, however, having gone the first day to Sillery to recommend the success of their enter-prize to St. Michael the Archangel the patron of that place; many had, as early as the third day,the nose, the ears, the knees and the fingers or other parts entirely frozen and the remainder of thebody covered with cicatrixes, and some others wholly overcome and benumbed by the cold wouldhave perished in the snow, had they not been carried, though with considerable difficulty, to theplace where they were to pass the night.