DE LA BARRt’s EXPEDITION TO HUNGRY BAY.

91

Iroquois were to collect together and fire only at the legs of your people to master them, and burnthem at their leisure; and after having cut them off by a hundred ambuscades among the foliage andgrass, pursue you in your retreat even to Montreal to spread desolation throughout its vicinity also;and they had prepared for that purpose a quantity of canoes of eighteen men each which they keptconcealed. But let us all speak of this war to thank God that He has preserved our Governor in themidst of so much sickness, and that He had compassion on Canada from which He turned away thescourge of war which would have laid it entirely desolate.

The English of Merinlande who had killed three Iroquois , and of whom the English Iroquois hadkilled five, are about to have difficulties with that belligerent nation which has already killed morethan twenty-nine of their men, and has been threatened with war should it continue to insult them.We shall see what the English of that quarter will do.

Garakontie returned to day from Orange, where he told by a belt of Wampum how you had givenpeace to the public; also how Colonel Dongan had urged the Iroquois to secure it by the satisfactionwhich he advised them to give you. M. Dongan left Orange when those who brought the Duke ofYork’s Safeguards came to this place; it is supposed that Arnaud’s visit here to prevent the Iroquois going to see you and to get them to hold a Council at Orange, was an intrigue of the Orange mer-chants who feared that their trade would be diminished by a conference held with you with arms inyour hands; for M. Dongan had probably departed from Orange when Arnaud left to come here.What the Iroquois know is, after having heard M. Dongan who exhorted them to an arrangementwith you, it was in no wise probable that on the eve of a negotiation, he should have forbidden themto visit you without his permission.

A man named La Croix, in Indian Tegaiatannliara, who answered Garakontie on behalf of theDutch , said that had you not made peace, knowing that the Safeguards of England were on theIroquois , 800 Englishmen and 1200 Mohegans, ( Loups ) who are between Merinland and New York ,entirely distinct from the Cannongageh-ronnons whom you have with you, were all ready to marchat the first word to aid the Iroquois . This man La Croix passes with the Iroquois for a great liar;

may ^ ave ^vanced this of his own accord, as well as many other things he has stated,which M. Dongan perhaps would not approve, were he acquainted with them.

* ! Dk y ° U most humbl >' for havin S furnished an opportunity for the transportation to us of a

to /* b * ttata towards os and towards me to particu-

lar, who am sincerely and with much respect, My Lord,

Your very humble & very obedient Servant,

De Lamberville.

I shall give La Grande Gueule your jerkin as soon as he returns here,you by Colin ten days since.

I had the honor to write to