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[ Paris Doc. III. ]
I yesterday received a letter from M. de Denonville from Cataracouy of the 3 rd of this month,informing me that he sends me fifty Iroquois taken near that place, to forward them to France inthe King’s Ships, conformably to his orders. I’ll take advantage of the delay of the Fourgon, inwhich I shall have them embarked, and as the crew is too few to convey so many prisoners, verydifficult to be guarded, I reinforce them by some passengers and sailors from a merchantman, theCatharine, which was wrecked last autumn near Tadoussac, and could not be got off.
[ Paris Doc. III. ]
Ville Marie, 25 August, 1687.
The first thing with which I occupied myself on my arrival [at Irondequoit Bay] was to select apost easily to be fortified for securing our batteaux to the number of 200 and as many canoes. Wecut 2000 palisades which we finished planting in the forenoon of the 12 th of July.
I had brought with me Sieur d’Orvilliers as the fittest to receive the whole of Canada into hishands; for the loss of this post would be the assured loss of the whole country which obliged me toleave 440 men there.
On the 12 th I departed at three o’clock in the evening with all our French and Indian allies andChristians having caused them to take 15 days provisions. We made only three leagues that dayacross the woods which are very open.
On the 13 th about four o’clock in the afternoon, having passed through two dangerous defiles, wearrived at the third where we were vigorously attacked by 800 Senecas, 200 of whom fired, wishingto attack our rear whilst the remainder of their force would attack our front, but the resistance theymet produced such a great consternation that they soon resolved to fly. All our troops were sooverpowered by the extreme heat and the long journey we had made that we were obliged to bivouacon the field until the morrow. We witnessed the painful sight of the usual cruelties of the savageswho cut the dead into quarters, as in slaughter houses, in order to put them into the pot; the greaternumber were opened while still warm that their blood might be drank. Our rascally Otaous distin-guished themselves particularly by these barbarities and by their poltroonery, for they withdrew^from the combat; the Hurons of Michilimaquina did very well, but our Christian Indians surpassedall and performed deeds of valour, especially our Iroquois of whom we durst not make sure havingto fight against their relatives. The Illinois performed their duty well. We had five or six menkilled on the spot, French and Indians, and about twenty wounded, among the first of whom wasthe Rev : Fath: Angleran, superintendent of the Otaous missions, by a very severe gunshot. It is agreat misfortune to us that this wound will prevent him going back again, for he is a man of capacity,°f great influence who has conducted everything at Michilimaquina well, and to whom the country