"that fifty Warriors of their Nation were to pafs CH A P, "this Way about this Time, he had fecured this VI. "Pass, not doubting of intercepting them.

The Ambaffadors being much surprised at the French Perfidy, told Adario the Defign of their Journey, who, the better to play his Part, feemed to grow mad and furious, declaring againft Monfr. De Nonville, and faid he would, fome time or other, be revenged of him, for making a Tool of him, to commit fuch horrid Treachery. Then looking ftedfastly on the Prifoners (among whom Dekanefora was the principal Ambaffador) Adario faid to them, Go, my Brethren, I unty your Bonds, and fend you home again, tho' our Nations be at War: The French Governor has made me commit fo black an Action, that I fhall never be eafy after it, till the Five Nations fhall have taken full Revenge.

This was fufficient to perfuade the Ambaffadors of the Truth of what he faid, who affured him, that he and his Nation might make their Peace when they pleafed. Adario loft only one Man on this Occafion, and would keep a Satana Prifoner (adopted into the Five Nations) to fill up his Place. Then he gave Arms, Powder and Ball to the rest of the Prisoners, to enable them to return.

The Ambaffadors were chiefly, if not all, Onondagas, and Oneydoes, who had been long under the Influence of the French Priests, and ftill retained an Affection to them; but this Adventure thoroughly changed their Thoughts, and irritated them fo heartily against the French, that all the Five Nations profecuted the War unanimously.

Adario delivered the Slave (his Prisoner) to the French at Mifflimakinak, who to keep up the Enmity between the Deonondadies and the Five Nations, ordered him to be fhot to Death. Adario called one of the Five Nations, who had been long a Prisoner, to be an Eye Witnefs of his Countryman's Death, then bid him make his Efcape to his own Country,

VI.

CHA P. to give an Account of the French Cruelty, from which it was not in his Power to fave a Prisoner, he himfelf had taken.

This heightned the Rage of the Five Nations fo, that Monfr. De Nonville's fending to difown Adario in this Action, had no Effect upon them; their Breafts admitted of no Thoughts but that of Revenge. It was not long before the French felt the bloody Effects of this cruel Paffion, for 1200 Men of the Five Nations invaded the Ifland of Montreal, when the French had no Sufpicion of any fuch Attempt, while Monfr. De Nonville and his Lady were in that Town. They landed on the South Side of the Ifland, at La Chine, on the 26th of July 1688, where they burnt and facked all the Plantations, and made a terrible Maffacre of Men, Women, and Children. The French were under Apprehenfion of the Town's being attack'd, for which Reafon, they durft not send out any confiderable Party to the Relief of the Country, only once, when the Indians had blocked up two Forts, Monfr. De Nonville fent out a hundred Soldiers, and fifty Indians, to try to bring off the Men in thofe Forts. The French of this Party were all either taken or cut to Pieces, except one Soldier, and the commanding Officer, who, after he had his Thighs broke, was carried off by twelve Indians that made their Efcape. There were above a Thoufand of the French killed at this Time, and twenty-fix were carried away Prifoners, the greateft Part of which were burnt alive. The Five Na tions only lost three Men on this Expedition, that got drunk and were left behind. This, however, did not fatiate their Thirst after Blood, for, in October following, they deftroyed likewife all the lower Part of the Inland, and carried away many Prifoners.

The Confequence of thefe Expeditions were very difmal to the French, for they were forced to burn their two Barks, which they had on Cadarackui Lake, and to abandon their Fort there; they defigned to

have blown up their Works, when they left that CHA P. Place; and for that End left a lighted Match where VI. the Powder lay, but were in fuch a Fright, that they durft not stay to fee what Effect it had. They went down Cadarackui River in feven Birch Canoes; and for greater Security, travelled in the Night. One of the Canoes, with all the Men in it, were loft,. by their Precipitation, as they paffed one of the Falls in that River. The Five Nations hearing the French had deferted Cadarackui Fort, fifty Indions went and took Poffeffion of it, who found the Match the French had left, which had gone out, and twenty eight Barrels of Powder in the fame Place, together with feveral other Stores.

The News of the Succefs the Five Nations had over the French foon fpread itself among all the Indians, and put the French Affairs every where into the greatest Disorder.

The Utawawas had always fhewn an Inclination to the English, and they therefore immediately fent openly four Sachems, with three Prisoners of the Senekas, which they had, to affure them, that they would for ever renounce all Friendship with the French, and promised to restore the rest of the Prifoners. They alfo included feven Nations, that lived near Miffilimakinak, in this Peace.

This put the French Commandant there under the greatest Difficulty to maintain his Poft; but there was no Choice, he muft ftand his Ground, for the Five Nations had cut off all Hopes of retiring.

The Nepairinians and Kikabous, of all their numerous Allies, only remained firm to the French; every one of the others endeavoured to gain the Friendfhip of the Five Nations; and would certainly have done it, by murdering all the French among them, had not the Sieur Perot, with wonderful Sagacity and eminent Hazard to his own Perfon, diverted them.

Canada

CHAP. Canada was now in a moft miferable Condition, VI. for while the greatest Number of their Men had been employed in the Expedition against the Five Nations, and in trading among the far Nations, and making new Discoveries and Settlements, Tillage and Husbandry had been neglected; and they loft feveral Thousands of their Inhabitants, by the continual Incurfions of fmall Parties, fo that none durft hazard themselves out of fortified Places; indeed, it is hard to conceive what Diftrefs the French were then under, for tho' they were every where almoft ftarving, they could not plant nor fow, or go from one Village to another for Relief, but with imminent Danger of having their Scalps carried away by the fculking Indians; at laft the whole Country being laid wafte, Famine began to rage, and was like to have put a miferable End to that Colony.

If the Indians had understood the Method of attacking Forts, nothing could have preserved the French from an entire Deftruction at this Time; for whoever confiders the State of the Indian Affairs during this Period, how the Five Nations were divided in their Sentiments and Measures; that the Onondagas, Cayugas, and Oneydoes, under the Influence of the French Jefuites, were diverted from profecuting the War against Canada, by the Jefuites cunningly fpiriting up thofe three Nations against the Virginia Indians, and perfuading them to fend out their Parties that Way: That the Senekas had a War at the fame Time upon their Hands with three numerous Indian Nations, the Utawawas, Chicktaghicks, and Twibtwies; and that the Measures the English obferved all King James's Reign, gave the Indians rather Grounds of Jealoufy than Affiftance: I fay, whoever confiders all thefe Things, and what the Five Nations did actually perform, under all thefe Difadvantages against the French, will hardly doubt, that the Five Nations by themfelves were at that Time an Overmatch for the French of Canada.

THE