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CHAP. I.]

DEKANISORA.

9

Parties of soldiers collected and went in pursuit, overtook the rear of the Indians, killed 10 men, and retook many prisoners.

Some days after this, as the Sieur De Lusignan was passing near the Isles of Richelieu, Black-kettle fell upon his party, killed him, and put his men to flight. We hear nothing more of great moment of this famous chief, until the year 1697, in which he was treacherously murdered. He appears at this period to have concluded upon making peace with the French, and messengers had been despatched to Quebec upon that design. In the mean time he was hunting in the neighborhood of Catarocouy, where the French had a garrison, which was then commanded by Captain Gemeraye, before mentioned, to whom he gave notice that negotiations were on foot. Notwithstanding, 34 Algonquins, in the French interest, were suffered to go and surprise Black-kettle and his 40 hunters, who were not far from Catarocouy, at a place named Quinte. They were fallen upon at a time when they thought not of an enemy, and about half of them were slain, among whom was Black-kettle; his wife and many others were taken prisoners. *

ADARIO, KONDIARONK, SASTARETSI, and THE RAT, were names of a chief of great renown among the Hurons. The tribe to which he originally belonged was called the Dinondadies or, Tionnontatés. His character, as drawn by Charlevoix, is as follows: "A man of a great mind, the bravest of the brave, and possessing altogether the best qualities of any known to the French in Canada." Of what we are about to relate concerning him, we have already given a sketch, which being defective in some of the main particulars, it was thought best to add another version of it in this place.

It was with no small difficulty that the French had engaged him in their cause. While on a visit to the governor, in 1688, he had passed his word that he would make war on his detested enemies, the Iroquois, and soon after departed for Michilimakinak, with a chosen band of his Hurons, resolved to distinguish himself by some signal exploit. In his way he passed by Catarocouy. At this place, he learned, to his surprise, that a negotiation was already on foot between the French and Iroquois, and was at the same time informed by the officer in command there, that he would infinitely disoblige M. De Denonville, if he should commit the least hostility upon any of the Iroquois, who was immediately to receive their ambassadors at Montreal, together with hostages from all the cantons.

Kondiaronk concealed his surprise, and although now convinced that the French would sacrifice him and his allies, yet he made no complaint, and left the place as though to return to his own country. But he had no sooner conceived the design of intercepting the Iroquois ambassadors and hostages, than he set out upon it. Having placed his men in ambush at Famine Creek, he had waited but few days when they arrived. As they were descending the creek in their canoes, Adario's warriors fired upon them, killed several, and took the rest prisoners.

The celebrated DEKANISORA, or, as the French called him, Teganisorens, of Onondago, was at the head of this embassy, and was among the prisoners. He demanded of Adario, how it happened that he could be ignorant that he was an ambassador to their common father, and of his endeavor to bring about a lasting peace. The subtle chief completely subdued his irritable and indignant passions, by expressing far greater surprise than Dekanisora himself; protesting that the French were the whole cause of what had happened, for that they had sent him to surprise his party, and had assured him that he could do it with ease, as their numbers were small; and, to drive suspicions from the mind of Dekanisora and his people, set them all at liberty, but one, who was to supply the place of one of the Hurons that was killed. At parting, Adario spoke to them as follows:

"Go, my brethren, I untie your bonds, and send you home again, though our nations be at war. The French governor has made me commit so black an action, that I shall never be easy after it, till the Five Nations have taken full revenge."

Some report that, after capturing Dekanisora, Adario returned to Kadarak

* This is according to the text of Charlevoix.

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DEKANISORA.-ADARIO.

[Book V. kui, or Catarocouy, and that, being asked by the French from whence he came, said, "From preventing peace." ." They did not at first comprehend his meaning, but soon after, one of his prisoners, that escaped, gave them the history of the affair.

But for what followed, the character of Adario would stand well among warriors. He sacrificed his only prisoner, which completed this act of the tragedy; and it seemed necessary to carry out his deep-laid stratagem.

That the Iroquois should have no chance to believe the French innocent of the blood at the River Famine, which they had used great endeavors to effect, by sending emissaries among them, Adario went with his prisoner immediately to Michilimakinak, and delivered him to M. De la Durantaye, the commander of that post, who as yet had had no knowledge of any negotiation between the Iroquois and his superiors. Whereupon he forthwith caused the poor prisoner to be put to death. The news of this affair, the cunning chief caused to be made known among the cantons, by an old captive he had held a long time in bondage at his village, whom he now set at liberty for this purpose.

The catastrophes that befell the French not long after, and the suffering they endured, are almost without a parallel. +

About 1200 of the chief warriors of the Five Nations landed upon the Island of Montreal, 25 August, 1689, while the French were in perfect security, burnt their houses, sacked their plantations, and slew a vast number of the inhabitants. The English accounts say a thousand persons perished, but this number was no doubt far greater than the truth. In October following they attacked the island again with nearly equal success. These horrid disasters threw the whole country into the utmost consternation, in which the fort at Lake Ontario was abandoned by the garrison, and as soon possessed by the Indians. Here, among other things of great value to them, 28 barrels of gunpowder fell into their hands. Nothing now saved the French from an entire extermination but the ignorance of their enemies in the art of attacking fortified places.

Adario finally died at peace with the French, and almost in the act of concluding it. He had accompanied the heads of several tribes to Montreal, in 1701, to hold a treaty, and, on the 1 August, (that being the first day of public councils,) Adario found himself seized by sickness. Every thing was done to relieve him, (" as the governor general," says Charlevoix, "rested his principal hope of success in the treaty, upon him,") but without avail; being carried to l'Hotel Dieu, he died at two o'clock on the following night. At his funeral the greatest display was made, and nothing was omitted which could inspire the Indians present with a conviction of the great respect in which he was held. On his tomb-stone were engraved these words,

* "Il répondit qu'il venoit de teur la paix; et qu'il ajoûta, nous verrons comment Ononthio se tirera de cette affaire."

Few would wish to read, in English, the cruelties at the sacking of Montreal: the account of them, we agree with Dr. HOLMES, "is too horrid to translate."-" Is trouverent tout le mond endormi, et ils commencerent par massacrer tous les hommes; ensuite ils mirent le feu aux maisons. Par-là tous ceux, qui y étoient restés, tomberent entre mains de ces sauvages, et essuyerent tout ce que la fureur peut inspirer à des barbares. Ils la pousserent même à des excès, dont on ne les avoit pas encore cru capables. Ils ouvrirent le sein des femmes enceintes, pour en arracher le fruit, qu'elles portoient, ils mirent des enfans tout vivans à la broche, et contraignirent les meres de les tourner pour les faire rôtir. Ils inventerent quantité d'autres supplices inouis, et 200 personnes de tout âge et de tout sexe perirent ainsi en moins d'une heure dans les plus affreux tourmens. Cela fait, l'ennemi s'aprocha jusqu'à une liuë de la ville, faisant par tout les mêmes ravages, et exerçant les mêmes cruautes, et quand ils furent las de ces horreurs; ils firent 200 prisonniers, qu'ils emmenerent dans leur villages, où ils les brûlerent."

"Le lendemain on fit ses funerailles, qui eurent quelque chose de magnifique et de singulier. M. de St. Ours, premier capitaine, marchoit d'abord à la tête de 60 soldats sous les armes. Seize guerriers Hurons, vêtus de longues robes de castor, le visage peint en noir, et le fusil sous le bras, suivoient, marchant quatre à quatre. Le clergé venoit après, et six chefs de guerre portoient le cercueil, qui étoit couvert d'un poele semé de fleurs, sur lequel y avoit un chapeau avec un plumet, un hausse-col et une épée. Les freres et les enfans du défunt étoient derriere, accompagnés de tous les chefs des nations, et M. de Vaudreuit, gouverneur de la ville, qui menoit madame de Champigny, fermoit la marche."

il

CHAP. I.J

PEISKARET.

"CY GIT LE RAT, CHEF HURON."

66

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Which in English is, “ Here lies the Rat, Chief of the Hurons." The encomiums passed by the French upon him that was once their most dreaded enemy, are only equalled by those of their countrymen, Fontenelle and Laharpe, upon their favorite characters.

His body was a short time exposed before it was interred, dressed in the uniform of an officer, with his arms by his side, because he ranked as a captain, at the time of his death, in the French service.

The intercourse of Dekanisora with the French and English was long, and from the fact he was able, for much of the time during their wars, to be on good terms with both nations, we are to suppose that he possessed some skill in the arts of duplicity. He is first mentioned by Charlevoix in 1682, at which time he, with four other ambassadors, visited Montreal upon a peace expedition. He was suspected of insincerity by the French, and no reliance appears to have been put upon his pretensions. Twelve years after, Colden saw him, and thus speaks of him: "Decanesora had for many years the greatest reputation among the Five Nations for speaking, and was generally employed as their speaker, in their negotiations with both French and English: he was grown old when I saw him, and heard him speak; he had a great fluency in speaking, and a graceful elocution, that would have pleased in any part of the world. His person was tall and well made, and his features, to my thinking, resembled much the bustos of Cicero."*

If he were an old sachem in 1694, he must have been very old in 1726, for in this year he was at Albany with six other ambassadors, where, on the 14 September, they executed an agreement with the English; the conditions of which were that they should surrender all their hunting-grounds into the hands of Coorakhoo, as they called the King of England, "to be protected and defended by his said majesty, his heirs and successors, to and for the USE of us, our heirs, and the said three Nations." These had before been enumerated, as follows: "Kanakarighton and Shanintsaronwe, SINNEKE sachems; Ottsoghkoree, Dekanisoree and Aenjeucratt, CAYOUGE Sachems; Raclyakadorodon and Sadageenaghtie, ONONDAGO Sachems." †

Charlevoix was unable to ascertain the time of Dekanisora's death, although he learned that it happened at the Falls of St. Louis. Under date 1693, he speaks in high terms of him, Oureouharé and Garakonthie, Iroquois Christians, whom Dekanisora had employed secretly to bring about a peace with that nation; but knew not, as to his Christianity, he said, at that time; but was certain that he had professed it. He probably died about 1730.

We will go a little back in this place, to notice a chief of the Adirondaks, of whom the most extraordinary stories are told; even those of Jack-the-giantkiller are but little more incredible. And even though Father Charlevoix was familiar with them, yet he deemed them as fiction, it will be imagined, from his not relating them in his minute history. The name of PEISKARET was, for sundry years previous to 1646, terrible to the enemies of the Adirondaks. This nation, when Canada was settled by the French, in 1603, resided about 300 miles to the westward of Three Rivers. How long they had been at war with the Iroquois at this time, is not mentioned, but it was continued until the death of Peiskaret in 1646, though with interruption and various success; but with this chief perished all opposition, and the Adirondaks figured no more as a nation.

As we have put the reader upon his guard, about receiving the huge stories about Peiskaret with too much confidence, it will be expected at our hands, perhaps, that we give a sample of them, as it may be said, "possibly they are true." We might have done this without thus premising, as others have done, upon the authority of Colden, (an author of small value, comparatively, speaking.) His relation proceeds :—

"An Indian named Piskaret was at this time one of the captains of

Hist. FIVE NATIONS, i. 156.

+ Governor Thomas Pownal, Administration of the British Colonies, i. 238, 239. He mentions no particular time, but that of the settlement of Canada, in 1603; but some time during the war of which we have spoken must be understood.

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PEISKARET.

[BOOK V. greatest fame among the Adirondacks; this bold man, with four other captains, set out for Trois Rivières in one canoe, each of them being provided with three muskets, which they loaded with two bullets apiece, joined with a small chain ten inches long. They met with five canoes in Sorel River, each having 10 men of the Five Nations on board. Piskaret and his captains, as soon as those of the Five Nations drew near, pretended to give themselves up for lost, and sung their death-song, then suddenly fired upon the canoes, which they repeated with the arms that lay ready loaded, and tore those birch vessels betwixt wind and water.* The men of the Five Nations were so surprised, that they tumbled out of their canoes, and gave Piskaret and his companions the opportunity of knocking as many of them on the head as they pleased, and saving the others, to feed their revenge, which they did by burning them alive with the most cruel torments. This, however, was so far from glutting Piskaret's revenge, that it seemed rather to give a keener edge to it; for he soon after undertook another enterprise, in which none of his countrymen durst accompany him. He was well acquainted with the country of the Five Nations, and set out about the time the snow began to melt, with the precaution of putting the hinder part of his snow-shoes forward, that if any should happen upon his footsteps, they might think he was gone the contrary way; and for further security, went along the ridges and high grounds, where the snow was melted, that his track might be often lost. When he came near one of the villages of the Five Nations, he hid himself till night, and then entered a cabin, while every body was fast asleep murdered the whole family, and carried their scalps into his lurking-place. The next day the people of the village searched for the murderer in vain. The following night he murdered all he found in another cabin. The inhabitants next day searched likewise in vain for the murderer: but the third night a watch was kept in every house. Piskaret, in the night, bundled up the scalps he had taken the two former nights, to carry, as the proof of his victory, and then stole privately from house to house, till at last he found an Indian nodding, who was upon the watch in one of the houses: he knocked this man on the head; but as this alarmed the rest, he was forced immediately to fly. He was, however, under no great concern from the pursuit, being more swift of foot than any Indian then living. He let his pursuers come near him from time to time, and then would dart from them. This he did with design to tire them out, with the hopes of overtaking him. As it began to grow dark, he hid himself, and his pursuers stopped to rest. They not being apprehensive of any danger from a single man, soon fell asleep; and the bold Piskaret observing this, knocked them all on the head, and carried away their scalps with the rest. Such stories as these," continues Colden, "are told among the Indians, as extraordinary instances of the courage and conduct of their captains."

Before this, as we apprehend, though related afterwards by this author, were the great expeditions of the Iroquois against the Adirondaks. The French took part with the latter from the beginning, and when Champlain visited the country, he joined a party of them, and went against the Iroquois, and, with the aid of his fire-arms, overcame them in a battle near Lake Corlar, which was henceforth called Lake Champlain. Two hundred Iroquois were in this fight, and the French kept themselves concealed, until it began, then rushed forward, and immediately put the Iroquois to flight. This was the first time they had seen the effects of guns. This affair was in 1611.

Finally, the Iroquois, having grown conscious of their strength, felt confident that, if they could prevent the French from assisting them, they could withstand them. Therefore, they pretended to be well affected towards their religion, and requested that missionaries should be sent among them. This was done without delay. Their real object was soon apparent; for they treated the Jesuit missionaries only as hostages, and this was the means of making them stand neutral while they carried on their war with the Adirondaks and Quatoghies or Hurons, whom they soon after defeated “in a dreadful battle fought within two leagues of Quebeck.”

This expedition turned out so much to their advantage, "the Five Nations

*The author of Indian Tales has copied this closely, but gives no credit. Tales, ii. 36, &c.

CHAP. I.]

FIVE IROQUOIS CHIEFS VISIT ENGLAND.

13

gave out, that they intended next winter to visit the governor of Canada: these visits are always made with much show. Under this pretence they gathered together 1000 or 1200 men. Their outscouts met with Piskaret near Nicolet River, and still pretending a friendly visit to the governor of Canada, as their only design, he told them, that the Adirondacks were divided into two bodies, one of which hunted on the north side of St. Lawrence River at Wabmake, three leagues above Trois Rivières, and the other at Nicolet. As soon as they had gained this information, they killed him, and returned with his head to the army. The Five Nations divided likewise into two bodies: they surprised the Adirondacks, in both places, and in both cut them in pieces."

This account is more circumstantial than that given by Charlevoix, but, as we have seen, would have been without any value, but for his chronology. He states that, by their previous conduct, the Mohawks had reason to expect, that all the neighboring nations would join to oppose them, and that they sent out parties to observe what was passing among them; that one of these scouts met Peiskaret alone, but dared not attack him; being persuaded he would kill at least half of them, as he had often done before. They therefore accosted him as a friend, while some came up behind him, and stabbed him to the heart.

But for the French, the Iroquois had now been complete masters of all the northern and western regions; and some have observed, that had they known the weakness of those white neighbors, at the time they overcame the Algonquins, near Quebec, they might easily have cleared the country of them also.

We will close this chapter with an account of the visit of five Iroquois chiefs to England. The English in America had supposed that if they could convince the Indian nations of the power and greatness of their mother country, they should be able to detach them forever from the influence of the French. To accomplish this object, these chiefs were prevailed upon to make the voyage. They visited the court of Queen Anne in the year 1710. None of the American historians seem to have known the names of these chiefs, or, if they did, have not thought it proper to transmit them. Smith, in his history of New York, mentions the fact of their having visited England, and gives the speech which they made to the queen, and says it is preserved "in Oldmixon," perhaps in the 2d edition of his BRITISH EMPIRE IN AMERICA, as nothing of the kind is found in his history of England, although he records the circumstance, and ill-naturedly enough too. We think he would hardly have done even this, but for the purpose of ridiculing the friends of the queen. The following is all that he says of them:‡ "Three weeks after the battle of Sarragossa was fought by General Stanhope, whose victory made way for the march to Madrid, the news of the victory was brought to the queen by Colonel Harrison, the 15 September, O. S., at which time the High-church rabble were pelting General Stanhope's proxy, and knocking down his friends at the Westminster election. However, for the successes in Spain, and for the taking of Doway, Bethune and Aire, by the duke of Marlborough in Flanders, there was a thanksgiving-day appointed, which the queen solemnized in St. James's chapel. To have gone as usual to St. Paul's, and there to have had Te Deum sung on that occasion, would have shown too much countenance to those brave and victorious English generals, who were fighting her battles abroad, while High-church was plotting, and railing, and addressing against them at home. The carrying of four § Indian Casaques about in the queen's coaches, was all the triumph of the Harleian administration; they were called kings, and clothed, by the

"No one can tell when next winter was, that is, what year it was in, by any connection in Colden's text; he is so exceedingly loose with regard to dates; but, according to Charlevoix, it was in 1645.

The first edition (which I possess) was printed in 1703.

Hist. England, ii. 452. (Fol. London, 1735.)

He says fire, a few lines onward, in his usual random mode of expression, supposing it all the same, doubtless, as he was only considering ludians! It will be seen that five was the real number.

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