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diff --git a/2128-h/2128-h.htm b/2128-h/2128-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..24270f6 --- /dev/null +++ b/2128-h/2128-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2917 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<HTML> +<HEAD> + +<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> + +<TITLE> +The Project Gutenberg E-text of Narratives of New Netherland, by Various +</TITLE> + +<STYLE TYPE="text/css"> +BODY { color: Black; + background: White; + margin-right: 10%; + margin-left: 10%; + font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; + text-align: justify } + +P {text-indent: 4% } + +P.noindent {text-indent: 0% } + +P.poem {text-indent: 0%; + margin-left: 10%; + font-size: small } + +P.letter {font-size: small ; + margin-left: 10% ; + margin-right: 10% } + +P.finis { text-align: center ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 0% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +</STYLE> + +</HEAD> + +<BODY> + + +<pre> + +Project Gutenberg's Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664, by Various + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664 + +Author: Various + +Posting Date: October 25, 2008 [EBook #2128] +Release Date: April, 2000 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NARRATIVES OF NEW NETHERLAND *** + + + + +Produced by Tony Adam. HTML version by Al Haines. + + + + + +</pre> + + +<BR><BR> + +<H1 ALIGN="center"> +Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664 +</H1> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +CONTENTS +</H2> + +<H4> +<A HREF="#hudson">ON HUDSON'S VOYAGE </A><BR> +<A HREF="#isaack">LETTER OF ISAACK DE RASIERES </A><BR> +<A HREF="#mohawks1">MEGAPOLENSIS ON THE MOHAWKS (Part 1) </A><BR> +<A HREF="#mohawks2">MEGAPOLENSIS ON THE MOHAWKS (Part 2) </A><BR> +<A HREF="#jogues">LETTER AND NARRATIVE OF FATHER ISAAC JOGUES</A><BR> +</H4> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="hudson"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +ON HUDSON'S VOYAGE +</H3> + +<BR> + +<P> +Reference material and sources. +</P> + +<P> +Emanuel Van Meteren, On Hudson's Voyage, 1610. In J. Franklin Jameson, +ed., Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664 (Original Narratives of +Early American History). NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1909. +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<P> +We have observed in our last book that the Directors of the East India +Company in Holland had sent out in March last, on purpose to seek a +passage to China by northeast or northwest, a skilful English pilot, +named Henry Hudson, in a Vlie boat, having a crew of eighteen or twenty +men, partly English, partly Dutch, well provided. +</P> + +<P> +This Henry Hudson left the Texel on the 6th of April, 1609, doubled the +Cape of Norway the 5th of May, and directed his course along the +northern coasts towards Nova Zembia; but he there found the sea as full +of ice as he had found it in the preceding year, so that they lost the +hope of effecting anything during the season. This circumstance, and +the cold, which some of his men, who had been in the East Indies, could +not bear, caused quarrels among the crew, they being partly English, +partly Dutch, upon which Captain Hudson laid before them two +propositions. The first of these was to go to the coast of America, to +the latitude of 40 degrees, moved thereto mostly by letters and maps +which a certain Captain Smith had sent him from Virginia, and by which +he indicated to him a sea leading into the western ocean, by the north +of the southern English colony. Had this information been true +(experience goes as yet to the contrary), it would have been of great +advantage, as indicating a short way to India. The other proposition +was to direct their search through Davis's Straits. This meeting with +general approval, they sailed thitherward on the 14th of May, and +arrived on the last day of May with a good wind at the Faroe Islands, +where they stopped but twenty-four hours, to supply themselves with +fresh water. After leaving these islands, they sailed on, till on the +18th of July they reached the coast of Nova Francia, under 44 degrees, +where they were obliged to run in, in order to get a new foremast, +having lost theirs. They found one, and set it up. They found this a +good place for cod-fishing, as also for traffic in good skins and furs, +which were to be got there at a very low price. But the crew behaved +badly towards the people of the country, taking their property by +force, out of which there arose quarrels among themselves. The +English, fearing that between the two they would be outnumbered and +worsted, were therefore afraid to pursue the matter further. So they +left that place on the 26th of July, and kept out at sea till the 3d of +August, when they came near the coast, in 42 degrees of latitude. +Thence they sailed on, till on the 12th of August they again reached +the shore, under 37 degrees 45'. Thence they sailed along the shore +until they reached 40 degrees 45', where they found a good entrance, +between two headlands, and entered on the 12th of September into as +fine a river as can be found, wide and deep, with good anchoring ground +on both sides. +</P> + +<P> +Their ship finally sailed up the river as far as 42 degrees 40'. But +their boat went higher up. In the lower part of the river they found +strong and warlike people; but in the upper part they found friendly +and polite people, who had an abundance of provisions, skins, and furs, +of martens and foxes, and many other commodities, as birds and fruit, +even white and red grapes, and they traded amicably with the people. +And of all the above-mentioned commodities they brought some home. When +they had thus been about fifty leagues up the river, they returned on +the 4th of October, and went again to sea. More could have been done if +there had been good-will among the crew and if the want of some +necessary provisions had not prevented it. While at sea, they held +counsel together, but were of different opinions. The mate, a Dutchman, +advised to winter in Newfoundland, and to search the northwestern +passage of Davis throughout. This was opposed by Skipper Hudson. He was +afraid of his mutinous crew, who had sometimes savagely threatened him; +and he feared that during the cold season they would entirely consume +their provisions, and would then be obliged to return, [with] many of +the crew ill and sickly. Nobody, however, spoke of returning home to +Holland, which circumstance made the captain still more suspicious. He +proposed therefore to sail to Ireland, and winter there, which they all +agreed to. At last they arrived at Dartmouth, in England, the 7th of +November, whence they informed their employers, the Directors in +Holland, of their voyage. They proposed to them to go out again for a +search in the northwest, and that, besides the pay, and what they +already had in the ship, fifteen hundred florins should be laid out for +an additional supply of provisions. He [Hudson] also wanted six or +seven of his crew exchanged for others, and their number raised to +twenty. He would then sail from Dartmouth about the 1st of March, so as +to be in the northwest towards the end of that month, and there to +spend the whole of April and the first half of May in killing whales +and other animals in the neighborhood of Panar Island, then to sail to +the northwest, and there to pass the time till the middle of September, +and then to return to Holland around the northeastern coast of +Scotland. Thus this voyage ended. +</P> + +<P> +A long time elapsed, through contrary winds, before the Company could +be informed of the arrival of the ship in England. Then they ordered +the ship and crew to return as soon as possible. But, when this was +about to be done, Skipper Henry Hudson and the other Englishmen of the +ship were commanded by the government there not to leave [England], but +to serve their own country. Many persons thought it strange that +captains should thus be prevented from laying their accounts and +reports before their employers, having been sent out for the benefit of +navigation in general. This took place in January, [1610]; and it was +thought probably that the English themselves would send ships to +Virginia, to explore further the aforesaid river. +</P> + +<BR> + +<H5 ALIGN="center"> +END OF "ON HUDSON'S VOYAGE." +</H5> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="isaack"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +LETTER OF ISAACK DE RASIERES +</H3> + +<BR> + +<P> +Isaack de Rasieres, Letter of Isaack de Rasieres to Samuel Blommaert, +1628. In J. Franklin Jameson, ed., Narratives of New Netherland, +1609-1664 (Original Narratives of Early American History). NY: Charles +Scribner's Sons, 1909. +</P> + +<BR> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +Mr. Blommaert: +</P> + +<P> +As I feel myself much bound to your service, and in return know not how +otherwise to recompense you than by this slight memoir, (wherein I have +in part comprised as much as was in my power concerning the situation +of New Netherland and its neighbors, and should in many things have +been able to treat of or write the same more in detail, and better than +I have now done, but that my things and notes, which would have been of +service to me herein, have been taken away from me), I will beg you to +be pleased to receive this, on account of my bounden service, etc. +</P> + +<P> +On the 27th of July, Anno 1626, by the help of God, I arrived with the +ship The Arms of Amsterdam, before the bay of the great Mauritse River, +sailing into it about a musket shot from Godyn's Point, into Coenraet's +Bay; (because there the greatest depth is, since from the east point +there stretches out a sand bank on which there is only from 9 to 14 +feet of water), then sailed on, northeast and north-northeast, to about +half way from the low sand bank called Godyn's Point to the +Hamels-Hoofden, the mouth of the river, where we found at half ebb 16, +17, 18 feet water, and which is a sandy reef a musket shot broad, +stretching for the most part northeast and southwest, quite across, +and, according to my opinion, having been formed there by the stream, +inasmuch as the flood runs into the bay from the sea, east-southeast; +the depth at Godyn's Point is caused by the tide flowing out along +there with such rapidity. +</P> + +<P> +Between the Hamels-Hoofden the width is about a cannon's shot of 2,000 +[yards]; the depth 10, 11, 12 fathoms. They are tolerably high points, +and well wooded. The west point is an island, inhabited by from 80 to +90 savages, who support themselves by planting maize. The east point +is a very large island, full 24-leagues long, stretching east by south +and east-southeast along the sea-coast, from the river to the east end +of the Fisher's Hook. In some places it is from three to four leagues +broad, and it has several creeks and bays, where many savages dwell, +who support themselves by planting maize and making sewan, and who are +called Souwenos and Sinnecox. It is also full of oaks, elms, walnut +and fir trees, also wild cedar and chestnut trees. The tribes are held +in subjection by, and are tributary to, the Pyquans, hereafter named. +The land is in many places good, and fit for ploughing and sowing. It +has many fine valleys, where there is good grass. Their form of +government is like that of their neighbors, which is described +hereafter. +</P> + +<P> +The Hamels-Hoofden being passed, there is about a league width in the +river, and also on the west side there is an inlet, where another river +runs up about twenty leagues, to the north-northeast, emptying into the +Mauritse River in the highlands, thus making the northwest land +opposite to the Manhatas an island eighteen leagues long. It is +inhabited by the old Manhatans [Manhatesen]; they are about 200 to 300 +strong, women and men, under different chiefs, whom they call Sackimas. +This island is more mountainous than the other land on the southeast +side of the river, which opposite to the Manhatas is about a league and +half in breadth. At the side of the before-mentioned little river, +which we call "Achter Col," there is a great deal of waste reedy land; +the rest is full of trees, and in some places there is good soil, where +the savages plant their maize, upon which they live, as well as by +hunting. The other side of the same small river, according to +conjecture, is about 20 to 23 leagues broad to the South River, in the +neighborhood of the Sancicans, in so far as I have been able to make it +out from the mouths of the savages; but as they live in a state of +constant enmity with those tribes, the paths across are but little +used, wherefore I have not been able to learn the exact distance; so +that when we wish to send letters overland, they (the natives) take +their way across the bay, and have the letters carried forward by +others, unless one amongst them may happen to be on friendly terms, and +who might venture to go there. +</P> + +<P> +The island of the Manhatas extends two leagues in length along the +Mauritse River, from the point where the Fort "New Amsterdam" is +building. It is about seven leagues in circumference, full of trees, +and in the middle rocky to the extent of about two leagues in circuit. +The north side has good land in two places, where two farmers, each +with four horses, would have enough to do without much clearing at +first. The grass is good in the forest and valleys, but when made into +hay is not so nutritious for the cattle as here, in consequence of its +wild state, but it yearly improves by cultivation. On the east side +there rises a large level field, of from 70 to 80 morgens of land, +through which runs a very fine fresh stream; so that that land can be +ploughed without much clearing. It appears to be good. The six farms, +four of which lie along the River Hellgate, stretching to the south +side of the island, have at least 60 morgens of land ready to be sown +with winter seed, which at the most will have been ploughed eight +times. But as the greater part must have some manure, inasmuch as it +is so exhausted by the wild herbage, I am afraid that all will not be +sown; and the more so, as the managers of the farms are hired men. The +two hindermost farms, Nos. 1 and 2, are the best; the other farms have +also good land, but not so much, and more sandy; so that they are best +suited for rye and buckwheat. +</P> + +<P> +The small fort, New Amsterdam, commenced to be built, is situated on a +point opposite to Noten Island; [the channel between] is a gun-shot +wide, and is full six or seven fathoms deep in the middle. This point +might, with little trouble, be made a small island, by cutting a canal +through Blommaert's valley, so as to afford a haven winter and summer, +for sloops and ships; and the whole of this little island ought, from +its nature, to be made a superb fort, to be approached by land only on +one side (since it is a triangle), thus protecting them both. The river +marks out, naturally, three angles; the most northern faces and +commands, within the range of a cannon shot, the great Mauritse River +and the land; the southernmost commands, on the water level, the +channel between Noten Island and the fort, together with the Hellegat; +the third point, opposite to Blommaert's valley, commands the lowland; +the middle part, which ought to be left as a marketplace, is a hillock, +higher than the surrounding land, and should always serve as a battery, +which might command the three points, if the streets should be arranged +accordingly. +</P> + +<P> +Up the river the east side is high, full of trees, and in some places +there is a little good land, where formerly many people have dwelt, but +who for the most part have died or have been driven away by the +Wappenos. +</P> + +<P> +These tribes of savages all have a government. The men in general are +rather tall, well proportioned in their limbs, and of an orange color, +like the Brazilians; very inveterate against those whom they hate; +cruel by nature, and so inclined to freedom that they cannot by any +means be brought to work; they support themselves by hunting, and when +the spring comes, by fishing. In April, May, and June, they follow the +course of these [the fish], which they catch with a drag-net they +themselves knit very neatly, of the wild hemp, from which the women and +old men spin the thread. The kinds of fish which they principally take +at this time are shad, but smaller than those in this country +ordinarily are, though quite as fat, and very bony; the largest fish is +a sort of white salmon, which is of very good flavor, and quite as +large; it has white scales; the heads are so full of fat that in some +there are two or three spoonfuls, so that there is good eating for one +who is fond of picking heads. It seems that this fish makes them +lascivious, for it is often observed that those who have caught any +when they have gone fishing, have given them, on their return, to the +women, who look for them anxiously. Our people also confirm this.... +</P> + +<P> +As an employment in winter they make sewan, which is an oblong bead +that they make from cockle-shells, which they find on the seashore, and +they consider it as valuable as we do money here, since one can buy +with it everything they have; they also make bands of it, which the +women wear on the forehead under the hair, and the men around the body; +and they are as particular about the stringing and sorting as we can be +here about pearls. They are very fond of a game they call Seneca, +played with some round rushes, similar to the Spanish feather-grass, +which they understand how to shuffle and deal as though they were +playing with cards; and they win from each other all that they possess, +even to the lappet with which they cover their private parts, and so +they separate from each other quite naked. They are very much addicted +to promiscuous intercourse. Their clothing is [so simple as to leave +the body] almost naked. In the winter time they usually wear a dressed +deer skin; some a covering made of turkey feathers which they +understand how to knit together very oddly, with small strings. They +also use a good deal of duffel cloth, which they buy from us, and which +serves for their blanket by night, and their dress by day. +</P> + +<P> +The women are fine looking, of middle stature, well proportioned, and +with finely cut features; with long and black hair, and black eyes set +off with fine eyebrows; they are of the same color as the men. They +smear their bodies and hair with grease, which makes them smell very +rankly; they are very much given to promiscuous intercourse. +</P> + +<P> +They have a marriage custom amongst them, namely: when there is one +who resolves to take a particular person for his wife, he collects a +fathom or two of sewan, and comes to the nearest friends of the person +whom he desires, to whom he declares his object in her presence, and if +they are satisfied with him, he agrees with them how much sewan he +shall give her for a bridal present; that being done, he then gives her +all the Dutch beads he has, which they call Machampe, and also all +sorts of trinkets. If she be a young virgin, he must wait six weeks +more before he can sleep with her, during which time she bewails or +laments over her virginity, which they call Collatismarrenitten; all +this time she sits with a blanket over her head, without wishing to +look at any one, or any one being permitted to look at her. This +period being elapsed, her bridegroom comes to her; he in the mean time +has been supporting himself by hunting, and what he has taken he brings +there with him; they then eat together with the friends, and sing and +dance together, which they call Kintikaen. That being done, the wife +must provide the food for herself and her husband, as far as +breadstuffs are concerned, and [should they fall short] she must buy +what is wanting with her sewan. +</P> + +<P> +For this reason they are obliged to watch the season for sowing. At +the end of March they begin to break up the earth with mattocks, which +they buy from us for the skins of beavers or otters, or for sewan. +They make heaps like molehills, each about two and a half feet from the +others, which they sow or plant in April with maize, in each heap five +or six grains; in the middle of May, when the maize is the height of a +finger or more, they plant in each heap three or four Turkish beans, +which then grow up with and against the maize, which serves for props, +for the maize grows on stalks similar to the sugar-cane. When they +wish to make use of the grain for bread or porridge, which they call +Sappaen, they first boil it and then beat it flat upon a stone; then +they put it into a wooden mortar, which they know how to hollow out by +fire, and then they have a stone pestle, which they know how to make +themselves, with which they pound it small, and sift it through a small +basket, which they understand how to weave of the rushes before +mentioned. The finest meal they mix with lukewarm water, and knead it +into dough, then they make round flat little cakes of it, of thickness +of an inch or a little more, which they bury in hot ashes, and so bake +into bread; and when these are baked they have some clean fresh water +by them in which they wash them while hot, one after another, and it is +good bread, but heavy. The coarsest meal they boil into a porridge, as +is before mentioned, and it is good eating when there is butter over +it, but a food which is very soon digested. The grain being dried, +they put it into baskets woven of rushes or wild hemp, and bury it in +the earth, where they let it lie, and go with their husbands and +children in October to hunt deer, leaving at home with their maize the +old people who cannot follow; in December they return home, and the +flesh which they have not been able to eat while fresh, they smoke on +the way, and bring it back with them. They come home as fat as moles. +</P> + +<P> +When a woman here addicts herself to fornication, and the husband comes +to know it, he thrashes her soundly, and if he wishes to get rid of +her, he summons the Sackima with her friends, before whom he accuses +her; and if she be found guilty the Sackima commands one to cut off her +hair in order that she may be held up before the world as a whore, +which they call poerochque; and then the husband takes from her +everything that she has, and drives her out of the house; if there be +children, they remain with her, for they are fond of them beyond +measure. They reckon consanguinity to the eighth degree, and revenge +an injury from generation to generation unless it be atoned for; and +even then there is mischief enough, for they are very revengeful. +</P> + +<P> +And when a man is unfaithful, the wife accuses him before the Sackima, +which most frequently happens when the wife has a preference for +another man. The husband being found guilty, the wife is permitted to +draw off his right shoe and left stocking (which they make of deer or +elk skins, which they know how to prepare very broad and soft, and wear +in the winter time); she then tears off the lappet that covers his +private parts, gives him a kick behind, and so drives him out of the +house; and then "Adam" scampers off. +</P> + +<P> +It would seem that they are very libidinous—in this respect very +unfaithful to each other; whence it results that they breed but few +children, so that it is a wonder when a woman has three or four +children, particularly by any one man whose name can be certainly +known. They must not have intercourse with those of their own family +within the third degree, or it would be considered an abominable thing. +</P> + +<P> +Their political government is democratic. They have a chief Sackima +whom they choose by election, who generally is he who is richest in +sewan, though of less consideration in other respects. When any +stranger comes, they bring him to the Sackima. On first meeting they +do not speak—they smoke a pipe of tobacco; that being done, the +Sackima asks: "Whence do you come?" the stranger then states that, and +further what he has to say, before all who are present or choose to +come. That being done, the Sackima announces his opinion to the +people, and if they agree thereto, they give all together a +sigh—"He!"—and if they do not approve, they keep silence, and all +come close to the Sackima, and each sets forth his opinion till they +agree; that being done, they come all together again to the stranger, +to whom the Sackima then announces what they have determined, with the +reasons moving them thereto. +</P> + +<P> +All travellers who stop over night come to the Sackima, if they have no +acquaintances there, and are entertained by the expenditure of as much +sewan as is allowed for that purpose; therefore the Sackimas generally +have three or four wives, each of whom has to furnish her own seed-corn. +</P> + +<P> +The Sackima has his fixed fine of sewan for fighting and causing blood +to flow. When any are—[here four pages, at least, are missing in the +original manuscript]. +</P> + +<P> +Coming out of the river Nassau, you sail east-and-by-north about +fourteen leagues, along the coast, a half miles from the shore, and you +then come to "Frenchman's Point" at a small river where those of +Patucxet have a house made of hewn oak planks, called Aptucxet, where +they keep two men, winter and summer, in order to maintain the trade +and possession. Here also they have built a shallop, in order to go +and look after the trade in sewan, in Sloup's Bay and thereabouts, +because they are afraid to pass Cape Mallabaer, and in order to avoid +the length of the way; which I have prevented for this year by selling +them fifty fathoms of sewan, because the seeking after sewan by them is +prejudicial to us, inasmuch as they would, by so doing, discover the +trade in furs; which if they were to find out, it would be a great +trouble for us to maintain, for they already dare to threaten that if +we will not leave off dealing with that people, they will be obliged to +use other means; if they do that now, while they are yet ignorant how +the case stands, what will they do when they do get a notion of it? +</P> + +<P> +From Aptucxet the English can come in six hours, through the woods, +passing several little rivulets of fresh water, to New Plymouth, the +principal place in the district Patucxet, so called in their patent +from his Majesty in England. +</P> + +<P> +New Plymouth lies in a large bay to the north of Cape Cod, or +Mallabaer, east and west from the said [north] point of the cape, which +can be easily seen in clear weather. Directly before the commenced +town lies a sand-bank, about twenty paces broad, whereon the sea breaks +violently with an easterly and east-north-easterly wind. On the north +side there lies a small island where one must run close along, in order +to come before the town; then the ships run behind that bank and lie in +a very good roadstead. The bay is very full of fish, [chiefly] of cod, +so that the governor before named has told me that when the people have +a desire for fish they send out two or three persons in a sloop, whom +they remunerate for their trouble, and who bring them in three or four +hours' time as much fish as the whole community require for a whole +day—and they muster about fifty families. +</P> + +<P> +At the south side of the town there flows down a small river of fresh +water, very rapid, but shallow, which takes its rise from several lakes +in the land above, and there empties into the sea; where in April and +the beginning of May, there come so many shad from the sea which want +to ascend that river, that it is quite surprising. This river the +English have shut in with planks, and in the middle with a little door, +which slides up and down, and at the sides with trellice work, through +which the water has its course, but which they can also close with +slides. +</P> + +<P> +At the mouth they have constructed it with planks, like an eel-pot, +with wings, where in the middle is also a sliding door, and with +trellice work at the sides, so that between the two [dams] there is a +square pool, into which the fish aforesaid come swimming in such +shoals, in order to get up above, where they deposit their spawn, that +at one tide there are 10,000 to 12,000 fish in it, which they shut off +in the rear at the ebb, and close up the trellices above, so that no +more water comes in; then the water runs out through the lower +trellices, and they draw out the fish with baskets, each according to +the land he cultivates, and carry them to it, depositing in each hill +three or four fishes, and in these they plant their maize, which grows +as luxuriantly therein as though it were the best manure in the world. +And if they do not lay this fish therein, the maize will not grow, so +that such is the nature of the soil. +</P> + +<P> +New Plymouth lies on the slope of a hill stretching east towards the +sea-coast, with a broad street about a cannon shot of 800 feet long, +leading down the hill; with a [street] crossing in the middle, +northwards to the rivulet and southwards to the land. The houses are +constructed of hewn planks, with gardens also enclosed behind and at +the sides with hewn planks, so that their houses and court-yards are +arranged in very good order, with a stockade against a sudden attack; +and at the ends of the streets there are three wooden gates. In the +centre, on the cross street, stands the governor's house, before which +is a square stockade upon which four patereros are mounted, so as to +enfilade the streets. Upon the hill they have a large square house, +with a flat roof, made of thick sawn plank, stayed with oak beams, upon +the top of which they have six cannon, which shoot iron balls of four +and five pounds, and command the surrounding country. The lower part +they use for their church, where they preach on Sundays and the usual +holidays. They assemble by beat of drum, each with his musket or +firelock, in front of the captain's door; they have their cloaks on, +and place themselves in order, three abreast, and are led by a sergeant +without beat of drum. Behind comes the governor, in a long robe; +beside him, on the right hand, comes the preacher with his cloak on, +and on the left hand the captain with his side-arms, and cloak on, and +with a small cane in his hand; and so they march in good order, and +each sets his arms down near him. Thus they are constantly on their +guard night and day. +</P> + +<P> +Their government is after the English form. The governor has his +council, which is chosen every year by the entire community, by +election or prolongation of term. In inheritances they place all the +children in one degree, only the eldest son has an acknowledgement for +his seniority of birth. They have made stringent laws and ordinances +upon the subject of fornication and adultery, which laws they maintain +and enforce very strictly indeed, even among the tribes which live +amongst them. They speak very angrily when they hear from the savages +that we live so barbarously in these respects, and without punishment. +Their farms are not so good as ours, because they are more stony, and +consequently not so suitable for the plough. They apportion their land +according as each has means to contribute to the eighteen thousand +guilders which they have promised to those who had sent them out; +whereby they have their freedom without rendering an account to any +one; only if the King should choose to send a governor-general they +would be obliged to acknowledge him as sovereign overlord. The maize +seed which they do not require for their own use is delivered over to +the governor, at three guilders the bushel, who in his turn sends it in +sloops to the north for the trade in skins among the savages; they +reckon one bushel of maize against one pound of beaver's skins; the +profits are divided according to what each has contributed, and they +are credited for the amount in the account of what each has to +contribute yearly towards the reduction of his obligation. Then with +the remainder they purchase what next they require, and which the +governor takes care to provide every year. They have better sustenance +than ourselves, because they have the fish so abundant before their +doors. There are also many birds, such as geese, herons and cranes, +and other small-legged birds, which are in great abundance there in the +winter. +</P> + +<P> +The tribes in their neighborhood have all the same customs as already +above described, only they are better conducted than ours, because the +English give them the example of better ordinances and a better life; +and who also, to a certain degree, give them laws, in consequence of +the respect they from the very first have established amongst them. +</P> + +<P> +The savages [there] utilize their youth in labor better than the +savages round about us: the girls in sowing maize, the young men in +hunting. They teach them to endure privation in the field in a singular +manner, to wit: +</P> + +<P> +When there is a youth who begins to approach manhood, he is taken by +his father, uncle, or nearest friend, and is conducted blindfolded into +a wilderness, in order that he may not know the way, and is left there +by night or otherwise, with a bow and arrows, and a hatchet and a +knife. He must support himself there a whole winter with what the +scanty earth furnishes at this season, and by hunting. Towards the +spring they come again, and fetch him out of it, take him home and feed +him up again until May. He must then go out again every morning with +the person who is ordered to take him in hand; he must go into the +forest to seek wild herbs and roots, which they know to be the most +poisonous and bitter; these they bruise in water and press the juice +out of them, which he must drink, and immediately have ready such herbs +as will preserve him from death or vomiting; and if he cannot retain +it, he must repeat the dose until he can support it, and until his +constitution becomes accustomed to it so that he can retain it. +</P> + +<P> +Then he comes home, and is brought by the men and women, all singing +and dancing, before the Sackima; and if he has been able to stand it +all well, and if he is fat and sleek, a wife is given to him. +</P> + +<P> +In that district there are no lions or bears, but there are the same +kinds of other game, such as deers, hinds, beavers, otters, foxes, +lynxes, seals and fish, as in our district of country. The savages say +that far in the interior there are certain beasts of the size of oxen, +having but one horn, which are very fierce. The English have used +great diligence in order to see them, but cannot succeed therein, +although they have seen the flesh and hides of them which were brought +to them by the savages. There are also very large elks here, which the +English have indeed seen. +</P> + +<P> +The lion skins which we sometimes see our savages wear are not large, +so that the animal itself must be small; they are of a mouse-gray +color, short in the hair and long in the claws. +</P> + +<P> +The bears are some of them large and some small; but the largest are +not so large as the middle-sized ones which come from Greenland. Their +fur is long and black and their claws large. The savages esteem the +flesh and grease as a great dainty. +</P> + +<P> +Of the birds, there is a kind like starlings, which we call maize +thieves, because they do so much damage to the maize. They fly in +large flocks, so that they flatten the corn in any place where they +alight, just as if cattle had lain there. Sometimes we take them by +surprise and fire amongst them with hailshot, immediately that we have +made them rise, so that sixty, seventy, and eighty fall all at once, +which is very pleasant to see. +</P> + +<P> +There are also very large turkeys living wild; they have very long +legs, and can run extraordinarily fast, so that we generally take +savages with us when we go to hunt them; for even when one has deprived +them of the power of flying, they yet run so fast that we cannot catch +them unless their legs are hit also. +</P> + +<P> +In the autumn and in the spring there come a great many geese, which +are very good, and easy to shoot, inasmuch as they congregate together +in such large flocks. There are two kind of partridges; the one sort +are quite as small as quails and the other like the ordinary kind here. +There are also hares, but few in number, and not larger than a +middle-sized rabbit; and they principally frequent where the land is +rocky. +</P> + +<P> +This, sir, is what I have been able to communicate to you from memory, +respecting New Netherland and its neighborhood, in discharge of my +bounden duty; I beg that the same may so be favorably received by you, +and I beg to recommend myself for such further service as you may be +pleased to command me in, wherever you may find me. +</P> + +<P> +In everything your faithful servant, +</P> + +<P> +ISAACK DE RASIERES. +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<H5 ALIGN="center"> +END OF "LETTER OF ISAACK DE RASIERES." +</H5> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="mohawks1"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +MEGAPOLENSIS ON THE MOHAWKS (Part 1) +</H3> + +<BR> + +<P> +Harmen Meydertsz van den Boagaert (?), Narrative of a Journey Into the +Mohawk and Oneida Country, 1634-1635. In J. Franklin Jameson, ed., +Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664 (Original Narratives of Early +American History). NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1909. +</P> + +<BR> + +<P> +Praise the Lord above all—Fort Orange, 1634. +</P> + +<P> +December 11. Journal kept of the principal events that happened during +the journey to the Maquas and Sinnekens Indians. First, the reasons +why we went on this journey were these, that the Maquas and Sinnekens +very often came to our factor [commis] Marten Gerritsen and me stating +that there were French Indians in their land, and that they had made a +truce with them so that they, namely, the Maquas, wished to trade for +their skins, because the Maquas Indians wanted to receive just as much +for their skins as the French Indians did. So I proposed to Mr. Marten +Gerritsen to go and see if it was true, so soon to run counter to their +High Mightinesses; and, besides, trade was doing very badly, therefore +I went as above with Jero[ni]-mus [de] la Croex and Willem Tomassen. +May the Lord bless my voyage! We went between nine and ten o'clock +with five Macquas Indians, mostly northwest above eight leagues, and +arrived at half-past twelve in the evening at a hunter's cabin, where +we slept for the night, near the stream that runs into their land and +is named Oyoge. The Indians here gave us venison to eat. The land is +mostly full of fir trees, and the flat land is abundant. The stream +runs through their land near their (Maquas) castle, but we could not +ascend it on account of the heavy freshet. +</P> + +<BR> + +<P> +December 12. At three hours before daylight, we proceeded again, and +the savages that went with us would have left us there if I had not +noticed it; and when we thought of taking our meal we perceived that +their dogs had eaten our meat and cheese. So we had then only dry +bread and had to travel on that; and, after going for an hour, we came +to the branch that runs into our river and past the Maquas villages, +where the ice drifted very fast. Jeronimus crossed first, with one +savage in a canoe made of the bark of trees, because there was only +room for two; after that Willem and I went over; and it was so dark +that we could not see each other if we did not come close together. It +was not without danger. When all of us had crossed, we went another +league and a half and came to a hunter's cabin, which we entered to eat +some venison, and hastened farther, and after another half league we +saw some Indians approaching; and as soon as they saw us they ran off +and threw their sacks and bags away, and fled down a valley behind the +underwood, so that we could not see them. We looked at their goods and +bags, and took therefrom a small [loaf of] bread. It was baked with +beans, and we ate it. We went farther, and mostly along the aforesaid +kill that ran very swiftly because of the freshet. In this kill there +are a good many islands, and on the sides upward of 500 or 600 morgen +of flat land; yes, I think even more. And after we had been marching +about eleven leagues, we arrived at one o'clock in the evening half a +league from the first castle at a little house. We found only Indian +women inside. We should have gone farther, but I could hardly move my +feet because of the rough road, so we slept there. It was very cold, +with northerly wind. +</P> + +<P> +December 13. In the morning we went together to the castle over the +ice that during the night had frozen on the kill, and, after going half +a league, we arrived in their first castle, which is built on a high +hill. There stood but 36 houses, in rows like streets, so that we +could pass nicely. The houses are made and covered with bark of trees, +and mostly are flat at the top. Some are 100, 90, or 80 paces long and +22 and 23 feet high. There were some inside doors of hewn boards, +furnished with iron hinges. In some houses we saw different kinds of +iron work, iron chains, harrow irons, iron hoops, nails,—which they +steal when they go forth from here. Most of the people were out hunting +deer and bear. The houses were full of corn that they call onersti, +and we saw maize; yes, in some of the houses more than 300 bushels. +They make canoes and barrels of the bark of trees, and sew with bark as +well. We had a good many pumpkins cooked and baked that they called +anansira. None of the chiefs were at home, but the principal chief is +named Adriochten, who lived a quarter of a mile from the fort in a +small house, because a good many savages here in the castle died of +smallpox. I sent him a message to come and see us, which he did; he +came and bade me welcome, and said that he wanted us very much to come +with him. We should have done so, but when already on the way another +chief called us, and so we went to the castle again. This one had a +big fire lighted, and a fat haunch of venison cooked, of which we ate. +He gave us two bearskins to sleep upon, and presented me with three +beaver skins. In the evening Willem Tomassen, whose legs were swollen +from the march, had a few cuts made with a knife therein, and after +that had them rubbed with bear grease. We slept in this house, at +heartily of pumpkins, beans and venison, so that we were not hungry, +but were treated as well as is possible in their land. We hope that +all will succeed. +</P> + +<P> +December 14. Jeronimus wrote a letter to our commis (factor), Marten +Gerritsen, and asked for paper, salt, and atsochwat—that means tobacco +for the savages. We went out to shoot turkeys with the chief, but +could not get any. In the evening I bought a very fat one for two +hands of seewan. The chief cooked it for us, and the grease he mixed +with our beans and maize. This chief showed me his idol; it was a male +cat's head, with the teeth sticking out; it was dressed in duffel +cloth. Others have a snake, a turtle, a swan, a crane, a pigeon, or +the like for their idols, to tell the fortune; they think they will +always have good luck in doing so. From here two savages went with +their skins to Fort Orange. +</P> + +<P> +December 15. I went again with the chief to hunt turkeys, but could +not get any; and in the evening the chief again showed us his idol, and +we resolved to stay here for another two or three days till there +should be an opportunity to proceed, because all the footpaths had +disappeared under the heavy snowfalls. +</P> + +<P> +December 16. After midday a famous hunter came here named Sickarus, +who wanted very much that we should go with him to his castle. He +offered to carry our goods and to let us sleep and remain in his house +as long as we liked; and because he was offering us so much I gave him +a knife and two awls as a present, and to the chief in whose house we +had been I presented a knife and a pair of scissors; and then we took +our departure from this castle, named Onekagoncka, and after going for +half a league over the ice we saw a village with only six houses, of +the Canowarode; but we did not enter it, because he said it was not +worth while, and after another half league we passed again a village +where twelve houses stood. It was named Schatsyerosy. These were like +the others, he saying they likewise were not worth while entering; and +after passing by great stretches of flat land, for another league or +league and a half, we came into this castle, at two good hours after +dark. I did not see much besides a good many graves. This castle is +named Canagere. It is built on a hill, without any palisades or any +defense. We found only seven men at home, besides a party of old women +and children. The chiefs of this castle, named Tonnosatton and +Tonewerot, were hunting; so we slept in the house of Sickarus, as he +had promised us; and we counted in his house 120 pieces of salable +beaver skins that he captured with his own dogs. Every day we ate +beaver meat here. In this castle are sixteen houses, 50, 60, 70, or 80 +paces long, and one of sixteen paces, and one of five paces, containing +a bear to be fattened. It had been in there upward of three years, and +was so tame that it took everything that was given to it to eat. +</P> + +<P> +December 17. Sunday we looked over our goods, and found a paper filled +with sulphur, and Jeronimus took some of it and threw it in the fire. +They saw the blue flame and smelled the smoke, and told us they had the +same stuff; and when Sickarus came they asked us to let them take a +look at it, and it was the same; and we asked him where he obtained it. +He told us they obtained it from the stranger savages, and that they +believed it to be good against many maladies, but principally for their +legs when they were sore from long marching and were very tired. +</P> + +<P> +December 18. Three women of the Sinnekens came here with dried and +fresh salmon; the latter smelled very bad. They sold each salmon for +one florin or two hands of seawan. They brought, also, a good quantity +of green tobacco to sell; and had been six days on the march. They +could not sell all their salmon here, but went farther on to the first +castle; and when they returned we were to go with them, and in the +evening Jeronimus told me that a savage tried to kill him with a knife. +</P> + +<P> +December 19. We received a letter from Marten Gerritsen dated December +18, and with it we received paper, salt, tobacco for the savages, and a +bottle of brandy, and secured an Indian that was willing to be our +guide for the Sinnekens. We gave him half a yard of cloth, two axes, +two knives, and two awls. If it had been summer, many Indians would +have gone with us, but as it was winter they would not leave their +land, because it snowed very often up to the height of a man. To-day +we had a great rainfall, and I gave the guide a pair of shoes. His +name was Sqorhea. +</P> + +<P> +December 20. We took our departure from the second castle, and, after +marching a league, our savage, Sqorhea, came to a stream that we had to +pass. This stream ran very fast; besides, big cakes of ice came +drifting along, for the heavy rainfall during yesterday had set the ice +drifting. We were in great danger, for if one of us had lost his +footing it had cost us our lives; but God the Lord preserved us, and we +came through safely. We were wet up to above the waist, and after +going for another half league we came thus wet, with our clothes, shoes +and stockings frozen to us, to a very high hill on which stood 32 +houses, like the other ones. Some were 100, 90, or 80 paces long; in +every house we saw four, five, or six fireplaces where cooking went on. +A good many savages were at home, so we were much looked at by both the +old and the young; indeed, we could hardly pass through. They pushed +each other in the fire to see us, and it was more than midnight before +they took their departure. We could not absent ourselves to go to +stool; even then they crawled around us without any feeling of shame. +This is the third castle and is named Schanidisse. The chief's name is +Tewowary. They lent me this evening a lion skin to cover myself; but +in the morning I had more than a hundred lice. We ate much venison +here. Near this castle there is plenty of flat land, and the wood is +full of oaks and nut trees. We exchanged here one beaver skin for one +awl. +</P> + +<P> +December 21. We started very early in the morning, and thought of +going to the fourth estate, but after a half league's marching we came +to a village with only nine houses, of the name of Osquage; the chief's +name was Oquoho—that is, wolf. And here we saw a big stream that our +guide did not dare to cross, as the water was over one's head because +of the heavy rainfall; so we were obliged to postpone it till the next +day. The chief treated us very kindly; he did us much good and gave us +plenty to eat, for everything to be found in his houses was at our +service. He said often to me that I was his brother and good friend; +yes, he told me even how he had been travelling overland for thirty +days, and how he met there an Englishman, to learn the language of the +Minquase and to buy the skins. I asked him whether there were any +French savages there with the Sinnekens. He said yes; and I felt +gratified and had a good hope to reach my aim. They called me here to +cure a man that was very sick. +</P> + +<P> +December 22. When the sun rose, we waded together through the stream; +the water was over the knee, and so cold that our shoes and stockings +in a very short time were frozen as hard as armor. The savages dared +not go through, but went two by two, with a stick and hand in hand; and +after going half a league we came to a village named Cawaoge. There +stood fourteen houses, and a bear to fatten. We went in and smoked a +pipe of tobacco, because the old man who was our guide was very tired. +Another old man approached us, who shouted, "Welcome, welcome! you must +stop here for the night"; but we wanted to be on the march and went +forward. I tried to buy the bear, but they would not let it go. Along +these roads we saw many trees much like the savin, with a very thick +bark. This village likewise stood on a very high hill, and after going +for another league we came into the fourth castle by land whereon we +saw only a few trees. The name is Te notoge. There are 55 houses, +some one hundred, others more or fewer paces long. The kill we spoke +about before runs past here, and the course is mostly north by west and +south by east. On the other bank of the kill there are also houses; +but we did not go in, because they were most of them filled with corn +and the houses in this castle are filled with corn and beans. The +savages here looked much surprised to see us, and they crowded so much +around us that we could hardly pass through, for nearly all of them +were at home. After awhile one of the savages came to us and invited +us to go with him to his house, and we entered. This castle had been +surrounded by three rows of palisades, but now there were none save six +or seven pieces so thick that it was quite a wonder that savages should +be able to do that. They crowded each other in the fire to see us. +</P> + +<P> +December 23. A man came calling and shouting through some of the +houses, but we did not know what it meant, and after awhile Jeronimus +de la Croix came and told us what this was—that the savages are +preparing and arming. I asked them what all this was about, and they +said to me: "Nothing, we shall play with one another," and there were +four men with clubs and a party with axes and sticks. There were +twenty people armed, nine on one side and eleven on the other; and they +went off against each other, and they fought and threw each other. +Some of them wore armor and helmets that they themselves make of thin +reeds and strings braided upon each other so that no arrow or axe can +pass through to wound them severely; and after they had been playing +thus a good while the parties closed and dragged each other by the +hair, just as they would have done to their enemies after defeating +them and before cutting off their scalps. They wanted us to fire our +pistols, but we went off and left them alone. This day we were invited +to buy bear meat, and we also got half a bushel of beans and a quantity +of dried strawberries, and we bought some bread, that we wanted to take +on our march. Some of the loaves were baked with nuts and cherries and +dry blueberries and the grains of the sunflower. +</P> + +<P> +December 24. It was Sunday. I saw in one of the houses a sick man. +He had invited two of their doctors that could cure him—they call them +simachkoes; and as soon as they came they began to sing and to light a +big fire. They closed the house most carefully everywhere, so that the +breeze could not come in, and after that each of them wrapped a +snakeskin around his head. They washed their hands and faces, lifted +the sick man from his place, and laid him alongside the big fire. Then +they took a bucket of water, put some medicine in it, and washed in +this water a stick about half a yard long, and kept sticking it in +their throats so that no end of it was to be seen; and then they spat +on the patient's head, and over all his body; and after that they made +all sorts of farces, as shouting and raving, slapping of the hands; so +are their manners; with many demonstrations upon one things and another +till they perspired so freely that their perspiration ran down all sides. +</P> + +<P> +December 25—being Christmas. We rose early in the morning and wanted +to go to the Sinnekens; but, as it was snowing steadily, we could not +go, because nobody wanted to go with us to carry our goods. I asked +them how many chiefs there were in all, and they told me thirty. +</P> + +<P> +December 26. In the morning I was offered two pieces of bear's bacon +to take with us on the march; and we took our departure, escorted by +many of them that walked before and after us. They kept up shouting: +"Allesa rondade!" that is, to fire our pistols; but we did not want to +do so, and at last they went back. This day we passed over many a +stretch of flat land, and crossed a kill where the water was knee-deep; +and I think we kept this day mostly the direction west and northwest. +The woods that we traversed consisted in the beginning mostly of oaks, +but after three or four hours' marching it was mostly birch trees. It +snowed the whole day, so it was very heavy marching over the hills; and +after seven leagues, by guess, we arrived at a little house made of +bark in the forest, where we lighted a fire and stopped for the night +to sleep. It went on snowing, with a sharp, northerly wind. It was +very cold. +</P> + +<P> +December 27. Early in the morning again on our difficult march, while +the snow lay 2 1/2 feet in some places. We went over hills and through +underwood. We saw traces of two bears, and elks, but no savages. +There are beech trees; and after marching another seven or eight +leagues, at sunset we found another little cabin in the forest, with +hardly any bark, but covered with the branches of trees. We made a big +fire and cooked our dinner. It was so very cold during this night that +I did not sleep more than two hours in all. +</P> + +<P> +December 28. We went as before, and after marching one or two leagues +we arrived at a kill that, as the savages told me, ran into the land of +the Minquaass, and after another mile we met another kill that runs +into the South River, as the savages told me, and here a good many +otter and beaver are caught. This day we went over many high hills. +The wood was full of great trees, mostly birches; and after seven or +eight leagues' marching we did the same as mentioned above. It was +very cold. +</P> + +<P> +December 29. We went again, proceeding on our voyage; and after +marching a while we came on a very high hill, and as we nearly had +mounted it I fell down so hard that I thought I had broken my ribs, but +it was only the handle of my cutlass that was broken. We went through +a good deal of flat land, with many oaks and handles for axes, and +after another seven leagues we found another hut, where we rested +ourselves. We made a fire and ate all the food we had, because the +savages told us that we were still about four leagues distant from the +castle. The sun was near setting as still another of the savages went +on to the castle to tell them we were coming. We would have gone with +him, but because we felt so very hungry the savages would not take us +along with them. The course northwest. +</P> + +<P> +December 30. Without anything to eat we went to the Sinnekens' castle, +and after marching awhile the savages showed me the branch of the river +that passes by Fort Orange and past the land of the Maquas. A woman +came to meet us, bringing us baked pumpkins to eat. This road was +mostly full of birches and beautiful flat land for sowing. Before we +reached the castle we saw three graves, just like our graves in length +and height; usually their graves are round. These graves were +surrounded with palisades that they had split from trees, and they were +closed up so nicely that it was a wonder to see. They were painted +with red and white and black paint; but the chief's grave had an +entrance, and at the top of that was a big wooden bird, and all around +were painted dogs, and deer, and snakes, and other beasts. After four +or five leagues' marching the savages still prayed us to fire our guns, +and so we did, but loaded them again directly and went on to the +castle. And we saw to the northwest of us, a large river, and on the +other side thereof tremendously high land that seemed to lie in the +clouds. Upon inquiring closely into this, the savages told me that in +this river the Frenchmen came to trade. And then we marched confidently +to the castle, where the savages divided into two rows, and so let us +pass through them by the gate, which was—the one we went through—3 +1/2 feet wide, and at the top were standing three big wooden images, +carved like men, and with them I saw three scalps fluttering in the +wind, that they had taken from their foes as a token of the truth of +their victory. This castle has two gates, one on the east and one on +the west side. On the east side a scalp was also hanging; but this +gate was 1 1/2 feet smaller than the other one. When at last we +arrived in the chief's house, I saw there a good many people that I +knew; and we were requested to sit down in the chief's place where he +was accustomed to sit, because at the time he was not at home, and we +felt cold and were wet and tired. They at once gave us to eat, and +they made a good fire. This castle likewise is situated on a very high +hill, and was surrounded with two rows of palisades. It was 767 paces +in circumference. There are 66 houses, but much better, higher, and +more finished than all the others we saw. A good many houses had +wooden fronts that are painted with all sorts of beasts. There they +sleep mostly on elevated boards, more than any other savages. In the +afternoon one of the council came to me, asking the reason of our +coming into his land, and what we brought for him as a present. It told +him that we did not bring any present, but that we only paid him a +visit. He told us that we were not worth anything, because we did not +bring him a present. Then he told us how the Frenchmen had come +thither to trade with six men, and had given them good gifts, because +they had been trading in this river with six men in the month of August +of this year. We saw very good axes to cut the underwood, and French +shirts and coats and razors; and this member of the council said we +were scoundrels, and were not worth anything because we paid not enough +for their beaver skins. They told us that the Frenchmen gave six hands +of seawan for one beaver, and all sorts of things more. The savages +were pressing closely upon us, so that there was hardly room for us to +sit. If they had desired to molest us, we could hardly have been able +to defend ourselves; but there was no danger. In this river here +spoken of, often six, seven, or eight hundred salmon are caught in a +single day. I saw houses where 60, 70, and more dried salmon were +hanging. +</P> + +<P> +December 31. On Sunday the chief of this castle came back (his name is +Arenias), and one more man. They told us that they returned from the +French savages, and some of the savages shouted "Jawe Arenias!" which +meant that they thanked him for having come back. And I told him that +in the night we should fire three shots; and he said it was all right; +and they seemed very well contented. We questioned them concerning the +situation [of the places] in their castle and their names, and how far +they were away from each other. They showed us with stones and maize +grains, and Jeronimus then made a chart of it. And we counted all in +leagues how far each place was away from the next. The savages told us +that on the high land which we had seen by that lake there lived men +with horns on their heads; and they told us that a good many beavers +were caught there, too, but they dared not go so far because of the +French savages; therefore they thought best to make peace. We fired +three shots in the night in honor of the year of our Lord and Redeemer, +Jesus Christ. +</P> + +<P> +Praise the Lord above all! In the castle Onneyuttehage, or Sinnekens, +January 1, 1635. +</P> + +<P> +January 1, 1635. Another savage scolded at us. We were scoundrels, as +told before; and he looked angry. Willem Tomassen got so excited that +the tears were running along his cheeks, and the savages, seeing that +we were not at all contented, asked us what was the matter, and why we +looked so disgusted at him. There were in all 46 persons seated near +us; if they had intended to do mischief, they could easily have caught +us with their hands and killed us without much trouble; when I had +listened long enough to the Indian's chatter I told him that he was a +scoundrel himself and he began to laugh, said he was not angry and +said: "You must not grow so furious, for we are very glad that you +came here." And after that Jeronimus gave the chief two knives, two +pairs of scissors, and a few awls and needles that we had with us. And +in the evening the savages suspended a band of seawan, and some other +stringed seawan that the chief had brought with him from the French +savages as a sign of peace and that the French savages were to come in +confidence to them, and he sang: "Ho schene jo ho ho schene I +atsiehoewe atsihoewe," after which all the savages shouted three times: +"Netho, netho, netho!" and after that another band of seawan was +suspended and he sang then: "Katon, katon, katon, katon!" and all the +savages shouted as hard as they could: "Hy, hy, hy!" After long +deliberation they made peace for four years, and soon after everyone +returned to his home. +</P> + +<P> +January 2. The savages came to us and told us that we had better stop +another four or five days. They would provide for all our needs and +have us treated nicely; but I told them we could not wait so long as +that. They replied that they had sent a message to the Onondagas—that +is, the castle next to theirs—but I told them they nearly starved us. +Then they said that in future they would look better after us, and +twice during this day we were invited to be their guests, and treated +to salmon and bear's bacon. +</P> + +<P> +January 3. Some old men came to us and told us they wanted to be our +friends, and they said we need not be afraid. And I replied we were +not afraid, and in the afternoon the council sat here—in all, 24 +men—and after consulting for a long while an old man approached me and +laid his hand upon my heart to feel it beat; and then he shouted we +really were not afraid at all. After that six more members of the +council came, and after that they presented me a coat made of beaver +skin, and told me they gave it to me because I came here and ought to +be very tired, and he pointed to his and my legs; and besides, it is +because you have been marching through the snow. And when I took the +coat they shouted three times: "Netho, netho, netho!" which means, +"This is very well." And directly after that they laid five pieces of +beaver skins on my feet, at the same time requesting me that in the +future they should receive four hands of seawan and four handbreadths +of cloth for every big beaver skin, because we have to go so far with +our skins; and very often when we come to your places we do not find +any cloth or seawan or axes or kettles, or not enough for all of us, +and then we have had much trouble for nothing, and have to go back over +a great distance, carrying out goods back again. After we sat for a +considerable time, an old man came to us, and translated it to us in +the other language, and told us that we did not answer yet whether they +were to have four hands of seawan or not for their skins. I told him +that we had not the power to promise that, but that we should report +about it to the chief at the Manhatans, who was our commander, and that +I would give him a definite answer in the spring, and come myself to +their land. Then they said to me "Welsmachkoo," you must not lie, and +surely come to us in the spring, and report to us about all. And if you +will give us four hands of seawan we will not sell our skins to anyone +but you; and after that they gave me the five beaver skins, and shouted +as hard as they could: "Netho, netho, netho!" And then, that +everything should be firmly binding, they called or sang: "Ha assironi +atsimach koo kent oya kayuig wee Onneyatte Onaondaga Koyocke hoo hanoto +wany agweganne hoo schene ha caton scahten franosoni yndicho." That +means that I could go in all these places—they said the names of all +the castles—freely and everywhere. I should be provided with a house +and a fire and wood and everything I needed; and if I wanted to go to +the Frenchmen they would guide me there and back; and after that they +shouted again: "Netho, netho, netho!" and they made a present of +another beaver skin to me, and we ate to-day bear meat that we were +invited to. In this house, belonging to the chief, there were three or +four meals a day, and they did not cook in it, as everything was +brought in from the other houses in large kettles; for it was the +council that took their meals here every day. And whoever then happens +to be in the house receives a bowlful of food; for it is the rule here +that everyone that comes here has his bowl filled; and if they are +short of bowls they bring them and their spoons with them. They go +thus and seat themselves side by side; the bowls are then fetched and +brought back filled, for a guest that is invited does not rise before +he has eaten. Sometimes they sing, and sometimes they do not, thanking +the host before they return home. +</P> + +<P> +January 4. Two savages came, inviting us to come and see how they used +to drive away the devil. I told them that I had seen it before; but +they did not move off, and I had to go; and because I did not choose to +go alone I took Jeronimus along. I saw a dozen men together who were +going to drive him off. After we arrived the floor of the house was +thickly covered with the bark of trees for the hunters of the devil to +walk upon. They were mostly old men, and they had their faces all +painted with red paint—which they always do when they are going to do +anything unusual. Three men among them had a wreath on their heads, on +which stuck five white crosses. These wreaths are made of deer hair +that they had braided with the roots of a sort of green herb. In the +middle of the house they then put a man who was very sick, and who was +treated without success during a considerable time. Close by sat an old +woman with a turtle shell in her hands. In the turtle shell were a +good many beads. She kept clinking all the while, and all of them sang +to the measure; then they would proceed to catch the devil and trample +him to death; they trampled the bark to atoms so that none of it +remained whole, and wherever they saw but a little cloud of dust upon +the maize, they beat at it in great amazement and then they blew that +dust at one another and were so afraid that they ran as if they really +saw the devil; and after long stamping and running one of them went to +the sick man and took away an otter that he had in his hands; and he +sucked the sick man for awhile in his neck and on the back, and after +that he spat in the otter's mouth and threw it down; at the same time +he ran off like made through fear. Other men then went to the otter, +and then there took place such foolery that it was a wonder to see. +Yes; they commenced to throw fire and eat fire, and kept scattering hot +ashes and red-hot coals in such a way that I ran out of the house. +To-day another beaver skin was presented to me. +</P> + +<P> +January 5. I bought four dried salmon and two pieces of bear bacon +that was about nine inches thick; and we saw thicker, even. They gave +us beans cooked with bear bacon to eat to-day, and further nothing +particular happened. +</P> + +<P> +January 6. Nothing particular than that I was shown a parcel of flint +stones wherewith they make fire when they are in the forest. Those +stones would do very well for firelock guns. +</P> + +<P> +January 7.—We received a letter from Marten Gerritsen, dated from the +last of December; it was brought by a Sinneken that arrived from our +fort. He told us that our people grew very uneasy about our not coming +home, and that they thought we had been killed. We ate fresh salmon +only two days caught, and we were robbed to-day of six and a half hands +of seawan that we never saw again. +</P> + +<P> +January 8. Aarenias came to me to say that he wanted to go with me to +the fort and take all his skins to trade. Jeronimus tried to sell his +coat here, but he could not get rid of it. +</P> + +<P> +January 9. During the evening the Onondagas came. There were six old +men and four women. They were very tired from the march, and brought +with them some bear skins. I came to meet them, and thanked them that +they came to visit us; and they welcomed me, and because it was very +late I went home. +</P> + +<P> +January 10. Jeronimus burned the greater part of his pantaloons, that +dropped in the fire during the night, and the chief's mother gave him +cloth to repair it, and Willem Tomassen repaired it. +</P> + +<P> +January 11. At ten o'clock in the morning the savages came to me and +invited me to come to the house where the Onondagans sat in council. +"They will give you presents"; and I went there with Jeronimus; took +our pistols with us and sat alongside of them, near an old man of the +name of Canastogeera, about 55 years of age; and he said: "Friends, I +have come here to see you and to talk to you;" wherefore we thanked +him, and after they had sat in council for a long time an interpreter +came to me and gave me give pieces of beaver skin because we had come +into their council. I took the beaver skins and thanked them, and they +shouted three times "Netho!" And after that another five beaver skins +that they laid upon my feet, and they gave them to me because I had +come into their council-house. We should have been given a good many +skins as presents if we had come into his land; and they earnestly +requested me to visit their land in the summer, and after that gave me +another four beaver skins and asked at the same time to be better paid +for their skins. They would bring us a great quantity if we did; and +if I came back in the summer to their land we should have three or four +savages along with us to look all around that lake and show us where +the Frenchmen came trading with their shallops. And when we gathered +our fourteen beavers they again shouted as hard as they could, "Zinae +netho!" and we fired away with our pistols and gave the chief two pairs +of knives, some awls, and needles; and then we were informed we might +take our departure. We had at the time five pieces of salmon and two +pieces of bear bacon that we were to take on the march, and here they +gave a good many loaves and even flour to take with us. +</P> + +<P> +January 12. We took our departure; and when we thought everything was +ready the savages did not want to carry our goods—twenty-eight beaver +skins, five salmon, and some loaves of bread—because they all had +already quite enough to carry; but after a good deal of grumbling and +nice words they at last consented and carried our goods. Many savages +walked along with us and they shouted, "Alle sarondade!" that is, to +fire the pistols; and when we came near the chief's grave we fired +three shots, and they went back. It was about nine o'clock when we +left this place and walked only about five leagues through 2 1/2 feet +of snow. It was a very difficult road, so that some of the savages had +to stop in the forest and sleep in the snow. We went on, however, and +reached a little cabin, where we slept. +</P> + +<P> +January 13. Early in the morning we were on our journey again, and +after going seven or eight leagues we arrived at another hut, where we +rested awhile, cooked our dinner, and slept. Arenias pointed out to me +a place on a high mountain, and said that after ten days' marching we +could reach a big river there where plenty of people are living, and +where plenty of cows and horses are; but we had to cross the river for +a whole day and then to proceed for six days more in order to reach it. +This was the place which we passed on the 29th of December. He did us +a great deal of good. +</P> + +<P> +January 14. On Sunday we made ready to proceed, but the chief wished +to go bear hunting and wanted to stop here but, because it was fine +weather, I went alone with two or three savages. Here two Maquas +Indians joined us, as they wanted to go and trade elk skins and satteeu. +</P> + +<P> +January 15. In the morning, two hours before daylight, after taking +breakfast with the savages, I proceeded on the voyage, and when it was +nearly dark again the savages made a fire in the wood, as they did not +want to go farther, and I came about three hours after dark to a hut +where I had slept on the 26th of December. It was very cold. I could +not make a fire, and was obliged to walk the whole night to keep warm. +</P> + +<P> +January 16. In the morning, three hours before dawn, as the moon rose, +I searched for the path, which I found at last; and because I marched +so quickly I arrived about nine o'clock on very extensive flat land. +After having passed over a high hill I came to a very even footpath +that had been made through the snow by the savages who had passed this +way with much venison, because they had come home to their castle after +hunting; and about ten o'clock I saw the castle and arrived there about +two o'clock. Upward of one hundred people came out to welcome me, and +showed me a house where I could go. They gave me a white hare to eat +that they caught two days ago. They cooked it with walnuts, and they +gave me a piece of wheaten bread a savage that had arrived here from +Ford Orange on the fifteenth of this month had brought with him. In +the evening more than forty fathoms of seawan were divided among them +as the last will of the savages that had died of the smallpox. It was +divided in the presence of the chief and the nearest friends. It is +their custom to divide among the chief and nearest friends. And in the +evening the savages gave me two bear skins to cover me, and they +brought rushes to lay under my head, and they told us that our kinsmen +wanted us very much to come back. +</P> + +<P> +January 17. Jeronimus and Tomassen, with some savages, joined us in +this castle, Tenotogehage, and they still were all right; and in the +evening I saw another hundred fathoms of seawan divided among the chief +and the friends of the nearest blood. +</P> + +<P> +January 18. We went again to this castle, I should say from this +castle on our route, in order to hasten home. In some of the houses we +saw more than forty or fifty deer cut in quarters and dried; but they +gave us very little of it to eat. After marching half a league we +passed through the village of Kawaoge, and after another half league we +came to the village of Osquage. The chief, Ohquahoo, received us well, +and we waited here for the chief, Arenias, whom we had left in the +castle Te Notooge. +</P> + +<P> +January 19. We went as fast as we could in the morning, proceeding on +the march; and after going half a league we arrived at the third +castle, named Schanadisse, and I looked around in some of the houses to +see whether there were any skins. I met nine Onondagas there with +skins, that I told to go with me to the second castle, where the chief, +Taturot, I should say Tonewerot, was at home, who welcomed us at once, +and gave us a very fat piece of venison, which we cooked; and when we +were sitting at dinner we received a letter from Marten Gerritsen, +brought us by a savage that came in search of us, and was dated January +18. We resolved to proceed at once to the first castle, and to depart +on the morrow for Fort Orange, and a good three hours before sunset we +arrived at the first castle. We had bread baked for us again, and +packed the three beavers we had received from the chief when we had +first come here. We slept here this night and ate here. +</P> + +<P> +January 20. In the morning, before daylight, Jeronimus sold his coat +for four beaver skins to an old man. We set forth at one hour before +daylight, and after marching by guess two leagues the savages pointed +to a high mountain where their castle stood nine years before. They +had been driven out by the Mahicans, and after that time they did not +want to live there. After marching seven or eight leagues we found +that the hunters' cabins had been burned, so we were obliged to sleep +under the blue sky. +</P> + +<P> +January 21. We proceeded early in the morning, and after a long march +we took a wrong path that was the most walked upon; but as the savages +knew the paths better than we did they returned with us, and after +eleven leagues' marching we arrived, the Lord be praised and thanked, +at Fort Orange, January 21, anno 1635. +</P> + +<PRE> + [Vocabulary of the Maquas.] + + Assire or aggaha..............................Cloth. + Atoga.........................................Axes. + Atsochta......................................Adze. + Assere........................................Knives. + Assaghe.......................................Rapier. + Attochwat.....................................Spoons. + Ondach........................................Kettles. + Endat hatste..................................Looking-glass. + Sasaskarisat..................................Scissors. + Kamewari (Garonare?)..........................Awls. + Onekoera......................................Seawan, their money. + Tiggeretait...................................Combs. + Catse (Garistats?)............................Bell. + Dedaia witha..................................Shirts or coats. + Nonnewarory...................................Fur caps. + Eytroghe......................................Beads. + Canagosat.....................................Scraper. + Caris.........................................Stockings. + Achta.........................................Shoes. + + Names of animals that occur there: + + Aque (Gario?).................................Deer. + Aquesados.....................................Horse. + Adiron........................................Cat. + Aquidagon.....................................Ox. + Senoto wanne..................................Elk. + Ochquari......................................Bear. + Sinite........................................Beaver. + Tawyne........................................Otter. + Eyo...........................................Mink. + Senadondo.....................................Fox. + Ochquoha......................................Wolf. + Seranda.......................................Male cat. + Ichar or sateeni..............................Dog. + Tali..........................................Crane. + Kragequa......................................Swans. + Kahanckt......................................Geese. + Schawariwane..................................Turkeys. + Schascari wanasi..............................Eagles. + Tantanege.....................................Hares. + Onckwe........................................Men. + Etsi (Eightjen?)..............................A man. + Coenhechti (Gahetien?)........................A woman. + Ocstaha.......................................An old man. + Odasqueta.....................................An old woman. + Sine gechtera.................................A wooer. + Exhechta......................................A lass. + Ragina........................................Father. + Distan........................................Mother. + Cian..........................................Child. + Rocksongwa (Ronwaye?).........................Boy. + Canna warori..................................Prostitute. + Onentar.......................................Woman in labor. + Ragenonou.....................................Uncle. + Rackesie......................................Cousin. + Anochquis.....................................Hair. + Anonsi........................................Head. + Ohochta.......................................Ears. + Ohonikwa......................................Throat. + Oneyatsa......................................Nose. + Owanisse......................................Tongue. + Onawy.........................................Teeth. + Onenta........................................Arm. + Osnotsa.......................................Hands. + Onatassa......................................Fingers. + Otich kera....................................Thumb. + Otsira........................................Nails. + Onvare........................................Shoulder blade. + Orochquine....................................Spine. + Ossidan.......................................Feet. + Onera.........................................Pudenda. + Oeuda.........................................Excrements. + Onsaha........................................Vesicle. + Canderes......................................Phallus. + Awahta........................................Testicles. + Casoya........................................Ship, canoe. + Conossade.....................................House or hut. + Onega.........................................Water. + Oetseira......................................Fire. + Oyente........................................Wood (firewood). + Oscante.......................................Bark. + Canadera......................................Bread. + Ceheda (Osaheta?).............................Beans. + Onesta........................................Maize. + Cinsie........................................Fish. + Ghekeront.....................................Salmon. + Oware.........................................Meat. + Athesera......................................Flour. + Satsori.......................................To eat. + Onighira......................................To drink. + Kastten kerreyager............................Very hungry. + Augustuske....................................Very cold. + Oyendere......................................Very good. + Rockste.......................................Friends. + Iachte yendere................................'Tis no good. + Quane (Kewanea?)..............................Great. + Canyewa.......................................Small. + Wotstaha......................................Broad. + Cates.........................................Thick. + Satewa........................................Alone. + Sagat.........................................Doubly. + Awaheya.......................................Death. + Aghihi........................................Sick. + Sasnoron......................................Hurry up. + Archoo........................................At once. + Owaetsei......................................At present. + The derri.....................................Yesterday. + Jorhani.......................................To-morrow. + Careyago......................................The sky. + Karackwero....................................The sun. + Asistock......................................The stars. + Sintho........................................To sow. + Deserentekar..................................Meadow. + Sorsar........................................To raise. + Cana..........................................The seed. + Onea..........................................Stone. + Canadack or cany..............................Sack or basket. + Canadaghi.....................................A castle. + Oyoghi........................................A kill [small river]. + Canaderage....................................A river. + Johati........................................A path or road. + Onstara.......................................To weep. + Aquayesse.....................................To laugh. + Ohonte........................................Grass, vegetables. + Oneggeri......................................Weeds or reeds or straw. + Christittye...................................Iron, copper, or lead. + Onegonsera....................................Red paint. + Cahonsye......................................Black. + Crage.........................................White. + Ossivenda.....................................Blue. + Endatcondere..................................To paint. + Joddireyo.....................................To fight. + Aquinachoo....................................Angry. + Jaghac teroeni................................Frightened. + Dadeneye......................................To gamble. + Asserie.......................................Very strong. + Carente.......................................Artful, crooked. + Odossera......................................The bacon. + Keye..........................................The fat. + Wistotcera....................................The grease. + Ostie.........................................The bone. + Aghidawe......................................To sleep. + Sinekaty......................................Carnal copulation. + Jankurangue...................................Very tired. + Atsochwat.....................................Tobacco. + Canonou.......................................Pine. + Esteronde.....................................The rain. + Waghideria....................................To sweat. + Kayontochke...................................Flat arable land. + Ononda........................................Mountains. + Cayanoghe.....................................Islands. + Schasohadee...................................The overside. + Caroo.........................................Close by. + Cadadiene.....................................To trade. + Daweyate......................................To sit in council. + Agetsioga.....................................A string of beads. + Aquayanderen..................................A chief. + Seronquatse...................................A scoundrel. + Sari wacksi...................................A chatterer. + Onewachten....................................A liar. + Tenon commenyon...............................What do you want? + Sinachkoo.....................................To drive the devil away. + Adenocquat....................................To give medicine. + Coenhasaren...................................To cure. + Sategat.......................................To light the fire, + make fire. + Judicha.......................................The fire. + Catteges issewe...............................When will you come again? + Tosenochte....................................I don't know. + Tegenhondi....................................In the spring. + Otteyage......................................In the summer. + Augustuske....................................In the winter. + Katkaste......................................To cook dinner. + Jori..........................................It is ready. + Dequoguoha....................................To go hunting. + Osqucha.......................................I'll fetch it. + Seyendere u...................................I know him well. + Kristoni asseroni.............................Netherlanders, Germans. + Aderondackx...................................Frenchmen or Englishmen. + Anesagghena...................................Mahicans, or Mohigans. + Torsas........................................To the north. + Kanon newage..................................Manhattan. + Onscat........................................One. + Tiggeni.......................................Two. + Asse..........................................Three. + Cayere........................................Four. + Wisch.........................................Five. + Jayack........................................Six. + Tsadack.......................................Seven. + Sategon.......................................Eight. + Tyochte.......................................Nine. + Oyere.........................................Ten. + Tawasse.......................................Forty. + Onscat teneyawe...............................Hundred. +</PRE> + +<BR><BR> + +<H5 ALIGN="center"> +END OF "MEGAPOLENSIS ON THE MOHAWKS (Part 1)." +</H5> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="mohawks2"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +MEGAPOLENSIS ON THE MOHAWKS (Part 2) +</H3> + +<P> +A Short Account of the Mohawk Indians, by Reverend Johannes +Megapolensis, Jr., 1644. In J. Franklin Jameson, ed., Narratives of +New Netherland, 1609-1664 (Original Narratives of Early American +History). NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1909. +</P> + +<P> +A Short Account of the Mohawk Indians, their Country, Language, +Stature, Dress, Religion and Government, thus described and recently, +August 26, 1644, sent out of New Netherland, by Johannes Megapolensis +the younger, Preacher there. +</P> + +<BR> + +<P> +The Country here is in general like that in Germany. The land is good, +and fruitful in everything which supplies human needs, except clothes, +linen, woollen, stockings, shoes, etc., which are all dear here. The +country is very mountainous, partly soil, partly rocks, and with +elevations so exceeding high that they appear to almost touch the +clouds. Thereon grow the finest fir trees the eye ever saw. There are +also in this country oaks, alders, beeches, elms, willows, etc. In the +forests, and here and there along the water side, and on the islands, +there grows an abundance of chestnuts, plums, hazel nuts, large walnuts +of several sorts, and of as good a taste as in the Netherlands, but +they have a somewhat harder shell. The ground on the hills is covered +with bushes of bilberries or blueberries; the ground in the flat land +near the rivers is covered with strawberries, which grow here so +plentifully in the fields, that one can lie down and eat them. +Grapevines also grow here naturally in great abundance along the roads, +paths, and creeks, and wherever you may turn you find them. I have seen +whole pieces of land where vine stood by vine and grew very +luxuriantly, climbing to the top of the largest and loftiest trees, and +although they are not cultivated, some of the grapes are found to be as +good and sweet as in Holland. Here is also a sort of grapes which grow +very large, each grape as big as the end of one's finger, or an +ordinary plum, and because they are somewhat fleshy and have a thick +skin we call them Speck Druyven. If people would cultivate the vines +they might have as good wine here as they have in Germany or France. I +had myself last harvest a boat-load of grapes and pressed them. As +long as the wine was new it tasted better than any French or Rhenish +Must, and the color of the grape juice here is so high and red that +with one wine-glass full you can color a whole pot of white wine. In +the forests is great plenty of deer, which in autumn and early winter +are as fat as any Holland cow can be. I have had them with fat more +than two fingers thick on the ribs, so that they were nothing else than +almost clear fat, and could hardly be eaten. There are also many +turkies, as large as in Holland, but in some years less than in others. +The year before I came here, there were so many turkies and deer that +they came to feed by the houses and hog pens, and were taken by the +Indians in such numbers that a deer was sold to the Dutch for a loaf of +bread, or a knife, or even for a tobacco pipe; but now one commonly has +to give for a good deer six or seven guilders. In the forests here +there are also many partridges, heath-hens and pigeons that fly +together in thousands, and sometimes ten, twenty, thirty and even forty +and fifty are killed at one shot. We have here, too, a great number of +all kinds of fowl, swans, geese, ducks, widgeons, teal, brant, which +sport upon the river in thousands in the spring of the year, and again +in the autumn fly away in flocks, so that in the morning and evening +any one may stand ready with his gun before his house and shoot them as +they fly past. I have also eaten here several times of elks, which +were very fat and tasted much like venison; and besides these +profitable beasts we have also in this country lions, bears, wolves, +foxes, and particularly very many snakes, which are large and as long +as eight, ten, and twelve feet. Among others, there is a sort of +snake, which we call rattlesnake, from a certain object which it has +back upon its tail, two or three fingers' breadth long, and has ten or +twelve joints, and with this it makes a noise like the crickets. Its +color is variegated much like our large brindled bulls. These snakes +have very sharp teeth in their mouth, and dare to bite at dogs; they +make way for neither man nor beast, but fall on and bite them, and +their bite is very poisonous, and commonly even deadly too. +</P> + +<P> +As to the soil of this country, that on the mountains is a reddish sand +or rock, but in the low flat lands, and along the rivers, and even in +the jutting sides of the mountains for an hundred or two hundred paces +up, there is often clay. I have been on hills here, as high as a +church, to examine the soil, and have found it to be clay. In this +ground there appears to be a singular strength and capacity for bearing +crops, for a farmer here told me that he had raised fine wheat on one +and the same piece of land eleven years successively without ever +breaking it up or letting it lie fallow. The butter here is clean and +yellow as in Holland. Through this land runs an excellent river, about +500 or 600 paces wide. This river comes out of the Mahakas Country, +about four leagues north of us. There is flows between two high rocky +banks, and falls from a height equal to that of a church, with such a +noise that we can sometimes hear it here with us. In the beginning of +June twelve of us took ride to see it. When we came there we saw not +only the river falling with such a noise that we could hardly hear one +another, but the water boiling and dashing with such force in still +weather, that it seemed all the time as if it were raining; and the +trees on the hills near by (which are as high as Schoorler Duyn) had +their leaves all the time wet exactly as if it rained. The water is as +clear as crystal, and as fresh as milk. I and another with me saw +there, in clear sunshine, when there was not a cloud in the sky, +especially when we stood above upon the rocks, directly opposite where +the river falls, in the great abyss, the half of a rainbow, or a +quarter of a circle, of the same color with the rainbow in the sky. +And when we had gone about ten or twelve rods farther downwards from +the fall, along the river, we saw a complete rainbow, like a half +circle, appearing clearly in the water just as if it had been in the +clouds, and this is always so according to the report of all who have +ever been there. In this river is a great plenty of all kinds of +fish—pike, eels, perch, lampreys, suckers, cat fish, sun fish, shad, +bass, etc. In the spring, in May, the perch are so plenty, that one +man with a hook and line will catch in one hour as many as ten or +twelve can eat. My boys have caught in an hour fifty, each a foot +long. They have three hooks on the instrument with which they fish, +and draw up frequently two or three perch at once. There is also in the +river a great plenty of sturgeon, which we Christians do not like, but +the Indians eat them greedily. In this river, too, are very beautiful +islands, containing ten, twenty, thirty, fifty and seventy morgens of +land. The soil is very good, but the worst of it is, that by the +melting of the snow, or heavy rains, the river readily overflows and +covers that low land. This river ebbs and flows at ordinary low water +as far as this place, although it is thirty-six leagues inland from the +sea. +</P> + +<P> +As for the temperature in this country, and the seasons of the year, +the summers are pretty hot, so that for the most of the time we are +obliged to go in just our shirts, and the winters are very cold. The +summer continues long, even until All Saints' Day; but when the winter +does begin, just as it commonly does in December, it freezes so hard in +one night that the ice will bear a man. Even the rivers, in still +weather when there is no strong current running, are frozen over in one +night, so that on the second day people walk over it. And this freezing +continues commonly three months; for although we are situated here in +42 degrees of latitude, it always freezes so. And although there come +warm and pleasant days, the thaw does not continue, but it freezes +again until March. Then, commonly, the rivers first begin to open, and +seldom in February. We have the greatest cold from the northwest, as +in Holland from the northeast. The wind here is very seldom east, but +almost always south, southwest, northwest, and north; so also the rain. +</P> + +<P> +Our shortest winter days have nine hours sun; in the summer, our +longest days are about fifteen hours. We lie so far west of Holland +that I judge you are about four hours in advance of us, so that when it +is six o'clock in the morning with us it is ten in the forenoon with +you, and when it is noon with us, it is four o'clock in the afternoon +with you. +</P> + +<P> +The inhabitants of this country are of two kinds: first, +Christians—at least so called; second, Indians. Of the Christians I +shall say nothing; my design is to speak of the Indians only. These +among us are again of two kinds: first, the Mahakinbas, or, as they +call themselves, Kajingahaga; second, the Mahakans, otherwise called +Agotzagena. These two nations have different languages, which have no +affinity with each other, like Dutch and Latin. These people formerly +carried on a great war against each other, but since the Mahakanders +were subdued by the Mahakobaas, peace has subsisted between them, and +the conquered are obliged to bring a yearly contribution to the others. +We live among both these kinds of Indians; and when they come to us +from their country, or we go to them, they do us every act of +friendship. The principal nation of all the savages and Indians +hereabouts with which we have the most intercourse, is the Mahakuaas, +who have laid all the other Indians near us under contribution. This +nation has a very difficult language, and it costs me great pains to +learn it, so as to be able to speak and preach in it fluently. There is +no Christian here who understands the language thoroughly; those who +have lived here long can use a kind of jargon just sufficient to carry +on trade with it, but they do not understand the fundamentals of the +language. I am making a vocabulary of the Mahakuaas' language, and +when I am among them I ask them how things are called; but as they are +very stupid, I sometimes cannot make them understand what I want. +Moreover when they tell me, one tells me the word in the infinitive +mood, another in the indicative; one in the first, another in the +second person; one in the present, another in the preterit. So I stand +oftentimes and look, but do not know how to put it down. And as they +have declensions and conjugations also, and have their augments like +the Greeks, I am like one distracted, and frequently cannot tell what +to do, and there is no one to set me right. I shall have to speculate +in this alone, in order to become in time an Indian grammarian. When I +first observed that they pronounced their words so differently, I asked +the commissary of the company what it meant. He answered me that he +did not know, but imagined they changed their language every two or +three years; I argued against this that it could never be that a whole +nation should change its language with one consent;—and, although he +has been connected with them here these twenty years, he can afford me +no assistance. +</P> + +<P> +The people and Indians here in this country are like us Dutchmen in +body and stature; some of them have well formed features, bodies and +limbs; they all have black hair and eyes, but their skin is yellow. In +summer they go naked, having only their private parts covered with a +patch. The children and young folks to ten, twelve and fourteen years +of age go stark naked. In winter, they hang about them simply an +undressed deer or bear or panther skin; or they take some beaver and +otter skins, wild cat, raccoon, martin, otter, mink, squirrel or such +like skins, which are plenty in this country, and sew some of them to +others, until it is a square piece, and that is then a garments for +them; or they buy of us Dutchmen two and a half ells of duffel, and +that they hang simply about them, just as it was torn off, without +sewing it, and walk away with it. They look at themselves constantly, +and think they are very fine. They make themselves stockings and also +shoes of deer skin, or they take leaves of their corn, and plait them +together and use them for shoes. The women, as well as the men, go +with their heads bare. The women let their hair grow very long, and +tie it together a little, and let it hang down their backs. The men +have a long lock of hair hanging down, some on one side of the head, +and some on both sides. On the top of their heads they have a streak +of hair from the forehead to the neck, about the breadth of three +fingers, and this they shorten until it is about two or three fingers +long, and it stands right on end like a rock's comb or hog's bristles; +on both sides of this cock's comb they cut all the hair short, except +the aforesaid locks, and they also leave on the bare places here and +there small locks, such as are in sweeping-brushes, and then they are +in fine array. +</P> + +<P> +They likewise paint their faces red, blue, etc., and then they look +like the Devil himself. They smear their heads with bear's-grease, +which they all carry with them for this purpose in a small basket; they +say they do it to make their hair grow better and to prevent their +having lice. When they travel, they take with them some of their +maize, a wooden bowl, and a spoon; these they pack up and hang on their +backs. Whenever they are hungry, they forthwith make a fire and cook; +they can get fire by rubbing pieces of wood against one another, and +that very quickly. +</P> + +<P> +They generally live without marriage; and if any of them have wives, +the marriage continues no longer than seems good to one of the parties, +and then they separate, and each takes another partner. I have seen +those who had parted, and afterwards lived a long time with others, +leave these again, seek their former partners, and again be one pair. +And, though they have wives, yet they will not leave off whoring; and +if they can sleep with another man's wife, they think it is a brave +thing. The women are exceedingly addicted to whoring; they will lie +with a man for the value of one, two, or three schillings, and our +Dutchmen run after them very much. +</P> + +<P> +The women, when they have been delivered, go about immediately +afterwards, and be it ever so cold, they wash themselves and the young +child in the river or the snow. They will not lie down (for they say +that if they did they would soon die), but keep going about. They are +obliged to cut wood, to travel three or four leagues with the child; in +short, they walk, they stand, they work, as if they had not lain in, +and we cannot see that they suffer any injury by it; and we sometimes +try to persuade our wives to lie-in so, and that the way of lying-in in +Holland is a mere fiddle-faddle. The men have great authority over +their concubines, so that if they do anything which does not please and +raises their passion, they take an axe and knock them in the head, and +there is an end of it. The women are obliged to prepare the land, to +mow, to plant, and do everything; the men do nothing, but hunt, fish, +and make war upon their enemies. They are very cruel towards their +enemies in time of war; for they first bite off the nails of the +fingers of their captives, and cut off some joints, and sometimes even +whole fingers; after that, the captives are forced to sing and dance +before them stark naked; and finally, they roast their prisoners dead +before a slow fire for some days, and then eat them up. The common +people eat the arms, buttocks and trunk, but the chiefs eat the head +and the heart. +</P> + +<P> +Our Mahakas carry on great wars against the Indians of Canada, on the +River Saint Lawrence, and take many captives, and sometimes there are +French Christians among them. Last year, our Indians got a great booty +from the French on the River Saint Lawrence, and took three Frenchmen, +one of whom was a Jesuit. They killed one, but the Jesuit (whose left +thumb was cut off, and all the nails and parts of his fingers were +bitten,) we released, and sent him to France by a yacht which was going +to our country. They spare all the children from ten to twelve years +old, and all the women whom they take in war, unless the women are very +old, and then they kill them too. Though they are so very cruel to +their enemies, they are very friendly to us, and we have no dread of +them. We go with them into the woods, we meet with each other, +sometimes at an hour or two's walk from any houses, and think no more +about it than as if we met with a Christian. They sleep by us, too, in +our chambers before our beds. I have had eight at once lying and +sleeping upon the floor near my bed, for it is their custom to sleep +simply on the bare ground, and to have only a stone or a bit of wood +under their heads. In the evening, they go to bed very soon after they +have supped; but early in the morning, before day begins to break, they +are up again. They are very slovenly and dirty; they wash neither +their face nor hands, but let all remain upon their yellow skin, and +look like hogs. Their bread is Indian corn beaten to pieces between +two stones, of which they make a cake, and bake it in the ashes: their +other victuals are venison, turkies, hares, bears, wild cats, their own +dogs, etc. The fish they cook just as they get them out of the water +without cleansing; also the entrails of deer with all their contents, +which they cook a little; and if the intestines are then too tough, +they take one end in their mouth, and the other in their hand, and +between hand and mouth they separate and eat them. So they do commonly +with the flesh, for they carve a little piece and lay it on the fire, +as long as one would need to walk from his house to church, and then it +is done; and then they bite into it so that the blood runs along their +mouths. They can also take a piece of bear's-fat as large as two fists, +and eat it clear without bread or anything else. It is natural to them +to have no bears; not one in an hundred has any hair about his mouth. +</P> + +<P> +They have also naturally a very high opinion of themselves; they say, +Ihy Othkon, ("I am the Devil") by which they mean that they are +superior folks. In order to praise themselves and their people, +whenever we tell them they are very expert at catching deer, or doing +this and that, they say, Tkoschs ko, aguweechon Kajingahaga kouaane +Jountuckcha Othkon; that is, "Really all the Mohawks are very cunning +devils." They make their houses of the bark of trees, very close and +warm, and kindle their fire in the middle of them. They also make of +the peeling and bark of trees, canoes or small boats, which will carry +four, five and six persons. In like manner they hollow out trees, and +use them for boats, some of which are very large. I have several times +sat and sailed with ten, twelve and fourteen persons in one of these +hollowed logs. We have in our colony a wooden canoe obtained from the +Indians, which will easily carry two hundred schepels of wheat. Their +weapons in war were formerly a bow and arrow, with a stone axe and +mallet; but now they get from our people guns, swords, iron axes and +mallets. Their money consists of certain little bones, made of shells +or cockles, which are found on the sea-beach; a hole is drilled through +the middle of the little bones, and these they string upon thread, or +they make of them belts as broad as a hand, or broader, and hang them +on their necks, or around their bodies. They have also several holes in +their ears, and there they likewise hang some. They value these little +bones as highly as many Christians do gold, silver and pearls; but they +do not like our money, and esteem it no better than iron. I once +showed one of their chiefs a rix-dollar; he asked how much it was worth +among the Christians; and when I told him, he laughed exceedingly at +us, saying we were fools to value a piece of iron so highly; and if he +had such money, he would throw it into the river. They place their +dead upright in holes, and do not lay them down, and then they throw +some trees and wood on the grave, or enclose it with palisades. They +have their set times for going to catch fish, bears, panthers, beavers +and eels. In the spring, they catch vast quantities of shad and +lampreys, which are exceedingly large here; they lay them on the bark +of trees in the sun, and dry them thoroughly hard, and then put them in +notasten, or bags, which they plait from hemp which grows wild here, +and keep the fish till winter. When their corn is ripe, they take it +from the ears, open deep pits, and preserve it in these the whole +winter. They can also make nets and seines in their fashion; and when +they want to fish with seines, ten or twelve men will go together and +help each other, all of whom own the seine in common. +</P> + +<P> +They are entire strangers to all religion, but they have a +Tharonhijouaagon, (whom they also otherwise call Athzoockkuatoriaho,) +that is, a Genius, whom they esteem in the place of God; but they do +not serve him or make offerings to him. They worship and present +offerings to the Devil, whom they call Otskon, or Aireskuoni. If they +have any bad luck in war, they catch a bear, which they cut in pieces, +and roast, and that they offer up to their Aireskuoni, saying in +substance, they following words: "Oh! great and mighty Aireskuoni, we +confess that we have offended against thee, inasmuch as we have not +killed and eaten our captive enemies;—forgive us this. We promise that +we will kill and eat all the captives we shall hereafter take as +certainly as we have killed, and now eat this bear." Also when the +weather is very hot, and there comes a cooling breeze, they cry out +directly, Asorunusi, asorunusi, Otskon aworouhsi reinnuha; that is, "I +thank thee, I thank thee, devil, I thank thee, little uncle!" If they +are sick, or have a pain or soreness anywhere in their limbs, and I ask +them what ails them they say that the Devil sits in their body, or in +the sore places, and bites them there; so that they attribute to the +Devil at once the accidents which befall them; they have otherwise no +religion. When we pray they laugh at us. Some of them despise it +entirely; and some, when we tell them what we do when we pray, stand +astonished. When we deliver a sermon, sometimes ten or twelve of them, +more or less, will attend, each having a long tobacco pipe, made by +himself, in his mouth, and will stand awhile and look, and afterwards +ask me what I am doing and what I want, that I stand there alone and +make so many words, while none of the rest may speak. I tell them that +I am admonishing the Christians, that they must not steal, nor commit +lewdness, nor get drunk, nor commit murder, and that they too ought not +to do these things; and that I intend in process of time to preach the +same to them and come to them in their own country and castles (about +three days' journey from here, further inland), when I am acquainted +with their language. Then they say I do well to teach the Christians; +but immediately add, Diatennon jawij Assirioni, hagiouisk, that is, +"Why do so many Christians do these things?" They call us Assirioni, +that is, cloth-makers, or Charistooni, that is, iron-workers, because +our people first brought cloth and iron among them. +</P> + +<P> +They will not come into a house where there is a menstruous woman, nor +eat with her. No woman may touch their snares with which they catch +deer, for they say the deer can scent it. +</P> + +<P> +The other day an old woman came to our house, and told my people that +her forefathers had told her "that Tharonhij-Jagon, that is, God, once +went out walking with his brother, and a dispute arose between them, +and God killed his brother." I suppose this fable took its rise from +Cain and Abel. They have a droll theory of the Creation, for they +think that a pregnant woman fell down from heaven, and that a tortoise, +(tortoises are plenty and large here, in this country, two, three and +four feet long, some with two heads, very mischievous and addicted to +biting) took this pregnant woman on its back, because every place was +covered with water; and that the woman sat upon the tortoise, groped +with her hands in the water, and scraped together some of the earth, +whence it finally happened that the earth was raised above the water. +They think that there are more worlds than one, and that we came from +another world. +</P> + +<P> +The Mohawk Indians are divided into three tribes, which are called +Ochkari, Aanaware, Oknaho, that is, the Bear, the Tortoise and the +Wolf. Of these, the Tortoise is the greatest and most prominent; and +they boast that they are the oldest descendants of the woman before +mentioned. These have made a fort of palisades, and they call their +castle Asserue. Those of the Bear are the next to these, and their +castle is called by them Banagiro. The last are a progeny of these, +and their castle is called Thenondiogo. These Indian tribes each carry +the beast after which they are named (as the arms in their banner) when +they go to war against their enemies, as for a sign of their own +bravery. Lately one of their chiefs came to me and presented me with a +beaver, an otter, and some cloth he had stolen from the French, which I +must accept as a token of good fellowship. When he opened his budget +he had in it a dried head of a bear, with grinning teeth. I asked him +what that meant? He answered me that he fastened it upon his left +shoulder by the side of his head, and that then he was the devil, who +cared for nothing, and did not fear any thing. +</P> + +<P> +The government among them consists of the oldest, the most intelligent, +the most eloquent and most warlike men. These commonly resolve, and +then the young and warlike men execute. But if the common people do not +approve of the resolution, it is left entirely to the judgment of the +mob. The chiefs are generally the poorest among them, for instead of +their receiving from the common people as among Christians, they are +obliged to give to the mob; especially when any one is deceased; and if +they take any prisoners they present them to that family of which one +has been killed, and the prisoner is then adopted by the family into +the place of the deceased person. There is no punishment here for +murder and other villainies, but every one is his own avenger. The +friends of the deceased revenge themselves upon the murderer until +peace is made by presents to the next of kin. But although they are so +cruel, and live without laws or any punishments for evil doers, yet +there are not half so many villainies or murders committed amongst them +as amongst Christians; so that I oftentimes think with astonishment +upon all the murders committed in the Fatherland, notwithstanding their +severe laws and heavy penalties. These Indians, though they live +without laws, or fear of punishment, do not (at least, they very +seldom) kill people, unless it may be in a great passion, or a +hand-to-hand fight. Wherefore we go wholly unconcerned along with the +Indians and meet each other an hour's walk off in the woods, without +doing any harm to one another. +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +JOHANNES MEGAPOLENSIS. +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<H5 ALIGN="center"> +END OF "MEGAPOLENSIS ON THE MOHAWKS (Part 2)." +</H5> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="jogues"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +LETTER AND NARRATIVE OF FATHER ISAAC JOGUES +</H3> + +<BR> + +<P> +Letter and Narrative of Father Isaac Jogues, 1643, 1645. In J. Franklin +Jameson, ed., Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664 (Original +Narratives of Early American History). NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, +1909. +</P> + +<P> +Letter of Father Isaac Jogues to His Superior in Canada, 1643. +</P> + +<BR> + +<P> +I STARTED the very day of the Feast of Our Blessed Father Saint +Ignatius from the village where I was captive, in order to follow and +accompany some Iroquois who were going away, first for trade, then for +fishing. Having accomplished their little traffic, they stopped at a +place seven or eight leagues below a settlement of the Dutch, which is +located on a river where we carried on our fishing. While we were +setting snares for the fish, there came a rumor that a squad of +Iroquois, returned from pursuit of the Hurons, had killed five or six +on the spot, and taken four prisoners, two of whom had been already +burned in our village, with cruelties extraordinary. At this news, my +heart was pierced through with a most bitter and sharp pain, because I +had not seen, or consoled, or baptized those poor victims. +Consequently, fearing lest some other like thing should happen in my +absence, I said to a good old woman—who, by reason of her age, and the +care that she had for me, and the compassion that she felt toward me, +called me her nephew, and I called her my aunt—I then said to her: +"My aunt, I would much like to return to our cabin; I grow very weary +here." It was not that I expected more ease and less pain in our +village, where I suffered a continual martyrdom, being constrained to +see with my eyes the horrible cruelties which are practised there; but +my heart could not endure the death of any man without my procuring him +holy baptism. That good woman said to me: "Go then, my nephew, since +thou art weary here; take something to eat on the way." I embarked in +the first canoe that was going up to the village, always conducted and +always accompanied by the Iroquois. Having arrived, as we did, in the +settlement of the Dutch, through which it was necessary for us to pass, +I learn that our whole village is excited against the French, and that +only my return is awaited, for them to burn us. Now for the cause of +such news. Among several bands of Iroquois, who had gone to war +against the French, the Algonquins and the Hurons, there was one which +took the resolution to go round about Richelieu, in order to spy on the +French and the savages, their allies. Certain Huron of this band, +taken by the Hiroquois, and settled among them, came to ask me for +letters, in order to carry them to the French, hoping, perhaps, to +surprise some one of them by this bait; but, as I doubted not that our +French would be on their guard, and as I saw, moreover, that it was +important that I should give them some warning of the designs, the arms +and the treachery of our enemies, I found means to secure a bit of +paper in order to write to them, the Dutch according me this charity. +I knew very well the dangers to which I was exposing myself; I was not +ignorant that, if any misfortune happened to those warriors, they would +make me responsible therefor, and would blame my letters for it. I +anticipated my death; but it seemed to me pleasant and agreeable, +employed for the public good, and for the consolation of our French and +of the poor savages who listen to the word of Our Lord. My heart was +seized with no dread at the sight of all that might happen therefrom, +since it was a matter of the glory of God; I accordingly gave my letter +to that young warrior, who did not return. The story which his +comrades have brought back says that he carried it to the fort of +Richelieu, and that, as soon as the French had seen it, they fired the +cannon upon them. This frightened them so that the greater part fled, +all naked, abandoning one of their canoes, in which there were three +arquebuses, powder and lead, and some other baggage. These tidings +being brought into the village, they clamor aloud that my letters have +caused them to be treated like that; the rumor of it spreads +everywhere; it comes even to my ears. They reproach me that I have done +this evil deed; they speak only of burning me; and, if I had chanced to +be in the village at the return of those warriors, fire, rage and +cruelty would have taken my life. For climax of misfortune, another +troop—coming back from Montreal, where they had set ambushes for the +French—said that one of their men had been killed, and two others +wounded. Each one held me guilty of these adverse encounters; they +were fairly mad with rage, awaiting me with impatience. I listened to +all these rumors, offering myself without reserve to our Lord, and +committing myself in all and through all to His most holy will. The +captain of the Dutch settlement where we were, not being ignorant of +the evil design of those barbarians, and knowing, moreover, that +Monsieur the Chevalier de Montmagny had prevented the savages of New +France from coming to kill some Dutch, disclosed to me means for +escape. "Yonder," said he to me, "is a vessel at anchor, which will +said in a few days; enter into it secretly. It is going first to +Virginia, and thence it will carry you to Bordeux or to La Rochelle, +where it is to land." Having thanked him, with much regard for his +courtesy, I tell him that the Iroquois, probably suspecting that some +one had favored my retreat, might cause some damages to his people. +"No, no," he answers, "fear nothing; this opportunity is favorable; +embark; you will never find a more certain way to escape." My heart +remained perplexed at these words, wondering if it were not expedient +for the greater glory of our Lord that I expose myself to the danger of +the fire and to the furty of those barbarians, in order to aid in the +salvation of some soul. I said to him then: "Monsieur, the affair +seems to me of such importance that I cannot answer you at once; give +me, if you please, the night to think of it. I will commend it to our +Lord; I will examine the arguments on both sides; and to-morrow morning +I will tell you my final resolution." He granted me my request with +astonishment; I spent the night in prayers, greatly beseeching our Lord +that he should not allow me to reach a conclusion by myself; that he +should give me light, in order to know His most holy will; that in all +and through all I wished to follow it, even to the extent of being +burned at a slow fire. The reasons which might keep me in the country +were consideration for the French and for the Savages; I felt love for +them, and a great desire to assist them, insomuch that I had resolved +to spend the remainder of my days in that captivity, for their +salvation; but I saw the face of affairs quite changed. +</P> + +<P> +In the first place, as regarded our three Frenchmen, led captive into +the country as well as I: one of them, named Rene Goupil, had already +been murdered at my feet; this young man had the purity of an angel. +Henry, whom they had taken at Mont-Real, had fled into the woods. +While he was looking at the cruelties which were practised upon two +poor Hurons, roasted at a slow fire, some Iroquois told him that he +would receive the same treatment, and I, too, when I should return; +these threats made him resolve rather to plunge into the danger of +dying from hunger in the woods, or of being devoured by some wild +beast, than to endure the torments which these half-demons inflicted. +It was already seven days since he had disappeared. As for Guilllaume +Cousture, I saw scarcely any further way of aiding him, for they had +placed him in a village far from the one where I was; and the savages +so occupied it on the hither side of that place, that I could no longer +meet him. Add that he himself had addressed me in these words: "My +Father, try to escape; as soon as I shall see you no more, I shall find +the means to get away. You well know that I stay in this captivity +only for the love of you; make, then, your efforts to escape, for I +cannot think of my liberty and of my life unless I see you in safety." +Furthermore, this good youth had been given to an old man, who assured +me that he would allow him to go in peace, if I could obtain my +deliverance; consequently I saw no further reason which obliged me to +remain on account of the French. +</P> + +<P> +As for the savages, I was without power and beyond hope of being able +to instruct them; for the whole country was so irritated against me +that I found no more any opening to speak to them, or to win them; and +the Algonquins and the Hurons were constrained to withdraw from me, as +from a victim destined to the fire, for fear of sharing in the hatred +and rage which the Iroquois felt against me. I realized, moreover, +that I had some acquaintance with their language; that I knew their +country and their strength; that I could perhaps better procure their +salvation by other ways than by remaining among them. It came to my +mind that all this knowledge would die with me, if I did not escape. +These wretches had so little inclination to deliver us, that they +committed a treachery against the law and the custom of all these +nations. Savage from the country of the Sokokiois, allies of the +Iroquois, having been seized by the upper Algonquins and taken a +prisoner to the Three Rivers, or to Kebec, was delivered and set at +liberty by the mediation of Monsieur the Governor of New France, at the +solicitation of the Fathers. This good savage, seeing that the French +had saved his life, sent in the month of April, some fine presents, to +the end that they should deliver at least one of the French. The +Iroquois retained the presents, without setting one of them at liberty, +which treachery is perhaps unexampled among these peoples, for they +inviolably observe this law, that whoever touches or accepts the +present which is made to him, is bound to fulfil what is asked of him +through that present. This is why, when they they are unwilling to +grant what is desired, they send back the presents or make others in +place of them. But to return to my subject: having weighed before +God, with all the impartiality in my power, the reasons which inclined +me to remain among those barbarians or to leave them, I believed that +our Lord would be better pleased if I should take the opportunity to +escape. Daylight having come, I went to greet Monsieur the Dutch +Governor, and declared to him the opinions that I had adopted before +God. He summons the chief men of the ship, signifies to them his +intentions, and exhorts them to receive me, and to keep me +concealed—in a word, to convey me back to Europe. They answer that, +if I can once set foot in their vessel, I am in safety; that I shall +not leave it until I reach Bordeaux or La Rochelle. "Well, then," the +Governor said to me, "return with the savages, and toward the evening, +or in the night, steal away softly and move toward the river; you will +find there a little boat which I will have kept all ready to carry you +secretly to the ship." +</P> + +<P> +After very humbly returning thanks to all those gentlemen, I withdrew +from the Dutch, in order better to conceal my design. Toward evening, I +retired with ten or twelve Iroquois into a barn, where we passed the +night. Before lying down, I went out of that place, to see in what +quarter I might most easily escape. The dogs of the Dutch, being then +untied, run up to me; one of them, large and powerful, flings himself +upon my leg, which is bare, and seriously injures it. I return +immediately to the barn; the Iroquois close it securely and, the better +to guard me, come to lie down beside me, especially a certain man who +had been charged to watch me. Seeing myself beset with those evil +creatures, and the barn well closed, and surrounded with dogs, which +would betray me if I essayed to go out, I almost believed that I could +not escape. I complained quietly to my God, because, having given me +the idea of escaping, Concluserat vias meas lapidibus quadris, et in +loco spatioso pedes meos. He was stopping up the ways and paths of it. +I spent also that second night without sleeping; the day approaching, I +heard the cocks crow. Soon afterward, a servant of the Dutch farmer +who had lodged us in his barn, having entered it by some door or other, +I accosted him softly, and made signs to him (for I did not understand +his Flemish), that he should prevent the dogs from yelping. He goes +out at once, and I after him, having previously taken all my +belongings, which consisted of a little Office of the Virgin, of a +little Gerson, and a wooden Cross that I had made for myself, in order +to preserve the memory of the sufferings of my Savior. Being outside +of the barn, without having made any noise or awakened my guards, I +cross over a fence which confined the enclosure about the house; I run +straight to the river where the ship was—this is all the service that +my leg, much wounded, could render me; for there was surely a good +quarter of a league of road to make. I found the boat as they had told +me, but, the water having subsided, it was aground. I push it, in +order to set it afloat; not being able to effect this, on account of +its weight, I call to the ship, that they bring the skiff to ferry me, +but no news. I know not whether they heard me; at all events no one +appeared. The daylight meanwhile was beginning to discover to the +Iroquois the theft that I was making of myself; I feared that they +might surprise me in this innocent misdemeanor. Weary of shouting, I +return to the boat; I pray God to increase my strength; I do so well, +turning it end for end, and push it so hard that I get it to the water. +Having made it float, I jump into it, and go all alone to the ship, +where I go on board without being discovered by any Iroquois. They +lodge me forthwith down in the hold; and in order to conceal me they +put a great chest over the hatchway. I was two days and two nights in +the belly of that vessel, with such discomfort that I thought I would +suffocate and die with the stench. I remembered then poor Jonas, and I +prayed our Lord, Ne fugerem a facie Domini, that I might not hide +myself before his face, and that I might not withdraw far from his +wishes; but on the contrary, infatuaret omnia consilia quae non essent +ad suam gloriam, I prayed him to overthrow all the counsels which +should not tend to this glory, and to detain me in the country of those +infidels, if he did not approve my retreat and my flight. The second +night of my voluntary prison, the minister of the Dutch came to tell me +that the Iroquois had indeed made some disturbance, and that the Dutch +inhabitants of the country were afraid that they would set fire to +their houses or kill their cattle; they have reason to fear them, since +they have armed them with good arquebuses. To that I answer: Si +propter me orta est tempestas, projicite me in mare: "If the storm has +risen on my account, I am ready to appease it by losing my life;" I +had never the wish to escape to the prejudice of the least man of their +settlement. Finally, it was necessary to leave my cavern; all the +mariners were offended at this, saying that the promise of security had +been given me in case I could set foot in the ship, and that I was +withdrawn at the moment when it would be requisite to bring me thither +if I were not there; that I had put myself in peril of life by escaping +upon their words; that it must needs be kept, whatever the cost. I +begged that I be allowed to go forth, since the captain who had +disclosed to me the way of my flight was asking for me. I went to find +him in his house, where he kept me concealed; these goings and these +comings having occurred by night, I was not yet discovered. I might +indeed have alleged some reasons in all these encounters; but it was +not for me to speak in my own cause, but rather to follow the orders of +others, to which I submitted with good heart. Finally, the captain told +me that it was necessary to yield quietly to the storm, and wait until +the minds of the savages should be pacified; and that every one was of +this opinion. So there I was, a voluntary prisoner in his house, from +which I am writing back to you the present letter. And if you ask my +thoughts in all these adventures, I will tell you. +</P> + +<P> +First, that that ship which had wished to save my life, sailed without +me. +</P> + +<P> +Secondly, if our Lord do not protect me in a manner well-nigh +miraculous, the savages, who go and come here at every moment, will +discover me; and if ever they convince themselves that I have not gone +away, it will be necessary to return into their hands. Now if they had +such a rage against me before my flight, what treatment will they +inflict on me, seeing me fallen back into their power? I shall not die +a common death; the fire, their rage, and the cruelties which they +invent, will tear away my life. God be blessed forever. We are +incessantly in the bosom of His divine and always adorable providence. +Vestri capilli capitis numerati sunt; nolite timere; nultis passeribus +meliores estis vos quorum unus non cadet super terram sine patre +vestro; he who has care for the little birds of the air does not cast +us into oblivion. It is already twelve days that I have been +concealed; it is quite improbable that misfortune will reach me. +</P> + +<P> +In the third place, you see the great need that we have of your prayers +and of the holy Sacrifices of all our Fathers; procure us this alms +everywhere, ut reddat me Dominus idoneum ad se amandum, fortem ad +patiendum, constantem ad perseverandum in suo amore, et servitio, to +the end that God may render me fit and well disposed to love him; that +he may render me strong and courageous to suffer and to endure; and +that he may give me a noble constancy to persevere in his love and in +his service—this is what I would desire above all, together with a +little New Testament from Europe. Pray for these poor nations which +burn and devour one another, that at last they may come to the +knowledge of their Creator, in order to render to Him the tribute of +their love. Memor sum vestri in vinculis meis; I do not forget you; my +captivity cannot fetter my memory. I am, heartily and with affection, +etc. +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +From Renselaerivich, this 30th of August, 1643. +</P> + +<BR><BR> + +<H5 ALIGN="center"> +END OF "LETTER AND NARRATIVE OF FATHER ISAAC JOGUES." +</H5> + +<BR><BR><BR><BR> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664, by Various + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NARRATIVES OF NEW NETHERLAND *** + +***** This file should be named 2128-h.htm or 2128-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/1/2/2128/ + +Produced by Tony Adam. 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