A Book of American ExplorersHigginson, Thomas Wentworth
History
A Book of American Explorers
Higginson, Thomas Wentworth
America -- Discovery and exploration; United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
The moment we landed, they began to run about two hundred paces towards
their enemies, who stood firm, and had not yet perceived my companions,
who went into the bush with some savages. Ours commenced calling me
in a loud voice, and, making way for me, opened in two, and placed
me at their head, marching about twenty paces in advance, until I was
within thirty paces of the enemy. The moment they saw me, they halted,
gazing at me, and I at them. When I saw them preparing to shoot at
us, I raised my arquebuse, and, aiming directly at one of the three
chiefs, two of them fell to the ground by this shot, and one of their
companions received a wound of which he died afterwards. I had put four
balls in my arquebuse. Ours, on witnessing a shot so favorable for them,
set up such tremendous shouts, that thunder could not have been heard;
and yet there was no lack of arrows on one side and the other.
The Iroquois were greatly astonished, seeing two men killed so
instantaneously, notwithstanding they were provided with arrow-proof
armor, woven of cotton thread and wood: this frightened them very much.
Whilst I was reloading, one of my companions in the bush fired a shot,
which so astonished them anew, seeing their chiefs slain, that they
lost courage, took to flight, and abandoned the field and their fort,
hiding themselves in the depths of the forest, whither pursuing them,
I killed some others. Our savages also killed several of them, and took
ten or twelve prisoners. The rest carried off the wounded. Fifteen or
sixteen of ours were wounded by arrows: they were promptly cured.
After having gained the victory, they amused themselves plundering
Indian corn and meal from the enemy, also their arms which they had
thrown away in order to run better. And having feasted, danced, and
sung, we returned three hours afterwards with the prisoners.
The place where this battle was fought is in forty-three degrees some
minutes latitude; and I named it Lake Champlain.
BOOK XIII.
HENRY HUDSON AND THE NEW NETHERLANDS.
(A.D. 1609‒1626.)
The extracts relating to Henry Hudson are reprinted from a
very valuable book, containing many original documents in
regard to him, and entitled “Henry Hudson the Navigator. The
original documents in which his career is recorded ... with an
Introduction by G. M. Asher, LL.D.” London, Hakluyt Society,
1859, pp. 77‒93, 174‒179, 117‒123. The same narratives may be
found in Purchas’s Pilgrims, vol. iii.
There is a Life of Henry Hudson by Henry R. Cleveland in
Sparks’s “American Biography,” vol. x. Brodhead’s “History of
New York” and O’Callaghan’s “History of New Netherlands” also
contain much information concerning him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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