Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora IndiansJohnson, Elias
History
Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora Indians
Johnson, Elias
Iroquois Indians; Tuscarora Indians
They again resumed the battle. At this time the Senecas reserved quite a
number of their smartest warriors, with each of them a bunch of bark
prepared for the purpose of tying prisoners. They were in the rear and
laid low. The battle was still more deepcrate. They finally came in hand-
in-hand. Then they made use of their war clubs. At this time the
Squawkihows summoned to their aid their reserved company, which they kept
in the rear. The young women came on the flank of the Senecas' ranks, and
beat them with clubs, which made the Senecas falter for a while. Finally
they called on their reserved warriors, who made a desperate charge on
the enemy and made them retreat. The Senecas began taking prisoners. They
tied their hands behind them to trees. In this way they took a great many
prisoners, particularly the females. The warriors rallied and fought as
they retreated. After a while a company suddenly broke off from their
ranks and ran away. In a moment they had disappeared in the forest. Those
that remained rallied again and fought as they were retreating until
evening, when all at once the whole company wheeled right around, gave a
spring, and off they went. The Senecas made their pursuit, every now and
then taking a prisoner until dark, when they rested and camped for the
night.
The next morning they selected the best runners, the ablest bodied and
the most skilled in the arts of war, who were sent out to exterminate the
nation, to begin at the settlement of fort Gau-strau-yea, and so on south
to the other settlements of the nation.
When the Seneca invaders came at the fort (Gau-strau-yea), they found it
was evacuated and all the settlement had fled. The trail they left behind
pointed southward plainly. The invaders followed to the next settlement
at Gill Creek, above Niagara Falls, which they found vacated. They still
followed on, bent on retaliation. They then came to the settlement of
Kah-kwas, which they also found evacuated. They kept on the pursuit until
they came to the settlement of the Eries, and also found it evacuated as
the others. Still they kept on their pursuit, and when they came to the
Alleghany river they saw pieces floating, which indicated the making of
canoes. They immediately ascended the river. After they had gone some
ways they found where the enemies had been encamped, and saw indications
where they had built several canoes. The fires indicated that they must
have just embarked that morning and rowed down the river. They they went
down the river some distance, and finally gave up the chase. The invaders
returned to their settlement--the Seneca nation. A glorious victory
crowned their severe trial and labor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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