On March 24th 200 Iroquois fell upon a body of Montrealers and captured
ten. Had they not been now armed the numbers would have been more.
The "Relation" of this year, speaking of these losses says: "After
the capture of the thirteen in the month of February, ten others fell
into the same captivity. Then later more, and still more, in such sort
that, during the whole summer this island was constantly harassed by
these goblin imps who sometimes appeared on the outskirts of the woods,
contenting themselves with hurling insults at us; sometimes they glided
stealthily into the midst of the field, to fall upon the workmen by
surprise; sometimes they drew near our houses, ceaselessly annoying us,
and like unfortunate harpies or evil birds of prey, would swoop down on
us unawares."
Of the ten captured in March four were butchered in the neighbouring
woods; their bodies, brutally dismembered, hacked and burned, were
discovered by the dogs of the town, who came back each day glutted with
blood. This led to their being followed to their foul feasting place.
"Such disasters made the people turn their thoughts to eternity," says
the pious Dollier de Casson. "Vice was then almost unknown at Ville
Marie, and in the time of war, religion flourished there on all sides
in quite a different manner than it does today, in that of peace."
Three Rivers and Quebec suffered similarly. Near Quebec the sénéchal
of New France, M. Jean de Lauson, son of the former governor, fell a
victim on June 22nd. On this same day a picturesque scene occurred at
Montreal, when two canoes of Iroquois arrived under the protection of a
white flag of peace, and bringing with them four French prisoners. It
was an embassy of the two nations Onondaga and Oi8guere, who professed
to be neutral. They parleyed offering the release of the four prisoners
and twenty others at Onondaga; requesting that hospital sisters such
as those at Quebec should be sent them, and insisting as the main
condition of the release that a black robe be sent. M. Maisonneuve
sent this proposal on to Quebec with the result that Father Le Moyne,
the Jesuit, was deputed to accompany the ambassadors to Onondaga. On
the arrival of Father Le Moyne at Montreal the four Frenchmen were
exchanged for the eight Iroquois prisoners held, for a year past, in
Montreal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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