by famine. The belief is a religious principle and the
feasts--_festins à tout manger_--are a religious act; so Radisson
dreamed--whether sleeping or waking--that the white men were to give a
great festival to the Iroquois. This dream he related to his Indian
father. The Indian like his white brother can clothe a vice under
religious mantle. The Iroquois were gluttonous on a religious
principle. Radisson's dream was greeted with joy. _Coureurs_ ran
through the forest, bidding the Mohawks to the feast. Leaving ambush
of forest and waterfall, the warriors hastened to the walls of
Onondaga. To whet their appetite, they were kept waiting outside for
two whole days. The French took turns in entertaining the waiting
guests. Boisterous games, songs, dances, and music kept the Iroquois
awake and hilarious to the evening of the second day. Inside the fort
bedlam reigned. Boats were dragged from floors to a sally-port at the
rear of the courtyard. Here firearms, ammunition, food, and baggage
were placed in readiness. Guns which could not be taken were burned or
broken. Ammunition was scattered in the snow. All the stock but one
solitary pig, a few chickens, and the dogs was sacrificed for the
feast, and in the barracks a score of men were laboring over enormous
kettles of meat. Had an Indian spy climbed to the top of a tree and
looked over the palisades, all would have been discovered; but the
French entertainers outside kept their guests busy.

[Illustration: Château de Ramezay, Montreal, for years the residence of
the governor, and later the storehouse of the fur companies.]

On the evening of the second day a great fire was kindled in the outer
enclosure, between the two walls. The trumpets blew a deafening blast.
The Mohawks answered with a shout. The French clapped their hands.
The outer gates were thrown wide open, and in trooped several hundred