a thing incredible but by the mercy of God. I was in the village with the
father and with another frenchman, where we see the crudest thing in nature
acted. Those Iroquoits that came along the river with us, some weare about
fishing, some a hunting, they seeing this woman makes her [their] slave.

One day a man or theirs was forwearned for his insolency, for not referring
to the Governor, doing all out of his owne head. [He him] selfe was to come
that day, leading 2 women with their 2 children, he not intending to give
an account of anything but by his owne authority. The elders, heering this,
goes and meets him some 50 paces out of the village for to maintaine their
rights. They stayed this man. What weare those beasts? He answered they
weare his; he no sooner had spoaken, but one old man spoak to him thus:
"Nephew, you must know that all slaves, as well men as women, are first
brought before the Councell, and we alone can dispose [of] them." So said,
& turned to the other side, and gave a signe to some soldiers that they
brought for that purpose, to knock those beasts in the head, who executed
their office & murdered the women. One tooke the child, sett foot on his
head, taking his leggs in his hands, wrought the head, by often turning,
from off the body. An other souldier tooke the other child from his
mother's brest, that was not yett quite dead, by the feete and knocks his
head against the trunck of a tree. This [is] a daily exercise with them,
nor can I tell the one half of their cruelties in like sortes. Those with
many others weare executed, some for not being able to serve, and the
children for hindering their mothers to worke. So they reckne a trouble to
lett them live. O wicked and barbarious inhumanity! I forgott to tell that
the day the woman layed in, some houres before, shee and I roasted some
Indian Corn in the fire: being ready, shee pulled out the grains one by one
with a stick, and as shee was so doing, shee made a horrid outcry, shewing
me a toad, which was in the breadth of a dish, which was in the midle of
the redd ashes striving to gett out. We wondered, for the like was never