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Voyages of Peter Esprit Radisson by Pierre Esprit Radisson
page 87 of 336 (25%)
have seene in [the] morning before, as effectually they weare. I came to
the place where weare all those poore victims. There was the good ffather
comforting the poore innocent women. The chief of them satt by a valliant
huron who all his life time killed many Iroquoits, and by his vallour
acquired the name of great Captayne att home and abroad. The Iroquoit spake
to him, as the ffather told us, and as I myself have heard. "Brother,
cheare up," says he, "and assure yourselfe you shall not be killed by
doggs; thou art both man and captayne, as I myselfe am, and will die in thy
defence." And as the afforesaid crew shewed such a horrid noise, of a
sudaine the captayne tooke hold of the chaine that was about him, thou
shalt not be killed by another hand then by mine. Att that instant the
cruell Iroquoits fell upon those hurrons, as many wolves, with hattchetts,
swords, and daggers, & killed as many [as] there weare, save onely one man.
That hurron captayne seeing himselfe so basly betrayed, he tooke hold of
his hattchett that hunged downe his side, and strook downe a Iroquoit; but
the infinit deale tooke his courage and life away. This that was saved was
an old man, who in his time had ben att the defeat and taking of severall
Iroquoits. He in authority by his means saved some. This news brought to
them and his name as benefactor, which deed then saved his life. Heere you
see a good example, that it is decent to be good to his Ennemy.

After this was done & their corps throwne into the watter, the women weare
brought together. I admired att them, seeing them in such a deepe silence,
looking on the ground with their coverletts uppon their heads, not a sigh
heard, where a litle before they made such a lamentable noise for the losse
of their companyion that was killed in my boate. Some 2 howers all was
pacified & the kettle almost ready for [to] goe to worke. In this very
moment there calls a councell. The ffather was called as a statsman to that
councell, where he hears their wild reasons; that what they had done was in
reveng of their deare comrades that weare drowned in coming for them, and
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