Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)

Or comme nous commençasmes à approcher à quelques deux ou trois iournées de la demeure de leurs ennemis, nous n'allions plus que la nuit, & le iour nous nous reposions, neantmoins ne laissoient de faire tousiours leurs superstitions accoustumées pour sçauoir ce qui leur pourroit succeder de leurs entreprises; & souuent me venoient demander si i'auois songé, & auois veu leurs ennemis : Ie leur disois que non : Neantmoins ne laissois de leur donner du courage, & bonne esperance. La nuit venue nous nous mismes en chemin iusques au lendemain, que nous nous retirasmes dans le fort du bois, pour y passer le reste du iour. Sur les dix ou onze heures, aprés m'estre quelque peu proumené au tour de nostre logement, ie fus me reposer; & en dormant, ie songay que ie voyois les Yroquois nos ennemis, dedans le lac, proche d'vne montaigne, qui se noyoient à nostre veue; & les voulans secourir, nos sauuages alliez me disoient qu'il les falloit tous laisser mourir & qu'ils ne valoient rien. Estant esueillé, ils ne faillirent comme à l'acoustumée de me demander si i'auois songé quelque chose : ie leur dis en effect ce que i'auois veu en songe : Cela leur apporta vne telle creance qu'ils ne douterent plus de ce qui leur deuoit aduenir pour leur bien.

As we came within two or three days’ travel of where their enemies lived, we moved only by night and rested by day. All the same, our allies never stopped performing their usual superstitions to learn how their plans would turn out. They often came to ask me whether I had dreamed, and had seen their enemies. I told them no, but I kept on giving them courage and good hope. At nightfall we set off and went on until the next day. Then we pulled back into the deep woods and stayed there for the rest of the day. Around ten or eleven o’clock, after a short walk around our camp, I lay down to rest. In my sleep I dreamed that I saw the Iroquois, our enemies, drowning in the lake close to a mountain while we watched. I wanted to save them, but our Savage allies told me to let them all die, since they were worthless. When I woke up, they asked me, as they always did, if I had had a dream. I told them just what I had seen in it. This made them so confident that they no longer doubted that good fortune was coming to them.

Le soir estant venu, nous nous embarquasmes en nos canots pour continuer nostre chemin, & comme nous allions fort doucement, & sans mener bruit, le 29. du mois, nous fismes rencontre des Yroquois sur les dix heures du soir au bout d'vn cap qui aduance dans le lac du costé de l'occident, lesquels venoient à la guerre. Eux & nous commençasmes à ietter de grands cris, chacun se parant de ses armes. Nous nous retirasmes vers l'eau, & les Yroquois mirent pied à terre, & arrangerent tous leurs canots les vns contre les autres, & commencerent à abbatre du bois auec des meschantes haches qu'ils gaignent quelquesfois à la guerre, & d'autres de pierre, & se barricaderent fort bien.

When evening came, we set off in our canoes to continue our journey. We were moving very quietly, without any noise. It was the 29th of the month, around ten o’clock at night. At the tip of a point that juts into the lake on the western side, we met the Iroquois, who were coming to make war. They and we both began to raise great shouts, and everyone readied his weapons. We drew back onto the water. The Iroquois went ashore and lined up all their canoes side by side. They began to cut down trees, with poor axes they sometimes win in war and others of stone, and they built themselves a very good barricade.

Comme les nostres virent ce coup si fauorable pour eux, ils commencerent à ietter de si grands cris qu'on n'eust pas ouy tonner; & cependant les flesches ne manquoyent de costé & d'autre. Les Yroquois furent fort estonnez, que si promptement deux hommes auoyent esté tuez, bien qu'ils fussent armez d'armes tissues de fil de cotton, & de bois à l'espreuue de leurs flesches. Cela leur donna vne grande apprehension. Comme ie rechargeois, l'vn de mes compagnons tira vn coup de dedans le bois, qui les estonna derechef de telle façon, voyant leurs chefs morts, qu'ils perdirent courage, & se mirent en fuite, & abandonnerent le champ, & leur fort, s'enfuyans dedans le profond des bois, où les poursuiuans, i'en fis demeurer encores d'autres. Nos sauuages en tuerent aussi plusieurs, & en prindrent 10. ou 12. prisonniers : Le reste se sauua auec les blessez. Il y en eut des nostres 15. ou 16. de blessez de coups de flesches, qui furent promptement gueris.

When our people saw how well this shot had gone for them, they raised such a shout that you could not have heard thunder. All the while, arrows flew from both sides. The Iroquois were greatly astonished that two men had been killed so quickly, since they wore armor woven of cotton thread and wood, which arrows could not pierce. This filled them with fear. As I was reloading, one of my companions shot from inside the woods. This astonished them again so much, with their chiefs dead, that they lost heart and ran. They left the field and their fort behind and fled deep into the woods. I chased them there and brought down still more of them. Our Savages killed several more as well and captured ten or twelve. The rest escaped with the wounded. Fifteen or sixteen of our people were wounded by arrows, but they soon healed.

Deffaite des Yroquois au Lac Champlain. A Le fort des Yroquois. B Les ennemis. C Les Canots des ennemis faits d'escorce de chesne, qui peuuent tenir chacun 10. 15. & 18. hommes. D. E. Deux chefs tués, & vn blessé d'vn coup d'arquebuse par le sieur de Champlain. F Le sieur de Champlain. G Deux Arquebusiers du sieur de Champlain. H Montaignets, Ochastaiguins & Algoumequins. I Canots de nos sauuages aliés faits d'escorce de bouleau. K Les bois.

Defeat of the Iroquois at Lake Champlain. A: The Iroquois fort. B: The enemy. C: The enemy’s canoes, made of oak bark, each of which can hold 10, 15, or 18 men. D, E: Two chiefs killed, and one wounded by a shot from the sieur de Champlain’s arquebus. F: The sieur de Champlain. G: Two of the sieur de Champlain’s arquebusiers. H: Montagnais, Ochastaiguins, and Algonquins. I: The canoes of our allied Savages, made of birch bark. K: The woods.