The Minneapolis journal., 1902-11-06
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CHAPTER XII.
Prisoners of the IroquoIs.


The faith of the IrOquOiS was worse
than Punic, nor was there lacking swift
proof Of it's real nature. Law and Penn
broke the moment they had led their lit
tie garrison beyond the gate, found them
selves surrounded by a ring Of tomahaWks
and drawn bows. Their weapons We're
snatched away from them, and on the in
stant they found themselves beyond all
possibility Of that resistance whose giving
over they now bitterly repented. Tega-
nsoris regarded them with a sardonic
smile.
Il see you are all English" said he,
.though some of you wear blue coats.
These we may perhaps adopt into our
tribe, for our boys grow up but slowly,
and some of the blue coats are good fight
ers. These dogs Of Ilini we shall of
course burn. AS for your war house,
you will no longer need it, since you are
now friends of the Iroquois, and are going
to their villages. You may say to Cor
laer that you we'll know the Iroquois have
no prisoners"
The horrid significance of this threat
was all too soon made plain In an hour
tho little stockade was but mass OF
embers and ashes. In another hour the
little valley had become Gehenna of an
guish and lamentations with whose riot
Of grief and woe there mingled the savage
civilizations Of foe whose treachery was
but surpassed by his cruelty. Again the
planting ground of the Ilini was utterly
laid waste, to mark it naught remaining
but trampled grain, and heaps Of ashes,
and remnants Of blackened and inciner-
ated bones. BY nightfall the party Of
prisoners had begun a wild journey
through the wilderness, whose horrors
surpassed any they had supposed to be
humanity endurable.
Day after day. week after week, for
more than a month, and much of the time
In winter weather, they toiled on, part
of the way by boat, the remainder of the
journey foot crossing snow -clogged
forest, and tangled thicket and frozen
morass, yet daring not to drop out for
rest, since to lag might mean to die. 1t
was as though after some frightful night
mare Of suffering and despair that at
length they reached the villages of the
Five Nations, located far to the east, at
the foot of the great waterway which
Law and his family had ascended more
than a year before.
Yet if that which had gone before
,eemed like some bitter dream, surely the
lay Of awakening promised but little bet
ter hope. From village to village, foot.
sore and i'll, they were hurried without
rest at each new stopping place the cen
tral figures of a barbarous triumph; anc
nowhere did they meet the representa-
tives Of either the French or the English
government, whose expected presence hat
constituted their one ground OF nope
Where is your big peace?' asked Te
ganisoris of Pembroke. Where are tn
head men Of Corlaer? Who brings pres
ents to the Iroquois, and who is to tel
us that Onontio has carried the pipe o
peace to CorIaer? Here are our village
as when we left them, and here again ar
we, save for the absent ones who hav
been killed by your young men. 1t is n
wonder that my people are displeased.'
of ha Trnnl1n1G
remained at home clamored continual
that some Of the prisoners should be give
over to them. Thus in doubt, uncer
tainty and terror, the party passe
through the villages, moving always east
ward, until at length they arrived at tn
fortified town where Teganisoris made hi
home a spot toward the foot of LAX
Ontario. and not widely removed fro1