The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1904-05-13
CHAPTER XVIII.
PRISONERS OF THE IRoouo1s.

The faith OF the Iroquois was worse
than Punic, nor was there lacking
swift proof of it's real nature. Law
and Pembroke, the moment they had
led their little garrison beyond the
gate, found themselves surrounded by
q ring of tomahawks and drawn bows.
Their weapons were snatche ed away
from them, and on the instant they
tolrWd themselves beyond all POSSIBLE
ity of that resistance whose giving
over they now bitterly repented. Teg-
anisoris regarded them with a sar-
1onic 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
lighters. These dogs of Illini we sh all
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 Corlaer that you well know
the IroQuois have no prisoners.
The horrid significance of this threat
was all too soon made plain. In an
hour the little stockade was but
mass of embers and ashes. In another
hour the little valley had become a
Geh emma of anguish and lamentations,
with whose riot of grief and woe there
mingled the savage Civilizations of a
foe whose treachery was but surpassed
NV bic arDa1tv tho ,olo
ground of the Illini was utterly laid
waste, to mark it naught remaining
but trampled grain, and heaps of ashes,
and remnants of blackened and incin-
Grated bones By nightfall the party
Of prisoners had begun wild journey
through the wilderness, whose errors
surpassed any they had supposed to be
humanity endurable.
Day after day, week after week, for
more than month. and much of the
time in winter weather, they toiled on,
part of the way by boat, the remain /
der of the journey on foot, crossing I
forest, and tangled !
.hicket and frozen morass. yet daring
not to drop out for rest, since to lag
might Nean to die. 1t was as though
after some frightfu nightmare of suf-
iering and despair that at length they
reached the villages of the Five Ma
ions, located far to the east, at the
DOT of the great waterway which
Jaw and his family had assembled more
han year before.
Yet If that which had gone before
eemed like some bitter dream, surely
he day of awakening promised but lit
lie better hope. From village to viii
age, footsore and i'll, they were hur-
led without rest. at each new stopping
lace the central figures of barbar
us triumph; and nowhere dif they
meet the representatives of either the
'rench or the English government,
those expected presence had consti-
uted their one ground of hope.
Where is your big peace?" asked
eganisoris of Pembroke. Where are
ne head men Of Corlaer? Who brings
to the Iroquois, and who is
} tell us that Onontio has carried the }
ipe of peace to Corlaer? Here are 8
lr villages as when we left them,
nd here again are we. save for the |
bsent ones who have been killed by ,
our young men. 1t is no wonder that
" people are displeased" s
Indeed those of the Iroqdois who had y
.mained at home clamored continu- q
ly that some Of the prisoners should
, given over to them. Thus. in doubt, v
and terror the party passed b
rough the villages, moving always a
stward, until at length they arrived c.
the fortified town where Teganisoris &
ade his home, spot toward the foot o.
Lake Ontario, and not widely re- b
owed from that stupondous cataract 81
hich from the beginning of earth, u
ID uplifted its thunderous diapason
re in the savage wilderness-0nton. Al
grea, object of superstitious awe +
gong all the tribes. 81
Time hung heavy on the hands NJ n
e satages. II was winter and the 70