At nightfall, thirty of the haughty Iroquois lost patience,
and throwing down their bundles made off for Quebec with the avowed
purpose of raiding the Algonquins. On the way, they paused to scalp
three Frenchmen at Montreal, cynically explaining that if the French
persisted in taking Algonquins into their arms, the white men need not
be surprised if the blow aimed at an Algonquin sometimes struck a
Frenchman. That act opened the eyes of the French to the real meaning
of the peace made with the Iroquois; but the little colony was beyond
recall. To insure the safety of the French among the Onondagas, the
French governor at Quebec seized a dozen Iroquois and kept them as
hostages of good conduct.
Meanwhile, all was confusion on Lake St. Louis, where the last band of
colonists had encamped. The Iroquois had cast the Frenchmen's baggage
on the rocks and refused to carry it farther. Leaving the whites all
embarrassed, the Onondagas hurriedly embarked the Hurons and paddled
quickly out of sight. The act was too suddenly unanimous not to have
been premeditated. Why had the Iroquois carried the Hurons away from
the Frenchmen? Father Ragueneau at once suspected some sinister
purpose. Taking only a single sack of flour for food, he called for
volunteers among the twenty Frenchmen to embark in a leaky, old canoe
and follow the treacherous Onondagas. Young Radisson was one of the
first to offer himself. Six others followed his example; and the seven
Frenchmen led by the priest struck across the lake, leaving the others
to gather up the scattered baggage.
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