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. 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. Aussi les nostres tindrent toute la nuit leurs canots arrangez les vns contre les autres attachez à des perches pour ne s'esgarer, & combattre tous ensemble s'il en estoit de besoin; & estions à la portée d'vne flesche vers l'eau du costé de leurs barricades. Et comme ils furent armez, & mis en ordre, ils enuoyerent deux canots separez de la trouppe, pour sçauoir de leurs ennemis s'ils vouloient combatre, lesquels respondirent qu'ils ne desiroient autre chose : mais que pour l'heure, il n'y auoit pas beaucoup d'apparence, & qu'il falloit attendre le iour pour se cognoistre : & qu'aussitost que le soleil se leueroit, ils nous liureroient le combat : ce qui fut accordé par les nostres : & en attendant toute la nuit se passa en danses & chansons, tant d'vn costé, que d'autre, auec vne infinité d'iniures, & autres propos, comme, du peu de courage qu'ils auoient, auec le peu d'effet & resistance contre leurs armes, & que le iour venant, ils le sentiroyent à leur ruine. Les nostres aussi ne manquoient de repartie, leur disant qu'ils verroient des effets d'armes que iamais ils n'auoient veu, & tout plain d'autres discours, comme on a accoustumé à vn siege de ville. Aprés auoir bien chanté, dansé & parlementé les vns aux autres, le iour venu, mes compagnons & moy estions tousiours couuerts, de peur que les ennemis ne nous veissent, preparans nos armes le mieux qu'il nous estoit possible, estans toutesfois separez, chacun en vn des canots des sauuages montagnars. Aprés que nous fusmes armez d'armes legeres, nous prismes chacun vne arquebuse & descendismes à terre. Ie vey sortir les ennemis de leur barricade, qui estoient prés de 200. hommes forts & robustes à les voir, qui venoient au petit pas audeuant de nous, auec vne grauité & asseurance qui me contenta fort à la teste desquels y auoit trois chefs. Les nostres aussi alloient en mesme ordre & me dirent que ceux qui auoient trois grands pannaches estoient les chefs, & qu'il n'y en auoit que ces trois, & qu'on les recognoissoit à ces plumes, qui estoient beaucoup plus grandes que celles de leurs compagnons, & que ie feisse ce que ie pourrois pour les tuer. Ie leur promis de faire ce qui seroit de ma puissance, & que i'estois bien fasché qu'ils ne me pouuoient bien entendre pour leur donner l'ordre & façon d'attaquer leurs ennemis, & que indubitablement nous les desferions tous; mais qu'il n'y auoit remede, que i'estois tres-aise de leur monstrer le courage & bonne volonté qui estoit en moy quand serions au combat. Aussitost que fusmes à terre, ils commencerent à courir quelque deux cens pas vers leurs ennemis qui estoient de pied ferme, & n'auoient encores aperçeu mes compagnons, qui s'en allerent dans le bois auec quelques sauuages. Les nostres commencerent à m'appeller à grands cris : & pour me donner passage ils s'ouurirent en deux, & me mis à la teste, marchant quelque 20. pas deuant, iusqu'à ce que ie fusse à quelque 30. pas des ennemis, où aussitost ils m'aperceurent, & firent alte en me contemplant, & moy eux. Comme ie les veis esbranler pour tirer sur nous, ie couchay mon arquebuse en iouë, & visay droit à vn des trois chefs, & de ce coup il en tomba deux par terre, & vn de leurs compagnons qui fut blessé, qui quelque temps aprés en mourut. I'auois mis quatre balles dedans mon arquebuse. 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. Aprés que nous eusmes eu la victoire, ils s'amuserent à prendre force bled d'Inde, & les farines des ennemis, & de leurs armes, qu'ils auoient laissées pour mieux courir. Aprés auoir fait bonne chere, dansé & chanté, trois heures aprés nous en retournasmes auec les prisonniers. Ce lieu où se fit ceste charge est par les 43. degrez & quelques minutes de latitude, & fut nommé le lac de Champlain. 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.

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. 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. Our people, for their part, kept their canoes side by side all night. They tied them to poles so they would not drift apart and could all fight together if they had to. We were a bowshot out on the water from their barricade. When our people were armed and ready, they sent out two canoes from the group to ask the enemy whether they wanted to fight. The enemy answered that they wanted nothing else. But for now, they said, there was little light, and they must wait for day to see each other. As soon as the sun rose, they would give us battle. Our people agreed. While we waited, the whole night passed in dancing and singing on both sides, with no end of insults and other talk. They told us how little courage we had, and how little our weapons could do against theirs, and that when day came we would feel it, to our ruin. Our people had answers ready too. They told them they would see weapons do things they had never seen before. There was plenty of other talk, the kind you hear at the siege of a town. After much singing, dancing, and talk back and forth, day came. My companions and I stayed hidden all the while, so the enemy would not see us. We got our weapons ready as well as we could. We were separated, each in one of the canoes of the Montagnais Savages. When we had put on light armor, each of us took an arquebus and landed. I watched the enemy leave their barricade. There were nearly two hundred of them, strong and sturdy to look at. They came toward us at a slow pace, with a dignity and confidence that greatly impressed me. Three chiefs led them. Our people advanced in the same order. They told me that the men with three tall plumes were the chiefs. There were only these three, and you could tell them by their feathers, which were much taller than their companions’. They told me to do my best to kill them. I promised to do everything I could. I said I deeply regretted that they could not understand me well enough for me to tell them how to attack their enemies in good order. If they could, we would surely defeat them all. But since nothing could be done about it, I would gladly show them my courage and goodwill when we came to fight. As soon as we were ashore, our people began to run about two hundred paces toward their enemies. The enemy stood their ground. They had not yet seen my companions, who had slipped into the woods with some of the Savages. Our people began calling for me with loud shouts. They split in two to let me through, and I went to the front. I marched about twenty paces ahead of them, until I was about thirty paces from the enemy. They saw me at once and halted, gazing at me as I gazed at them. As soon as I saw them start to move to shoot at us, I put my arquebus to my cheek and aimed directly at a chief, one of the three. With that shot two of them dropped, and another of their men was wounded and died some time later. I had loaded four balls into my arquebus. 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. After we had won, our people spent their time gathering up plenty of the enemy’s Indian corn and meal, and their armor, which they had dropped to run faster. After a good feast, with dancing and singing, we set off for home three hours later with the prisoners. The place where this battle was fought lies at forty-three degrees and some minutes of latitude. It was named the lake of Champlain. 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.