thirty paces of the enemy, who at once noticed me, and, halting, gazed at me, as I did also at them.  When I saw them making a move to fire at us, I rested my musket against my cheek, and aimed directly at one of the three chiefs.  With the same shot, two fell to the ground; and one of their men was so wounded that he died some time after.  I had loaded my musket with four balls.  When our side saw this shot so favorable for them, they began to raise such loud cries that one could not have heard it thunder.  Meanwhile, the arrows flew on both sides.  The Iroquois were greatly astonished that two men had been so quickly killed, altho they were equipped with armor woven from cotton thread, and with wood which was a proof against their arrows.  This caused great alarm among them.  As I was loading again, one of my companions fired a shot from the woods, which astonished them anew to such a degree that, seeing their chiefs dead, they lost courage, and took to flight, abandoning their camp and fort, and fleeing into the woods, whither I pursued them, killing still more of them.  Our savages also killed several of them, and took ten or twelve prisoners.  The remainder escaped with the wounded.  Fifteen or sixteen were wounded on our side with arrow-shots; but they were soon healed.

After gaining the victory, our men amused themselves by taking a great quantity of Indian corn and some meal from their enemies, also their armor, which they had left behind that they might run better.  After feasting sumptuously, dancing and singing, we returned three hours after, with the prisoners.  The spot where this attack took place is in latitude 43 degrees and some minutes, and the lake was called Lake Champlain.

After going some eight leagues, toward evening they took one of the prisoners, to whom they made a harangue, enumerating the cruelties which he and his men had already practised toward them without any mercy, and that, in like manner, he ought to make up his mind to receive as much.  They commanded him to sing, if he had courage, which he did; but it was a very sad song.[5]

    [1] From the “Voyages of Samuel de Champlain,” as published by the
    Prince Society of Boston in 1878, the translation being by Charles
    Pomeroy Otis.

Samuel de Champlain, who has been called “The Father of New France,” was born in Brouage, France, in 1567, and died in Quebec in 1635.  Parkman accepts this title as just, and adds that in Champlain were embodied the religious zeal of New France and her romantic spirit of adventure.  Champlain’s first explorations in America were made in 1603-07.  Quebec was founded by him in 1608, and Lake Champlain discovered in 1609.

    [2] Now called the Richelieu River.

    [3] Lake Champlain.

    [4] The Adirondacks or the Green Mountains might have been here
    referred to.