ga, and Champlain in the Onondaga
country. Their neighbors, the Ottawas, who were on the east side of the
river, had imitated, with imperfect success, their way of housing and
fortifying themselves. These tribes raised considerable crops of peas,
beans, and Indian corn; and except when engaged in their endless dances
and games of ball, dressed, like the converts of the mission villages,
in red or blue cloth.[281] The Hurons were reputed the most intelligent
as well as the bravest of all the western tribes, and, being incensed by
various outrages, they bore against the Outagamies a deadly grudge,
which was shared by the other tribes, their neighbors.

All these friendly Indians were still absent on their winter hunt, when,
at the opening of spring, Dubuisson and his Frenchmen were startled by a
portentous visitation. Two bands of Outagamies and Mascoutins, men,
women, and children, counting in all above a thousand, of whom about
three hundred were warriors, appeared on the meadows behind the fort,
approached to within pistol-shot of the palisades, and encamped there.
It is by no means certain that they came with deliberate hostile intent.
Had this been the case, they would not have brought their women and
children. A paper ascribed to the engineer Lery says, moreover, that
their visit was in consequence of an invitation from the late
commandant, La Mothe-Cadillac, whose interest it was to attract to
Detroit as many Indians as possible, in order to trade for their
furs.[282] Dubuisson, however, was satisfied that they meant mischief,
especially when, in spite of all his efforts to prevent them, they
fortified themselves by cutting down young trees and surrounding their
wigwams with a rough fence of palisades. They were rude and insolent,
declared that all that country was theirs, and killed fowls and pigeons
belonging to the French, who, in the absence of their friends, the
Hurons and Ottawas, dared not even remonstrate. Dubuisson himself was
forced to submit to their insults in silence, till a party of them came
one day into the fort bent on killing two of the French, a man and a
girl, against whom they had taken some offence. The commandant then
ordered his men to drive them out; which was done, and henceforward he
was convinced that the Outagamies and Mascoutins were only watching
their opportunity to burn the fort and butcher its inmates. Soon after,
their excitement redoubled. News came that a band of Mascoutins, who