ms as never before, together with an abundance of
such talk as is not unusual in the siege of a town.

Care had been taken by the Algonquins that the presence of Champlain
and his two companions should come to the Iroquois as a complete
surprise. Each of the Frenchmen {93} was in a separate canoe, convoyed
by the Montagnais. At daylight each put on light armour and, armed
with an arquebus, went ashore. Champlain was near enough the barricade
to see nearly two hundred Iroquois, 'stout and rugged in appearance.
They came at a slow pace towards us, with a dignity and assurance which
greatly impressed me, having three chiefs at their head.' Champlain,
when urged by his allies to make sure of killing the three chiefs,
replied that he would do his best, and that in any case he would show
them his courage and goodwill.

Then began the fight, which must be described in Champlain's own words,
for in all his writings there is no more famous passage.

As soon as we had landed, they began to run for some two hundred paces
towards their enemies, who stood firmly, not having as yet noticed my
companions, who went into the woods with some savages. Our men began
to call me with loud cries; and in order to give me a passage way they
opened in two parts and put me at their head, where I marched some
twenty paces in advance of the rest, until I was within about twenty
paces of the enemy, who at once noticed me and, halting, gazed at me,
as I did also at them. When I saw them make 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 {94} 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 favourable
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, although they were equipped with armour woven from cotton
thread and with wood which was 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