The Jesuits in North America in the seventeenth century . for aworse fate. They had entered by the weakest side;on the other sides there was no exit, and only threeHurons escaped. The whole was the work of a fewminutes. The Iroquois left a guard to hold thetown, and secure the retreat of the main body in caseof a reverse; then, smearing their faces with blood,after their ghastly custom, they rushed, in the dimlight of the early dawn, towards St. Louis, about aleague distant. The three fugitives had fled, half naked, throughthe forest, for the same point, which they reachedabout sunrise, yellin
The Jesuits in North America in the seventeenth century . for aworse fate. They had entered by the weakest side;on the other sides there was no exit, and only threeHurons escaped. The whole was the work of a fewminutes. The Iroquois left a guard to hold thetown, and secure the retreat of the main body in caseof a reverse; then, smearing their faces with blood,after their ghastly custom, they rushed, in the dimlight of the early dawn, towards St. Louis, about aleague distant. The three fugitives had fled, half naked, throughthe forest, for the same point, which they reachedabout sunrise, yelling the alarm. The number ofinhabitants here was less, at this time, than sevenhundred; and, of these, all who had strength toescape, excepting about eighty warriors, made inwild terror for a place of safety. Many of the old,sick, and decrepit were left perforce in the warriors, ignorant of the strength of the assail-ants, sang their war-songs, and resolved to hold theplace to the last. It had not the natural strength Battle of Fort St. by LMl. 1G49.] BATTLE AT ST. LOUIS. 205 of St. Ignace, but, like it, was surrounded by-palisades. Here were tlie two Jesuits, Br^beuf and converts entreated him to escape withthem; but the Norman zealot, bold scion of a war-like stock, had no thought of flight. His post wasin the teeth of danger, to cheer on those who fought,and open heaven to those who fell. His colleague,slight of frame and frail of constitution, trembleddespite himself; but deep enthusiasm mastered theweakness of Nature, and he, too, refused to fly. Scarcely had the sun risen, and scarcely were thefugitives gone, when, like a troop of tigers, theIroquois rushed to the assault. Yell echoed yell,and shot answered shot. The Hurons, brought tobay, fought with the utmost desperation, and witharrows, stones, and the few guns they had, killedthirty of their assailants, and wounded many the Iroquois recoiled, and twice renewed
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Keywords: ., bookauthorpa, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectjesuits
