with the rest.
Every thing considered, Sir, if you will be content with a satisfaction which we will endeavor to obtain for you from the Senecas, you will prevent great evils which must fall on Canada in case of war you will divert from it famine and many misfortunes, especially will you avoid much confusion and great suffering to the French who will fall into the hands of the Iroquois, who, as you are aware, ;
exercise the most cruel and shameful cruelties towards their captives.
Independent of there being
no profit in fighting with this sort of banditti whom you, assuredly, will not catch and who will catch many of your people who will be surprised in every quarter. The man called Hannatakta and some others of influence told me they pitied you. These are their words they besought you not to force them to wage war against you ; that the five Nations
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woidd be obliged to unite against you that the French and the Iroquois being so near the one to the other, the war would be too disastrous to you, because, say they, our mode of fighting, of harassing, of living, of surprising and flying to the woods will be the ruin of the French who are accustomed ;
towns capable of defence or against armies who appear in the plains ; if there be misunderstanding it ought to be settled. All the Iroquois are persuaded that before going to war you will try the ways of mildness and tell the Senecas to appease your anger for what they have