The Incredible Escape. The Adventures of Radisson 3 by Martin Fournier Read Free Book Online

reminded Radisson of the biggest Erie villages he had seen. From the front of the canoe, Father Le Moyne waved at the Iroquois looking on as they approached the village. Two of them rushed inside the enclosure to let their chiefs know a French canoe was on its way.
    As Father Le Moyne and his companions stepped out of the canoe, Awenissera came to greet them with a few men and women dressed in leather and cloth. The old chief was still steady on his feet, although he moved slowly. The French waited for him to reach them and greeted him respectfully.
    â€œWelcome home,” Awenissera answered in Iroquois.
    His wrinkled face was aglow with heartfelt joy. Father Le Moyne introduced the newcomers.
    â€œMy friend Father Ragueneau, who has come to lend a hand, and Radisson, who has lived with the Mohawks.”
    â€œI hope our brothers treated you well,” Awenissera said, knowing the hatred the Mohawks had for the French.
    â€œThey adopted me,” Radisson replied. “I lived among them as a brother.”
    â€œI am glad of it.”
    In the clear blue sky, the September sun was still welcome. Awenissera led the visitors to the longhouse he lived in at the centre of the village. The thirty or so Iroquois who surrounded them all seemed happy to see them.
    Radisson was struck by just how dense the village was. Twenty-odd longhouses stood side by side, taking up all available space inside the perimeter. If these longhouses held as many people as those in the Mohawk village where Radisson had lived, he reckoned, Onondaga’s population was well over one thousand, maybe even two thousand. Trois-Rivières, Québec, and Montréal didn’t have as many inhabitants. Sheaves of corn hung from the birch-bark walls, drying in the sun, but the bulk of the crop was still out in the fields.
    Walking into the longhouse belonging to the Wolf clan, Radisson felt a wave of emotion wash over him. It was almost identical to the longhouse he had lived in. It was dark, quiet, and well equipped. The high roof got lost in the darkness, cluttered with goods and supplies. Triple bunk beds ran along the inclined walls on each side of the house. Ten fires were arranged in the middle of the central area, equal distance from each other and well aligned. Memories flooded Radisson’s mind. He was happy and unhappy at once. Awenissera invited them to sit on the ground, around a fire in a stone circle.
    Ragueneau began to speak. He announced that he wished to settle permanently in the village to take care of the Christian Hurons. The French also wanted a large amount of corn; they would trade French goods in return. Awenissera took a long while to react. He called on two men and an old woman to join them. Ragueneau repeated his request to them. The four Iroquois quickly agreed that this was too important an issue for the Wolf clan to deal with alone. Such decisions concerned the whole community. Awenissera told the Jesuit he would have to put his petitions before the village grand council, which he would convene the following day. In the meantime, he invited the guests to stay in his home.
    The house was so quiet and Awenissera’s welcome so warm that it reminded Radisson of the best days of his life in Iroquois country. After eating from a wooden bowl with no eating utensils, he was happy to lie down on the fur-covered bed he had been given for the night, lulled to sleep by murmured conversations from around the neighbouring fires. Everything was so peaceful here. Radisson slept as soundly as he did with his family in Trois-Rivières.
    The next day, the village grand council met in a longhouse set aside for this very purpose. The central fire that burned there permanently symbolized the ties that had bound all Iroquois for generations. The councils of the Confederacy of the Five Nations, as well as councils involving all representatives of the Onondaga nation and those concerning the entire Onondaga village, were held here.