The Life and Times of Kateri Tekakwitha Part 17

The same facts will apply also at Glenn's and Baker's Falls as now known."

A copy of the note on trails above mentioned as enclosed in the letter, is here given:--

"TRAILS FROM LAKE GEORGE--From the head of Lake George two trails led to the Hudson. The first led southwest through a valley about eleven miles to the _ford below_ the month of Sacondaga, at present _Luzerne_, thence along the Sacondaga to Northampton, striking the Mohawk at the lower castle in the vicinity of Schoharie River. The dotted line from the head of Lac du Saint-Sacrement on the map in 'Jesuit Relations,' 1665, apparently was intended to represent this route. The curves correspond to those of the Sacondaga in number and location.

From Luzerne a branch continued down the Hudson about five miles to the vicinity of Jessup's Landing, where a crossing was made _at the ford_ above the falls. This appears to have been the route of Jogues at this time, as indicated by the distance given of six leagues equal to fifteen miles.

"The second led southeasterly about nine miles, nearly on the line of the present railway to Glenn's Falls, from whence were several diverging lines. One led south along the west bank of the Hudson. Another took almost an air-line for Schenectady on the Mohawk, pa.s.sing between Owl Pond and Saratoga Lake, and west of b.a.l.l.ston Lake, at the north end of which a branch diverged to the westward leading direct to the Mohawk Castles.

The French expedition in the winter of 1665 to 1666, in taking this route, failed to follow the branch leading to the castles, and consequently found themselves, much to their surprise, in the near vicinity of the new Dutch settlement at Schenectady.

Southier's maps show this trail, and several others diverging at different points. It is believed that from Glenn's Falls a trail led nearly in a southwest direction, pa.s.sing along the base of Mt. McGregor, and somewhere in the Kayaderosseras Valley united with the branch from Jessup's Landing, and from thence struck the Mohawk at present Amsterdam."

A year later the correspondence on Indian trails in Saratoga County at the time of Kateri Tekakwitha was resumed as follows:--

"Since my return from Saratoga, I have given all my leisure to the study of Indian trails in your vicinity.... I have a ma.n.u.script map, copied from the original in the Paris Archives, relating to the two expeditions of Courselles and Tracy, 1666.

This map shows that the first, or winter expedition, after leaving Lake George descended the valley of the Hudson to Fish Creek, thence pa.s.sed up that stream, over Saratoga Lake, and over b.a.l.l.ston Lake to the vicinity of Schenectady. This is the precise route taken (according to Mr. Sylvester) by Lieutenant Le Moyne in his winter expedition of 1690 (Northern Wilderness, p. 288), in which I agree with him.

"The second Courselles-Tracy Expedition, according to the map, crossed the Hudson at Glenn's Falls, thence pa.s.sing near and south of a _small lake_ east of Mt. McGregor (now known as Moreau Pond), through Doe's Corners, near Stiles' Hill, and near Glen Mitch.e.l.l to present Saratoga. This is my understanding of the map; and as you will see they followed near the base of Mt. McGregor, and hugging the bases of the Greenfield (or Palmerstown) hills, followed substantially the present highway all the way from Glenn's Falls. The fragment of a trail mentioned by you was probably a portion of this original Indian pathway.

"From Saratoga, if we take the map as our guide, the expedition pa.s.sed near b.a.l.l.ston, and thence slightly curving, proceeded on its way in a very direct course to the Mohawk Castles. They may have taken this route, but probably crossed the Kayaderosseras about half-way between b.a.l.l.ston and Lake Saratoga, on a trail leading direct to Schenectady. When a little north of b.a.l.l.ston Lake, it crossed a path leading from Schuylerville along Fish Creek and Saratoga Lake to the Mohawk at Kinaquariones (Hoffman's Ferry). The map, however, makes the two distinct, and without any connection.

"Three trails led southward from Jessup's Landing,--one in almost an air-line to Kinaquariones. I suppose that Tegakwita followed this.

A second branched off from South Corinth, and leading in almost an air-line to Orange, pa.s.sed near the western edge of Round Lake. A third, taking a southeasterly course, curved around Mt.

McGregor, and led very direct to the great fis.h.i.+ng-station, at present Schuylerville, the ancient OSSARAGUE. Your Indian samp-bowl [hollowed in the rock] was probably not far from the crossing-place of the two trails."

E. INDIAN DEFENSIVE WORKS.

General Clark, in describing to the writer the defensive works of the Iroquois, mentioned one locality in New York State where he actually found the series of hollows in the ground left by the palisadoes of an Indian fortified village. They showed the exact arrangement of a triple wall. He also gave, in connection with this subject, several references to quaint and interesting works in the State Library at Albany, which were duly examined. Some of these are given below:--

"You will find in RAMUSIO, G. B., Venice, 1606, 'Navigatione et Viaggi, volume Terzo, etc.,' relating to America, at p. 381, a fine two-page ill.u.s.tration of Hochelaga and its surrounding palisade. This, as I understand it, was a Huron village.

ARNOLDUS MONTa.n.u.s, America, Amsterdam, 1671, p. 136, gives a Susquehanna fortified village, with the long houses somewhat irregularly arranged, and enclosed by a single-line palisade work. Doc.u.mentary History of New York, vol. iii. p. 9, will show you an Iroquois village surrounded by triple or quadruple lines of palisades, with the elevated scaffolds. You will see numerous streams of water descending to put out the fire, etc.

It will require a vivid imagination to make out all that was intended to be shown by Champlain."

F. INDIAN PEt.i.tION TO ROME.

Among the most interesting papers forwarded to Rome during the last few years for the purpose of forwarding the cause of canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, is the following pet.i.tion. Copies of it were circulated among the Catholic mission Indians of the United States, who affixed to it their own peculiar signatures and marks. It is here given in the Latin, English and Flathead languages:

Noster Pater noster Papa:

Gentis Indicae nostrae, quamvis pauperrima sit et miserabilis, valde tamen misertus est Conditor noster, n.o.bisque dedit religionem Catholicam. n.o.bis quoque iterata misericordia dedit CATHARINAM TEGAKWITAM. Sancta haec virgo quae ut nos sumus gentis Indicae fuit, c.u.m multa fuerit gratia a JESU CHRISTO donata, adolescentula facta est optima, magno erga Conditorem nostrum amore tenebatur, et mortua est bona et sancta: nunc autem gloriosa deget in coelis, ut credimus, et pro n.o.bis omnibus orat. Virgo haec, credimus, data n.o.bis fuit magno Dei favore; est enim soror nostra parvula. Nunc vero speramus fore ut et tu quoque, noster Pater, qui Vicarius es JESU CHRISTI, favorem n.o.bis largiaris: te toto corde imploramus ut loquaris dicens: "Vos Indi, filii mei, sumite vobis CATHARINAM in ecclesia venerandam, quia sancta est et in coelis."

Sunt etiam alii duo, qui licet Galli fuerint, n.o.bis tamen sunt quasi Indi fuissent, eo quod Indos signum crucis edocuere et viam coeli; ideoque a perversis Indis fuerunt occisi. Eorum nomina sunt SACERDOS ISAAC JOGUES et FRATER RENATUS GOUPIL. Hos quoque duos vellemus habere venerandos, ut protectores, ut advocatos.

Quos tres si n.o.bis indulgeas PATRONOS, futurum est ut corda nostra sint laeta, conversatio nostra bona, et filii nostri perfecti evadant; multique Indicae gentis nondum baptizati in ecclesiam Catholicam ingrediantur, coeli visuri gloriam.

Our Father the Pope:

Though we Indians are very poor and miserable, yet Our Maker had great pity on us and gave us the Catholic religion.

Moreover He had pity on us again and gave us CATHERINE TEGAKWITA. This holy virgin, an Indian like ourselves, being favoured by JESUS CHRIST with a great grace, grew up very good, had a great love for Our Maker, and died good and holy, and is now glorious in heaven, as we believe, and prays for us all.

This virgin, we believe, was given to us from G.o.d as a great favour, for she is our little sister. But now we hope that thou, our Father, who art the Vicar of JESUS CHRIST, wilt grant us a favour likewise; we beg thee with the whole of our hearts to speak and say: "You Indians, my children, take CATHERINE as an object of your veneration in the church, because she is holy and is in heaven."

There are also two others who, though Frenchmen, yet are as if they were Indians, because they taught the Indians the sign of the Cross and the way to heaven; and for this they were killed by bad Indians. Their names are BLACKGOWN ISAAC JOGUES and BROTHER RENe GOUPIL. We wish to have these two also as objects of our veneration, as our protectors and our advocates.

If thou givest us these three as our PATRONS, our hearts will be glad, our behaviour will be good, and our children will become perfect, also a great many unbaptized Indians will enter into the Catholic Church and will see the glory of heaven.

Lingua _Kalispel_ (Anglice, _Flathead_.)

_L_u ku Pogot _l_u ku Lepape.

Ue mi_l_ kaekonkoint kaeskeligu, u kaeteie, u pen kutunt kaenkonnemi_l_ils lu KaeKohnzuten _l_u kaeguize_l_ils _l_u Sinchaumen Catholique. Negu kae_l_nkonnemi_l_ils _l_u kaeguize_l_ils CATHERINE TEGAKWITA. Ye stuchemish pagpagt chikuilze ezageil t kaempile _l_u kueis _l_u kutunt sinkonns tel JESUS CHRIST, mi_l_ gest u pogtilsh, mi_l_ gamenchis Kolinzuten, u _l_u Sinchaumis, gest u pagpagt u t_l_elil, u yet_l_goa csimpiels 'ls chichemaskat, u kaesia kaes chaus.h.i.+_l_ils. Shei Stuchemish kaentels kutunt kaesinkonm tel Kolmzuten ne_l_i kaempile _l_u kaep sinkusigu.

U pen yet_l_goa kaenmuselsi t-anui, _l_u ku Pogot, kaeksnkonnemi_l_ils, _l_u ku Ni_l_kalshelpenzutis JESUS CHRIST, t-esemilko t-kaepuus kaesgalitem kuks kolkoelt, u kuks zuti "Igu kuisigusigult kuskeligu, akaespoteem _l_u CATHERINE 'lsinchaumen, ne_l_i pagpagt, u 'ls'chichemaskat u e_l_zi."

Negu telzi chesel ue Seme, u pen ezageil t-skeligu, ne_l_i meyie_l_tem _l_u skeligu _l_u staktakenzut l'eseimeus, u _l_u shushuel ch's'chichemaskat, gol shei u polstem t-kuaukot skeligu shei _l_u eszustem KUAILKS ISAAC JOGUES, u SINSE RENE GOUPIL. Komi ye chesel negu kaek_l_s'chitenzuten, kaek_l_chaus.h.i.+zuten. _L_u ne kaeguize_l_ilt ye cheche_l_es kaek_l_s'chitenzuten, nem lemt _l_u kaespuus, nem gestilsh _l_u kaezuut, nem yopietilsh _l_u kaesigusigult, u nem chgoegoeit skeligu lu estemskoli m kueis _l_u Sinchaumen Catholique, u nem uichis _l_u'ls'chichemaskat _l_u simpielsten.

FOOTNOTES:

[82] See map in chap. iv. p. 38, showing the position of Andagoron, the Castle of the Bears, in 1642.

[83] This was at Kinaquariones, or Hoffman's Ferry. See Pierron's account of that battle, translated into English by Dr. Hawley, of the Cayuga County Historical Society, in his "Early Chapters of Mohawk History." See also a topographical note to the same by Gen. J. S. Clark, referring to Dutch deeds which give the distance of that battle-ground from Schenectady.

[84] KKWITHA,--eloigner, ou avancer qq. ch.; changer qq. ch. de place.

THE END