Chapter Thirteen
Woolford grabbed his rifle. “Stay with Conawago!” he desperately whispered before darting into the shadows. Duncan reached for his own rifle.
“No!” came Conawago’s quick command. “Caughnawags.”
The warning did little to dispel Duncan’s fear. The Caughnawags were the northern Mohawks, who had been converted by French Jesuits in the prior century then exiled to Canada when the Iroquois fell into the British sphere of influence. They prayed to one God but gave homage to their war axes as well. They were the most numerous of France’s allies on the northern frontier and second only to the Hurons in their reputation for ferocity. They did not consider themselves part of the Iroquois League, for they were French Indians, and those of the League were British Indians. For decade
