PUYS, Zachary du, French soldier. He was commandant of the fort of Quebec in 1655, and in 1656 was selected to plant a colony among the Onondagas. With ten soldiers of the garrison and forty other Frenchmen, he established a small settlement on Lake Onondaga. In 1658 the colony was surrounded by Indians, who, as the French were known to have no canoes, made sure of their destruction. Du Puys gave orders to have small light boats built, secretly in the garret of the house of the Jesuit missionaries, and, eluding the savages, reached Montreal in fifteen days. There was great joy at his escape, but he expressed his indignation at being forced to abandon so important a settlement for want of succor. He was commissioned to act as governor of Montreal in 1665 during the absence of Maisonneuve.