He returned in 1535 with three ships and spent the winter of 1535–36 at Stadacona (near present-day Quebec City), where he made the acquaintance of the St. Lawrence Iroquoians, under the chief Donnacona. Cartier kidnapped Donnacona and eleven of his tribesmen and took them to France, where several died from diseases. The others returned in 1536, but died shortly afterward.
At Hochelaga (present-day Montreal), Cartier met another Iroquoian tribe and saw the Lachine Rapids. These tribes introduced Cartier to the use of canoes, which made possible further inland penetration by explorers and fur traders.