La Salle and the discovery of the great West - North Central ...

1674.] I ABBEF^NELON. 97commission from the King, owed his place to theirappointment.proved a veritable King Stork ;True, he had set them at nought, andyet nevertheless theyregarded his removal as an infringement of theirrights.During thequarrel with Perrot, La Salle chancedto be at Montreal, lodged in the house ofJacques LeBer, who, though one of the principal merchants andmost influential inhabitants of the settlement, wasaccustomed to sellgoods across his counter in personto white men and Indians, his wife taking his placewhen he was absent. Such were the primitivemanners of the secluded little colony. Le Ber, atthis time, was in the interest of Frontenac and LaSalle ;though he afterwards became one of their mostdetermined opponents. Amid the excitement anddiscussion occasioned by Perrot's arrest, La Salledeclared himself an adherent of the governor, andwarned all persons against speaking ill of him in hishearing.The Abbe* Fe*nelon, already mentioned as halfbrotherto the famous Archbishop, had attempted tomediate between Frontenac and Perrot, and tothisend had made a journey to Quebec on the ice, inmidwinter. Being of an ardent temperament, andmore courageous than prudent, he had spoken somewhatindiscreetly, and had been very roughly treatedby the stormy and imperious Count. He returnedto Montreal greatly excited, and not without cause.It fell to his lot to preach the Easter sermon. The7