A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

1747.] A WINTER MARCH. 187On the next morning, January 27, the adventurersstopped at the village of Tatmagouche, wherethey were again joined by a number of Acadians.After mending their broken sledges they resumedtheir march, and at five in the afternoon reached aplace called Bacouel, at the beginning of the portagethat led some twenty-five miles across the country toCobequid, now Truro, at the head of Mines Basin.Here they were met by Girard, priest of Cobequid,from whom Coulon exacted a promise to meet himagain at that village in two days. Girard gave thepromise unwillingly, fearing, says Beaujeu, to embroilhimself with the English authorities. Hereported that the force at Grand Prd counted at leastfour hundred and fifty, or, as some said, more thanfive hundred. This startling news ran through thecamp ; but the men were not daunted. " The morethere are," they said, "the more we shall kill."The party spent the twenty-eighth in mending theirdamaged sledges, and in the afternoon they werejoined by more Acadians and Indians. Thus reinforced,they marched again, and towards eveningreached a village on the outskirts of Cobequid.Herethe missionary Maillard joined them, — to the greatsatisfaction of Coulon, who relied on him and hisbrother priest Girard to procure supplies of provisions.Maillard promised to go himself to GrandPr^ with the Indians of his mission.The party rested for a day, and setout again onthe first of February, stopped at Maillard 's house in