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

19-4 ACADIAN CONFLICTS. [1747.through the heart with a bayonet. Captain Howewas severely wounded and made prisoner.Coulon and Lusignan, disabled by their wounds, werecarried back to the houses on the Gaspereau, wherethe French surgeon had remained. Coulon's party,now commanded by Beaujeu, having met and joinedthe smaller party under Lotbiniere, proceeded totheaid of others who might need their help ; for whilethey heard a great noise of musketry from far andnear, and could discern bodies of men in motion hereand there, they could not see whether these werefriends or foes, or discern which side fortune favored.They presently met the party of Marin, composed oftwenty-five Indians, who had just been repulsed withloss from the house which they had attacked. Bythis time there was a gleam of daylight, and as theyplodded wearily over the snowdrifts, they no longergroped in darkness. The two parties of Colombiereand Boish^bert soon joined them, with the agreeablenews that each had captured a house ;and the unitedforce now proceeded to make a successful attack ontwo buildings where the English had stored theframes of their blockhouses. Here the assailantscaptured ten prisoners. It was now broad day, butthey could not see through the falling snow whetherthe enterprise, as a whole, had prospered or failed.Therefore Beaujeu sent Marin to find La Corne,who, in the absence of Coulon, held the chief command.Marin was gone two hours. At length hereturned, and reported that the English in the houses