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

;1746.] RIGAUD WOUNDED. 245his days," says the chaplain.In view of the nimblenessof the assailants, a charge of buckshot was foundmore to the purpose than a bullet.Besides the slainAbenaki, Rigaud reports sixteen Indians and Frenchmenwounded, 1 — which, under the circumstances,was good execution for ten farmersand a ministerfor Chaplain Norton loaded and fired with the rest.Rigaud himself was one of the wounded, having beenhit in the arm and sent to the rear, as he stoodgiving orders on the rocky hill about forty rods fromthe fort. Probably it was a chance shot, since,though rifles were invented long before, they werenot yet in general use, and the yeoman garrison werearmed with nothing but their own smooth-bore hunting-pieces,not to be trusted at long range. Thesupply of ammunition had sunk so low that Hawkswas forced to give the discouraging order not to fireexcept when necessary to keep the enemy in check,or when the chance of hitting him should be unusuallygood. Such of the sick men as were strongenough aided the defence by casting bullets andbuckshot.The outrageous noise lasted till towards nine in theevening, when the assailants greeted the fort witha general war-whoop, and repeated it three or fourtimes ; then a line of sentinels was placed around itto prevent messengers from carrj-ing the alarm toAlbany or Deerfield. The evening was dark and^" L'Ennemi me tua un abenakis et me blessa 16 hommes, tantIroquois qu'Abenaqiiis, nipissings etfran9oi8." — Journal de Rigaud.