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

32 SEARCH FOR THE PACIFIC. [1743.the Snakes, and found it abandoned, with lodges stillstanding, and many household possessions left behind.The enemy had discovered their approach, and fled.Instead of encouraging the allies, this news filledthem with terror, for they feared that the Snakewarriors might make a circuit to the rear, and fallupon the camp where they had left their women andchildren. The great chief spent all his eloquence invain, nobody would listen to him ; and with characteristicfickleness they gave over the enterprise, andretreated in a panic. "Our advance was made ingood order; but not so our retreat," says the Chevalier'sjournal. " Everybody fled his own way. Ourhorses, though good, were very tired, and got littleto eat." The Chevalier was one day riding with hisfriend, the great chief, when, looking behind him,he missed his two French attendants. Hasteningback in alarm, he found them far in the rear, quietlyfeeding their horses under the shelter of a clump oftrees. He had scarcely joined them when he saw aparty of fifteen hostile Indians stealthily creepingforward, covered by their bull-hide shields. He andhis men let them approach, and then gave them afew shots; on which they immediately ran off, firearmsbeing to them an astounding novelty.The three Frenchmen now tried to rejoin the greatchief and his band, but the task was not easy. Theprairie, bare of snow and hard as flint, showed notrace of foot or hoof ; and it was by rare good fortunethat they succeeded, on the second day, not in over-