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

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

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1752, 1753.] SAINT-PIERRE'S JOURNEY. 41He spent most <strong>of</strong> the w<strong>in</strong>ter at Fort La Re<strong>in</strong>e.Here, towards the end <strong>of</strong> February, 1752, he hadwith him only fivemen, hav<strong>in</strong>g sent out the rest <strong>in</strong>search <strong>of</strong> food. Suddenly, as he sat <strong>in</strong> his chamber,he saw the fort full <strong>of</strong> armed Ass<strong>in</strong>ibo<strong>in</strong>s, extremelynoisy <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>solent. He tried <strong>in</strong> va<strong>in</strong> to quiet them,<strong>and</strong> they presently broke <strong>in</strong>to the guard-house <strong>and</strong>seized the arms. A massacre would have followed,had not Sa<strong>in</strong>t-Pierre, who was far from want<strong>in</strong>gcourage, resorted to an expedient which has morethan once proved effective on such occasions. Heknocked out the heads <strong>of</strong>two barrels <strong>of</strong> gunpowder,snatched a fii-ebr<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> told the yelp<strong>in</strong>g crowd thathe would blow up them <strong>and</strong> himself together. Atthis they all rushed <strong>in</strong> fright out <strong>of</strong> the gate, whileSa<strong>in</strong>t-Pierre ran after them, <strong>and</strong> bolted it fast.There was great anxiety for the hunters, but they allcame back <strong>in</strong> the even<strong>in</strong>g, without hav<strong>in</strong>g met theenemy. The men, however, were so terrified by theadventure that Sa<strong>in</strong>t-Pierre was compelled to ab<strong>and</strong>onthe fort,b<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong>Ass<strong>in</strong>ibo<strong>in</strong>s, who had pr<strong>of</strong>essed great friendsliip.after recommend<strong>in</strong>g it to the care <strong>of</strong> anotherFour days after he was gone they burned it tothe ground.He soon came to the conclusion that farther discoverywas impossible, because the English <strong>of</strong> HudsonBay had stirred up the western tribes to oppose it.Therefore he set out for the settlements, <strong>and</strong>, reach<strong>in</strong>gQuebec <strong>in</strong> the autumn <strong>of</strong> 1753, placed the journal

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