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Show :124 THE L!I.Y AND TilE TOTEI\J. too little time for effic ient operations. JTcncc tJ,c ch·ility of their deportment, nnd the pacific character of their assurances. 'L'hey lowered snil, cast nnciJOr, and forbore all offensive demonstrntions. But one circumstance confirmed the npprchcnsions of the Frenchmen. In the brief conversation which ensued between the parties, after the arrival of the Spnniards, t!JC latter inquired after the chief enptniDs and leaders of the French fleet, calling them by their nnmcs nod surnames, and betraying nn intimate knowledge of matters, which hnd been judiciously kept as secret ns possible in l~ranee. This showed, conclusi\·ely, thnt, before Melendez left Spain, he was thoroughly informed by those who knew, in Fr11nce, of the condition, conduct, and strength of Hibau!t's armament. And wl1y should he be informed of these particulars, unless there were some designs for acting upon this information ? 'l'hc To'rcnch captains compared notes that night, in respect to these communications, and concurred in the belief that they stood in danger of nssault. They prepared themselves nccordingly, to cut and run, with the first appearance of dawn, or danger. With the break of day, tbc Spaniards bcgnn to draw nigh to our Frenchmen; but the sails of these were already hoi-.tcd to tho breeze. Their cables were severed, at the first sign of hostility, and the c11ase begun within the greatest animation. But, if the ships of the Huguenots were deficient in force, they had tho ad\·antagc of their enemies in speed. ~'hey showed the Spaniards a. clean pair of heels, and suffered nothing from the distant cannonade witl1 which tllCir pursuers sought to cri}Jple their flight. The chase was continued through the day. With tho approach of evening, the Spaniards tacked sl1ip and stood for the River Seloy, or Selooe, e:lllcd by the l~rench, the Ui\·cr of Dolphins; a. distance, ovel·lnnd, of but eight or ten leagues from La Caroline. F'incling that 325 thry h:1d tlJC adnlllt1lge of their enemies in fleetness, tl1e Frcnel1 vc~~els came nbout nlso, nnd followed them at a re~pcctful dist:mce. H:wing m:1de :lil the discoveries wl,ich were pes~iiJle, they retmned to l\lay Hivcr, when HiiJault came nboard. ~l'hey rcportf'd ro him tl1at the great sl1ip of tho Spnniardfl, e11llcd" The '.1'1inity,'' still kept the sc:t; tl1at three other ships harl CJltercd the]li\"(:r of Dolphins; that three others remained at its mouth; :mel th11t Ill(' Rpaninrd.-; had e\"idently employed themselves in putting ~ohli(·r~, with nrms, munition, and provisions, upon sl10rc. 'J'hc~e, and further facts, renchcd him from other quarters. F.moloa, one of the Indian kings in amity with tl1e ]?renc!J, sent them word that t110 Spaniards had gone on l'hore nt Seloy in great numbers-that tl\C'y had dispossessed the natives of their houses fit tlmt villugc; h:ld put thci1· " negro slaves, whom they hnd brought to labor," in posses~ ion of them ; nnd were already bn.~y in entrcnclJing tlJClll sclves in the plncc, mnking it 11 regular encnmpment. Not doubting that they meant to assail and llllrrnss the settlement of T,a Caroline from this point, with tl1e view to expelling the colonists from the country, Ribault boldly con('eivcd the idea of tnking the initiate in the war. JTe fh·st c:lllcd a council of his chief captains. 'l'hey assmnbled in the chamber of L:mdonnicre, that person being sick. II ere ltibault commenced by showing the relative condition of their own and the enemy's strcngt\1. lh> conclusion, from his nrrny of all tho facts, was, tlmt the tnw policy required that he should embark with all his forces, 11nd seck the fleet of tl1c Spaniards, particularly at a moment when it was somewhat scattered ; when one great ship only kept tlJC seas; "hen the rest were in no situation to support each other in tho event of sudden assault, and when the troops of the .\dclantado, pal1ly on the shore, and partly in his vessels, were, very probably, " |