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Show XIII. l-HSTORICAL SUMMARY. Tm:: policy of Lnudonnicre1 influenced by the judgment of Alphonse D'Erlaeh suffered the proceedings of tho conspirncy to pass without farther scrutiny. His chief care was to provide against future nttempts of the same character. lle had been for some time past en~a~ed, among other labors, in putting tho fortress in the best possible order, and he now strenuously addressed all his efforts to the completion of tl1is work. A portion of his force was employed in sawing plank, and getting out timber ; others were engaged in making brick for buildings, at or ncar an I ndian village called Sara\•ahi, which stood ilbout a league and n. half from the fort, upon an arm of the S.'l.me river ; others were employed in gathering food, and still other parties in exploring the lndi:m settlements for traffic. I.e GcnrC, meanwhile, wrote to Laudonni:lrc, in repentant Jauguflgc, from tho neighboring forests. He had taken shelter among the rcd-men,-probably of the tribns of Satouriova, at present the enemy of the Frenchmen. n~ admilted that he deserved death, but declared his sorrow for his crime and entreated mercy. But his professions did not soothe or deceive his superior. About this: time, a vessel with supplies arrived from France which enabled Laudonniero to send 165 despatches home, containing a. full narrative of the events which had passed. It was the misfortune of the garrison to have received an addition by the arrival of this vessel. Six or seven of the most rcfrnctory of the soldiers of the garrison were put on board ship, and others left in their place with our captain. These proved in the end, quite as miscl1ievous as those which bo had dismissed. They leagued with, the old discontents of tho colony. They stole the barks and boats of the garrison, ran away to sea, and became picaroons, seizing, among others, upon a Spanish vessel of the I sland of Cuba, from which they gathered a quantity of gold and silver. Laudonnierc prooeeded to build other boats; which were seized when finished by the leaders of a new conspiracy, among whom were La Fourneaux, Stephen le Genevois, and others who were distinguished in this manner before. They finally seized Laudonnierc in person, and extorted from him a privateer's commission. Then, compelling him to yield up artillery, guns, and the usual munitions of war, together with 'l'rcnchant, his most faithful pilot, they hurried away to sea under tho command of on a of his sergeants, Bertrand Conferrnnt, w!Jile La Croix became their ensign. Thus was the commandant of La Caroline stripped of every vessel of whatever sort, his stores J>lundered, and his garrison greatly lesaened by desertions, while select detachments of llis men, under favorite lieutenants, were cngagt:!d in new explorations among the red-men of tho country. Our detailed narrative of these proceedings will employ the following chapters. |
