Wee Are English." Unto Which I Reply'd, "And I Am French,
And Require You To Bee Gon;" & At The Same Instant Making Signe Unto My Men
To Appeare, They Shewed Themselves At The Entrance Of The Wood.
Those of
the shallop thinking in all likelyhood wee were more in number, were about
to have answer'd me in mild terms & to tell me they were of London, that
the shipp belong'd unto the Hudson Bay Company, & was Comanded by Capt
Guillem.
I inform'd them also who I was; that they came too late, & that I
had taken possession of those parts in the name & behalf of the King of
ffrance.
There was severall other things said, which is not needfull heere to
relate, the English asserting they had right to come into thos parts, & I
saying the contrary; but at last Mr Bridgar saying hee desired to come
ashore with 3 of his crew to embrace me, I told him that I should bee very
well sattisfy'd. Hee came a shore, & after mutuall salutations, hee asked
of me if this was not the River Kakiwakionay. I answer'd it was not, & that
it was farther to the Southward; that this was called Kawirinagau, or the
dangerous. Hee asked of me if it was not the River where Sir Thomas Button,
that comanded an English shipp, had formerly winter'd. I told him it was, &
shew'd him the place, to the northwards. Then hee invited me to goe aboard.
My crew being come up, disswaded me, especially my Nephew; yet, taking 2
hostages which I left ashore with my men, for I suspected Capt Guillem,
having declared himself my Ennemy at London, being of the faction of those
which were the cause that I deserted the English Intrest, I went aboard, &
I did well to use this precaution, otherwise Capt Guillem would have stop't
me, as I was since inform'd; but all things past very well. Wee din'd
together. I discoursed of my Establishment in the country; that I had good
numbers of ffrench men in the woods with the Indians; that I had 2 shipps &
expected another; that I was building a Fort; to conclude, all that I said
unto young Guillem, Master of the New England shipp, I said the same unto
Mr Bridgar, & more too. He took all for currant, & it was well for me hee
was so credulous, for would hee have ben at the troble I was of travelling
40 leagues through woods & Brakes, & lye on the could ground to make my
Discoverys, hee wold soon have perceaved my weakness. I had reason to hide
it & to doe what I did. Morover, not having men suffitient to resist with
open force, it was necessary to use pollicy. It's true I had a great
advantage in having the natives on my side, which was a great strength, &
that indeed wherupon I most of all depended.
Having stay'd a good while on board I desir'd to go ashore, which being
don, I made a signe to my men to bring the hostages, which they had carry'd
into the woods.
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