I Sent Back His 3 Men With Some Tobacco & Other Provisions, But Kept Their
Arms, Bidding Them Tell Mr. Bridgar
On my behalf that had I known hee would
have come himself on this Expedition, I would have taken my
Mesures to have
receav'd him ere he could have had the time to get back; but I heard of it
a litle too late, & that in some short time I would goe visit him to know
what hee would bee at, & that seeing hee pretended to bee so ignorant in
what quallity I liv'd in that country, I would goe and inform him. Before
these men's departure to Mr. Bridgar's I was inform'd that some English men
had hidden Powder without the fort. I examin'd them all. Not one would owne
it; but at last I made them confess it, & 5 or 6 pound was found that had
ben hid. Then I took care to secure the fort. I sent 4 of the English men
of the fort unto my Brother-in-Law, & I prepar'd to goe discover what Mr.
Bridgar was doing. I came to his House & went in before hee had notice of
my coming. Hee appeared much surpris'd; but I spoke to him in such a manner
as shewed that I had no intent to hurt him, & I told him that by his late
acting hee had so disoblidged all the ffrench that I could not well tell
how to assist him. I told him hee had much better gon a milder way to work,
in the condition hee was in, and that seeing hee was not as good as his
word to me, I knew very well how to deall with him; but I had no intention
at that time to act any thing against Mr. Bridgar. I only did it to
frighten him, that hee should live kindly by me; & in supplying him from
time to time with what he wanted, my chief ayme was to disable him from
Trading, & to reduce him to a necessity of going away in the Spring.
Seeing Mr. Bridgar astonish'd at my being there with 12 men, & in a
condition of ruining him if I had desire to it, I thought fit to setle his
mynd by sending away 6 of my men unto my Brother-in-Law, & kept but 6 with
me, 4 of which I sent out into the woods to kill some provisions for Mr.
Bridgar. About this time I receaved a letter from my Brother wherin hee
blam'd me for acting after this manner with persons that but 2 days agoe
endeavor'd to surprise me; that if I did so, hee would forsake all; that I
had better disarm them for our greater security, & that I should not charge
myself with any of them. It was also the judgment of the other french men,
who were all exasperated against Mr. Bridgar. Not to displease my owne
people, instead of 4 English men that I promis'd Mr. Bridgar to take along
with me that hee might the better preserve the rest, I took but 2, one of
which I put in the Fort at the Island, & the other I brought unto our
habitation.
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