Having Given Orders At The
Fort, I Went To Mr. Bridgar.
Being come to his House, I taxed him of breach
of promise, & I tould him ther should bee no
Quarter if hee offered to doe
soe any more, & that therefore hee should prepare himself to goe for the
Bay (as soone as ever the Ice did permitt) in the vessell that wee had
left, it being so agreed on by our french men, assuring him I would furnish
him with all things necessary for the voyadge. Hee appear'd much amaz'd at
the compliment I made him, & hee told me in plaine terms that it must bee
one of thes 3 things that must make him quit the place, - his master's
orders, force, or hunger. Hee desired me afterwards that if the captain of
the salvages of the river of new Severn came, that hee might see him by my
means, which I promis'd to doe.
Having thus disposed Mr. Bridgar for his departure, I continued to assist
him & his people with all that I could to enable them to work to sit
ourselves to bee gon. I left Mr. Bridgar in his house & I went unto ours, &
having consulted my Brother-in-Law, wee resolved that 'twas best to burn
the fort in the Island & secure Mr. Bridgar, thereby to draw back our men &
to ease us of the care of defending the fort & of the trouble of so many
other precautions of securing ourselves from being surprized by Mr.
Bridgar. The crew of both our vessells made an agreement amongst themselves
to oppose our dessigne of giving our shipp unto the English for their
transportation. It was necessary at the first to seeme to yeeld, knowing
that in time wee should master the factions. It was the master of my Bark
that began the mutiny. The chief reason that made me seem to yeeld was that
I would not have the English come to know of our Divisions, who happly
might have taken some advantage of it. Wee had 4 amongst us unto whom I
granted libberty upon their parole; but to make sure of those of new
England, wee caus'd a Lodge to bee built in a litle Island over against our
House where they were at a distance off us. Wee sent from time to time to
visit them to see what they did. Wee gave them a fowling-peece to divert
them, but one day abusing my nephew, wee took away the Gun from them.
Going afterwards unto the fort of the Island, I sent a boate unto Mr.
Bridgar, advising him the captain hee desired to see was come, & that hee
might come with one of his men; which hee did, & as soon as hee was come I
told him that to assure our Trade I was obliged to secure him & would
commit him into the custody of my nephew, unto whom I would give orders to
treat him kindly & with all manner of respect, telling him withall that
when I had put all things on board the vessell that was in the fort, I
would go & set it on Fier.
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