I Made Out Also That He Had Wanted
But The Occasion Of Putting To The Sword My Nephew If He
Had had the least
pretext; but knowing his wicked designs, I made him understand, as well as
the other Frenchmen,
That we were to go to England, & that he must not
leave the ship, because we were at any moment ready to depart.
Although this change surprised my nephew & his interpreter, nevertheless
they appeared not discontented with it, especially when I had assured them,
as well as the other Frenchmen, that they would receive all kinds of good
treatment in England, and that it would do them no harm in their persons
nor in their pretensions. I left them then in the ship, and having embarked
myself in the frigate, we were put ashore two leagues from the place where
they were at anchor, to take on board some goods that remained on the
shore, with more diligence than we had been able to make with the ships;
which having succeeded in happily doing, we went to rejoin the ships at the
place where they were at anchor, in one of which my nephew and the other
Frenchmen were staying during this time without having taken the least
step, although they were in a condition for any enterprise, because they
could easily render themselves masters of the two ships and burn them,
having there for both but two men and one boy in each; after which they
could also, without danger, go on shore on the south side with the canoes
of the savages, who were from the north, and then make themselves masters
of their houses and their merchandise, which were guarded but by two men;
but to go there to them, he made doubts of all that I had told him, and
that it would be ill intentioned to the service of the company, as it was
to the Governor. That is why they were not capable, neither those nor the
others, after having submitted themselves & having taken the oath of
fidelity as they had done.
At length, after having suffered in my honour and in my probity many things
on the part of the Governor, [Footnote: "Before Radisson's arrival, Capt.
John Abraham had been to Port Nelson with supplies of stores, & finding Mr
Bridgar was gone, he staid himself, & was continued Governor by the Company
in 1684." Oldmixon.] and much fatigue and indisposition of trouble and of
care in my person, to come to the end of my design, having happily
succeeded, and all that was to be embarked in the ships being on board, we
made sail the 4th day of September, 1684, and we arrived at the Downs,
without anything passing worth mentioning, the 23rd of October of the same
year.
The impatience that I had of informing the Gentlemen of the Hudson's Bay
Company of the happy success of my voyage, and our return, and that I had
acquitted myself for the service of the King and their own interest in all
the engagements into which I had entered, obliged me to mount a horse the
same day, to present myself in London, where I arrived at midnight.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 217 of 223
Words from 113417 to 113950
of 117345
