I Had Like To Bee Lost Severall Times In These Journeys
By Reason Of Great Stores Of Ice; & The Passage Of The Entrance Of The
River To Double The Point To Enter Into That Where Mr. Bridgar & The New
England Shipp Lay Was Allways Dangerous.
I will not here insist upon the perrills I expos'd my self unto in coming &
going to prepare things
For our departure when the season would permitt;
but I cannot omit telling that amongst other kindnesses I did Mr. Bridgar I
gave him stuff suffitient to sheath his shallup, which was quite out of
order, as also cordage & all things else necessary; but hee did not well by
me, for contrary to his word which he had given me not to goe to the fort
in the Island, hee attempted to goe thether with his people in his shallup,
& being come within musket-shott under a pretence of desiring some Powder,
the comander would not suffer him to come any neerer, & made him cast anker
farther off. Hee sent his boats for Mr. Bridgar, who came alone into the
fort, though hee earnestly desired one of his men might bee admitted along
with him, but was deny'd. His men were order'd to lodge themselves ashore
the North side of the River in hutts, & provisions was sent unto them. Mr.
Bridgar spent that night in the Fort, went away the next day. The day
before I see the shallup going full salle towards the fort, whether I was
also going myself by land with one Englishman in whom I put a great deale
of confidence, having no body else with me. I did suspect that Mr. Bridgar
had a dessign to make some surprise, but I was not much afraid by reason of
the care & good order I had taken to prevent him.
Nevertheless I feared that things went not well; for when I came neer the
fort, seeing the boate coming for me, & that the comander did not make the
signall that was agreed upon betwixt us, this startled me very much, & I
appeared as a man that had cause to feare the worst; which one of our
frenchmen that steered the boat wherin ther was 4 Englishmen perceiving,
cry'd out all was well, & made the signall. I blamed him & the comander for
putting me in feare in not making the usuall signes.
When I came to the fort I was told Mr. Bridgar was there, & that hee was
receayed, as has been recited. I was also tould hee had privat discours
with the carpenter of the new England shipp that I had formerly ingadged in
a friendly manner to attend & serve him. This discours made the comander
the more narrowly to inspect Mr. Bridgar. & to stand better upon his gard,
the Scotch man telling him hee was not come thither with any good
intention; so that the comander of the Fort sent him away in the morning,
having given him some Pork, Pease, & Powder. 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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