French Pathfinders in North AmericaJohnson, William Henry
History
French Pathfinders in North America
Johnson, William Henry
America -- Discovery and exploration -- French; New France -- Discovery and exploration
The upshot of the matter was that Satouriona was incensed against the
French for breaking faith with him. And to make the situation worse,
when he went, unaided, and attacked his enemies and brought back
prisoners, the French {81} commander, to curry favor with Outina,
compelled Satouriona to give up some of his captives and sent them home
to their chief.
All this was laying up trouble for the future. Not a sod had the
Frenchmen turned in the way of tilling the soil. The river flowing at
their feet teemed with fish. The woods about them were alive with game.
But they could neither fish nor hunt. Starving in a land of plenty, ere
long they would be dependent for food on these people who had met them so
kindly, and whom they had deliberately cheated and outraged.
Next we find Vasseur sailing up the river and sending some of his men
with Outina to attack Potanou, whose village lay off to the northwest.
Several days the war-party marched through a pine-barren region. When it
reached its destination the Frenchmen saw, instead of a splendid city of
the "kings of the Appalachian mountains," rich in gold, just such an
Indian town, surrounded by rough fields of corn and pumpkins, as the
misguided Spaniards under Soto had often come upon. The poor barbarians
defended their homes bravely. But the Frenchmen's guns routed them.
Sack and slaughter followed, with the burning of the town. Then the
victors {82} marched away, with such glory as they had got, but of course
without a grain of gold.
At Fort Caroline a spirit of sullenness was growing. Disappointment had
followed all their reckless, wicked attempts to get treasure. The
Indians of the neighborhood, grown unfriendly, had ceased to bring in
food for barter. The garrison was put on half-rations. Men who had come
to Florida expecting to find themselves in a land of plenty and to reap a
golden harvest, would scarcely content themselves with the monotonous
routine of life in a little fort by a hot river, with nothing to do and
almost nothing to eat. It was easy to throw all the blame on Laudonniere.
[Illustration: Fort Caroline]
"Why does he not lead us out to explore the country and find its
treasures? He is keeping us from making our fortunes," the gentlemen
adventurers cried.
Here again we are reminded of the Spaniards under Narvaez and Soto, who
struggled through the swamps and interminable pine-barrens of Florida,
cheered on by the delusive assurance that when they came to the country
of Appalachee they would find gold in abundance. (See "Pioneer Spaniards
in North America.")
{83}
Another class of malcontents took matters into their own hands. They
were ex-pirates, and they determined to fly the "jolly Roger" once more.
They stole two pinnaces, slipped away to sea, and were soon cruising
among the West Indies. Hunger drove them into Havana. They gave
themselves up and made their peace with the Spanish authorities by
telling of their countrymen at Fort Caroline.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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