The ultimate fate of Ben Gillam I found in the Shaftesbury collection of papers bearing on Captain Kidd. His name is variously given as “William” and “James,” but I think there can be little doubt of his identity from several coincidences. In the first place, the Gillam whom Mr. Randolph arrested for piracy (and was given a present by the Company for so doing) was the Gillaum later arrested in connection with Captain Kidd. Also Gillam’s boat was known under a variety of names—_Bachellors’ Delight_, _Prudent Sarah_, and the master of _The Prudent Sarah_ was arrested in connection with Captain Kidd. The minutes of the Hudson’s Bay Company show that the Boston owners of Gillam’s boat sued for the loss of this trip against the Hudson’s Bay Company, and lost their suit. This was the first test of the legality of the Hudson’s Bay Company monopoly, and the courts upheld it. Radisson’s life as given in _Pathfinders of the West_ and _Heralds of Empire_ affords fuller details of the fray from the Frenchman’s point of view. It is remarkable how slightly his record differs from the account as contained in the official affidavits. As to the distance of Charlton Island from the main coast—it puzzled me how the sailing directions for the ships that were to rendezvous there gave the distance of the island from the main coast as anything from twenty to eighty miles. The explanation is the point on the south coast that is considered. CHAPTER X 1683-1685 THE ADVENTURERS FURIOUS AT RADISSON, FIND IT CHEAPER TO HAVE HIM AS FRIEND THAN ENEMY AND INVITE HIM BACK—THE REAL REASON WHY RADISSON RETURNED—THE TREACHERY OF STATECRAFT—YOUNG CHOUART OUTRAGED, NURSES HIS WRATH AND THERE GAILY COMES ON THE SCENE MONSIEUR PÉRÉ—SCOUT AND SPY The Hudson’s Bay Adventurers were dazed by the sudden eruption of Radisson at Port Nelson. Their traders had gone there often enough to have learned that the finest furs came from the farthest North. Here was a region six hundred miles distant from the French bush-lopers, who came overland from the St. Lawrence. Here were the best furs and the most numerous tribes of Indian hunters. Radisson had found Port Nelson for them. Now he had snatched the rich prize from their hands.