The Founder of New France : A Chronicle of ChamplainColby, Charles W. (Charles William)
History
The Founder of New France : A Chronicle of Champlain
Colby, Charles W. (Charles William)
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Champlain, Samuel de, 1574-1635
Pontgrave sailed from Honfleur on April 5, 1608. Champlain followed
eight days later, reaching Tadoussac at the beginning of June. Here
trouble awaited him. The Basque traders, who always defied the monopoly,
had set upon Pontgrave with cannon and muskets, killing one man and
severely wounding two others, besides himself. Going ashore, Champlain
found Pontgrave very ill and the Basques in full possession. To fight
was to run the risk of ruining De Monts' whole enterprise, and as the
Basques were alarmed at what they had done, Darache, their captain,
signed an agreement that he would not molest Pontgrave or do anything
prejudicial to the rights of De Monts. This basis of compromise makes
it clear that Pontgrave was in charge of the season's trade, while
Champlain's personal concern was to found the settlement.
An unpleasant dispute was thus adjusted, but the incident had a still
more unpleasant sequel. Leaving Tadoussac on June 30, Champlain reached
Quebec in four days, and at once began to erect his storehouse. A few
days later he stood in grave peril of his life through conspiracy among
his own men.
The ringleader was a locksmith named Jean Duval, who had been at
Port Royal and narrowly escaped death from the arrows of the Cape Cod
Indians. Whether he framed his plot in collusion with the Basques is not
quite clear, but it seems unlikely that he should have gone so far as
he did without some encouragement. His plan was simply to kill Champlain
and deliver Quebec to the Basques in return for a rich reward, either
promised or expected. Some of the men he had no chance to corrupt, for
they were aboard the barques, guarding stores till a shelter could
be built. Working among the rest, Duval 'suborned four of the worst
characters, as he supposed, telling them a thousand falsehoods and
presenting to them prospects of acquiring riches.' The evidence
subsequently showed that Champlain was either to be strangled when
unarmed, or shot at night as he answered to a false alarm. The
conspirators made a mutual promise not to betray each other, on penalty
that the first who opened his mouth should be poniarded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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