The King's Warrant: A Story of Old and New FranceEngelbach, Alfred H.
History
The King's Warrant: A Story of Old and New France
Engelbach, Alfred H.
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France) -- Fiction
Forcing their way through the dense wood for three or four hundred
yards along the crest of the bank, they came at length to an opening
through which they heard the sound of voices, and passing through the
gap they were soon looking down upon the scene below.
There on the border of the stream stood a group of Canadian militia
leaning on their muskets. Two or three Indians lay dead upon the
ground, and near them lay also a female figure, by the side of which,
with his hands clasped and his head bowed down, stood the Baron de
Valricour. There was another prostrate figure, that of a spare old
man, to whom two persons seemed to be attending. One of them was
Isidore, the other Boulanger did not recognise--it was the Marquis de
Beaujardin.
The story was soon told. That afternoon Jacques Duboscq, who had been
captured on his return to the "Pompadour" had been considerately sent
on shore by the commander of the English sloop in order that he might
inform the Baron de Valricour of the circumstances under which Madame
de Valricour and the marquis had been put on shore at Cape Tourment two
days before. On hastening to the military offices to see if any steps
could be taken on behalf of their relatives, should they have fallen
into the hands of the English, the baron and Isidore found that an
Indian scout or spy had just come in with the intelligence that some
Algonquins with three French prisoners had been seen that day encamped
on the Montmorency River. In less than an hour Isidore and his uncle
had set out for the spot, accompanied by a small body of picked men,
and, guided by the scouts, they took the Indians completely by
surprise, killing or dispersing them with a single volley. With
instinctive ferocity, however, one of the savages had struck Madame de
Valricour dead, whilst another singled out the marquis, as he supposed,
and grievously wounded poor Perigord.
Two rude litters were soon made by some of the Canadians, on one of
which they laid the body of Madame de Valricour, on the other they
placed old Perigord, and the party then set out for the lines at
Montmorency. They had not gone far before the attention of Amoahmeh
and the Canadian was attracted by a sound like the scream of an eagle,
which was immediately echoed from afar: "Yes, our friend yonder is
calling to his eaglets," said Boulanger, "and they hear him; but we can
laugh at them and him too now."
On the way the marquis kept by the side of his old servant, more than
once expressing his grief at what had befallen him.
"Nay, monseigneur," replied Perigord, smiling in spite of the pain he
was evidently enduring, "do not mind about me. It was fortunate that
those stupid savages mistook me for my betters. Besides, have I not
seen my dear young master once again?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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