13. XIII.
HISTORICAL SUMMARY.
The policy of Laudonniere, influenced by the judgment of
Alphonse D'Erlach suffered the proceedings of the conspiracy to
pass without farther scrutiny. His chief care was to provide
against future attempts of the same character. He had been for
some time past engaged, among other labors, in putting the
fortress in the best possible order, and he now strenously addressed
all his efforts to the completion of this work. A portion
of his force was employed in sawing plank, and getting out timber;
others were engaged in making brick for buildings, at or near
an Indian village called Saravahi, which stood about a league and
a half from the fort, upon an arm of the same river; others were
employed in gathering food, and still other parties in exploring
the Indian settlements for traffic. Le Genré, meanwhile, wrote
to Laudonniere, in repentant language, from the neighboring
forests. He had taken shelter among the red-men,—probably of
the tribes of Satouriova, at present the enemy of the Frenchmen.
He admitted that he deserved death, but declared his sorrow for
his crime and entreated mercy. But his professions did not
soothe or deceive his superior. About this time, a vessel with
supplies arrived from France which enabled Laudonniere to send
despatches home, containing a full narrative of the events which
had passed. It was the misfortune of the garrison to have received
an addition by the arrival of this vessel. Six or seven of
the most refractory of the soldiers of the garrison were put on
board ship, and others left in their place with our captain.
These proved in the end, quite as mischievous as those which he
had dismissed. They leagued with the old discontents of the
colony. They stole the barks and boats of the garrison, ran
away to sea, and became picaroons, seizing, among others, upon
a Spanish vessel of the Island of Cuba, from which they gathered
a quantity of gold and silver. Laudonniere proceeded to build
other boats; which were seized when finished by the leaders of a
new conspiracy, among whom were La Fourneaux, Stephen le
Genevois, and others who were distinguished in this manner before.
They finally seized Laudonniere in person, and extorted
from him a privateer's commission. Then, compelling him to
yield up artillery, guns, and the usual munitions of war, together
with Trenchant, his most faithful pilot, they hurried away to sea
under the command of one of his sergeants, Bertrand Conferrant,
while La Croix became their ensign. Thus was the commandant
of La Caroline stripped of every vessel of whatever sort, his stores
plundered, and his garrison greatly lessened by desertions, while
select detachments of his men, under favorite lieutenants, were
engaged in new explorations among the red-men of the country.
Our detailed narrative of these proceedings will employ the following
chapters.
