=Source.=--Narrative of the Heroic Deeds of Mlle. Marie-Madelaine
de Verchères, aged fourteen years, against the Iroquois, on the
22nd October, in the year 1696, at eight o'clock in the morning,[1]
quoted in Mr. E. Richard's _Supplement to the Report on Canadian
Archives_, 1899.
I was five arpents away from the fort of Verchères, belonging to
Sieur de Verchères, my father, who was then at Kebek by order of M.
le Chevalier de Callières, Governor of Montreal, my mother being
also in Montreal. I heard several shots without knowing at whom
they were fired. I soon saw that the Iroquois were firing at our
settlers, who lived about a league and a half from the fort. One of
our servants called out to me:
"Fly, mademoiselle, fly! the Iroquois are upon us!"
I turned instantly and saw some forty-five Iroquois running towards
me, and already within pistol shot. Determined rather to die than
fall into their hands, I sought safety in flight. I ran towards the
fort, commending myself to the Blessed Virgin....
Meantime my pursuers, seeing that they were too far off to take me
alive before I could enter the fort, and knowing they were near
enough to shoot me, stood still in order to discharge their guns at
me. I was under fire for quite a time, at any rate I found the time
quite long enough! Forty-five bullets whistling past my ears made
the time seem long and the distance from the fort interminable,
though I was so near. When within hearing of the fort, I cried out:
"To arms! to arms!"
I hoped that some one would come out to help me, but it was a vain
hope. There were but two soldiers in the fort, and these were
so overcome by fear that they had sought safety by concealing
themselves in the redoubt. Having reached the gates at last, I
found there two women lamenting for the loss of their husbands, who
had just been killed. I made them enter the fort, and closed the
gates myself. I then began to consider how I might save myself and
the little party with me, from the hands of the savages. I examined
the fort, and found that several of the stakes had fallen, leaving
gaps through which it would be easy for the enemy to enter. I gave
orders to have the stakes replaced, and heedless of my sex and
tender age, I hesitated not to seize one end of the heavy stake
and urge my companions to give a hand in raising it. I found by
experience that, when God gives us strength, nothing is impossible.
The breaches having been repaired, I betook myself to the redoubt,
which served as a guard-house and armoury. I there found two
soldiers, one of them lying down and the other holding a burning
fuse. I said to the latter:
"What are you going to do with that fuse?"
"I want to set fire to the powder," said he, "and blow up the fort."
"You are a miserable wretch," I said, adding, "Begone, I command
you!"
I spoke so firmly that he obeyed forthwith. Thereupon putting aside
my hood and donning a soldier's casque, I seized a musket and said
to my little brothers:
"Let us fight to the death for our country and for our holy
religion. Remember what our father has so often told you, that
gentlemen are born but to shed their blood for the service of God
and the king!"
Stirred up by my words, my brothers and the two soldiers kept up a
steady fire on the foe. I caused the cannon to be fired, not only
to strike terror into the Iroquois and show them that we were well
able to defend ourselves, since we had a cannon, but also to warn
our own soldiers, who were away hunting, to take refuge in some
other fort.
But alas! what sufferings have to be endured in these awful
extremities of distress! Despite the thunder of our guns, I heard
unceasingly the cries and lamentations of some unfortunates who had
just lost a husband, a brother, a child or a parent. I deemed it
prudent, while the firing was still kept up, to represent to the
grief-stricken women that their shrieks exposed us to danger, for
they could not fail to be heard by the enemy, notwithstanding the
noise of the guns and the cannon. I ordered them to be silent and
thus avoid giving the impression that we were helpless and hopeless.
While I was speaking thus, I caught sight of a canoe on the river,
opposite the fort. It was Sieur Pierre Fontaine with his family,
who were about to land at the spot where I had just barely escaped
from the Iroquois, the latter being still visible on every hand.
The family must fall into the hands of the savages if not promptly
succoured.
I asked the two soldiers to go to the landing-place, only five
arpents away, and protect the family. But seeing by their silence,
that they had but little heart for the work, I ordered our servant,
Laviolette, to stand sentry at the gate of the fort and keep it
open, while I would myself go to the bank of the river, carrying a
musket in my hand and wearing my soldier's casque. I left orders
on setting out, that if I was killed, they were to shut the gates
and continue to defend the fort sturdily. I set out with the
heaven-sent thought that the enemy, who were looking on, would
imagine that it was a ruse on my part to induce them to approach
the fort, in order that our people might make a sortie upon them.
This was precisely what happened, and thus was I enabled to save
poor Pierre Fontaine, with his wife and children. When all were
landed, I made them march before me as far as the fort, within
sight of the enemy. By putting a bold face upon it, I made the
Iroquois think there was more danger for them than for us.
They did not know that the whole garrison, and only inhabitants
of the fort of Verchères, were my two brothers aged 12 years, our
servant, two soldiers, an old man of eighty, and some women and
children.
Strengthened by the new recruits from Pierre Fontaine's canoe,
I gave orders to continue firing at the enemy. Meantime the sun
went down, and a fierce north-easter accompanied by snow and hail
ushered in a night of awful severity. The enemy kept us closely
invested, and instead of being deterred by the dreadful weather,
led me to judge by their movements that they purposed assaulting
the fort under cover of the darkness.
I gathered all my troops--six persons--together, and spoke to them
thus: "God has saved us to-day from the hands of our enemies, but
we must be careful not to be caught in their snares to-night. For
my part, I want to show you that I am not afraid. I undertake the
fort for my share, with an old man of eighty, and a soldier who
has never fired a gun. And you, Pierre Fontaine, with La Bonté and
Galhet (our two soldiers), will go to the redoubt, with the women
and children, as it is the strongest place. If I am taken, never
surrender, even though I should be burnt and cut to pieces before
your eyes. You have nothing to fear in the redoubt, if you only
make some show of fighting."
Thereupon I posted my two young brothers on two of the bastions,
the _youth_ of 80 on a third bastion, and myself took charge of the
fourth. Each one acted his part to the life. Despite the whistling
of the north-east wind, which is a fearful wind in Canada at this
season, and in spite of the snow and hail, the cry of "All's well"
was heard at close intervals, echoing and re-echoing from the fort
to the redoubt and from the redoubt to the fort.
One would have fancied, to hear us, that the fort was crowded with
warriors. And in truth the Iroquois, with all their astuteness and
skill in warfare, were completely deceived, as they afterwards
avowed to M. de Callières. They told him they had held a council
with a view to assaulting the fort during the night, but that
the increasing vigilance of the guard had prevented them from
accomplishing their design, especially in view of their losses of
the previous day (under the fire maintained by myself and my two
brothers)....
On the eighth day (for we were eight days in continual alarms,
under the eyes of our enemies and exposed to their fury and savage
attacks), on the eighth day, I say, M. de la Monnerie, a lieutenant
detached from the force under M. de Callières, reached the fort
during the night with forty men.... So soon as I saw the officer in
command I saluted him, saying:
"Sir, you are welcome, I surrender my arms to you."
"Mademoiselle," he answered, with a courtly air, "they are in good
hands."
"Better than you think," I replied.
He inspected the fort and found it in a most satisfactory
condition, with a sentry on each bastion. I said to him:
"Sir, kindly relieve my sentries, so that they may take a little
rest, for we have not left our posts for the last eight days."