fe were to be seen in the
internal decorations. The reason I at length learned, from the chief,
in whose house I dwelt, and with whom I had already succeeded in
establishing a sworn friendship. About fifteen years previous, this bay
was selected by a party of emigrants, as the _locale_ of a settlement.
They had been wrecked on the island of Anticosti themselves, and made
their escape to Gaspe, with such remnants of their effects as they could
rescue from the wreck. There, they built houses for themselves, made
clearings in the forest, and established a little colony, with rules and
regulations for its government. Happily for them, they possessed within
their number almost every description of artificer requisite for such
an undertaking, their original intention being to found a settlement
in Canada, and thus carpenters, shoe-makers, weavers, tailors,
mill-wrights, being all ready to contribute their aid and assistance
to each other, the colony made rapid progress, and soon assumed the
appearance of a thriving and prosperous place. The forest abounded in
wild deer and bears, the bay not less rich in fish, while the ground,
which they sowed with potatoes and Indian-corn, yielded most successful
crops, and as the creek was never visited by sickness, nothing could
surpass the success that waited on their labours.

"Thus they lived, till in the fall of the year, a detachment of the
Gaspe Indians, who came down every autumn for the herring-fishery,
discovered that their territory was occupied, and that an invading force
were in possession of their hunting-grounds. The result could not be
doubted; the red men returned home to their friends with the news, and
speedily came back again with reinforcements of the whole tribe, and
made an attack on the settlement. The colonists, though not prepared,
soon assembled, and being better armed, for their fire-arms and
cutlasses had all been saved, repelled the assailants, and having
killed and wounded several of them, drove them back into the forest. The
victory, however complete, was the first day of their misfortunes; from
that hour they were never safe; sometimes a marauding party of red men
would dash into the village at nightfall, and carry away some of
the children before their cries could warn their parents. Instead of
venturing as before into the 'bush' whenever they pleased, and in small
numbers, they were now obliged to go with the greatest circumspection
and caution, stationin