now transferred to the eastward, Annapolis Royal, Beausejour and
Louisbourg became the scene of hostilities and Aukpaque, not Medoctec,
the place of rendezvous.

Immediately after the declaration of war Paul Mascarene set to work to
repair the defences of Annapolis Royal. The French inhabitants at
first showed every readiness to assist him, but they retired to their
habitations when the Indians, to the number of about three hundred
fighting men, appeared before the fort. Among the leaders of the
savages was young Alexander le Borgne de Bellisle, who himself had
Indian blood in his veins, being the son of Anastasie de St. Castin.
The Indians failed in their attack and retired to await the arrival of
troops from Louisbourg under Du Vivier.

Some weeks later the united forces again advanced on Annapolis
but, after a siege lasting from the end of August to about the 25th of
September, they were obliged to retire without accomplishing
anything. Mascarene conducted the defence with prudence and energy
but honestly admits, in his letter to Governor Shirley, that it
was largely "to the timely succours sent from the Governor of
Massachusetts and to our French inhabitants refusing to take up arms
against us, we owe our preservation."

The people of New England cherished no good will toward the savages of
Acadia. The horrors of Indian warfare in the past were yet fresh in
their memories, and stern measures were resolved upon. Governor
Shirley, with the advice of his council, offered premiums for their
scalps, L100 currency for that of an adult male Indian, L50 for that
of a woman or child, and for a captive L5 higher than for a scalp.

After the failure of the French attack on Annapolis Royal, Shirley
planned an expedition against Louisbourg, "the Dunkirk of America."
This was indeed a formidable undertaking, for the French had spent
twenty-five years of time and about six millions and a half of dollars
in building, arming and adorning that city. The walls of its defences
were formed of bricks brought from France and they mounted two hundred
and six pieces of cannon. The leader of the expedition was William
Pepperell, a native of Kittery, Maine, a colonel of militia and a
merchant who employed hundreds of men in lumbering and fishing. His
troops comprised a motley collection of New Englanders--fishermen and
farmers, sawyers and loggers, many of them taken from his own vessels,
mills and forests. Before such men, aided by the