d at Astoria months
after the Pacific Company's ship. Such swift coasters of the wilderness
were the Nor' Westers, this overland party came sweeping down the
Columbia, ten canoes strong, hale, hearty, singing as they paddled, a
month before the Raccoon had come, six months before their own ship, the
Isaac Todd.

And what did MacDougall do? Threw open his gates in welcome, let an army
of eighty rivals camp under shelter of his fort guns, demeaned himself
into a pusillanimous, little, running fetch-and-carry at the beck of the
Nor' Westers, instead of keeping sternly inside his fort, starving
rivals into surrender, or training his cannon upon them if they did not
decamp.

Alexander Henry, the partner at the head of these dauntless Nor'
Westers, says their provisions were "nearly all gone." But, oh! the
bragging _voyageurs_ told those quaking Astorians terrible things of
what the Isaac Todd would do. There were to be British convoys and
captures and prize-money and prisoners of war carried off to Sainte Anne
alone knew where. The American-born scorned these exaggerated yarns,
knowing their purpose, but not so MacDougall. All his pot-valiant
courage sank at the thought of the Isaac Todd, and when the campers ran
up a British flag he forbade the display of American colours above
Astoria. The end of it was that he sold out Mr. Astor's interests at
forty cents on the dollar, probably salving his conscience with the
excuse that he had saved that percentage of property from capture by the
Raccoon.

At the end of November a large ship was sighted standing in over the bar
with all sails spread but no ensign out. Three shots were fired from
Astoria. There was no answer. What if this were the long-lost Mr. Hunt
coming back from Alaskan trade on the Beaver? The doughty Nor' Westers
hastily packed their furs, ninety-two bales in all, and sent their
_voyageurs_ scampering up-stream to hide and await a signal. But
MacDougall was equal to the emergency. He launched out for the ship,
prepared to be an American if it were the Beaver with Mr. Hunt, a Nor'
Wester if it were the Raccoon with a company partner.

It was the Raccoon, and the British captain addressed the Astorians in
words that have become historic: "_Is this the fort I've heard so much
about? D---- me, I could batter it down in two hours with a
four-pounder!_"

Two weeks later the Union Jack was hoisted above Astoria, with traders
and marines drawn up under arms to fire