of his possessions across
Fundy Bay to St. John River.

Then the Englishmen, under the Kirke brothers, capture Quebec. As luck
or ill luck will have it, among the French captured from the French
ships of the Hundred Associates down at Tadoussac, is Claude de La
Tour, the father of Charles. Claude de La Tour was a Protestant. This
and his courtly manner and his noble birth commended him to the English
court. What had France done for Claude de La Tour? Placed him under
the ban on account of his religion.

Claude de La Tour promptly became a British subject, received the title
Baronet of Nova Scotia with enormous grants of land on St. John River,
New Brunswick, married an English lady in waiting to the Queen, and
sailed with three men-of-war for Nova Scotia to win over his son
Charles. No writer like Marc Lescarbot was present to describe the
meeting between father and son; but one can guess the stormy
scene,--the war between love of country and love of father, the guns of
the father's vessels pointing at the son's fort, the guns of the son's
fort pointing at the father's vessels. The father's arguments were
strong. What had France done for the La Tours? By siding with England
they would receive safe asylum in case of persecution and enormous
grants of land on St. John River. But the son's arguments were
stronger. The father must know from his English bride--maid in waiting
to the English Queen--that England had no intentions of keeping her
newly captured possessions in Canada, but had already decided to trade
them back to France for a dowry to the English Queen. If Canada were
given back to France, what were English grants in New Brunswick worth?
"If those who sent you think me capable of betraying my country even at
the prayer of my father, they are mightily mistaken," thundered the
young man, ordering his gunners to their places. {64} "I don't
purchase honors by crime! I don't undervalue the offer of England's
King; but the King of France is just as able to reward me! The King of
France has confided the defense of Acadia to me; and I'll defend it to
my last breath."

Stung by his son's rebuke, the elder La Tour retired to his ship, wrote
one more unavailing appeal, then landed his mariners to rush the fort.
But the rough bush lopers inside the palisades were expert marksmen.
Their raking cross fire kept the English at a distance, and the father
could neither drive nor coax his men to the sticking point