nglish brought up three field cannon and under protection of their
scattering fire laid a pontoon bridge. Crossing the river, they
marched within a mile of the fort. That night the sky was alight with
flame; for Vergor, the French commander, and Abbe Le Loutre set fire to
all houses outside the fort walls. In a few days the English cannon
had been placed in a circle round the fort, and set such strange music
humming in the ears of the besieged that the Acadian farmers deserted
and the priest nervously thought of flight. Louisburg {232} could send
no aid, and still the bombs kept bursting through the roofs of the fort
houses. One morning a bomb crashed through the roof of the breakfast
room, killing six officers on the spot; and the French at once hung out
the white flag; but when the English troops marched in on June 16, at
seven in the evening, Le Loutre had fled overland through the forests
of New Brunswick for Quebec.

There scant welcome awaited the renegade priest. The French governors
had been willing to use him as their tool at a price ($800 a year), but
when the tool failed of its purpose they cast him aside. Le Loutre
sailed for France, but his ship was captured by an English cruiser and
he was imprisoned for eight years on the island of Jersey.

[Illustration: GENERAL MONCKTON]

Meanwhile, how was fate dealing with the Acadian farmers? Ever since
the Treaty of Utrecht they had been afraid to take the oath of
unqualified loyalty to England, lest New France, or rather Abbe Le
Loutre, let loose the hounds of Indian massacre on their peaceful
settlements. Besides, had not the priest assured them year in and year
out that France would recover Acadia and put to the sword those
habitants who had forsworn France? And they had been equally afraid to
side with the French, for in case of failure the burden of punishment
would fall on them alone. For almost half a century they had been
known as _Neutrals_. Of their population of 12,000, 3000 had been
lured away to Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. When Cornwallis
had founded Halifax he had intended to wait only till the English were
firmly established, when he would demand an oath of unqualified
allegiance from {233} the Acadians. They, on their part, were willing
to take the oath with one proviso,--that they should never be required
to take up arms against the French; or they would have been willing to
leave Acadia, as the Treaty of Utrecht had provid