on the 20th he stood off Martha's Vineyard, his
farthest point.

Champlain's chronicle of this voyage contains more detail regarding the
Indians than will be found in any other part of his Acadian narratives.
Chief among Poutrincourt's adventures was an encounter with the natives
of Cape Cod. Unlike the Micmacs, the Armouchiquois were 'not so much
hunters as good fishermen and tillers of the land.' Their numbers also
were greater; in fact, Champlain speaks of seeing five or six hundred
together. At first they did not interfere with Poutrincourt's
movements, even permitting him to roam their land with a body of
arquebusiers. After a fortnight, however, their suspicions began to
become manifest, and on October 15 four hundred savages set upon five
Frenchmen who, contrary to orders, had remained ashore. Four were
killed, and although a rescue party set out at once from the barque,
the natives made their escape.

To pursue them was fruitless, for they are marvellously swift. All
that we could do was to carry away the dead bodies and bury them near a
cross {50} which had been set up the day before, and then to go here
and there to see if we could get sight of any of them. But it was time
wasted, therefore we came back. Three hours afterwards they returned
to us on the sea-shore. We discharged at them several shots from our
little brass cannon, and when they heard the noise they crouched down
on the ground to escape the fire. In mockery of us they pulled down
the cross and disinterred the dead, which displeased us greatly and
caused us to go for them a second time; but they fled, as they had done
before. We set up again the cross and reinterred the dead, whom they
had thrown here and there amid the heath, where they kindled a fire to
burn them. We returned without any result, as we had done before, well
aware that there was scarcely hope of avenging ourselves this time, and
that we should have to renew the undertaking when it should please God.

With a desire for revenge was linked the practical consideration that
slaves would prove useful at Port Royal. A week later the French
returned to the same place, 'resolved to get possession of some savages
and, taking them to our settlement, put them to grinding corn at the
hand-mill, as punishment for the deadly assault which they had
committed on five or six of our company.' As relations were strained,
it became necessary to offer beads {51} and gewgaws, with ev