lows that De Monts and his partners, in building a station
at Quebec, did not rely for their expenses upon any special favours
from the crown. They placed their reliance upon themselves, feeling
confident of their power to hold a fair share of the trade against all
comers. For Champlain Quebec was a fixed point on the way to the
Orient. For De Monts it was a key to the commerce of the great river.
None of his rivals would begin the season of 1609 with a permanent post
in Canada. Thus part of the anticipated profits for 1608 was invested
to secure an advantage in the approaching competition. The whole
success of the plan depended upon the mutual confidence of De Monts and
Champlain, both {63} of whom unselfishly sought the advancement of
French interests in America--De Monts, the courageous capitalist and
promoter; Champlain, the explorer whose discoveries were sure to
enlarge the area of trading operations.

Pontgrave sailed from Honfleur on April 5, 1608. Champlain followed
eight days later, reaching Tadoussac at the beginning of June. Here
trouble awaited him. The Basque traders, who always defied the
monopoly, had set upon Pontgrave with cannon and muskets, killing one
man and severely wounding two others, besides himself. Going ashore,
Champlain found Pontgrave very ill and the Basques in full possession.
To fight was to run the risk of ruining De Monts' whole enterprise, and
as the Basques were alarmed at what they had done, Darache, their
captain, signed an agreement that he would not molest Pontgrave or do
anything prejudicial to the rights of De Monts. This basis of
compromise makes it clear that Pontgrave was in charge of the season's
trade, while Champlain's personal concern was to found the settlement.

An unpleasant dispute was thus adjusted, but the incident had a still
more unpleasant sequel. Leaving Tadoussac on June 30, {64} Champlain
reached Quebec in four days, and at once began to erect his storehouse.
A few days later he stood in grave peril of his life through conspiracy
among his own men.

The ringleader was a locksmith named Jean Duval, who had been at Port
Royal and narrowly escaped death from the arrows of the Cape Cod
Indians. Whether he framed his plot in collusion with the Basques is
not quite clear, but it seems unlikely that he should have gone so far
as he did without some encouragement. His plan was simply to kill
Champlain and deliver Quebec to the Basques in return for a