Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-11-02
The Heroine of yercheres
A TALE OF CANADA IN THE TINE OF LOUIS XIV.
From Parkman'- History or Frontenac and New
France,

so well worth the record as the defence o.
the fort at Nercheres by the young daughter
OF the seignior. Many years later the Mar
gus de Beauharnais. governor of Canada
caused the story to be written down from the
recital of the heroine herself. Nercheres
was on the south shore of the st. Lawrence,
about twenty miles below Montreal. A strong
block-house stood outside the fort and was
connected with it by covered way. On the
twenty second of October the inhabitants
were at work IN the fields, and nobody was
left IN the place but two soldiers, two boys,
an old man of eighty and number ofwomeG
and children. The seignior, formerly an
officer of the regiment of Carignan, was on
duty at Quebec his wife was at Montreal
aisd their daughter Madeleine. fourteen years
OF age, was at the landing place not far from
the gate of the fort with hired man named
Laviolette Suddenly she heard firing
from the direction where the settlers were at
| work, and an instant after Laviolette cried
out, Run, Mademoiselle, run here come
the lroquois ~ She turned and saw forty or
fifty of them at the distance OF pistol shot
81 ran for the fort, commencing myself tc
the Holy Virgin. The Iroquois who chased
| after me, seeing that they could not catch
me alive before / reached the gate, stopped
and fired at me. The bullets whistled about
| my ears, and made the time seem very long.
| As soon as was near enough to be heard
| l cried out, To arms 10 arms hoping that
somebody would come out and help me, but
| 1t was OF no use. The two soldiers in the
fort were so scared that they had hidden in
the block house. At the gate I found two
women crying for their husbands, who had
| Just been killed. l made them go in and
then shut the gate. IneXt thought what
could do to save myself and the few people
with me. went to inspect the fort and found
that several palisades had fallen down and
left openings by which the enemy could
easily get in. i ordered them to be set up
again, and helped to carry them myself.
When the breaches were stopped went to
| the block-house where the ammunition is
kept and where found the two soldiers, one
| hiding in corner, and the other with light
ed match in his hand. What are you going
to do with that match 2 | asked. He answer
ed, Light the powder and blow us up. You
ale a miserable coward, said l, go out of
this place spoke so resolutely that he
obeyed. l threw off my bonnet. and after
putting on a hat and taking gun | said to
my two brothers, Let us fight to the death.
We are fighting for our country and our re-
hgion. Remember that our father has
taught you that gentlemen are born to shed
their blood for the service of God and the
King.
The boys, who were twelve and ten years
old aided by the soldiers, whom her words
had inspired with some little courage, began
to fire from the loop-holes upon the Iroquois,
who, ignorant of the weakness the garrison,
showed their usual reluctance to attack for
titled place, occupied themselves with chasing
and butchering the people in the neighborlng
fields. Madeleine ordered a cannon to be fired.
partly to deter the enemy from an assault and
partly to warn some of the soldiers who were
hunting at distance. The women and chill
dren in the tort cried and screamed without
ceasing.. She ordered them to stop lest their
terror should encourage the Indians. A canoe
was presently seen approaching the landing
place. 1t was a settler named Fontaine, trying
to reach the fort with his family. The lroquois
were still near, and Madeleine feared that the
new comers would be killed if something
were not done to aid them. She appealed
to the soldiers, but their courage WAS not
equal TO the attempt on which, as she de- |
clares after leaving Laviolette TO keep watch |
at the gate, she herself went to the landing |
place. 81 thought that the savages would |
suppose it to be a ruse to draw them toward |
the fort in order to make sortie upon them. |
They did suppose so, and thus | was able to |
save the Fontaine family. When they were |
all landed, made them march before me in |
full sight of the enemy. We put SO bold face |
than We. Strengthened by this reinforcement, |
ordered that the enemy should be fired on
whenever they showed themselves. After |
sunset violent northeast wind began to blow, |
accompanied with snow and hail, which told |
us that We should have terrible night The |
Iroquois were all this time lurking about us
and iddscd by their movements that instead |
of being deferred by the storm, they would |
climb into the fort under cover of the dark
neSs. lassembled all my troops, that is to
say, six persons, and spoke to them thus
God has saved us to-day from the hands OF
our enemies, but We must take care not to fall |
into their snares tonight. As for me, l |
want you to see that am not afraid. l will |
take charge Of the fort with an old man of |
eighty and another who never fired gun and |
you, Pierre Fontaine, with La Bonte and Gach- |
ct (our two soldiers), will so to the block \
house with the women and children, because
that is the strongest place and, if am taken,
don't surrender, even if am cut to pieces and
burned before your eyes. The enemy cannot
hurt you in the blockhouse. if you make the
least show of fight. | placed my young broth
ers on two Of the bastions the old man on the
third, and | took the fourth and all night
III spite of wind, snow and hail, the cries of
AIS well were kept up from the blockhouse
to the fort, and from the fort to the blockhouse.
One would have thought that the place was
full Of soldiers. The Iroquois thought SO.
and were completely deceived, as they confes-
sed atterward to Monsieur de GALLERIES, whom
they told that they had held council to
make plan for capturing the fort in the
night, but had done nothing because such
u constant watch was kept.
About one in the morning, the sentinel
on the bastion, by the gate called out, Made
| hear something | went to him
hta.l hat ~ aud ht-t tha l.1t Nntt
snow, which covered the ground, could see
through the darkness II number of cattle,
the miserable remnant that the lrOquOis had
left us. The others wanted to open the gate
and let them in, but | answered God forbid. |
You don't know all the tricks of the savages.
They are no doubt following the cattle. covered
with skins of beasts, so as to get into the fort,
ii We are simple enough to open the gate for
them. Nevertheless, after taking every pre-
caution, ! thought We might open it without
risk | made my two brothers stand ready
with their guns cooked in case OF surprise,
and so We let III the cattle
AT last, the daylight came again and, as
the darkness disappeared, our anxieties
seemed to disappear with it. Everybody took
except Mademoiselle Margenerite,
wife OF the Sieur Fontaine who being ex-
tTemely tlmid, as all Partisan women are,
asked her husband to carry her to another
fort. He SAID, Il will never abandon this fort
while Mademoiselle Madelon (.Nadeleine) is
here. | answered him that ] would never
abandon it that | would rathar die than
give 1t up TO the enemy and that it was of
the greatest Importance that they should
never get possession OF any French fort, be-
cause II they should get one, they would
think they could get others, and would grow
more bold and presumptuous than ever. |
may say with truth that did not eat OF sleep
TOR twice twenty -four hours. | did not 20
once into my fathers house, but kept always
on the hastlon, or went to the blockhouse
to see how the people there were behaving
| always kept u cheerful and smiling face,
and encouraged my little company with the
hope OF speedy succor.
I've were II week IN constant alarm, with
the enemy always about us. At last Mon
sieur do la Monnerie, lieutenant sent by
Monsieur de Galleries. arrived in the night
with forty men. As he did not know wheth-
er the fort was taken OF not. he approached rs
silently as possible. One of our sentinels,
hearing II slight sound, cried, Qui vIveH |
was at the time doing, with my head on
table and my gun lying across my arms. The
sentinel told me he heard u voice from the
HVer went up ut once to the bastion to
see whether 1t was Indians or Frenchmen.
! asked, Who are yuu One of them an
7wered, We are Frenchmen it is In Mon
merle, who comes to bring you help
caused the gate to be opened, placed a sentinel
there and went down to the river to meet
them. As soon as saw Monsieur, de Ia Mon
merle, saluted HIM, and SAID, Monsieur | sur
render my arms to you. He answered gallant
ly, 'Mademoiselle they nre IN good hands
Better than you think | returned. Hen
spccted the fort and found every thing in or
der, and "A sentinel on each bastion 1t is time