Delta chief., 1883-08-08
A YOUNG HEROINE.
BY EDWARD EGGLEsToN.

One October morning in 1892, the in
habitants of Vercehres, settlement 20
miles below Montreal, were in the field
at work. There were but two soldiers
within the fort. The commander and
his wife were absent. Their daughter
Madeleine, girl of fourteen, stood on
the landing with hired man, when she
heard firing. Run, mademoiselle!
run!' cried the man. 'Here come the
Iroquoisr'
Looking round, the girl saw the Indi-
ans near at hand. She ran for the fort,
and the Indians, seeing that they could
not catch her, fired at her. Their bull
lets whistled round her, and 'made the
time seem very long" as she afterwards
said.
AS soon as she neared the fort, she
cried out: ITO arms! to armsr' hoping
that she would get assistance. But the
two soldiers were so frightened that they
had hidden in the block-house.
When Madeleine reached the gate of
the fort, she found two women there cry
ing for their husbands, who were in the
fields and had just been killed. Made
leine forced them in, and shut the gate.
She instantly went to examine the de-
fences of the fort. and found that some
of the palisades had fallen down. leav-
ing holes through which the enemy
could easily enter.
She got what help she could and set
them up. Then the little commander
repaired to the block-house, where she
found the brave garrison of two, one
man hiding in corner, and the other
with lighted match in his hand.
What are you going to do with that
match?" said Madeleine.
.:Light the powder and blow us all
up" answered the soldier.
..You are a miserable coward" said
the girl go out of this place!"
People are always likely to obey. in
time of panic, the one person who shows
resolution and GOODNESS. The soldier
did as Madeleine bade him. She then
flung aside her bonnet, put on a hat and
took gun.
OHer whole force consisted of the above
mentioned soldiers, her two little broth
ers, aged ten and twelve and an old man
Of eighty. and some women and children
who did nothing but set up continual
screaming as soon as the firing COM
mepced.
..Let us fight to the death. said brave
Madeleine to her little brothers. who
seem to have possessed no small share
of her own courage. I'VE are fighting
for our country and our religion. Re-
member our father has taught you that
gentlemen are born to shed their blood
for the service of God and the king"
Madeleine now placed her brothers
and the soldiers at the loop-holes. where
they fired at the Indians lurking and
dodging about outside. The savages
did not know how large the garrison
was. and therefore hesitated to attack
the fort: and numbers of them fell be-
fore the well-directed shots of the sol
diers.
The girl-commander succeeded. after
a while in stopping the screaming of
the women and children. for she was
determined that the enemy should per-
ceive no sign of fear or weakness: she
flew from bastion to bastion to see that
every defender was doing his duty: she
caused a cannon to be fired from time
to time. partly to intimidate the savages,
and partly in hope that the noise might
convey intelligence of the situation and
bring them help.
Thus the fight went on day after day
and night after night. the heroic girl
keeping up her vigilant eNertions SO
constantly that it was forty-eight hours
before she caught wink of sleep.
For whole week Madelaine held the
fort, with no favoring circumstances but
the stormy weather. which prevented
the Indians from setting fire to her
wooden defences. At the end of that
time rcinforcements came down the
river and raised the siege"