64 FROXTENAC AND DUCHESNEAtT. [1681. 



Frontenac, and Frontenac complained to Duches- 

 neau, who sent his son, with Vautier, to give the 

 governor his version of the affair. The bishop, 

 an ally of the intend ant, thus relates what fol- 

 lowed. On arriving with a party of friends at 

 the chateau, young Duchesneau was shown into 

 a room in which were the governor and his two sec- 

 retaries, Barrois and Chasseur. He had no sooner 

 entered than Frontenac seized him by the arm, 

 shook him, struck him, called him abusive names, 

 and tore the sleeve of his jacket. The secretaries 

 interposed, and, failing to quiet the governor, 

 opened the door and let the boy escape. Vautier, 

 meanwhile, had remained in the guard-room, where 

 Boisseau struck at him with his cane ; and one of 

 the guardsmen went for a halberd to run him 

 through the body. After this warm reception, 

 young Duchesneau and his servant took refuge in 

 the house of his father. Frontenac demanded their 

 surrender. The intendant, fearing that he would 

 take them by force, for which he is said to have 

 made preparation, barricaded himself and armed 

 his household. The bishop tried to mediate, and 

 after protracted negotiations young Duchesneau 

 was given up, whereupon Frontenac locked him in 

 a chamber of the chateau, and kept him there a 

 month. 1 



The story of Frontenac' s violence to the boy is 

 flatly denied by his friends, who charge Duches- 



1 Me'moire de VEresque de Quebec, Mars, 1681 (printed in Revue Cana- 

 dienne, 1873). The bishop is silent about the barricades of which Fron- 

 tenac and his friends complain in several letters. 



