390 FRENCH AND ENGLISH RIVALRY. [1697. 



There were no British soldiers on the island. 

 The settlers were rude fishermen without com- 

 manders, and, according to the French accounts, 

 without religion or morals. In fact, they are de- 

 scribed as " worse than Indians." Iberville now 

 had with him a hundred and twenty-five soldiers 

 and Canadians, besides a few Abenakis from Aca- 

 dia. 1 It was mid- winter when he began his march. 

 For two months he led his hardy band through 

 frost and snow, from hamlet to hamlet, along those 

 forlorn and desolate coasts, attacking each in turn 

 and carrying havoc everywhere. Nothing could 

 exceed the hardships of the way, or the vigor with 

 which they were met and conquered. The chap- 

 lain Baudoin gives an example of them in his 

 diary. "January 18th. The roads are so bad 

 that we can find only twelve men strong enough 

 to beat the path. Our snow-shoes break on the 

 crust, and against the rocks and fallen trees hidden 

 under the snow, which catch and trip us ; but, for 

 all that, we cannot help laughing to see now one, 

 and now another, fall headlong. The Sieur de 

 Martigny fell into a river, and left his gun and his 

 sword there to save his life." 



A panic seized the settlers, many of whom were 

 without arms as well as without leaders. They 

 imagined the Canadians to be savages, who scalped 

 and butchered like the Iroquois. Their resistance 

 was feeble and incoherent, and Iberville carried all 

 before him. Every hamlet was pillaged and burned ; 



1 The reinforcement sent him from Quehec consisted of fifty soldiers, 

 thirty Canadians, and three officers. Frontenac au Ministre, 28 Oct., 1696 



