1697.] CAPTURE OF FORT NELSON. 393 



east made her position more critical every hour. 

 She anchored, to escape being driven ashore ; but 

 the cables parted, and she was stranded about two 

 leagues from the fort. Here, racked by the waves 

 and the tide, she split amidships ; but most of the 

 crew reached land with their weapons and ammu- 

 nition. The northern winter had already begun, 

 and the snow lay a foot deep in the forest. Some 

 of them died from cold and exhaustion, and the 

 rest built huts and kindled fires to warm and dry 

 themselves. Food was so scarce that their only 

 hope of escape from famishing seemed to lie in 

 a desperate effort to carry the fort by storm, but 

 now fortune interposed. The three ships they had 

 left behind in the ice arrived with all the needed 

 succors. Men, cannon, and mortars were sent 

 ashore, and the attack began. 



Fort Nelson was a palisade work, garrisoned by 

 traders and other civilians in the employ of the 

 English fur company, and commanded by one of 

 its agents, named Bailey. Though it had a con- 

 siderable number of small cannon, it was incapable 

 of defence against any thing but musketry ; and 

 the French bombs soon made it untenable. After 

 being three times summoned, Bailey lowered his 

 flag, though not till he had obtained honorable 

 terms ; and he and his men marched out with arms 

 and baggage, drums beating and colors flying. 



Iberville had triumphed over the storms, the 

 icebergs, and the English. The north had seen 

 his prowess, and another fame awaited him in the 

 regions of the sun ; for he became the father of 



