143 
of what has happened, and thou wilt hear indig¬ 
nantly the perfidious proceedings of these foreigners 
towards me, their most faithful ally.” 
La Vantangue had scarcely put himself upon his 
guard, when he felt the advantage of the informa¬ 
tion thus communicated to him. Two days after the 
arrival of his nephew, his spies brought tidings that 
the French had pitched their camp at the distance of 
only one league from the village where he resided. 
He instantly despatched a messenger to make them 
an offer of provisions, and begged them to make 
known to him the purpose of their journey. La 
Forge, who commanded the detachment, returned for 
answer, that he had orders to subject the country to 
the French domination. Terrified at such a decla¬ 
ration, La Vantangue offered him four hundred 
bullocks as the price of peace, and represented that 
his country was too far from Fort Dauphin for him to 
have done any thing to draw down the resentment of 
the colony. La Forge spurned at this offer, and fixed 
the price of peace at twenty thousand bullocks . 
La Vantangue returned no answer to this demand; 
but while the French were ravaging a plantation of 
sugar-canes, he ordered them to be massacred, which 
was done. The only person who escaped with his 
life was a Portuguese. 
This man took refuge in a marshy spot covered 
with reeds and stagnant water; here he remained, in 
concealment, up to the neck in mud and water for 
two days. At length the islanders, who were afraid 
