65 
1671 ] of the Island Dauphine, &c. 
against Rahessaf, enemy of the French, & who was most 
redoubtable in the country, he having previously defeat’d 
a Party of French. ’Twas for this reason that Monsieur 
de Champmargou left the province of Anosy, accompany’d 
by 145 French & by five to six thousand Blacks ; they 
went on to the Territory of Rahessaf, who awaited the 
French with an army of eleven to twelve thousand men ; 
they met & were sometime encamp’d one near the other 
without doing anything, until the Sieur de Champmargou 
seeing that a large part of the Blacks in his Army were 
demoraliz’d & sought to flee, he resolv’d to give fight. 
He advis’d the Blacks of it & told them that they were to 
prepare themselves to fight on that day. To which they 
reply’d that they did not wish to fight that day, because 
that their Oily had told them that if they fought that 
same day they would all be kill’d. The Sieur de Champ¬ 
margou reply’d to them that his Oily , which is God, was 
stronger than the Devil their Oily, & that he had told him 
that he would have the Victory, on which account he 
would give Battle to Rahessaf with the French alone, not 
caring about the Blacks who had cowardice & did not 
wish to fight. Having said which, he drew up his French¬ 
men in order & part of the Blacks who would follow them, 
the others being a little retir’d for flight—if the French 
suffer’d defeat. The said Sieur advanc’d against Rahessaf, 
defeated him & his army. He lost there only one French¬ 
man, who, being mounted on a horse, pursu’d the Fugi¬ 
tives, & caught up one whom he wish’d to kill with a 
musket shot but missed his aim; the Black did not miss, 
but struck him hard with a sagaye, which he threw at 
him, with which the Frenchman was pierc’d through & 
through the body; with several other Blacks of the French 
party who were kill’d. The Blacks who held back, ready 
to flee, if the French had suffered defeat, were the first to 
pursue the people of Rahessaf when they took to flight, & 
