At noon, next day,
Radisson's patience was exhausted. He paddled round the island, and
showed himself a cannon-shot distant from the fort. Holding up a pole,
Radisson waved as if he were an Indian afraid to approach closer in
order to trade. The others hallooed a welcome and gabbled out Indian
words from a guide-book. Radisson paddled a length closer. The others
ran eagerly down to the water side away from their cannon. In signal
of friendship, they advanced unarmed. Radisson must have laughed to
see how well his ruse worked.
"Who are you?" he demanded in plain English, "and what do you want?"
The traders called back that they were Englishmen come for beaver.
Again the crafty Frenchman must have laughed; for he knew very well
that all English ships except those of the Hudson's Bay Company were
prohibited by law from coming here to trade.[8] Though the strange
ship displayed an English ensign, the flag did not show the magical
letters "H. B. C."
"Whose commission have you?" pursued Radisson.
"No commission--New Englanders," answered the others.
"Contrabands," thought Radisson to himself. Then he announced that he
had taken possession of all that country for France, had built a strong
fort, and expected more ships. In a word, he advised the New
Englanders to save themselves by instant flight; but his canoe had
glided nearer. To Radisson's surprise, he discovered that the leader
of the New England poachers was Ben Gillam of Boston, son of Captain
Gillam, the trusted servant of the Hudson's Bay Company, who had
opposed Radisson and Groseillers on Rupert's River.
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