A few days after Radisson's departure in
July, 1683, cannon announced the arrival of the annual English ships on
Nelson River. Jean at once sent out scouts, who found a tribe of
Indians on the way home from trading with the ships that had fired the
cannon. The scouts brought the Indians back to the French fort. Young
Groseillers admitted the savages only one at a time; but the cunning
braves pretended to run back for things they had forgotten in the
French house. Suspecting nothing, Jean had permitted his own men to
leave the fort. On different pretexts, a dozen warriors had surrounded
the young trader. Suddenly the mask was thrown off. Springing up,
treacherous as a tiger cat, the chief of the band struck at Groseillers
with a dagger. Jean parried the blow, grabbed the redskin by his
collar of bears' claws strung on thongs, threw the assassin to the
ground almost strangling him, and with one foot on the villain's throat
and the sword point at his chest, demanded of the Indians what they
meant. The savages would have fled, but French soldiers who had heard
the noise dashed to Groseillers' aid. The Indians threw down their
weapons and confessed all: the Englishmen of the ship had promised the
band a barrel of powder to massacre the French. Jean took his foot
from the Indian's throat and kicked him out of the fort. The English
outnumbered the French; so Jean removed his fort farther from the bay,
among the Indians, where the English could not follow.
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