CHAPTER X
MUTINY AT FORT CAROLINE
During the progress of the exciting events related in the precedingchapters, troublous times had come to Fort Caroline, on the banks ofthe Great River of May. Above it hung the three black clouds ofstarvation, mutiny, and war.
Before the sudden departure of Rene de Veaux on his journey in searchof food, a party of ten men had been sent out by Laudonniere to explorethe country to the south of the fort, and discover, if possible, themountains of gold that were supposed to exist there. For more than amonth they had traversed broad sand barrens, crossed deep rivers, andbeen lost in the mazes of dark swamps. They had discovered rare birdsof gorgeous plumage, strange and beautiful flowers, and many wildanimals whose nature was unknown to them, but no trace of the gold ofwhich they were in search.
Keenly disappointed, ragged, sick, and hungry, they at length came to avillage of Indians who had never seen nor heard of white men, and whofled at their approach. The famished soldiers rushed into the lodges,took whatever they could find to eat, and, building a fire, proceededto cook for themselves a feast. While they were thus busy, theircarelessly tended fire crept to one of the tinder-like palmetto lodges,and in a few minutes more the whole village was in flames.
From their hiding-places in the surrounding forest, the savages,witnessing what they supposed to be a wanton destruction of theirproperty, discharged a cloud of arrows at the white men, by which onewas killed and several were wounded. Flying from the place, thewretched soldiers started for Fort Caroline, followed by their unseenfoes, from whom they did not escape until four more had paid with theirlives for their carelessness. When, some days later, the fivemiserable survivors of this unfortunate expedition dragged themselvesinto Fort Caroline, it was only to bring the news of their failure tofind gold, of the death of their comrades, and of the fact that theyhad stirred up all the Southern Indians to war upon the whites.
Laudonniere, who had taken Rene's departure keenly to heart, and whohad grieved over the lad as though he were lost to him, had alsosuffered great anxiety on account of the scarcity of provisions withinthe fort. Now, added to these troubles, came these latest tidings ofill, and, as a result, the fever against which he was strugglingovercame him, and he was confined to his bed.
To many within Fort Caroline the serious illness of their chief broughtgreat sorrow; but others, seeing in it an opportunity for the carryingout of their own plans, rejoiced accordingly. These others were thosewho were dissatisfied with the present aspect of affairs, anddespairing of a change for the better while remaining at Fort Caroline,were secretly planning a mutiny. Its object was to compel Laudonniereto abandon the fort and the New World, and to lead them back to Francein a ship which they proposed to build from such materials as they hadat hand.
The mutineers were headed by no less a person than Rene's old friendSimon, the armorer. He had always been inclined to grumble and growl,and his feelings had been deeply wounded by being arrested, confined inthe guard-house for one day, and finally discharged (because of thenecessity for his services), with a sharp reprimand from Laudonnierefor having, though unconsciously, aided Rene's departure. The oldgrowler had always secretly sided with the mutineers, and after this heopenly took part with them, and soon became their leader.
It thus happened that as the good Le Moyne, who, during the illness ofLaudonniere and most of the other officers, was acting as lieutenant incommand of the fort, sat writing one morning, there came to him Simon,the armorer, followed by most of the garrison. The old soldier gave amilitary salute, which Le Moyne returned, and then he said,
"We have come, Master Le Moyne, these good men here and I, to makecertain propositions that we desire should be laid before hisExcellency the commandant."
"Well," said Le Moyne, in a tone of mild surprise, "have to themwithout further delay, and return quickly to thy duties."
"It may be," replied Simon, "that we will return not to them at all; atleast not in the wise meant by thy use of the word. We are starving."
"Ye have not overmuch to eat, tis true," said Le Moyne; "but we hopefor better things."
"We are dying of the fever."
"To a certain extent this is also true."
"We are threatened by an enemy."
"And have stout walls behind which to defend ourselves."
"We are abandoned and forgotten, and our bodies will rot in this placeere succor is sent us."
"Admiral Jean Ribault is never the man to abandon or forget those towhom he has promised succor," replied the artist, with a flush of colorin his pale cheeks.
"This country yields no gold, and is unfitted for human residence."
"Yet Micco's people live and thrive here, and have a plenty of the bestraised from its soil. As for gold, the mere fact that it has not yetbeen discovered proves nothing against its existence."
Without replying to this, Simon continued:
"These be our grievances, and to remedy them we pray his Excellency toallow us to construct here as speedily as may be a vessel such as willsuffice to carry us back whence we came. We also pray that he will inperson lead us from this evil place back to our own country, alwayssupposing that his health permits."
The good Le Moyne was much disturbed by this bold proposal, andattempted to persuade the men to abandon their wild scheme and returnto their duties, awaiting patiently meantime the arrival of thepromised reinforcements from France. They insisted, however, that theywould not take their leave of him without hearing from the commandanthimself, and Le Moyne was finally forced to comply with their request,and deliver their message to Laudonniere.
Upon receiving a report of what had occurred, the chevalier was highlyindignant; and but for the extreme weakness which the fever had laidupon him, he would have arisen and gone out to the mutineers. As thiswas impossible, he sent answer to them that he could not for a momentconsider their proposal. He and they had been sent to take and holdpossession of that country by their King, and here he should remainuntil he received other instructions from the same source. As forthem, his orders were that they instantly resume their duties, and useall diligence in strengthening the fort, and preparing for an attackwhich might at any moment be made upon it by the savages from the south.
When Le Moyne returned to the soldiers with this answer, Simon, stillacting as spokesman for the rest, said,
"Thy message from the commandant is much as we expected it would be,Master Le Moyne, and in return thou wilt kindly take to him word againthat for the preservation of our lives we shall certainly exertourselves to repel any attack that may be made against the fort. Atthe same time we shall as certainly take active measures to insure ourown and his speedy departure from this unhappy country, in which wehave thus far gained naught but ill."
With this speech, and once more giving Le Moyne a stiff militarysalute, the old soldier turned and marched away, followed by the restof the mutineers.
As soon as he was once more alone, Le Moyne made his report toLaudonniere, and so excited did the sick man become on hearing it thathis fever took a sudden turn for the worse, and he was soon ravingdeliriously, and calling upon Rene de Veaux not to desert him for hisenemies the Indians.
Meantime matters proceeded so rapidly outside that the keel of a smallvessel in which the mutineers hoped to cross the ocean to their owncountry was laid that very day, and the labor of collecting suitablematerial for ship-building was entered upon with the fierce energy ofmen who believed they were working to save their lives.
So actively did this work proceed that in less than a month the hull ofthe little vessel was completed, and she stood ready for launching.
At this time parties were out in several directions from the fort, somesecuring pitch from the pine forests for use upon the vessel, otherssearching the cypress swamps for suitable spars, and still othersmaking unskilled efforts to secure a supply of game and fish forpresent use, and for salting down to provision their ship during herproposed voyage. These last w
ere the most unsuccessful of all who wereout, owing to their limited knowledge of wood-craft. They were at thesame time the most anxious to succeed in their quest; for the supply ofcorn in the fort was now wholly exhausted, and the garrison wassubsisting almost entirely upon fish and the leaf buds of the cabbagepalm, which they had discovered how to prepare.
On the day that marked a month from the date of Rene de Veaux'sdeparture, the working parties whose duties took them into the forestwere suddenly attacked by great numbers of savages, and driven in thegreatest confusion back to the fort, after sustaining severe losses inkilled and wounded. The advance of the savages, who followed themclosely, even up to the very gates, was only checked by a heavy fire ofartillery, which so alarmed them that they fled in a panic to theshelter of the forest, nor stopped until they had retreated to a mostrespectful distance.
Towards evening a body of the enemy were seen gathered in plain view onand about the great shell mound upon which the Feast of Ripe Corn hadbeen held some weeks before. The sight of them so enraged Simon, thearmorer, who was now generally recognized as commandant, that hedetermined to sally forth at the head of a strong party and bring abouta decisive battle, which he had no doubt would result in a victory forthe whites.
Although he could muster but about fifty able-bodied men, so sadly hadfever and lack of proper food ravaged the garrison, the old soldier,who held the fighting qualities of the savages in great contempt,deemed this number amply sufficient for his purpose, and marched forthconfidently at their head. They met with no enemy until they hadnearly reached the shell mound, and were preparing to charge upon thesavages, who still remained gathered about it.
Suddenly the whites found themselves completely surrounded by a greatnumber of Indians, who seemed to spring, as though by magic, from everybush and from behind every tree. So secretly had their approach beenmade that the first notice Simon and those with him had of the ambushinto which they had fallen, was a vast discharge of arrows and spearsinto their ranks. These were accompanied by such blood-curdling yellsthat they affected the white men almost as fearfully as the roar oftheir own artillery had terrified the savages in the morning.
Rallying from their first panic, they made a desperate attempt to forcetheir way back to the fort, and struggled like men who knew their liveswere at stake. In spite, however, of their bravery and the terribleexecution of their swords, they were being overpowered by numbers, andit seemed impossible that a single one of them should escape with hislife.
As, completely exhausted by the terrible and unequal struggle, theywere about giving way to despair, a most welcome and unexpecteddiversion was made in their favor. A great cry arose beyond the lineof savages, and they were so suddenly and fiercely attacked in the rearby an unseen foe that they fled in the utmost terror in all directions.
Not even waiting to learn who had lent them this most timely aid, thesoldiers hastened to regain the fort and seek shelter behind itsponderous gates.
As they did so, they heard, or thought they heard, from the depths ofthe forest, a clear voice crying, "France to the Rescue! France to theRescue!" and they marvelled greatly thereat.