The Lily and the Totem; or, The Huguenots in Florida

by William Gilmore Simms

  VIII.

  FLIGHT, FAMINE, AND THE BLOODY FEAST OF THE FUGITIVES.

  The assassination of Captain Albert restored peace, at least, to thelittle colony of Fort Charles. He had been the chief danger to thegarrison, by reason of his vexatious tyranny, fomented ever by themiserable malice and espionage of Pierre Renaud. Both of these hadperished, and a sense of new security filled the hearts of thesurvivors. They had also gratified all revenges. The sequel of thenarrative may be told, almost in the very words of the simple chroniclefrom which our facts are mostly drawn.

  "When they (the conspirators) were come home againe, they assembledthemselves together to choose one to be Governor over them." In thisselection there was no difficulty. Jealousies and dissensions had ceasedto exist, and the choice naturally fell upon Nicholas Barre,[15] whoseformer position, as Lieutenant under Albert, and whose recent connectionwith the party by which he was slain, had naturally given him a largeinfluence among the colonists. He was equal to his new duties. He "kneweso well to quite himself of this charge that all rancour and dissentionceased among them, and they lived peaceably one with another." But,though harmony was restored among them, it was a harmony without hope.They had been abandoned by their countrymen. The supplies which Ribaulthad promised them had utterly failed. They had never, indeed, beenlevied. Ribault returned to France only to find it convulsed with arenewal of the civil war, under the auspices of that incarnate mischief,Catherine de Medicis, and her fatherless and cruel son, in whose nameshe swayed the country to its ruin. Coligny, the father of the colony,had enough to do in fighting the battles of the Huguenots at home.He could do nothing for those whom he had sent abroad. The peace ofLongjumean had been of short duration, and there had been really noremission of hostilities on the part of the Catholics. In the space ofthree months more than two thousand of the former fell victims to therage of the populace; and, though reluctantly, the Prince of Conde andColigny were forced into a resumption of arms for the safety of theirown persons. The immediate necessities of their situation were suchas to defeat their efforts in behalf of the remote settlement at FortCharles. They needed all their soldiers and Huguenots in France. Feelingthemselves abandoned--they knew not why--the colonists in Florida ceasedto behold a charm or solace in their solitary realm of refuge. Itssecurities were no longer sufficient to compensate for its loneliness.Better the strife, perhaps, than this unmeaning and unbroken silence.They were too few for adventure, and the discouragements resulting fromtheir domestic grievances were enough to paralyze any such spirit. Butfor this there had been no lack of the necessary inducements. In theirsecond voyage to King Ouade, seeking "mil and beans," they had learnedsome of the secrets of the country which made their eyes brighten. Theyhad discovered that there was gold in the land, and that the gold of theland was good. This prince had freely given them of his treasure. He hadbestowed on them pearls of the native waters, stones of finest chrystal,and certain specimens of silver ore, which he described, in reply totheir eager inquiries, as having been gathered at the foot of certainhigh mountains, the bowels of which contained it in greatest quantity.These were the mountains of Apalachia, and the truth of Ouade'srevelations have been confirmed by subsequent discovery. Theintelligence had greatly gladdened the hearts of our Frenchmen, andnothing but the feebleness of the garrison prevented Albert fromprosecuting a search which promised so largely to gratify the lusts ofavarice. His subsequent errors and fate put an end to the desire amonghis followers. They longed for nothing now so much as home. They hadbeen temporarily abandoned by the Indians whose granaries they hademptied, and who had been compelled to wander off to remote forestsin search of their own supplies. The gloom of the Frenchmen naturallyincreased in the absence of their allies, who had furnished them equallywith food and recreation. Their provisions again began to fail them.Their resources in corn and peas were quite exhausted; and no morecould be procured from the red-men, who had preserved a supply barelysufficient for the planting of their little fields. In this condition ofwant, with this feeling of destitution and abandonment, it was resolvedamong the Huguenots, to depart the colony. With a fond hope once more ofrecovering the shores of that country, still most beloved, which hadso unkindly cast them forth, they began to build themselves a vesselsufficiently large to bear their little company. "And though therewere no men among them," says the chronicle, "that had any skill,notwithstanding, necessitye, which is the maistresse of all sciences,taught them the way to build it." But how were they to provide thesails, the tackle and the cordage? "Having no meanes to recover thesethings they were in worse case than at the first, and almost ready tofall into despayre." They were succored, when most desponding, by thehelp of Providence. "That good God, which never forsaketh the afflicted,did favor them in their necessitie." The Indians, who had been forsome time absent, seeking, by the chase, in distant forests, to supplythemselves with provisions in place of those which they had yieldedto the white men, now began to reappear; and, in the midst of theirperplexities, they were visited by the Caciques, Audusta and Maccou,with more than two hundred of their followers. These, our Frenchmenwent forth to meet, with great show of satisfaction; and had they beensufficiently re-assured by the return of their red friends--had they notbeen too much the victims of _nostalgia_, or homesickness, the cloudmight have passed from their fortunes, and the little colony might havebeen re-established under favoring auspices. But their only thoughtwas of their native land. They declared their wishes to the Indianchieftains, and, showing in what need of cordage they stood, theywere told that this would be provided in the space of a few days. TheCaciques kept their word, and, in little time, brought an abundance ofcordage. But other things were wanted, and "our men sought all meanesto recover rosen in the woodes, wherein they cut the pine trees roundabout, out of which they drew sufficient reasonable quantitie to braythe vessel. Also they gathered a kind of mosse, which groweth on thetrees of this countrie, to serve to caulke the same withall. There nowwanted nothing but sayles, which they made of their own shirtes and oftheir sheetes." Thus provided with the things requisite, our Frenchmenhastened to finish their brigantine, and "used so speedie diligence,"that they were soon ready to launch forth upon the great deep. They gaveto their Indian friends all their surplus goods and chattels, leaving tothem all the merchandise of the fort which they could not take away;--aliberality which gave the red-men the "greatest contentation in theworlde." But they re-embarked their forge, their artillery and othermunitions of war. Unhappily, they were too impatient to begin theirjourney. In the too sanguine hope of reaching France, with a speedproportioned to their eager desires, they laid in no adequate provisionfor a long voyage. "In the meane season the wind came so fit for theirpurpose, that it seemed to invite them to put to sea. Being drunken withthe too excessive joy which they had conceived for their returning intoFrance, or rather deprived of all foresight and consideration:--withoutregarding the inconsistencie of the winds which change in a moment, theyput themselves to sea, and, with so slender victuals, that the end oftheir enterprise became unlucky and unfortunate."

  [15] "Il fallut songer ensuite a lui donner un successeur, et le choix que l'on fit, fut plus sage, qu'on ne devoit l'attendre de gens, dont les mains fumoient encore du sang de leur Chef. Ils mirent a leur tete un fort honnete homme, nomme Nicholas Barre, lequel par son adresse et sa prudence retablit en peu de tems la paix et le bon ordre dans la colonie."--_Charlevoix_, _N. Fran._, Liv. 1.

  They had not sailed a third part of the distance, when they weresurprised with calms, which so much hindered their progress that, duringthe space of three weeks, they had not advanced twenty-five leagues. Inthis period their provisions underwent daily diminution. In a short timetheir stock had sunk so low that it was necessary to limit the allowanceto each man. We may conceive their destitution from this allowance."Twelve grains of mill by the day, which may be in value as much astwelve peason!" But even this poor quantity was not long continued. Itwas "a felicity," in the language of the chronicle, which was of brief
duration. Soon the "mill" failed them entirely--all at once--and they"had nothing for their more assured refuge, but their shoes and leatherjerkins, which they did eate." But their misfortune was not confined totheir food. Their supplies of fresh water failed them also. Never hadadventurers set forth upon the seas with such wretched provision. Theirbeverage finally became the water of the ocean--the thirst-provokingbrine. Such beverage as this increased their miseries--atrophy andmadness followed--and death stretched himself out among them on everyside. Nor were they suffered to escape from the most painful toils whilethus contending against thirst and famine. Their wretched vessel spranga-leak. The water grew upon them. Day and night were they kept busy incasting it forth, without cessation or repose. Each day added to theirgriefs and dangers. Their shoes and jerkins they had already devouredin their desperation, and where to look for other material to supply themateriel of distension, puzzled their thoughts. While thus distressedby their anxieties, with their comrades dying about them, a new dangerassailed them, as if fortune was resolved to crush them at a blow, andthus conclude their miseries. The winds rose, the seas were lashed intofury by the storm. Their vessel, no longer buoyant, "in the turning of ahand" shipped a fearful sea, and was nearly swamped--"filled halfe fullof water, and bruised in upon the one side." This was the last drop inthe cup of misfortune which finally makes it overflow. Then it was thatthe hearts of our Frenchmen sunk utterly within them. They no longercared to contend for life. They gave themselves up to despair. "Beingnow more out of hope than ever to escape out of this extreme peril, theycared not for casting out of the water which now was almost ready todrown them; and as men resolved to die, everie one fell downe backwarde,and gave themselves over, altogether unto the will of the waves."

  It was at this moment of extreme despondency, that Lachane tried tocheer them with new hope, and to new exertions. He encouraged them byvarious assurance, to hold out against fate, and struggle manfully tothe last. He told them "how little way they had to sayle, assuring themthat if the winde helde, they should see land within three dayes." "Atworst," he added, "we can die when we can do no better. It will bealways time enough for that. But this necessity is not now. We cansurely put it off for some time longer. At present, let us live!"

  Speaking thus, in the most cheerful manner, the brave fellow set them aproper example by which to dissipate their fears and to provide againstthem. He began to bail and cast out the water in which, in their extremeindifference to their fate, they either sat or lay. They took heartas they beheld him, and joined in the labor with new vigor, and thatelastic spirit which is so characteristic of Frenchmen. But, when thethree days had gone by, and still their eyes were unblessed with thesight of the promised land--when they had consumed every remnant of shoeand jerkin, and nothing more was left them to consume, they turned theireyes in bitter reproach upon the man who had persuaded them to live.He met their reproachful glances with a smile, and instantly devised aremedy for their fears and weaknesses, through one of those terriblethoughts which, at any other period, would revolt, with extremestloathing, the humanity of the man, however little human.

  "My comrades!" said the noble fellow, "you hunger--you starve! You willperish unless you can get some food. I see it in your eyes. They haveno lustre, and the courage seems to have gone out entirely from yourhearts. You must not die! You must not lose your courage. You _shall_not. You shall drink life and courage out of my breast. I have enoughthere for all who thirst and faint. You shall feed upon my heart--youshall drink the blood of a brave man, and live for your friends andcountry. I have few friends, and my country can spare me. Better thatone of us should die than that all should perish. I am ready to die foryou! What! You shake your heads--you would not have it so--but it shallbe so! You have loved me--you have suffered for me. Well, Lachane lovesyou in return--he will die for you. You shall remember him hereafter,when our own dear France receives you again in safety. You will blesshis memory!"

  A groan was the only reply of those around him. Lachane threw open hisbreast.

  "There!" he cried; "Look! I am ready! I fear not death. Strike! See younot, my bosom is open to the knife. My hand is down--there!"--graspingthe seat upon which he sate,--"There! it shall not be lifted to arrestthe blow!"

  The famished wretches looked with wolfish yearnings upon the whitebreast of the offered sacrifice; but there was still a human revoltingin their hearts that kept them moveless and silent. They longed forthe horrible banquet, but still turned from it with a lingering humanloathing. But Lachane was resolute.

  "Ah!" said he, reproachfully; "you fear--you would not that I should diein this manner; but, _mes amis_, you know me not. You know not how itwill glad my heart to know that its dying pulse shall add new life toyours. Here, Lafourche, Genet--you are both beside me. You are thefeeblest. You are dying fast. You thirst; another day and you perish!You have a mother, Genet--a dear sister, Lafourche--why will you notlive for them? Lo! you, now,--when I strike the blow,--do you both clapyour mouths upon the wound. Drink freely--drink deep--that you may havestrength--and let the rest drink after you. There!--my braves!--there."

  With each of these last words, the brave fellow--thence called "Lachane,the Deliverer"--struck two fatal blows, one upon his heart, and one uponhis throat. He leaned back between the two famished persons whom he hadespecially addressed, and, while the consciousness was yet in the eyesof the dying man, they sprang like thirsting tigers, and fastened theirmouths upon each streaming orifice. The victim, smarting and consciousto the last, sunk in a few seconds, into the sacred slumber of death.This heroism saved the rest. He had struck with a firm hand and aresolute spirit. In his death they lived. Slow to accept his profferedsacrifice, he was scarcely cold, ere the survivors fastened upon hisbody; and, ere the last morsel of the victim was consumed, they hadassurances of safety.[16]

  [16] Lest we should be suspected of exaggeration we quote a single sentence from the condensed account in Charlevoix:--"Lachau, celui la meme, que la Capitaine Albert avoit exile, apres l'avoir degrade des armes, declara qu'il vouloit bien avancer sa mort, qu'il croyoit inevitable, pour reculer de quelques jours celle de ses compagnons. Il fut pris au mot, et on l'egorgea sur le champ, sans qu'il fit la moindre resistance. _Il ne fut pas perdu une goute de son sang, tous en burent avec avidite, le corps fut mis en pieces, et chacun en eut sa part._"

  It seemed as if expiation had been done; as if the sacrifice had purgedtheir offences and made them acceptable to heaven. The land rose upontheir vision,--a glimpse like that of salvation to the doomed one,--asight "whereof they were so exceeding glad, that the pleasure causedthem to remain a long time as men without sense; whereby they let thepinnesse floate this and that way without holding any right way orcourse." While thus wandering, in sight of France, but still at themercy of the winds and waves, they were boarded by an English vessel.Here they were recognized by a Frenchman who happened to be one of thecrew that had accompanied Ribault in his voyage. The most feeble wereput upon the coast of France; the rest were taken to England, with thedesign that Queen Elizabeth, who meditated sending an expedition toFlorida, might have the benefit of their report.