lady.




CHAPTER III.

Herald, save thy labor;
Come thou no more for ransom, gentle herald;

SHAKSPEARE.


The arrival of some fishermen on the following morning confirmed the
intelligence of father Gilbert--the name by which the priest, who
succeeded Father Ambrose, had announced himself at the fort. They had
eluded the enemy by night, and reported that several vessels lay
becalmed in the Bay of Fundy; and, though they had not been near enough
to ascertain with certainty, no doubt was entertained, that it was the
little fleet of M. la Tour, returning with the expected supplies.

The holy character and mission of father Gilbert was his passport in
every place; and, as his duty often called him to remote parts of the
settlement, and among every description of people, it was natural that
he should obtain information of passing events, before it reached the
ears of the garrison. The mysterious manner in which he had communicated
his intelligence on the preceding evening, occasioned some surprise; but
Mad. la Tour, in listening to the relation of her page, made due
allowance for the exaggerations of excited fancy; and she was also
aware, that the Catholic missionaries were fond of assuming an ambiguous