regarding the Indians than will be found in any other
part of his Acadian narratives. Chief among Poutrincourt's
adventures was an encounter with the natives of Cape Cod.
Unlike the Micmacs, the Armouchiquois were 'not so much
hunters as good fishermen and tillers of the land.' Their
numbers also were greater; in fact, Champlain speaks of
seeing five or six hundred together. At first they did
not interfere with Poutrincourt's movements, even permitting
him to roam their land with a body of arquebusiers. After
a fortnight, however, their suspicions began to become
manifest, and on October 15 four hundred savages set upon
five Frenchmen who, contrary to orders, had remained
ashore. Four were killed, and although a rescue party
set out at once from the barque, the natives made their
escape.

To pursue them was fruitless, for they are marvellously
swift. All that we could do was to carry away the dead
bodies and bury them near a cross which had been set
up the day before, and then to go here and there to
see if we could get sight of any of them. But it was
time wasted, therefore we came back. Three hours
afterwards they returned to us on the sea-shore. We
discharged at them several shots from our little brass
cannon, and when they heard the noise they crouched
down on the ground to escape the fire. In mockery of
us they pulled down the cross and disinterred the
dead, which displeased us greatly and caused us to go
for them a second time; but they fled, as they had
done before. We set up again the cross and reinterred