June 30, Champlain reached Quebec in four days, and at
once began to erect his storehouse. A few days later he
stood in grave peril of his life through conspiracy among
his own men.

The ringleader was a locksmith named Jean Duval, who had
been at Port Royal and narrowly escaped death from the
arrows of the Cape Cod Indians. Whether he framed his
plot in collusion with the Basques is not quite clear,
but it seems unlikely that he should have gone so far as
he did without some encouragement. His plan was simply
to kill Champlain and deliver Quebec to the Basques in
return for a rich reward, either promised or expected.
Some of the men he had no chance to corrupt, for they
were aboard the barques, guarding stores till a shelter
could be built. Working among the rest, Duval 'suborned
four of the worst characters, as he supposed, telling
them a thousand falsehoods and presenting to them prospects
of acquiring riches.' The evidence subsequently showed
that Champlain was either to be strangled when unarmed,
or shot at night as he answered to a false alarm. The
conspirators made a mutual promise not to betray each
other, on penalty that the first who opened his mouth
should be poniarded.

Out of this deadly danger Champlain escaped through the
confession of a vacillating spirit named Natel, who
regretted his share in the plot, but, once involved, had
fears of the poniard. Finally he confessed to Testu, the
pilot, who immediately informed Champlain. Questioned as