THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 

 
 THE MOB IX ALL ITS TERRIBLE FURY WAS> DEPICTED.
 
 COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL NOVELS. VOLUME III. 
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE 
 
 A STORY OF THE HUGUENOTS IN AMERICA 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN R. MUSICK 
 
 Author of "Columbia," " Estevan," "Pocahontas," Etc., Etc. 
 
 Illustrations by 
 FREELAND A. CARTER. 
 
 Krto Forft 
 
 FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY 
 
 LONDON AND TORONTO 
 1895
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1892, BY THE 
 FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY 
 
 [Registered at Stationer!? Hall, London, Eng.] 
 
 Printed in the United States.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 ST. AUGUSTINE was founded during a period 
 which most historians seek to avoid. Mr. Bancroft 
 fc- devotes but ten pages to it in his history of the 
 United States, and other historians have given it 
 I even less space. A period so stained with blood 
 and crime is usually passed by as rapidly as possi 
 ble by the historian, who doubtless shudders even 
 in his hurried march over the unpleasant ground. 
 And yet this period is one of the most important of 
 : all the ages through which our country has passed. 
 At this time the Spaniards, a Catholic nation, 
 cJ controlled the New World. The papal bull granted 
 ^ to Spain all the countries discovered by Columbus, 
 and no Catholic nation dared violate that procla- 
 3J mation. The Pope declared that all the undiscov- 
 3 ered countries were God's, and he, as the repre 
 sentative of God, alone had power to bestow them on 
 the kings of the earth. But for the Reformation, 
 
 449813
 
 iv PREFACE. 
 
 this country, in all probability, would have been a 
 Spanish dominion or republic. 
 
 The story opens just when the great struggle for 
 political and religious liberties was at its height. 
 The author has endeavored to narrate impartially 
 the events, without screening either Spanish, Cath 
 olic, or French Huguenot. Francisco Estevan, a 
 native of Cuba, was a son of Christopher Estevan 
 who served under Pizarro and De Soto, and a 
 grandson of Hernando Estevan who came with 
 Columbus on his first voyage. Francisco, by nat 
 ure a soldier, was designed by his parents for the 
 cloister, and as soon as he arrived at the age of 
 maturity was sent to Spain to become a priest. 
 Here, by accident, he met a beautiful Huguenot, 
 Hortense De Barre, with whom he fell in love. 
 His subsequent struggles with his conscience, his 
 many adventures in the West Indies and in Florida, 
 covering a period from 1560 to 1585, form the 
 theme of this volume. 
 
 JOHN K. MUSICK. 
 KirJcsvilk, Mo. , March 1st, 1892.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE DEPARTURE, 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 COLIGNI'S PET SCHEME FOR THE PERSECUTED, . . 17 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 THE SHIPWRECK A VISION, 37 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SEEKING HOMES AND PEACE, . . . .58 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 FROM SAINTS TO PIRATES, . . . - . .75 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 IN FLORIDA, 92 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 SIR JOHN HAWKINS, 112 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 HORTENSE DE BARRE THE CLOUD, . . . .128 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE HURRICANE, 144 
 
 v
 
 vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE ,158 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 THE REIGN OF TERROR, . * ,. ... . .172 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 " NOT AS FRENCHMEN, BUT AS LUTHERANS, " . . 182 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 THE FRIENDLY CHIEF 196 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 THE WILY GYROT . .210 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 THE AVENGER, 226 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 THE PLAN OF ATTACK, 241 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 RETRIBUTION, 255 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 " NOT AS SPANIARDS AND MARINERS, BUT AS TRAITORS, 
 
 ROBBERS AND MURDERERS, " 269 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 DEFYING THE FATES 284 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 CONCLUSION, 300 
 
 HISTORICAL INDEX, , ,, , e . .311 
 CHRONOLOGY, . . . 321
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The mob in all its terrible fury was depicted (see 
 
 page 29), Frontispiece 
 
 Rodrigo Estevan, 10 
 
 The report of two lombards shook the sea, . . 15 
 
 King Charles IX. , 30 
 
 A flash revealed an object tossing on the surf, . . 46 
 
 "Who is he who follows us so persistently?" . . 51 
 
 Gyrot betraying Laudonniere to the pirates, . . 79 
 
 "Walk!" yelled the pirate at last, .... 88 
 
 u I will aid you with my life," 97 
 
 He appeared more cunning and ferocious in irons 
 
 than before 105 
 
 Shouting, singing, dancing, laughing and crying, 
 
 they ran down to the bay, .... 122 
 
 Sir John Hawkins, 123 
 
 Melendez, ......... 158 
 
 John Gyrot held aloft the blazing torch, the smile 
 
 of a devil on his face 180 
 
 " Not as Frenchmen, but as Lutherans, "... 186 
 "Do you expect French soldiers under you to obey 
 
 orders, senor?" 194 
 
 She went whithersoever he led, ..... 202 
 
 "Touch her and die!" 240 
 
 " Retribution !" shouted De Gourges in trumpet tones, 260 
 
 It was over; but how had it ended? .... 273 
 
 "God wills it, be my wife, Hortense, " . . . 292 
 
 A forest maiden, 294 
 
 Map of the period, 116
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE DEPARTURE. 
 
 El- 
 
 ARLY in Spanish American his 
 tory, Havana, Cuba, became a 
 flourishing commercial city, 
 eclipsing all competitors,., until 
 she reached what she is to-day, 
 the metropolis of the West 
 Indies. As early as 1561, 
 before any permanent set 
 tlement had been made 
 within the present terri 
 tory of the United States, 
 Havana was doing a flour 
 ishing trade, and her magnificent harbor was 
 crowded with ships from Europe. The magnitude 
 of America was still unknown. As yet the Spaniards 
 were the only people who had crossed the ocean to 
 plant colonies on the western hemisphere. The West
 
 2 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Indies had been subjugated, Darien was under the 
 dominion of Spain, and Mexico and Peru, those 
 wonderfully civilized empires, were subjugated by 
 the Spaniards with a sacrifice of life and cruelties 
 shocking to the modern historian. Other nations 
 of Europe were becoming aroused to the importance 
 of American discoveries. Magellan's expedition 
 around the world had established the proof that 
 the earth was globular, a fact disputed by learned 
 men about half a century before. The Cabots, 
 sailing in the interest of England, and seeking for 
 that chimerical northwest passage, which even 
 modern navigators believe to exist, explored the 
 Atlantic coast and Labrador. Verazzani, Cartier, 
 and others, sailing under the French flag, had made 
 some discoveries and taken possession of what is 
 now Canada in the name of New France; but, as 
 yet, there had been only discoveries. No perma 
 nent settlement had been formed except by the 
 Spaniards. 
 
 All Europe, at this moment, was quaking with 
 internal strife, which had much to do with deter 
 ring others from taking part in the conquests of 
 America. The world was just on the eve of a 
 revolution in religious thought. At the opening 
 of our story Europe was just entering on the most 
 important period of the world's history since the 
 advent of the Saviour, the great Eeformation.
 
 THE DEPARTURE. 3 
 
 Religious discussions as yet had not disturbed 
 the New World. The Spaniards were a people of 
 one faith. To them, the Roman Catholic Church 
 was the door to heaven, guarded by St. Peter, 
 and the only entrance for the soul into that eternal 
 rest. To rebel against the church established by 
 the Apostle Peter, from whom the Pope, in regular 
 succession, received his authority, was, to the Span 
 iard, equivalent to a rebellion against God. Dis 
 puted questions were in those days settled by 
 argument or the sword, and more frequently by 
 the latter than the former. With religious feelings 
 aroused, the quarrel became personal, and the per 
 secutions bitter, while the oft-repeated words of 
 the Master, "Peace and goodwill toward men," 
 seemed to be forgotten. 
 
 To the Cubans, the struggle in Europe was a 
 holy war, and many a battle-scarred pioneer, who 
 had fought under Cortez, Pizarro, and De Soto, 
 wished himself in Europe to take part in the strug 
 gle. The groans from Piedemonte, Toulouse, and 
 other persecuted districts were heard around the 
 world, but awoke no feeling of sympathy in the 
 breasts of the bigoted Catholics of the West Indies. 
 
 One of the best families in the metropolis of the 
 New World at this time was a family named Este- 
 van. They did not occupy a high official position, 
 for they had been constantly on the frontier, con-
 
 4 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 quering, exploring, and colonizing, instead of 
 courting the preference of kings and princes. 
 The head of the family, Christopher Estevan, a 
 namesake of Christopher Columbus, was the first 
 child born of white parents in the New World. 
 From infancy he had been associated with men 
 whose names are familiar in history as conquerors. 
 When a child, he sat on the knee of Cortez and 
 Don Diego Columbus, who succeeded his father as 
 admiral. He was with Pizarro in Peru, and at 
 tended the funeral of De Soto. His father, Her- 
 nando Estevan, had come with Columbus on his 
 first voyage to America, and had always been a 
 warm bosom friend of the great discoverer. 
 
 Christopher Estevan had removed to Havana 
 from St. Jago several years before the date of our 
 narrative, 1561. He was not old in years, being 
 only fifty-two, but long exposure and numerous 
 wounds received in battle prematurely aged the 
 veteran. 
 
 A fortune amassed by his father in Mexico ena 
 bled him to live at ease with his beautiful wife, 
 Senora Inez, one of the rarest flowers plucked from 
 that land of beauty, old Spain. His home was a 
 model of peace and happiness. Two sons and one 
 daughter blessed his household, and he had retired 
 from the field of battle and adventure covered with 
 glory, and settled down to the enjoyment of a long,
 
 THE DEPARTURE. 5 
 
 peaceful afternoon of life. Being a pious Catholic, 
 he took more pleasure in religious services than in 
 those wild scenes of daring which had delighted 
 his youth. His greatest wish was to see his eldest 
 son become a priest. Estevan knew of the allure 
 ments to conquest so abundant in this New World ; 
 but he believed that if his son were once in the 
 cloister he would be safe from the ambitions and 
 dangerous enterprises of the romantic age. Per 
 haps because Senor Estevan had disappointed his 
 mother, who designed him for the church, he was 
 the more determined that his son should follow 
 the holy calling. 
 
 The dark-eyed, robust Francisco had been taught 
 from early childhood to look upon himself as dedi 
 cated to the service of God. Educational facilities 
 in the New "World were not of the best, yet some 
 pious monks had established an academy at which 
 a number of young men were instructed in the sci 
 ences, theology and philosophy. Francisco was an 
 apt scholar. His mind was clear, strong, and vig 
 orous; but, though he was consecrated to the 
 church, he seemed ill-fitted for the sacred calling. 
 His flashes of wit, his love of athletic sports, his 
 daring courage and fondness for romantic advent 
 ures made him more soldier than priest. Francisco, 
 however, was loyal to the wishes of his parents, 
 though he sighed when he remembered that the
 
 6 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 wonders of those far-off lands, rumors of which 
 came in dreamy whispers to his ears, were never 
 to be explored by him. His heart bounded in wild 
 delight when he heard his father tell of heroic 
 struggles with men and beasts in strange lands. 
 The pious youth checked all these natural impulses, 
 and lived a life of consecration. His tutors were 
 highly elated at his progress, and assured the anx 
 ious parents that their son would be prepared soon 
 to don the sacerdotal robes. 
 
 Kodrigo, Francisco's brother, was nearly five 
 years younger than the intended ecclesiastic. He 
 resembled his brother in form and feature, and 
 possessed to an eminent degree the same daring, 
 chivalrous spirit. He loved the lance and the 
 saddle more than study, and his tutor was the cav 
 alier rather than the priest. Before he had reached 
 his sixteenth year, he had participated in several 
 expeditions by land and sea, and already had be 
 come conspicuous for his courage, prowess, and skill 
 in horsemanship. Old cavaliers pronounced him 
 the best swordsman in Cuba, and in friendly com 
 bat he had disarmed many a veteran. 
 
 Francisco was to set out for Spain to complete 
 his ecclesiastical education under the old masters, 
 and Rodrigo, though only sixteen, had determined 
 to set forth in search of conquest and gold. His 
 grandfather had participated in the conquest of
 
 THE DEPARTURE. 7 
 
 Mexico, winning a fortune there, consequently the 
 youngest scion of this proud old Spanish family had 
 chosen Mexico as the field for his operations. In 
 those days Mexico and Peru were the great Eldo- 
 rados, concerning which the wildest rumors of 
 fabulous wealth were afloat. The credulous Cu 
 bans believed all they heard, however extravagant. 
 Beyond the borders of the conquered territory there 
 hung a veil of mystery which only the wildest con 
 jecture could penetrate. Imagination, for the time 
 being, supplanted reason and peopled those un 
 known regions with strange beings and marvellous 
 riches excelling in wonder the mythology of the 
 ancients. Rodrigo longed to plunge into the un 
 known realms, and drag into the light of civilization 
 the hidden wonders of this mysterious world, and 
 all efforts to dissuade him from this mad purpose 
 were unavailing. 
 
 "Let brother Francisco become a friar if such is 
 his wish, but I will be a soldier," declared Rodrigo. 
 
 The day came for the departure of the sons, one 
 to Spain and one to Mexico. Two vessels which 
 were to bear them away from their native island 
 lay anchored in the harbor, side by side. Morning 
 dawned bright and clear, and all nature was smil 
 ing with gladness. Havana at an early hour pre 
 sented a scene of bustle and confusion. The harbor 
 was melodious with the songs of sailors, while from
 
 8 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 the tropical forest, forming a semicircle about the 
 town, came the sweetest music of those famous 
 feathered warblers of the south. 
 
 In the home of Estevan there was more of sorrow 
 than joy. Two beloved sons were about to depart 
 for distant lands, and, in those troublous times, pa 
 rents knew that many went and few returned. It 
 would perhaps be the last time they would gaze on 
 the faces of their children. Francisco and Rodrigo 
 were on the balcony of the house when the sun rose. 
 
 "Rodrigo," said Francisco, seizing his brother's 
 hand, " Many times have we stood thus and watched 
 the sun rise. Does it occur to you this morning 
 that we may never witness this glorious scene to 
 gether again?" 
 
 "In truth, good brother, I had not thought 
 about it at all." 
 
 "Where were your thoughts?" 
 
 " In the unknown regions I am to explore, Fran 
 cisco. Pardon me if I am not as sober and sedate 
 as my brother; I have no thoughts save for con 
 quest." 
 
 " Yet, on this eventful morning, when we are to 
 separate, perhaps never to meet again, might it not 
 be well for the cavalier to give himself up to sober 
 thought?" 
 
 "Where would be the use, my brother? It 
 would only make the heart ache. The ills which
 
 THE DEPARTURE. 9 
 
 we are to suffer will come full soon without brood 
 ing over prospective calamities; and when the day 
 comes, if come it must, let us meet it bravely, I 
 with the resolution of a soldier and you with the 
 resignation of a priest." 
 
 " I must admit you are a philosopher as well as 
 a soldier." 
 
 "Nay, do not credit me with qualities I do not 
 possess. Call me a soldier with all a soldier's 
 qualifications nothing more." 
 
 "Philosophy is essential even to men of arms." 
 
 "Then, so far as essential, let me be a philoso 
 pher; but I must confess, my brother, that the 
 prospect of a brilliant career in Mexico robs our 
 parting of its bitterness. I love my parents, 
 brother, and sister, and I would belie my feelings 
 were I to say I experience no regret, yet the 
 thought of entering on a brilliant career to a great 
 extent overbalances this sentiment." 
 
 Francisco gazed on the youthful face of his 
 brother, lighted with a glow of enthusiasm, and 
 heaved a sigh. Rodrigo, young as he was, had 
 reached a man's stature, and his gallant figure 
 made him an object of admiration. Francisco 
 never saw him in the tourney on his fiery charger, 
 caparisoned in glittering steel, that he did not wish 
 to be like him. 
 
 "Brother," he said at last, breaking a silence
 
 10 
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 that was growing painful, "let us make a compact, 
 which, if we live, shall be carried into effect." 
 "What shall it be?" asked Eodrigo. 
 " When we meet again, let it be to part no more. 
 We may be aged and infirm, you bowed down with 
 hardship and wounds, and 
 in need of a brother's care." 
 The youthful face of 
 Eodrigo grew thoughtful 
 for a moment. 
 
 " It shall be as you say, 
 brother," he said, "and as 
 our childhood was passed 
 together, so shall be our 
 old age. I regret even 
 this short separation, and 
 wish I could go with you, 
 not as a priest, but as a sol 
 dier in the holy war against 
 the Protestants, who are 
 striving to overturn the 
 power of the Pope." 
 A cloud came over Francisco's brow, and for a 
 moment his dark eye flashed with religious zeal. 
 
 "Deluded people, led by such unholy men as 
 Luther and Melancthon," he murmured, "but the 
 Inquisition has been re-established and will root 
 out the heretics from Spain. The war will be car- 
 
 RODBIGO ESTEVAN.
 
 THE DEPARTURE. 11 
 
 ried even into France, England, and Germany, if 
 need be, until the Roman Catholic faith is again 
 supreme in the world. The trust confided by Saint 
 Peter by regular succession to our holy father will 
 not be wrested from him." 
 
 "I am willing to draw my sword against the 
 Protestant as did our ancestors against Saracens." 
 
 " That day may come. Yet Protestants are min 
 gled with Catholics as tares grow in the wheat, and 
 the winnowing will require care. Heresy is sown 
 by the devil while we sleep. It takes root in some 
 families, and ere we know it a son, a daughter, a 
 brother, or a sister, has become imbued with these 
 dangerous ideas, and we must then give them over 
 to their fate. Yet I do not believe it right to burn 
 them at the stake, or to slay them, as is done in 
 Spain, France, and England." 
 
 "What would you do? The tares must be 
 uprooted." 
 
 "No, that would destroy the wheat. Let all 
 grow together until the harvest, when the Master 
 shall winnow the wheat and cast the tares in the 
 fire to be burned." 
 
 An end was put to the discussion by the father 
 calling to them to come down. Owing to an old 
 wound, Senor Estevan was compelled to walk with 
 a staff. The mother and the young sister, a beau 
 tiful child of the tropics, with the father were at
 
 12 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 the breakfast table, awaiting the young men. The 
 morning meal was eaten in silence; then the young 
 men were embraced by their parents, and the 
 mother, with moist eyes and faltering voice, pro 
 ceeded to give her parting injunctions to them. 
 
 "Eodrigo, you go to a life of conquest and dan 
 ger. Be not rash or cruel. Ever let mercy and 
 caution prompt you, and amid scenes of greatest 
 danger remember your mother. Think how lonely 
 she will be here without a son as the prop and stay 
 of her declining years. When you have satiated 
 your ambition for conquest as your father did, re 
 turn to live a life of ease and quiet, the joy and 
 comfort of your parents for the remainder of their 
 lives." Turning to her eldest son, she said: "O 
 Francisco, you are the delight and joy of your 
 mother. Be loyal to the church, and when you 
 have taken the monastic vows and donned the 
 sacerdotal robes of the priesthood, remember that 
 your mother willingly gave you to the service of 
 God. Be a loyal priest, and seek to serve your 
 Master by penance and prayer. Let your future 
 be devoted to your sacred calling. Bind up the 
 broken heart, carry the Gospel into the wilderness 
 among the heathen, and thus aid in bringing all 
 the world to the true religion." 
 
 The father's parting injunctions to his sons were 
 similar to the mother's. He urged on his younger
 
 THE DEPARTURE. 13 
 
 a course of manliness as well as courage, advised 
 him never to be wantonly cruel or foolishly brave, 
 and pointed out Pizarro as an example of a petty 
 tyrant. The bravest were usually most gentle and 
 kind. 
 
 Then came the sister, only a child in years, too 
 young to give advice. She brought them only a 
 small token two locks of golden hair clipped from 
 her own fair head, to be worn near their hearts 
 as mementos of one who loved them. The little 
 girl was named Christoval after a dear foster-sister 
 of her father. She was unlike her brothers, quite 
 fair, with blue eyes, which on this occasion were 
 owerflowing with tears. She was too young to 
 entirely control herself at the parting, and though 
 no sobs escaped her lips, those silent tears, trickling 
 down her pretty cheeks, were stronger evidences 
 of real grief than sobs or groans. 
 
 The vessels were to sail at an early hour, and the 
 little party wended their way to the beach. Rod- 
 rigo's horse, arms, armor, and baggage had already 
 been taken aboard the vessel, and Francisco had 
 made similar preparations. He walked to the 
 beach between his mother and sister, holding a 
 hand of each, but, though he assumed a cheerful 
 manner, his heart was very heavy. A whirlwind 
 of thought swept through his mind at this moment. 
 His desire to be a soldier and overturn kingdoms
 
 14 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 as his father had done and brother was to do, was 
 strong; but to reap the golden harvest of conquest 
 was denied him; long before he had arrived at the 
 age of accountability, his course in life had been 
 marked out. 
 
 At the beach the brothers embraced parents and 
 sister; then, embracing each other, they entered 
 separate boats, and were rowed to their respective 
 ships. Sittmg in the stern of his boat, Francisco, 
 through his tear-dimmed eyes, alternately glanced 
 at the little group on shore and the other boat 
 bearing away his brother.' His manhood was 
 shaken to its centre, and he could scarce restrain a 
 flood of tears. He reached the ship bound for 
 Spain and went aboard. There came the usual 
 noise of hoisting anchor and getting under way. 
 The creaking of cordage, the cries of officers, and 
 the confused noises which may be heard on any 
 sailing vessel floated over the harbor to the little 
 party on shore. 
 
 During the entire preparation, Francisco stood 
 on the deck gazing one moment at the shore and 
 next at his brother's ship. Both anchors were 
 hoisted at nearly the same time, and, as Francisco 
 waved his cap at the ship of his brother, the stun 
 ning reports of two lombards shook the sea and 
 told that the vessels were under way. A moment 
 later the shores echoed and re-echoed with the
 
 THE DEPARTURE. 
 
 salute fired from the castle and fort. The breeze 
 was strong and the ships bore away rapidly, leav- 
 
 THE REPORT OF Two 
 LOMBARDS SHOOK 
 THE SEA. 
 
 ing the native island 
 farther and farther in the distance, until 
 Cuba was but a dim speck in the hori 
 zon. Then Francisco turned his gaze 
 to the vessel which was bearing his 
 brother away. Farther and farther the
 
 16 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 ships drifted apart, until Francisco could only see 
 a snowy speck on the horizon, which at last disap 
 peared altogether. Long after the sail had faded 
 from view, the student stood gazing in the direc 
 tion of it. 
 
 " My brother goes to war and I to peace. " 
 Had he been able to read the future, he would 
 have seen that no peace or cloister was in store for 
 him, but a wild whirlpool of excitement. No sac 
 erdotal robe was ever to "grace his form. In the 
 name of religion he was to witness such scenes of 
 blood and crime as almost to disgust him with the 
 holy order, and he was to be more of a soldier than 
 a priest. But let us await the fulness of time and 
 not anticipate events.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 COLIG-Nl'S PET SCHEME FOR THE PERSECUTED. 
 
 THE world had reached that age of earnest the 
 ological discussion and antagonism in Europe, 
 known as the "Era of the Eeformation. " Martin 
 Luther and Philip Melancthon, in Germany, led a 
 revolt against the Italian hierarchy, as rulers in 
 the Christian Church, whose head was the Pope of 
 Rome. A similar revolt, headed by Zuingliss, 
 had broken out in Switzerland, and the Pope trem 
 bled lest his universal power should be swept 
 away from him. Historians designate the time a? 
 a moment of intellectual liberty the perfect equal 
 ity of a}l men in Church and State, in the exercise 
 of the inalienable rights of private judgment in 
 matters of politics and religion. It was at the Diet 
 or Congress held at Spires in 1529 that Luther and 
 several princes in sympathy with him entered their 
 solemn protest, which to this day has characterized 
 their followers of all denominations and creeds as 
 Protestants. They found the mother church so 
 strong, that they were compelled to form a league 
 2 17
 
 18 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 against it, and so first organized the Reformation as 
 an aggressive moral power leading to theological 
 and political combinations, which, twenty-five 
 years later, freed the Germans from the domina 
 tion of the Italian church. 
 
 But the Romish church was not disposed to yield 
 its supremacy in the Christian world without a des 
 perate struggle, and it put forth all its energies for 
 the maintenance of its power. It had mighty 
 agencies in its traditions, its vantage-ground of 
 possession, the Order of Jesuits which it had just 
 created, and the Inquisition which it had re-estab 
 lished with new powers. Its warfare was keen and 
 terrible, and its victories were many; but, despite 
 all that power and persecution could do, the Refor 
 mation gained ground in certain parts of Europe. 
 In the heat of that conflict was evolved the repre 
 sentative government, the free institutions, and the 
 liberty, equality, and fraternity which are the birth 
 right of every American citizen to-day without re 
 gard to creed. 
 
 In no part of the civilized world did the Refor 
 mation meet with more determined enemies in court 
 and church than in France. John Calvin, the chief 
 reformer in that country, was banished, and, taking 
 refuge in Switzerland, died in the year 1564. But 
 Calvin had sowed the seeds of Protestantism in 
 France, and those seeds bore fruit in such daring
 
 COLIGNPS PET SCHEME. 19 
 
 persons as Admiral Coligni, the favorite of Catha 
 rine de Medici while she was acting as regent for 
 her son the infant king. Thus the most conspicu 
 ous leader of the Huguenots, as the French Protes 
 tants were called, found means of reaching the 
 royal ear. All parties admired Coligni for his 
 gallant services to his country. He persuaded 
 Catharine to attempt to reconcile by a conference 
 the contending religious factions; but the peace 
 conference failed and war ensued. The Duke of 
 Guise, a lineal descendant of Charlemagne, and 
 claimant of the French throne, a man whom Cath 
 arine both feared and hated, led the Roman Catho 
 lics, while the Prince of Conde headed the Protest 
 ants. The latter, being much in the minority, 
 suffered greatly in the contest. Perhaps never, 
 even in savage warfare, was cruelty carried further 
 than in this conflict between religious factions. 
 
 At this time there lived in Dieppe a prominent 
 and once wealthy sea-captain named De Barre. 
 For important services rendered the king certain 
 rights and privileges were granted him. He was 
 a lover of civil and religious liberties, and when 
 the Reformation began to shake the world with its 
 thunder, De Barre, a cousin of Coligni, under whom 
 he had served in the royal navy, espoused the cause 
 of Protestantism. The sea-captain's family con 
 sisted of himself, wife, and two children, a son
 
 20 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 aged eighteen and, like his father, a sailor, and a 
 daughter Hortense who had just reached her fif 
 teenth year. Hortense De Barre, though still a 
 child, showed such promises of beautiful woman 
 hood that she had admirers even among the nobil 
 ity. One of her most ardent suitors was a young 
 Frenchman of means but of doubtful morals, named 
 John Gyrot. 
 
 Gyrot was troubled with no serious religious 
 convictions. His views were flexible and could 
 be adjusted to suit either Huguenot or Papist. 
 He early evinced an admiration, which grew into a 
 consuming passion, for the beautiful Hortense; 
 but when he one day mentioned the matter to her, 
 the child, who had never yet entertained a thought 
 of marriage, fled in terror from the bold, ardent 
 young man. Gyrot possessed determination to a 
 remarkable degree, in fact it was about his only 
 virtue, and he resolved to possess this lily of 
 France, whose large blue eyes and golden hair had 
 enslaved him. 
 
 In one of those terrible religious riots the home of 
 the De Barres was destroyed, the father and son were 
 killed, and the mother died from fright and grief 
 the same day. Thus like an avalanche came down 
 upon the innocent young head all the thunderbolts 
 of hate and fanaticism. Hortense, left alone in 
 the world with no relative save her father's cousin,
 
 COLIGNI'S PET SCHEME. 21 
 
 who was in Paris at the time, took temporary ref 
 uge among some kind people who agreed to shelter 
 her for a while, and as soon as practicable send her 
 out of the country, for the bold utterances of the 
 father had so incensed the Catholics that his inno 
 cent child was threatened with the stake. 
 
 While still at the house of her friends, her 
 cousin, Coligni, hearing of her great bereavement 
 and wretched condition, came to see her. Poor 
 Hortense, quite heart-broken, was overcome at sight 
 of her only relative on earth and fell sobbing in 
 his arms. As he held the child close to his own 
 kind heart, and tried to soothe her grief and fears, 
 the good man gazed into the pure innocent face 
 pityingly. 
 
 "All this is done in the service of God?" he 
 murmured. " Rather say in the service of the 
 devil, for God abhors such misery." Appealing 
 once more to the child he said, " Cheer up, sweet 
 cousin, you shall suffer no further harm." 
 
 "Yes, yes! they will put me to death, they will 
 burn me at the stake for heresy." 
 
 "They shall not," he answered. 
 
 "What is heresy?" she asked innocently. 
 
 " So they would destroy one so young and inno 
 cent that she does not understand the meaning of 
 the offence of which she is charged. This is infa 
 mous. " Addressing the child he answered, " Never
 
 22 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 mind now, little one, you will know the definition 
 of the word when you are older. I will send you 
 for the present to Beaucarre, a village on the Med 
 iterranean, until we can transport all the persecuted 
 to that new world discovered by Verazzani and 
 Cartier." 
 
 Hortense dried her tears and tried to smile. 
 
 "I want to go to the new country where I shall 
 be free from persecution," she said. 
 
 "You shall, little cousin, you shall." 
 
 "When?" 
 
 " I must first see the king and obtain a grant 
 for a colony of the persecuted. All this will 
 take time; meanwhile you will be safe at Beau 
 carre." 
 ."Can I go in the first ship?" 
 
 "No, you must wait until explorers and pioneers 
 are sent to select a location and build houses." 
 
 A look of disappointment came over the pretty 
 face and a sigh escaped her lips. Coligni noted 
 her anxiety to leave France. 
 
 "Don't despair, child," he added, "you shall 
 suffer no more persecution. At Beaucarre you 
 are in a quiet, out-of-the-way part of the world, 
 free from the great turmoil and strife which upsets 
 civilization to-day and make savages of men." 
 
 Addressing a few more words of consolation to 
 her, the great admiral, strangely impressed at her
 
 COLIGNI'S PET SCHEME. 23 
 
 sad fate, left the child. In the corridor, Coligni 
 inei a person not calculated to inspire the beholder 
 with confidence. He was attired in dark velvet 
 doublette, black trunk hose to his thigh, and long, 
 dark stockings. He wore a sable cloak on his 
 shoulders, a crimson cap on his head, and the sword 
 at his side seemed to indicate that he made some 
 pretensions to being a gentleman. Though a 
 young man scarce twenty, his face, pale and ca 
 daverous, had the appearance of age. A quantity 
 of black hair descended low over his eyebrows, 
 while the small, black, piercing eyes and lines of 
 the face denoted shrewdness. The glance of this 
 individual was keen, but evinced cunning rather 
 than intelligence. His lips were straight, but so 
 thin that, as they closed, they were compressed 
 within Tiis mouth. His cheek-bones were broad 
 and projecting, a never-failing proof of audacity 
 and craftiness, while the flatness of his forehead 
 and the enlargement of the back of the skull, which 
 rose much higher than the vulgarly shaped ears, 
 combined to form a physiognomy anything but 
 prepossessing. 
 
 Coligni paused a moment and glanced at the 
 young man as he sauntered toward him. 
 
 "That fellow has a bad countenance," he de 
 clared mentally. "Why is it that all do not 
 retreat with aversion at sight of that flat, receding,
 
 24 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 serpent-like forehead, round ekull and sharp 
 hooked nose like the beak of a vulture?" 
 
 This personage seemed watching the admiral 
 with a shrewd, cunning gaze as though he mis 
 trusted the object of his visit. Onoe the admiral 
 laid his hand on his sword as if to punish his inso 
 lence; but, perceiving his youth, he concluded 
 that no harm could come from him. As Coligni 
 retired, a diabolical grin illuminated the face and 
 increased its ugliness. Had the admiral noted the 
 change he would have paused to inquire more 
 about the young man he had met in the corridor. 
 
 Scarcely was Coligni out of sight, when this per 
 sonage entered the chamber of Hortense De Barre 
 without even the formality of knocking. The 
 girl's face became troubled at sight of him. 
 
 "Why do you come here, John Gyrot?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "I want to ask the mademoiselle some ques 
 tions," Gyrot answered. 
 
 "Ask them, and be gone at once." 
 
 "Who was the stranger who has just left?" 
 
 "Coligni." 
 
 "The admiral?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "I heard him say he was going to send the 
 mademoiselle to Beaucarre, and, as the mademoi 
 selle has refused the hospitality I offered her, I,
 
 COLIONI'S PET SCHEME. 25 
 
 too, will go to Beaucarre to keep guard over her 
 in these trying times." 
 
 Hortense started and became deathly pale. There 
 was something cunning and significant in G'yrot's 
 manner, and she trembled, though unable to tell 
 why. Gyrot had not, to her knowledge, taken 
 any part in the outbreak against the Huguenots. 
 On the contrary he pretended to be in sympathy 
 with the Protestants; but there was something so 
 hypocritical in these pretences that she lacked con 
 fidence in him. She wanted to tell him that his 
 services were not needed; but she was so young 
 and shy that she could make no answer, and hung 
 her head in silence, while Gyrot in his disagreeable 
 tone continued: 
 
 "I am quite a man now. The mademoiselle 
 needs a protector, and where can she find a better 
 one than Monsieur Gyrot?" 
 
 At this point she plucked up sufficient courage 
 to assure him that her relative had made all need 
 ful arrangements for her safety and comfort; but 
 he was persistent in his determination to be her 
 guardian and protector, and she was glad when he 
 went away. She had known Gyrot from early 
 childhood, and, while he had ever pretended to be a 
 devoted friend of the family, she instinctively felt 
 an aversion for him. 
 
 Meanwhile, Coligni, whose great heart was
 
 26 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 touched at the forlorn condition of the child, as 
 well as the desperate situation of all the Hugue 
 nots, resolved to secure an asylum for them in the 
 milder regions of North America, where, far re 
 moved from civilized men, they might enjoy that 
 perfect religious and civil freedom for which they 
 sighed. 
 
 Soon after the touching interview with his un 
 fortunate little cousin, he sought an audience with 
 Catharine de Medici, which was readily granted. 
 That proud and unprincipled woman, then little 
 more than forty years of age, stout and fair, was 
 wielding with a prodigal hand the power she as 
 sumed through her infant son. 
 
 Coligni was not without his misgivings, for, 
 while the king's mother was his friend, he knew 
 she was selfish and fickle and liable at the last 
 moment to refuse the dearest wish of his heart, a 
 place of refuge for the persecuted. 
 
 He had consulted with John Ribault, an experi 
 enced mariner, who was willing to undertake the 
 hazardous task of planting a French colony on the 
 new-found coast, and he needed only a charter and 
 means to send the Huguenots to America. 
 
 Coligni was tall, elegant in figure and deport 
 ment, grave in aspect, with flowing hair and beard 
 slightly streaked with gray, for he was about forty- 
 five years of age. On his visit to Catharine he
 
 COLIGNFS PET SCHEME. 27 
 
 was dressed in the uniform of his rank, wearing on 
 his head a rich green velvet cap bearing an ostrich 
 plume. His doublette of crimson velvet with skirt 
 was sprinkled with golden lilies and encircled with 
 a belt from which depended a straight sword. The 
 sleeves terminated at the elbows; the remainder of 
 his arms to the wrists were covered with embroi 
 dered linen. His trunk hose of velvet extended 
 to the middle of his thighs, and was slashed and 
 elegantly embroidered with gold thread. Up to 
 this, tight fitting stockings wrought of fine white 
 wool extended, and on his feet were buskins of 
 polished russet leather, sparkling with diamond 
 buttons that were fastened with silk rosettes to the 
 insteps. From his shoulders hung an open, short 
 Spanish cloak of blue velvet, and around his neck 
 a modest ruff. A massive gold chain bearing the 
 order of St. Louis was seen upon his breast. Such 
 was the appearance of this great and good man as 
 he asked an audience with the Eegent of France, 
 late i-n the year 1561, to confer with her upon the 
 subject of discoveries and the planting of a colony 
 in America. 
 
 He had not long to wait. The court dignitary 
 to whom he applied soon returned with the informa 
 tion that the admiral could be admitted to the pres 
 ence of her majesty at once. With his cap in his 
 hand, perfectly self-possessed, he entered the royal
 
 28 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 presence. He was only to meet a woman and a boy, 
 a mere child. The woman he knew was unprin 
 cipled, yet, for the present, she was friendly to 
 the Protestant cause, more because she hated the 
 Duke of Guise than from any serious religious 
 convictions. 
 
 Coligni found her seated on a rich divan covered 
 with blue damask satin. On her head was a coro 
 net, sparkling with a single large diamond. 
 Around her plump neck glittered a circlet of gold 
 and pearls, emeralds and rubies. She wore a skirt 
 of gold-embroidered white silk, and over this a 
 rich robe of royal purple velvet, trimmed with a 
 narrow band of ermine at the front and bottom, and 
 with close-fitting bodice, linen and lace, with bril 
 liant gems at the wrists. A gold chain, fastened at 
 her bosom with a diamond brooch, extended to her 
 feet and terminated with a golden cross studded 
 with seed pearls. Near her, playing with a fawn- 
 colored Italian greyhound, was her royal son, who 
 had lately been crowned as CHARLES IX., king of 
 France. The young king's hair hung in ringlets 
 about his shoulders, for he was only a boy ten or 
 twelve years of age, thinking more of his dog than 
 of his kingdom. His fair complexion was height 
 ened by his rich suit of royal purple velvet, with 
 slashed sleeves, revealing white linen beneath. 
 Only a single minister of state was present } and he
 
 COLIONI'S PET SCHEME. 39 
 
 and a young woman, a court favorite and cousin 
 of the king of Navarre, were the only companions 
 of royalty when Admiral Coligni entered the room. 
 
 The admiral bowed his knee and kissed the hand 
 which Catharine gave him, performing a like cere 
 mony to his sovereign who fondled his dog. 
 
 "Rise, admiral, and state your business," said 
 the regent. 
 
 Coligni proceeded in a grave, earnest manner to 
 inform her of the persecution of the Huguenots. 
 She listened, though evincing no emotion at the 
 the terrible recital, while the king, wholly 
 engrossed with his greyhound, heard but little that 
 the admiral said. 
 
 When Coligni began to particularize and re 
 lated in detail the sad story of Hortense De 
 Barre, the young lady left her seat in the window, 
 and the minister of state, who had been urged to 
 remain, listened with most rapt attention. The mob 
 in all its terrible fury was depicted, the death of 
 father, brother and mother related as only the elo 
 quent Coligni, in the fervor of his enthusiasm, could 
 tell it. 
 
 When he had finished, the king's mother 
 asked : 
 
 "What do you propose, admiral, to alleviate 
 the suffering of these poor people?" 
 
 "I am just approaching the plan, your majesty,
 
 30 
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 which will not only furnish an asylum for the per 
 secuted Huguenots, but will redound to the honor 
 and glory of France. In America, Verazzani, 
 under the flag of France, made some wonderful 
 discoveries, and took possession of the country 
 under the name of New France. These, with the 
 discoveries and conquests of Cartier, gave us valu 
 able possessions in that land." 
 
 At this point the king's mother interposed: 
 
 "But Cartier's report 
 of his second voyage was 
 
 by no means clieerin S- 
 Theri g rs of the climate 
 
 . . i . i i 
 
 in winter, the ice-bound 
 condition of the streams 
 for several months in the 
 year, and the utter bar 
 renness of the land in pre 
 cious stones and minerals 
 were discouraging." 
 "Quite true, your gracious majesty; but subse 
 quent voyages have proved that south of where 
 Cartier explored there is a more favorable climate 
 and soil. Donnacona, the Indian chief whom Cartier 
 brought captive to France, told of the large number 
 of fur-bearing animals in the woods and waters, of 
 which Cartier could know nothing. These animals, 
 with the salmon fisheries and pine forests, make 
 
 KING CHABLES IX.
 
 COLIGNPS PET SCHEME. 31 
 
 even that apparently undesirable locality a valu 
 able acquisition to France." 
 
 The princess regent nodded her head until the 
 diamond in her coronet sparkled like a twinkling 
 star, and the boy king, looking up from his dog, 
 said: 
 
 "Give the admiral all the territory he wants; 
 surely we have a plenty for all." 
 
 Next moment he fell to fondling his dog again 
 and seemed to have forgotten the order he had 
 issued to his mother. Nor was his command 
 heeded. Catharine thought for her son, and seldom 
 allowed the king, even in more mature years, the 
 power of exercising his own will. 
 
 Coligni was a good judge of human nature. He 
 read the king's mother like an open page, and for 
 various reasons knew that she would ultimately 
 consent to his plan; but he allowed no stone to go 
 unturned, and proceeded with his argument which 
 the king had interrupted. 
 
 " It is not in the cold north that I design to plant 
 your colony, but the milder climate of that region 
 known as Florida. Unexplored, possessing untold 
 riches, and of a climate mild as Italy's, it is the land 
 which France should claim, and it will redound to 
 the glory of your son's reign if you acquire it." 
 
 "Do not the Spaniards, the original explorers, 
 claim the land?"
 
 32 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 " They have forfeited their right by abandoning 
 it," the admiral answered. "Ponce de Leon, 
 Hernando de Soto, and others who have invaded this 
 land, so rich in natural resources, abandoned it, 
 and since then the whole coast has been seized in 
 the name of the king of France, and it is ours." 
 
 The princess regent was not hard to persuade into 
 compliance with his wishes. She granted all that 
 Coligni desired, in the name of the little king, 
 then playing with the greyhound, and the child's 
 signature, hardly legible, was afterward placed to 
 the charter given the admiral, by which he was 
 authorized to send an expedition to Florida to estab 
 lish a colony in the name of France. 
 
 Coligni lost no time in making use of his privi 
 lege. He hastened to Dieppe, where he found John 
 Bibault and an English youth, Walter Raleigh, 
 who was interested in the cause of the Huguenots, 
 awaiting his return. 
 
 "Have you succeeded?" asked Ribault. 
 
 "I have the charter. Now, captain, proceed at 
 once to organize your crews and colony. What 
 you do is done in the name of God and humanity." 
 
 Ribault, like Coligni, was a zealous Huguenot, 
 and was fired with enthusiasm at the thought of 
 planting a colony in the New World. Coligni was 
 the main support of the enterprise. It was not dim- 
 cult to get colonists, for those who had suffered from
 
 COLIGNI'S PET SCHEME. 33 
 
 persecution were only too anxious to find an asylum 
 in the New World. Only men were taken in the 
 first expedition, as it was a pioneer exploring 
 party. Ribaultwasa native of Dieppe, and an ex 
 perienced sailor, so that he inspired great confidence 
 in the hearts of the people, who were eager to 
 volunteer under so valiant a leader. Two vessels 
 of the character of Spanish caravels were fitted out, 
 and on the 18th of February, 1562, Ribault sailed 
 from Dieppe with two crews, consisting of excel 
 lent sailors, and a strong body of land forces, among 
 whom were several gentlemen volunteers. 
 
 The first land discovered was low and woody, 
 and he gave it the name of Cape Frangais. Turn 
 ing to the right, he discovered the river Dauphin, 
 without entering it; then sailed to the river May, 
 so called from his entering it on the first day of 
 that month. Here he was welcomed by a great 
 number of the natives, and he erected a stone col 
 umn on which the arms of France were engraved. 
 This ceremony being performed, he visited the 
 cacique of the savages and made him some presents. 
 He afterward steered for the river Jourdaiu which 
 had been discovered by Vasquez, and, keeping in 
 sight of land, sailed along the coast of what is now 
 known as the Carolinas. Arriving at the river of 
 St. Croix, he built, in the midst of a most delight 
 ful country, Fort Charles, in honor of the king. 
 3
 
 34 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 The neighboring rivers abounded in fish, the forest 
 was filled with game, and the savages seemed so 
 extremely friendly that the colonists thought they 
 had entered the promised land. Having planted 
 the germ of the future colony, Bibault returned to 
 France, hoping soon to remove the women and 
 children of the persecuted Huguenots to this place 
 of refuge. 
 
 The foregoing may seem to be a digression; 
 but if the reader will bear with us, it will be found 
 to be an essential explanation to our story before 
 it is finished. 
 
 Scarcely had John Ribault sailed from Dieppe, 
 when Coligni took his cousin's child, Hortense 
 De Barre, to the village of Beaucarre on the 
 Mediterranean. 
 
 They arrived at the village, and she was installed 
 with the family of Monsieur Beaumonte, half 
 aubergiste and half fisherman. Beaucarre was 
 never a thriving village, and to-day only a few ruins 
 mark the spot where it once stood. Its very isola 
 tion made it an acceptable place of refuge for the 
 persecuted girl. 
 
 It was late when she reached Beaucane, and 
 Hortense retired without inspecting her new home ; 
 but at early morn, childlike, she arose and set out 
 to see what it was like. The house was a sort of 
 an old inn of the time, standing beyond the ham-
 
 COLIGNI'S PET SCHEME. 35 
 
 let, and from the front hung a sign. The place 
 boasted a garden, consisting of a small plot of 
 ground, a full view of which could be obtained 
 from the door, immediately opposite the ground 
 portal by which travellers were ushered in to partake 
 of the hospitality of the public house. This 
 plaisanee, or garden, scorched beneath the ardent 
 sun of an almost tropical latitude, permitted nothing 
 to thrive and scarcely anything to live in its arid 
 soil. A few dingy olives and stunted fig-trees 
 struggled hard for existence, but their withered, 
 dusty foliage proved how unequal was the conflict. 
 Between these sickly shrubs grew a scant supply 
 of garlic, tomatoes, and eschalots, while lone and 
 solitary, like a forgotten sentinel still on duty, a 
 tall pine reared its melancholy head in one of the 
 corners of this unattractive spot. 
 
 At places in the surrounding plain, which more 
 resembled a dusty lake than the solid ground, 
 were scattered a few miserable stalks of wheat, the 
 result of an effort on the part of the agriculturists 
 of the country to see if it were possible to raise 
 grain in this parched region. The scanty produce 
 served to accommodate the numerous grasshoppers 
 with resting-places upon the stunted specimens of 
 horticulture, while they filled the air with sharp, 
 unpleasant cries. 
 
 Poor Hortense gazed over the scene, unattractive
 
 36 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 save where the waters of the Mediterranean broke on 
 the shore, and sighed. 
 
 "Better If I had gone with the first emigrants to 
 the New World," she thought. 
 
 At this moment she caught sight of a person on 
 horseback riding over the dusty plain toward her. 
 One glance at his face and she trembled and turned 
 pale. 
 
 It was John Gyrot.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 
 
 Two years had elapsed since Estevan's arrival 
 in Spain. He was progressing well with his 
 studies and could already repeat the Latin prayers 
 and church service. He was meek, humble, and 
 very studious. The good Father Ronoldo had, 
 from the first, taken great interest in his pupil 
 and watched over him as a natural father might. 
 Letters came from his parents at home and the 
 brother in Mexico. Rodrigo's letters were filled with 
 most marvelous descriptions of the wonderful land 
 and people among whom his lot was cast. His 
 accounts of some of his thrilling adventures made 
 the heart of the intended ecclesiastic leap within 
 him. 
 
 Though everything possible was done to make 
 Francisco happy he grew paler and more sad day by 
 day, until the good father Ronoldo became alarmed 
 for his health. One day he entered the study of 
 Francisco as the student was pouring over a vol 
 ume of commentaries. 
 
 37 
 
 449813
 
 38 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "My son, you study too hard." 
 
 "Why do you say so, father?" 
 
 " Your cheek grows paler and your form thinner 
 than I care to see it." 
 
 "A monk must needs be a student." 
 
 "Tell me, Francisco, are you happy?" 
 
 The unexpected question was asked in such an 
 earnest manner that Francisco could not but feel 
 the thought in the priest's mind. 
 
 "Why do you ask?" he gasped. 
 
 "Bcause you do not seem it." 
 
 "Would you have me merry, father? Is not 
 ours a sacred calling in which solemnity should 
 become a part of us?" 
 
 "True, yet with solemnity and gravity there 
 should be a quiet joy in the knowledge that we 
 ju-e servants of God. Answer me truly, do you 
 really wish to become a priest?" 
 
 Frangisco bounded to his feet as suddenly as if 
 he had been pricked with the point of a sword, 
 and faced the priest. , 
 
 " Have I ever by word Or deed indicated that 
 such. was not -my desire?" he asked. 
 
 "No, my son; but you do not look as if you 
 loved the holy order." ' 
 
 "I do of course I do!" he answered quickly. 
 " It is their choice. From my infancy I was de 
 signed for the church,"
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 39 
 
 The priest gazed a moment at the agitated face, 
 and shook his head knowingly. 
 
 "Parents may make a mistake," he remarked; 
 "but I will not gainsay their wishes. Why should 
 not a parent consecrate a child to God in this 
 modern day as in ancient times? But methinks, 
 my son, when they made you a priest, Spain lost 
 a gallant soldier." 
 
 Estevan clasped his hand over his heart, and 
 turned an appealing glance on the priest as if to 
 implore him to desist. Interpreting his thought the 
 ecclesiastic added: 
 
 "I have come to talk with you on other matters, 
 my son the heretics, for instance." 
 
 "Do they increase?" 
 
 " Verily, in places they do. That Luther is a 
 bold fellow. Calvin was driven from France; but 
 he had sown the bad seed before his departure, and 
 the air is filled with heresy." 
 
 "Does not the Inquisition uproot it?" 
 
 "It does much, but iiot enough. The good 
 Duke of Guise, the gallant defender of the faith, 
 is battling for the Pope; but Coligni seems to hold 
 control over the king's mother, regent to the infant 
 king Charles, and, saints preserve us! I know not 
 how it will end." 
 
 Here the priest paused and crossed himself. A 
 moment later his features brightened,
 
 40 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "There is another matter I wanted to speak 
 with you about," he said. "Some Benedictine 
 monks are going to make a pilgrimage to the 
 Pope. Would you like to go to Kome?" 
 
 "I would," Estevan answered, "Give me a 
 journey and it will recuperate my failing spirits." 
 
 "Then you shall go." 
 
 It was arranged in a few days, and Estevan, in 
 company with the pilgrims, set out for Kome. 
 They travelled on mules to a little seaport town on 
 the Mediterranean, and embarked in a vessel for 
 Italy. Their vessel was a large Spanish caravel, 
 a goodly craft, laden with wine. The captain was 
 an experienced seaman and his crew one of the 
 best. Spanish sailors had won a reputation for 
 being among the boldest and most successful navi 
 gators of the day. 
 
 The weather was a little hazy, but there was 
 nothing formidable in the appearance of the sky 
 to a bold and experienced navigator. Francisco 
 Estevan was something of a sailor, and, having 
 been reared in the West Indies, was familiar with 
 hurricanes. Scarcely had they been under way an 
 hour when a gale sprang up which rapidly in 
 creased to a violent storm, separating them from the 
 land at the rate of eight leagues a watch, merely 
 with their fore-courses, insomuch that the master 
 
 thought it necessary to stop that career, and, on 
 y / *;
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 41 
 
 consulting with his officers, brought the ship about 
 and tried to furl up sails in order to make headway 
 with the mizzen. The mountainous seas, the early 
 product of the storm, became so unruly that the 
 seamen knew not how to work the ship. They 
 were already some distance from land, so that 
 immediate danger from reefs and surfs was not 
 great; but so violent was the storm, they were in 
 danger of foundering, especially as the ship rocked 
 in the hollow trough of the sea. With great exer 
 tion and danger, the main yard was lowered to 
 give some ease to the mast. Then the great 
 difficulty was to handle the fore-sails, that the ship 
 might work about with as little hazard as possible. 
 All hands were not enough to haul the sheet close, 
 in order to bring the ship about. 
 
 Francisco Estevan volunteered his services, and 
 his former experience on shipboard made the 
 young theologian quite useful. Great seas were 
 shipped as the vessel came to work through the 
 trough of the sea. One wave broke upon the poop 
 where the monks were quartered, and a ton's 
 weight of water set all afloat in the round-house. 
 The noise made by the rushing wave was like the 
 report of a great gun, and put the pilgrim monks 
 into a sad fright. Many were on their knees, 
 others were counting their beads, or offering prayers, 
 or making promises of pilgrimages.
 
 12 SAIHT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 The shock being past, the vessel put about, with 
 foresail hauled, and now lay trying with her mizzen 
 to make headway. Tossed like a feather on the 
 foam-capped waves, the water leaping in terrible 
 fury over the deck, the ship, it seemed, could not 
 hold together. Those awful sounds, heard only in 
 a storm at sea, the roaring of the wind through 
 the rigging like shrieks of demons, with the groans 
 of the laboring ship, put the monks in deadly fear. 
 Hours wore on and a dark and terrible night set in, 
 the enraged seas a mass of seething foam, the gale 
 still increasing, their condition growing more and 
 more terrible every moment. A loud crash aloft, 
 and the foremast came by the board, broken short 
 off just under the cap. Francisco and his com 
 panions started to inquire the cause of the disaster, 
 when a mighty sea broke on the foreship, making 
 such an inundation on the deck which he had 
 gained, that he retired to the round-house, a prayer 
 on his lips, for he supposed the ship was founder 
 ing. The vessel stood stock-still, her head under 
 water, as though to bore her way into the sea. The 
 monks took a short leave of each other, and, 
 assailed by new terrors, made a dolorous outery, 
 while the captain, seeing the deck almost cleared 
 of water, called aloud: 
 
 "Man the pumps!" 
 
 Francisco, having better sea-legs than his com-
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 43 
 
 panions, again ventured to look out, and learn the 
 cause of this astonishing alarm, which appeared to 
 arise from a no less cause than the loss of the fore 
 castle, with five guns and the ship's anchors, all 
 of which were fastened to the cable. Two men 
 had been swept overboard and lost in the surging 
 billow. The great gap made in the forecastle 
 opened a passage into the hold for other seas; but 
 luckily they had a number of ship's carpenters 
 aboard, and these partially repaired the damages. 
 
 Throughout the long, terrible night the ship 
 weathered the storm and at dawn of day was little 
 more than a battered hulk. The day for which all 
 had so earnestly prayed came at last, but brought 
 no abatement in the storm. Those white, fleecy 
 clouds held no promise for the future. The wind 
 roared, the waves raged, and all day long the ship 
 labored in the turbulent waters. 
 
 When the sun again went down the storm in 
 creased. The clouds grew thicker and blacker, 
 and, charged with electricity, sent streams of liquid 
 fire over the awful scene. 
 
 " The ship cannot live through the night," Fran 
 cisco heard the captain declare. 
 
 The bowsprit, having lost its stays and rigging, 
 and being too heavy in itself, swayed to and 
 fro with such bangs that they were compelled to 
 cut it off to prevent the whole front part of the ship
 
 44 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 from being demolished. Everything was in a 
 miserable state of disorder, and it was evident 
 their danger was increasing every moment. The 
 stays of all the masts were gone, the shrouds that 
 remained were loose and useless, and it was easy to 
 foresee that the mainmast must soon come by the 
 board. A brave Portuguese sailor, always ready 
 to expose himself to danger for the welfare of 
 others, seized a carpenter's axe and ran up to pre 
 vent the evil, hoping to ease the mainmast and 
 preserve it; but the danger to his person was so 
 manifest that the captain called him down, and no 
 sooner had his foot touched the deck than with a 
 fearful crash both main and top-mast came down 
 together, falling to windward clear of the deck into 
 the sea without harming any one. 
 
 The shrouds and rigging retaining their hold on 
 the vessel's side, at every surge of the sea, like a 
 monster pattering ram, the butt of the broken mast 
 was driven against the side of the vessel, threaten 
 ing to beat a hole through it. The Portuguese now 
 with his axe did good service in cutting away the 
 rigging and clearing the ship of the wreck. 
 
 She immediately righted, drifting helplessly 
 before the driving storm toward the coast of France. 
 Having no sail, the vessel refused to answer to her 
 rudder, and the incessant flashes of lightning 
 revealed to them the wild surf leaping mountains
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 45 
 
 high upon the shore to which they were helplessly 
 drifting. 
 
 Being more courageous than his fellow-pilgrims, 
 trancisco sought to instill some hope into their 
 breasts; but the monks were insane with fear. 
 Some swooned with fright, and others clung wildly 
 to parts of the vessel so that they could hardly be 
 pulled away. Francisco, with a thought of home 
 and mother and another of heaven, resolved to do 
 all in his power to save his life. 
 
 Again were the heavens lighted by that liquid 
 blaze. The wild-eyed passengers and sailors saw 
 that they were frightfully near the shore. At this 
 moment the boom of one of the guns on the after 
 deck thundered forth the signal of danger. Thrice 
 the gun sent its awful message thundering across 
 the waters to the black shores. ' 
 
 One long-continued flash revealed low-lying 
 lands with hills far in the background, a sandy 
 beach in the fore and a small hamlet not half a 
 mile from the beach. It was gone in a moment, 
 and the blackness of despair and raging waters 
 seemed to overwhelm them. With a crash the 
 ship struck ground, and raised such a war of water 
 and sand together, which fell on the main chains, 
 that hopes of safety were abandoned. A wave, 
 striking her on the starboard quarter, pitched her 
 over on her side, and the water, rushing over
 
 46 
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 the deck, 
 swept away 
 the captain 
 and half the crew. 
 Clinging he 
 knew not how long 
 to the side of the ship high 
 est out of the water, and 
 drenched to the skin by 
 each successive wave, 
 Francisco waited the com 
 ing of the angel of death. 
 Anon a flash revealed an 
 object tossing about on the 
 surf. It was a boat, or else he was dreaming. It 
 was a small fisherman's boat in which sat a soli 
 tary person, and that person a woman. In a 
 
 A PLASH REVEALED AN 
 OBJECT TOSSING ON THE 
 SURF."
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 4f 
 
 moment it was gone in darkness, and he, the only 
 survivor of the wreck, was ready to believe it a 
 vision of his disordered brain. 
 
 But again the lightning came and revealed the 
 boat, propelled certainly by an angelic hand, nearer 
 than before. Could he believe his senses? He 
 was falling into a semi-unconscious state, when a 
 voice from the darkness below shouted from under 
 the lee of the stranded ship. He answered, 
 although the call was in a foreign tongue. 
 
 The lightning's flash revealed a small fishing- 
 boat below, in which sat a young girl. Again she 
 called to him in French: 
 
 "Monsieur, come, save yourself !" 
 
 He tried to descend, but in doing so he fell. He 
 struck some hard substance, and all was a blank. 
 
 That reason dawned after such a trial seemed 
 more like magic than reality. All bodily fatigue, 
 all the preoccupation of the mind produced by 
 such terrible events disappeared as they do at the 
 first feeling of sleep. His body seemed to acquire 
 an airy lightness, his perception being brightened 
 in a remarkable manner, his senses redoubled, and 
 the horizon expanded. It was not that gloomy 
 horizon over which alarm had prevailed, but 
 blue, boundless, transparent, with all the charm of 
 a summer sea, and all the spangles of a glorious 
 sun. In the midst of music so clear and sound-
 
 48 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 ing, it seemed divine harmony, he saw the low 
 rocky shore as an oasis in the desert, which as he 
 approached resounded with songs, as if some 
 enchanter like Amphion had decreed to attract 
 thither a soul, or build a city. 
 
 He seemed lying somewhere on a delightful 
 couch, inspiring the fresh balmy air, like that 
 which may be supposed to reign around the grotto 
 of Circe, formed from such perfumes as set the 
 mind a-dreaming, and such fires as burn the very 
 senses. There floated before him such a vision as 
 had never dawned upon the imagination of man. 
 It was a sylph-like figure, rich in form, with eyes 
 of fascination, smile of love, and bright flowing 
 hair. Phyrne, Cleopatra and Messalina were incom 
 parable to that being, who glided as pure as a ray, 
 like a Christian angel in the midst of Olympus 
 one of those chaste figures, those calm shadows, 
 those soft visions, which seem to veil the virgin 
 brow of one too pure for this earth. 
 
 Wild fantasy slowly gave way to reality, and 
 he found himself lying on a bed, a plain bed at 
 that, in an old, plain room, and through the win 
 dow he could behold the sea-shore strewn with the 
 wreck of his vessel. It was a disappointing 
 awakening from a delightful vision, but a moment 
 later he was repaid, when a bit of animated sun 
 shine in the form of a lovely girl with great blue
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 49 
 
 eyes and golden hair entered. She saw that his 
 eyes were opened and reason restored, and clasp 
 ing her hands with joy, a smile on her lovely face, 
 she began to speak in French : 
 
 "Is Monsieur' better?" 
 
 Fortunately Francisco Estevan understood the 
 language, and made haste to answer that he was 
 better. Then he inquired if any of his com 
 panions were saved. A look of sadness came over 
 the sweet face as she answered: 
 
 " You should give God thanks for yourself, mon 
 sieur; you were the only one who escaped. Many 
 of your companions lie on the beach, and the fisher 
 men of Beaucarre are trying to recover the bodies 
 of the others." 
 
 In the sweet young face before him he saw the 
 central object of those delightful visions. Nay, 
 more, he beheld the same form that was revealed 
 by the lightning's flash while he clung to the 
 broken wreck. Mustering up what French he had 
 at his command he asked: 
 
 "Did you not rescue me from the wreck last 
 night?" 
 
 " Not last night. It has been three days since 
 the awful event." 
 
 "Three days, can it be possible?" 
 
 "Yes, monsieur, it has been three whole days 
 since the wreck, and you are the only one saved." 
 4
 
 50 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 " Had it not been for you, brave little senorita, 
 I, too, would have found a watery grave." In 
 his earnest gratitude Francisco Estevan seized the 
 small, white hand of his pretty deliverer and 
 kissed it again and again. 
 
 She gently withdrew her hand and urged him 
 to keep quiet, as he was still weak and needed 
 rest. She sat at his side and told him all that had 
 transpired since his rescue, and then left him for a 
 few moments to bring some nourishment. 
 
 Under the tender care of Hortense De Barre, 
 Francisco Estevan rapidly convalesced, and in a 
 few days was able to get about the hamlet, or wan 
 der down to the sea-shore. His young nurse and 
 rescuer nearly always accompanied him, and they 
 grew strongly attached to each other. 
 
 A low-browed, scowling youth, with masses of 
 jet-black hair about his face, frequently dogged 
 their footsteps, and more than once Francisco 
 found him eavesdropping. 
 
 "Who is he, senorita, who follows us so persis 
 tently?" Francisco asked his fair companion, as, 
 one day, strolling on the bea,ch ? he caught a 
 glimpse of their shadower behind an old boat. 
 
 "He is Monsieur Gyrot," Hortense answered. 
 
 "Is he your relative?" 
 
 "No, monsieur." 
 
 "A friend?"
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 
 
 51 
 
 "An acquaintance," she answered. 
 
 Francisco had frequently urged her to tell him 
 her history, but she always declined. All he knew 
 of her was that 
 she was the 
 daughter of a 
 sea-captain from 
 Dieppe, which 
 accounted for 
 her skill in 
 handling the 
 oars in the 
 surf, but 
 
 further h e 
 knew noth 
 ing. 
 
 O 
 
 Never did Fran 
 cisco pass a more de- 
 "WHO is HE WHO FOLLOWS us liglitful period than 
 
 SO PERSISTENTLY?" ^ Beaucarre> Fre . 
 
 quently in after years, when amidst the whirlwind 
 and storms of an eventful life, he looked back 
 upon that period as the one green oasis in his 
 existence. He was wholly recovered, and yet he
 
 52 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 could not tear himself away from Beaucarre. 
 Young priest, are you forgetting your vows? 
 This question, thundered by an ill-tutored con 
 science, rang in his ear day after day; but, like 
 persons rushing upon fate, he was blind and deaf 
 to reason. Being a priest, how could he hope to 
 wed Hortense, and yet how could he give her up? 
 She was dearer to him than life, and he was at 
 times almost ready to say that she would outbal 
 ance his salvation. 
 
 Love is a plant of quick growth. It matures 
 and ripens in a day in those genial Southern climes. 
 Three weeks had elapsed since his recovery, and 
 the student was almost ready to abandon the 
 sacerdotal robe for the lily of France. His intended 
 calling had been kept a secret from, all, and Hor 
 tense De Barre, the Huguenot, little dreamed that 
 she had been ministering to a priest. They dis 
 cussed almost every subject save religion. For the 
 last few days John Gyrot had disappeared from 
 Beaucarre, and they were left quite to themselves. 
 
 Francisco would hardly admit, even to himself, 
 that he was in love. One designed for the priest 
 hood must not love; but this strange, beautiful 
 French girl, the embodiment of all that was good, 
 pure, and holy, had enchanted him. 
 
 One day Gyrot returned as suddenly as he had 
 disappeared. His tired, haggard manner and
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 53 
 
 travel-stained clothing bore evidence of a long 
 journey. He did not immediately address himself 
 to either Hortense or Francisco; but, with a 
 triumphant smile on his face, he kept aloof for a 
 day or two. On the third day, however, as Fran 
 cisco wandered alone on the beach, his mind filled 
 with those beautiful day-dreams which for weeks 
 had made existence a paradise, Gyrot suddenly 
 approached him and, laying his hand on che stu 
 dent's shoulder, said: 
 
 "I want to talk with you, monsieur." 
 
 Francisco had no objection, and expressed him 
 self as willing to hear whatever Senor Gyrot might 
 have to say. 
 
 "Come under the pines." 
 
 The pines were three tall trees growing near the 
 beach above a low bluff of rocks, and thither 
 they went and seated themselves on. some stones. 
 
 "You are a Spaniard, monsieur." 
 
 "I am a Spanish- American. I was born in 
 Cuba." 
 
 " You have been studying at Salamanca for the 
 priesthood." 
 
 " You have taken needless pains to inform your 
 self about my private affairs. If that was the 
 object of your recent journey, I could have saved 
 you the trouble had you asked me, for I have 
 nothing to conceal."
 
 54 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "If the monsieur is to be a priest, his atten 
 tions to the mademoiselle are not in good taste." 
 
 "I understand; you are growing jealous, senor," 
 
 "If monsieur cares nothing for his monastic 
 vows, what will he think when I tell him the 
 mademoiselle is a Huguenot?" 
 
 "What!" cried Francisco, leaping to his feet as 
 suddenly as if a mine had been sprung beneath 
 him. Without seeming to notice his confusion, 
 Gyrot, who took a devilish satisfaction in his 
 work, went on: 
 
 "The mademoiselle is a Protestant, a hated 
 heretic, a Huguenot. The monsieur has not well 
 informed himself, or he would know that her 
 father, Captain De Barre of the navy, was an own 
 cousin of Coligni." 
 
 "Say no more! I care not to hear another 
 word," cried Francisco, and he hurried away 
 from his evil genius. One living in the present 
 age of freedom and enlightenment cannot understand 
 the emotions of rage, shame, remorse, and even fear 
 which tortured the soul of Francisco Estevan. 
 All his education, his superstition and traditions 
 revolted at thought of heresy. He who had advo 
 cated the Inquisition and the extermination of 
 heretics by any means had fallen in love with a 
 Huguenot! He who was to become a priest had 
 been infatuated with a heretic.
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 55 
 
 "I cannot believe it!" he declared, as he walked 
 along the beach, heedless of the malicious grin of 
 his rival. When the first wild tumult of emotion 
 had given way to sober thought, he determined to 
 seek Hortense and learn the truth from her. 
 
 "Be she heretic or devil, she will speak the 
 truth," he thought. 
 
 It was like wringing the heart from his bosom. 
 Never before had he realized how dear to him 
 the little French girl had grown ; but of all crimes, 
 heresy was the greatest. Had she been a mur 
 deress, a common thief, or an outcast, penance and 
 prayer would have given her absolution; but for 
 Protestantism there was no cure. 
 
 He sought an early interview with Hortense, and 
 found her in the unlovely garden, the only bloom 
 ing flower in the desolate plaisance. She greeted 
 him with a smile, but his face was unusually 
 grave, and she saw that something was wrong. 
 
 "What has gone amiss?" she asked. 
 
 "Senorita, I have come to talk with you for 
 perhaps the last time." 
 
 "Is monsieur going away?" He was quite sure 
 her face expressed sorrow. 
 
 "Yes I shall return to Spain. The seftorita 
 knows I am a Spaniard." 
 
 "Of course, I have known it all along," she 
 answered.
 
 56 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "Is the senorita a Huguenot?" 
 
 She fixed her great, truthful eyes on his face 
 and answered: 
 
 "lam." 
 
 He leaned against the framework of a vineless 
 arbor and for several moments was like one stunned, 
 while she continued: 
 
 "I am a Huguenot, and the monsieur a Catholic; 
 but do we not both bow before the same God? 
 Should not I give him the right to his religious 
 views, and he accord the same to me? My father 
 and my brother were slain in a Catholic riot. I 
 saw their bleeding and mutilated bodies dragged 
 through the streets by men gone mad over religion. 
 They have forgotten the commands of the Master 
 and seem inspired by the spirit of the evil one. 
 They forget: ' This is my commandment, that ye 
 love one another.' When I saw them dragging 
 my dear father's lifeless and mutilated body 
 through the street, I remembered the text: 'They 
 shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the 
 time cometh that whosoever killeth you, will think 
 that he doeth God service.' * The prophecy is ful 
 filled. My poor father, so gentle and kind, so 
 brave and noble, was slain like a wild beast; but, 
 monsieur, I bear the Catholics no ill will ; they are 
 
 * JOHN, 16 : 2.
 
 THE SHIPWRECK. A VISION. 57 
 
 crazed, they are deceived, and think they do God 
 service. Let us be friends." 
 
 She extended her hand to Francisco, who drew 
 back with a shudder, as if it were polluted, and 
 cried : 
 
 "No, no! touch me not. No heretics, none 
 who deny the faith j shall pollute me with their 
 unholy touch. Adieu!" 
 
 He turned on his heel and left her gazing at him 
 through those beautiful eyes swimming in tears. 
 
 The only bright dream of his life was over, and 
 he hastened from the hamlet as if it had been the 
 abode of fiends. He journeyed on foot to a con 
 vent where he got transportation to Spain to resume 
 his studies. Love's young dream was past, swal 
 lowed in grief and pain, and the student was paler 
 and more melancholy than before.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SEEKING HOMES AND PEACE. 
 
 
 
 THE early explorers on the American continent, 
 each gave new names to rivers, bays, gulfs, and 
 lakes, until the student is apt to become confused 
 in his researches among their chronicles. John 
 Ribault followed the same course, giving to Florid- 
 ian streams French names as he sailed along the 
 coast, and for a while America had its Seine, its 
 Loire, and its Garonne. 
 
 As a class the French are an enthusiastic people, 
 and the idea of a new colony in -a new country, of 
 building up a great empire, filled the colonists at 
 Fort Charles with enthusiasm. Albert, the man 
 left in command of Fort Charles, was brave and 
 enterprising, but lacked the power of controlling 
 men in the wilderness where he had not the strong 
 arm of the civil law to aid him. He was an 
 adventurer, and thought more of finding a Mexico 
 or Peru than planting fields of corn. "When the 
 more prudent members of the colony advised him 
 to devote more time to agriculture, he was indig 
 nant. 
 
 58
 
 SEEKING HOMES AND PEACE. 59 
 
 " I command here, and I will seek for gold. The 
 paraousties* tell of rich mines of silver and gold." 
 
 His was an error common to early colonists. 
 With his emigrants he roved about the country, 
 until provisions failed, powder and ball for their 
 matchlocks gave out, and the Indians would no 
 longer supply their colony. The governor of the 
 colony became intolerant and overbearing, and soon 
 his companions began to take measures to get rid 
 of him. While they were planning a mutiny, 
 he precipitated matters himself by knocking down 
 a young man in a fit of frenzy. The injured party 
 sought revenge and assassinated Albert the next 
 night. He was not punished for the offence, and 
 historians speak of Albert's death as the act of a 
 revolt on the part of the colony. A more prudent 
 man named Barre was chosen in his stead, and he 
 at once advised a return to France. 
 
 "How can we return?" some of the more 
 despondent asked. "We have no vessel." 
 
 "Build one," said Barre. 
 
 Eibault failing to appear with the promised 
 recruits and supplies for the infant colony, they set 
 to work to build and rig out a vessel. They were 
 almost at death's door, and gaunt famine was 
 staring them in the face. Had they devoted one- 
 
 * The term applied to Indian chiefs by French Hugue 
 nots.
 
 60 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 tenth the energy to planting and sowing which they 
 now used to construct a frail bark, it would have 
 placed them above want. Putting to sea in this 
 frail craft they were driven about at the mercy of 
 wind and waves, until their water and provisions 
 were exhausted, and then they had recourse to 
 cannibalism. A remnant of the colony was finally 
 picked up by an English vessel and taken to 
 England, where Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth 
 listened to their strange story of adventures in 
 the New World. 
 
 John Ribault had not deserted the infant colony 
 in Florida as they supposed. On his return to 
 France, he found a civil war raging between the 
 theological factions Roman Catholics and Hugue 
 nots with unrelenting violence. The monarch, 
 the court and, Coligni were all involved in this 
 unfortunate strife. 
 
 "I should like to aid you," said Coligni to 
 Ribault' s plea for immediate succor for those in 
 the wilds of Florida; "but at present you see we 
 can do nothing." 
 
 "If our people were transferred to this goodly 
 land it would put an end to this unholy strife," 
 answered Ribault. 
 
 "Very true, monsieur," Coligni answered, "I 
 feel a more personal interest in the cause of the 
 Huguenots now, for my dead cousin's child ap-
 
 SEEKING HOMES AND PEACE. 61 
 
 peals to me every hour to escape this accursed 
 persecution. Let us wait, hope and pray for 
 better times." 
 
 Those better times did not come until 1564, 
 almost two years from the departure of the first 
 colony. Then the regent and her son provided 
 Coligni with money and three armed ships The 
 Elizabeth of Hanfleur, Petite Britain and Falcon. 
 The little squadron was placed under the command 
 of Rene Laudonniere, who had accompanied 
 Ribault on his first voyage. He took with him 
 young men of family and fortune, mechanics and 
 laborers, Jacob Le Moyne as artist and geographer 
 of the expedition, and two skillful pilots, the 
 brothers Vasseur of Dieppe. 
 
 On learning of the fitting out of the second expe 
 dition, Hortense went to her cousin to plead with 
 him to be permitted to go with it. The squadron 
 had sailed before she reached Havre de Grace; 
 but Coligni, who still lingered there, assured her she 
 should go with the next. The hot war of perse 
 cution had reached even Beaucarre, and she was 
 compelled to fly that portion of the country. 
 Gyrot had continued his persecutions with cunning 
 audacity and persistance. He urged her to wed 
 him, assuring her of protection if she did and 
 death if she did not, until her choice seemed to be 
 marriage with that monster or death at the stake.
 
 62 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Gyrot, by his cunning and duplicity, managed to 
 keep on the best terms with both Protestants and 
 Eomanists. How he succeeded was a mystery to 
 Hortense. She never asked him. She avoided 
 him as she would a monster. Just before the 
 departure of the second colony under Laudonniere, 
 Gyrot suddenly disappeared from the neighborhood 
 where the brave girl was staying; but she did 
 not suspect that he had gone to America. Day 
 by day she anticipated seeing his ugly face and feel 
 ing more keenly some devilish plan he had set on 
 foot. Coligni, assuring the unhappy girl she should 
 be sent to America as soon as practicable, placed 
 her with some friends powerful enough to protect 
 her from both Romanists and Gyrot. 
 
 Since her meeting with Francisco Estevan the 
 girl was overwhelmed with woe. Those sad, burn 
 ing eyes seemed ever gazing at her, and his deep 
 solemn voice rang in her ears. Gyrot, in a fit of 
 exultation, had told her that Estevan was an 
 unrighteous priest whose chief desire was to burn 
 her at the stake. 
 
 "He may be a priest," she answered, "but he 
 is not a bad man. He has a heart in his breast 
 which beats as tenderly as may be found in a 
 Luther or Melancthon." 
 
 It will be necessary in this chapter to follow the 
 fortunes of Laudonniere. He set sail from Havre
 
 SEEKING HOMES AND PEACE. 63 
 
 de Grace the 22d of April, 1564, and, after a 
 prosperous voyage, arrived at Florida on the 22d 
 of June. Unknown to Hortense or any of her 
 friends, John Gyrot had gone with the expedition, 
 intending to be in the new colony when Mademo- 
 selle De Barre should arrive there, and hoping in 
 the New World to succeed better in his courtship 
 than he had in the Old. Landing in Florida, 
 Laudonniere was met by one of the Floridian 
 princes, named Saturiova, who almost worshipped 
 him. Bringing his two sons to the French, 
 Saturiova through an interpreter said: 
 
 " These are my sons, both of whom are great 
 warriors and will fight for the Frenchmen." 
 
 The eldest, an amiable young man, became very 
 fond of the French, instructing them in the state 
 of the country, their friends and enemies, and 
 everything they would have to fear. Laudonni&re, 
 without regarding Fort Charles, by the advice of 
 Saturiova fixed his residence on the river May, and 
 engaged the paraousti or chief to accompany him in 
 an excursion up the river. 
 
 They had proceeded but a little way when 
 Laudonni&re ordered a halt and pitched his tent. 
 
 " Are you going to remain here?" asked Ottigny, 
 one of his officers. 
 
 "Yes, I will send you with D'Erlac higher up 
 the stream to make discoveries."
 
 64 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 They were accordingly sent in company with 
 Saturiova up the river while Laudonniere awaited 
 their return in his tent. He displayed more mili 
 tary genius than his predecessors, and came early 
 to regard the Indians as unreliable and treacherous. 
 At the end of seven days Ottigny and D'Erlac 
 returned. 
 
 "What have you discovered?" Laudonniere 
 asked. 
 
 "A chief two hundred and fifty years old," 
 D'Erlac answered. 
 
 Laudonniere, with a look of incredulity, asked: 
 
 "Have you discovered nothing else?" 
 
 " A goodly country, vast in extent, with famous 
 rivers and lakes and covered with the most dense 
 forest I ever saw." 
 
 "Have you found no cities?" 
 
 "No, we discovered only villages ; but we heard 
 of great cities further inland." 
 
 "Have you found no mines of gold or silver?" 
 Laudonni&re early became infected with the fever 
 for gold, a disease which had excited the Spaniards 
 to such deeds of cruelty. D'Erlac answered: 
 
 "We have found no mines; but Saturiova 
 assures us there are mines rich in gold and silver." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 "Not in his country, but in the distant land 
 governed by one Timagoa, who is his enemy, and
 
 SEEKING HOMES AND PEACE. 65 
 
 if you will assist him in subduing this foe, he will 
 give you all the gold and silver in that country." 
 
 Laudonniere at once sent for Saturiova, and 
 that cunning savage hurried to the tent of the French 
 commandant. Saturiova was a shrewd politician 
 if not a great general. His design had been, from 
 the first, to secure these powerful allies with their 
 invincible arms to aid him in defeating his enemy 
 Timagoa. He entered the presence of Laudonniere 
 with many protestations of love and friendship. 
 
 "Can you tell me where I will find the mines 
 of gold and silver?" asked the Frenchman. 
 
 " It is the product of a distant land governed by 
 Timagoa," the wily chief answered. "Timagoa 
 is a very bad man, and if the French with their 
 thunder guns will go with me to subdue him, I 
 will give all the gold and silver to the white men. 
 I only want my revenge on Timagoa." 
 
 The principal small-arm of the French at that 
 day was what was called the matchlock, an im 
 provement over the old-fashioned arquebus, the 
 first musket. The wheel -lock had been invented, 
 but had not yet come into general use. The match 
 lock was a gun with a pan in which was the prim 
 ing powder connecting with the powder in the 
 barrel by means of a touch-hole. This pan could 
 be opened by a spring. It was fired by a match- 
 cord, which was usually carried in the hand lighted 
 5
 
 66 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 at both ends. A single match-cord would bum for 
 hours. To fire the gun, the match was blown so 
 as to remove the dead ashes, then the pan opened 
 and the match applied to the priming. The gun 
 was heavy and unwieldy, so that, like the arque 
 bus, it was fired from a rack or rest, a rod under 
 neath it. These arms, clumsy as they may seem 
 in these modern days, were very formidable to the 
 Indians. 
 
 Laudonniere promised the chief his support; 
 but, after carefully considering the matter, con 
 cluded that he could not afford to plunge his 
 young colony into a civil war, and decided to dis 
 cover the mines without the aid of the cunning 
 Saturiova. He counselled with D'Erlac and asked 
 him what he thought of the plan. 
 
 " It is best, monsieur. We should avoid a war 
 with any of these people. I have heard that 
 Timagoa is a very powerful chief, and is disposed 
 to be friendly with us. "We have had no quarrel 
 with him, and he may give us the mines without 
 fighting for them." 
 
 That night Laudonniere decamped without tak 
 ing Saturiova into his confidence and sailed up 
 another river, where he met the chief of the prov 
 ince, his wife and four daughters, who hospitably 
 entertained him. Among the presents the French 
 commandant received was a small ball of silver,
 
 SEEKING HOMES AND PEACE. 6? 
 
 which confirmed him in the belief that he was in 
 the neighborhood of rich mines. Assembling his 
 men near the mouth of May River, he said: 
 
 " We have reached a goodly country surrounded 
 by friendly savages and near mines rich in silver 
 and gold. The soil is rich, yielding its fruits 
 without labor, and I deem it a location fit for the 
 founding of our colony." 
 
 All consented, and next day the squadron was 
 ordered to repair to the mouth of May River,* and 
 they commenced the construction of that fort which 
 was to be bathed in innocent blood Fort Carolinia. 
 Saturiova, the chief, came to them and was so well 
 pleased that he sent Indians to assist in the con 
 struction of the fort. The Indians also brought 
 them gold, silver, and pearls, which Laudonnicre 
 ordered to be put in the common stock. 
 
 As soon as Fort Carolinia was built, Laudonniere 
 dispatched one of his ships to France for recruits 
 and supplies. It now began to look as if the 
 French had taken posesssion of the New World in 
 earnest. Day by day the echoes of the woodman's 
 axe and the thundering crash of falling trees 
 announced that the hand of industry had begun to 
 make the wilderness bloom. Houses were erected 
 beyond the fort, and a future city projected. 
 
 * Now St. John.
 
 68 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Ottigny was indefatigable in his search for gold 
 and silver. On his return from one expedition, 
 one of his soldiers brought with him several 
 pounds of silver. On seeing it, Laudonniere 
 asked the soldier: 
 
 "Where did you get it?" 
 
 "From an Indian." 
 
 " Where do the Indians get it?" 
 
 "Truth, I cannot tell, monsieur." 
 
 "Don't they know?" 
 
 " This savage got it from another, and he from 
 still another, so that we are unable to trace the 
 metal to its true discoverer." 
 
 "Don't they know?" 
 
 "If they do, they skillfully conceal the knowl 
 edge from us, monsieur. They disagree among 
 themselves as to the direction of the mines, 
 though all say they are a great way off. One 
 paraousti says that off to the north is a moun 
 tain of yellow iron, by which he of course means 
 a mountain of gold. " 
 
 "The dogs are deceiving us," said Laudonniere. 
 
 " Saturiova will call on the commandant in the 
 morning. Question him concerning the mountain 
 of gold," said Ottigny. 
 
 "That I will." 
 
 Accordingly, on the morrow, Saturiova called 
 on Laudonniere. His manner was quiet and dig-
 
 SEEKING HOMES AND PEACE. 69 
 
 nified, but there was a perceptible coolness on the 
 part of the chief, rather remarkable in one who had 
 been so amiable. This was more marked from 
 the fact that his army of five hundred fighting men 
 were all mustered near the fort, as if to engage 
 in some warlike expedition. 
 
 "What has the paraousti to say this morning?" 
 asked Laudonniere. 
 
 " I came to remind the white chief of his promise 
 to be the friend of my frienda and the enemy of 
 my enemies! I am ready now to march with my 
 army against Timagoa; will the white chief go 
 with me?" 
 
 For a moment Laudonniere was nonplussed. 
 Being a shrewd diplomat he knew it would never 
 do to arouse the hostility of the paraousti in whose 
 territory he believed the famous gold mountain to 
 exist. After a moment's reflection, he answered: 
 
 "My presence is necessary here among my 
 people. Our fort is not yet built, and our houses 
 are incomplete, and I dare not leave at present." 
 
 "Has my white brother forgotten his promise?" 
 
 "No, but I dare not go. My duty to my 
 people demand my presence here for several months 
 yet." 
 
 Saturiova, displeased with the refusal, set out 
 with his own army to war. His campaign was 
 so well planned that he succeeded in punishing and
 
 70 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 humbling his enemy, putting many to the sword, 
 and bringing away twenty -four captives. 
 
 When Laudonniere heard of the victory he 
 determined to profit by it. He sent to Saturiova 
 congratulating him on his victory and demanding 
 two of his prisoners whom he designed to send 
 back to Timagoa, and thus gain his friendship. 
 His astonishment can be imagined better than 
 described at the return of D' Erlac with the 
 information that Saturiova absolutely refused to 
 comply with his demand. 
 
 "Kef use me ! Does the red dog dare refuse me?" 
 cried Laudonniere. "I will humble that proud 
 savage or run him through with my sword." 
 
 Summoning forty men with breast-plates, hel 
 mets, matchlocks, and swords, he set out to pay 
 Saturiova a visit. Reaching his cabin he left his 
 men at the door, and entered the presence of the 
 chief." 
 
 "Where are your prisoners?" he demanded. 
 
 "What right has my white brother to demand 
 my prisoners? He would not accompany me ac 
 cording to promise," Saturiova answered indig 
 nantly. 
 
 " I have come for the prisoners, " Laudonniere 
 answered, calmly but firmly, "and have brought 
 my soldiers with swords and guns to enforce my 
 request. Where are they?"
 
 SEEKING HOMES AND PEACE. 71 
 
 Saturiova saw the cavalier draw his glittering 
 sword from its sheath, and began to tremble. 
 
 " They became alarmed at the approach, of the 
 white men, and fled to the woods," he answered. 
 
 " You have lied, " thundered Laudonniere. Then 
 he ordered a search to be made for them, and seized 
 the chief. Two prisoners were brought and turned 
 over to them; whom Laudonniere gave in charge 
 of D' Erlac and L'Vascar to carry to Timagoa. 
 This occurred the 20th of August, 1564, and on 
 the 21st a most terrible hurricane swept over the 
 country, leveling forests and destroying Indian 
 cabins. The clouds were charged with thunder 
 and lightning, and slight earthquake shocks shook 
 the country. 
 
 The French were frightened as well as the In 
 dians, but they had sufficient presence of mind 
 not to show their fear, and Laudonniere shrewdly 
 informed the savages that the storm was sent on 
 account of their stubborn perverseness in refusing 
 to give up the prisoners. The thunder he declared 
 to be the great guns of his angry God. 
 
 Saturiova gave up all the prisoners, fled from 
 his domain, and it was two months before he 
 returned. 
 
 On the 10th of September, D' Erlac and Vasseur 
 set out with the captives under ten men and a 
 sergeant; and, having delivered up their charge to
 
 72 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Timagoa, thereby winning his friendship, proceeded 
 according to instructions from Laudonni&re to the 
 province of Outina, the powerful cacique who was 
 supposed to possess full knowledge of the mountain 
 of gold. His residence was 127 miles from Fort 
 Carolina, and the road was through an intermin 
 able wilderness of swamps and streams. 
 
 Outina joyfully received them, and as he was 
 just ready to set out on an expedition against his 
 enemy named Potanou, he invited D'Erlac to 
 accompany him. Thus the French, despite all their 
 shrewdness, found themselves drawn into an 
 Indian quarrel. It would not do to offend so 
 powerful a chief by a refusal, and, with half his 
 escort, D' Erlac consented to go, sending the other 
 half back to Fort Carolinia for instructions as to 
 how he should act toward this chief. 
 
 Outina's army was small, yet with the six 
 Frenchmen armed with those terrible guns, he 
 hoped to defeat his powerful enemy. On the 
 second day's march, they came upon a plain where 
 they found the army of Potanou drawn up in battle 
 array. They so greatly outnumbered the forces of 
 Outina that he was quite in despair. 
 
 "We cannot fight against such odds," said the 
 chief to D'Erlac. "We shall be forced to fly for 
 our lives." 
 
 "Have no fears," said D'Erlac. "I will save
 
 SEEKING HOMES AND PEACE. 73 
 
 you. Can you make out the person of Pota- 
 nou?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Which is he?" 
 
 "The large chief with red and green feathers, 
 and a mantle on his arm." 
 
 D'Erlac asked no more, for the princely bearing 
 and dignity of the chief told him who he was. 
 
 The smoke issuing from the match-cord indi 
 cated that the match was lighted. D'Erlac drew up 
 the Indians in battle array, placed his men with 
 matchlocks ready to pour in a volley at a given 
 signal, and advanced a few paces. Unfastening the 
 rod under the barrel of his gun, he set the rest. 
 Then he carefully blew the match to free it of 
 dead ashes, and opened the pan. The Indians on 
 both sides stood gazing on this strange ceremony 
 with amazement, not comprehending what it meant. 
 Even Potanou, at whose breast the gun was aimed, 
 was as much lost in wonder as the others. There 
 was a flash, a stunning report, and the chief fell, 
 shot through the heart. A moment later a rattling 
 crash of fire-arms from the other Frenchmen put 
 the savages to flight, and Outina pursued them with 
 great slaughter. 
 
 Soon after this signal victory, D'Erlac was 
 recalled to Fort Carolinia by Laudonniere, who was 
 displeased at his taking any part in the war
 
 74 .SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 between Outina and Potanou, especially as they 
 were having some internal trouble in the colony. 
 
 Thus we find the persecuted who had come to 
 the New World to find homes and peace, plunged 
 by their own violence into strife which was to 
 grow more and more bitter until their old enemy 
 should come and sweep them from the face of the 
 earth.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 FROM SAINTS TO PIRATES. 
 
 UNDER certain circumstances it is an easy matter 
 to change men from saints to devils. A single 
 mischief-breeding person may ruin a community 
 of people who otherwise would have lived in peace 
 and respectability. John Gyrot soon became the 
 evil genius of the colony. As he grew older, he 
 became more cunning and more mischievous. He 
 soon learned that discontent existed among the 
 volunteers of the expedition, who were gentlemen 
 and totally unfit for this service. They com 
 plained that they were not as well treated as laborers ; 
 nor did they deserve to be, for they were worth 
 little or nothing to the community. They were 
 consumers without producing and were useless. 
 Laudonniere was not slow to understand that the 
 life and vitality of the colony depended on the 
 laborers and men who were willing to till the soil, 
 and consequently he was not slow to show his 
 favor to them. Secretly circulating among the 
 idlers, Gyrot sought to augment rather than allay 
 
 75
 
 76 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 the difficulties. He was cunning enough to keep 
 himself well in the background, so as not to bring 
 censure upon himself. Matters had reached a 
 high state of discontent when Laudonni&re ordered 
 D'Erlac, in whom he had the greatest confidence, 
 home. One cause of dissatisfaction in the colony 
 was lack of a clergyman to perform divine service; 
 but their greatest grievance was a dearth of provi 
 sions and a near prospect of famine. 
 
 " Why longer stay in this wilderness and starve," 
 urged John Gyrot to a band of secret conspirators. 
 "Let us put Laudonniere out of the way and 
 return to France, or put ourselves in charge of 
 the colony." 
 
 It was Gyrot' s plan either to destroy the colony 
 or to get his friends in control before the arrival of 
 Hortense De Barre. 
 
 The seeds of dissension once sown took root and 
 brought forth fruit in a well-laid conspiracy to 
 take the life of Laudonniere. One of the con 
 spirators was discovered and hanged, and Laudon 
 niere ordered a ship-load of malcontents to be sent 
 to France. As they were going aboard the vessel, 
 the commandant approached Gyrot. 
 
 "You can return, also," he said. 
 
 "I return, monsieur?" cried Gyrot in well- 
 feigned surprise. " I am the most faithful of the 
 colonists, why should I return?"
 
 FROM SAINTS TO PIRATES. 77 
 
 "Do you not wish to go to France?" 
 
 "I do not, monsieur." 
 
 "Then complain no more of the country and 
 your usage." 
 
 " I beg the monsieur's pardon there is some 
 mistake, for I have made no complaint. I am the 
 commandant's warmest friend. I love the colony. " 
 
 The hypocritical pretenses of John Gyrot so 
 deceived Laudonniere that when he dispatched 
 some of the malcontents, who still remained, under 
 Eoche Ferriere to complete the discovery of 
 Outina's canton, the wily Gyrot was left behind 
 with Ottigny andD'Erlacas a personal body-guard 
 of the commandant. 
 
 One day John Gyrot came upon three of the 
 discontented gentlemen in a building where they 
 had met to brood over their hard fate. They were 
 Stephen, a Genevois, Des Fourneaux, andLaCroix, 
 Frenchmen. 
 
 "Why do you linger here in this poor country, " 
 said Gyrot, "where starvation must ultimately 
 sweep us all off the earth. There is a golden 
 conquest open for us." 
 
 "Where?" asked the malcontents. 
 
 " Every ship leaving the West Indies is laden 
 with gold and precious stones. The Spaniards 
 are Catholics and make war on Protestants. France 
 is almost on the point of war with Spain. We
 
 78 8AJNT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 have ships, guns, and brave men, why not sail to 
 the West Indies and there reap our fortune? 
 There are heaps and mountains of gold already 
 dug and refined, without our risking our lives and 
 health here in the wilderness." 
 
 In those three Gyrot found eager listeners to his 
 plan, and he continued in the same strain to point 
 out the cruelty of the Spaniards toward the natives, 
 whom they had slain by millions, while millions 
 more were suffering in bondage. Would they not 
 be wholly justified in thus seeking revenge. 
 
 The words of Gyrot sank deep into the minds of 
 his hearers. Vengeance is always sweet, but when 
 seasoned with a golden reward it becomes irresist 
 ible. After a few moments, Des Fourneaux said: 
 
 "I will go if we can get men to join us." 
 
 "You can," continued Gyrot. "But mention 
 the matter to the men and you will have all the 
 followers you desire. Besides, we can prevail on 
 Laudonne'ire to sign a commission for our cruising 
 upon the Spaniards in the Gulf of Mexico." 
 
 The plan was agreed upon, and while Gyrot 
 seemed loyal to Laudonniere, he was kept posted 
 on all the movements of the mutineers. Stephens, 
 Des Fourneaux, and La Croix were desperate men, 
 and the idea of piracy being more acceptable to 
 them than a life of hardship and trial, they gathered 
 about them sixty soldiers and sailors, the worst
 
 JOHN GTROT BETRAYING LAUDONNIER TO THE PIRATES.
 
 FROM SAINTS TO PIRATES. 79 
 
 in the colony, and proceeded to lay their plans for 
 plundering the Spanish. 
 
 At this time Laudoimiere was ill from a fever 
 contracted in the swamps, and unable to leave his 
 bed. Gyrot, by skillful manipulations, became his 
 only attendant, and Ottigny and D'Erlac were 
 sent away. It was night and the cabin of Laudon- 
 ni&re was dimly lighted with a single wax taper. 
 Gyrot was at the bedside of the sick commandant, 
 when the tramping of feet without reached their 
 ears. Laudonni&re was alarmed at 'the sounds. 
 
 "See who approaches, Monsieur Gyrot," he 
 exclaimed. 
 
 Glancing from the door, Gyrot, in feigned 
 alarm, answered: 
 
 "Messieurs Stephens, Des Fourneaux, and La 
 Croix, with a large party of armed men." 
 
 " It is a conspiracy, Gyrot. I feared as much. 
 Draw your sword and we will defend our lives." 
 Ill as he was, Laudonniere leaped from his bed 
 and seized his sword. It had been arranged that 
 Gyrot should make a show of defence, but both 
 were speedily disarmed and Laudonniere plundered 
 of all his effects. He was then carried on board 
 a vessel lying in the river and ordered to sign the 
 commission for them to cruise against the Spanish. 
 
 "I cannot," said the commandant. "Such an 
 act would be piracy."
 
 80 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "They make war on Protestants," argued Des 
 Fourneaux, " and we intend to make war on them. 
 Sign the commission." 
 
 "I will not." 
 
 "Sign or die." Des Fourneaux held a dagger 
 at his throat threatening his life if he did not 
 sign the commission. Laudonniere seized the 
 pen. 
 
 "Bear witness that I do this under duress," he 
 said. He then signed the document and, handing 
 it to them, added, " Take it, it is your death war 
 rant that I have signed." 
 
 They went away, and, according to arrange 
 ments, took John Gyrot with them. They em 
 barked on board the two new vessels, and set sail 
 on the 8th of December, intending to plunder 
 Yaguana. 
 
 Before they left the river May, they disputed 
 among themselves, and the two vessels separated, 
 one steering for the isle of Cuba, and the other, 
 which was never heard from, for the Lucayan 
 islands. The vessel steering for Cuba chose 
 D' Granger captain, and a bolder, more cruel pirate 
 could not have been selected. 
 
 The crew was now fairly embarked on their ter 
 rible career. In those days the Spaniards were 
 themselves little better than robbers. Cortez and 
 Pizarro were licensed pirates who operated on a 

 
 FROM SAINTS TO PIRATES. 81 
 
 grand scale, so these Frenchmen found an excuse 
 for retaliating on them. 
 
 On the fifth day after leaving the river May, the 
 look-out at the masthead discovered a sail. The 
 announcement caused no little speculation on board 
 the pirate ship. D' Granger, coming up from 
 below, mounted the rigging and with his glass 
 swept the waters. At first the stranger was so far 
 away they could not make her out; but changing 
 their course they bore down upon her. The pirates 
 crowded the deck in order to get a better view of 
 her, and the air was full of speculations. At last 
 the look-out from the masthead hailed the captain 
 on deck with the joyful announcement: 
 
 "I have her nationality." 
 
 "What is she?" D'Oranger asked. 
 
 " A Spanish brigantine, headed for Cuba or San 
 Domingo." 
 
 The shout of joy which went up from the deck 
 was somewhat checked by D' Granger, who said: 
 
 "Ships from Spain do not carry gold." 
 
 " But this vessel may have provisions on board, 
 which are much more acceptable to starving men," 
 Des Fourneaux answered. 
 
 They crowded all sail, and the Spanish ship, not 
 
 realizing her danger, held steadily on her course. 
 
 The lombards or cannon in the forward deck were 
 
 gotten in readiness, and the men armed with battle 
 
 6
 
 82 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 axes, pikes, and matchlocks. They bore down 
 to within three-fourths of a mile of the brigantine, 
 and, firing a gun, hoisted the French ensign. 
 
 The brigan tine's people were amazed and 
 alarmed. They seemed not to think of resistance so 
 much as flight. The vessel was put about on her 
 best sailing point and sped away with every stitch 
 of canvas she was able to carry, while the deter 
 mined Frenchmen pressed on in pursuit. 
 
 Francisco Estevan was aboard the Spanish 
 brigantine. He was on his return to Cuba, sum 
 moned by the sudden illness of his mother. Fran 
 cisco had not yet entered the order of the priest 
 hood, and was only a pale, thoughtful student, on 
 whose face there seemed to rest the shadow of a 
 great sorrow, which prayers and tears failed to 
 relieve. This shadow had followed him since his 
 abrupt departure from Beaucarre. The sweet face, 
 golden hair, and blue eyes of the fair Huguenot con 
 tinually haunted him. His ancient traditions, 
 superstitions, even the sacredness of his intended 
 calling could not overcome the spell produced by 
 this sweet Christian spirit. Her resignation touched 
 his soul and at times he almost thought, down deep 
 in his heart, that the persecution of her family 
 was the work of the devil. 
 
 For one reason or another Francisco had failed 
 to be ordained, until we find him on his way home
 
 FROM SAINTS TO PIRATES. 83 
 
 without having taken the preliminary steps toward 
 donning the sacerdotal robe. He took passage 
 at Seville, and, so far, the voyage had been pros 
 perous. The brigantine, in addition to a goodly 
 cargo of wine, provisions, and cloth goods for the 
 West India trade, had a number of passengers, 
 men, women, and children, aboard. 
 
 Francisco was in the forward part of the ship 
 when the pursuer was discovered. There was 
 much speculation as to her strange conduct; but no 
 serious fears were entertained until a wreath of 
 white smoke curled up from her forecastle and a 
 ball came skipping over the water, accompanied by 
 the distant boom of a cannon. As the fine spray 
 clipped from the crested waves by the round 
 shot flew over the deck, the captain of the brigan 
 tine became fully aroused to the danger of his 
 situation. He displayed the Spanish flag, put his 
 vessel about, and bore away as we have stated with 
 every stitch of canvas spread. Francisco, who 
 had been dreaming his day-dream, in which were 
 blue eyes, golden hair, and a fair face, turned from 
 the forward deck and hurried aft to see if they 
 would be pursued. 
 
 "What does it mean, captain?" he asked. 
 
 "We are chased by a pirate," was the answer. 
 
 " Can we escape her?" 
 
 "She gains on us."
 
 84 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Francisco became fully aroused to their danger, 
 and the spirit of the warrior, so natural in him, 
 began to assert itself. He insisted that they arm 
 themselves and beat off the pirate; but, alas! they 
 were deficient in both arms and courage. While 
 still discussing the trying situation, another puff of 
 smoke issued from the forecastle of the pursuer, 
 and there came a loud crash as an iron ball struck 
 the stern, coming through to the poop deck, and, 
 spinning half-way across, struck a coil of rope and 
 rolled along the deck. 
 
 The passengers and most of the crew were wild 
 with fear, uttering the most piteous cries and 
 prayers. Finding escape impossible, the. captain 
 caused his ship to heave to and struck his colors. 
 The Frenchmen came boldly alongside, and 
 D' Granger, Des Fourneaux, La Croix, Stephens, 
 John Gyrot, and their grim followers, with swords 
 in hand, poured over the side of the prize. Fran 
 cisco Estevan, who stood on the high poop deck bit 
 ing his lips with indignation at this humiliating sur 
 render, started with a cry of astonishment on dis 
 covering John Gyrot among his captors. 
 
 "I need expect no mercy now, " the young Span 
 iard thought. 
 
 The male prisoners were driven forward, and 
 their hands tied behind their backs, while the 
 women and children were sent below. Then the
 
 FROM SAINTS TO PIRATES. 85 
 
 pirates began plundering the ship of its valuables. 
 D' Granger prudently placed a guard over the 
 liquors, and permitted only a limited amount to 
 be issued to his men. Then followed a long con 
 sultation as to what should be done with the pris 
 oners. The sun went down, the moon rose, and 
 night had resumed her sway before the question 
 was decided. 
 
 Francisco Estevan stood in the forecastle, his 
 hands tied behind his back gazing at the broad 
 faced, friendly moon riding peacefully in the 
 heavens, and asked himself how it was all to end. 
 Would he live to see the dawn of another day, or 
 would those dark monsters put an end to his 
 sufferings that night? Mingled with the sad 
 recollections of the past and the gloomy reflections 
 of the present, was the sweet face of the pretty 
 Huguenot, which he could not banish from his 
 memory. He was standing, gloomy and silent, 
 among the other prisoners, when John Gyrot 
 approached him. 
 
 "Monsieur Estevan, the priest, did you think 
 I would not know you?" 
 
 Francisco glanced at the ugly face surmounted by 
 a mass of black hair, but made no answer. With 
 a gleam of satisfaction on his diabolical features, 
 Gyrot added: 
 
 "Monsieur does not seem happy."
 
 86 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "No, the sight of a reptile is not inspiring." 
 
 "Monsieur is not complimentary; but, consider 
 ing his present condition, I will overlook what he 
 says. Why did he so suddenly leave Beaucarre?" 
 
 "I had no wish to stay longer." 
 
 " Monsieur found the society of the Huguenot, 
 Mademoiselle De Barre, delightful." 
 
 There was such a tantalizing tone in the ironical 
 words of the Frenchman that the blood of the 
 Spaniard was fired and had he been free he would 
 have struck him. 
 
 "Don't breathe her name hypocrite you are 
 not worthy! " gasped Francisco. 
 
 With a low, disagreeable chuckle, which, like his 
 speech, seemed choked in the throat of the pirate, 
 Gyrot turned away and left the prisoner. 
 
 The forlorn group of captives silently wondered 
 what would be their fate. The moon now riding 
 high in the heavens, flooded the sea with peaceful 
 light. The captors were busy arranging some 
 thing, and it was several moments before the cap 
 tives could comprehend their designs. They 
 brought a broad plank, and, placing one end of 
 it over the side of the vessel, lashed the other end 
 firmly to the bulwark. When the prisoners realized 
 their fate a storm of wails and groans went up 
 from them. Some even fell on their knees and 
 implored their captors to spare their lives; but the
 
 FROM SAINTS TO PIRATES. 87 
 
 Frenchmen, without heeding their entreaties, went 
 coolly about their abominable work. When the 
 board had been made steady, D' Granger directed 
 his men to bring a prisoner, and Stephens and La 
 Croix seized the trembling master of the prize and 
 dragged the wretched Spaniard to the plank. 
 
 "Place him on it." 
 
 The prisoner struggled, and they had to prick 
 him with the points of their swords to drive him 
 forward. His hands were securely tied behind his 
 back, and in this manner he was made to walk to 
 the end of the board and jump off into the sea, his 
 drowning screams piercing the ears of his wretched 
 companions like a knife. 
 
 "Bring on another," commanded the pirate 
 captain. 
 
 A second one was brought and, after a desperate 
 struggle, placed on the board. He implored and 
 prayed to be spared, but was unrelentingly pushed 
 forward at the points of their swords, until he bled 
 from a score of wounds. Goaded to madness, he 
 rushed forward and plunged into the sea, never to 
 rise. Thus the horrible work went on. One by 
 one the cries and supplications of the captives 
 were hushed as their numbers grew less. Without 
 a murmur, Francisco Estevan awaited his sum 
 mons to death. He strove in vain to burst the 
 cords which bound his wrists, determined to sell
 
 88 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 his life like a soldier; but no human strength 
 
 ' unaided could 
 burst those 
 ^ cords. At last 
 
 a pirate seized his shoulder. 
 " Monsieur, your time 
 has come," he said. Fran 
 cisco made no resistance, 
 "'WALK!' YELLED THE .. . , ,., , ,, , 
 
 PIRATES AT LAST." and was led like a bullock
 
 FROM SAINTS TO PIRATES. 89 
 
 to the slaughter. There was a short ladder lead 
 ing to the board. 
 
 "Mount!" cried D' Granger. 
 
 La Croix and Stephens, with drawn swords, stood 
 ready to drive him to his fate. Turning on the 
 pirate crew a calm look, the young Spaniard said: 
 "You will receive your reward for this work." 
 Then he mounted the ladder. 
 
 On the fatal plank, he paused a moment to mur 
 mur a last prayer and close his eyes forever on the 
 world. The Frenchmen realized by his proud, de 
 fiant manner that he was superior to ordinary vic 
 tims, and he was given a few moments to pray. It 
 was an age of heartless cruelty, and yet even the 
 pirates believed in prayer. 
 
 "Walk! or we will push you from the board!" 
 yelled the pirates at last. 
 
 Taking one step, Francisco paused, and, with 
 his eyes raised toward heaven, cried: 
 
 "Hortense!" 
 
 At this moment some one ran forward from the 
 after part of the ship. 
 
 "Hold! Captain D'Oranger, that prisoner must 
 be spared." 
 
 Francisco very naturally turned his eyes toward 
 the speaker, and to his amazement discovered that 
 it was John Gryrot, his enemy. 
 
 "Monsieur Gyrot, have you lost your senses?"
 
 90 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 asked D'Oranger. "Dead men tell no tales, and if 
 we put them all to the bottom of the sea, we shall 
 have nothing to fear." 
 
 "I claim the prisoner for myself. He has just 
 spoken a name which reveals a secret." 
 
 Though all had heard the name "Hortense," 
 none could understand its import. 
 
 "Is it your design to give the prisoner his 
 liberty?" asked D'Oranger. 
 
 "No, I reserve him for a greater punishment 
 than you could inflict." 
 
 The wicked eyes of John Gyrot, gleaming with 
 hate, bore evidence to the truth of his assertion. 
 He addressed a few words in an undertone to 
 D'Oranger and La Croix, and the prisoner was 
 taken from the board. This interruption had 
 caused a little flurry of excitement among the 
 pirates. Estevan was hurried aboard the French 
 vessel, was strongly ironed and thrust into the hold. 
 
 " The monsieur can thank me for his deliver 
 ance," said Gyrot, putting his ugly face in at the 
 door. 
 
 Francisco made no answer, and, with a mocking 
 jest about the ingratitude of some people, Gyrot 
 left him. Francisco in his gloomy prison passed 
 a miserable night, and sometimes he almost wished 
 he had been plunged into the sea with the others. 
 At intervals throughout the night he imagined he
 
 FROM SAINTS TO PIRATES. 
 
 01 
 
 could hear the shriek and splash as some unfor 
 tunate was driven from the plank into the sea. 
 Before long other sounds reached his ears the 
 sounds of transferring the cargo to the pirate ship. 
 Dawn came. The worn-out prisoner had just 
 sunk into a light slumber, when he was startled by 
 the distant boom of a cannon and the hurried tramp 
 of feet above. He sat up and listened. Above, 
 everything seemed in a state of confusion, and he 
 rightly conjectured that a Spanish man-of-war was 
 about to attack the pirate. The prisoner began 
 to hope.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 IN FLORIDA. 
 
 THE anxiety of Francisco Estevan at that 
 moment was indescribable. At one time he 
 thought the pursuer of the pirate must be near; but 
 the next boom of the cannon assured him she was 
 falling astern. In his dungeon he could form no 
 opinion save by sounds and the motion of the ves 
 sel. By the creaking of cordage above and the 
 plunging motion of the ship, he knew the pirate 
 was under way. 
 
 How was all this to end, and what was to be his 
 fate? he asked himself. Gyrot had not reserved 
 him for any humane motive; but his fate could 
 not be more terrible than the one from which his 
 enemy had snatched him. In his imagination he 
 could see the bones of his former companions im 
 bedded among the sea- weeds, the crabs crawling 
 through their fleshless ribs, the fishes eating out 
 their eyes, while the eternal tides rolled them 
 hither and thither giving no rest. 
 
 With such horrifying pictures he fed his fancy 
 93
 
 IN FLORIDA. 
 
 93 
 
 as time wore on and all signs of pursuit died 
 away. At last some one came down the companion 
 ladder; lie had not been forgotten after all. 
 
 A lantern shone in his face and by the rays he 
 recognized Gyrot. 
 
 "Has the monsieur enjoyed himself?" Gyrot 
 asked with a hypocritical smile. 
 
 "Were we pursued?" Francisco asked. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Does the pursuer gain on us?" 
 
 "No, monsieur, I am happy to inform you that 
 the man-of-war has fallen too far astern for us to 
 suffer any uneasiness from her. I came to bring 
 the monsieur to the deck." 
 
 Gyrot waited as if expecting some expression of 
 gratitude from the prisoner; but Francisco was 
 silent. 
 
 "Does the monsieur care to go on deck?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "I do not care to remain in the dark, musty 
 hold of the ship," Francisco answered. "You 
 need not fear me escaping, as I am only one 
 against many. Can you remove these irons?" 
 
 "Yes, monsieur; I beg pardon for not having 
 noticed them before. I shall be very happy to 
 give the monsieur his liberty." There was some 
 thing hypocritical in the soft easy tones of Gyrot. 
 Estevan shuddered at the cold touch of his hands.
 
 94 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Gyrot's face was habitually pale, his hands cold 
 and clammy, and his manner that of a vampire. He 
 had no virtue save persistency, knew no art save 
 cunning, and worshipped no God save selfish 
 desire. 
 
 Never did one man hate another more than John 
 Gyrot hated Estevan; yet his deceitful nature 
 evinced a hypocritical affection for the man he 
 hated, for he could be nothing if not a hollow sham. 
 Gyrot could not even hate as other men did. He 
 removed the shackles, and Francisco followed him 
 to the deck, where he gazed about over the water 
 to see if the pursuer were in sight. Far in their 
 wake a speck could be seen on the horizon, which 
 was doubtless- the man-of-war. A fourth of a 
 mile on their larboard was the prize, aboard 
 which was D' Granger and a part of the French 
 crew. 
 
 Des Fourneaux was in command of the pirate. 
 
 The Frenchmen were quiet and orderly, yet 
 desperate. Francisco very much wished to know 
 the fate of the others of his ship, especially the 
 women and children, but he dared not ask. 
 Though he was given the freedom of the deck, he 
 observed that he was closely watched. 
 
 Des Fourneaux at last approached him, and, with 
 the politeness characteristic of his nation, asked: 
 
 "Does monsieur speak French?"
 
 IN FLORIDA. 95 
 
 "I do," the prisoner answered. 
 
 "Very good; we shall get along better; how is 
 monsieur?" 
 
 " As well as a captive whose fate is unknown 
 can be." 
 
 "Where was monsieur bound?" 
 
 "Cuba." 
 
 "Is monsieur a priest?" 
 
 "No; I am a student. " 
 
 "To become a priest?" 
 
 "Who informed you?" 
 
 "Monsieur Gyrot met you at Beaucarre? " 
 
 "Gyrot is correct we met at Beaucarre." 
 
 "Monsieur is then a priest?" 
 
 Francisco shook his head. 
 
 "No; I have not yet taken the vows. Senor, 
 may I ask you what my fate is to be?" 
 
 For a moment there was a troubled expression 
 on the Frenchman's face; then he evasively 
 answered: 
 
 "Monsieur Gyrot, your friend, saves you." 
 
 Estevan knew that the friendship of Gyrot was 
 mockery, and the information he received did not 
 tend in the least to elevate his spirits. The day 
 passed without any incident worthy of mention. 
 Evening came and Francisco was alone in the fore 
 castle when he noticed a man approaching him. It 
 was too dark to make out his features, and at first
 
 96 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 he thought it was Gyrot; but as the man drew 
 nearer, he discovered that it was not Gyrot. He 
 came quite close to Estevan, glancing carefully 
 about as if he did not wish to be seen. When at 
 the Spaniard's side he said in an undertone: 
 
 "Does monsieur speak French?" 
 
 This was twice he had been asked if he spoke 
 French. 
 
 "I do," he answered. 
 
 " Don't be discouraged, monsieur. I may be 
 able to save you. " 
 
 "Who are you?" Francisco asked. 
 
 " Trenchant, the pilot of this unfortunate expe 
 dition." 
 
 "Then you, too, are a pirate." 
 
 "Not of my own free will." 
 
 "Did you come from Florida?" 
 
 "I did, monsieur. We are a part of the colony 
 planted there by Laudonniere. These pirates are 
 made up of soldiers and adventurers who should 
 never have been permitted to go to the New 
 World. They robbed Laudonniere, and, with a 
 dagger at his throat, forced him to sign a commis 
 sion to cruise against the Spaniards. I was forced 
 to come; but, as soon as I can, I am going to run 
 away and return to Florida." 
 
 "You took no part in the terrible work last 
 night?"
 
 IN FLORIDA. 97 
 
 "No, monsieur, God forbid I should do any 
 thing so monstrous! We must not talk longer, 
 monsieur, or I may be discovered, for I also am a 
 prisoner." 
 
 Francisco, realizing that he had met a friend, 
 grasped his hand. 
 
 " One word, senor, before you go. Will you 
 
 help me to es 
 cape?" 
 
 " I will aid you with 
 my life if need be, 
 monsieur." ,, l WILL AID YOU WITH My 
 
 "Are you a Catho- LIFE." 
 
 lie?" 
 
 "No, a Huguenot; but what does it matter, if 
 one be honest and of the same great family. We 
 worship the same God, though we have different 
 creeds. We are menaced by a common danger; 
 let us be brothers." 
 
 "We will!" 
 
 Estevan warmly embraced the Huguenot, and, 
 7
 
 98 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 strange to say, realized the joy of an approving con 
 science in accepting the friendship of even a heretic. 
 
 "Answer a few questions, and we will separate." 
 
 "What are they?" I shall keep back nothing," 
 said Trenchant. 
 
 "Do you know whither we are bound?" 
 
 "We are steering toward the western port of 
 Hispaniola, where they intend to careen the prize 
 as she is leaking." 
 
 "Where will they then go?" 
 
 "Probably to Cuba." 
 
 "When they touch at Cuba, we will escape." 
 
 "Would not my escape be like leaping from 
 the frying-pan into the fire?" 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " I would fall into the hands of the Spaniards, 
 who would burn me as a Huguenot or hang me as a 
 pirate." 
 
 "No, no," Estevan quickly replied. "My 
 father has great influence with the governor of 
 Cuba. You need have no fear of harm. " 
 
 Trenchant said he must go, and the young men 
 separated. The pirates reached the western port 
 of Hispaniola, where in a harbor near Yaguana they 
 careened their leaky prize, and, after scraping and 
 recaulking it, steered toward Baracoa in the island 
 of Cuba, where they captured a richly laden Span 
 ish caravel of fifty or sixty tons burthen. The
 
 IN FLORIDA. 99 
 
 pirates inspired the West Indies with dread, and 
 commerce, which had already become considerable 
 in this part of the New World, was greatly crippled. 
 The pirates held toward Hispaniola, and near 
 Cape Tiberane took a patache richly laden, on 
 board of which was the governor of Jamaica, 
 which island was then in possession of the Span 
 iards. Two of the governor's sons were also made 
 captives. 
 
 D' Granger, as bold and enterprising as the buc 
 caneers who followed him a century later, retained 
 the prisoners on board his prize and demanded a 
 ransom for them. The shrewd governor deter 
 mined to outwit the pirate, and the amount of the 
 ransom was agreed upon, and the pirates, with 
 two vessels, stood over toward Jamaica. 
 
 Francisco Estevan was retained on the French 
 ship and not permitted to communicate with the 
 governor. D' Granger, with a part of the pirates, 
 had the governor on board the patache. 
 
 The governor wrote a letter to his wife asking 
 her to send by his eldest son, who was to be the 
 bearer of the message, the amount of gold required 
 for his ransom, and showing it to D' Granger asked: 
 
 "Will that do, senor?" 
 
 " It will, and when the ransom comes, you shall 
 soon have your liberty." 
 
 As the son departed to secure the ransom for
 
 100 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 his father, the governor slipped another note, of 
 quite a different import, into the hand, of the youth. 
 The young Spaniard was shrewd enough not to 
 evince by word or sign that he had received the 
 missive, and did not open it until he was among 
 friends safe on shore. The message secretly 
 placed in his hand by his father read: 
 
 " Do not send any ransom, but notify .the officers of the 
 navy and have an armed force sent at midnight, sufficient 
 to capture the pirates at dawn of day. " 
 
 These instructions were carried out. The pirate 
 ships lay near the island in safe mooring awaiting 
 the ransom which was to come next morning. 
 Francisco found himself so closely guarded by 
 Gryrot, La Croix, and Des Fourneaux that escape 
 was impossible. 
 
 At dawn of day the harbor was startled by the 
 booming of cannon, and three Spanish vessels of 
 superior burthen bore down upon them. It was 
 evident from the first how the conflict would end, 
 and both the pirate ships attempted flight; but the 
 chain-shot from the Spanish vessel so cut and 
 crippled the rigging and sails of D'Oranger's ship 
 that it could not be successfully worked, and 
 was carried by the board. The pirates who were 
 not cut down in the fight soon paid the penalty 
 of their crime by swinging at the yard-arm.
 
 IN FLORIDA. '101 
 
 The other ship, on which Estevan was detained 
 prisoner, and of which Trenchant was pilot, escaped, 
 and, proving swifter than the Spanish vessels, soon 
 set pursuit at defiance. On board this vessel were 
 twenty-five Frenchmen, all that were left from the 
 original number, among whom were John Gyrot, 
 Stephens the Genevois, Des Fourneaux, and La 
 Croix. They owed their lives to the skill of 
 Trenchant their pilot, whom they both hated and 
 feared, but whose services were indispensable. 
 The management of the vessel being entirely in 
 his control he steered for the Bahama islands. 
 
 Trenchant ascertained that most of the men were 
 heartily tired of this mode of life and willing to 
 return to Florida, save the ringleaders, who had 
 good reason to dread the vegeance of Laudonniere. 
 When a vote was taken to return a stormy scene 
 ensued, and Gyrot, Des Fourneaux, La Croix, and 
 Stephens bitterly opposed it; but Trenchant was 
 cool and determined. He placed himself in con 
 trol and declared he would steer the vessel to May 
 Eiver, and if the objectors interposed any obstacle 
 to his design, he would put them in irons. The 
 will of the majority prevailed and the ship sailed 
 for tho May Eiver. 
 
 As soon as he could, Estevan approached his 
 friend Trenchant and asked : 
 
 " Can you land me on the coast of Cuba?"
 
 102 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "No; I would willingly do so if I could; but 
 these men are so much in dread of the Spaniards that 
 we dare not think of approaching Cuba. You must 
 go with us to Florida; but you shall receive good 
 treatment and be sent home as soon as possible." 
 
 "Going to Florida," thought Estevan. He 
 was to be the guest of a Huguenot colony, a class 
 of people whom he had been taught to hate. 
 Surely Providence had laid a strange chain of cir 
 cumstances to teach him humility. 
 
 The vessel steered directly for the river May 
 in Florida, and Laudonniere, who had timely 
 notice of the arrival of the pirate, appeared at the 
 head of thirty well-armed soldiers and made all 
 prisoners. None but La Croix and Stephens 
 offered any resistance, and these were knocked 
 down and secured before they could do mischief. 
 Estevari, as well as the others, was put in irons 
 and marched up to the fort, he and Trenchant 
 being chained together. 
 
 On the way to the fort they heard the whining, 
 hypocritical voice of Gyrot pleading with Laudon 
 niere : 
 
 " Monsieur Laudonniere, good Monsieur Laudon 
 niere, I was torn from your side, as you observed, 
 and forced to become a pirate. It grieved my 
 heart, monsieur, for I was very loyal to you, mon 
 sieur, oh I loved you well."
 
 IN FLORIDA. 103 
 
 "Hear the hypocrite," hissed Trenchant. "He 
 was the originator of the scheme, and now he seeks 
 by the destruction of his accomplices to save his 
 own neck the traitor!" 
 
 The fort was reached and all were locked in dun 
 geons for the night. Next morning Francisco 
 Estevan was sent for by Laudonniere and hurried 
 into the presence of the commandant. 
 
 "Trenchant has informed me that you are a 
 Spaniard," said Laudonniere. 
 
 "I am, senor. I am a Cuban, born of Spanish 
 parents." 
 
 "You were captured?" 
 
 "Yes, senor, while en route for Cuba from 
 Spain." 
 
 "I regret very much that you have been subjected 
 to this annoyance, and I can assure you that you 
 are safe from further harm. I will send you to 
 Cuba as soon as practicable; meanwhile you must 
 remain our guest." 
 
 Estevan bowed and remained silent. Laudon 
 niere had not said all he wished to say. After 
 assuring the Spaniard that he was at liberty to 
 come and go as he pleased, that he could answer 
 or refuse to answer any questions, the commandant 
 asked : 
 
 "Have they heard of this colony in Spain?" 
 
 "They have," Francisco answered.
 
 104 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "What do they say of it?" 
 
 " The king is very angry, and it is rumored he 
 has commissioned Don Pedro Melendez to exter 
 minate you." 
 
 Laudonni&re was startled at this intelligence, 
 and his face grew deathly white. After a few 
 moments he said : 
 
 "I thank you for the information. We would 
 truly be in a pitiable plight now to be attacked by 
 Melendez. We seek only homes and peace, and 
 right to exercise our religious liberty. Why 
 should Philip II. refuse us this?" 
 
 With all his bigotry, early training, and super 
 stition, Francisco Estevan was forced to admit the 
 reason of the Huguenot's argument. He was 
 silent, however, for he dared not trust himself to 
 answer. After an awkward silence of several 
 minutes, Laudonni&re added: 
 
 "Whatever may be the result of this mad act of 
 my unfortunate countrymen, you. need fear no more 
 harsh treatment at our hands. " 
 
 "I wish to interpose a word for one of your 
 countryman. " 
 
 "Who?" 
 
 " Trenchant, the pilot. I have every reason to 
 believe, from his treatment toward myself and all 
 other prisoners, and his aversion to acting with 
 his companions, that he was forced to become a
 
 IN FLORIDA. 
 
 105 
 
 pirate. He told me he was dragged on board, 
 
 bound, and threatened with death." 
 
 " He shall be pardoned, while Gy- 
 rot, who seems to bear you a person- 
 al grudge, will be punished. I have 
 sent for him and he is coming now. " 
 
 f 
 
 "HE APPEARED MORE CUNNING 
 AND FEROCIOUS IN IRONS THAN 
 BEFORE." 
 
 At this moment the door opened, and Gyrot, 
 escorted by two soldiers entered. He was more 
 devilish, more cunning, and more ferocious in irons
 
 106 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 than he had appeared before. In his suit of black 
 velvet, he looked not unlike a stage representation 
 of Richard III. A black cloak hung from his 
 shoulders, and on his wrists were handcuffs. His 
 pale face was surrounded by a mass of black hair 
 which fell almost to his slightly stooped shoulders. 
 Even with his wild eyes, the iris of which con 
 tracted or dilated at pleasure,, his strongly devel 
 oped facial angles, sharp nose, low forehead, livid 
 complexion, black hair and sharp white teeth, he 
 was politeness unexceptionable. He bowed to 
 Laudonniere and Estevan, and the horrible smile 
 which revealed those immaculate white teeth 
 played upon his face. 
 
 "What is monsieur's pleasure?" asked Gyrot, 
 with an effort to look pleasant and submissive. 
 
 "I have heard of your hatred of this Spaniard," 
 answered Laudonniere. 
 
 "My hatred! Oh, monsieur, there is some mis 
 take." 
 
 " There is not. Gyrot, you are a wolf in sheep's 
 clothing." 
 
 1 Gyrot, assuming his meekest demeanor, bowed 
 and waited until the outburst of wrath on the part 
 of Laudonniere had somewhat subsided, and 
 answered : 
 
 " Many things monsieur says seem true, but if 
 he will listen, I can convince him I have been
 
 IN FLORIDA. 107 
 
 greatly wronged. I know my life is forfeited; I 
 am to die, and yet I don't complain. I only ask 
 monsieur to let me clear up some of the charges 
 against me." 
 
 "Proceed; make your defence," answered 
 Laudonni^re. 
 
 "The governor saw me overpowered by the 
 mutineers and carried away. This gentleman, 
 Francisco Estevan, will bear witness that I saved 
 him when placed on the fatal plank and about to 
 be pushed into the sea." 
 
 Laudonniere turned his eyes inquiringly upon 
 Estevan. 
 
 " What he has said is true," Francisco answered, 
 "But at the same time he said he reserved me for a 
 greater punishment." 
 
 " Monsieur Commandant will understand I had 
 to offer some such excuse to appease the pirates, 
 and save his life." 
 
 So shrewdly did Gyrot conduct his own defence, 
 so meek, so humble and penitent did he seem, that 
 the commandant released him with only a rebuke, 
 and ordered him, as he valued his life, to respect 
 their Spanish guest. All the pirates did not fare 
 so easily. Four of the most mutinous, including 
 the Genevois, La Croix, and Des Fourneaux, were 
 that day condemned to be hanged; but Laudon 
 niere, at the earnest request of his men, changed the
 
 108 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 sentence to shooting, and an hour before sunset they 
 were marched blindfolded to the spot where they 
 were executed, and all were buried in one grave. 
 
 Finding himself unable to leave Florida at once, 
 Francisco Estevan, in order to keep himself occu 
 pied, volunteered to join La Eoche Ferriere in his 
 successful tours of discovery. La Eoche Ferriere 
 had-visited the Indians near the Appalachian Moun 
 tains, and had made alliances which excited the 
 jealousy of Outina. He returned to Laudonniere 
 with fine presents from the new friends of the 
 French, consisting of gold and silver plate, curious 
 quivers, furs, arrows ornamented with gold, hang 
 ings made of beautiful feathers, hatchets and other 
 utensils. 
 
 On the first expedition in which Francisco Este 
 van accompanied La Eoche Ferriere they learned 
 that a chief, Onathaca, had in his possession two 
 white men who were slaves, and who, upon prom 
 ise of their ransom, would be sent to Carolinia. 
 
 "They must be two of my nationality," said 
 Estevan to Laudonniere, who ordered the ransom 
 paid and the prisoners to be brought to the fort. 
 As Estevan had predicted, they proved to be 
 Spaniards who had long been in slavery, having 
 been lost in one of the exploring expeditions of 
 the Spaniards. One of them had a piece of gold 
 worth twenty-five crowns. Laudonniere, eager to
 
 IN FLORIDA. 109 
 
 learn all "he could of the country, asked the oldest 
 of the Spaniards to tell him all he knew of Florida. 
 Through Francisco Estevan as .interpreter the 
 Spaniard said: 
 
 " Onathaca reigns over the eastern part of Florida; 
 but toward the west reigns another king called 
 Callos, who was owner of all the gold and silver 
 mines of Florida. A great number of European 
 vessels have been wrecked on his coast, which is 
 quite dangerous for shipping. This prince has a 
 ditch six feet deep and three wide filled with gold 
 and silver ornaments. In his town are four or 
 five European women of rank with their children 
 who were wrecked on his inhospitable coast about 
 fifteen years ago. This chief or king has great 
 power over his subjects, who believe him to be a 
 supernatural being. He has persuaded them that 
 the fertility of the earth is owing to him, for which 
 reason they sacrifice to him every year about har 
 vest time an unhappy captive. I advise you not 
 to trust the Floridians; they are treacherous dogs, 
 and are most dangerous when making their greatest 
 pretentions to friendship." 
 
 "How many men would it take to conquer 
 Callos?" asked Laudonniere. 
 
 " With one hundred men we could put you in 
 possession of Callos and also make other great dis 
 coveries."
 
 110 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Laudonniere merely said he would give the 
 matter his attention and dismissed the Spaniards, 
 assuring them that they could make their home in 
 his colony. Instead of espousing the cause of any 
 tribe of Indians, Laudonniere sought to reconcile 
 them to each other, and formed alliances with 
 many of their chiefs to which he intended to have 
 recourse in case of new disturbances in his colony, 
 or if the rumored invasion from Spain should 
 prove to be a reality. He gave employment to 
 his people by storing his magazines, and dispatched 
 Ottigny, who took Francisco Estevan with him, 
 on new discoveries. On this expedition they 
 visited a great lake, the sand along the shore of 
 which was thought to contain fine grains of gold. 
 On their return to the fort they visited Outina, 
 with whom, at his earnest request, Ottigny left 
 some of his companions under Francisco Estevan. 
 
 Outina, finding himself involved in a fresh war 
 with the son of Potanou, desired of Laudonniere 
 a small force of men and guns, and Ottigny wag 
 sent to him with thirty auxiliaries. After a two 
 day's march, Outina was a little dismayed to 
 learn that his enemies were prepared to receive 
 him, and his war juggler advised him to retreat, for 
 young Potanou was waiting with two thousand 
 warriors. 
 
 Outina was alarmed and on the point of turning
 
 IN FLORIDA. Ill 
 
 back, when Ottigny and Francisco called him a 
 coward and pressed on with, thirty soldiers armed 
 with matchlocks. The onset began by a volley of 
 musketry, which made such havoc among the enemy 
 that the Indians fled in dismay, leaving Outina and 
 his French allies master of the field. 
 
 On their return from this successful campaign, 
 John Gyrot, who had hitherto kept aloof from 
 Francisco Estevan, approached the Spaniard, and, 
 in a voice full of irony, said: 
 
 " Monsieur makes a brave soldier; I congratulate 
 him; but what has become of his priestly inten 
 tions?" 
 
 Turning a look of withering scorn on this human 
 reptile, Francisco replied: 
 
 "Beware how you taunt me you cur!"
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SIR JOHN" HAWKINS. 
 
 THE more Francisco knew of Laudonniere, the 
 better lie liked him. His kindness, genteel manner, 
 and nobility of character recommended him to any 
 fair-minded person. The noble commandant guar 
 anteed him life and liberty while in the colony, and 
 promised to send him and the other Spaniards to 
 Cuba as soon as practicable. All knew it would 
 be certain destruction for a French vessel to ven 
 ture near the Cuban coast after the recent outrages 
 of D' Granger and his cut-throats. Laudonniere 
 was found in very low spirits on their return from 
 the campaign against Potanou. 
 
 "Monsieur, it is a desponding colony you see," 
 Laudonniere said. " Truly we are all on the verge 
 of despair." 
 
 "Why?" asked Estevan. 
 
 " Reinforcements and provisions, which Ribault 
 was to bring from France, have not arrived, and 
 our colony is again on the point of mutiny." 
 
 " The soil yields bountifully and would produce 
 112
 
 SIR JOHN HAWKINS. 113 
 
 all the provisions needful for the men. Why do 
 not the colonists till more ground and devote more 
 attention to their comforts than to exploring a wil 
 derness in which Narvaez and De Soto lost their 
 lives?" 
 
 "Alas, monsieur, there is the root of our 
 calamity. Our people are unfitted to till the soil; 
 they are not the hardy, industrious men of which 
 pioneers are made. There are too many gentlemen 
 and not enough laborers and farmers among them. 
 We have too many consumers and too few pro 
 ducers." 
 
 Estevan thoughtfully answered: 
 
 "The same curse has fallen on every colony 
 planted in the New World. It is not gentry but 
 men of toil who are most needed here. As soon 
 as the gold in the Spanish colonies is exhausted 
 the soldiers and gentlemen will be forced to leave 
 them. The mines at San Domingo are failing, and 
 in a few years more will be completely exhausted." 
 
 At this moment D'Erlac entered the command 
 ant's apartment. 
 
 "Monsieur D'Erlac, what news do you bring?" 
 asked Laudonniere. 
 
 "The barbarians who have been charging us 
 such exorbitant prices for food now refuse to sell 
 at any price. " 
 
 This was quite a shock to the commandant. 
 8
 
 114 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 For several moments he was silent, and then, with 
 a troubled brow, said: 
 
 "The heathen have abated their passion for 
 trinkets, and, seeing our deplorable condition, are 
 determined to take advantage of it. Have you 
 been to see Outina?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "How is he?" 
 
 " He says he has no more provisions to spare. 
 That his wars have cost him dearly and his people 
 have not had time to plant and grow corn. " 
 
 "That is a sample of savage generosity," said 
 Laudonniere. "Only a few weeks ago we sent 
 armed men to help Outina defeat Potanou the 
 younger; now he has turned his back upon us." 
 
 He was moved to tears by their deplorable con 
 dition, although he endeavored to encourage his 
 people. 
 
 "Ribault will surely come soon," he declared. 
 "Have patience; there is game in the forests and 
 fishes in the streams." 
 
 He roused the desponding Frenchmen into some 
 thing like activity, and they began to hunt and 
 fish ; but, as if by some evil power, the fish had dis 
 appeared from the streams and the game from the 
 forests. Estevan, who was an experienced hunter, 
 killed a fat buck, and the colony almost mutinied 
 over the venison.
 
 SIR JOHN HAWKINS. 115 
 
 To add to their distress, the savages became 
 bolder as the French grew weaker, and subjected 
 them to divers insults which under no other cir 
 cumstances would have been borne for a single 
 instant. 
 
 The despairing men begged to return to France; 
 but the thought seemed sheer madness. Their 
 vessels were in no condition to weather the storms 
 and currents of an Atlantic voyage; besides, they 
 had neither sufficient food to last, nor the means 
 of procuring enough for victualling the vessels. 
 
 They were compelled to subsist on acorns, herbs 
 and roots, such as they could dig in the fields and 
 forests. The Indians grew bolder in their insults 
 every day, until at last they were so outrageous 
 that Laudonni&re ordered their town to be burned ; 
 but he repented of the order and recalled it almost 
 immediately. The same evening Trenchant entered 
 the cabin of Laudonniere with a serious look on 
 his face and said: 
 
 "Monsieur, a savage has killed one of our men." 
 
 "Now I will burn their town!" cried Laudon 
 niere, greatly angered, and at the head of a small 
 party he went himself and set fire to the miserable 
 huts where the Indians lived. The savages fled 
 to the woods where they were secure, and the 
 French returned not half satisfied with what they 
 had done. 

 
 116 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Day by day affairs grew worse. Estevan soon 
 felt the pangs of hunger. He was a good hunter, 
 was industrious, and alone he could have sup 
 ported himself despite the dangers in the forests; 
 but there were so many too feeble to hunt, pluck 
 fruit, or dig roots that he was forced to yield a 
 greater share of his hard-earned food to them. 
 Yams, which grew in abundance in the forest, were 
 excellent food when baked, and in addition there 
 were oranges and other wild fruits. 
 
 On his return from a day of toil and peril in the 
 forest, he saw quite a commotion at the command 
 ant's house, and drawing nearer he ascertained that 
 Gyrot, Trenchant, and others were pressing Lau- 
 donniere to arrest Outina and force him to furnish 
 them with the means of subsistence. Laudonniere 
 held out for a long time, but disease and famine 
 had made such inroads on his colony and so weak 
 ened his resolution, that at last he yielded. When 
 asked what he thought of the plan, Francisco 
 denounced it. 
 
 "It is unwise, and the act will only bring upon 
 us a disastrous war," he declared. 
 
 " He is a Spaniard and an enemy to the Hugue 
 nots," cried that mischief-maker of the colony, 
 John Gyrot. 
 
 "Spaniard though I be, our interests are one," 
 Estevan proudly answered. "I am not your
 
 90 gi 6' 77 73 63 6J
 
 SIR JOHN HAWKINS. 117 
 
 enemy. Our interests are mutual and your safety 
 is mine." 
 
 But as drowning men grasp at a straw, the fool 
 ish Huguenots believed that with Outina a prisoner 
 his people would furnish them with abundance of 
 food, and all were eager for the arrest of the Indian 
 chief. 
 
 "Why longer delay?" asked Gyrot. "We have 
 the commandant's assent: what more do you 
 want?" 
 
 "Nothing." 
 
 "Then to Outina let us go." 
 
 Twenty armed men set out for the distant village 
 of Outina, and at midnight rushed into the hamlet 
 while the people were buried in sleep, seized the 
 chief, and dragged him from his bed. The rudely 
 awakened savages uttered loud cries and fled to the 
 wood, while Outina was carried to Fort Carolinia. 
 Next morning after the return of the expedition 
 with the captive, the savages, who had had time 
 to recover their courage, were seen like a vast 
 cloud hovering about the fort. D'Erlac, Estevan, 
 and Trenchant were sent to negotiate with them. 
 
 "What do you want?" D'Erlac asked. 
 
 "Our chief," was the answer. 
 
 "And we want food," said the Frenchman. 
 "Bring us food and we will restore Outina to 
 you."
 
 118 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Some of the head men conferred a few moments, 
 and one answered: 
 
 "We have no more food than we want for our 
 selves. The Frenchmen are idle vagabonds, and we 
 do not care to support them. Why do they not 
 plant and till the soil as we do, and not depend on 
 us for subsistence?" 
 
 This was a truth which the embassadors could 
 not deny. Their efforts to conciliate the Indians 
 and secure food were unavailing. 
 
 "We want our chief," they declared; "and we 
 will have him or make war on the white people 
 until they are exterminated." 
 
 The envoys, finding their efforts at negotiation of 
 no avail, returned to the fort and reported the 
 result. The Indians hovered in a vast body on the 
 north end of the wood, but a shot from one of the 
 lombards dispersed them. They concealed them 
 selves in the woods and assailed every Frenchman 
 with arrows as soon as he ventured from the fort, so 
 that the French dared not venture into the wood 
 for game or roots. One man was killed and 
 several wounded by the besieging foe. Being 
 unable to hunt, fish, or dig roots, their condition 
 became more desperate than it had been before. 
 For three days they were virtually penned up in, 
 their fort in a state of siege with starvation for the
 
 SIR JOHN HAWKINS. 119 
 
 chief guns. At the close of the third day Laudon- 
 ni&re declared: 
 
 "I am going to negotiate with the Indians and 
 release Outina on some terms." 
 
 Next morning he chose D'Erlac, Ottigny, and 
 Francisco Estevan as the bravest and coolest 
 advisers, and sent word to the Indians that he was 
 coming to treat with them. On his wishes becom 
 ing known a deputation of head men were sent to 
 meet the four white men. 
 
 "We don't wish to harm your chief; but we are 
 starving and must have food," said Laudonniere. 
 
 " We have no more food than we want ourselves, " 
 the Indians answered. 
 
 " Our ships will soon come from across the sea 
 and bring us relief." 
 
 This story was no longer credited by the In 
 dians. They were not wholly unwilling to treat, 
 however, and agreed to give five measures of corn, 
 and a small quantity of yams and fruit, for the 
 restoration of their chief. For this trifle Laudon- 
 ni&re agreed to release Outina, and as the Indians 
 had the amount of ransom with them, he sent 
 Estevan to bring the chief under a guard of ten 
 soldiers, while the Indians got together the ransom. 
 
 "Beware!" whispered D'Erlac, "or they will 
 yet take some advantage of us."
 
 120 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 The provisions were brought, and shortly after 
 Estevan with ten soldiers brought the captive chief. 
 The prisoner was freed, and with their limited 
 amount of provisions the French started to the 
 fort. They had gone but a short distance when 
 a noise caused Estevan to glance behind him. 
 "They are coming beware!" he cried. 
 
 With yells the savages seemed to start up from 
 the earth on every side. The soldiers had not 
 time to set their matchlocks before the racks were 
 overturned and they were engaged in a hand-to- 
 hand encounter. Laudonni^re was weak from 
 sickness and lack of food, and though he drew his 
 sword and fought like a lion, it became evident 
 that he was unable to defend himself. Estevan, 
 seeing his feeble condition, cried to D'Erlac and 
 Ottigny: 
 
 "Defend the senor; he is too weak to resist 
 them." 
 
 With their swords, the three beat back the sav 
 ages and bore the commandant in safety to the fort. 
 
 The Indians retook all the provisions given in 
 exchange for their chief, and two of the French sol 
 diers were killed in the conflict. 
 
 The condition of the Huguenots was now deplor 
 able. Some were too weak from sickness and 
 famine to rise from the ground, and Francisco 
 frequently found a feeble companion at night a
 
 SIR JOHN HAWKINS. 121 
 
 corpse in the morning. No more communication 
 was had with the Indians. 
 
 They determined to return to their native coun 
 try, and work was begun on their vessels, when a 
 ship from France with a cargo of millet, came 
 into port. With a supply of nourishing food 
 the sick began to recover and the feeble grew 
 bolder; yet nothing could deter them from their 
 design of returning to France. 
 
 "What will monsieur do?" asked Laudonniere 
 of Francisco. 
 
 "Can you send me to Cuba?" he asked. 
 
 "Impossible." 
 
 "Then I will go to France." 
 
 Though he had not abandoned his idea of the 
 priesthood and regarded the Huguenots as heretics 
 and emissaries of the devil, his heart began to 
 flutter at thought of again being in the same coun 
 try with Hortense. Youth is a flower of which 
 love is the fruit, and happy is he who, after watch 
 ing its silent growth, is permitted to gather and 
 call it his own. Useless indeed to lay plans which 
 threaten to trample the affections; for love knows 
 no barriers, falters at no difficulties, and laughs 
 at bolts and bars. 
 
 The Huguenots were busy again with their prep 
 arations, when Gyrot, who had ventured below 
 the fort, gave utterance to a shout of joy.
 
 122 SAIXT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 " Deliverance has come! Deliverance has come!" 
 he cried. "Behold ships from France!" 
 
 Four vessels were seen in the offing, and, believ 
 ing them to be ships sent to relieve the colonists, 
 the greatest demonstrations of joy were made by 
 the Frenchmen. Shouting, singing, dancing, 
 laughing and crying like children, they ran down 
 to the bay. 
 
 Francisco Estevan, who shared their joy, was 
 foremost in the race. His eyes were stronger and 
 judgment clearer than his excited companions, 
 and, after giving the vessels a careful inspection, he 
 said: 
 
 "Those are not French ships; they fly English 
 colors." 
 
 This discovery checked the joy of the French, 
 but only for a moment. They knew the English 
 were friendly to them and would give them aid, 
 so once more their shouts of welcome rose on the 
 air. 
 
 The vessels fired a salute which was answered 
 by the fort, and a boat was seen to put off from 
 the largest of the fleet to the shore. Laudonniere, 
 surrounded by his staff, D'Erlac, Francisco 
 Estevan, Ottigny, and Trenchant, went down to 
 meet the boat and learn who the visitors were. 
 The boat touched the strand, and a young sailor 
 landed and approached the ragged colonists,
 
 SHOUTING, SINGING, DANCING, LAUGHING AND CKYING, THEV KAN 1>UWN 
 TO THE BAY.
 
 SIR JOHN HAWKINS. 
 
 123 
 
 "Sir John Hawkins from England is in your 
 bay with his fleet," he said, tipping his hat, "and 
 he wishes to land and pay Laudonniere a visit, if 
 he will permit him." 
 
 "Inform Sir John Hawkins that I shall be 
 happy to receive him, and such poor hospitality as 
 I can afford will be freely 
 accorded him." 
 
 The sailor returned and 
 Sir John Hawkins landed. 
 His object in touching at 
 the colony was to procure 
 a supply of fresh water. 
 Laudonniere conducted 
 him to his house, where he 
 treated him to some wild 
 fowls, which Estevan had 
 trapped the day before, 
 and he was almost as 
 happy to meet the generous Englishman as if he 
 had been a brother. 
 
 "We are in a most wretched, starving condi 
 tion," Laudonniere explained. "We have three 
 deadly enemies to contend with: savages, famine, 
 and the Spaniards." Laudonniere then narrated 
 all that had transpired since he had come to the 
 colony, not even omitting the piratical expedition 
 against the Spaniards. The generous Englishman 
 
 SIR JOHN HAWKINS.
 
 124 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 was greatly moved, and furnished the Frenchman 
 with bread and wine, which neither the commandant 
 nor his people had tasted for six or seven months 
 before. 
 
 On seeing the ships in the bay, the savages 
 supposed the long talked-of reinforcements had 
 arrived from France and became more friendly, 
 bringing stores of provisions from all quarters. 
 Sir John Hawkins furnished the colonists with 
 everything they stood in need of, and offered to 
 carry them to France; but they declined this kind 
 offer. Laudonniere, however, purchased one of 
 his ships and determined to set sail for France by 
 the fifteenth of the month. 
 
 It was August 1, 1565, when Sir John Hawkins 
 bade the French colonists adieu and, with the 
 remaining three vessels, spread his sails for England. 
 
 Estevan appealed to him to be taken to Cuba, 
 where his parents had so long expected him ; but 
 several things conspired against the plan. First, 
 they were bound for England; second, the feeling 
 between Great Britain and Spain was not the best, 
 and, as Sir John Hawkins, like Sir Francis Drake, 
 was a sort of free rover, privateer, or pirate, he 
 had some hesitation about landing in Havana. 
 Thus Estevan again found his fate, by many un 
 controllable destinies, linked with the Huguenots. 
 
 Fate destined him to return to France. Once 

 
 'SIR JOHN HAWKINS. 125 
 
 more he would probably see the only being who 
 had ever stirred the tender emotions of his soul. 
 If it were fate, why resist? He worked with 
 others loading the ships, and by the fourteenth of 
 August all were ready, and on the next morning 
 would surely weigh anchor for France. 
 
 That night Francisco Estevan, who had remained 
 on shore, was alone in his hut, his mind busy 
 with bitter thoughts, and his soul engaged in a 
 terrible struggle. Superstition and bigotry on 
 one side was arrayed against love and reason. 
 
 "I will go to France; I will see Hortense De 
 Barre," he said, half aloud. "I will once more 
 gaze into those soulful eyes which seem to read my 
 doom. She is the only one of God's creatures 
 that ever awoke my slumbering affections. Does 
 God will it? Has Providence brought about this 
 chain of unforeseen circumstances which link us to 
 each other? If God had not designed it, why was 
 I, alone of all my ship's crew, rescued, and by her? 
 Why was she placed at Beaucarre to receive me? I 
 verily believe that when I land in France I will 
 find Hortense De Barre to meet me ! Do the saints 
 send her?" 
 
 Then his traditions and bigotry got the better of 
 him, and he fiercely cried: 
 
 "No, no! she is an emissary of the devil sent 
 to tempt me as St. Anthony was tempted. Holy
 
 126 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Virgin, help me this moment! The flesh is so 
 weak; God, send thy saints to give me strength. 
 It is the devil the devil that tempts me I won't 
 love her out of my sight, thou picture thou 
 matchless creation of the prince of darkness! I 
 will I will be a priest!" 
 
 Overwhelmed by his emotions, the young Span 
 iard fell on his face and burst into tears. He was 
 still moaning and sobbing, when Laudonni^re 
 entered. 
 
 " What is wrong with my friend, what is amiss, 
 monsieur?" 
 
 "Senor, I am most miserable of all men." 
 
 "Why, Monsieur Estevan, what makes you 
 miserable?" asked the kind-hearted Laudonniere. 
 "You wish to return to Cuba. Wait until we 
 reach France. It will be easy for you to go to Spain, 
 and sail home in one of your ships." 
 
 " It is not that, senor it is not that. There is 
 a conflict raging within. My heart prompts me to 
 one thing, my conscience to another. Tell me, 
 senor, is conscience ever wrong?" 
 
 Laudonniere gave him a surprised look. 
 
 "Generally, no; particularly, yes," he answered. 
 "Your conscience always says, do right your 
 judgment tells you what is right. Now, if judg 
 ment has been perverted, wrongly educated, con 
 trolled by false logic and traditions, it is wrong,
 
 JOHN HAWKINS. 12? 
 
 and misleads conscience. Conscience misled is dan 
 gerous. Men may kill for conscience' sake, be 
 lieving they do God service." 
 
 So much was his argument like that which Hor- 
 tense used, that Estevan started to his feet, rushed 
 out into the night, and, kneeling under a great live 
 oak, prayed: 
 
 " Thou great God, whom we all worship, teach 
 me what is right ! Must I become a priest, or must 
 I abandon the holy calling?"
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 HORTENSE DE BARRE THE CLOUD. 
 
 THE morning of the 15th of August, 1565, 
 dawned, and the ships were all ready to put to sea. 
 Every man was on board. Provisions sufficient to 
 last them on the voyage had been placed in the 
 holds and anchors were weighed ; but a contrary head 
 wind beat them back into the harbor, and, again 
 casting anchor, most of them returned to shore. 
 
 This contrary wind continued until the 28th of 
 the month, when it became once more fair and 
 Laudonniere determined to sail. Again every one 
 was ordered aboard, and they were in the act of 
 weighing anchor when D'Erlac cried: 
 
 "There are ships at anchor in the bay." 
 
 Every eye was turned in that direction, and, 
 sure enough, ships could be seen in full view. 
 
 "Who are they?" asked Laudonniere. 
 
 "I fear they are Spanish vessels," said D'Erlac. 
 
 "Doubtless sent to punish us for the acts of the 
 pirates whom we shot," said Laudonniere uncasi!} 7 . 
 138
 
 HORTENSE DE BARRETHE CLOUD. 129 
 
 Turning to Francisco Estevan, he asked, "What 
 do you think of those ships? Are they Spanish 
 or Portuguese vessels?" 
 
 "I am not certain," Francisco anwered. "I see 
 no colors; but from the make of the vessels, they 
 seem to be Spanish caravels." 
 
 Laudonniere was in deadly fear of the Spanish. 
 He sent out a boat to speak with them. To his 
 great surprise and alarm the boat did not return, 
 so he ordered all his men to disembark and shutting 
 himself up in his fort, determined to stand upon 
 his defence. 
 
 The day passed and night closed in. It was a 
 night of great anxiety on the part of the colony. 
 At early dawn Laudonniere perceived seven chal- 
 oupes, full of armed people, proceeding in profound 
 silence up the river. 
 
 " There can be no question that they are enemies, " 
 said Laudonniere; " but in order to be quite sure, 
 fire a matchlock to show them we are aware of 
 their approach." 
 
 D^Erlac's gun was loaded and the match burn 
 ing. He sent a bullet speeding through the air 
 which struck the water a few rods short of the 
 advance boat. Laudonniere, mounting the wall 
 of the fort, waved his sword in the air and cried: 
 
 "Hold advance no further or we will sink 
 your boats with our cannon." 
 9
 
 130 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 The people in the chaloupes, greatly surprised, 
 rested on their oars, while one answered: 
 
 " Why do you fire on us? We are from France. 
 Our ships are under Eibault, and we are coming 
 with recruits and supplies for the colony." 
 
 Eibault, who was himself in the advance boat, 
 felt no little indignation at his reception, though 
 Laudonniere assured him he thought them enemies 
 coming to attack them. 
 
 "You have great cause to dread the Spaniards," 
 Bibault answered leaping on shore. 
 
 "What do you mean, monsieur?" Laudonniere 
 asked. "Your language implies a rebuke." 
 
 "The doings of this colony have reached the 
 ears of the king," Eibault answered. "It is 
 reported that instead of clearing forests, planting 
 fields, building towns and working mines, you 
 have been carrying on piratical expeditions in the 
 West Indies." 
 
 "Have such reports reached France?" 
 
 " They have, and they have tended to ruin not 
 only you, but myself, and our patron, the Admiral 
 Coligni." 
 
 Laudonniere assured Eibault that the charges 
 against him were unjust, and that he had been 
 cruelly maligned by the enemies of Protestantism. 
 He called Trenchant and Estevan to prove that he 
 had been overpowered by the vagabonds and forced
 
 HORTENSE DE SARE.ETHE CLOUD. 131 
 
 to sign the commission, and that he had subse 
 quently caused the chief conspirators to be shot. 
 
 "The act has almost overthrown our hopes," 
 said Eibault. " The Catholics use it against us. 
 It is thought Catharine de Medici is ready to es 
 pouse the cause of the Catholics as warmly as she 
 has the Protestants. The act of piracy has roused 
 PHILIP II., and I was informed that he had sent 
 Don Pedro Melendez to exterminate the colony." 
 
 Laudonniere turned pale and asked: 
 
 "Have you brought more colonists?" 
 
 "I have, and among them are many women and 
 children who are helpless and dependent on our arms 
 for protection against the Indians and Spaniards. 
 They left their own country to escape persecution, 
 and came here, perhaps, to fall a prey to Melendez." 
 
 Estevan, who had overheard the remarks of the 
 Frenchman, could no longer refrain from defend 
 ing his countrymen. 
 
 " Senor, do not charge the Spaniards with such 
 barbarity. Their religious zeal may drive them 
 to war; but they are Christians and not savages, 
 they will not make war on women and children." 
 
 "I hope not," Ribault answered, with a sad 
 shake of his head as if he still doubted. " There is 
 on board one of our vessels a young girl who lost 
 her parents and only brother in the persecutions of 
 the Huguenots. Her father and brother were
 
 182 SAHfT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 killed in a riot and their mangled bodies dragged 
 through the streets before her gaze. " 
 
 "Her name her name " interrupted Fran 
 cisco. 
 
 "Hortense Be Barre." 
 
 Francisco Estevan suppressed a cry, and, turn 
 ing hastily, quitted the fort. He was not strong 
 enough to meet her now, and, like one bewildered, 
 he wandered on over hills and through woods until 
 he came to the village of Saturiova. He had 
 become a warm friend of this chief and was wel 
 comed by him to his lodge. Francisco had learned 
 something of the Indian tongue and could con 
 verse very readily with the Indians. 
 
 "More white men have come in the big canoes?" 
 asked Saturiova. 
 
 "Yes; they come from France." 
 
 "And white men will not go away?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 Noticing that Estevan was in great trouble, he 
 sought to comfort him, but in vain. With sighs 
 and in silence the student passed the day in the 
 home of the Indian. Many prayers did he utter, 
 and many times did he bow before and kiss the 
 small crucifix which he carried with him; but no 
 relief came to his mind. Saturiova sent his 
 daughter, an amiable damsel of eighteen, to restore 
 the sunlight to the young white man's face; but
 
 HORTENSE DE BARRETHE CLOUD. 133 
 
 the Indian beauty had no charm for him. He re 
 tired to the wigwam set apart for him, and after a 
 sleepless night rose early next morning, and, bidding 
 the chief adieu, started to return to Fort Carolinia. 
 
 He had fortified himself with prayers and believed 
 himself strong enough to meet her; but, alas, how 
 often we overestimate our strength. As he neared 
 Fort Carolinia, he found his heart wildly fluttering, 
 and his cheek flushing with a burning crimson. 
 
 Some of the ships had been hauled close in and 
 the emigrants debarked. Munitions of war and 
 stores of provisions were being unloaded. Estevan 
 slowly approached the fort, his heart still beating 
 wildly. Pausing on the hilltop to gaze on the 
 animated scene, he saw men, women, and children 
 moving about within the stockade. Then he caught 
 sight of a figure, which caused a strange thrill to 
 pass through his already excited frame. A bit of 
 animated sunlight dancing here and there, flitting 
 about like a gold- winged butterfly. That strange 
 old feeling so delightful, and at the same time so 
 miserable, once more possessed him. What were 
 penance and prayer, against such an irresistible 
 avalanche of emotion? 
 
 With faltering step he advanced toward the fort, 
 asking himself how she would greet him. For the 
 time being the lover had supplanted the priest. 
 
 Entering the fort, he was greeted by strange
 
 134 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 faces. Little bright-eyed children were making 
 the gloomy place ring with their merry prattle. It 
 seemed as if the birds which had been driven from 
 the woods had again returned. Where was Hor- 
 tense? He was quite sure he had seen her from 
 the hilltop. Had she fled at his approach? As 
 Estevan was going around one of the buildings, a 
 voice suddenly greeted his ear which thrilled him 
 anew. He paused and listened to the words, 
 and anger and disgust began to supplant every 
 other feeling. Hortense was saying: 
 
 "John Gyrot, had I known I should find you 
 here, I would have remained in France. Better 
 to die a Christian martyr at the stake than suffer 
 this indignity at your hands." 
 
 The soft, hypocritical voice of Gyrot, sounding 
 like the purr of a tiger, answered: 
 
 "Mademoiselle is excited, she must recover 
 her self-possession. The voyage was too much for 
 her." 
 
 " The voyage, tedious and uncomfortable as it 
 was, was nothing compared to your hateful pres 
 ence for a moment. God forgive me I loathe and 
 despise you." 
 
 "Mademoiselle will need a protector in the wil 
 derness and I will be her protector. Here is a wil 
 derness, a savage people, the rude frontiersmen, and 
 the Spaniards, all to be guarded against. Who,
 
 HORTENSE DE BARRETHE CLOUD. 135 
 
 save the mademoiselle's devoted slave, should be 
 here to protect her?" 
 
 " Protect me, indeed ! Heaven deliver me from 
 such protection!" 
 
 For the first time since Francisco's acquaintance 
 with Gryrot, the Frenchman's temper got the better 
 of him. Leaping at the defiant girl, he seized her 
 hand. 
 
 "Hortense De Barrel" he hissed, his hot breath 
 scorching her cheek. " You can't escape me. Fate 
 has decreed that you be mine, and mine you 
 shall be. Don't think that any part of the world 
 can conceal you from me." 
 
 "Let me go!" 
 
 "Not until you hear me through." 
 
 "Wretch, release me!" 
 
 "You shall listen, mademoiselle " 
 
 At this point Francisco Este van became irrespon 
 sible for his own acts. Reason, judgment, bigotry, 
 and tradition were all supplanted by a whirlwind of 
 emotions. Before he was aware of what he was 
 doing, he held the half-fainting Hortense in his 
 arms, while at his feet lay John Gryrot, stunned and 
 bleeding. Francisco found himself uttering some 
 strange, wild words, half in Spanish and half in 
 French. He hardly knew what he was saying, 
 and when he had recovered his presence of mind 
 sufficiently to remember anything, he could not
 
 136 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 recall a single word he had uttered. He still 
 clung to Hortense, as if fearing they would be sepa 
 rated. He led her away from the fallen scoundrel 
 to another part of the fortification, and, when be 
 yond hearing of Gyrot's curses and threats, and 
 sight of his ugly face, made more hideous by the 
 blackened eye and bleeding nose, they sat down 
 on a bench beneath an oak. 
 
 Up to this moment, Hortense had not spoken a 
 word since her rescue. Dread and amazement had 
 paralyzed her powers of speech; but now with eyes 
 wide open she gazed at him and gasped: 
 
 "Monsieur Estevan!" 
 
 "It is I, senorita," he answered. "I, who left 
 you so abruptly so unkindly, after you had saved 
 my life at the peril of your own. Senorita, I was 
 very ungrateful will you forgive me?" 
 
 " I have nothing to forgive. I am amazed to 
 find you here." 
 
 " I can explain my presence." Then he told her 
 how he was captured by the French pirate and 
 brought to Florida. She listened with rapt atten 
 tion to the thrilling narrative from beginning to end, 
 and, at the conclusion, said: 
 
 "Terrible, indeed! What sympathy need the 
 Huguenots expect, when they set such a dreadful 
 example?" 
 
 "Your best people are not to blame," replied
 
 HORTENSE DE BARRETHE CLOUD. 137 
 
 Francisco. "I saw the chief criminals punished 
 with death for the part they had taken." 
 
 " What are you going to do now?" she asked. 
 
 "I know not," Francisco answered. "The 
 return of Ribault with recruits and supplies has 
 deranged all plans. It was my intention to go to 
 France and from thence to Spain to take passage 
 in the first ship bound for the West Indies." 
 
 They spent the day in each other's society 
 and lived over again those happy days at Beau- 
 carre, and, notwithstanding, the perils by which 
 they were surrounded, Hortense was almost 
 happy. 
 
 Next morning Estevan arose early and strolled 
 out upon the green in front of the house which 
 had been erected by himself. The morn was bright 
 and clear, and one would scarcely dream that 
 an awful night was destined to follow. Some 
 Catholics had come in Ribault's ships, and Francisco 
 was conversing with one of these on the future of the 
 colony and the propagation of their faith in the 
 New World, when an officer came up and arrested 
 the young Spaniard. 
 
 " What have I done, that I should be arrested?" 
 Francisco asked. 
 
 "You assaulted Monsieur Gyrot." 
 
 Francisco had scarce given the matter a moment's 
 thought before. He quietly submitted to the arrest
 
 138 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 and a moment later was put in irons. His case 
 was more serious than one might at first suppose. 
 Those petty governors had control of the lives and 
 liberties of their subjects. He was a Catholic and 
 a Spaniard, both of which created strong prejudices 
 against him in the Huguenot colony. His friend 
 Laudonniere was himself under a cloud and would 
 probably not be able to render him any aid, while 
 he rightly supposed that the cunning John Gryrot 
 had ingratiated himself into the good graces of 
 Ribault. 
 
 As he was being led along the street, some one 
 suddenly sprang before him, a voice uttered a cry 
 of amazement, and, like the flash of a sunbeam, the 
 pretty, agitated face of Hortense was gazing into 
 his. 
 
 "Is monsieur a prisoner?" she asked. 
 
 "I am, senorita." 
 
 "For what offence?" 
 
 "Striking Gyrot while insulting you." 
 
 "Shame! shame!" cried the brave girl, her 
 large, beautiful eyes swimming with tears. 
 
 "Stand aside, mademoiselle, stand aside," com 
 manded the guard. 
 
 "Monsieur, they shall not convict you." 
 
 "If they do, I will have the approval of my 
 conscience, and, whatever my punishment may be, 
 I will bear it with pleasure for your sake."
 
 HORTENSE DE BARRETHE CLOUD. 139 
 
 When Francisco Estevan was arraigned before 
 Ribault he was informed that he was charged with 
 a murderous assault on Monsieur Gyrot. 
 
 " Oh, no, it was not murderous, monsieur gov 
 ernor," whined a hypocritical voice, and, turning 
 his eyes in that direction, Estevan saw the broad, 
 low forehead, angular features, long black hair and 
 white teeth of Gyrot, his left eye badly blackened. 
 He was near Ribault, rubbing his hands, while his 
 face was wreathed with smiles of mock sympathy 
 for the accused. 
 
 "What have you to say to the charge?" asked 
 Ribault. 
 
 " I am guilty of no penal offence, senor. I was 
 passing through the fort when I heard a cry for 
 help " began Francisco, when John Gyrot inter 
 rupted him with: 
 
 " Monsieur is the accused and cannot give testi 
 mony." 
 
 The trial had excited universal interest, and the 
 large room designated as the governor's hall was 
 densely packed with spectators. Gyrot' s words had 
 scarcely died away when a sweet, clear voice cried : 
 
 "I can testify; I was a witness to the assault." 
 
 It was Hortense, and a murmur went over the 
 assembly as she crowded through. The impres 
 sion made by John Gyrot was not favorable, and 
 when it became known that the fair Huguenot was
 
 140 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 coming to the relief of her rescuer, she was greeted 
 with a cheer. 
 
 A smile was on Gy rot's devilish face as he said: 
 
 " She is under age and cannot give evidence, 
 governor." 
 
 "You cannot be a witness, mademoiselle," said 
 Kibault. " I am sorry, but Monsieur Gyrot has the 
 law on his side." 
 
 Hortense burst into tears, and a scene followed 
 which beggars description. Gyrot, with his de 
 moniacal face all aglow with triumph, proceeded to 
 give his evidence. He made out a clear case of un 
 provoked assault. He bore up well under a strong 
 cross-examination, and at the conclusion of his 
 evidence a death-like silence fell over the court. 
 
 What sentence would Eibault give the young 
 Spaniard? The lightest that could be hoped for 
 would be banishment from the colony, which was 
 sure to result in death in the forest or slavery 
 among the Indians. Eibault bowed his face in his 
 hands like a man who has a disagreeable task to 
 perform one from which he shrinks. 
 
 Suddenly a commotion was heard without, and 
 the voices of Laudonni&re and D'Erlac could be 
 heard saying: 
 
 " We must see Eibault we must see the gov 
 ernor." 
 
 Eibault, hearing their demand, ordered them to
 
 HORTENSE DE BARRETHE CLOUD. 141 
 
 be admitted at once. Laudonniere's face betrayed 
 unusual excitement as he said: 
 
 " We have no time for petty trials for misde 
 meanors, governor; for the Spanish with six men- 
 of-war are on our coast." 
 
 Cries of rage and groans of despair went up 
 from the colonists at the announcement, and it re 
 quired several moments for Ribault to restore or 
 der. Turning to Estevan he said: 
 
 "The execution of this case will be stayed; 
 meanwhile the prisoner will have his liberty." 
 
 Ribault hurried from the hall. Donning armor 
 and arms, he ran to his boat, and, with half a 
 dozen oarsmen, rowed out to the French ships, 
 which had cut their cables and stood in up the river 
 to keep from being taken by the Spaniards. Only 
 a part of the French fleet had put into the river, 
 the remainder having stood out to sea. After a 
 consultation with the officers of his ships, Ribault 
 returned to the fort. The Spanish fleet could be 
 seen manoeuvering along the coast; but it was 
 uncertain whether they intended entering the 
 harbor or not. 
 
 " What are their intentions?" asked Laudonniere, 
 who was first to greet the governor on his return. 
 
 "Extermination," was the answer. "They ran 
 up within hailing distance of one of our vessels, 
 and demanded to know their nationality.
 
 142 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 " ' France,' was the answer. 
 
 " ' And what are you doing in the territory of 
 King Philip?' he asked. 'Begone!' he added. 
 Then a moment later asked: ' Are you Catholics 
 or Lutherans? ' 
 
 "' Lutherans of the new religion^' answered our 
 officer. ' Now, what is your errand to this part of 
 the world ? ' 
 
 "The Spanish office replied: 
 
 "'I am Pedro Melendez, the commander of this 
 armament, which belongs to the king of Spain, DON 
 PHILIP II. I have come hither to hang or destroy 
 all the Lutherans whom I shall find on land or 
 sea, according to my orders received from my 
 king, which are so precise as to deprive me of the 
 power of saving any one whatsoever. These orders 
 I shall execute to the letter; but if I should meet 
 with any Catholic on board your vessels, he shall 
 receive good treatment. As for the heretics they 
 shall die.'" 
 
 At this terrible intelligence, a wail went up on 
 the air from the women and children; while the 
 men shuddered and clung to their arms. 
 
 Estevan stood a little apart from the others; 
 while at his side was Hortense De Barre. She 
 turned her white face toward him, and a silent 
 tear stole down her cheek, as she asked:
 
 HORTENSE DE BARRETHE CLOUD. 143 
 
 " Monsieur, does your religion condemn me to 
 die?" 
 
 This question this affecting appeal was too 
 much for the young Spaniard, and, seizing her in 
 his arms, in a voice which trembled with earnest 
 ness and emotion, he answered: 
 
 "No! Hortense. Pope or no pope, devil or no 
 devil, you shall be saved!"
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE HURRICANE. 
 
 THE land and sea shook with the report of a 
 cannon. One of the Spanish ships was bearing 
 down on one of the French vessels when the lattei 
 fired a gun at her. The shot was returned, and 
 for a few moments the forests along the bay rang 
 with heavy cannonading; then the Spanish fleet 
 stood out a little into the road and dropped anchor, 
 while all became quiet, and the French ships drew 
 up closer under the fort. 
 
 Although Melendez touched at the Florida coast 
 on the 28th of August, it was not until the 4th of 
 September that he reached the May or St. Johns 
 River. His arrival with his fleet threw the French 
 into a terrible state of excitement. A flock of 
 sheep hemmed in by a pack of ravenous wolves 
 could not have been more excited than they at this 
 moment. Ribault called a council of war, from 
 which Estevan, being a Spaniard and Catholic, was 
 of course excluded. The council was held in the 
 large hall in which Estevan had been tried. 
 
 144
 
 THE HURRICANE. 145 
 
 "The situation is grave," said Ribault, "yet we 
 are Frenchmen, and Frenchmen are not cowards. 
 Let us seriously deliberate on the best plan for at 
 tacking the enemy." 
 
 Laudonni&re, being asked his opinion, stated: 
 
 " The best we can do is to complete the works on 
 Fort Carolinia in order to protect the women and 
 children of the colony. Then, as the Spanish ves 
 sels can not come near enough to attack us, their 
 forces must of necessity land on the coast. Let us 
 send a strong detachment of troops by land to fall 
 upon them while disembarking." 
 
 At this point of the conference, Eibault pro 
 duced a letter from Coligni, advising him of the 
 expedition of Melendez and enjoining him to 
 suffer the Spaniards to do nothing prejudicial to 
 the crown of France in Florida, and gave his opinion 
 for attacking the Spaniards by sea. Nearly all 
 the council opposed this resolution. 
 
 "It will not do, monsieur," said Laudonniere. 
 "The season of hurricanes is approaching, and 
 should your fleet be caught in one of these, you 
 would be scattered and in all probability wrecked. " 
 
 "Yet most of us are sailors," said Ribault. 
 " We equal the Spaniards in guns and courage. We 
 can suddenly fall upon their ships and sink them. " 
 
 The commander of the French fleet, Cossel, and 
 Ribault' s son, who was master of one of the vessels, 
 10
 
 146 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 sided with Ribau.lt in his proposition to attack by 
 sea. 
 
 "It is dangerous," persisted Laudonniere, "It 
 will prove fatal to all our plans and may result in 
 the destruction of our colony. If our forces are 
 divided they will fall upon us and defeat us." 
 , "Our forces will not |?e divided," said the de 
 termined Eibault. " I will take them all to sea, 
 leaving only a sufficient number in the fort to de 
 fend the women and children." 
 
 Estevan, who lingered near the door, heard this 
 stubborn determination of the governor of the 
 colony, and his heart sank within him. He went 
 hurriedly to find Hortense, whom he discovered 
 waiting near the gate, pale and trembling. 
 
 "Hortense, will you promise to be very brave?" 
 he said. 
 
 "What do you mean, monsieur?" she asked. 
 
 "Will you trust me to save you?" 
 
 She looked at him a moment, her great blue eyes 
 seeming to read his heart, and then she answered : 
 
 "I will." 
 
 "I swear by all the saints I will save you; but 
 you must trust wholly in me." 
 
 "I trust alone in you and God." 
 
 "The danger is greater than these people 
 imagine. Ribault is mad. He intends to attack 
 the Spanish by sea, and his forces will be divided.
 
 THE HURRICANE. 147 
 
 Even if lie takes their ships he will lose his 
 fort." 
 
 "(rod have mercy on us." 
 
 "But trust me, Hortense, I will save you. Say 
 nothing to any one of this promise." 
 
 "Will the Spaniards be so cruel as to slay all?" 
 
 " Melendez declares that they will. They are 
 more devils than Christians. But night is fall 
 ing and I must go. Whatever may happen, I 
 will return in time to save you." 
 
 They were alone, and, overcome by his over 
 whelming emotion, the young Spaniard clasped 
 her a moment in his arms and whispered : 
 
 " No father, no brother, no lover was ever more 
 watchful over the object of his adoration than I 
 shall be." 
 
 He was gone, and the shades of evening were 
 creeping over the fort. Long she stood wondering 
 where he would go and what his plan for her safety 
 would be. A step near at last startled her, and, 
 on looking up, she saw John Gyrot, who had just 
 come from the council hall. 
 
 "Mademoiselle," said Gyrot, with a hypocritical 
 attempt to appear very much unconcerned, " Ribault 
 has decided to attack by sea. If he does so, the 
 Spaniards may assault by land. Will not made 
 moiselle place herself under my protecting care?" 
 
 "No;" and she turned away.
 
 148 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "Mademoiselle does not appreciate the danger. 
 It is great. Trust me and live." 
 
 "Away! I hate you. Death and Spaniards are 
 preferable!" 
 
 Gyrot recoiled before her withering scorn, and 
 slunk away from the fort, disappearing in the dark 
 ness. He had heard that Melendez would give 
 good treatment to any of the Catholics. The prom 
 ise made a strong impression on him, and, with 
 that wonderful foresight which some men possess, 
 he read the doom of the French. He decided to 
 go to Melendez that very night and secretly play 
 the spy upon his people. He knew enough of the 
 language for his purpose. 
 
 At midnight a form stole through the wood to 
 the path leading to a small Indian hamlet near the 
 sea-coast. The person was John Gyrot. Beach 
 ing the Indian village, he went to one of the miser 
 able lodges and roused an inmate with whom he 
 conversed for a few moments in the Indian tongue. 
 The subject of their discussion was evidently a 
 very grave matter, for Gyrot was much in earnest. 
 At last the Indian yielded to his bribes and the two 
 stole away toward the coast two miles distant, 
 where lay a large canoe among some tall rushes in 
 the mouth of a creek. They launched the boat, 
 and, getting into it, paddled toward the Spanish 
 fleet, which had not yet weighed anchor, directing
 
 THE HURRICANE. 149 
 
 the prow of their craft to ward Melendez'sflag ship. 
 When a short distance away they were discovered 
 and hailed by the guard on deck. 
 
 Gyrot answered in Spanish boldly declaring 
 himself a friend come to see Melendez. Melendez 
 was notified of the request and ordered both to be 
 brought on board. 
 
 "Well, senor, what is the object of this visit?" 
 asked the admiral. 
 
 Gyrot bowed low, and, softly squeezing the palms 
 of his hands together, said: 
 
 "Knowing the object of the admiral's visit to 
 Florida, and, being a good Catholic, I came to 
 give what information you may desire about Fort 
 Carolinia." 
 
 "Are you a Frenchman?" 
 
 "Yes, monsieur; but a good Catholic." 
 
 "You came from the Huguenot fort?" 
 
 "Yes, monsieur; but I am a good Catholic, be 
 lieving in the transubstantiation of the elements 
 of the bread and wine at the consecration of the 
 Lord's Supper into the real body and blood of 
 Christ. I believe in the invocation and adoration 
 of the Virgin Mary and all the saints, as well as 
 the sacrifice of the mass as now used by the Church 
 at Rome; and I believe in the infallibility of the 
 Pope." 
 
 Melendez was taken by surprise at the unexpected
 
 X50 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 visit and declaration. After Gyrot had finished, 
 he asked: 
 
 "Why did you come aboard my ship?" 
 
 " I learned your object was to exterminate the 
 heretics. I overheard the plans of Eibault for re 
 sisting and attacking the Catholics, and came to 
 inform monsieur that he might take advantage 
 accordingly." Then Gyrot, whom Melendez 
 thought a worthy disciple of Judas Iscariot, pro 
 ceeded to relate the plans of Eibault for attacking 
 him at sea, leaving only a slender garrison on land. 
 "When the Spaniard had heard Eibault' s plan, he 
 ordered anchor hoisted and the fleet was got under 
 way. 
 
 The departure of the Spaniards was witnessed 
 by Cossel, who at once reported to Eibault, which 
 more than ever determined the commandant to 
 attack by sea. Eibault was a sailor and accus 
 tomed to making the deck of his ship his battle 
 field, and he deserves not the censure for his mode 
 of attack accorded him by some historians. 
 
 He mustered his men, and at roll-call John Gyrot 
 was missing. Where was he? No one knew, 
 and certainly no one guessed that he was at that 
 very moment on board the ship of Melendez. 
 
 Laudonniere was left in the fort with but fifty 
 men to protect the women and children; but 
 Laudonniere was himself sick and not above twenty
 
 THE HURRICANE. 151 
 
 of his command were fit for active service. While 
 Eibault was making preparations to attack Helen- 
 dez by sea, an Indian came with the intelligence 
 that the Spaniards had landed at a river several 
 miles south of Fort Carolinia, and were laying out 
 a town and building a fort for their defence. 
 
 This Indian was the savage who had accompanied 
 Gyrot, and he had been sent to play the part of a 
 spy on the Frenchmen. 
 
 Bibault hastened all his force, save the small gar 
 rison left to defend the fort, on board the ships. 
 The Trinity, his largest vessel, was yet at sea, 
 having been chased out by the approach of the 
 Spaniards, who were unable to take her. Mendoza, 
 the Spanish chaplain, said of the officers and sailors 
 of this ship: 
 
 " These enraged devils are such adroit seamen, 
 and manceuvered so well, that we could not take 
 one of them." 
 
 The fiery Ribault, disregarding the advice of a 
 majority of his councillors, sailed out of the river 
 and down the straight coast in full expectation of 
 gaining a complete victory. They came insight of 
 the Spaniards in the river about the middle of the 
 afternoon and began to tack against an unfavorable 
 breeze to get at them; but a dead calm follow 
 ing the discovery, aided by a low tide, made it 
 impossible to reach them. The sun went down
 
 152 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 behind the swamps and forests leaving them within 
 two miles of the enemy. 
 
 " We shall have wind and tide to aid us in the 
 morning," said Eibault to his officers, "and then 
 we will teach the king of Spain a lesson." 
 
 Had wind and tide favored him, Kibault might 
 have made good his boast; but, alas, as every 
 sailor on the southern coast of the United States 
 knows, the dead calm too often precedes a storm. 
 Eibault, having made everything snug on his ves 
 sel, had retired to his cabin to snatch a little sleep, 
 and had just sunk into a gentle slumber, when 
 Cossel awoke him, saying: 
 
 "It has begun to blow, monsieur. Hadn't we 
 better stand off the shore? " 
 
 "Yes." Eibault rose and dressed hurriedly. 
 
 By the time he had gained the deck the wind 
 was roaring like so many demons through the 
 rigging of the vessel ; while the waves were bound 
 ing like race-horses in their wake. 
 
 "Can we hold the fleet together?" Eibault 
 asked Cossel, whom he found on deck issuing 
 orders with remarkable coolness. 
 
 "I fear not," the sailor answered. 
 
 "Who is at the helm?" 
 
 " Trenchant. He is the most experienced pilot 
 we have." 
 
 "It blows hard, Cossel,"
 
 THE HURRICANE. 153 
 
 "It does, monsieur; but I hope it will not last 
 long." 
 
 "I wish it would clear; but I doubt it much. 
 I was once in a hurricane in the East Indies, and 
 the beginning had much the same appearance as 
 this. So take in your topsails and give yourself 
 plenty of sea-room." 
 
 At midnight the storm was still raging they 
 wore ship to keep away from the dangerous shoals 
 and reefs. At one o'clock in the morning the 
 gale was still increasing. At two it blew harder. 
 They reefed the courses and furled them, and 
 stood to the northward. 
 
 Kibault gazed out at the sea lashed to foam, 
 hoping every friendly blaze of lightning might give 
 him a glimpse of the other vessels. At last, as 
 the sky and sea were lighted by one of these streaks 
 of liquid flame, he saw far to their larboard a 
 single sail. "Was that all of the gallant fleet which, 
 a few hours before, he had arrayed against the 
 Spaniards? Three of the smaller ships, on board 
 one of which was Eibault's son, hugged the shore 
 until morning, and entered the river below Fort 
 Carolinia. 
 
 There was nothing for Ribault to do but pre 
 pare, as best he could, to weather the storm. All 
 the sails were secured with spare gaskets, good 
 rolling tackle upon the yards, the booms were
 
 154 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 squared and all the bolts made fast, the guns 
 doubly lashed and, in fact, everything possible was 
 done to make the ship snug. 
 
 At dawn of day the hurricane was roaring, and 
 the sea so rough it seemed as if the vessel must 
 founder. The birds now began to find the uproar 
 in the elements too much for them; for numbers, 
 both sea and land kinds, came on board the strug 
 gling, groaning ship. When they dropped upon 
 the deck, exhausted from their efforts to fly against 
 the wind, they did not attempt to stir until picked 
 up, and when let go they would not leave the ship, 
 but endeavored to hide themselves from the wind. 
 
 "It blows a hurricane, Cossel," said Eibault. 
 
 " It does indeed , monsieur." 
 
 "I don't remember ever seeing it blow so hard 
 before. We must wear ship a little as the wind has 
 shifted, and we are drawing right down upon the 
 coast." 
 
 It was difficult to change the course of the ves 
 sel in such a storm ; but, after considerable danger 
 and the loss of one man, they succeeded, though the 
 ship did not make as good weather on this as on 
 the other tack ; for the sea began to run across her, 
 and she had not time to rise before another dashed 
 against her. 
 
 All day long the tempest raged, and with the 
 coming of night it seemed to increase. 

 
 THE HURRICANE. 155 
 
 Even Eibault was almost in despair. He saw 
 the easy victory snatched from his grasp by the 
 fury of the hurricane, and now his fleet was scat 
 tered where, he knew not. With his pale, stoical 
 face turned toward the terrific blast, he stood in 
 the extreme forward part of his ship, rising and 
 sinking with the motion of the vessel. Could it 
 be that fate had set the seal of doom against him? 
 
 "Monsieur, the vessel is leaking," said Cossel. 
 
 "Man the pumps!" 
 
 "The pumps are already at work." 
 
 Another ugly sea, and the water was gaining on 
 them rapidly. They had broken one of the 
 chains; but it was soon mended. A sailor was 
 sent to report how deep the water was in the hold. 
 
 "It still gains on us, "he answered on returning. 
 " There is back water from the leeward half-way 
 up the quarter-deck, the ship is on her beam ends, 
 and is not attempting to right again, so the men 
 cannot stand at the pumps." 
 
 The vessel evidently was doomed. Some one 
 suggested cutting away the masts as the only pos 
 sible means of saving the craft ; but at this moment 
 a violent sea broke right on board, carrying away 
 everything on deck and filling the hold with 
 water. The main and mizzen masts went, and the 
 ship righted; but it was the last struggle; she was 
 sinking. As soon as Ribault could shake his
 
 156 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 head clear lie saw the gallant Cossel still on deck 
 and Trenchant at the helm, which he had never 
 deserted, and he said: 
 
 "Noble fellows, it is all in vain! we are gone 
 foundered at sea!" 
 
 "Yes, monsieur, farewell, and may the Lord 
 have mercy on our souls." 
 
 Eibault then turned to look about the ship and 
 saw that she was struggling to get rid of some of 
 the water; but it was all in vain she was al 
 most full below. He began to pray: 
 
 " Almighty God ! I thank Thee that now I am 
 leaving this world which I have always considerd 
 as only a passage to the better. I die with the 
 full hope of Thy mercies, through the merits of 
 Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Saviour!" 
 
 Kibault regretted that he could swim, as it was 
 only natural for a man to struggle for his life as 
 long as he could, and the act of swimming would 
 probably prolong his misery. 
 
 These sad reflections were put to an end by a 
 sudden thump of the vessel and the sound of her 
 keel grinding on the sand. 
 
 "Monsieur, the ship is ashore and we may save 
 ourselves yet," cried Cossel. 
 
 The roar of the waves could be heard upon the 
 sandy beach, and the phosphorescent, flashing 
 spray, like flames leaping from hell, burst on their
 
 THE HURRICANE. 157 
 
 startled view. By this time the quarter-deck was 
 full of men flying up from below crying: 
 
 "Lord God, have mercy on us!" 
 
 Everybody was sensible of the fact that the ship 
 was on shore, for every surging billow threatened 
 her destruction. She was driven stern into the 
 sand, the bow breaking the sea to a considerable 
 extent, though it was washing clear over at every 
 surge. Eibault, who was still cool, seeing their 
 peril cried: 
 
 "Keep to the quarter-deck; when she goes to 
 pieces it is your best chance." 
 
 Day dawned at last and the rising sun fell on a 
 large group of dripping castaways gazing on the 
 fragments of wreck strewn along the beach. They 
 were Ribault and his brave seamen.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 MELENDEZ or Menendez (as the name is some 
 times spelled) was a native of Avila in Spain, and 
 at this period of our story was about forty-six 
 years of age. He had al 
 ready risen to the highest 
 rank in the Spanish navy 
 and was a man of immense 
 fortune. He commanded 
 the vessel which in 1554 
 bore his king to England 
 to marry Queen Mary ; and 
 in 1561, he commanded the 
 great treasure fleet of gal 
 leons on their voyage from 
 Mexico to Spain. One of the vessels, containing 
 his son and several relatives and friends, disap 
 peared and was never heard from. Having de 
 livered the fleet in Spain, he asked permission to 
 go in search of the lost vessel and his son, but 
 was refused. After repeated solicitations, however, 
 158 
 
 \ 
 MELENDEZ.
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 159 
 
 when two or three years had elapsed, his urgent 
 request was granted, provided he should at the 
 same time explore and colonize Florida. He fitted 
 out an expedition at his own expense; but when he 
 was about to sail, orders came for him to extermi 
 nate all Protestants he might find there, or in what 
 ever corner of the earth he should discover them. 
 
 King Philip learned that the Huguenots, flying 
 from the persecutions in France, were hiding in 
 the forests beyond the Atlantic, and his zeal being 
 kindled for the denomination of his church, he 
 determined to destroy the heretics in this way. 
 The sailor had no alternative but to obey or lose 
 the opportunity of searching for his son. It is said 
 by some historians, who seek to throw a mantle of 
 charity over the actions of Melendez, that not even 
 this alternative was left him; for disobedience in 
 that rigorous age would have led to dungeons and 
 the Inquisition. We are led to believe, however, 
 that Melendez entered as heartily into the bloody 
 work as did his king. Eegarding it as a holy 
 enterprise, the king added ships and treasure. 
 Soldiers and seamen nocked to the standard of 
 Melendez in great numbers, and he sailed with a 
 fleet of eleven ships (one of them a galleon of nine 
 hundred tons) with over twenty-six hundred per 
 sons, consisting, besides soldiers and sailors, of 
 adventurers and priests.
 
 160 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 This was the armament of the sailing of which 
 Ribault had been warned by Coligni. Storms and 
 disasters scattered the fleet so that when it arrived 
 on the coast of Florida, it was reduced to a squad 
 ron of only five vessels, one of them (the great 
 ship) bearing about a thousand persons of all 
 descriptions. 
 
 His first landing on the coast of Florida, after 
 leaving May River, was the occasion of a pompous 
 ceremonial. As he disembarked from the great 
 ship in a boat with six oarsmen, accompanied by 
 Mendoza, his chaplain, and followed by other 
 boats, filled with gentlemen and ecclesiastics, loud 
 trumpets sounded, drums beat, cannon thundered, 
 and flags were displayed on the ships and on the 
 shore, where his soldiers had already begun the 
 construction of a fort. 
 
 John Gyrot, who was playing the part of a zealous 
 Catholic, and who, by his cunning and address, 
 had already ingratiated himself into the favor of 
 the Spanish admiral, was permitted to accompany 
 him to the shore and take part in the pompous 
 ceremonial. 
 
 When they reached the beach, the chaplain 
 walked before, bearing a large cross and chanting 
 a hymn. Melendez followed with his own train, 
 carrying aloft with his own hand the royal standard. 
 He and his followers reverently knelt before the
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 161 
 
 priest, who was arrayed in rich sacerdotal robes, and 
 kissed the sacred emblem of the atonement, which 
 Mendoza held in his hand. Then the cross was 
 firmly planted in the sand by the side of the flag 
 staff, from which fluttered the royal banners in the 
 gentle breeze, and a shield bearing the arms of 
 Spain was leaned against the cross. Then Mel en - 
 dez drew his sword and formally took possession of 
 the whole country in the name of King Philip of 
 Spain. The Spanish conquerors never lacked in 
 religious zeal and pompous ceremony. From Co 
 lumbus down to Melendez, every conquest of 
 nation or territory was begun with a gorgeous re 
 ligious ceremony. 
 
 On that spot, and with such consecration, were 
 laid the foundations of the city of St. Augustine, 
 in Florida, forty years earlier than any other town 
 in America north of Mexico. This town, small 
 and insignificant as it is from a business point of 
 view, possesses the distinction of being the oldest in 
 the United States. It was named St. Augustine 
 after the river Dauphin, which Melendez gave the 
 name of St. Augustine, because he discovered it 
 on that saint's day, prior to reconnoitering the 
 French fort Carolinia. 
 
 Work was at once commenced on the fort, and 
 the Spaniards, fully appreciating the necessity of 
 having a place of security, labored with unremit- 
 11
 
 162 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 ting zeal. Gyrot still remained with the Spaniards; 
 but the Indian had wandered off, and gone to Fort 
 Carolinia to report what the Spaniards were doing, 
 as we have seen. 
 
 "I should like to talk with monsieur," said 
 Gyrot to Melendez the day work was commenced 
 on the fort. 
 
 "What would senor say?" asked Melendez. 
 
 " Had I not better return to Carolinia? May not 
 my absence rouse suspicion?" 
 
 Melendez was not sure he could trust Gyrot, and 
 he asked: 
 
 "Do you intend to betray us?" 
 
 " No, monsieur. I only want to return to soothe 
 the fears of my people by assuring them that the 
 Spaniards have abandoned the coast." 
 
 "I don't believe I can trust you." 
 
 "I swear, monsieur, by all the saints that I am 
 loyal to you. Will you not take the oath of a 
 true Catholic, who believes in the transubstantiation 
 of the bread and wine into the real body and blood 
 of Christ, who prays to the Virgin Mary and the 
 saints, and is a believer in the sacrifices of mass as 
 practised at Rome, who knows the Pope to be 
 infallible? On the holy cross, I swear to be true 
 and loyal to Melendez." 
 
 In the age of superstition and bigotry, perjury, 
 it was thought, would be visited by immediate
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 163 
 
 punishment at the hand of God. Deliberate, bold 
 perjury was not so common as it is in the present 
 age of skepticism. 
 
 Melendez, if he lived at this day, would put 
 little faith in the pretensions and oaths of Gyrot; 
 but the Melendez of 1565 was quite a different 
 personage. 
 
 Upon the cross Gyrot swore to be faithful to the 
 Spaniards and to do whatsoever he could to bring 
 confusion and disaster on the heretics. In return 
 he asked Melendez that a certain maiden, Hortense 
 De Barre, should be given to him. Finally the 
 Spanish commandant agreed to all he asked. 
 After these solemn promises and the awful com 
 pact to be sealed in the innocent blood of his coun 
 trymen, John Gyrot took his departure on the 
 evening of the 9th of September, 1565, and set 
 out across the country for Fort Carolinia, his mind 
 busy with cunning schemes for bringing disaster 
 upon the French. 
 
 Work was progressing on the fort next day, the 
 10th of September, when the vessels of Ribault 
 hove in sight. Though his works were far from 
 complete, Melendez retired within them, determined 
 to stand on his defence. The tide was out and 
 there was a dead calm; so they had little to fear 
 before morning. Eibault was a desperate sea 
 man and one well calculated to inspire dread in the
 
 164 SAINT AUGUSTINE 
 
 hearts of the Spaniards. Mendoza performed mass, 
 and officers and soldiers prayed for aid from 
 Heaven in defeating the enemies of the Holy 
 Catholic church. 
 
 To them it always seemed as if God answered 
 their prayers; for, as we have seen, a terrible 
 hurricane rose, and the French fleet was driven 
 away and hopelessly scattered. When morning 
 came, Melendez summoned all his officers and a 
 great many of his soldiers about him. Although 
 some of their own shipping had suffered by the 
 storm, he treated it as a providential interference 
 in their behalf. 
 
 "See how good God is to us," he said. "Our 
 enemies surrounded us; we were weaker than 
 they ; but God sent the hurricane which scattered 
 them. The hurricane was a divine judgment upon 
 the heretics, and who shall say that we will fail, 
 when God fights our battles? So long as we do 
 His holy will we shall triumph, and it is His wish 
 that we destroy all who deny the faith and despise 
 the Pope. It is the will of God that we attack 
 Fort Carolinia by land. The good Catholic whom 
 Heaven sent us has told us how weak is the fort. 
 Laudonniere is there with not over forty men, 
 while Kibault, with all the others, has been 
 driven to sea. Let us, the instruments of God's 
 vengeance, fall upon and exterminate the heretics. "
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 165 
 
 Notwithstanding the religious zeal and enthu 
 siasm of Melendez, there was at first some opposi 
 tion to his plan. Laudonniere, the old battle- 
 scarred veteran, was there, and, sick and weak as 
 he might be, he was a host in himself; but Melen 
 dez assured them that he had from Gyrot positive 
 proof that Laudonniere was two feeble to make 
 much resistance. 
 
 After a warm debate, the counsel at last con 
 sented to the attack. The hurricane had been 
 accompanied by a tremendous rain-storm, and the 
 low lands were in many places overflowed, while 
 sluggish streams were swollen until they were out 
 of their banks. 
 
 With his heart fired with bigoted zeal, and in 
 the insane belief that he was doing the will of God, 
 Melendez selected five hundred men and made 
 every preparation for the march and battle. A small 
 party was sent to reconnoiter and secure a native 
 guide. They returned next day with an Indian 
 who promised to lead them safely to the French. 
 
 "If you betray us, 1 will slay you," said 
 Melendez through his interpreter. 
 
 "I will conduct you. in safety," the Indian 
 answered. 
 
 It was still raining hard, and some of the 
 officers tried to prevail on Melendez to wait until 
 the weather cleared a little,
 
 166 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "No; God commands that we act at once," he 
 said. " We cannot slight the opportunity offered 
 us. Besides, the storm will cover our approach ; 
 for what Frenchman would think of an attack in 
 such weather?" 
 
 After mass, Melendez put himself at the head of 
 the five hundred men armed with matchlocks, 
 lances, battle-axes, swords and crossbows, and, 
 leaving the fort in charge of his brother and the 
 ships in charge of the vice-admiral, he set forth 
 through the rain, guided by the Indian. The 
 road was a path through the everglades and swamps. 
 They could only travel in single file, and in places 
 were compelled to build rafts or cross streams on 
 logs. At the close of the first day they met the 
 two Spaniards who had been rescued from slavery 
 by Laudonniere, and who were now about to 
 reward his kindness by betraying the fort. They 
 might have remained neutral in the conflict, had 
 not John Gyrot, on his return to the fort, urged 
 them to go to the aid of their countrymen. 
 
 At first they were supposed to be Frenchmen, 
 and Melendez was about to order their execution, 
 when he was convinced by one that they were 
 Spaniards. 
 
 "If Spaniards, why are you here?" he asked. 
 
 "We were many years slaves among the In 
 dians," explained one.
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 167 
 
 "And but just escaped?" 
 
 " Our freedom was purchased by Laudonniere, 
 the French commandant at Fort Carolinia." 
 
 "And you come from there?" 
 
 "Yes, senor." 
 
 "What is the condition of the fort?" 
 
 " Poor; you will have but little resistance. Only 
 the sick, the women and the children were left 
 there." 
 
 "Have none of the ships returned?" 
 
 "Three small ones managed to escape the hurri 
 cane and are now anchored at the mouth of May 
 Kiver." 
 
 A consultation was held in the pouring rain, 
 and, despite the report of the Spaniards, some of 
 the officers were opposed to advancing further. 
 
 "It is madness to proceed," said one of the 
 captains. " The rain increases, the streams grow 
 wider, and travel is more difficult as we advance." 
 
 " You lack courage and the zeal of a true Chris 
 tian to advise a retreat at this hour," said Melendez, 
 in a tone of rebuke. 
 
 "Admiral, the men are exhausted and hungry." 
 
 "A few hours' rest will refresh them." 
 
 "They must have food." 
 
 "There is abundance at Fort Carolinia." 
 
 Again they took up the line of march and 
 tramped on through mud and rain until night.
 
 168 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Some of the bayous were so swollen that they were 
 compelled to go long distances around them, mak 
 ing many miles of extra travel. "When a halt was 
 called, the men sank down on the earth exhausted, 
 supperless, with no bed but the wet ground, no 
 roof save the dripping branches, soothed only by 
 the damp wind soughing among the palms. During 
 the night, it rained in fitful showers which drenched 
 the suffering soldiers to the skin. Melendez fared 
 no better than his men, and all the sleep he got 
 was while leaning against a tree. 
 
 When morning dawned, the soldiers refused to 
 go further. Melendez was first made aware of the 
 mutiny by the captain who led the van, reporting 
 that his men refused to advance. The admiral 
 hurried forward to the sullen group of soldiers, 
 and, fixing his powerful eyes on them, demanded: 
 
 "What means this?" 
 
 " We will go no further," said one of the soldiers, 
 who, by general consent, acted as spokesman. 
 "We are starving and fatigued, and our only food 
 is the wild fruit, our bed the wet ground, and 
 every hour we are drenched with pouring rain. 
 We are too sick and faint to fight, our powder is 
 damp and spoiled, and we are being marched 
 against a fort with cannon and guns to be sacrificed 
 like sheep." 
 
 For a moment the face of Melendez was dark with
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 169 
 
 fury. He laid his hand on his sword and was 
 almost on the point of drawing his blade and run 
 ning the mutineer through the body ; but Melendez 
 was an excellent judge of human nature, and he 
 perceived that such a course would be dangerous 
 to his plans. The mutineers were determined, and 
 the death of one would not overcome them. Many 
 of the officers were in sympathy with them, and 
 the threatened mutiny might become an open 
 revolt. Controlling his anger, he began in a mild 
 tone: 
 
 "Your hardships have been great; you have 
 marched in mud and rain through an unknown 
 wilderness, sustained by very little food ; but your 
 hardships are no greater and your sufferings no 
 more than were endured by your countrymen 
 under Cortez of Mexico and Pizarro in Peru. They 
 marched into an unknown country, through cold, 
 heat and rain; they conquered and became rich. 
 You have no food; there is abundance at Fort 
 Carolinia. You want shelter from the rain ; there is 
 shelter within the fort. The two Spaniards who 
 escaped and came to us, as well as the Catholic 
 Frenchman, assure us that there is much gold at 
 Fort Carolinia, gathered from the Indians. There 
 are heaps of gold in bars and ingots for every brave 
 and faithful man who has the courage to go forward 
 and take it, Cortez and Pizarro, with but a hand-
 
 170 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 ful of men, marched against the serried ranks of 
 countless thousands, and conquered, because God 
 commanded them to go. We are marching against 
 a handful of sick men, poorly garrisoned, and 
 wholly unaware of our presence. Shame on those 
 who hesitate from cowardice; more shame on those 
 who refuse God's command. Come! All who 
 are true Spaniards, follow me, and God will pro 
 tect you!" 
 
 Gradually Melendez had warmed up in his 
 speech, his enthusiasm swaying every heart, until, 
 at the close of his harangue, every soldier in the 
 ranks was shouting: 
 
 "On to Carolinia! Death to the heretics!" 
 
 The army was soon again on the march, and 
 pressed on for four or five hours, when they were 
 met by Gyrot, who had come with some final 
 instructions and information as to the attack. 
 
 " The fort is near, " he said. " Make your attack 
 to-night, while all sleep, and the victory will be 
 easy. " 
 
 "Has any rumor of our approach reached the 
 fort?" asked Melendez. 
 
 "No; the disappearance of the Spaniards caused 
 some comment; but they do not dream of an attack 
 by land." 
 
 "Have they ships in the harbor?"
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 171 
 
 "Three; but they are small craft, and will do 
 you no harm." 
 
 "Have they news of Kibault?" 
 
 "No, monsieur; and they fear that he and his 
 ships are lost at sea. Is Francisco Estevan with 
 you?" 
 
 "No; who is he?" 
 
 " He is a Spaniard, proselyted to the Huguenot 
 faith, and a warm friend of Laudonni&re. He is 
 no doubt a spy watching to betray you." 
 
 " In that case I would rather hang him than any 
 other heretic." 
 
 John Gyrot then gave the Spaniards the plans of 
 the fort, and left them to return and report that 
 there was no enemy in the wood. Night set in, 
 dark and rainy, and the Spaniards carefully 
 advanced to within a few hundred paces of the fort 
 and halted to await John Gyrot's signal. The his 
 torian hesitates to record the awful event at Fort 
 Carolinia on that fatal September 21st, 1565.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A REIGN OF TERROR. 
 
 A FEELING of uneasiness pervaded the garrison 
 at Fort Carolinia. Laudonni&re, who had not 
 recovered from his illness, rose from bed and went 
 about the fort, notwithstanding his friends Challus 
 and Le Mojne tried to keep him in out of the pelt 
 ing rain. 
 
 "I cannot," he said, "I feel an impression that 
 all is not right. Something terrible is going to 
 happen. Has no news come from Ribault?" 
 
 "None." 
 
 "God pity us if we should be attacked in our 
 wretched condition." 
 
 "You are weak and ill, monsieur," said Le 
 Moyne. 
 
 "It is my great responsibility the helpless wo 
 men and children I have in my keeping that makes 
 me wretched and anxious." 
 
 "There is no need to fear, monsieur. Three of 
 the vessels have returned and are in the harbor. 
 
 172
 
 A REIGN OF TERROR. 173 
 
 These will keep the enemy from attacking by sea, 
 and we need expect them from no other quarter." 
 
 "They may attack by land." 
 
 "Impossible, monsieur. They would never find 
 their way across the country." 
 
 "They may have a guide." 
 
 "Who?" 
 
 " We may have a traitor among us. " 
 
 "A traitor! impossible!" They all three went 
 under a long shed on which the rain continued its 
 unceasing patter, running off by small gutter- 
 spouts which carried it to the ditch that drained the 
 fort. Laudonniere, after a long silence said, "I 
 may do wrong to call him a traitor; yet after all I 
 have been to him it would seem ill return to betray 
 me in my weakness." 
 
 " Of whom do you speak, monsieur?" 
 
 " A young Spaniard who was captured by the 
 pirates and brought to the fort. I immediately 
 gave him his liberty, and, there being no way to 
 send him to Cuba, he made his home with me. 
 Though a Catholic, I believed him the ideal of a 
 true, noble man. It seems very probable that, 
 when his countrymen came to annihilate us, he 
 went over to them, and is now plotting against our 
 lives." 
 
 "Whom do you mean, monsieur?" 
 
 "Francisco Estevan."
 
 174 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "Where is he?" 
 
 " Yes, where? He disappeared the day the Span 
 ish fleet appeared off our coast, and only yester 
 day the two Spaniards, whose liberty I bought, also 
 disappeared. I might have expected it of them; 
 but that Francisco should be a traitor seems hardly 
 possible. " 
 
 Laudonniere could say no more. Challus and 
 Le Moyne persuaded him to return to the house 
 as the dampness might bring on a relapse. 
 
 At one end of the shed, crouching behind some 
 boxes, was a slight, girlish form, her bright blue 
 eyes dimmed with tears, and her pale face strangely 
 agitated Hortense De Barre had heard the unjust 
 suspicions against Estevan. She had full faith in 
 all the promises the young Spaniard had made, 
 and it grieved her heart to hear him maligned 
 while away laying and executing plans for her 
 safety. 
 
 Laudonniere had been but a few moments in his 
 room, when Hortense, wrapped in a cloak to pro 
 tect her from the falling rain, darted across the 
 court to his apartment. The commandant was- 
 alone, and, going to him, she said: 
 
 " Monsieur, I heard your remarks while under 
 the shed but a few moments ago." 
 
 "What design had you, mademoiselle?" 
 
 " It was quite unintentional on my part, mon-
 
 A REIGN OF TERROR. 175 
 
 sieur; but what I heard was so unjust that I must 
 beg you to correct it." 
 
 "To what are you referring, mademoiselle?" 
 
 "You called Francisco Estevan a traitor," she 
 said, her eyes filling with tears and her breast heav 
 ing with sobs. " He is not a spy against us. " 
 
 " Whither is he gone? " 
 
 "I know not." 
 
 "Then how can you say he is not a spy?'' 
 
 "He is too good, too noble to harm those he 
 loves." 
 
 "I once thought so; but his strange absence may 
 cause me to change my opinion." 
 
 She pleaded with Laudonniere for Francisco, tell 
 ing him her assurance of his fidelity to the French 
 people and that he would surely return soon, and 
 explain his absence ; but the grim commandant only 
 shook his head doubtfully and told her the proofs 
 were against him. 
 
 It was already grown dark. A servant entered 
 the room and lighted the tapers which gave out a 
 dim, ghastly light, showing the bare walls of logs 
 on which hung the sword, buckler, and matchlock 
 of Laudonniere, while in a corner stood his formid 
 able crossbow. She realized that it was no use to 
 plead longer with him, and left to return to the 
 wretched hut set apart for her, when she was sud 
 denly met at the door by Gyrot.
 
 176 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "Ah! mademoiselle, I have good news." 
 
 There was a fiendish light in his eyes and a 
 demoniacal smile on his face, which she at once 
 interpreted as meaning some disaster to Francisco. 
 
 "What do you mean?" she asked. 
 
 "I have such excellent news." 
 
 Laudonniere, who had heard the short dialogue, 
 came to the door and asked: 
 
 "What have you to report?" 
 
 "We have seized the spy!" 
 
 "Whom?" asked both Hortense and Laudon- 
 ni&re. 
 
 "Francisco Estevan." 
 
 Hortense tried to speak, but her voice failed 
 her, and she stood mute with horror, her eyes fixed 
 on the villain. 
 
 Gyrot then told them how his suspicions had 
 been aroused at the mysterious conduct of Estevan, 
 and how, by watching him, he saw him in the 
 wood negotiating with some men from the ships 
 to betray the fort; that he was to lead them to 
 Carolinia in three days ; adding that he followed the 
 Spaniard to the fort he intended to betray and had 
 him arrested. The truth of the matter was, that, 
 as Gyrot was returning from his last interview with 
 Melendez, he reached the fort about the time Este 
 van arrived from a secret conference with Saturiova. 
 His wicked mind conceived a cunning plan for the
 
 A REIGN OF TERROR. 177 
 
 Spaniard's destruction, and lie ordered two sol 
 diers to arrest him. 
 
 "It is false, it is all false," cried Hortense, 
 wringing her hands. 
 
 "Bring the prisoner to me," said Laudonniere, 
 "and I will make him confess everything." 
 
 Hortense lingered at the door, pale and trembling, 
 as Estevan was brought a prisoner into the pres 
 ence of the commandant. Estevan was in great 
 peril ; for, in those times, suspicion of treason was 
 usually enough to secure punishment by death. 
 
 "Let me come in! Let me speak with him!" 
 pleaded Hortense as he was taken to Laudonniere's 
 consultation chamber; but she was excluded and 
 Laudonniere and the prisoner were locked in the 
 room. Thus two terrible hours passed, and Hor 
 tense, who remained in the hall, imagined that they 
 were torturing him to death in that awful room. 
 
 The rain poured down in torrents and it was a 
 wild, dark night. Nearly all the garrison had 
 gone to bed; the guard stood under the shed to be 
 out of the rain, and no one saw John Gyrot as he 
 stole away from the commandant's house with a 
 lighted torch in his hand. He mounted the wall of 
 the fort and waved the torch three times in the air. 
 At this moment there came from the intense dark 
 ness the blast of a bugle. It was followed by the 
 report of a gun, and the guard cried: 
 12
 
 178 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "We are attacked! God defend us!" 
 
 Laudonniere, hearing the cry, locked his prisonei 
 in his room and rushed to the defense. He buckled 
 on his sword and seized his gun. Le Moyne and 
 Challus joined him in the hall, and all three with 
 drawn swords rushed out into the rain and darkness 
 calling the garrison to arms. 
 
 The garrison was in confusion. Few could dis 
 cover from whence the foe was coming. Some ran 
 to the river-side, others to the east or north, and 
 a few were at the point where the attack was made. 
 Another bugle blast and a volley of bullets and 
 bolts rained into the fort. One gallant guardsman 
 fell, pierced by three arrows. With a deafening 
 shout, the Spaniards came pouring over the works 
 like devils. Never did Satan inspire fiends to 
 more brutal butchery. Another guard, who sprang 
 with halberd to drive them back, was knocked 
 down and run through with lances. 
 
 Laudonniere sounded his battle-cry, and, sum 
 moning all the men he could about him, rushed 
 against the avalanche and strove to drive them back ; 
 but might as well a house of straw be set to resist 
 the fury of a cyclone. His men were knocked 
 down and butchered before him, while he, Le 
 Moyne, and Challus fought like madmen; but the 
 avalanche still poured on. No sooner was one 
 beaten down and wounded than a second took his
 
 A REIGN OF TERROR. 179 
 
 place. Over the works, front and right, the horde of 
 steel-clad demons poured. They were already in 
 possession of the fort, though Laudonniere and a few 
 faithful followers made a feeble resistance at the 
 north end. Through all the dire conflict, John 
 Gyrot stood on the rampart holding aloft the blaz 
 ing torch, while the smile of a devil played on his 
 face as he watched the butchery of his countrymen. 
 Having gained the south part of the fort, the 
 Spaniards fell upon the women and children, killing 
 them indiscriminately. The young, the old, the 
 sick and infirm were killed in their houses, in 
 their beds and on their knees. No prayer for mercy 
 could avail. One child but five or six years of age 
 fled in its night-clothes, and tried to crawl under 
 the house, but was pulled out and slain. 
 
 The melee was at its height when the door of the 
 room in which Francisco Estevan was confined was 
 suddenly burst from its hinges, and the young 
 Spaniard leaped into the hall where Hortense stood, 
 pale and speechless, gazing through the open por 
 tals on the terrible scene; she seemed powerless to 
 move. He seized her in his arms, and in a voice 
 hoarse with emotion, gasped: 
 
 "Hortense, we must fly for our lives! " 
 She pointed at those bloody men ; they cut down 
 a child, they pierced a woman through the body; 
 blood was flowing like a crimson river, and the
 
 180 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 hellish scene was lighted by the torch of John Gy- 
 rot, who looked like a fiend from darkness. 
 
 "My God!" she groaned and sank insensible in 
 the young Spaniard's arms. 
 
 Estevan was strong as a giant, and, seizing the in 
 sensible maiden with his left arm, he laid hold of the 
 sword which had fallen from the hand of a dead 
 Frenchman and started toward the western gate, 
 from which escape seemed most probable. He 
 saw John Gyrot on the rampart holding the blazing 
 torch aloft, and his quick perception said he was to 
 be avoided. He was hurrying westward, when he 
 came upon a sight which he never forgot to his 
 dying day, A large Frenchman was struggling 
 with three Spaniards who had seized him as he 
 rushed half dressed from his house. In spite of 
 the Frenchman's struggles, his bites and his cries, 
 he was forced to his knees. Then one of the 
 Spaniards who had a mace in his hand raised it, 
 and signed to his companions to get out of the 
 way; they did so, and the Frenchman strove to 
 rise; but the mace fell with dreadful force on his 
 left temple. A dull, heavy sound was heard and the 
 man dropped on his face. One of the soldiers rolled 
 him over on his back, and, with a single stroke 
 of his knife, opened his throat; then, mounting 
 on his stomach, he stamped violently on it with his 
 feet, bringing forth a jet of blood from the wound.
 
 JOHN GYROT HELD ALOFT THE BLAZING TOUCH, THE SMILE OF A DEVTL 
 ON HIS PACE.
 
 A REIGN OF TERROR. 181 
 
 "God! can such men be human?" cried Este- 
 van, hurrying with his insensible burden toward 
 the gate. 
 
 "Here is one escaping!" cried a soldier, hurry 
 ing after him. Two more sprang forward to inter 
 cept the fugitive; but he shouted in Spanish: 
 
 " Hinder me not. I am a Spaniard and a good 
 Catholic." 
 
 "How know we that?" 
 
 "My language would tell you that!" 
 
 "Whom have you there?" 
 
 "A Catholic who has swooned, and I am carry 
 ing her outside the fort that she may not be slain 
 for a Huguenot." 
 
 Estevan's conscience never troubled him for the 
 falsehood. He gained the forest with his charge 
 in some way, he never knew exactly how. All 
 was a wild whirlpool of excitement and confusion. 
 
 It seemed a frightful dream from which he 
 could not awake. Into the forest, through the 
 cold rain he plunged, staggering forward. It was 
 so dark that eyes were of no avail. He stumbled 
 over stones, he ran against bushes and scratched 
 himself, tearing his flesh as well as his clothing; 
 yet through it all he clung to the insensible Hor- 
 tense for whose sake he was flying he knew not 
 whither.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 "NOT AS FRENCHMEN, BUT AS LUTHERANS." 
 
 ACCORDING to the Spanish chronicles, one hun 
 dred and forty-two Huguenots, mostly women and 
 children, or sick and infirm men, were put to 
 death that night ; while the Spaniards did not lose 
 a single man. 
 
 Many of the French who escaped into the forest 
 perished for lack of food and clothing, or were 
 pursued and shot by the Spaniards; while a few 
 were captured by the Indians and made slaves. 
 
 Among those to escape the massacre in the fort 
 and finally return to Europe were Laudonniere, 
 Challus, and Le Moyne. A few others escaped, 
 some of whom joined this party, and among them 
 young Peter De Bray. The darkness of the night 
 and their knowledge of the country, no doubt, 
 greatly aided them. They paused on a bit of 
 rising ground above the fort and looked down 
 upon the place of the fearful massacre. All was 
 dark and silent now. The dead lay stark and stiff 
 
 182
 
 u NOT FRENCHMEN, BUT LUTHERANS." 183 
 
 on the ground, their pale faces and sightless eyes 
 upturned to the beating rain. 
 
 "Whither shall we go, monsieur?" asked Le 
 Moyne. 
 
 "If we can reach the river, we will go aboard 
 the ships," Laudonni&re answered. 
 
 "But the fort is between us and the ships." 
 
 "We must go around it." 
 
 "The night is so dark, I doubt if we can." 
 
 " Our knowledge of the country will help us; 
 for, dark as the night is, we must make the detour 
 of the fort and reach the ships by dawn of day." 
 
 "Our people are widely scattered." 
 
 " True; yet we must get as many together as we 
 can. The blood-hounds will be in the forest by 
 dawn of day." 
 
 Throughout the night the little squad of French 
 men, whom Laudonniere collected about him, wan 
 dered through the forest, guided only by instinct, 
 for there was not a ray of light to reveal a path to 
 them. When day dawned, they found themselves 
 on the banks of the river below the fort. 
 
 As soon as he was master of the fort, Melendez 
 published an order that all the women, and all the 
 male children under fifteen years of age, should be 
 spared, but that all others must perish. This order 
 was not issued until the conflict 'had raged a long 
 time, and many children, some of a very tender
 
 184 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 age, had been put to death. When his proclama 
 tion was made known, many who had been hiding 
 came forth to give themselves up. Among those 
 to appeal for mercy were some men who had mis 
 understood his proclamation: 
 
 "Save these Lutherans," said Melendez, when 
 the men came to implore his mercy. " We shall 
 hang them as an example to the world." 
 
 Before the conflict ended John Gyrot began to 
 search for Hortense. Fortunately, he had not wit 
 nessed the escape of Francisco Estevan with the 
 insensible Huguenot. He went to Melendez, and, 
 telling him of the girl's disappearance, said: 
 
 " Let your men help me to find her as soon as it 
 shall be light, monsieur; and I claim her when 
 found." 
 
 " She shall be given you for your faithful ser 
 vice in our cause." 
 
 " I have not been able to find the proselyte Fran 
 cisco since the attack." 
 
 "Where was he before you gave the signal?" 
 
 " In consultation with the commandant, Laudon- 
 niere. He had but just returned from spying on 
 your army." 
 
 " He shall hang with the others!" cried Melendez. 
 
 Morning dawned on the terrible scene. Mass 
 was performed, prayers offered, and psalms of 
 thanksgiving sung over the victory, and the
 
 " NOT FRENCHMEN, BUT L UTHERANS. " 185 
 
 foundation of a church laid on the soil still red 
 with the blood of the innocent. 
 
 Melendez, with a strong party, went down to the 
 river and hailed the vessels under command of 
 young Eibault. On being answered, the Adelan- 
 tado summoned the crews to surrender. 
 
 "I already have your fort in my possession, and 
 if you will peacefully surrender I will allow you 
 to transport yourselves in any one of your ships 
 you may choose to France; but if you do not 
 surrender, I will put every one of you to the 
 sword." 
 
 Young Kibault was frightened; but his officers 
 advised him that to surrender was certain death, 
 and he answered: 
 
 " I shall put to sea and return to France with all 
 my vessels." 
 
 Melendez returned to the fort in a rage and com 
 manded his men: 
 
 " Train the cannon on them, and sink the ships 
 before they leave the river." 
 
 The artillery in the fort began to bombard the 
 ships, and they retired beyond range of the guns. 
 
 When the ships were out of reach, Melendez 
 said: 
 
 " We will now dispose of such of these devils as 
 we have; bring them forth." 
 
 A large tree with great spreading branches stood
 
 186 
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 without the fort, and the male prisoners were all 
 hanged upon this tree, to which was affixed the 
 following inscription: 
 
 " These persons are not treated in this manner 
 because they are Frenchmen, but because they are 
 
 heretics and enemies of 
 God." 
 
 This was the fate of all 
 the Frenchmen taken at 
 the fort, those who sur 
 rendered voluntarily, and 
 those who were given up 
 by the Indians to whom 
 they fled for s h. e 1 1 e r . 
 About twenty more who still re 
 mained in the woods were pur 
 sued and shot like so many beasts. 
 Fort Carolinia now lost its name, 
 " NOT AS FRENCH- as the Spaniards changed it to 
 MEN, BUT AS Lu- gt. Mattheo, on whose day it was 
 
 THERANS." 
 
 reduced. 
 
 At daylight Laudonniere found himself at the 
 head of a dozen followers. Some who had been 
 with him in the early part of the evening had 
 become separated and wandered into other parts of 
 the wood, among them young Peter De Bray. 
 They were below the fort as we have stated, 
 and even below the vessels before the cannon drove
 
 " NOT FRENCHMEN, BUT L UTHERANS. " 187 
 
 them further down the stream. The ships sailed 
 past them; but they followed after them until they 
 cast anchor, when Laudonni&re ventured out upon 
 the beach, and shouted and waved his hat to attract 
 the attention of his countrymen on deck. 
 
 Young Ribault saw him, and a boat was lowered, 
 manned, and pulled toward them. When within 
 fifty yards of the shore, the boat came to a halt, 
 and the officer in it hailed them and demanded to 
 know who they were. 
 
 " Laudonni&re, and a dozen of his people escaped 
 from the massacre at the fort," the French com 
 mandant answered. 
 
 "Bring all your men on the beach that we may 
 see them and know that this is not a ruse of the 
 Spaniards," said the officer. 
 
 The men were paraded on the beach, and the 
 boat came quickly to the shore and conveyed the 
 wretched survivors to the ship of young Ribault, 
 who listened to the story of the massacre with 
 many a shudder. 
 
 "And now," said the commandant at the conclu 
 sion, "let us go in search of your father." 
 
 With a shake of his head, Ribault answered: 
 
 "No; I am going to France." 
 
 "What! return to France and desert your 
 father?" 
 
 "I will save my life."
 
 188 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "But your father's fleet may be safe, and with it 
 we could drive them out of the country." 
 
 "If alive, my father will return to France." 
 
 " He may be wrecked on some island or on the 
 coast, and in need of aid." 
 
 But no argument or appeal to his filial duty 
 could alter the decision of young Eibault; he was 
 determined to return to France at once. Laudon 
 niere was so provoked at his cowardly decision that 
 he would not return to Europe in the same ship 
 with him. They sank one of their vessels because 
 they had not men enough to sail her. Laudonniere, 
 Challus, and Le Moyne sailed in the same ship to 
 Europe. To the two latter, the world is indebted 
 for an account of the horrible scenes we have 
 related. By stress of weather they were driven to 
 England, where Laudonniere was detained a long 
 time by sickness. When at last he went to his 
 own country, notwithstanding all his services, he 
 met with a cold reception from the French king, 
 who was then more than ever embroiled with 
 Coligni and the Huguenots. 
 
 Melendez appointed Gonzalo de Villareal to be 
 governor of St. Mattheo with a garrison of three 
 hundred men, and with the remainder he returned 
 to St. Augustine; for, having as yet no knowledge 
 of Eibault' s fate, he believed him still at sea and 
 thought there was danger of his falling upon St.
 
 "NOT FRENCHMEN, BUT LUTHERANS." 189 
 
 Augustine during his absence. He was received 
 with great pomp by his garrison, and, notwith 
 standing his barbarities, was extolled by his coun 
 trymen as a perfect hero, statesman and Christian 
 gentleman. Upon his first arrival in Florida, he 
 had taken some French prisoners whom he sent on 
 board the Pelagius to be carried to Hispamola. 
 On the voyage the prisoners rose one night, killed 
 the officers, mastered the crew, and sailed away to 
 Denmark, where they disposed of the vessel. 
 
 At this part of our melancholy narrative, it is 
 necessary to return to Bibault and his miserable 
 followers whom we left wrecked on the Florida 
 coast. All his fleet save the three mentioned in 
 May River were wrecked on the coast near Cape 
 Canaveral. Their condition was wretched; they 
 were without provisions or weapons; their scanty 
 clothing was torn and soaked with ocean brine, 
 and they were in a wild, inhospitable country. 
 
 A council was held to determine what should 
 be done. 
 
 "We must return to Fort Carolinia," Ribault 
 declared. 
 
 "It is a long distance," said Cossel. 
 
 " Great as is the distance, we must return or 
 perish." 
 
 Little did they dream of the calamity that had
 
 190 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 befallen Fort Carolmia. With only the sun to 
 guide them by day and the stars by night, their 
 food wild fruit, berries, and turtles' eggs, they set 
 out up the coast, picking up other shipwrecked and 
 wretched comrades as they advanced. 
 
 One day they discovered an empty sloop on the 
 coast. It had belonged to the Spaniards, and was 
 blown away in the hurricane and beached. Save 
 that some of the yards were sprung a little, it was 
 in good condition. They set to work to repair it, 
 and soon had it ready for sea. At high tide the 
 sloop was launched, manned, and given in charge 
 of Yasseur with orders to go and search for the 
 river May. 
 
 Vasseur sailed on his voyage, and the French 
 men left behind, although weary with travel and 
 half famished for food, continued their journey up 
 the coast. Yasseur returned in four or five days, 
 and, putting into the little bay where Ribault had 
 halted his despondent men, went ashore. As Ei- 
 bault went to meet him he saw nothing reassuring 
 in his features. 
 
 " Have you found the fort, Yasseur?" asked 
 Ribault. 
 
 "Yes, monsieur." 
 
 "What did you see?" 
 
 "The Spanish flag flies over it." 
 
 "Then it has fallen!"
 
 " NOT FRENCHMEN, BUT L UTHERANS. " 191 
 
 "It certainly has." 
 
 Ribault felt his heart sink within him. 
 
 " Better had we all perished in the hurricane. 
 Did you see any of our vessels?" 
 
 "No, monsieur." 
 
 His men were starving and clamored to be taken 
 to Fort Carolinia. 
 
 " We know not what treatment we will receive if 
 we fall into the hands of the Spaniards," pleaded 
 Ribault. 
 
 " Would it not be well to send two officers to 
 Melendez and ascertain what treatment we will 
 receive if we surrender?" suggested Trenchant. 
 
 Ribault adopted the plan, and sent Cossel and 
 Trenchant to Fort Carolinia ; but they halted at St. 
 Augustine and were agreeably surprised to meet 
 John Gyrot there. 
 
 " What has become of the people at Fort Caro 
 linia?" Trenchant asked. 
 
 " They were all put on board vessels and sent to 
 France under the order of Melendez," Gyrot 
 answered. 
 
 "Why did you not go with them?" 
 
 "The Spanish commandant was very kind to 
 me, and out of compassion for my countrymen 
 who were wandering about in the forests I resolved 
 to remain, search for them, and send them home," 
 the hypocrite answered.
 
 192 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Gyrot learned from his countrymen that Ribault 
 had been wrecked on the coast and assured them 
 they would receive good treatment at the hands of 
 Melendez. He went to the Spanish commandant 
 and told him what he had learned, and those two 
 then and there hatched up a plan which would 
 have made the devil himself blush. Melendez 
 came to see Trenchant and Cossel and told them 
 how he had sent Laudonni^re and his garrison to 
 France in a goodly ship, and said that if Eibault 
 could surrender, he would give him and his fol 
 lowers the same terms. 
 
 As they were about to depart, John Gyrot took 
 Trenchant aside, and, with a smile on his sharp, 
 pale features, said: 
 
 " Assure our people they need not fear Melendez; 
 he is very kind and his only wish is to remove 
 them from the country." The two embassadors 
 returned and reported; but the Frenchmen were 
 still divided in their opinion. No one had much 
 faith in John Gyrot, and all knew how meritorious 
 the Spaniards held it to not keep faith with heretics. 
 Trenchant was sent back and procured a written 
 promise, almost as sacred as an oath, that if the 
 French would come in and surrender they should 
 not be harmed, but would be furnished with a 
 vessel and all needful supplies to carry them to 
 France. They had the wilderness and starvation
 
 "NOT FRENCHMEN, BUT LUTHERANS." 193 
 
 on one side, and the solemn obligation of Melen- 
 dez on the other; there could be no doubt which 
 they would choose. Some of the starving men 
 declared they preferred assassination to starvation 
 in the forest. 
 
 Chaloupes were sent to convey them across the 
 river. Eibault and Ottigny with one hundred 
 and fifty men went first, and, as soon as they 
 landed, were seized and bound with cords. 
 
 "Is this keeping faith?" the indignant Eibault 
 cried. "Where is Mel endez?" 
 
 "He is not here, senor," answered his guard. 
 
 The French were made prisoners as fast as they 
 landed. Bibault was in despair until he saw 
 Gyrot among the Spaniards, and, calling to him, 
 he asked: 
 
 " What is the meaning of this? I am promised, 
 on the oath of Melendez, protection and safe trans 
 portation to France, and as soon as I reach shore 
 I am seized and bound." 
 
 "It will all be right, monsieur," assured Gyrot. 
 
 "Where is Melendez?" 
 
 "He will be here soon." 
 
 "Will you go and bring him?" 
 
 "I will." 
 
 Gyrot hurried away and took care not to return 
 again to his wretched countrymen. A Spanish sol 
 dier, approaching Ribault, gravely asked : 
 13
 
 194 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "Do you expect French soldiers under you to 
 obey orders, senor?" 
 
 " Without a doubt," Kibault answered. 
 
 "Then," said the soldier, "you are not to be 
 surprised if I obey my general's orders, like 
 wise." 
 
 So saying, he plunged his long, keen dagger 
 into Eibault's heart. The Frenchman fell with 
 out a groan, and as Ottigny turned his eyes on 
 his dead commander, he, too, was stabbed and fell 
 dead across Eibault's body. 
 
 The Spanish soldiers now fell upon the French 
 everywhere. Some were gathered together, blind 
 folded and shot. None were spared, save a few 
 workmen who were kept to work on the fortifi 
 cations at St. Augustine. About two hundred 
 French, who had escaped and fled up the river 
 May, began the construction of a fort. Most of 
 these were Catholics, and, learning of that fact, 
 Melendez promised them good treatment if they 
 would return and surrender. They did so a few 
 weeks later, and Melendez kept his word with 
 them. 
 
 The number of Huguenots slain in this massacre 
 has been variously estimated. It was sufficient 
 to put a blight on Melendez throughout all time. 
 John Gyrot, whose diabolical conduct had endeared 
 him to Melendez, asked permission to go to the
 
 'IX) YOU EXPECT FRENCH fOLDIEKS UNDEK YOU TO OBEY OltlJEItS
 
 " NOT FRENCHMEN, BUT LUTHERANS." 195 
 
 woods with a party of soldiers to search for Hor- 
 tense De Barre, whom he determined should not 
 escape him. His request was granted; but his 
 search was futile, as we shall see.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE FRIENDLY CHIEF. 
 
 FRANCISCO ESTEVAN shuddered as he pressed the 
 senseless, dripping girl to his breast. Their flight 
 had been through a field of death, and perhaps 
 some flying missile had pierced her body. 
 
 "O God! is she dead? is she dead?" groaned 
 Francisco. It was too dark for him to see, and he 
 thought the water dripping from her wet garments 
 might be red with blood. 
 
 "Hortense! Hortense!" he groaned, "speak 
 just one word to tell me you forgive me for being 
 a Spaniard!" 
 
 The inanimate mass in his arms seemed to move. 
 He uttered a low cry of joy, and again breathed 
 her name in accents of love. Once more she 
 evinced unmistakable signs of life. He sat down 
 under a great oak, whose wide-spreading branches 
 partially protected them from the dripping rain, 
 and, holding her close to his heart to instil warmth 
 in her cold form, he whispered: 
 
 "Hortense, speak!" 
 
 IM
 
 THE FRIENDLY CHIEF. 197 
 
 A slight shudder, and then a faint whisper from 
 those lips which he could not see. 
 
 "Hortense! Hortense!" 
 
 "It is dark so dark," she gasped. "I am cold 
 and damp." 
 
 "Have no fear, Hortense, I will take care of 
 you. Do you know where we are?" 
 
 "Monsieur Estevan," she murmured. 
 
 "Don't you remember?" 
 
 "Yes, yes the fort the wild night the mas 
 sacre. How did I escape?" 
 
 "I brought you away." 
 
 "And where are we now?" 
 
 "In the forest; I am taking you to a place of 
 safety." 
 
 "Was it Melendez?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "How many escaped?" 
 
 "I know of none save yourself. Can you for 
 give such devil's work?" 
 
 "As I hope to be forgiven, I forgive." 
 
 "Your religion is better than mine." 
 
 After a feeble effort, she rose to her feet. 
 
 " Are you strong enough to stand?" he asked. 
 
 "I believe so, though I am still weak. Tell 
 me, monsieur, where are we going?" 
 
 "To a place I have provided for you in the 
 home of an Indian chief."
 
 198 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "Is it far?" 
 
 " We may reach his village to-morrow. If you 
 are not strong enough to walk, I will carry 
 you." 
 
 "My strength is returning and in a moment 1 
 will be able to walk." 
 
 The wind sighed through the wet branches and 
 swept the rainy sky. All the terrible sounds of 
 a stormy night in a tropical forest fell on the ear of 
 the startled girl, and she instinctively clung to her 
 protector. Travel through the swamps and forests 
 of Florida was at that day attended with no little 
 danger, even in daylight; but on such a night as 
 this, when every bayou and swamp contained a 
 thousand lurking foes, where the wild beast, driven 
 from his lair by the rising water, sought a victim 
 on which to vent his rage, when the earth beneath, 
 the heavens above, and the forest about them 
 seemed charged with deadly fury, it was enough to 
 intimidate the stoutest heart. 
 
 "You must be as brave as you were on the 
 night you rescued me from the wreck," whispered 
 Estevan. 
 
 "I will depend on you," she answered. 
 
 "God give me strength to protect you. Are 
 you strong enough to go on?" 
 
 "I am. How far are we from the fort?" 
 
 "Not far. I have no idea of the distance I
 
 THE FRIENDLY CHIEF. 199 
 
 struggled with you, but it could not have been 
 more than three-fourths of a mile." 
 
 "Is it over there?" 
 
 "It is," he answered sadly. "All is still there 
 now." 
 
 She shuddered and said she would try to walk. 
 Supporting her with his arm, they went slowly 
 through the dripping wood, Estevan feeling his 
 way with the naked sword he had brought from the 
 fort. They had not gone more than a mile, when 
 he suddenly came to a halt and whispered: 
 
 "I hear voices." 
 
 She asked in what direction. 
 
 "On our left, between us and the fort." 
 
 "Perhaps friends are coming." 
 
 "No, senorita, it cannot be," he answered. 
 "They were all slain; but have no fear; I will 
 protect you as long as I live." 
 
 "Could they find us in the darkness?" she 
 asked. 
 
 " The Spaniards sometimes hunt fugitives with 
 blood -hounds; but, even if Melendez has brought 
 dogs with him, the rain, which is so discomforting 
 to us, will prove a blessing in obliterating the trail 
 by which the ferocious beasts would have followed 
 us." 
 
 They stood very still behind some trees, while 
 the voices drew nearer. It was too dark to seej
 
 200 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 but the tramp of feet and low voices warned them 
 that a considerable party was coming toward them. 
 Francisco's only hope was that the party would 
 turn aside before they were discovered. The 
 fugitives dared not speak a word even in a whis 
 per, but crouched against the tree scarcely breath 
 ing. A single flash of lightning would reveal 
 their hiding-place; but Heaven seemed kind, and 
 held the sable cloak of night unriven about them. 
 
 The party, evidently a dozen in number, passed 
 so near to the fugitives, that they could almost 
 touch them. Singularly enough, not a word was 
 spoken by the wanderers. That band of stragglers 
 was Laudonniere and his followers on their way to 
 the ships, and a single word would have told the 
 hiding, breathless fugitives that they were friends. 
 Their discovery would have resulted in an entire 
 change in the life of Hortense, and saved her long 
 years of hopeless misery; but fate plays strange 
 pranks sometimes, and this party of friends, whom 
 they supposed to be enemies, passed on. Estevan 
 waited until they were out of hearing, and, assur 
 ing himself that no others were near, asked: 
 
 "Can you walk now? The way is once more 
 clear." 
 
 "I can walk, monsieur." 
 
 They resumed their journey, carefully picking 
 their way over the muddy ground, through swamps
 
 THE FRIENDLY CHIEF. 201 
 
 and over fallen trees. Travel was necessarily slow 
 and painful, as they were compelled to grope their 
 way. Estevan used his sword as a blind man 
 does his cane. Despite his caution, he once missed 
 his footing and both plunged down an embankment 
 into a deep lake. Never losing his wonderful pres 
 ence of mind, he rescued Hortense and himself 
 from drowning, but lost his sword in the effort, 
 and, wholly unarmed, they wandered on. He 
 broke a stick with which he felt his way. Though 
 the rain still fell, the fury of the tempest was 
 past, and the showers were only the spasmodic 
 throes of a dying storm. A still greater blessing 
 was promised in the birth of a new day. Already 
 the eastern horizon was growing lighter, and before 
 long the wretched fugitives could see to travel 
 through the wood without the aid of a cane. 
 Brighter and brighter grew the wood, until it was 
 once more light. The rain ceased, the soft gray 
 rolled away from the sky, and the sun rose in its 
 golden splendor; but its light revealed a shadow 
 of woe. Two homeless fugitives were wandering 
 helplessly through the labyrinthian mazes of a 
 tropical forest, without a ray of joy or hope on 
 their faces. The rain-drops glistened like pearls 
 from the fragrant orange-blossoms, the flowers 
 lifted their heads brightly along the way, the 
 sweet songs of the oriole and mocking-bird made
 
 202 
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 the air musical; but all these 
 awakened no feeling of happi 
 ness in the fair Huguenot. 
 She saw only the wild struggle 
 and heard only the groans of 
 her dying people. Hortense 
 
 "SHE WENT WHITHERSOEVER FRANCISCO LED." 
 
 was benumbed with horror. She could not weep, 
 for tears were denied her, and with her head meekly 
 bowed, looking like some nymph or dryad of the
 
 THE FRIENDLY CHIEF. 203 
 
 forest lost to life, she went whithersoever Francisco 
 led. 
 
 "Are you tired?" he asked. 
 
 "I don't know." 
 
 "Are you hungry?" 
 
 "I have no thought for food." 
 
 "I can pluck some wild fruit." 
 
 "No; go on, "she answered. " I have no desire 
 for fruit." Then she asked, "How far are we 
 now from Fort Carolinia?" 
 
 "It must be several miles." 
 
 "Do you see any of the Spaniards?" 
 
 "No; we are free from pursuit for the present, 
 and before nightfall we will be in the village of 
 Saturiova." 
 
 She seldom spoke after this, save when addressed. 
 
 She was patient and uncomplaining, enduring 
 the fatigue with scarce a murmur. They frequently 
 paused to rest, and once he proposed to make her 
 a bed of leaves that she might sleep and recuperate 
 her strength. She fixed her sad blue eyes on him 
 and said she could not sleep. 
 
 The sun was low when the village of Saturiova 
 was reached. The chief was sitting in front of 
 his lodge, as if expecting them. Their wretched 
 condition roused no visible sympathy in the breast 
 of the stern old warrior, nor did he express any 
 emotion at their terrible story.
 
 204 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Hortense, who knew nothing of the aborigines, 
 felt her heart sink in despair. This indifferent sav 
 age seemed as unconcerned as a stone and would 
 undoubtedly refuse them protection. Francisco 
 kept on, despite the apparent unconcern of the 
 chief, concluding with : 
 
 " Saturiova, I have brought the pale lily whom 
 the Spaniards would slay to make her home with 
 you for a while, until the storm has blown away. 
 Will you take her and treat her as your own 
 daughter? She is young, unaccustomed to rude 
 scenes such as she has witnessed, and to you she 
 appeals for shelter and sympathy." 
 
 This speech being in the Indian tongue, Hor 
 tense of course did not comprehend a word of it. 
 The chief was moved as only a chief can be, and, 
 rising, he approached the trembling girl, and, 
 taking both her hands in his own, answered: 
 
 " I will take the white lily from across the great 
 water to my lodge, and she shall be my daughter. 
 She shall share the wigwam with my other daugh 
 ter, she shall have the best of care and Saturiova 
 will defend her with his life." 
 
 When Francisco had translated his words, Hor 
 tense gazed up into the face so fixed and appar 
 ently immovable a few moments before, but now 
 all beaming with kindness, and tears started to her 
 eyes.
 
 THE FRIENDLY CHIEF. 205 
 
 "Oh, thank you! thank you! and God will 
 surely bless you," she cried. 
 
 The chief then called his daughter, a beautiful 
 forest maiden, whose costume of gay feathers and 
 fine fabrics denoted the rank of a princess, and 
 gave Hortense into her keeping. The Indian 
 maiden placed her arms affectionately about the 
 poor fugitive and, with a smile which semed born 
 in Heaven, murmured in her own rich tongue: 
 
 "Sister." 
 
 With a cry of joy Hortense De Barre fell on the 
 neck of her olive-cheeked sister and wept. The 
 Indian princess conducted her to her own lodge and 
 left her there, while she brought the best food in 
 the village and fed her with her own hands. 
 
 When Estevan had told Saturiova all the details 
 of the massacre, the chief asked: 
 
 " Why do white people kill each other?" 
 
 "It is on account of religion." 
 
 "Does your God command you to do this?" 
 
 Estevan was silent. He knew that God had 
 said, "Thou shalt not kill." 
 
 After a moment's hesitation, he answered: 
 
 "The people from France are heretics." 
 
 "Do you worship the same God?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Then why do you kill each other? We who 
 worship different Gods never fight over religion,
 
 206 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 but for slaves, land, bread, or power. Your 
 religion is not so good as ours if it makes people 
 so cruel." 
 
 " While we worship the same God, the Hugue 
 not denies the infallibility of the pope, or the power 
 of the priest to forgive sins, or that the bread and 
 wine of the sacrament is the true flesh and blood of 
 Christ, and they refuse to believe in the Virgin as 
 intercessor with Christ." 
 
 The old chief heard him to the end and asked: 
 
 "It was for that your people killed them? You 
 won't even let them worship the God you worship, 
 unless they worship Him your way? Is this what 
 you boast of as civilization?" 
 
 Francisco struggled hard to maintain his posi 
 tion; but the chief, with his practical common 
 sense, propounded many puzzling questions, which 
 gave the young Romanist food for thought. It was 
 late in the evening before the Spaniard thought of 
 retiring, and he expressed a wish to know that 
 Hortense was well cared for before going to the 
 lodge set apart for him. 
 
 "Come with me, "said the chief, and, taking up 
 a lighted pine knot, he led the way to his daughter's 
 lodge. He pulled aside the opening, and, holding 
 the torch so as to throw the reflection within, said: 
 
 "Look." 
 
 Francisco Estevan glanced within, and on a bed
 
 THE FRIENDLY CHILF. 207 
 
 of the softest dressed skins placed on dry, clean 
 rushes covered with European blankets, lay the 
 white and red sister, clasped in each other's arms, 
 sleeping the sweet sleep of innocence. Francisco's 
 eyes grew moist at this evidence of trust and 
 affection. 
 
 "Have you any fear for the white lily?" asked 
 Saturiova, closing the opening of the lodge. 
 
 "No." 
 
 He then bade the old chief adieu and went to 
 the lodge set apart for him. Francisco slept the 
 sleep of exhaustion, and awoke late next morning. 
 The old chief had him called to breakfast. He in 
 quired about Hortense and learned that she had 
 slept well and would soon be out of the lodge. It 
 was a calm, sweet morning. It seemed as if no 
 storm had ever swept over the sky which smiled in 
 peace on the blooming forest, and but for the bitter 
 recollections of two nights ago, Estevan might have 
 been happy. The village of Saturiova was most 
 romantically and delightfully situated on a slight 
 elevation, surrounded by orange groves whose per 
 fume burdened the air. 
 
 When Hortense came from the lodge she was 
 greatly improved by her night's rest, though still 
 pale, with the look of horror and fear not gone 
 from her face. She met Francisco joyfully, and 
 he led her to a rustic seat under the trees.
 
 208 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "Can you be happy here?" he asked. 
 
 "I will try," she answered. 
 
 " You must stay here for the present, at least, 
 until I can go to Melendez and secure his promise 
 to spare you." 
 
 "Do you dare go to him?" she asked. 
 
 "Why not? I am a Spaniard and a Catholic; 
 I am consecrated to the priesthood and he dare 
 not bring his thunderbolt of vengeance on my 
 head." 
 
 She shuddered, but remained silent. He noticed 
 the sad look on her face and said: 
 
 "Hortense sister do you hate the Spaniards?" 
 
 "No; I hope God will forgive them." 
 
 "Can you?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "You are an angel, and may the blessed Virgin 
 guard and watch over you!" cried the enraptured 
 Estevan. 
 
 "What will you do?" she asked, after a few 
 moments of silence. 
 
 " I am going to return at once to the fort and 
 seek out Melendez. My father knew him, and 
 I shall presume on their acquaintance to ask a 
 favor at his hands." 
 
 "And leave me here alone?" she asked sadly 
 and plaintively. 
 
 "Are you afraid to be left alone?"
 
 'THE FRIENDLY CHIEF. 209 
 
 "No; but you are the only one on whom I can 
 depend for safety now." 
 
 " I will not desert you, sister. As you saved my 
 life I will save yours; as you remained my truest 
 friend in my hour of distress, I will remain faith 
 ful to you, and though I go away it is for your 
 own good. Have you any fears to remain here?" 
 
 "None. My red sister's father has promised 
 me his protection, and I have heard that an Indian 
 chief will keep his word." 
 
 With gentle words and wholesome counsel he 
 soothed her fears, until her mind became once 
 more tranquil, and he left her leaning on her red 
 sister, whom she had already learned to love. 
 Her resignation and forgiving spirit had opened 
 the mind and heart of the young priest to a new 
 idea of Christianity. When he contemplated the 
 heinous work of his own people, he was constrained 
 to ask: 
 
 "Can love of God make devils of men? When 
 I reflect on that scene I almost despise my monastic 
 vows." 
 
 Going to Saturiova, he took the old chief's hand 
 in both his own, and, in a voice which trembled 
 with emotion, said: 
 
 "I am going away, Saturiova, to be gone, I 
 know not how long. Guard my sister with your 
 life; she is very precious to me." 
 14
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE WILY GYEOT. 
 
 THE return of Estevan to Fort Carolinia was 
 like a solemn pilgrimage. Early one morning lie 
 came in sight of the fort and saw his country's 
 flag flying over it and observed Spanish soldiers 
 moving about the works; but the sight inspired no 
 feeling of joy in his breast. A long ridge of fresh 
 earth just outside the wall showed where the dead 
 slept, while hanging from the branches of a great 
 tree, beneath whose friendly shade he had so often 
 reposed, were frightful objects suspended by the 
 necks, with faces blackened and bodies swollen, 
 until, as they swayed in the air, one could hardly 
 realize that those revolting things had ever been hu 
 man beings. The air about them was impregnated 
 with a foul stench, and hordes of black and green 
 flies swarmed around them, while above soared the 
 loathsome vulture. Unable to bear the sight, Es 
 tevan covered his face with his hands, and, utter 
 ing a prayer for strength, ran past the tree toward 
 the fort. 
 
 210
 
 THE WILY GYROT. 211 
 
 When within a few yards of the gate, he was 
 challenged by the sentry, who demanded to know 
 who he was and whence he came. He answered : 
 
 "I am a Spaniard. I came from the forest, and 
 I want to see Melendez." 
 
 "I believe you to be a heretic," answered the 
 guard, " and if you should prove to be one we will 
 hang you to yonder tree. Behold, we daily in 
 crease their number." 
 
 "I am what I say, and can prove my assertion," 
 he answered. 
 
 "Why are you in this country? you came not 
 with us." 
 
 " I am Francisco Estevan, a native of Cuba, and 
 was on my way from Spain, where I had been 
 studying for the monastery, when my ship was 
 seized by some French pirates who brought me to 
 this colony." 
 
 An officer of the guard came up at this moment 
 and consulted a short time with the sentry, and 
 then ordered Francisco to approach. 
 
 "You say you are a Spaniard?" asked the 
 officer. 
 
 "lam." 
 
 "Your language denotes Spanish; are you a 
 good Catholic?" 
 
 "I am." 
 
 "Whom do you wish to see?"
 
 212 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "The commandant Melendez." 
 
 "Melendez is not commandant; he has appoint 
 ed Gonzalo de Villarael governor of St. Mattheo, 
 while he returned to St. Augustine." 
 
 "Is Mendoza here?" 
 
 "He departed with Melendez." 
 
 " I must see Melendez, for my business is with 
 him." 
 
 He was sent to Gonzalo de Villarael, who regarded 
 him with suspicion and asked him a great many 
 questions. Francisco frankly answered all of 
 them; but took care to say nothing of the hiding- 
 place of Hortense. 
 
 "You say you come from the forest: have you 
 seen any Huguenots?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Some are hiding in the woods." 
 
 "I have met with none." 
 
 "Are you friendly to the French Huguenots?" 
 
 "They are the enemies of the Catholic reli 
 gion." 
 
 "Have you not espoused theirs?" 
 
 Francisco was thunderstruck at the question, 
 and, bounding to his feet, asked: 
 
 " Do you mean to ask if I have become a Hugue 
 not?" 
 
 "I do." 
 
 "No."
 
 THE WILY GYROT. 213 
 
 "It was reported that you were a proselyte to 
 their faith before our arrival." 
 
 "Senor, you have heard falsely." 
 
 "At any rate I must detain you a prisoner, 
 though we shall not hang you until we have more 
 proof." 
 
 Francisco could hardly believe his senses. Star 
 ing at the Spanish governor, he exclaimed: 
 
 "A prisoner! I, a prisoner!" 
 
 "Yes, senor, you are a prisoner." 
 
 "I demand, then, to be taken to Melendez." 
 
 "Your request shall be granted; you shall be 
 taken to Melendez, but not now, we have no time. 
 For the next few days we will confine you at St. 
 Mattheo; but as soon as a guard can be spared, 
 you will be removed to St. Augustine." 
 
 A few days ! Then for days, he knew not how 
 many, he was to be kept away from Hortense, who, 
 in her strange home in the wilderness, surrounded 
 by wild, savage people to whom she could not 
 speak a word, would day by day watch and wait 
 with heart-breaking anxiety for his return. Per 
 haps he would never return. Some one had maligned 
 him to the Spanish officers, and that one, his 
 instincts told him, was John Gyrot. The wily 
 devil had planned well, and Francisco had fallen 
 into the trap he had prepared. He was unable to 
 drive from his mind the recollection of those hor-
 
 214 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 rible things he had seen suspended from the tree, 
 and knew that he might soon add another to the list. 
 
 In the darkest dungeon the fort could afford 
 Francisco Estevan was confined. He could take 
 no heed of the flight of time, for night and day 
 were alike to him in his dismal cell. Here he 
 pined and waited, and hoped and dreamed of Hor- 
 tense, exposed to all the nameless horrors of the 
 wilderness. Ten days passed before he was brought 
 forth from his dungeon to meet the governor, and 
 then all the satisfaction he could get was that he 
 was to be sent to St. Augustine. Pale and silent, 
 yet with a burning fire within his breast, Estevan 
 meekly submitted. What had he ever done to his 
 countrymen to merit such treatment? He asked 
 no questions, for they would not be answered. He 
 was placed in charge of a guard of twenty sol 
 diers and sent to St. Augustine. The rains had 
 ceased, the earth was dry, and the forest through 
 which they journeyed beautiful as only a Floridian 
 forest in that land of eternal Spring can be. The 
 prisoner was in no mood to enjoy his beautiful 
 surroundings and the songs of tropical birds. 
 
 The march to St. Augustine was a journey in 
 silence, and the prisoner, whose hopes grew fainter 
 every day, was relieved when they came in sight 
 of the fort at the close of the third day's march. 
 A prison had been built at St. Augustine. The
 
 THE WILY GYROT. 215 
 
 first thought of the Europeans in settling in the New 
 World was the construction of prisons. Francisco 
 was conducted at once to the dungeon, as it was 
 too late to see the governor that day. 
 
 He consoled himself with the thought that 
 Balboa and Cortez had both been in prison, and 
 both had escaped to become rulers of men. "Would 
 fate grant the same fortune to him? His mind 
 was so wholly occupied with the lonely girl in the 
 wigwam of the savages that he gave little thought 
 to himself. 
 
 Next morning the guard came and escorted the 
 prisoner, heavily ironed, from his dungeon to the 
 governor's hall. On the way he was somewhat 
 amazed to meet John Gyrot. The malignant grin 
 on his face denoted a fiendish triumph. 
 
 " Monsieur Estevan, I greet you. Good-morn 
 ing!" 
 
 With a look of supreme contempt, Estevan an 
 swered : 
 
 "It is you I have to thank for this." 
 
 "Monsieur, don't be too hard on me." 
 
 " I plainly see your cunning hand and fertile 
 brain in all the misfortunes which have befallen me ; 
 but a day of reckoning will come. Of that be 
 assured." 
 
 "I would be monsieur's friend if he would let 
 me, I would be his great friend."
 
 216 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "My friend? Have you influence with Me 
 lendez?" 
 
 " Not a great deal ; just a little. Nevertheless, 
 such as I have shall be used in your interest, if 
 you will aid me." 
 
 "You demand a return?" 
 
 "Not much, monsieur. All I require of you is 
 to inform me where Mademoiselle De Barre is hid 
 ing. I have no evil intentions toward the made 
 moiselle; but, being an old and respected friend 
 of the family, I naturally feel a great interest in 
 her. She may be in danger, and in need of a 
 friend. Gyrot is her devoted friend." 
 
 Turning to the guard, Estevan asked to betaken 
 at once to Melendez. Strangely enough, the guard 
 did not stir, and Gyrot, who seemed to exercise 
 authority over them, continued : " During the con 
 flict, monsieur fled from the fort and mademoiselle 
 was also missing. Then where were they? No 
 doubt they went together." 
 
 He was bland, smiling, and polite, and, withal, 
 deceitful. Estevan, disdaining to hold further con 
 versation with one whom he had detested from the 
 hour he had first seen his ugly face, again ap 
 pealed to the guard. 
 
 "Will you take me to Melendez?" 
 
 "Don't be hasty, monsieur," continued Gyrot 
 with his malignant grin. " Stay until I have feasted
 
 THE WILY GYROT. 217 
 
 my eyes on that dear friend whom I saved from 
 the pirates. Tell me, where is the mademoiselle?" 
 
 "I will not talk with you. My business is 
 with the admiral," Francisco answered. 
 
 "So you will not answer me. Perhaps you pre 
 fer to answer the admiral, "and, with a polite wave 
 .of his hand, Gyrot signalled the guard to move on 
 with their prisoner. 
 
 He was conducted to Melendez, who was evi 
 dently expecting him. The wild-eyed fanatic who 
 had been commissioned to deeds of blood gazed on 
 the prisoner without the least show of sympathy. 
 After a moment's silence, he said in his terrible 
 
 voice : 
 
 a 
 
 You have been sent to me on serious charges. " 
 "Charges? I was not aware I was accused of 
 anything." 
 
 " Why did you suppose you were sent to prison?" 
 "I supposed it a mistake, admiral." 
 Melendez then read the indictment to the pris 
 oner, charging him with sedition, heresy, treason 
 to the crown of Spain, apostasy, aiding and abetting 
 and giving comfort to the Huguenots and enemies 
 of the Catholic faith. 
 
 "What answer do you make?" asked Melendez 
 when the entire list had been read. 
 
 "I have been maligned and it is a tissue of false 
 hoods from beginning to end,"
 
 218 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "Let us see if it is all false. Where were you 
 on the night of the attack on Fort Carolinia?" 
 
 "A prisoner in the fort." 
 
 "On what charge?" 
 
 " Of being a spy and aiding and abetting my 
 countrymen." 
 
 "That is your story. There was no record 
 found in the fort of the charge." 
 
 " It was an informal arrest and no charge had 
 been reduced to writing." 
 
 "What became of you during the flight?" 
 
 "I escaped." 
 
 Glancing toward the door, Francisco discovered 
 the face of Gyrot, who had entered with his usual 
 noiseless tread. 
 
 "You left during the battle?" continued Me- 
 lendez. 
 
 "I did." 
 
 "Whither did you go?" 
 
 "To the forest." 
 
 "Alone?" 
 
 Estevan started. Melendez had, with the adroit 
 ness of an expert, led gradually up to the vital 
 point of the case, and now his eyes were on the 
 young Spaniard as if he would read his heart. 
 
 "Answer; did you go away alone?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Who accompanied you in your flight?"
 
 THE WILY OYROT. 219 
 
 "Hortense De Barre." 
 
 "A Huguenot maiden?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 The face of the admiral was dark and sinister, 
 and his eyes flashed with fire, as, fixing them on 
 the prisoner, he said: 
 
 " My orders are that all Huguenots, male and 
 female, shall come in and surrender, and that every 
 one knowing where a Huguenot is concealed shall 
 reveal the hiding-place." 
 
 After waiting for several moments for the pris 
 oner to speak, the admiral again spoke : 
 
 " I command you to tell me the whereabouts of 
 Hortense De Barre!" He was still silent. "Will 
 you tell, senor?" 
 
 "No, admiral, I will not." 
 
 "Then I swear by all the saints' in the calendar 
 you shall go back to that dungeon at St. Matthep 
 and remain there until your hair is white and your 
 frame bent with age!" cried the enraged admiral. 
 
 "Hold, admiral! before you pass that cruel sen 
 tence let me explain." 
 
 "Speak, and I will listen." 
 
 " I want to go back to the time when I was a 
 student in Spain, preparing for the monastery. 
 With some monks I set out to make 'a pilgrimage 
 to Kome. We went by sea and our vessel was 
 wrecked on the coast of France, and I, of all the
 
 220 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 crew and passengers, was rescued from death by 
 a French maiden. I was taken from the wreck in 
 an insensible condition and nursed back to life by 
 this good angel, but for whom I would have per 
 ished. When I recovered, I registered a vow that 
 should she ever be in distress I would befriend her. 
 Fortuitous circumstances, a little more than a 
 fortnight since, gave me that opportunity. I was 
 in Fort Carolinia as I have stated. My preserver 
 was there also, and the Spaniards were storming 
 the place; then I seized her and carried her to a 
 place of safety where she is to-day, admiral, hid 
 ing from John Gyrot, her persecutor from her 
 childhood, whose hands are red with the blood of 
 his countrymen, and who will not hesitate to betray 
 you if his interests demand it. He it is who asks 
 the return of Hortense De Barre. Admiral, swear 
 to me on the crucifix, on your honor as a Spaniard 
 to Spaniard, Catholic to Catholic, that Hortense De 
 Barre shall be free from the persecutions of John 
 Gyrot and accorded the same safety as other Hugue 
 not women, and I will bring her to you!" 
 
 Melendez fixed his eyes on Gyrot as if asking 
 him for a reply to the charges. The wily French 
 man was already roused, for he saw danger to his 
 pet scheme, and, advancing nearer to the admiral, 
 he began: 
 
 " Monsieur has spoken with an oily tongue, and
 
 THE WILY GYROT. 221 
 
 his eloquence and falsehoods are dangerous to the 
 unthinking, but harmless to the man who can dis 
 cern the truth. Monsieur Estevan was in Fort 
 Carolinia when news reached it of the arrival of 
 the Spanish fleet. If he was the good Spaniard 
 and Catholic which he claims to be, why did he 
 not go to his countrymen? He was not seized by 
 the Huguenots then nor imprisoned. Why? Be 
 cause he was a proselyte to their faith and they had 
 no fear of his betraying them. Had he wished, 
 he could have gone to his people and told them of 
 the weak places in the enemy's fort and where to 
 strike the enemies of the holy church. Who came 
 to you, admiral, who gave you the plans of the 
 fort, and finally led you to successful victory? It 
 was not Francisco Estevan. Who remained with 
 you during the fight and held the torch to light you 
 on to victory? Verily, not the monsieur, but I. 
 The admiral will remember a sacred compact he 
 made with myself. I asked that he spare only 
 one, Hortense De Barre, a friend of my childhood. 
 I have kept my oath, Fort Carolinia is yours, 
 admiral; now will you forget your solemn obliga 
 tion?" 
 
 Gyrot had Melendez in his power, for the oath 
 taken on the crucifix before the fall of Fort Caro 
 linia would be kept. He assured Gyrot that he 
 remembered his obligation and had no disposition
 
 222 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 to violate it; then turning to the prisoner, he 
 added : 
 
 " You must reveal the hiding-place of Hortense 
 De Barre." 
 
 "I cannot." 
 
 "You must." 
 
 "I will not, unless the admiral will swear on the 
 crucifix that she shall be protected from John 
 Gyrot." 
 
 "I can make no such oath." 
 
 " Then I will not reveal her hiding-place. I am 
 your prisoner; do with me as you will, hang me, 
 burn me at the stake, or put me to the rack, but, 
 by the mother of Jesus, I swear I will not reveal 
 her place of concealment." 
 
 Both Melendez and Gyrot were startled by the 
 stubborn refusal of Francisco. The smile faded 
 from the Frenchman's white face, and his eyes 
 gleamed with an evil light. 
 
 "Monsieur is defiant, admiral; beware, or he 
 may displace you as Vasco Nunez de Balboa did 
 Bachelor Encisco." 
 
 For a few moments Melendez contemplated the 
 prisoner in silence; finally he asked: 
 
 "Is this your answer?" 
 
 "It is." 
 
 "Will nothing change you?" 
 
 "Nothing."
 
 THE WILY GYROT. 223 
 
 "Guards, take him back to the dungeon and 
 fasten him in the most secure cell." 
 
 "Hold!" cried Estevan, as the guards advanced 
 to lead him away. " I claim the benefit of clergy ; 
 my person is sacred." 
 
 "Have you ever been ordained?" asked Me- 
 lendez. 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Clergy is denied you; you must go to St. 
 Mattheo, where the prison is more secure." 
 
 "I demand to see Father Mendoza." 
 
 "He is not here." 
 
 "Do you deny me the right to consult a priest?" 
 
 "Mendoza is not here." 
 
 "Must I go to prison without seeing him?" 
 
 " There is no help for it. You refuse to obey the 
 command of the king's officers, and you are 
 charged with crimes which may cost you your life. 
 Guards, take him back to Fort St. Mattheo and 
 tell the governor it is my command that he be con 
 fined in the most secure cell of his prison, that he 
 see no one and converse with no one unless by my 
 written order. Away!" 
 
 Francisco had played his last card, and his heart 
 sank within him. Gyrot approached the prisoner 
 and, with a triumphant smile on his face, said: 
 
 "Give yourself no uneasiness on account of the 
 mademoiselle. I will care for her. Sufficient sol-
 
 224 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 diers will be furnished me to scour every forest 
 glade in Florida to find her." 
 
 Francisco, without making any answer, marched 
 away in silence to St. Mattheo, which was reached 
 in due time. There he was confined in the most 
 gloomy cell in the prison. Once alone, his man 
 hood deserted him and he broke down and wept. 
 
 Day by day he hoped that Father Mendoza would 
 call on him; but as weeks and months glided by 
 and he came not, the prisoner reached the correct 
 conclusion that the priest was not aware of his 
 captivity. 
 
 Francisco exhausted all human resources, and 
 then turned to God. All his pious ideas, which 
 in the late tumult of events had been almost for 
 gotten, returned. He remembered all the prayers 
 he had been taught, and discovered a new meaning 
 in every word. He prayed, and, no longer terri 
 fied at the sound of his voice, prayed aloud. He 
 laid every action of his life before the Almighty, 
 proposed tasks to accomplish, and concluded every 
 prayer with : 
 
 " 'Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them 
 that trespass against us. ' ' 
 
 But despite all his earnest invocations, Francisco 
 remained a prisoner. Then a gloomy feeling took 
 possession of him. His mind was filled with his 
 wrongs and the wrongs to that innocent girl who
 
 THE WILY OYROT. 225 
 
 might be suffering more than he. His mind, con 
 stantly harassed with doubts and fears, missed the 
 pleasure which solitude has brought to some great 
 souls in prison. Day and night his mind was filled 
 with Hortense in the wilderness. He was young, 
 just in the morning of life as it were; but his mind 
 had been well stored with useful knowledge, 
 which, had not the wrongs of Hortense crowded 
 out all other reflections, might have furnished him 
 with food for pleasant thoughts. His energetic 
 spirit was imprisoned like an eagle in a cage. 
 
 Thus the months rolled by. A year and more 
 had passed, and he had seen no one save his jailer 
 who brought him the miserable food that kept soul 
 and body together. 
 
 Though scarcely able to note the flight of time, he 
 knew that more than a year had passed since he left 
 the little trusting girl in the forest with the assur 
 ance that he would return soon. What had been 
 her fate? He would have given his miserable life 
 to know that she was safe and happy. 
 15
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE AVENGER. 
 
 A FAMOUS modern novelist says, "God may 
 seem, sometimes, to forget for a while, whilst jus 
 tice reposes; but there always comes a moment when 
 He remembers." God's vengeance is as sure to 
 fall as His mercy is to be extended. The unrepen 
 tant rebel may be spared for a while, to give him 
 an opportunity to reform; yet he who persists in 
 sin and folly will come to ruin in the end. What 
 is true of individuals is also true of nations. Spain, 
 at this period, one of the greatest, if not the greatest 
 power on earth, was extending her dominion over 
 the richest parts of the New World. She poured 
 the wealth of Mexico and Peru into her coffers; but 
 the treasure made her people rich and indolent, at 
 the same time exciting the envy of the world, so 
 that, in time, she paid the penalty of her cruel con 
 quests by loss of possessions and diminution of 
 power, until she has become one of the feeblest 
 nations of Europe. In justice to Spain, we are 
 compelled to say that, cruel as she was, she was 
 
 little behind France in barbarity. 
 226
 
 THE AVENGER. 227 
 
 In the Huguenot extermination in Florida, Me- 
 lendez, according to good authority, seems to have 
 acted in concert with the court of France, which 
 considered the Huguenots of Florida as the very 
 worst of rebels and traitors. Though they had 
 been settled under the charter and by the authority 
 of the French king CHARLES IX., he acted toward 
 his Protestant subjects in France much the same 
 as did Melendez to those in Florida. All Europe 
 was amazed, that, in whatever light the king might 
 view the Floridian Huguenots, he did not resent 
 the insult done to his own dignity; and all that 
 has been said in vindication of his tameness is that 
 his connections at that time did not admit of his 
 coming to an open rupture with Spain. 
 
 In vain patriotic Frenchmen, both Catholic and 
 Protestants, tried to rouse the king to action. 
 Coligni, the great Protestant champion, was de 
 serted by his sovereign and the king's inhuman 
 mother. 
 
 Catharine de Medici, with a strange perversion 
 of a mother's natural instincts, after she became 
 regent, plunged her children, in the flower of their 
 youth, into a whirl of sensual pleasure, that soon 
 weakened their minds and bodies beyond recovery, 
 as she intended. When her royal son reached his 
 majority, he seemed incapable of resisting any 
 temptation which his mother placed before him, and
 
 228 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 while he wore the crown, she ruled France. Fail 
 ing in her plot to bring the Duke of Guise to the 
 scaffold, she, by a bit of diplomacy more cunning 
 than honest, changed her tactics and joined the 
 league against the Huguenots, of which he was 
 leader. Thus we see Coligni stripped of his 
 power and unable to avenge the blood of his slain 
 colony. We should state here that, at the mas 
 sacre on the Eve of .St. Bartholomew, August, 
 1572, when the king ordered all the Huguenots in 
 France to be put to death, the gallant Coligni was 
 the first martyr. A band of murderers, under a 
 German assassin named Behme, in the employ of 
 the Duke of Guise, entered the admiral's room, 
 plunged a boar-spear to his heart, and flung his body 
 out of the window into the court below, where the 
 Duke of Guise was awaiting the consummation of 
 the crime. 
 
 The slaughtered Huguenots were avenged, how 
 ever, in a very extraordinary manner by a Catholic 
 gentleman, the Chevalier De Gourges, a soldier of 
 fortune and good family. He had distinguished 
 himself during the wars against Spain in Italy, 
 where he was once captured by the enemy and 
 chained as a slave to a galley. This galley was 
 subsequently taken by the Turks, and, shortly 
 after, again captured by the Maltese, who liberated 
 De Gourges. He subsequently made some voyages
 
 THE AVENGER. 229 
 
 to Africa, Brazil, and other places, and, upon his 
 return to France, was looked upon as the ablest 
 navigator in Europe. A life of wild adventure 
 and a frame seasoned to hardships made De 
 Gourges an admirable person to carry out any des 
 perate plan of conquest and adventure. Hearing 
 of the massacre of his countrymen in Florida, he 
 immediately laid a plan for avenging them and 
 driving their murderers out of that fine country. 
 
 In order to carry out his designs, he converted 
 all his property into ready money, and also secured 
 long loans. With these funds he built three 
 frigates, on board of which he put one hundred and 
 fifty soldiers and volunteers, most of them gentle 
 men, besides eighty sailors. His ships drew but 
 little water, and were so constructed that in a calm 
 they might be worked with sweeps, by which means 
 they could enter the mouths of rivers. 
 
 All this required time, and it was not until 
 August, 1567, that his armament and complement 
 of men was complete. This was nearly two years 
 after the massacre in Florida. At last all was in 
 readiness, and on August 22, 1567, he weighed 
 anchor and sailed on his desperate venture. Hither 
 to his purpose had been kept secret from all the 
 world, and he had obtained from M. De Moutluc, 
 the French king's lieutenant in Gascogny, a com 
 mission to go to the coast of Africa on a slaving
 
 230 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 voyage. After pretending to trade there for some 
 time, he suddenly bore away for the coast of 
 America. He first fell in with the lesser Antilles 
 Islands, beat up to Porto Rico and from thence to 
 the small island of Mona, where he took in food 
 and water. A storm spoiled the greater part of his 
 bread and compelled him to put into St. Nicholas 
 harbor, on the east side of Hispaniola, for a fresh 
 supply; but the Spaniards refused to furnish him 
 with more provisions. Sailing from thence he met 
 with another storm, and it was with great difficulty 
 that he reached Cape St. Anthony, on the west 
 coast of Cuba. While lying there he mustered his 
 officers and most of his crews, and addressed them 
 thus: 
 
 "The time is now come that you should 
 know the real object of this expedition as it was 
 designed from the first. Nearly two years have 
 passed since our countrymen who left France to 
 make homes in Florida were set upon in the night 
 and murdered by the most cruel and bloodthirsty 
 creatures ever made in the image of God. First 
 they fell upon the fort, where a feeble garrison had 
 been left to protect the aged, the sick, the women 
 and children. Like fiends they slew them in their 
 beds, on their knees, or wherever found. No 
 pity was shown, and even children of a tender age 
 were slain, A few captives were reserved and
 
 THE AVENGER. 231 
 
 subsequently hanged on a tree. The ships of John 
 Eibault, a noble Frenchman, whom I knew, and 
 whom, despite our differences in religion, I loved, 
 were wrecked on the Florida coast, and a few days 
 later he and his men fell into the power of Me- 
 lendez. The Spaniards promised to spare them 
 nay, Melendez swore that if they would surrender 
 they should all be sent to France. Believing the 
 perfidious lies of the monster, our unfortunate ship 
 mates surrendered. They were immediately bound 
 with cords and butchered in cold blood. These 
 atrocities appeal to the heart of every patriotic 
 Frenchman and call for vengeance. For two years 
 the blood of our murdered kinsmen has cried out 
 for vengeance, and, by the help of God, I will 
 avenge them. 
 
 " There is more that appeals to my soul. Rumors 
 have come that some of our people, escaping the 
 general massacre, are living among the Indians in 
 the forest. I was once rescued from drowning by 
 a seaman named De Barre, of Dieppe, and was so 
 grateful for his gallant preservation of my own life 
 that I have ever since wished I might repay him. 
 He perished in a riot; but his daughter, who went 
 with Ribault to the New World, escaped the mas 
 sacre at Fort Carolinia, and there is a rumor that 
 she lives in the forest among the Indians. We go 
 to her rescue as well as to revenge."
 
 232 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 He appealed to the humanity and patriotism of 
 his followers, pointing out the inhuman cruelty of 
 the Spaniards, until the Frenchmen were roused to 
 a pitch of enthusiasm bordering on frenzy. At 
 the end of his speech, he cried: 
 
 "How many of you demand vengeance?" A 
 shout went up from the deck, in which every voice 
 joined. "Vengeance!" was the cry. 
 
 Sailing through the straits of Bahama, he came 
 upon the coast of Florida, where the Spaniards 
 thought themselves so secure that they mistook the 
 French ships for vessels from their own country, 
 and saluted them accordingly. They were duly 
 answered by De Gourges, who next night entered 
 the river Tacatacouran, called by the French the 
 Seine, fifteen miles from the river May or St. John. 
 
 "They will learn before long whom they have 
 saluted," the fiery Gascon declared. 
 
 No wonder the Spaniards did not suspect that 
 vengeance was at hand. The king of France had 
 certainly winked at the extermination of the 
 Huguenots, even if he had not sanctioned it. 
 Protestantism, if not actually on the wane at 
 this period, was at a stand-still, owing to the 
 bitter persecutions, and no one dreamed of a single 
 individual on his own account fitting out an expe 
 dition designed to deal out summary justice on the 
 Spaniards,
 
 THE AVENGER 233 
 
 By this time the Spaniards had rendered them 
 selves odious to the natives, so that, mistaking De 
 Gourges for a Spanish squadron, they prepared to 
 oppose his landing. Suspecting their mistake, De 
 Gourges sent his trumpeter, who had served under 
 Laudonni&re and understood their language, ashore. 
 
 The tribe which met them was that of Saturiova, 
 with whom Francisco had left Hortense De Barre. 
 The trumpeter, recognizing Saturiova before the 
 boat touched the shore, called to him : 
 
 "Have no fear, my red brother, we are not 
 Spaniards." 
 
 Eecognizing them as French, Saturiova invited 
 them to land and assured them of his hospitality. 
 The trumpeter, who was master of their language, 
 answered: 
 
 " We have come to renew our alliance with you, 
 and will be friends of the Indians." 
 
 The old chief drew his mantle about his shoulders 
 in his solemn, impressive manner and asked: 
 
 "Where is the chief of the boats?" 
 
 "He will come ashore in the morning." 
 
 "Saturiova will talk with him." 
 
 Returning to his vessel the trumpeter reported his 
 interview with the chief. 
 
 "I will go and see this savage to-morrow," said 
 De Gourges, "and if we can make an ally of him, 
 he will prove invaluable to us,"
 
 234 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Accordingly, next morning, with great pomp and 
 ceremony to impress the Indians, De Gourges was 
 rowed ashore, and advanced to meet the chief, 
 who, surrounded by his principal warriors and 
 advisers, stood on the shore to greet him. 
 
 " Saturiova is happy to greet white brothers from 
 France once more," said the chief, " especially since 
 the cruel men from Spain came, and killed many 
 who were friends of the red men." 
 
 Carefully concealing the object of his visit, De 
 Gourges casually asked: 
 
 " How are you getting along with the Spaniards?" 
 
 "Very badly," the chief answered. "They treat 
 us cruelly and steal all they can. They are proud, 
 and demand all our best furs and gold, and if we 
 refuse they kill us." 
 
 "Are they really so bad?" asked De Gourges, 
 as if hardly able to credit the story. 
 
 "They are worse I hate them," and Saturiova 
 struck the ground with his spear. "If the French 
 will fight them, I will aid them with all my 
 warriors." 
 
 De Gourges, not wishing to appear too anxious, 
 seemed at first to hesitate, but finally answered: 
 
 " We came merely to pay you a friendly visit 
 and renew the former league our people had with 
 you. In fact we had no intention of war. If I 
 found the Spaniards imposing on you, then I in-
 
 THE AVENGER. 235 
 
 tended returning to France for a greater force to 
 exterminate them ; but since I have seen you and 
 heard all you have said, I have changed my mind, 
 and I am ready to aid you with my soldiers, ships, 
 and guns." 
 
 The chief was so delighted that he embraced De 
 Gourges in an ecstasy of joy. The French com 
 mandant continued: "Some of the Huguenots who 
 fled from Fort Carolinia into the forest are said to 
 be among your people. Do you know where any 
 of them are? " 
 
 "I do." 
 
 "Can you bring them to me? " 
 
 "I have the pale lily given to me by the Span 
 iard who never came back." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "They say his countrymen imprisoned him." 
 
 " And you have the young French woman alive 
 and well?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Bring all the French people you can find to me. " 
 
 Saturiova assented and hurried away. 
 
 De Gourges sent a small scouting party into the 
 woods, which, on their return, brought back a 
 Spaniard and John Gyrot, whom they had captured. 
 These two had gone out from Fort St. Mattheo to 
 reconnoitre the strange fleet when they fell into the 
 hands of the French.
 
 236 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 No sooner was John Gyrot in the hands of his 
 countrymen than his political and religious senti 
 ments underwent a complete change. He guessed 
 the reason for the visit of the French to Florida, 
 and began to tremble for his own neck. No sooner 
 was he taken to the presence of De Gourges than 
 he declared himself a Frenchman escaping from the 
 Spanish fort. 
 
 "I can hardly credit your story," said De 
 Gourges. 
 
 "I was made a cruel slave by the Spaniards, 
 monsieur," Gyrot declared. "I was making my 
 escape to go and live with the Indians when I fell 
 in with your people. " 
 
 "Why is this Spaniard with you? " De Gourges 
 asked. 
 
 Gyrot was momentarily confused before he could 
 fix up a story to get out of this unforeseen difficulty ; 
 but he was not long at a loss for a lie that would 
 do, and then he said: 
 
 " Having incurred the displeasure of an officer, 
 he was sentenced to be shot, so he escaped with 
 me'." As the Spaniard knew no French he could 
 not contradict the assertion. 
 
 " You may remain in camp," said De Gourges. 
 " We expect others to-morrow who escaped from 
 the massacre at Fort Carolinia, a young man and a 
 young woman."
 
 THE AVENGER. 237 
 
 Gyrot started, and a gleam of joy flashed over 
 his repulsive features. Who could the young 
 woman be but Hortense De Barre? No other Hu 
 guenot was among the Indians. Gyrot's resolution 
 was immediately formed. He began to relate the 
 wrongs he had suffered at the hands of his Spanish 
 masters, and most particularly did he describe one, 
 Franciso Estevan, as a demon, whom he asked the 
 privilege of killing with his own hand. With 
 out deciding, De Gourges promised to give his 
 request some thought. The French commandant 
 was not altogether satisfied with Gyrot's stories, 
 which in part failed to harmonize with accepted 
 facts. 
 
 The Spaniard was sent on board a ship for safe 
 keeping, and while John Gyrot was given the 
 privilege of the camp, a close watch was kept over 
 him. Night passed and next morning Peter De 
 Bray was brought in by some of the Indians, who 
 announced that Saturiova and the white lily were 
 coming. De Bray was overjoyed to meet with his 
 countrymen; but was equally annoyed at finding 
 John Gyrot among them. Before he could say a 
 word to De Gourges, warning him of the treacher 
 ous rascal, the wil^ scoundrel seized De Bray's 
 hand and began: 
 
 "My dear friend Peter, you know not how it 
 gladdens my heart to see you again, and realize
 
 238 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 that we are now among our own countrymen. 
 You, too, have suffered, my dear friend, but not 
 so much as I, who have been in prison and sick 
 and threatened with death. I saw my dearest 
 friends hanged before my very eyes and was power 
 less to render them aid," and here he tried to call 
 up a hypocritical tear, even going through the act 
 of brushing it away. " It was very sad, monsieur, 
 I assure you," he added. 
 
 "But I heard you had not fared badly," began 
 De Bray. 
 
 "My dear friend, no one will ever know how 
 badly I did fare. I was reserved from death for a 
 greater torture by that fiend in human form, Fran 
 cisco Estevan." 
 
 "Is he not a prisoner? " 
 
 "Temporarily, only temporarily," interrupted 
 John Gyrot. " You don't understand it, monsieur. 
 I will give you the particulars in due time, reveal 
 ing all the cunning and devilish plans of Estevan, 
 and to your ears unfold a plot that would do credit 
 to the most cunning fiend of perdition." While 
 he still spoke in his hurried, excited manner, Sa- 
 turiova approached with Hortense, who was clad in 
 the rich costume of an Indian princess. Their 
 moccasined feet made no noise and they joined the 
 group without Gyrot being aware of their presence. 
 He continued speaking hurriedly to forestall any-
 
 THE AVENGER. 239 
 
 thing De Bray might say derogatory to his own 
 character. 
 
 " Monsieur De Gourges, if I were to tell you one- 
 half of the cruelties perpetrated by Francisco Este- 
 van, your blood would boil and your flesh would 
 creep. He slew six of the Huguenots, flaying one 
 alive, and my own back must bear the marks of 
 his scourge, monsieur; but we will hang and quar 
 ter him, won't we, monsieur?" 
 
 "No," cried a sharp, silvery voice behind his 
 back, sounding like the trump of doom in the ear 
 of the guilty wretch. Wheeling about, he espied 
 Hortense De Barre, her eyes flashing with indigna 
 tion, her cheeks aflame, her lips parted, and her 
 breast heaving. The dove had become an eagle, 
 the lamb a tigress, and the meek girl an avenger. 
 " Monsieur De Gourges, every word that base trai 
 tor utters is false. He betrayed Fort Carolinia to 
 the Spaniards; he went secretly to their ships and 
 laid the plans for the capture of the garrison; he 
 gave the signal for the attack, and held the torch 
 to light the Spaniards while they murdered his 
 countrymen. He is a traitor, a libel on the very 
 name of manhood, and his mission here is full of 
 treason." 
 
 For a moment John Gyrot was stunned. He 
 gazed at the beautiful girl, who in two worlds and 
 under all the trying vicissitudes of life had defied
 
 240 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 him. He forgot his own peril, forgot everything 
 save that after two years' fruitless search he was 
 face to face with Hortense De Barre. With his 
 dark, greenish eyes ablaze, and those sharp white 
 teeth gnashing like the incisors of an enraged hedge 
 hog, he looked at her, hissing: 
 
 "I have found you at last, now come with me!" 
 
 But there was one who had watched his move 
 ments, and, like a dark meteor, old Saturiova 
 leaped between Gyrot and the girl, a long, keen 
 knife in his hand. 
 
 "No!" he cried in his own tongue. "She is 
 my daughter touch her and die!" 
 
 Gyrot fell back, and, in the excitement which 
 ensued, ran from the camp, and, with a defiant 
 shout, leaped into the wood. 
 
 "He is gone to warn the Spaniards, monsieur," 
 cried Hortense. 
 
 Before De Gourges could speak, Saturiova 
 issued an order to four of his young men, and they 
 plunged into the woods after the fugitive.
 
 "TOUCH HEK AX1> I>IK
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE PLAN OF ATTACK. 
 
 THE incidents with which the foregoing chapter 
 closed transpired so rapidly that De Gourges was 
 stunned by the denouement, as dramatic as it was 
 unexpected, and could hardly comprehend the 
 dangerous character of Gyrot until he had disap 
 peared. Then, although four young Indians had 
 been sent to bring back the fugitive, De Gourges 
 still felt uneasy. 
 
 "We must capture or kill the scoundrel," the 
 commandant declared. "I will send a party to 
 arrest him." 
 
 " Your men know not the forest, nor are they 
 accustomed to making long runs," said Saturiova. 
 " They will be lost and perish in the wood. I have 
 sent four swift young men to kill or seize him, and 
 I will send fifty more to guard every path about 
 the forts on this river, and also at St. Augustine, 
 so that he can never reach the Spaniards." 
 
 "Do so at once." 
 
 Old Saturiova selected fifty of his young men, 
 16 241
 
 242 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 sending twelve to watch each of the forts on May 
 River, and fourteen to guard every avenue to St. 
 Augustine. They were instructed to interfere 
 with no one save the evil man with the face of 
 death. They received their orders and all silently 
 disappeared into the forest. 
 
 Peter De Bray assured De Gourges that nothing 
 more could be done toward the capture of John 
 Gyrot. 
 
 After the flight of the traitor, Hortense retired to 
 the interior of the camp, and sat down on a log, 
 her mind harassed with fears and doubts. If 
 Gyrot reached St. Mattheo, Francisco would cer 
 tainly be slain, for the Spaniards, incensed at the 
 invasion of the French, would not spare one of their 
 own countrymen who was friendly toward them. 
 De Gourges went to her, and asked: 
 
 "Is this Mademoiselle De Barre?" 
 
 "It is, monsieur." 
 
 "I knew your father; he once saved my life, 
 and I registered a vow that I would befriend him 
 and his under any and all circumstances when in 
 trouble. To fulfil that vow was one of the incen 
 tives which brought me here." 
 
 Hortense bowed her pretty head. 
 
 "Now, mademoiselle, tell me about yourself, 
 your coming to America and your suffering here. " 
 
 As briefly as she could, Hortense related her sad
 
 THE PLAN OF ATTACK. 243 
 
 story, especially that part which bore upon her emi 
 gration to America. She told of the incident at Beau- 
 carre, her rescue of the Spanish student, the jealousy 
 of Gyrot and his persistent persecutions. Finally 
 she told of her emigration with Ribault in the last 
 fleet to Florida and settling at Fort Carolinia, where, 
 to her surprise, she met both Gyrot and Francisco 
 Estevan. She told in detail the story of Gyrot's 
 treachery to his countrymen, and the fidelity of 
 Estevan. The awful carnage on that terrible night 
 of September 21, 1565, was lived over again, and 
 she dwelt particularly on the heroism of the young 
 Spaniard, who had saved her and taken her to Sa- 
 turiova. When the brave girl came to the pic 
 ture of Francisco arrested and thrown into prison 
 without the benefit of clergy, all for herself, she 
 broke down and wept. 
 
 " Now, monsieur, I want to ask one favor before 
 this attack is made," she said. 
 
 "What is it? If I can, I will grant it." 
 
 "I have learned that the priest Mendoza, who 
 is a friend of Franciso Estevan, is unaware of his 
 imprisonment. Let me go to Mendoza, plead his 
 cause, and secure Francisco's release before you 
 make the attack." 
 
 "Impossible, child; our plans would all be dis 
 covered and thwarted; but I will do all I can to 
 save the prisoner."
 
 244 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 " He will be slain in the attack, or put to death 
 by his own people." 
 
 "Let us hope not. Cheer up, mademoiselle, 
 and we will save him yet," said De Gourges on 
 leaving her. But Hortense was far from being 
 satisfied. 
 
 Meanwhile, Saturiova was not idle. On that 
 same afternoon he summoned all the paraousties, 
 or chiefs, who were either his allies or vassals, or 
 over whom he had any control, and held a council 
 of war with De Gourges and his officers. From the 
 number of men each chief agreed to furnish, De 
 Gourges found he would have quite a considerable 
 army. 
 
 " It will be well to send scouts to the neighbor 
 hood of Fort Carol inia and ascertain its exact 
 strength," suggested De Gourges. The plan was 
 acquiesced in by Saturiova and he chose his nephew, 
 Olacatora, to accompany any one whom the white 
 chief might choose. Olacatora was an ambitious 
 young brave, and felt a degree of pride at being 
 selected for so important an office. 
 
 De Gourges chose a daring young Frenchman 
 named D'Estampes. Before they departed the 
 French commandant took D'Estampes aside and im 
 pressed on his mind the danger of his enterprise, and 
 urged him to be cautious, vigilant, and brave. He 
 assured him that the success of the enterprise and the
 
 THE PLAN OF ATTACK. 245 
 
 lives of the soldiers depended on him. He enjoined 
 on him the necessity of getting a correct report 
 of the number of men and guns in the fort, to com 
 mit nothing to writing, but to retain everything in 
 his mind. The scout promised to follow his in 
 structions to the letter, and then the white man 
 and Indian set out on their reconnoitring expedition. 
 
 While awaiting the return of the scouts, De 
 Gourges was not idle. Having abandoned his 
 original plan of attacking the fort by sea, he 
 brought his arms and soldiers on shore. The sol 
 diers were constantly kept busy training, and fight 
 ing mimic frays, that they might not forget how to 
 handle the arquebus, sword, and halberd. 
 
 Hortense, refusing to go on shipboard, was as 
 signed to the best tent De Gourges had in his camp, 
 and received every attention possible from the gen 
 erous commander, though he absolutely refused to 
 permit her to make the mad pilgrimage to St. Au 
 gustine. 
 
 At the close of the third day D'Estampes and 
 the Indian were seen returning, and word was at 
 once sent to De Gourges, who was on board of his 
 vessel. He came ashore and the chiefs assembled 
 about the scouts to hear their report and lay plans 
 for the future. D'Estampes said: 
 
 "The Spaniards have built two additional forts 
 below Fort Carolinia, one on each side of the river.
 
 246 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 All three of these forts are in good condition and 
 cannon are mounted on their works. They are 
 garrisoned by four hundred men; but they live in 
 such perfect security that they can be very easily 
 surprised." 
 
 "Has Gyrot gained the forts?" asked De 
 Gourges. 
 
 " No, monsieur, we met one of the Indians sent 
 to capture him, and were informed that although 
 he had not been captured, he has been driven so 
 far up into the country and every avenue of escape 
 is so carefully guarded, that it will be impossible for 
 him to reach either of the forts or St. Augustine." 
 
 "From this report," said De Gourges, "it will 
 be seen that our only chance of success is by secrecy 
 and surprise." 
 
 He then held a long conference with Saturiova, 
 and they agreed upon a general rendezvous near the 
 Spanish forts, from whence they could march to 
 the attack. When the conference was over, Hor- 
 tense again appealed to the French commandant to 
 be permitted to make an effort for the release of 
 Francisco Estevan before the attack was made. 
 De Gourges declared that the thought was madness, 
 and assured her that he would do what he could 
 to save the young Spaniard, though he would not 
 consent to her mad desire, as it might jeopardize 
 all their plans.
 
 THE PLAN OF ATTACK. 247 
 
 She turned away in despair and was about to 
 retire to her tent, when suddenly she met a tender 
 gaze from a pair of great, dark eyes. It was the 
 old chief's nephew, the brave young Olacatora. 
 
 This young man had for two years worshipped 
 the white lily, or maiden of the sun, as she was 
 sometimes called, at a distance. She was a being 
 too great for him to approach in the light of a 
 lover, and so strong was his affection that he asked 
 nothing more than to be her slave. She had come 
 to regard him as a devoted friend to whom she 
 could intrust her life. At sight of the young 
 warrior, a wild scheme for the release of Francisco, 
 despite all De Gourges had said, suddenly entered 
 her mind. She called Olacatora to her side and, 
 speaking hurriedly in the Indian tongue, which 
 she had mastered, said: 
 
 " Olacatora, you have been my brother, will you 
 help me now?" 
 
 " Olacatora will do the bidding of the maiden of 
 the sun." 
 
 "The task is dangerous." 
 
 "He will do it or die." 
 
 There was no doubting those solemn words and 
 earnest eyes. He meant all he said, and had she 
 commanded him to leap off some towering summit 
 to certain death below he would have done so. 
 
 "There is confined in the prison of Fort St.
 
 248 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Mattheo one who saved my life and took me to the 
 good chief Saturiova, who was sentenced to dungeon 
 and chains because he would not betray my hiding- 
 place. John Gyrot, he with the evil face, has 
 escaped and may reach the fort, despite the vigi 
 lance of the runners sent to stop him. There is in 
 St. Augustine a priest who has power of life and 
 death over prisoners, but who knows nothing of 
 the imprisonment of his friend at St. Mattheo. 
 While they lay their plans for the attack, come 
 with me; we will go to St. Augustine, see Men- 
 doza, and he will force Melendez to order the re 
 lease of Francisco Estevan; then with the order we 
 will hasten to St. Mattheo and set the prisoner free, 
 before the arrival of the French." 
 
 Without betraying the slightest emotion at her 
 request, the Indian answered: 
 
 "I will doit." 
 
 " It will soon be dark, Olacatora, and in an hour 
 we will Start. Meet me under the blasted pine on 
 the hill." 
 
 No further planning was necessary. She knew 
 the Indian would have everything needful for the 
 journey at the rendezvous on time. 
 
 As soon as it was dark, Hortense stole from the 
 tent and went to the spot. Standing by the old 
 blasted pine, his arms folded across his breast, as 
 motionless as the dead tree, was the young warrior.
 
 THE PLAN OF ATTACK. 249 
 
 Not a word was spoken when she joined him, 
 and both started silently on their journey through 
 the forest. 
 
 Two years among the red men had so inured 
 Hortense to toil and hardship that the journey 
 through the wilderness was not such an impossible 
 affair as it might seem. All night long they trav 
 elled, with scarce a pause. At morning he built 
 a fire and dressed a hare which he had slain and 
 broiled it for their breakfast. While he was doing 
 this, she slept upon the robe which he spread on 
 the ground for her, and after breakfast they re 
 sumed their journey. The sky became overcast, 
 the thunder rolled in the distance, and soon the 
 rain began to fall, but they halted not. Francisco's 
 life was at stake, and Hortense De Barre heeded 
 not the toil and exposure. Her only thought was 
 to see Mendoza and procure the pardon and release 
 of the captive ere the blow was struck; for she 
 feared it would be too late when the French reached 
 St. Mattheo. On, over hill and dale, swamp and 
 bayou, through drenching rain they pressed. 
 Sometimes they came to swollen streams, which the 
 Indian was forced to swim with the girl on his 
 back. 
 
 A dark, stormy day was drawing to a close when 
 Mendoza was informed that two Indians wished to 
 see him. As Mendoza was quite enthusiastic over
 
 250 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 the conversion of the red people, he had them sent 
 to his apartment, and was a little surprised to meet 
 an Indian warrior and a young and pretty white 
 woman in the costume of an Indian princess. Be 
 fore he could recover from his amazement, the 
 young woman said in Spanish: 
 
 "We have come, Father Mendoza, to. inform 
 you that a young Spaniard, a Catholic, has been 
 for two years confined at St. Mattheo without the 
 benefit of clergy, on the information of John 
 Gyrot, an apostate Huguenot." 
 
 " There must be some mistake, my daughter. I 
 have heard nothing of it." 
 
 "It is no mistake, father. Go ask Melendez 
 and he will not deny it. This young Spaniard 
 was studying to become a priest." 
 
 "A priest confined on the evidence of an apos 
 tate Huguenot! Melendez must be mad!" 
 
 "He was basely deceived by Gyrot." 
 
 " What is the priest's name?" 
 
 "Francisco Estevan. " 
 
 Mendoza started to his feet and exclaimed: 
 
 " I knew him in Spain, and he was a most de 
 vout Catholic. I supposed him in a monastery or 
 convent in Cuba." 
 
 " He sailed for Cuba, and was captured by some 
 French pirates, one of whom was John Gyrot, who 
 has since maligned him to Melendez and procured
 
 THE PLAN OF ATTACK, . 251 
 
 his arrest and confinement in the darkest dungeon 
 in St. Mattheo." 
 
 Mendoza was stunned at this intelligence. Could 
 it be possible that Melendez, whose spiritual ad 
 viser he had been and whose confession he had 
 received, had kept a prisoner for two years in a dun 
 geon without his knowledge? The priest soon 
 formed his resolution. 
 
 " I will go and confront Melendez with this, and 
 if he has been guilty he shall sign Estevan's par 
 don and issue an order for his immediate release." 
 
 "Will you bring the order to me?" asked Hor- 
 tense, breathing a silent prayer for strength. The 
 priest, moved by her earnestness, answered: 
 
 "I will." 
 
 Mendoza could be fiery and eloquent as well as 
 terrible when roused. At thought of one of his 
 religious order being convicted on the evidence of 
 an apostate heretic, at the knowledge of one of the 
 best. Spanish families calumnied by Gyrot, his 
 blood boiled and he burst in on Melendez with the 
 fury of a hurricane, making that fanatic tremble 
 in his seat. He upbraided him for lack of confi 
 dence in the Church, and accused him of being 
 blinded by Gyrot, whose tool he had been. In 
 vain Melendez tried to explain his compact with 
 Gyrot, by which the successful attack on Fort 
 Carolinia had been made, and told him of the oath
 
 252 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 he had made. It was without avail. The priest 
 could dissolve all compacts and grant absolution 
 from all oaths. Nothing but a pardon and order 
 for the release of Francisco would answer. Over 
 whelmed by the fury of the priest, Melendez hast 
 ened to grant the pardon and sign the order for his 
 release. The priest returned with the latter, which 
 he gave to Hortense, whom he found waiting, and, 
 without halting for refreshments or rest, she set 
 out for St. Mattheo. 
 
 "We have not a moment to lose, Olacatora,"she 
 said, as they hurried along. " My footsteps grow 
 heavy, and I fear I shall faint. Should I fall by 
 the way, you must not wait for me, but take the 
 free-paper and run to Fort St. Mattheo and give 
 it to the governor of the fort." 
 
 The Indian assented by the usual grunt charac 
 teristic of his race. They pressed on through rain 
 and sunshine, daylight and darkness, over hill and 
 dell, through swamps, across streams and places 
 deemed almost impassable, pausing only a few mo 
 ments at a time. The girl made no complaint and 
 journeyed on in silence. She who had been so 
 tenderly reared in a home of ease and luxury was 
 now a heroine, enduring what might overcome a 
 man. Once they caught a glimpse of a white-faced 
 fugitive, flying through the wood, pursued by three 
 young Indians, who were driving him farther away
 
 THE PLAN OF ATTACK. 253 
 
 into the forest. He saw her not, but Hortense rec 
 ognized that evil-eyed man and thought, "God's 
 vengeance is falling on him with a heavy hand." 
 
 On to Fort St. Mattheo pressed the fair Huguenot 
 and her companion, muddy, wet, and hungry. 
 
 "God grant I may be in time!" she prayed. 
 
 They had travelled all night, and her strength 
 was nearly exhausted, when, at early dawn, before 
 her blurred vision rose the ramparts of St. Mattheo, 
 with the spire of the small chapel, reared on the 
 blood-stained soil of her slaughtered countrymen. 
 She was faint and dizzy, and so exhausted that she 
 tottered as she walked, but with a superhuman ef 
 fort she threw off her increasing weakness and 
 cried: 
 
 "No, no! I must not faint now! I must not 
 faint now!" 
 
 At the appointed hour De Gourges with his 
 troops was at the place of rendezvous. Here he 
 met Saturipva and his chiefs, who were very punct 
 ual. The place of rendezvous was on the banks of 
 the River Somme, called by the savages "Suraba." 
 When they had assembled, De Gourges said to the 
 chiefs : 
 
 "1 want to exact from you a solemn promise 
 that, as you have led us into this quarrel, you will 
 not desert us."
 
 254 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "My white brother need have no fears," an 
 swered Saturiova. "I am here with my warriors, 
 my friends are here with their warriors ; we are all 
 ready to go with the thunder-makers and extermi 
 nate the Spaniards." 
 
 "Are you willing to go where I shall direct and 
 do what I shall command? " asked De Gourges. 
 A grunt of assent was the response. 
 
 It being quite late, the army encamped, intend 
 ing to begin the final march in the morning.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 RETRIBUTION. 
 
 SOON after dark a heavy rain set in and con 
 tinued all night, accompanied by a high wind, 
 thunder, and lightning. By morning the streams 
 were swollen, the low lands inundated, and the 
 expedition was in serious danger of an utter fail 
 ure. 
 
 De Gourges began to grow discouraged when it 
 was reported that the road by which they were go 
 ing to make the attack was impassable. Was there 
 no other way by which the fort could be reached? 
 Perhaps the Indians knew of some other route. 
 De Bray found a young brave who agreed to guide 
 them to the fort. All day and night the rain con 
 tinued to fall, but by noon the next day it cleared 
 a little. De Gourges drew his men up once more 
 for the final march, and said: 
 
 "I want to remind every Frenchman that the 
 hour to strike has come. Remember that for two 
 years your slaughtered countrymen have slept un 
 avenged in nameless graves. Let no man falter. 
 Come on." 
 
 255
 
 256 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Led by the guide, the army began their march. 
 Heavy armor was generally discarded at this day, 
 being ineffective against bullets and interfering 
 with celerity of movement, though helmet and 
 breast-plate were still worn to protect the head and 
 breast. Night came, and after a short halt to rest 
 the march was continued. The sky was clear and 
 the new moon, like a horn of silver, hung in the 
 sky, while one by one the stars opened their bright 
 little eyes to watch the silent army. During the 
 remainder of the night only short halts were made, 
 when the guide, momentarily at fault, sought a 
 new course. All night he led them by a safe but 
 roundabout route, and just before dawn of day 
 announced that on crossing a stream before them 
 they would be in full view of one of the forts. 
 
 "Is the stream deep? " De Gourges asked. 
 
 The Indian signified the depth by pointing to 
 "his breast. 
 
 "Then we will wade it." 
 
 De Gourges ordered his men to fasten their 
 powder-flasks on their helmets and to carry their 
 swords and guns in their hands. Day had already 
 begun to dawn, and the shadows in the forest grew 
 momentarily lighter, revealing the pale, stern faces 
 of the soldiers and officers. The Indian guide first 
 plunged into the stream, De Gourges following. 
 Then the whole army entered the water, which, in
 
 RETRIBUTION. 257 
 
 places, came quite up to their armpits. De Gourges, 
 gaining the opposite bank, turned about and cau 
 tioned his men against making any noise. 
 
 All were safely over at last, and the soldiers 
 were allowed to stand a few moments while the 
 water ran from their soaked garments. From this 
 point De Gourges determined to reconnoitre the 
 fort in person, and, with D'Estampes, De Bray, 
 and Saturiova, he set out through the brushwood 
 and tall grass. They moved with the utmost cau 
 tion, and shortly after sunrise were rewarded by 
 .gaining a point from whence they had a view of the 
 doomed fort. De Gourges was a little startled by 
 seeing the people inside the fort in motion as if 
 excited over something, and feared that John Gyrot 
 had eluded his Indian pursuers, reached the fort, 
 and spread the alarm. 
 
 It afterward appeared that the cause of the com 
 motion was the rumor that two Indians had at 
 dawn reached St. Mattheo with an order for the 
 release of a prisoner. This caused the people to 
 gather in groups and discuss who the prisoner could 
 be. A great many of the men were also busy re 
 pairing a fountain. De Gourges waited until the 
 flurry seemed to partially subside, and went back 
 to his men. The Indians had kept their secret well , 
 and John Gyrot, though not captured, had not 
 been permitted to reach any of the Spanish settle- 
 17
 
 258 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 ments, so to this very moment the Spaniards were 
 wholly unaware of the presence of the French irr 
 Florida. 
 
 De Gourges divided his little army into two 
 parties, taking command of the first division him 
 self and giving the second to his brave lieutenant, 
 Cassenove, whom he sent to attack from the right 
 flank, while he advanced in front, leaving the Ind 
 ians to fight in their own way. 
 
 It was a lovely morning; the storm seemed over 
 instead of about to begin. Never is Florida more 
 like an earthly paradise than in the month of May, 
 when rare exotics seem to burden the air with their 
 perfume and the carols of tropical songsters fill 
 the woods with melody. No wonder Ponce de 
 Leon thought he had found the land where men 
 never die, for among the green savannahs, orange- 
 groves, and palms of Florida nature is always 
 young. 
 
 The Spaniards in the fort on this sunny morning 
 little dreamed that just beyond the gentle swell of 
 ground on the north, hidden by tall grass and 
 shrubs and the blooming roses, whose sullen fires 
 seemed half quenched in the dew, ranks of armed 
 men were advancing upon the fort. All along the 
 line of Frenchmen there rose little clouds of pale 
 blue smoke from the lighted match-cords. 
 
 "Forward!"
 
 RETRIBUTION. 259 
 
 Low and stern was the voice. 
 
 De Gourges himself took the lead and guided 
 them over the hill. When the fort was in sight 
 of the attacking party, at a word from their leader 
 they trailed their arms and dashed at it. 
 
 Three persons were seen coming from the direc 
 tion of Fort St. Mattheo. One was an Indian, one 
 a young man whose white face and mouldy cloth 
 ing told a sad story of long confinement, and the 
 third a white girl in the faded and worn garb of 
 an Indian princess. 
 
 No one was visible at the fort save an engineer 
 who, had mounted the platform and stood near a 
 pair of culverins, watching the party coming from 
 St. Mattheo, and wondering what strange power 
 the Indian maiden had brought to bear on Melen- 
 dez to procure the liberation of the prisoner at St. 
 Mattheo. Then he turned his gaze northward and 
 was amazed to see that long line of men coming 
 out of the woods with guns and matchlocks in their 
 hands, and stooping as they ran. With a cry of 
 surprise, he fired the culverins and shouted : 
 
 "The French! the French! To arms! to arms!" 
 
 For the first time that long line of advancing 
 Frenchmen broke the silence with a howl of rage; 
 then the tall savage who walked behind Hortense 
 and the rescued Spaniard ran with the fleetness of 
 a deer to the fort, leaped upon the platform, and,
 
 260 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 seizing a lance which lay near the culverins, drove 
 it through the engineer's body, laying him dead at 
 his feet. 
 
 "Retribution! " shouted De Gourges in trumpet 
 tones, leaping on the ramparts and waving his 
 sword in the air. 
 
 "The French! The Huguenots!" groaned the 
 panic-stricken Spaniards. The army came down and 
 poured a galling fire into the Spaniards, mowing 
 them down under the withering hail of death, and 
 then with drawn swords they leaped on those whom 
 their bullets had spared, cutting them down right 
 and left. No prayer for mercy could avail. 
 When a Spaniard begged his life on his knees, he 
 was answered: 
 
 "You spared not Ribault and his people," and 
 was run through. 
 
 It was not the retribution of God, but of man, 
 that fell on those Spaniards, some of whom were 
 innocent, having come from Spain since the terrible 
 event at Fort Carolinia. They made little resist 
 ance, but fled pell-mell over the works, running 
 toward the woods right into the ranks of the second 
 division under Cassenove. Being put between two 
 fires the entire garrison of sixty were cut down, 
 save a few who were reserved for hanging, accord 
 ing to the plan of De Gourges. 
 
 So absorbed were Hortense and Estevan over the
 
 "RETRIBUTION ! " SHOUTED 1>E GOURGES IN TRUMPET TONES.
 
 RETRIBUTION. 261 
 
 latter's recent escape from prison, that they saw 
 not the advancing army of De Gourges until the 
 sharp crack of the engineer's culverins roused them 
 to a sense of their danger, and, looking up, they 
 saw the armed hosts of De Gourges advancing. 
 
 "Come, Francisco, we must fly!" she cried, 
 seizing his hand. 
 
 Fatigue was forgotten and all her energy re 
 turned. The French were on the fort, and with no 
 other thought than preserving the life of him whom 
 she had rescued, she held his hand tightly clasped 
 in her own, and ran to meet the advancing 
 army. 
 
 Half a score of swords were shortened, and De 
 Gourges, not recognizing Hortense at first glance, 
 cried : 
 
 "Cut them down! Allow none to escape!" 
 
 "Spare him! he saved me!" groaned Hortense. 
 
 "Hortense De Barre!" gasped De Gourges. 
 " You here ! I commanded you not to leave camp. " 
 
 "This is Estevan who rescued me. Spare him!" 
 she answered. 
 
 "Let them pass to the rear." 
 
 The ranks parted, and they passed through. 
 The French dashed on to vengeance, and Hortense 
 led Estevan over the hill out of sight of the scene 
 of carnage; then she sank exhausted on the ground. 
 
 Francisco Estevan kneeled at her side, support-
 
 262 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 ing the head of the half-fainting girl, while the 
 roar of battle across the hill grew louder every mo 
 ment. The boom of artillery from the second fort 
 joined in with the din of carnage, and awoke the 
 sleeping echoes for many miles around. Estevan 
 heeded not the sounds of conflict. He saw only the 
 sad, sweet face of his half- unconscious preserver, on 
 which rested a smile of triumph. He heard only 
 the low, faint whisper: 
 
 "I saved him, I saved him!" 
 
 His long imprisonment had wrought great changes 
 in Francisco. He had learned that man's fanati 
 cism was no evidence of God's love. For two" 
 years his mind had been blinded to earthly objects 
 that he might look within and see spiritual things, 
 and he was a wiser and better man than before. 
 
 Hortense and the Indian had arrived at early 
 dawn at Fort St. Mattheo, and presented the order 
 to the governor of the fort for the release of the 
 prisoner. The governor could hardly believe at first 
 that Melendez would issue such an order; but tKfe 
 writing was unmistakably the admiral's, and he 
 had the prisoner brought up, and notified him that 
 he was free. Hortense, whom he could scarcely 
 recognize in her Indian costume, came and took 
 his hand, and hurried him away so that the be 
 wildered Spaniard could hardly comprehend how it 
 all had come about. Estevan was led out into the
 
 RETRIBUTION. 263 
 
 open air; he felt the sweet-scented breezes, and 
 saw the glorious sunshine of morning, and then, 
 before a word of explanation could be given, they 
 were rushing hand in hand through charging armies 
 and all about them was death and carnage. In 
 fact, he was hardly sure that it was not all a dream, 
 from which he would awake to find himself again 
 in his loathsome dungeon. The sun was so bright 
 it almost blinded him. The forest was greener, 
 and the wild flowers of vermillion and gold sweeter, 
 and the soft southern skies bluer than he had ever 
 seen them before. 
 
 The thundering jars of war over the hill alone 
 reminded him that it was all a stern reality. He 
 had scarcely spoken since his liberation ; no ex 
 planation had been made to him, and he could not 
 understand why Hortense was lying there, pale 
 and exhausted, her beautiful Indian costume stained 
 with mud and travel. As yet the half -fainting 
 girl could only murmur: 
 
 "I have saved him; yes, thank God, I have 
 saved him!" 
 
 "Hortense!" he said at last, and started at the 
 sound of his own voice. 
 
 "Francisco!" 
 
 "How did it come about? Am I free?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 means that carnage over the hill?"
 
 264 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "The French have come to destroy the Span 
 iards." 
 
 Both were silent for awhile, and then she was 
 able to sit up and gaze about her. By slow de 
 grees the rescued man came to realize that it was 
 no dream, and that he was in truth and in fact lib 
 erated. He had passed two miserable years in the 
 dungeon, and there had been a great conflict wag 
 ing within his breast, and at times his wrongs had 
 seemed to cry out to heaven for vengeance. When 
 he had finally despaired of freedom he was sud 
 denly and mysteriously liberated. No. wonder 
 that he was filled with amazement and hardly able 
 to believe it a reality. 
 
 " Where have you been, Hortense?" he asked, 
 when he found her strong enough to converse a 
 little. " What has been your fate since we parted 
 on that morning so long ago?" 
 
 She briefly recounted her last two years' experi 
 ence with the Indians, who had treated her with 
 kindness and respect. Saturiova had been a father 
 to her, and had sheltered and protected her. Then 
 Estevan wanted to know all about the French army 
 coming to Florida and his own liberation. 
 
 Hortense had grown a little stronger, and she 
 told him of the arrival of De Gourges and his de 
 signs against the Spanish. Having learned that 
 Mendoza was ignorant of his imprisonment, and as
 
 RETRIBUTION. 265 
 
 drowning people grasp at straws, she determined to 
 appeal to the priest to save him. Her flight from 
 the French camp with Olacatora and their terrible 
 journey were depicted in as few words as possible. 
 Then she told of the success of the expedition and 
 the return, and concluded with: 
 
 "And, with God's help, I saved you." 
 
 They were a long time silent. She had reduced 
 her strength by the exertion of talking, and for 
 several moments Estevan was too much overcome 
 to speak. At last he mastered his emotions suffi 
 ciently to say: 
 
 " Again you have saved my life, and such ob 
 ligations am I under to you that if I could die for 
 you I would be happy." 
 
 "Let us not talk of death nor of ourselves. 
 Just across the hill, God's creatures are being 
 slaughtered like sheep." 
 
 "Is it not retribution?" 
 
 "God says, 'Thou shalt not kill.' " 
 
 " Would you spare those whom your country 
 men slay?" 
 
 "I would." 
 
 " Yet they slew your relatives and friends and 
 drove you to a life of exile among the savages." 
 
 "May God forgive them!" 
 
 The Christianity of forgiveness, mercy, love, and 
 kindness was little known and less practised dur-
 
 266 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 ing the age of bigotry; and he, who from infancy 
 had been set apart for God's work, was amazed to 
 find a real forgiving spirit among mortals. He 
 thought there must be something wrong, either with 
 her or with himself, and, after a few moments' 
 silence, he asked: 
 
 "Can you, a Protestant, forgive a Catholic?" 
 
 " What matters it if one is Protestant or Catholic? 
 Are we not all God's creatures?" 
 
 "But some choose to believe Him, and some do 
 not." 
 
 " All believe in God. There is only a difference 
 in the mode of worship. Should I slay my brother 
 because he differs from me about the mode of wor 
 shipping the same Supreme Being? God forgive 
 the people for their short-sightedness, and may they 
 all see His holy way without dimming the path to 
 glory with blood and crime." 
 
 They might be in danger in their present posi 
 tion, he thought, and he asked her if she was able 
 to go on. She said she could walk again, and, 
 leaning on his arm, they wandered into the forest, 
 neither knowing which way they went. They 
 crossed a creek on a log and hurried on into the 
 wilderness, going farther and farther from those 
 sounds of conflict. 
 
 Francisco Estevan' mind was busy with the
 
 RETRIBUTION. 267 
 
 past, the present, and the future. What were they 
 to do? Should the French prevail would she be 
 strong enough to protect him against their ven 
 geance, and should his own countrymen succeed, 
 would Hortense be spared? Their condition was 
 deplorable. They dared not trust to either French 
 men or Spaniards, and John Gryrot, their arch 
 enemy, was in the forest. Their plans were sud 
 den, and formed more on the impulse of the mo 
 ment than from reason. 
 
 In their wanderings they left the sound of battle 
 farther and farther in the distance, until even the 
 roar of cannon died away. At last they came to 
 the mossy banks of a brooklet, and, knowing how 
 tired his fair companion must be, he said : 
 "Let us rest awhile." 
 
 They sat down, and, after a long and thoughtful 
 silence, the young ecclesiastic asked: 
 
 " Hortense, you are a Protestant and have suf 
 fered by the persecutions of the Catholics; do you 
 believe there will be any Papists in heaven?" 
 "Yes; all good Papists will go there." 
 "Then you think there are good Catholics?" 
 "There are many, and God will bless them." 
 "Will there be fellowship between Catholics and 
 Protestants in heaven?" 
 
 "In heaven the scales of superstition and the
 
 268 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 motes of bigotry will be removed from our eyes, 
 and we shall see each other as we really are. All 
 will be brothers there." 
 
 " And will they be brothers here?" 
 
 " Yes, when the age of ignorance and supersti 
 tious bigotry gives place to reason, then the good 
 Catholic and good Protestant will clasp hands 
 across the smouldering fires of martyrdom, and all 
 will worship God as different members of one great 
 family." 
 
 He was silent for a moment, and then broke forth 
 with: 
 
 "You are not only the best, but the wisest per 
 son living." 
 
 At this moment a small party of Spaniards, who 
 had broken through the ranks of their enemies, 
 were seen flying through the wood toward them. 
 Francisco and Hortense had just time to conceal 
 themselves, when the frightened Spaniards rushed 
 by. One of them dropped his sword, but was 
 either too much frightened to miss it or to pause to 
 pick it up. When they were gone, Hortense said: 
 
 "Secure the sword; we may need it." 
 
 He did so.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 NOT AS SPANIARDS AND MARINERS, BUT AS TRAI 
 TORS, ROBBERS, AND MURDERERS. 
 
 THE fugitives, realizing that they were not safe 
 in their present location, continued to retreat, but 
 were compelled to travel slowly, owing to the ex 
 hausted condition of Hortense. Her feet were be 
 coming sore from frequent bruises and long travel, 
 and her moccasins were so worn as to form little 
 protection. The future to them was a dark blank 
 into which they could not project a single plan. 
 For the present they insinctively resolved to keep 
 out of the hands of both the French and Spanish, 
 and see how affairs would turn out. Their food 
 was the wild fruit which grew in abundance. 
 
 When night came he cut some branches with his 
 sword and made her a bed of leaves, on which she 
 slept as peacefully and sweetly as if at home. The 
 young Spaniard kept guard, watching the stars 
 which he had not seen for so many months. He 
 found liberty and pure air so sweet that he had no 
 inclination to sleep. Several times during the 
 night escaped fugitives could be heard hurrying 
 269
 
 270 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 through the wood, recalling that horrible night at 
 Carolinia, when the Huguenots were slain, and he 
 thought: 
 
 "Perhaps, after all, it is justice." 
 
 When morning dawned he killed a bird with a 
 stone, and dressing it, broiled it over the smoul 
 dering embers of a camp-fire left by the French 
 army. He gave the cooked bird to Hortense, who 
 insisted on his sharing it with her. 
 
 As they journeyed still farther into the forest 
 he tried to form some plan for the future, but was 
 unable as yet to come to any definite conclusion. 
 To wait, hope, and depend on circumstances to help 
 them out seemed their only choice. They were 
 walking slowly and painfully along the forest path 
 when they espied a man coming toward them. 
 One glance at the white face, stooped shoulders, 
 and cruel eyes, and despite the changes wrought by 
 hunger, toil, and exposure, Hortense De Barre 
 recognized John Gyrot. 
 
 He had managed to shake off his pursuers, and 
 was on his way to Fort St. Mattheo, when he met 
 a wounded Spaniard, a fugitive from the mas 
 sacre. He gave Gyrot a sword and told him of 
 the attack on the forts. Gyrot abandoned the 
 wounded Spaniard, and was on his way to St. Au 
 gustine, when he came upon Francisco and Hor 
 tense.
 
 NOT AS SPANIARDS AND MARINERS. 271 
 
 "Monsieur and mademoiselle, a delightful morn 
 ing," said Gyrot. Days of flight and hardship had 
 not robbed his white face of the ironical sneer which 
 had become habitual. 
 
 Hortense recoiled as she would from a loathsome 
 serpent, and Gyrot, observing her aversion, ad 
 vanced a step or two nearer, and continued: 
 
 "I have longed to find mademoiselle, and now 
 that I have, I shall return with her in triumph to 
 St. Augustine." 
 
 "Stop!" cried Estevan, seizing his sword in his 
 right hand. " Senor Gyrot, advance another step 
 at your peril." 
 
 "Oh! the prisoner has escaped; the priest has 
 become a soldier. Back to your cage, you dan 
 gerous beast, or I may in truth punish you!" 
 
 Without paying any heed to his insulting re 
 mark, Francisco Estevan added: 
 
 " Advance another step toward the senorita and 
 I will run you through the body." 
 
 "Monsieur's words are strong; but I doubt if he 
 hath the courage of which he boasts." 
 
 "John Gyrot, if you go your way I will not 
 harm you; if you remain, one of us must die." 
 
 "Very well, we will see if a priest can handle a 
 sword." 
 
 The Frenchman drew his own blade and care 
 lessly threw away the scabbard.
 
 272 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "O God, they are going to fight!" Hortense 
 groaned, her face pale with dread and her eyes 
 dimmed with tears. 
 
 "Get out of the way, Hortense," Estevan whis 
 pered, "and pray to God for victory." 
 
 She ran and fell upon her knees behind a tree, 
 where, burying her face in her hands, she prayed. 
 The combatants spoke not, but soon she heard the 
 clash of steel against steel, and their heavy breath 
 ing told her how fierce was the conflict. She dared 
 not look up lest her eyes might behold that which 
 would have driven her mad. The combat seemed 
 to the anxious girl to last for hours. A curse of 
 rage from John Gyrot made her hope that he was 
 getting worsted. The blows fell thicker and faster, 
 and the fight had reached its zenith, when there 
 came a sharp, wild cry, a groan and then a fall. 
 
 It was over, but how had it ended? She would 
 have given worlds to know, yet she dared not look 
 up to see. Some one was approaching, and yet she 
 had not the courage to glance up and see whether 
 it was a friend or foe. A hand touched her, and 
 a voice which she recognized as Estevan's said : 
 
 "It is all over let us go." 
 
 With a sob of joy she started to her feet and 
 asked : 
 
 "Are you wounded?" 
 
 "Not a scratch."
 
 NOT AS SPANIARDS AND MARINERS. 273 
 
 lie led her in another direction, that she might 
 not be horrified by that ghastly object lying among 
 the bushes, staining the grass to crimson with its 
 life-blood. 
 
 For the present it will be necessary to take leave 
 of Francisco and Hortense, 
 and return to De Gourges 
 and his army, whom we left 
 just after 
 the storming 
 of the first 
 fort. 
 
 No sooner 
 had the 
 Span 
 iards been driven 
 from the first fort 
 than their friends 
 in the second be 
 gan an incessant 
 
 "IT WAS OVER, BUT HOW HAD IT ENDED? " 
 
 fire on the 1< rench 
 
 with their cannon ; but De Gourges drew out the artil 
 lery from the first fort, and played on the Spaniards 
 so effectually, while the Indians aided him so vigor 
 ously, that the enemy deserted the fort and betook 
 themselves to the woods, where all were captured or 
 slain save a few who managed to make their escape. 
 18
 
 274 SAINT 
 
 The main fort, Carolinia, or St. Mattheo, still 
 remained to be reduced. It being the strongest of 
 the three, De Gourges hesitated about attacking it 
 at once. The entire day had been spent in reduc 
 ing the first two, and his men were considerably 
 exhausted, especially as they had marched nearly 
 all the preceding night. 
 
 "We must wait and rest," he said to Lieutenant 
 Cassenove, who was eager to dash on St. Mattheo 
 and make an end of the business. " The soldiers 
 and Indians," continued De Gourges, "are too 
 much fatigued. We need food, rest, and sleep; 
 besides, we must learn something of the fort we are 
 to attack." 
 
 "How will you?" 
 
 "Have we no prisoners?" 
 
 "Yes, several." 
 
 "Bring one to me." 
 
 Cassenove left the commandant and soon returned 
 with an old Spanish sergeant. 
 
 "Do you speak French?" asked De Gourges. 
 
 The Spaniard shook his head. De Gourges had 
 some knowledge of the Spanish, gained while a 
 slave at the galleys, and in that language proceeded 
 to interrogate him in regard to the fort. 
 
 The old sergeant shook his head and answered : 
 
 "I cannot betray my countrymen."
 
 NOT AS SPANIARDS AND MARINERS. 275 
 
 "You must answer my questions, or I will hang 
 you." 
 
 The sergeant proved a little stubborn, and De 
 Gourges sent for a rope and had a noose fixed over 
 his neck. When thus confronted with death, the 
 sergeant proceeded to give him information regard 
 ing the fort. 
 
 "Have you told me the truth?" asked the 
 French commandant. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Producing a crucifix, De Gourges made him 
 swear to the truth of his statement. The French 
 commandant realized that he had no means of suc 
 ceeding against the remaining fort, save by a 
 scalade. The two following days were passed in 
 making ladders and preparing to scale the fort. 
 In the mean while, De Gourges planted such a num 
 ber of Indians around the fort that it was impos 
 sible for the Spaniards to escape or come to any 
 knowledge of his strength. 
 
 The Spanish commandant, who was enterprising 
 as well as bold, caused one of his men to disguise 
 himself like an Indian and mingle with the be 
 siegers, who, having thrown up breastworks and 
 planted cannon, occasionally bombarded the fort. 
 The cannon were small and the fort strong, so the 
 chances of a breech were not very great. At night
 
 276 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Olacatora sought oat the French commander and 
 informed him that they had a spy from the fort in 
 their midst. De Gourges was not a little amazed 
 at the information and asked who he was. 
 
 " A Spaniard from the fort, disguised as an Ind 
 ian. Shall I slay him? " 
 
 De Gourges, thinking he might use the spy to a 
 good advantage, answered: 
 
 "By no means; but take with you four of your 
 strongest men, seize him from behind, bind him, 
 and bring him to me." 
 
 The Indian bowed and silently retired. In an 
 hour they returned with the spy bound. De 
 Gourges gazed at the man, who met his gaze with 
 faltering eye. 
 
 " You came to our camp to spy. Do you know 
 what the fate of a spy is?" 
 
 The Spaniard began to implore him to spare his 
 life. Although De Gourges at first designed him 
 for the gallows, he concluded that he might use 
 him to a better purpose, and he spared him on con 
 dition that he give a faithful description of the 
 fort, and all the information he knew concerning 
 the Spaniards. The fellow freely told all he knew, 
 and agreed to go and snow them the way to the 
 fort, and, in fact, a great part of De Gourges' suc 
 cess was owing to the information this man com 
 municated.
 
 NOT AS SPANIARDS AND MARINERS. 277 
 
 The night before the final attack on the fort, De 
 Gourges sent for Olacatora. The Indian came and 
 the commandant said: 
 
 "I want an explanation, Olacatora, for your 
 strange disappearance, also the disappearance of 
 Hortense De Barre, and how we found you here." 
 
 The Indian hesitated for a few moments, and 
 then told the story of their journey to St. Augus 
 tine, its object, and the rescue of the prisoner at 
 St. Mattheo. At first the French commandant 
 was inclined to feel angry at the girl who had 
 defied his authority; but reflection cooled his anger, 
 for she had acted a noble, self-sacrificing part. 
 
 "Have you seen them since the attack?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "No." 
 
 "They must be lingering in the wood." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " We will find them as soon as we have hum 
 bled Fort Carolinia, and I will bring Hortense 
 home with me." 
 
 The sigh that escaped the Indian's lips was not 
 unnoticed by the French commandant. 
 
 " Poor fellow, can he not see that the man whom 
 he rescued is his rival?" thought De Gourges, 
 when the Indian was gone. 
 
 Next morning everything was ready for the 
 attack. De Gourges made such disposition of the
 
 278 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Indians as would render it extremely difficult for 
 any of the Spaniards to escape when the fort should 
 be taken. Under direction of the sergeant and 
 spy he advanced to the attack, marching to the 
 top of a little hill, from whence he had a full 
 view of the strength and weakness of the fort. It 
 was his intention to make a demonstration and 
 delay the attack until next morning; but scarce 
 had he reached the hill when he discovered a com 
 motion within the fort. 
 
 "What does that mean?" asked De Gourges. 
 
 " They are going to make a sortie and attack 
 us," answered Cassenove, who saw a body of men 
 headed by fourteen musketeers pass through the 
 gate and advance up the hill. " Monsieur, there 
 comes the flower of the Spanish army." 
 
 "I see, and we shall prepare a trap for them." 
 
 De Gourges quickly wheeled his men and placed 
 the divisions so as to flank the enemy and cut off 
 all possible chance of retreat. The French had 
 their match-cords lighted and gun -pans open to 
 receive the Spaniards. The wheel-lock pistols had 
 just come into use, and De Gourges was armed 
 with a pair of those weapons. Taking the spanner 
 from his belt he wound up the mechanism of the 
 locks as the enemy advanced and waited on the hill 
 to send death into their ranks, while his main lines 
 were concealed behind some low bushes and grass.
 
 NOT AS SPANIARDS AND MARINERS. 279 
 
 On came the enemy directly toward the hillock 
 on which De Gourges stood, a pistol in each hand. 
 When within musket range they fired and charged 
 the French. The concealed lines now rose and 
 poured in a volley front and flank, which mowed 
 down the gallant Spaniards. Their leader saw 
 that the situation was desperate, but not once did 
 he think of returning. He sounded the old Span 
 ish war-cry which had cheered Balboa, Cortez, and 
 Pizarro to deeds of valor, but it failed to bring 
 victory. They did not battle with heathen, but 
 with an enraged civilized foe. Matchlocks were 
 thrown aside, and with swords, lances, and halberds 
 they flew at each other. De Gourges, having 
 emptied his pistols, drew his sword and plunged 
 into the thickest of the fray. The Spanish 
 leader was slain, but his companions fought des 
 perately until one by one they fell to rise no more. 
 
 This slaughter being made under the eyes of the 
 besieged, they lost all heart, and, regardless of the 
 orders of officers, who realized that their only hope 
 lay in defending the fort, they leaped over the 
 works and ran away like frightened sheep into the 
 woods. Here a terrible fate awaited them. Satu- 
 riova, who was itching to get at the enemy, and 
 who began to fear that the French would have all 
 the glory to themselves, saw, with no little degree 
 of satisfaction, the enemy rushing right into his
 
 280 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 hands. A yell, as if ten thousand demons had 
 suddenly broken lose, rose on the air, and the Ind 
 ians fell on them right and left, front and rear; 
 wherever they turned they were met by merciless 
 enemies, who beat them down with clubs, pierced 
 them with javelins, or shot them with arrows. 
 The Spaniards endeavored to escape another way, 
 but were met by De Gourges, who laid most of 
 them dead on the spot. To complete his revenge, 
 he saved the rest from the hands of the savages 
 that he might resign them to those of the execu 
 tioner. De Gourges then ordered all the captives 
 to be taken to the large oak on which so many 
 Frenchmen had perished, and when he had ranged 
 them beneath it he said: 
 
 "This punishment is but a just retribution. 
 Two years ago you found a handful of Frenchmen, 
 women and children, in that fort, who had come 
 to the wilderness seeking homes. You fell on 
 them and cruelly murdered them, and on this very 
 tree on which I intend to hang you, you hanged all 
 whom you had not slain." 
 
 One of the Spaniards interposed that he had 
 nothing to do with the massacre, as he had come 
 to Florida subsequently to the event; but De 
 Gourges answered that his nation had done it, and 
 his presence sanctioned the deed, so he must die 
 with the others. Every one was hanged upon the
 
 NOT AS SPANIARDS AND MARINERS. 281 
 
 tree, on which De Gourges placed the following 
 inscription in imitation of Melendez: 
 
 " / do not hang these people as Spaniards, nor as 
 the spawn of infidels, but as traitors, robbers, and 
 murderers. " 
 
 The detestable example of Melendez was not 
 sufficient excuse for such horrible retaliation, 
 especially when we consider that most of the guilty 
 escaped, and nearly all on whom the wrath of De 
 Gourges was visited were innocent of the blood of 
 the Huguenots. De Gourges was no more than a 
 pirate, for he was not legally entitled to sail on the 
 coast of Florida, much less to make such reprisals; 
 but in those days the morals of nations and indi 
 viduals were lax. Spain had acquired immense 
 treasures in the New World, had grown powerful 
 in conquest, and was an object of envy for every 
 European power. Envy is the brother of hate, and 
 piracies against the wealthy Spaniards were con 
 sidered legitimate enterprises, and many European 
 powers applauded the work of the Frenchmen. It 
 must be acknowledged, however, that De Gourges 
 undertook this expedition from very disinterested 
 motives; for before he entered upon it he knew 
 that he had neither men to keep the forts nor 
 money to pay them, and that it was impossible to 
 procure them subsistence even for money. 
 
 Satisfied with having avenged his slaughtered
 
 282 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 countrymen, De Gourges demolished the three 
 forts, placed their artillery on board his own ves 
 sels, and prepared to return to Europe. Saturiova 
 urged the French to remain and hold Florida, 
 promising him the aid of all his warriors, but De 
 Gourges knew the Indians would be insufficient 
 against the horde of Spaniards who would be sent 
 against them. The savages loaded the French 
 with the most extravagant praises for an action 
 which was so much in their own manner, but 
 which far exceeded their abilities to perform. 
 Search was made for Hortense, but she could not 
 be found, and as the French were fearful lest a 
 heavy re-enforcement might come from St. Augus 
 tine, they set sail on the third of May, and on the 
 sixth of June arrived at Rochelle, having suffered 
 greatly on the voyage from storms and famine. 
 
 Before their return, the court of Spain, having 
 received intelligence of the expedition, fitted out a 
 squadron to intercept De Gourges, from which he 
 narrowly escaped. Upon landing, his old friend, 
 the Marshal De Moutluc, highly extolled his valor 
 and conduct, and advised him to go to court. 
 
 Fortunately for De Gourges, at this moment the 
 Protestant party was so powerful in France that 
 the government dared not provoke it by inflicting 
 on him any unreasonable severity, and the French 
 in general, Catholic as well as Protestant, approved
 
 NOT AS SPANIARDS AND MARINERS. 283 
 
 what he had done. On the other hand, the friend 
 ship of Spain happened at this time to be necessary 
 to the French king and the Catholic part of his 
 government. De Gourges was coldly received at 
 the French court, and was secretly warned to with 
 draw to avoid the fury of the queen-mother, Catha 
 rine de Medici, and the Spaniard faction, who 
 pressed the king to have De Gourges arrested and 
 sent to Madrid to be tried for piracy. 
 
 The avenger of the Huguenots fled to Rouen, 
 where he was concealed by the president, De 
 Marigny, and so reduced were his circumstances 
 that he owed his daily life to that magistrate's 
 generosity. This persecution only tended to in 
 crease his fame, however, which at last made such 
 an impression on the French king that he restored 
 him to favor. It is said by some that Queen 
 Elizabeth offered him a place in her navy, which he 
 declined. Don Antonio of Portugal offered him 
 command of a fleet he was fitting out to recover 
 the crown of Portugal from PHILIP II. of Spain; 
 but while De Gourges was going to take possession 
 of that honorable commission, he suddenly fell sick, 
 and after a short illness died at Tours.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 DEFYING THE FATES. 
 
 THE morning after the fatal encounter with Gyrot, 
 Francisco Estevan received so much evidence of 
 the success of De Gourges' attack on the forts that 
 he resolved to return to the French with the girl, 
 who was growing more lame every mile they 
 travelled. He asked Hortense if she would not 
 like to go to her people. 
 
 "I would," she answered. 
 
 She bore up with wonderful fortitude, and had 
 scarcely uttered a murmur, though she suffered 
 continually. 
 
 "Do you think the French will march to St. 
 Augustine?" he asked. 
 
 "I do not know." 
 
 " I would take you there, but we might only be 
 running into another scene of carnage and danger, 
 of which we have already had enough, so we had 
 better go to the French fleet." 
 
 "I think so," she answered. 
 
 Hortense was too weak to travel rapidly. Her
 
 DEFYING THE FATES. 285 
 
 feet were sore and her moccasins so worn as to 
 afford but little protection. That evening they 
 met some Indians, who told them of the fall of St. 
 Mattheo and the retreat of the French to their ships. 
 One of the Indians belonged to Saturiova and he 
 gave Francisco a javelin, a bow, some arrows, and, 
 what was of more value, some food. 
 
 When the Indians were gone, Francisco said: 
 
 " Hortense, we must hasten or the French will 
 embark before we overtake them." 
 
 She made no answer and they journeyed on in 
 silence. At every mile they met parties of Indians 
 returning from the war, and from them received a 
 full account of the destruction of the forts and the 
 utter annihilation of the Spaniards. From one of 
 the Indians Francisco procured a pair of moccasins 
 for Hortense, whose feet were almost bare. They 
 met a part of Saturiova's warriors, who told them 
 that their chief, with many of his men, had gone to 
 see the French embark and give them their parting 
 blessing. 
 
 Despite all his energy and anxiety, with Hor 
 tense so lame, Francisco was only able to make 
 three or four miles a day, while the French army 
 was no doubt travelling much faster. 
 
 Next morning he came upon two Indians with 
 whom he had been acquainted before his imprison 
 ment, and prevailed on them to make a sort of a
 
 286 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 litter of two poles with a seat of bark between, on 
 which he placed Hortense. The litter was carried 
 between the two stout Indians, and they went so 
 much faster that he began to hope they would reach 
 the French fleet before it sailed. 
 
 One evening, when but a few miles from the 
 river, the Indians came to an abrupt halt, put 
 down the litter, and began to make preparations 
 for camping. 
 
 "Won't you goon?" Francisco asked. "We 
 are but three or four hours' journey from the 
 fleet." The oldest of the Indians shook his head 
 and said: 
 
 "No." 
 
 "But the ships may sail before we can reach 
 them in the morning," urged Francisco. 
 
 " Indians are tired, and will not go until morn 
 ing." 
 
 "Morning may be too late. The senorita's 
 people will leave, and she will be left behind. She 
 has been a long while from home." 
 
 Francisco Estevan, from what he had heard of 
 the French expedition, had come to the conclusion 
 that De Gourges had only come to strike a blow 
 and retreat. The French had no intention of 
 attempting to found a permanent colony in Flor 
 ida. Since the French did not attack St. Augus 
 tine, he surmised they were not strong enough.
 
 DEFYING THE FATES. 287 
 
 They had good cause to dread Melendez and would 
 not linger long in the country, so the young Span 
 iard knew that every moment was precious, and he 
 urged upon the Indians the necessity of reaching the 
 river that night. No one save those acquainted 
 with the American aborigines can appreciate Indian 
 obstinacy. He is sullen and stubborn, refusing 
 to be moved by threats, though susceptible to 
 bribery, and had Francisco possessed a few trinkets 
 he might have hired the savages to make some ex 
 tra exertions. As he had just escaped from prison 
 and had nothing to excite their cupidity, all he 
 could do was to await their pleasure. 
 
 "I have done all I can," he said somewhat 
 despairingly. " I have nothing to give them, and 
 I cannot force them to go on." 
 
 " You have done what you could; think no more 
 about it," the brave girl answered. She made no 
 complaint, not even uttering a sigh of regret. 
 
 "But to be so near the ships and know the dan 
 ger of their sailing is maddening." 
 
 " If they sail my condition will be no worse than 
 before," she answered, her face full of hope and 
 trust. 
 
 "No, I trust it will be better," he answered. 
 
 " Then let us not complain," said the patient Hor- 
 tense, while there flitted over her face a sweet smile. 
 "If God wills it otherwise, His will be done."
 
 283 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 "It is on your account alone that I regret it," 
 he returned with a sigh. " I have no intention of 
 going to France, but the disappointment to you 
 will be overwhelming. If you could only walk a 
 little we might reach it." 
 
 "My feet forbid my walking a mile." 
 
 " Then let me strap you on my back as the porter 
 Indians in the Andes carry people. " 
 
 "No, no, monsieur; you have done quite 
 enough," said Hortense. "Wait until morning." 
 
 "But suppose De Gourges and all his fleet 
 should be gone?" 
 
 "God will provide for me, monsieur. What 
 ever may happen, I will trust wholly in Him." 
 
 He made her a bed of leaves and branches, 
 spread a soft Indian tanned robe upon it, and Hor 
 tense slept sweetly, while he sat all night long by 
 the watch-fire in silence. 
 
 Next morning he awoke the sleepy Indians at 
 daylight, and, after an early breakfast, the party 
 set out for the river in which the French fleet was 
 anchored. 
 
 Francisco Estevan's own future was dark and 
 uncertain. Hortense knew he was not going to 
 France, and though she was anxious to know 
 what he would do, she refrained from asking him. 
 Having been pardoned by Melendez, and being 
 a Spaniard, Francisco had decided in his own
 
 DEFYING THE FATES. 289 
 
 mind to go to St. Augustine and await an oppor 
 tunity to return to Cuba. He had been away 
 from his home so many years, and such a great 
 length of time had elapsed since relatives and 
 friends had heard from him, that they no doubt 
 long since had given him up for dead. His return 
 at this late day would be like a resurrection from 
 the tomb. 
 
 With these thoughts he was beguiling the tedium 
 of the morning march, when one of the Indians 
 carrying the litter informed him that on reaching 
 the top of a hill a short distance before them they 
 would be able to see the river. 
 
 "Travel faster," urged the impatient Spaniard. 
 " Travel faster, for we have no time to lose. We 
 must reach the river before the French ships sail." 
 
 "We go as fast as we can," answered one of the 
 carriers. 
 
 The consuming anxiety of the moment caused the 
 perspiration to start on Estevan's face. He ran 
 ahead of the carriers, and, gaining the summit from 
 which he had a view of the harbor and ocean, 
 saw the white sails of the French fleet far out to 
 sea. 
 
 "Too late too late!" he groaned, leaning 
 against a tree. 
 
 The Indians came up and placed the litter on the 
 ground. Hortense gazed off over the bay and the 
 19
 
 290 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 sea at the sails of those homeward-bound ships. 
 She did not weep ; she did not sigh ; but, patient 
 and resigned to the last, she gazed calmly after the 
 departing vessels. By her side stood Francisco, 
 more overcome than she. He grasped her hand, 
 their eyes met, and for a moment they gazed in 
 silence at each other. 
 
 The great moment in Francisco's life had come, 
 and it was like other moments. His doom was 
 spoken in a word. A single look from the eyes, 
 a single pressure from the hand decided it before 
 the lips could speak. For a moment his agitation 
 was perceptible, even to the savages ; then a change 
 came over his face. He grew calmer, and, turning 
 to the carriers, signed them to go away. They 
 understood that he wished to be alone with the lily 
 and left them. Turning to her, he said in a voice 
 strangely calm, yet which seemed to come from 
 the depths of his soul: 
 
 "Hortense, God has decreed it." 
 
 She turned her inquiring eyes on him, and after 
 waiting a moment to gain control over his emotions, 
 he pointed to the French sails Just disappearing 
 over the horizon and repeated: 
 
 "God has decreed it; why longer try to resist 
 the will of Heaven?" 
 
 His manner and his words were an enigma to 
 her, and she answered:
 
 DEFYING THE FATES. 291 
 
 " Monsieur, you speak strangely. I I do not 
 understand you." 
 
 " Listen to me, Hortense. The scales have fallen 
 from my eyes, and I see the hand of God in it all 
 from the beginning." 
 
 Her blue eyes grew round with wonder, and she 
 was almost ready to doubt his sanity. Why did 
 his face glow with joy and rapture? Why did he 
 cling to her hand while his breath came rapidly, 
 as if he labored under some great excitement? 
 Before she could speak he added: 
 
 "Yes, Hortense, from the beginning to the pres 
 ent hour I clearly see the hand of God which 
 decrees that which must be. Go back to the hour 
 of our first meeting. Why was I the only one 
 saved from the wreck? Why should I be rescued, 
 and by you, if God had not some design? I tore 
 myself rudely away from you and lived a miser 
 able existence until again we met. When we were 
 attacked by the pirate ship, I, of all the passengers 
 and crew, was spared. When the French bore 
 away to Fort Carolinia, I alone of all was brought 
 here. Why should it be so, if God had not 
 wished it?" 
 
 She watched him, her great earnest eyes filled 
 with wonder, while her heart beat wildly. He 
 went on: 
 
 " If God did not decree it, why were you brought
 
 292 SAINT AUGUSTINE 
 
 where I was? I did not expect it, neither did 
 you. The meeting was not planned by us, but 
 by God. Why was I able to rescue you from 
 among so many others and place you with Satu- 
 riova, if God had not designed it? It was God 
 who designed that you should in turn rescue me, 
 and that we should be left to each other in this 
 strange New World. O Hortense! are you still as 
 blind as I have been? Do you not know that we 
 were designed for each other?" 
 
 She was dumb with amazement, her heart palpi 
 tating, her face radiant with hope and joy, her 
 breath coming by quick gasps, while her breast 
 heaved tumultuously. In his earnestness he had 
 knelt beside the litter and clasped her small hand 
 in both his own, while his dark, piercing eyes, 
 filled with melting tenderness, looked into hers. 
 
 "Hortense, God planned it; God wills it; let us 
 not resist His wish. Be my own my wife, Hor 
 tense." 
 
 It was some moments before she could speak; 
 then she said in a faint voice: 
 
 "Your monastic vows?" 
 
 "I have altered my course in life and I will 
 not become a priest. Our religions differ; but if, 
 as you once said, all the church of God will in the 
 end be one grand brotherhood, let us be first to 
 unite the two faiths. Promise to become my wife,
 
 "GOD WILLS IT; BK sir WIFE, HOKTEXSE."
 
 DEFYING THE FATES. 293 
 
 Hortense, and I swear by all the saints on the cal 
 endar and by the great God whom we worship that 
 I will make you a true and faithful husband." 
 
 She essayed to speak, but language failed. 
 This was the realization of her dearest dream, for 
 which she had never dared hope. Putting her 
 arms about his neck, she whispered: 
 
 "Yes, God wills it." 
 
 He rose like one whose plans in life are all made, 
 and stood by the side of the girl whose protection 
 and support he was henceforth to be. 
 
 Before either had time to speak, they saw a tall 
 young Indian approaching. It was the gallant 
 Olacatora. He was hunting for them, and, as their 
 attendants had failed to return, Francisco asked 
 him to aid in carrying Hortense. to the house of 
 Saturiova, to which Olacatora assented. 
 
 They passed along a solitary forest road, cool 
 and dark in the shadow of the woods, but hot and 
 glaring where it emerged and dipped into the 
 valley. In the valley was a pretty Indian village 
 of the picturesque aboriginese pattern stretched 
 along the banks of the river, which wound through, 
 green savannahs and orange- groves. In the out 
 skirts of the village was a picturesque lodge, the 
 home of the chief, Saturiova. 
 
 A forest maiden of nineteen or twenty years of 
 age was coming along the road alone. She was aq.
 
 294 
 
 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 olive-cheeked damsel, with the fine, delicate beauty 
 of the wild flower, so rare among the natives of 
 America. Her costume, wild and becoming, of 
 the finest fawn-skin, ornamented with furs and 
 bright feathers, added to her beauty and grace. 
 
 Her wealth of luxuriant 
 hair fell about her inno 
 cent face and down upon 
 the shapely shoulders. 
 One hand held a bou 
 quet of wild flowers, 
 and the other hung list 
 lessly at her side. Her eyes 
 were bright, as if expecting some 
 one from the forest, and her 
 breath came quick, while her cherry lips, parted 
 by the smile of an angel, revealed two rows of 
 pearls. She suddenly discovered a strange group 
 approaching the village. Two men were carrying 
 a litter on which sat a maiden of the same age as 
 the one just described, though fair as the morning. 
 The smile brightened, a cry of joy escaped the 
 lips of the daughter of Saturiova; she ran to the 
 litter, and the maid of the morning and the maiden 
 of twilight were clasped in each other's arms, each 
 murmuring in endearing tones: 
 "My sister!" 
 The wanderer had returned. Old Saturiova was 
 
 "A FOREST MAIDEN.
 
 DEFYING THE FATES. 295 
 
 found sitting in front of his lodge smoking his 
 pipe, and he evinced no more surprise or concern 
 at the return of Francisco Estevan than if he had 
 been gone but a day instead of two years. 
 
 Hortense was taken to her lodge, where her red 
 sister ministered to her wants. She gathered from 
 the forest leaves and roots known to possess medic 
 inal properties, beat them into poultices, and 
 bandaged the poor little wounded feet. 
 
 Francisco Estevan was invited to dine with the 
 chief, after which he had a Jong talk with the Ind 
 ian, in which he expressed his sincerest thanks for 
 the tender care with which Saturiova had protected 
 and guarded Hortense. 
 
 "She is my own daughter," said Saturiova, 
 "and I would have defended her with my life." 
 
 "You did well." 
 
 "Must I give her up?" 
 
 The question somewhat startled Francisco, inas 
 much as it suggested the possibility of a new 
 danger. Should he inform the Indian of his in 
 tention to take her away, he feared the savage 
 might conceal her in such a way that he would not 
 find her. After a moment he answered: 
 
 " She will always be the daughter of the great 
 chief who so nobly protected her, for she has no 
 other father on earth. She may go to live in an 
 other lodge some day, as will your red daughter
 
 296 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 when she marries; but both will ever love their 
 good father Saturiova." 
 
 The chief answered by a grunt of satisfaction, 
 and from that moment Estevan knew he had won 
 the chief, and Hortense would be safe in his keep 
 ing. He lingered a few days at the Indian village, 
 while Hortense rapidly recovered under the treat 
 ment of her red sister. On the third day after her 
 arrival she was able to walk about. 
 
 It was again evening. The soft southern moon, 
 round and full, rose in the heavens, shedding a 
 flood of silver light over the orange-groves and 
 tropical everglades, which have long been a syno 
 nym for grandeur and beauty. The air was bur 
 dened with perfume and all the sounds peculiar to 
 the tropics. 
 
 Francisco and Hortense wandered to a seat be 
 neath a large tree and sat for a long time listening to 
 the sounds of nature. At last she spoke: 
 
 "When do you go?" 
 
 "In the morning." 
 
 "To St. Augustine?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Are you quite sure you can safely return?" 
 
 "Why not?" he answered. " I have been par 
 doned for all past offences and have committed 
 none since." 
 
 "Fo,"
 
 DEFYING THE FATES. 297 
 
 Another silence of several moments' duration 
 followed, and she asked: 
 
 "Will you be long gone?" 
 
 "No. I cannot say how long ; but it will be un 
 til I am able to return and take you home with me. 
 There you shall become mine, and when you are 
 my wife I can defend you against all powers, 
 Christian or pagan." 
 
 "Even against Mendoza?" 
 
 "Mendoza is my friend." 
 
 "And Melendez?" 
 
 "Melendez will not dare act contrary to the 
 wishes of his chaplain." 
 
 For a few moments they sat gazing at the far-off 
 southern moon and the soft bright-eyed stars which 
 seemed to sparkle and wink in approval. He was 
 the first to break the silence. 
 
 " Hortense, ours has been a stormy life. It has 
 been a long, hard road we have travelled; but 
 there is happiness at the end. God has led us by 
 many steep and thorny paths, over many a stormy 
 sea; but He has brought us to rest and happiness." 
 
 She clung fondly to him and murmured: 
 
 " Francisco, the joy of this moment seems to re 
 pay me for the terrible past. God is good." 
 
 "Let us hope that this is the dawn of a brighter 
 existence which will not end with this life, but 
 will continue throughout eternity."
 
 298 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 They talked of the future as only betrothed 
 couples do. That future was bright to them, al 
 though of this world's goods they had nothing save 
 each other; but what more did they want? They 
 were in a new world. 
 
 The stars never shone so brightly before, the 
 moon never seemed to flood the earth with such 
 mellow light; the murmur of the cascade was never 
 so gentle; the carols of the night birds never so 
 musical. All nature was in harmony with those 
 who were in harmony with God. It is only when 
 we become rebellious against nature and nature's 
 God that we fail to see the glorious beauties which 
 lie in abundance about us. 
 
 Next morning Estevan was to set out for St. 
 Augustine to beard the lion in his den and ask 
 only life and peace in the New World. The parting 
 was short and affecting. Hortense accompanied 
 him a short distance; then he bade her adieu, 
 clasped her a moment to his breast, imprinted a 
 kiss on her cheek and was gone, while she re 
 turned to her lodge to shed a few tears and pray 
 that his efforts might be crowned with success. 
 
 There arose from behind a cluster of flowering 
 shrubs a tall, dark man, his great, burning eyes 
 for a moment fixed on the lodge in which Hortense 
 had disappeared, and then turned toward Estevan' s 
 retreating form, but dimly visible far down the
 
 DEFYING THE FATES. 299 
 
 road. His face was grave, and for a long time he 
 stood motionless as a statue. What a whirlwind 
 of tempestuous emotions, what a conflict between 
 right and wrong was raging in the breast of that 
 savage! Yet the most astute reader of physiog 
 nomy could not have determined from the fixed 
 and immovable face that his soul was not as calm 
 as a summer sea. 
 
 Olacatora was fighting a battle which has to be 
 fought by more than half of Mother Eve's sons a 
 conflict requiring more heroism than he displayed 
 when, "alone and single-handed, he charged the 
 gunner of Fort St. Mattheo. Jealous passion and 
 reason were arrayed against each other, and at 
 times, when his hand convulsively clutched his 
 weapon, it seemed as if hate would conquer. 
 Reason and gentleness in the end prevailed, how 
 ever, and, with his face as mild as the holy morn, 
 he gazed, long at the lodge and murmured: 
 
 "It is better. He is of her race and I am only 
 her red brother." 
 
 Then he turned slowly about and plunged into 
 the forest in an opposite direction to that taken by 
 Francisco Estevan.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 TIME sped swiftly on. 
 
 St. Augustine lay on the shore of the river where 
 her great fort and bristling guns seemed defying 
 the armies and navies of the world. It was about 
 six o'clock in the evening. The heat of the day 
 had gradually decreased and a light evening 
 breeze arose, seeming like the respiration of 
 nature on awaking from a burning siesta of the 
 south. A small Spanish sloop, chaste and elegant 
 in form, was gliding into the peaceful harbor. 
 The motion resembled that of a swan with its wings 
 opened toward the wind. By the skilful manoeu 
 vring of the man at the helm it swept gracefully 
 into the bay, leaving behind a glittering track. 
 By degrees the sun disappeared behind its western 
 horizon ; but, as though to prove the truth of the 
 fanciful ideas in heathen mythology, its indiscreet 
 rays reappeared on the summit of each wave, seem 
 ing to show that the god of fire had enfolded him 
 self in the bosom of Amphitrite, who in vain en- 
 300
 
 CONCLUSION. 301 
 
 deavored to hide her lover beneath her azure 
 mantle. The little vessel moved rapidly on, 
 though there did not seem to be sufficient wind to 
 ruffle the curls on the head of a young girl. 
 Standing in the bow was a tall man of dark com 
 plexion, whose dress and air indicated the Spanish 
 sailor of the period. He observed with dilating 
 eyes that they were approaching the dark mass, 
 bristling with cannon, known as the Fort of St. 
 Augustine. 
 
 Sitting in the stern of the little vessel thus glid 
 ing toward the Spanish fort were Francisco Estevan 
 and Hortense De Barre, peaceful and smiling as the 
 skies above them and the gentle sea about them. 
 All the storm clouds seemed to have rolled away 
 from their horizon, and the sorrows of the past were 
 but a dark background on which was to be painted 
 the golden happiness of the future. Their mar 
 riage made in heaven, despite the bigotry of the age 
 which had so long kept two loving hearts apart, was 
 soon to be celebrated on earth. They had grown 
 like two trees, whose roots and branches are inter 
 twined and whose perfume rises together to the 
 skies. 
 
 Francisco Estevan on his arrival at St. Augus 
 tine, after leaving Hortense as related in the last 
 chapter, had found Melendez quite changed. He 
 received with kindness his countryman whom he
 
 302 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 had so greatly wronged. The terrible lesson of De 
 Gourges had humbled the pride of the haughty 
 bigot, who knew that his harsh and inhuman con 
 duct toward the Huguenots had been severely crit 
 icised by the best nations of Europe, for the age of 
 bigotry was on the wane. Though he justified 
 himself for the atrocious act by the remembrance 
 that the men, women, and children whom he had 
 ruthlessly swept out of existence were heretics, and 
 that he acted under the orders of his king, he could 
 but feel that the retribution visited upon him by 
 the French was to have been expected. 
 
 He was in an humble, almost penitent mood 
 when Mendoza came to him with Francisco Estevan, 
 who had just come in from the forest, whither, it 
 was represented, he had fled at the approach of the 
 French. In the great whirlpool of exciting events 
 which had followed the attack on the forts, Helen - 
 dez had almost, if not quite, forgotten Francisco 
 Estevan. As he had not appeared after his re 
 lease, it was generally thought that he had per 
 ished in the attack, and Mendoza had offered up 
 many prayers for his soul. The Spanish admiral 
 was pleased to find him alive and congratulated 
 him on his escape. 
 
 Francisco told briefly the story of his wrongs 
 and the deceptions practised by John Gyrot, who 
 had met his fate at his own hands in the forest.
 
 CONCLUSION. 3o 
 
 Melendez listened calmly, with but little show of 
 emotion, and when he had finished said: 
 
 " It is but human to err, and often we may find 
 in this transitory life a demon in the deceitful 
 guise of a man. It was so in this case." 
 
 Before going to Melendez, Francisco had made 
 a full and complete confession to Mendoza of his 
 love for Hortense De Barre, and expressed his 
 wish that she be allowed to come to the Spanish 
 settlement to be made his wife according to the 
 ceremonies and rules of the Catholic Church. 
 Though living in that age of bigotry, Mendoza was 
 a person who could accommodate his conscience 
 and religion to suit the circumstances and wishes 
 of his friends; and though general custom, if not 
 church law, forbade the marriage of a Catholic to 
 a Protestant, he gave the match his approval, and 
 was quite sure that, after so many wonderful 
 events combining to bring about the happy union 
 of Francisco and Hortense, it must be the will of 
 God. There is no doubt that Mendoza hoped to 
 proselyte the fair Huguenot when once she was 
 the wife of such a firm Catholic as Francisco Este- 
 van. It was Mendoza who made the plea for the 
 French maiden to the Spanish admiral and asked 
 that she who had been an object of Gy rot's perse 
 cution from childhood be permitted to come to St. 
 Augustine to dwell.
 
 304 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 After listening to his spiritual adviser, Melen- 
 dez, in giving his consent, among other things 
 said: 
 
 " She was a heretic, and doubtless is yet. If it 
 is our duty to convert the heathen to the true re 
 ligion, may we not hope also to proselyte a heretic, 
 to induce her to return to the true faith which she 
 has abandoned? Let her come; let the young man 
 make her his wife. We will be doing nothing 
 inconsistent with the spirit and genius of our in 
 stitutions. We should do nothing for revenge, 
 though everything for security; nothing for the 
 past, but everything for the present and future." 
 
 Next day Estevan attended mass and spent a 
 long time in solemn conversation with the priest 
 over the future The young Spaniard was happy, 
 and that evening he set out in the sloop which was 
 described as returning at the beginning of this 
 chapter. He sailed along the coast to the mouth 
 of the river near the banks of which was the home 
 of Saturiova. Leaving his sloop at anchor in 
 charge of the small crew which had accompanied 
 him, he proceeded on foot and alone to the Indian 
 village, where Hortense waited to greet him. The 
 day after his arrival, accompanied by the chief 
 and his family, Francisco and Hortense set out for 
 the sloop which was to convey them to St. Augus 
 tine. They tried in vain to prevail on Saturiova
 
 CONCLUSION. 305 
 
 and his daughter to accompany them. The old 
 chief dared not risk himself in the hands of the 
 Spaniards after all that had occurred, so after an 
 affectionate farewell the lovers went aboard the 
 little vessel and sailed out of the harbor toward St. 
 Augustine. 
 
 The sombre shades of twilight had begun to 
 gather, the moon hung over the western forest, and 
 the pale glow of an evening star shot athwart the 
 path of the dying day, as the sloop glided into the 
 harbor of St. Augustine. Suddenly there came 
 from the fort a blinding flash and the boom of a 
 cannon, and then three more in quick succession. 
 The four sailors on the sloop stood in the bow 
 with the pans of their guns open and match-cords 
 lighted, and when the cannon fired they answered 
 the salute. A cheer went up from the shore, which 
 was thronged with people; for the romantic story 
 of Francisco and Hortense had been noised abroad, 
 and the entire village turned out to meet the lovers. 
 
 Hortense, clothed in the garb of civilization, 
 stepped ashore and was greeted with another cheer. 
 Among the throng were many of the Huguenot 
 women and children who had been spared from the 
 massacre at Carolinia. Everybody seemed to re 
 joice in the happy termination of the adventures of 
 the lovers, and all praised God that the age of 
 bigotry was past, giving way to the dawn of reason. 
 20
 
 306 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 A Huguenot widow who had lost her husband 
 in the massacre at Carol inia, and who had since 
 lived with the conquerors, took Hortense to her 
 home until her marriage, which was to be celebrated 
 as soon as her husband, with the aid of his friends, 
 could erect a suitable house to live in. 
 
 Francisco had given up all thought of returning 
 to Cuba. His parents had no doubt mourned him 
 as dead, even if they were themselves in the land 
 of the living. Now that he had decided to rebel 
 against their cherished wishes and was to marry 
 a Huguenot, he could not shock their religious 
 sense with the knowledge. His wife, a Protes 
 tant, would never be received as a daughter by his 
 Catholic mother, so he resolved to remain dead to 
 his parents. In this New World he would begin 
 a new career, and carve out for himself a name 
 for liberality, reason, and humanity which would 
 glow like a beacon light in the coming age. 
 
 The Spaniards gave him their aid in building 
 his house. It was only a log hut, built after the 
 primitive fashion, but was very neat and tidy, the 
 walls hewn straight and whitewashed inside. All 
 worked with a will, for the good people were elated 
 at the thought that their colony was to soon wit 
 ness the first Christian marriage ever celebrated 
 in Florida, fifty-six years after its discovery. A 
 man whose grandfather came with Columbus on
 
 CONCLUSION. 307 
 
 his first voyage of discovery to the New World was 
 to wed a beauty from France. No wonder the 
 colony was thrown into a flutter of excitement. 
 
 Good Spanish dames joined the good French 
 women in arranging for the event, and the fair 
 bride-elect found herself overwhelmed with kind 
 ness. What a glorious dawn after such an awful 
 night! 
 
 The day for the wedding festivities came at last, 
 and the Spanish colony put on a holiday appear 
 ance. The little church was decorated within and 
 without with gay wild flowers. Every official was 
 present, even Melendez, who had volunteered to 
 give away the bride. The little chapel was adorned 
 and decorated until it looked like a bit of fairy 
 land. 
 
 At last, when all things were in readiness, the 
 people sang a solemn chant, at the close of which 
 the bride and groom entered the chapel. Hortense 
 was dressed in a beautiful Spanish robe, very 
 fashionable at that day, with a neat, modest ruff, 
 and her arms, bare to the shoulders, sparkled with 
 jewels, the presents of her warm-hearted, sympa 
 thetic friends. Her bridal veil was such as one 
 would hardly expect to see in this new land. It 
 was of the finest gauze, like a fleecy cloud from 
 the skilful looms of old Cadiz, and it adorned the 
 most lovely being in all Florida.
 
 308 SAINT AUGUSTINE. 
 
 Francisco Estevan was attired in the gay costume 
 of a Spanish cavalier of the period, wearing the 
 sword of a gentleman at his side. He was a 
 noble specimen of manly beauty a splendid form, 
 with the carriage of one born to command, and she 
 was the ideal of womanly modesty, loveliness, and 
 simplicity. 
 
 By the altar, in sacerdotal robes, stood the priest 
 to officiate at this sacred, joyous, and most interest 
 ing of all ceremonies. After the usual prayers and 
 Te Deums, in a solemn and impressive manner, 
 he pronounced the marriage according to the Roman 
 Catholic Church, and thus wed the Catholic and 
 Huguenot before the grass grew green on the 
 graves of those slain through avarice, hate, and 
 religious bigotry. 
 
 Francisco and Hortense went at once to their 
 humble home, where they began life together with 
 a fair promise of happiness and tranquillity. 
 
 The Spaniards were left by the evacuation of 
 De Gourges for many years without competitors 
 in Florida, and they applied themselves to fortify 
 ing and improving their settlement at St. Augus 
 tine. Fort St. Mattheo was suffered for a while to 
 go to decay, and then was rebuilt under the name 
 of San Juan, or St. John, the name given the 
 river. St. Augustine continued to grow and 
 flourish, and though it has never become a great
 
 CONCLUSION. 309 
 
 commercial city, it enjoys the distinction of being 
 the first and oldest town in the United States of 
 America. Francisco Estevan and his wife became 
 permanent citizens of St. Augustine, and they and 
 their descendants figured prominently in the many 
 stirring events from which was evolved the greatest 
 nation on earth. 
 
 THE END.
 
 HISTORICAL INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Address of Melendez to soldiers 169 
 
 Aid from France 121 
 
 Albert's search for gold 59 
 
 Albert, assassination of 59 
 
 Annihilation of the Spaniards at the fort 279 
 
 Armament of De Gourges 229 
 
 Armament of Melendez 158 
 
 Assault of the savages 120 
 
 Attack of De Gourges on the Spanish 260 
 
 Attack on Fort Carolinia 177 
 
 Bahama Straits, De Gourges in 232 
 
 Baracoa, pirates seize prize at 98 
 
 Barre chosen in place of Albert, assassinated 59 
 
 Behme, the murderer of Coligni 228 
 
 Brigantine sighted by the pirate 81 
 
 Cabots discover Atlantic coast and Labrador 2 
 
 Callos, the kingdom of gold region 109 
 
 Calvin, John 18 
 
 Cape Canaveral, Ribault wrecked at 189 
 
 Cape Frangais discovered 33 
 
 Cape Tiberone, Huguenots capture Governor of 
 
 Jamaica at 99 
 
 Carolinia assaulted 177 
 
 Carolinia changed to St. Mattheo 186 
 
 Cartier discovers Canada 2 
 
 Cartier's report of the New World 30 
 
 311
 
 312 HISTORICAL INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Cassenove sent to attack the Spanish from right flank. 258 
 
 Cassenove eager to assault fort St. Mattheo 274 
 
 Cassenove reports sortie about to be made on the 
 
 French from the Spaniards in fort St. Mattheo. 278 
 Catharine de' Medici grants charter for Florida to the 
 
 French Huguenots 32 
 
 Challus 172 
 
 Charles IX, King of France 28 
 
 Church built on soil red with blood of Huguenots 185 
 
 Coligni, description of 26 
 
 Coligni's visit to Catharine de' Medici 27 
 
 Coligni 's proposition for planting a Huguenot colony 
 
 in Florida 29 
 
 Coligni assassinated 228 
 
 Conde, Prince of 19 
 
 Cossel advises an attack by sea 145 
 
 Cuba, De Gourges at 230 
 
 Culverin fired at the French 259 
 
 Dauphin River discovered 33 
 
 De Bray, Peter, restored to his countrymen 237 
 
 De Bray finds a guide 255 
 
 Decision of Ribault 146 
 
 De Gourges, the avenger of the Huguenots 228 
 
 De Gourges lays his plans 229 
 
 De Gourges' voyage to America 230 
 
 De Gourges makes an address to his followers 230 
 
 De Gourges sends his trumpeter to the Indians 233 
 
 De Gourges confers with Saturiova 234 
 
 De Gourges makes known his design to Saturiova. . . . 235 
 De Gourges gives some advice to his scout to be sent 
 
 to the Spanish forts 244 
 
 De Gourges landing his troops 245 
 
 De Gourges resolves to make a secret attack 246 
 
 De Gourges at the river Somme 253 
 
 De Gourges delayed and discouraged by rain . . . , . 255
 
 HISTORICAL INDEX. 313 
 
 PAGE 
 
 De Gourges fording the stream 256 
 
 De Gourges divides his army 258 
 
 De Gourges turns the Spaniards' artillery against them. 273 
 De Gourges makes the spy tell him all about fort St. 
 
 Mattheo 276 
 
 De Gourges prepares to attack Fort St. Mattheo 277 
 
 De Gourges lays a trap for the party making the sortie. 278 
 De Gourges hangs the Spaniards on the same oak on 
 
 which the French were hung 280 
 
 De Gourges was little better than a pirate 281 
 
 De Gourges, disinterested motives of 281 
 
 De Gourges sails for Europe ; arrives at Rochelle 282 
 
 De Gourges treated coolly at court and warned to fly. 
 
 He goes to Rouen 283 
 
 De Gourges, death of 283 
 
 Demolishing of the three forts 282 
 
 De Moutluc gives De Gourges a commission 229 
 
 De Moutluc extols the valor of De Gourges 282 
 
 Desertion of Fort St. Mattheo 279 
 
 Des Fourneaux turns pirate 77 
 
 Despondency of the French 112 
 
 D'Estampes sent with Olacatora 244 
 
 D'Estampes and Indian return 245 
 
 D'Estampes makes his report 246 
 
 Dieppe, Huguenots sail from 33 
 
 Diet at Spiers, 1529 17 
 
 Dissatisfaction in colony 76 
 
 Donnacona's report concerning fur-bearing animals. . 30 
 
 D'Oranger chosen chief of pirates 80 
 
 D' Granger captures governor of Jamaica 99 
 
 D'Oranger captured and hung 100 
 
 Elizabeth, queen of England, listens to Huguenots. ... 60 
 
 Embassadors effect a compromise 120 
 
 Embassadors sent to Fort Carolinia 191 
 
 Escape of Laudonniere, Challus and Le Moyne 182
 
 314 HISTORICAL INDEX. 
 
 PARK 
 
 Escape of Huguenots sent to Hispaniola 189 
 
 Europe's envy of Spain 281 
 
 Eve of St. Bartholomew massacre 228 
 
 Execution of the pirates by order of Laudonniere. . . . 108 
 
 Fall of Fort Carolinia..: 178 
 
 Fall of Fort St. Mattheo 280 
 
 Florida, De Gourges on the coast of 232 
 
 Fort Charles built by the Huguenots 33 
 
 Fort Carolinia built 67 
 
 Fort Carolinia changed to Fort St. Mattheo 186 
 
 Founding of St. Augustine 161 
 
 French names given to Floridian streams 58 
 
 French colonists beg to return 115 
 
 French army training for conflict 245 
 
 French and Indians decide on a rendezvous 246 
 
 French soldiers begin the march on the Spaniards. . . . 256 
 
 French army wading the stream 256 
 
 French officers reconnoitring 257 
 
 French in sight of Spanish fort 259 
 
 French assailed by the artillery in the second Spanish 
 
 fort 273 
 
 Gonzalo de Villareal, Governor of St. Mattheo 188 
 
 Governor of Jamaica's stratagem 100 
 
 Guise, Duke of 19 
 
 Guise, Duke of, assassination of Coligni 228 
 
 Hanging of the Huguenots 186 
 
 Havana, Cuba, metropolis of West Indies 1 
 
 Havre de Grace, Laudonniere sails from 63 
 
 Hawkins sails for England 124 
 
 Hispaniola, pirates at 98 
 
 Huguenot leaders 19 
 
 Huguenots, condition of, in Florida 120 
 
 Huguenots ready to return to France 128 
 
 Huguenots who are captured and sent to Hispaniola 
 
 revolt and capture the ship 189
 
 HISTORICAL INDEX. 315 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Huguenots slain by Melendez 194 
 
 Hurricane sweeps over Florida 71 
 
 Hurricane strikes Ribault's fleet 152 
 
 Indians refuse to sell food to the French 113 
 
 Indians insult the French 115 
 
 Indians demand their chief of the French 118 
 
 Inquisition re-established by the church of Rome. ... 18 
 Inscription on the tree where the Huguenots were 
 
 hung 186 
 
 Inscription on the tree on which the Spaniards were 
 
 hung 281 
 
 Jesuits, order of, created 18 
 
 Jourdan River, Huguenots on the 33 
 
 King Callas of the golden region 109 
 
 King Philip's orders to Melendez 159 
 
 King of Spain sends an armed squadron to intercept 
 
 De Gourges 282 
 
 La Croix the pirate 77 
 
 Landing of Melendez 158 
 
 La Roche Ferriere's explorations 108 
 
 Laudonniere, Rene 61 
 
 Laudonniere sails for America 63 
 
 Laudonniere quarrels with Saturiova about prisoners. 70 
 Laudonniere seized and robbed by the conspirators. . . 79 
 
 Laudonniere arrests the pirates 102 
 
 Laudonniere burns the Indian town 115 
 
 Laudonniere induced to arrest Outina 116 
 
 Laudonniere left to protect Fort Carolinia 150 
 
 Laudonniere fears an attack by land 174 
 
 Laudonniere hails the ships of young Ribault 187 
 
 Laudonniere, Challus and Le Moyne sail for Europe 
 
 in the same ship 188 
 
 Laudonniere quarrels with young Ribault 188 
 
 Le Moyne, Jacob 61 
 
 Le Moyne, the friend of Laudonniere 172
 
 316 HISTORICAL INDEX. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Luther, Martin, leads the reformation 17 
 
 Magellan goes around the world 2 
 
 Malcontents sent to France 76 
 
 March of the Spaniards 166 
 
 March of Ribault's shipwrecked crews to Fort Caro- 
 
 linia 190 
 
 Mass performed on the scene of Spanish victory 184 
 
 May River, settlement on 67 
 
 May River, French fly to 194 
 
 Medici, Catharine de', princess regent 19 
 
 Medici, Catharine de', receives Coligni 27 
 
 Medici, Catharine de', description of 28 
 
 Medici, Catharine de', ruins her children 227 
 
 Medici, Catharine de', joins league against the Hu 
 guenots 228 
 
 Melancthon, Philip, great reformer 17 
 
 Melendez (or Menendez) threatens the French Hugue 
 nots colonized in Florida 142 
 
 Melendez on the coast 144 
 
 Melendez sails from Fort Carolinia 150 
 
 Melendez, history of 159 
 
 Melendez' fleet 159 
 
 Melendez addresses his followers 164 
 
 Melendez prepares to attack Fort Carolinia 165 
 
 Melendez publishes an order sparing women and chil 
 dren 183 
 
 Melendez returns to St. Augustine 188 
 
 Melendez' lying promises to spare Ribault and follow 
 ers if they will surrender 191 
 
 Melendez keeps faith with the Huguenots on the May 
 
 River 194 
 
 Melendez acting in concert with the court of France. . 227 
 
 Mendoza performs mass 164 
 
 Mendoza's enthusiasm to convert the heathen 249 
 
 Mona, De Gourges at 230
 
 HISTORICAL INDEX. 317 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Natives prepare to resist De Gourges 231 
 
 Night march of the French 256 
 
 Nuggets of gold brought to Laudonniere by a Spanish 
 
 slave 108 
 
 Number of Huguenots slain at Fort Carolinia 182 
 
 Olacatora, the nephew of Saturiova, sent to watch 
 
 Fort Carolinia 244 
 
 Onathaca's two white slaves 108 
 
 Ottigny slain 194 
 
 Outina, the Indian cacique 72 
 
 Outina becomes jealous 108 
 
 Outina defeats his enemies Ill 
 
 Outina captured by the French 117 
 
 Paraousties of Florida 59 
 
 Pelagius, French prisoners sent in, to Hispaniola 189 
 
 Peter de Bray 182 
 
 Pirates sail, quarrel and separate at River May 80 
 
 Pirates plunder brigantine 84 
 
 Pirates led into a trap 100 
 
 Potanou, death of 73 
 
 Protestants, how formed 17 
 
 Queen Mary married to Philip, King of Spain 158 
 
 Raleigh, Walter 32 
 
 Reception of Melendez at St. Augustine after murder 
 ing the Huguenots 189 
 
 Reformation, the 2 
 
 Rendezvous of the French and Indians on the river 
 
 Somme 253 
 
 Report of Vasseur 190 
 
 Retribution of the French 260 
 
 Ribault, John 33 
 
 Ribault's return , 130 
 
 Ribault hears of the approach of Melendez 141 
 
 Ribault holds a council of war 145 
 
 Ribault sails to attack Melendez 151
 
 318 HISTORICAL INDEX. 
 
 PAGK 
 
 Ribault is shipwrecked on the coast of Florida 157 
 
 Ribault in sight of St. Augustine 163 
 
 Ribault determines to return to Fort Carolinia 189 
 
 Ribault and men seized and slain 193 
 
 Roche, Ferriere, sent to explore Outina's canton 77 
 
 Rumor of Melendez being sent to exterminate the 
 
 Huguenots 131 
 
 St. Augustine founded 161 
 
 St. Augustine left in charge of a brother of Melendez. 166 
 
 St. Augustine, French started to work on fort 194 
 
 St. Augustine fortified and improved 308 
 
 St. Croix River 33 
 
 St. Mattheo 186 
 
 St. Mattheo to be reduced 274 
 
 St. Mattheo suffered to go to decay, then rebuilt under 
 
 the name of San Juan 308 
 
 Saturiova, Indian chief 63 
 
 Saturiova seeks aid of the French 65 
 
 Saturiova marches to war alone 69 
 
 Saturiova receives the French gladly 233 
 
 Saturiova gluts his vengeance 280 
 
 Saturiova tells of Spanish cruelty 234 
 
 Saturiova summons neighboring chiefs to war council 
 
 with French 244 
 
 Saturiova promises not to desert the French 256 
 
 Saturiova urges the French to remain 282 
 
 Scouts sent to the neighborhood of Fort Carolinia to 
 
 watch the Spaniards 244 
 
 Ships discovered 122 
 
 Shipwreck of Ribault 128 
 
 Silver brought to the French 68 
 
 Sir John Hawkins at Fort Carolinia 123 
 
 Soldiers left with Outina 110 
 
 Somme (or Suraba) River, French at 253 
 
 Spaniards murmur 167
 
 HISTORICAL INDEX. 319 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Spaniards refuse to advance 168 
 
 Spaniards discover French 259 
 
 Spaniards in fort discovered in commotion 257 
 
 Spaniards reserved for hanging 260 
 
 Spaniards at St. Mattheo make a sortie 278 
 
 Spaniards fall into hands of Indians 280 
 
 Spanish sergeant captured 274 
 
 Spanish sergeant made to betray his countrymen 275 
 
 Spanish soldier and Ribault 193 
 
 Speech of Melendez to soldiers 169 
 
 Spy captured 276 
 
 Stephen, a conspirator 77 
 
 Stephen, Des Fourneaux and La Croix escape 101 
 
 Storms delay De Gourges 255 
 
 Tacatacouran River, French enter the 232 
 
 Timagoa .^ 65 
 
 Trenchant, the honest pilot, determines to return to 
 
 Florida 101 
 
 Trinity, Ribault's flag-ship 151 
 
 Trumpeter sent by Ribault to confer with the natives. 233 
 
 Under siege 118 
 
 Vasseur and D'Erlac return the Indian prisoners to 
 
 Timagoa 72 
 
 Vasseur sails for Fort Carolinia 190 
 
 Verazzani's discoveries in Canada 2 
 
 White men first heard of as slaves 108 
 
 Wreck of Ribault's fleet on Florida coast 157 
 
 Written promise of Melendez to protect the French . . . 192 
 
 Yaguana, pirates sail for 80 
 
 Yaguana, pirates careen prize at 98 
 
 Young Ribault takes Laudonniere on board his vessel. 187 
 Zuingliss, the reformer in Switzerland 17
 
 CHEOISTOLOGT. 
 
 PERIOD III. AGE OF BIGOTRY. 
 A.D. 1547 TO A.D. 1570. 
 
 1529. REFORMATION BY MARTIN LUTHER commenced. 
 1547. ACCESSION OP EDWARD VI. to throne of France, 
 
 Jan. 28. 
 1553. ACCESSION OF MARY I. to throne of England, 
 
 July 6. 
 
 PERSECUTION OF ENGLISH PURITANS commenced. 
 1558. ACCESSION OF ELIZABETH to throne of England, 
 
 Nov. 17. 
 
 1561. COLIGNI secured a patent from Charles IX. to settle 
 
 Huguenots in Florida. 
 
 1562. RIBAULT sailed from Dieppe, France, with two 
 
 vessels of Huguenots, to settle in Florida, 
 Feb. 18. 
 
 1563. HUGUENOTS left by Ribault in Florida abandon 
 
 tho country. 
 
 1564. LAUDONNIERE with Huguenots sailed from Havre 
 
 de Grace for Florida, April 23. 
 
 HUGUENOTS settled in Florida and built Fort Caro 
 lina on St. John's River. 
 
 JOHN CALVIN died in Switzerland. 
 
 1565. RIBAULT joined Laudonniere at Fort Carolina. 
 MELENDEZ FOUNDED ST. AUGUSTINE, oldest Euro 
 pean town in the United States, Aug. 29. 
 
 21 321
 
 322 CHRONOLOGY. 
 
 MELENDEZ massacred Huguenots on St. John's 
 River. 
 
 1567. DB GOURGES sailed with men and vessels to 
 
 avenge the Huguenots, Aug. 22. 
 
 1568. DE GOURGES MASSACRED THE SPANISH and hanged 
 
 some on the spot of Melendez' massacre in 
 retribution. 

 
 THE 
 
 A COMPLETE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY, 
 
 FROM THE TIME OF COLUMBUS DOWN TO THE PRESENT DAY, IN THE FORM 
 OF TWELVE COMPLETE STORIES. 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN R. MUSICK. 
 
 ONE HUNDRED HALF-TONE PLATES, MAPS OF THE PERIOD, AND NUMEROUS 
 PEN-AND-INK DRAWINGS, BY F. A. CARTER. 
 
 Vol 
 
 I. 
 
 Vol 
 
 II. 
 
 Vol 
 
 III. 
 
 Vo 
 
 IV. 
 
 Vol 
 
 V. 
 
 Vo 
 
 VI. 
 
 Vo 
 
 VII. 
 
 Vo 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Vo 
 
 IX. 
 
 Vo 
 
 X. 
 
 Vo 
 
 XI. 
 
 Vol. XII. 
 
 TITLES ; 
 
 Columbia : A Story of the Discovery of America. 
 Estevan : A Story of the Spanish Conquests. 
 St. Augustine: A Story of the Huguenots. 
 Pocahontas: A Story of Virginia. 
 The Pilgrims : A Story of Massachusetts. 
 A Century Too Soon : A Story of Bacon's Rebellion. 
 The Witch of Salem ; or, Credulity Run Mad. 
 Braddock: A Story of the French and Indian Wars. 
 Independence: A Story of the American Revolution. 
 Sustained Honor : A Story of the War of 1812. 
 Humbled Pride : A Story of the Mexican War. 
 Union : A Story of the Great Rebellion and of Events 
 down to the Present Day.
 
 UNIVERSITY ol 
 AT 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 LIBRARY
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 mL9 15m-10,'48(B1039)444
 
 PS Musick - 
 2U59 Saint August- 
 M966s ine .