During the invasion of Col. Church, the inhabitants of Grand-Pré were exposed to such treatment as may be conceived of. The smoke from the borders of the five rivers, overlooked by Blomidon, rose in the stilly air, and again the sea rolled past the broken dykes1, which for nearly a century had kept out its desolating2 waters between the Cape3 and the Gasperau. Driven to despair, a few of the younger Acadians took up arms to defend their hearthstones, but the great body of the people submitted without resistance. A brief stand was made at Port Royal, but this last outpost finally capitulated. By the terms of the articles agreed upon, the inhabitants were to have the privilege of remaining upon their estates for two years, upon taking an oath of allegiance to remain faithful to her majesty4, Queen Anne, during that period. Upon that consideration, those who lived within[Pg 270] cannon-shot of the fort, were to be protected in their rights and properties. This was but a piece of finesse5 on the part of the invaders7, an entering wedge, as it were, of a novel kind of tyranny, namely, that inasmuch as those within cannon-shot had taken the oath of allegiance, those without the reach of artillery8, at Port Royal, also, were bound to do the same. And a strong detachment of New England troops, under Captain Pigeon, was sent upon an expedition to enforce the arbitrary oath. But Captain Pigeon, in the pursuit of his duty, fell in with an enemy of a less gentle nature than the Acadians. A body of Abenaqui came down upon him and his men, and smote9 them hip10 and thigh11, even as the three hundred warriors12 of Israel smote the Midianites in the valley of Moreh. Then was there temporary relief in the land until the year 1713, when by a treaty Acadia was formally surrendered to England. The weight of the oath of allegiance now fell heavily upon the innocent colonists13. We can scarcely appreciate the abhorrence14 of a people, so conscientious15 as this, to take an oath of fidelity16 to a race that had only been known to them by its rapacity17. But partly by persuasion18, partly by menace, a majority of the Acadians took the oath, which was as follows:
"Je promets et jure sincèrement, en foi de Chré[Pg 271]tien, que je serai entièrement fidèle et obéirai vraiment sa Majesté le roi George, que je reconnaias pour le Souverain seigneur de l'Acadie, ou Nouvelle Ecosse, ainsi Dieu me soit en aide."
Under the shadow of the protection derived19 from their acceptance of this oath, the Acadians reposed20 a few years. It did not oblige them to bear arms against their countrymen, nor did it compromise their religious independence of faith. Again the dykes were built to resist the encroachments of the sea; again village after village arose—at the mouth of the Gasperau, on the shores of the Canard21, beside the Strait of Frontenac, at Le Have, and Rossignol, at Port Royal and Pisiquid. During all these years no attempt had been made by the captors of this province, to colonize22 the places baptized with the waters of Puritan progress. Lunenburgh was settled with King William's Dutchmen; the walls of Louisburgh were rising in one of the harbors of a neighboring island; but in no instance had the filibusters23 projected a colony on the soil which had been wrested24 from its rightful owners. The only result of all their bloody25 visitations upon a non-resisting people, had been to make defenceless Acadia a neutral province. From this time until the close of the drama, in all the wars between the Georges and the Louises, in both hemi[Pg 272]spheres, the people of Acadia went by the name of "The Neutral French."
Meantime the walls of Louisburgh were rising on the island of Cape Breton, which, with Canada, still remained under the sovereign rule of the French. The Acadians were invited to remove within the protection of this formidable fortress26, but they preferred remaining intrenched behind their dykes, firmly believing that the only invader6 they had now to dread27 was the sea, inasmuch as they had accepted the oath of fidelity, in which, and in their inoffensive pursuits, they imagined themselves secure from farther molestation28. Some of their Indian neighbors, however, accepted the invitation of the Cape Breton French, and removed thither29. These simple savages31, notwithstanding the changes in the government, still regarded the Acadians as friends, and the English as enemies. They could not comprehend the nature of a treaty by which their own lands were ceded32 to a hostile force; a treaty in which they were neither consulted nor considered.[E] They had their own injuries to remember, which in no wise had been balanced in the compact of the strangers. The rulers in[Pg 273] New France (so says the chronicler) "affected33 to consider the Indians as an independent people." At Canseau, at Cape Sable34, at Annapolis, and Passamaquoddy, English forts, fishing stations, and vessels35 were attacked and destroyed by the savages with all the circumstances that make up the hideous36 features of barbaric reprisal37. Unhappy Acadia came in for her share of condemnation38. Although her innocent people had no part in these transactions, yet her missionaries39 had converted the Abenaqui to faith in the symbol of the crucifixion, and it was currently reported and credited in New England, that they had taught the savages to believe also the English were the people who had crucified our Saviour40. To complicate41 matters again, the Chevalier de St. George (of whom there is no recollection except that he was anonymous42, both as a prince, and as a man) sent his son, the fifth remove in stupidity, of the most stupid line of monarchs43 (not even excepting the Georges) that ever wore crowns, to stir up an insurrection among the most obtuse44 race of people that ever wore, or went without, breeches. A war between France and England followed the descent of the Pretender. A war naturally followed in the Colonies.
Again the ring of fire and slaughter45 met and ended in a treaty; the treaty of Aix la Chapelle,[Pg 274] by which Cape Breton was ceded to France, and Nova Scotia, or Acadia, to England. Up to this time no attempt at colonizing47 the fertile valleys of Acadia, by its captors, had been attempted. At last, under large and favorable grants from the Crown, a colony was established by the Hon. Edward Cornwallis, at a place now known as Halifax. No sooner was Halifax settled, than sundry48 tribes of red men made predatory visits to the borders of the new colony. Reprisals49 followed reprisals, and it is not easy to say on which side lay the largest amount of savage30 fury. At the same time, the Acadians remained true to the spirit and letter of the oath they had taken. "They had relapsed," says the chronicler, "into a sort of sullen50 neutrality." This was considered just cause of offence. The oath which had satisfied Governor Phipps, did not satisfy George II. A new oath of allegiance was tendered, by which the Acadians were required to become loyal subjects of the English Crown, to bear arms against their countrymen, and the Indians to whom the poor colonists were bound by so many ties of obligation and affection. The consciences of these simple people revolted at a requisition "so repugnant to the feelings of human nature." Three hundred of the younger and braver Acadians took up arms against their oppressors.[Pg 275] This overt51 act was just what was desired by the wily Puritans. Acadia, with its twenty thousand inhabitants, was placed under the ban of having violated the oath of neutrality in the persons of the three hundred. In vain the great body of the people protested that this act was contrary to their wishes, their peaceful habits, and beyond their control. At the fort of Beau Séjour, the brave three hundred made a gallant52 stand, but were defeated. Would there had been a Leonidas among them! Would that the whole of their kinsmen53 had erected54 forts instead of dykes, and dropped the plough-handles to press the edge of the sabre against the grindstone! Sad indeed is the fate of that people who make any terms with such an enemy, except such as may be granted at the bayonet's point. Sad indeed is the condition of that people who are wrapt in security when Persecution55 steals in upon them, hiding its bloody hands under the garments of sanctity.
Among the many incidents of these cruel wars, the fate of a Jesuit priest may stand as a type of the rest. Le Père Ralle had been a missionary56 for forty years among the various tribes of the Abenaqui. "His literary attainments57 were of a high order;" his knowledge of modern languages respectable; "his Latin," according to Haliburton,[Pg 276] "was pure, classical and elegant;" and he was master of several of the Abenaqui dialects; indeed, a manuscript dictionary of the Abenaqui languages, in his handwriting, is still preserved in the library of the Harvard University. Of one of these tribes—the Norridgewoacks—Father Ralle was the pastor58. Its little village was on the banks of the Kennebeck; the roof of its tiny chapel46 rose above the pointed59 wigwams of the savages; and a huge cross, the emblem60 of peace, lifted itself above all, the conspicuous61 feature of the settlement in the distance. By the tribe over which he had exercised his gentle rule for so many years, Le Père Ralle was regarded with superstitious62 reverence63 and affection.
It does not appear that these people had been accused of any overt acts; but, nevertheless, the village was marked out for destruction. Two hundred and eight Massachusetts men were dispatched upon this errand. The settlement was surprised at night, and a terrible scene of slaughter ensued. Ralle came forth64 from his chapel to save, if possible, the lives of his miserable65 parishioners. "As soon as he was seen," says the chronicler,[F] "he was saluted66 with a great shout and a shower of bullets, and fell, together with seven Indians, who had rushed out of their tents to defend him with their bodies; and[Pg 277] when the pursuit ceased, the Indians who had fled, returned to weep over their beloved missionary, and found him dead at the foot of the cross, his body perforated with balls, his head scalped, his skull67 broken with blows of hatchets68, his mouth and eyes filled with mud, the bones of his legs broken, and his limbs dreadfully mangled69. After having bathed his remains70 with their tears, they buried him on the site of the chapel, that had been hewn down with its crucifix, with whatever else remained of the emblems71 of idolatry." Such was the merciless character of the invasion of Acadia; such the looming72 phantom73 of the greater crime which was so speedily to spread ruin over her fair valleys, and scatter74 forever her pastoral people.
The tranquillity75 of entire subjugation76 followed these events in the province. The New Englander built his menacing forts along the rivers, and pressed into his service the labors77 of the neutral French. "The requisitions which were made of them were not calculated to conciliate affection," says the chronicler; the poor Acadian peasant was informed, if he did not supply the garrison78 fuel, his own house would be used for that purpose, and that neglect to furnish timber for the repairs of a fort, would be followed by drum-head courts martial79, and "military execution."[Pg 278]
To all these exactions, these unhappy people patiently submitted. But in vain. The very existence of the subjugated80 race had become irksome to their oppressors. A cruelty yet more intolerable to which the history of the world affords no parallel, remained to be perpetrated.
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1
dykes
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| abbr.diagonal wire cutters 斜线切割机n.堤( dyke的名词复数 )；坝；堰；沟 | |
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2
desolating
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| 毁坏( desolate的现在分词 )； 极大地破坏； 使沮丧； 使痛苦 | |
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3
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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4
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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finesse
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| n.精密技巧，灵巧，手腕 | |
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invader
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| n.侵略者，侵犯者，入侵者 | |
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7
invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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8
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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9
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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10
hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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12
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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13
colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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14
abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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15
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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16
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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17
rapacity
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| n.贪婪，贪心，劫掠的欲望 | |
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18
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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19
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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20
reposed
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
canard
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| n.虚报；谣言；v.流传 | |
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22
colonize
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| v.建立殖民地，拓殖；定居，居于 | |
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23
filibusters
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| n.掠夺兵( filibuster的名词复数 )；暴兵；（用冗长的发言）阻挠议事的议员；会议妨碍行为v.阻碍或延宕国会或其他立法机构通过提案( filibuster的第三人称单数 )；掠夺 | |
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24
wrested
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| （用力）拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 )； 费力取得； （从…）攫取； （ 从… ） 强行取去… | |
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25
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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26
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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27
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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28
molestation
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| n.骚扰，干扰，调戏；折磨 | |
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29
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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30
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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31
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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32
ceded
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| v.让给，割让，放弃( cede的过去式 ) | |
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33
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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34
sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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35
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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36
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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37
reprisal
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| n.报复，报仇，报复性劫掠 | |
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38
condemnation
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| n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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39
missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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40
saviour
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| n.拯救者，救星 | |
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41
complicate
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| vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂 | |
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42
anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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43
monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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44
obtuse
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| adj.钝的；愚钝的 | |
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45
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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46
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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47
colonizing
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| v.开拓殖民地，移民于殖民地( colonize的现在分词 ) | |
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48
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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49
reprisals
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| n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 ) | |
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50
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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51
overt
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| adj.公开的，明显的，公然的 | |
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52
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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53
kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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54
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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55
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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56
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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57
attainments
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| 成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就 | |
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58
pastor
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| n.牧师，牧人 | |
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59
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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60
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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61
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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62
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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63
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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64
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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65
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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66
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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67
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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68
hatchets
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| n.短柄小斧( hatchet的名词复数 )；恶毒攻击；诽谤；休战 | |
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69
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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70
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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71
emblems
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| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
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72
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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73
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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74
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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75
tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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76
subjugation
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| n.镇压，平息，征服 | |
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77
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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78
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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79
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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80
subjugated
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| v.征服，降伏( subjugate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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