ch governor in Tortuga. Living at that
time in St. Kitts was a Huguenot gentleman named Levasseur, who had been
a companion-in-arms of d'Esnambuc when the latter settled St. Kitts in
1625, and after a short visit to France had returned and made his
fortune in trade. He was a man of courage and command as well as a
skilful engineer, and soon rose high in the councils of de Poincy. Being
a Calvinist, however, he had drawn upon the governor the reproaches of
the authorities at home; and de Poincy proposed to get rid of his
presence, now become inconvenient, by sending him to subdue Tortuga.
Levasseur received his commission from de Poincy in May 1640, assembled
forty or fifty followers, all Calvinists, and sailed in a barque to
Hispaniola. He established himself at Port Margot, about five leagues
from Tortuga, and entered into friendly relations with his English
neighbours. He was but biding his time, however, and on the last day of
August 1640, on the plea that the English had ill-used some of his
followers and had seized a vessel sent by de Poincy to obtain
provisions, he made a sudden descent upon the island with only 49 men
and captured the governor. The inhabitants retired to Hispaniola, but a
few days later returned and besieged Levasseur for ten days. Finding
that they could not dislodge him, they sailed away with all their people
to the island of Providence.[98]

Levasseur, fearing perhaps another descent of the Spaniards, lost no
time in putting the settlement in a state of defence. Although the port
of Tortuga was little more than a roadstead, it offered a good anchorage
on a bottom of fine sand, the approaches to which were easily defended
by a hill or promontory overlooking the harbour. The top of this hill,
situated 500 or 600 paces from the shore, was a level platform, and upon
it rose a steep rock some 30 feet high. Nine or ten paces from the base
of the rock gushed forth a perennial fountain of fresh water. The new
governor quickly made the most of these natural advantages. The platform
he shaped into terraces, with means for accommodating several hundred
men. On the top of the rock he built a house for himself, as well as a
magazine, and mounted a battery of two guns. The only access to the rock
was by a narrow approach, up half of which steps were cut in the stone,
the rest of the ascent being by means of an iron ladder which could
easily be raised and lowered.[99] This little fortress, in which the
gover