rwards. Acadia was a very fertile country, and the settlers
planted fields of grain and orchards of apples and other fruits, and
lived a very happy life, with neat houses and plenty of good food, and
in time the whole country became a rich farming land.

But the British would not let these happy farmers alone. Every time
there was trouble with the French, soldiers were sent to Acadia. It was
captured by the British in 1690, but was given back to France in 1697,
when that war ended. It was taken again by the British in the war that
began in 1702, and this time it was not given back. Even its name of
Acadia was taken away, and it was called Nova Scotia, which is not
nearly so pretty a name.

Thus it was that, when the new war with France began, Acadia was held
as a province of Great Britain. To be sure the most of its people were
descended from the old French settlers and did not like their British
masters, but they could not help themselves, and went on farming in
their old fashion. They were ignorant, simple-minded countrymen, who
looked upon France as their country, and were not willing to be British
subjects.

That is the way with the French. It is the same to-day in Canada, which
has been a colony of Great Britain for nearly a century and a half. The
descendants of the former French still speak their old language and love
their old country, and now sometimes fight the British with their votes
as they once did with their swords.

The British did not hold the whole of Acadia. The country now called New
Brunswick, which lies north of Nova Scotia, was part of it, and was
still held by the French. In 1755 the British government decided to
attempt the capture of this country, and sent out soldiers for that
purpose. Fighting began, but the French defended themselves bravely, and
the British found they had a hard task to perform.

What made it worse for them was that some of the Acadians, who did not
want to see the British succeed, acted as spies upon them, and told the
French soldiers about their movements, so that the French were
everywhere ready for them. And the Acadians helped the French in other
ways, and gave the British a great deal of trouble.

This may have been wrong, but it was natural. Every one feels like
helping his friends against his enemies. But you may be sure that it
made the British very angry, and in the end they took a cruel
resolution. This was to send all the Acadians away from their native
l