, while the commander himself
fled in terror for Port Royal. All sails pressed, La Tour pursued
right into Annapolis Basin, wounding seven of the enemy, killing three,
taking one prisoner. Charnisay's one remaining vessel grounded in the
river. A fight took place near the site of the mill which Poutrincourt
had built long ago, but Charnisay succeeded in gaining the shelter of
Port Royal, where his cannon soon compelled La Tour to fly from
Annapolis Basin. Charnisay found it safer to pass that winter in
France, and La Tour gathered in all the peltry traffic of the bay.

Early in 1644 Charnisay returned and sent a friar to secure the
neutrality of the New Englanders. All summer negotiations dragged on
between Boston and Port Royal, La Tour meanwhile scouring land and sea
unchecked, packing his fort with peltries. Finally, Charnisay promised
to desist from all fur trade along the coast if the New England
colonies would remain neutral; and the colonies promised not to aid La
Tour. La Tour was now outlawed by the French government, and Charnisay
had actually induced New England to promise not to convey either La
Tour or his wife to or from Bay of Fundy in English boats.

La Tour chanced to be absent from his fort in 1645. Like a bird of
prey Charnisay swooped on St. John River; but he had not reckoned on
Madame La Tour--Frances Marie Jacqueline. With the courage and agility
of a trained soldier, she commanded her little garrison of fifty and
returned the raider's cannonade with a fury that sent Charnisay limping
back to Port Royal with splintered decks, twenty mangled corpses
jumbled aft, and a dozen men wounded to the death lying in the hold.

With all the power of France at his back Charnisay had been defeated by
a woman,--the Huguenot wife of an outlaw! He must reduce La Tour or
stand discredited before the world. {68} Furious beyond words, he
hastened to France to prepare an overwhelming armament.

But Madame La Tour was not idle. She, too, hastened across the
Atlantic to solicit aid in London. One can imagine how Charnisay
gnashed his teeth. Here, at last, was his chance. The Boston vessels
were not to convey the La Tours back to Acadia. Like a hawk Charnisay
cruised the sea for the outcoming ship with its fair passenger; but
Madame La Tour had made a cast-iron agreement with the master of the
sailing vessel to bring her direct to Boston. Instead of this, the
vessel cruised the St. Lawrence, trading