Wilcocke, Samuel Hull. Narrative of Circumstances attending the death of the late Benjamin Frobisher, Esquire a partner of the North West Company of Montreal, ca. 1820 [Revised Text]. An electronic transcription. MFTP #0020
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any one of them who should shew a disposition to escape.
Here they were confined for eight days. On an occasion of conversing with their guards, upon having been assured that it was the intention of Williams that, if the canoes of the North West Company had attempted to pass they would have been fired upon, as there were canon[s] pointed and loaded ready to sink any canoe which might attempt it, Mr MacTavish asked one of the men, who appeared to be possessed of more feeling than his companions, whether it was really their intention to shed blood if the canoes had endeavoured to pass; upon which he answered, "those men" (the De Meuron soldiers from Red River) "will do whatever they are ordered, and I am certain that if there was a scuffle and we had the victory, few would live to accuse us of killing their companions." Racette, the Canadian before mentioned, was all this while also confined to the island. His opinion of this Soldatesque was not either one of the most favorable. He states that "il a du ainsi laisser à l'abandon tous ses biens et vivres, qui furent en grande partie gaspillés par ces gens, qu'il ne pouvoit considerer que
comme
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L E G E N D :
in red , modifications made by the editor(s).
in lavender , modifications made by the assumed author(s).
