Jeanne Dugas of Acadia by Cassie Deveaux Cohoon

fortune.” Monsieur de la Tour turned to Joseph.
    â€œYou know something about this, Joseph. When Le Normant set up a monopoly to supply fresh meat to Louisbourg, it was generally believed that while you got the contract, it was controlled by Duvivier.”
    â€œYou know very well this was never proven,” replied Joseph. “And I don’t care to discuss it now.” Everyone fell silent. Jeanne was in a corner of the room, trying to remain unnoticed and take everything in. Joseph broke the silence.
    â€œYou must give Duvivier his due. He led the attack on Canceau and he brought more than one hundred prisoners back to Louisbourg.”
    Uncle Abraham snorted. “Yes, and who was the young colonial lieutenant in charge of the fort who was taken as one of the prisoners?” He stared at Monsieur de la Tour.
    Monsieur de la Tour shifted a little in his chair and sighed. “Another one of my cousins, John Bradstreet – Jean-Baptiste.”
    â€œWhen he came to Louisbourg as a prisoner this summer, he was given preferential treatment,” Monsieur de la Tour continued. “I stayed away from him, but I did see him wandering around Louisbourg. I confess it made me feel uneasy.”
    Uncle Abraham snorted again. “I don’t know,” he said, “whether we should ask God to protect us from the British, or from our cousins.” There was nervous laughter around the table.
    â€œTo get back to Duvivier,” said Monsieur de la Tour. “I’ve heard that he is organizing a raid against Annapolis Royal. It’s meant to be a follow-up to the raid on Canceau, and the start of a movement to regain Acadia. Duvivier expects to receive some ships and men from France. I understand he has recruited some Mi’kmaq and some Malecite from the rivière Saint-Jean area, and he hopes to recruit some Acadians here.
    â€œI must admit,” Monsieur de la Tour continued, “that I’m not convinced of Duvivier’s abilities. Canceau was his first military venture and it was a very easy victory. That fort was small and totally unprepared for an attack. How he will manage at Annapolis, I don’t know.”
    Uncle Abraham interjected. “And then this fool Joseph Leblanc dit Le Maigre, all three hundred pounds of him, was going around as an advance party before Duvivier’s tour, trying to encourage people to join the raiding party. I understand he did not have much success. I’m sorry, Joseph, I realize the man is your father-in-law.”
    â€œThat’s all right, Uncle. But my father-in-law is a very patriotic Acadian. Duvivier is his nephew. They only want to help the Acadian cause.”
    â€œHeaven help us – another relation! No, Joseph, they’re not going to help the Acadian cause. They’re going to help the French cause. And in doing that they’re going to hurt the Acadian cause.”
    â€œWhat do you mean, Uncle?”
    â€œThey are not helping the Acadian cause,” his uncle shouted. “I’ll give you an example. Do you remember Alexandre Bourg dit Belle-Humeur? He was a notary here in Grand-Pré and a well-respected man. He was one of the Acadian delegates reporting to the British at Annapolis Royal. Well, he lost his post this year when the British accused him of collaborating with the French through his contacts with Le Maigre and his nephew Duvivier. I doubt very much that he did collaborate, but it makes no difference.
    â€œThere’s something that the French, and you apparently, do not understand. We Acadians in Nova Scotia have become our own people. We have worked hard to create a place for ourselves here and we have found a way to live peaceably with the British authorities. We have not only survived, we have prospered.
    â€œYou know that very well, Joseph, you have carried Acadian goods to Louisbourg and Île Saint-Jean. And we are still on good terms with the Mi’kmaq.”
    â€œYes,