two thousand shots, "De plus de deux mille coups de fusil," were fired upon the savages.

We know that there were but three savages in the expedition, and

as the fight was speedily over, thesta tement of the number of shots fired must have been grossly exaggerated.

We are also told that Ralé went fearlessly to meet the assailants, in the hope of drawing all their attention upon himself, and thus saving his flock at the peril of his own life; that he was immediately fired upon by the English, and that seven Indians who accompanied him in order to shield him with their bodies, were slain beside him. Shea, the Roman Catholic historian, a careful and conscientious writer, realized the incorrectness of this statement, and in a note to his translation of Charlevoix, alluding to the English statement that Ralé was killed in the cabin he was defending, and to several doubtful stories concluding with that of Jaques, that he refused quarter, he says, "Moulton doubted the last statement, and we may well doubt the rest, beyond the fact that he was killed in a cabin from which a vigorous defense was made."

Shea appreciated the importance of the fact, that Lieut. Jaques would not have acknowledged the slaying of Ralé, especially against his superior's orders, unless he had really slain him. The excuse

which the lieutenant offered in palliation of his act, when his commander arraigned him for killing Ralé in a cabin, when he ought to have taken him prisoner, to the effect that the priest refused to give or take quarter, Moulton, angry at having an order disobeyed, would not accept; but he never doubted that Jaques committed the act, and in spite of the blame attached to him for it, Jaques never denied it, but went to his grave the self-acknowledged slayer of Ralé. Hence none can reasonably doubt that Ralé was slain by Jaques, nor that he was slain in a cabin. which was being defended.1 Had de la Chasse's story, told him, as before remarked, by some excited savage, been true, that he was fired upon by a general discharge of guns, especially directed against

A piece of independent evidence is furnished by the statement of Benjamin Larrabee of Scarborough, who was in Moulton's command. Some time before, a band of the Norridgewock tribe, on one of their murderous raids, had sought his home and killed his father and brother. While the savages were flying from the village, young Larrabee rushed into a cabin, where he saw Ralé, but as he was eager to avenge himself upon the savages for the loss of his relatives, he left the priest unmolested and followed the rapidly disappearing enemy. Returning somewhat later, he found Ralé lying dead in the cabin where he had seen him a short time before.

him by the English, there would not have been men wanting to refute Jaques's story, nor would there have been occasion for Moulton to doubt that Ralé refused to give or take quarter. De la Chasse's statement that Ralé's body was mutilated is doubtless true; for if he was shot through the head and scalped, this would have been mutilation sufficient to account for the appearance of the body, and we need not for a moment entertain the shocking suggestion that it was maliciously mutilated after death. The French report of the number of savages who lost their lives at Norridgewock, namely, seven men, seven women and fourteen children, is doubtless correct. Some of the latter were probably drowned in the confusion of crossing the river. If but seven men in all were killed, then none wêre killed by all the firing but de la Chasse's seven mythical heroes, who shielded Ralé with their own bodies.1 De la Chasse's statement, that the English, after the victory, fled as if smitten by a panic, is in harmony

1 These seven included Bomazeen, who was killed before the party reached Norridgewock. Penhallow supposes the number of savages who were killed and drowned at Norridgewock to have been eighty, and writers generally have accepted this opinion. The savages, however, from whom the French accounts came, would not have been likely to understate their

with his other statements, and partakes of the overwrought credulity of an age in which men of all

loss, and were in a better position to know their number than the English.

The following is from the Massachusetts Archives: At a Council held at the Council Chamber in Boston, on Saturday, August 22, 1724.

Captain Johnson Harman being arrived from the Eastward with twenty-seven Indian scalps, together with the scalp of Sebastian Ralle the Jesuit and Missionary among the Norridgewock Indians, and the Standard of ye sd Tribe of Indians, was directed to attend in Council. And there gave a short Narrative of his March to Norridgewock (with four companies of Soldiers under his command) & of his Action at the sd Place the twelfth instant, where he destroyed a great number of the enemey, many of whom being slain or drown'd in the River, he could not recover their bodies.

His Honour the Lieut' Governour in consideration of the extraordinary Service of the s Captain Harman, presented him with a Commission for Lieut Colonel of His Majesty's Forces Eastward under the Command of Collo Thomas Westbrook.

Coll. Johnson Harman made solemn oath that the Twenty seven scalps above ment'd (which were produced in Council) were the Scalps of Rebel or Enemy Indians slain by him and the Forces under his Command, and that they had taken Four Indians Prisoners.

Coll Johnson Harman likewise made oath that the other Scalp was the Scalp of Sebastian Ralle a Jesuit who appeared at the Head of the Indians and

creeds saw in every event a miraculous interposition of Providence in their own behalf.

Shea admits that it is not easy to form an opinion in Ralé's case, and that he "apparently advised the

obstinately resisted the Forces, wounding sevel of the English & resolutely refusing to give or take Quarter.

Then follows a recital of the vote of the General

Assembly to encourage the bringing Sebastian Ralle, passed July 13, 1720.

"This Court being credibly informed that Mons Ralle the Jesuit, residing among the Eastern Indians has not only on several occasions of late affronted. His Majestys Government of this Province but has also been the Incendiary that has instigated and stirred up those Indians to treat His Majestys subjects settling there in the abusive insolent hostile manner that they have done, Resolved that a Premium of One Hundred pounds be allowed and paid out of the Public Treasury to any person that shall apprehend the sd Jesuit within any part of this Prov ince & bring him to Boston & render him to Justice."

A Warrant was made for the Treasurer to pay the sd sum of 100 pounds to Johnson Harman for his service in the destruction of sa Sebastian Ralle. Vol. 8, Council Records, pages 71 and 72.

Col. Westbrook in his report to Governor Dummer gives the same number of scalps and says: Capt. Harman and the officers Judge that by the modestest Computation, besides the Scalps and Captives they brought in, what they kill'd and drownded, there would not be less than thirty or forty." Mass. Arch. 52: 34.