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to back their demands a few years ago, which kept my hands full, I can tell you. England relented in the end and both sides accepted the original boundaries, though my orders say nothing about stopping the expansion of English enterprise along the northeast coast. My instructions are merely to prevent our people from interfering with the French fishery.
    All of this has enraged France, of course, and given their naval officers a cause célèbre . In my opinion, it all comes down to a matter of interpretation. The treaty states that France shall have use of the shore to fish but there is nothing to specifically exclude the English. Tit for tat is what I call it, after their Cape Riche contrivance. Ah, it’s a complicated enough business without them making it a point of honour. No doubt this little show with the Valeur is in reply to that unfortunate incident at Toulinguet last month. A French captain named Delarue was forced off his fishing room and now there is news that our people have burnt French premises at Quirpon as well. I suppose I shall have to write Governor d’Angeac at St. Pierre again, for all the good it will do. He will complain about our fishermen and say that he knows nothing of the Valeur ’s actions, and then he will wash his hands of the matter.
    Mary and Joseph, how I wish the surgeon had taken off this leg when he had the chance. I have cursed him these twenty years for not doing so. May the Lord give me strength, for I shall have need of it, between this cursed weather and these damnable Frenchmen. Perhaps if I use this pillow, just so …

Jonah Squibb
    Evening was upon us before the shallop was fully loaded with our sacks and kegs of provisions. From the Guernsey ’s stores I had drawn flour, cheese, dried peas, butter, dried plums, ship’s biscuit and salted beef and pork. All we lacked was fresh meat, but the purser refused to give me so much as a small goat. He said that we would find what we needed in the settlements along the coast. I replied that there were no settlements on the coast—only fishing stations that had no livestock. His answer was that there would be plenty of game in the wild. This was true enough, although I feigned ignorance and argued until he gave me extra powder and shot for the small arms to be put on board. To all of this I added our empty water barrels, a box of tobacco leaf, a small cask of wine and another of Jamaica rum.
    During this time, Lieutenant Cartwright occupied himself in getting charts and instruments from the ship’s master. From the sound of their discussion, the man was none too happy to part with his precious items. Bolger had come on board to make an inspection of the guns and was good enough to stay and supervise the three Liverpool s in stowing the barrels. Frost was also aboard, with Greening, and they went aloft to inspect our mast and rigging. At about nine o’clock, with less than an hour of daylight remaining, Lieutenant Cartwright, his brother, his brother’s servant and Reverend Stow came into the boat to look it over. My own sea chest had been shifted already and, with the exception of receiving the gentlemen’s baggage, all was in order. The only complaint came from the chaplain, who was not enamoured of the strong smell of fish that hung over the shallop.
    The lieutenant had decided that we would go ashore before dark to attend to the water and the ailing midshipman. We would spend the night in the harbour before sailing in the Guernsey ’s wake in the morning. The boatswain being nearly finished his inspection, Lieutenant Cartwright suggested that we take the craft on a short cruise to test her sails before we parted company. Neither the boatswain nor I would acknowledge the soundness of his idea, given the strength of the wind, but he was determined to follow it through. In spite of the chaplain’s protests, we were ordered to cast off from the lee of the Guernsey without delay.
    The