There was no sound from the fort; all were asleep. No
musket-shot welcomed them, no cannon roared on the night; there was no
sentry. What should people on the outposts of the world need of
sentries, so long as there were walls to keep out wild animals! In a few
moments Iberville and his companions were over the wall. Already the
attack on the gate had begun, a passage was quickly made, and by the
time Iberville had forced open the doors of the blockhouse, his followers
making a wild hubbub as of a thousand men, De Troyes and his party were
at his heels. Before the weak garrison could make resistance they were
in the hands of their enemies, and soon were gathered in the yard--men,
women, and children.
Gering was not there. Iberville was told that he was at one of the other
forts along the shore: either Fort Rupert on the east, a hundred and
twenty miles away, or at Fort Albany, ninety miles to the north and west.
Iberville determined to go to Fort Rupert, and with a few followers,
embarking in canoes, assembled before it two nights after. A vessel was
in the harbour, and his delight was keen. He divided his men, sending
Perrot to take the fort, while himself with a small party moved to the
attack of the vessel.
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