The Lily and the Totem; or, The Huguenots in Florida

by William Gilmore Simms

  XII.

  THE CONSPIRACY OF LE GENRE.--Chap. I.

  Le Genre, one of the lieutenants of Laudonniere, was of fierce andintractable temper. His passions had been thwarted by his superior,whose preferences were clearly with another of his lieutenants, namedD'Erlach.[21] This preference was quite sufficient to provoke the envyand enmity of Le Genre. His dislike was fully retorted, and with equalspirit by his brother officer. But the feelings of D'Erlach, who was themore noble and manly of the two, were restrained by his prudence andsense of duty. It had been the task of Laudonniere more than once tointerfere between these persons, and prevent those outrages which he hadevery reason to apprehend from their mutual excitability; and it waspartly with the view to keep the parties separate, that he had sofrequently despatched D'Erlach upon his exploring expeditions. One ofthese appointments, however, which Le Genre had desired for himself, hadgiven him no little mortification when he found that, as usual, D'Erlachhad received the preference from his superior. It was no properdisparagement of the claims of others that D'Erlach had been thuspreferred. That he was a favorite, was, perhaps, quite as much due tohis own merits as to the blind partiality of his superior. In choosinghim for the command of his most important expeditions, Laudonniere was,in fact, doing simple justice to the superior endowments of caution,prudence, moderation, and firmness, which the young officer confessedlypossessed in very eminent degree. But Le Genre was not the person torecognize these arguments, or to acknowledge the superior fitness ofhis colleague. His discontents, fanned by the arts of others, and dailyreceiving provocation from new causes, finally wrought his blood intosuch a state of feverish irritation, as left but little wanting to goadhim to actual insubordination and mutiny.

  [21] Laudonniere, in Hakluyt, spells this name improperly. It is properly written D'Erlach. "Ce Gentilhomme," says Charlevoix, "etoit Suisse, et il n'y a point de maison de Suisse plus connue que celle d'Erlach."

  Laudonniere was not ignorant of the factious spirit of his discontentedlieutenant. He had been warned by D'Erlach that he was a person tobe watched, and his own observations had led him equally to thisconviction. His eye, accordingly, was fixed keenly and suspiciously uponthe offender, but cautiously, however, so as to avoid giving unnecessarypain or provocation. But Laudonniere's vigilance was partial only;and his suspicions were by no means so intense as those of D'Erlach.Besides, his attention was divided among his discontents. He hadbecome painfully conscious that Le Genre was not alone in his factiousfeelings. He felt that the spirit of this officer was widely spreadingin the garrison. The moods of others, sullen, peevish, and doubtful, hadalready startled his fears; and he too well knew the character of his_personnel_, and from what sources they had been drawn, not to beapprehensive of their tempers. Signs of insubordination had been shownalready, on various occasions; and had not Laudonniere been of thatcharacter which more easily frets with its doubts than provides againstthem, he might have legitimately employed a salutary punishment inanticipating worse offences. The looks of many had become habituallysullen, their words few and abrupt when addressed to their commander,while their tasks were performed coldly and with evident reluctance.Without exhibiting any positive or very decided conduct, by which toleave themselves open to rebuke, their deportment was such as to betraythe impatience of bitter and resentful moods, which only forbore openutterance by reason of their fears. Laudonniere, without having absolutecause to punish, was equally wanting in the nice tact which can,adroitly, and without a fall from dignity, conciliate the inferior.Angry at the appearances which he could neither restrain nor chastise,he was not sufficiently the commander to descend happily to soothe. Inthis distracted condition of mind, he prepared to despatch his thirdand last vessel to France, to implore the long-expected supplies andassistance.

  It was a fine evening, at the close of September, such an evening aswe frequently experience during that month in the South, when a coolbreeze, arising from the ocean, ascends to the shores and the forests,and compensates, by its exquisite and soothing freshness, for theburning heat and suffocating atmosphere of the day. Our Frenchmen at LaCaroline were prepared to enjoy the embraces of this soothing minister.Some walked upon the parapets of the fortress, others lay at lengthalong the bluff of the river, while others again, in the shade of treesfarther inland, grouped together in pleasant communion, enjoyed the songor the story, with as much gaiety as if all their cares were about to beburied with the sun that now hung, shorn of his fiery locks, just abovethe horizon. Laudonniere passed among these groups with the look of onewho did not sympathize with their enjoyments. He was feeble, dull, andonly just recovering from a sickness which had nigh been fatal. His eyerested upon the river where lay the vessel, the last remaining to hiscommand, which, in two days more, was to be despatched for France. Hehad just left her, and his course now lay for the deep woods, a mileor more inland. He was followed, or rather accompanied, by a youth,apparently about nineteen or twenty years of age--a younger brother ofD'Erlach, his favorite lieutenant. This young man shared in the odium ofhis brother, as he also was supposed to enjoy too largely the favors ofLaudonniere. The truth was, that he was much more the favorite than hisbrother. He was a youth of great intelligence and sagacity, observingmind, quick wit, and shrewd, capacious remark. The slower thought of hiscommander was quickened by his intelligence, and relied, much more thanthe latter would have been willing to allow, upon the insinuated, ratherthan expressed, suggestions of the youth. Alphonse D'Erlach, but forhis breadth of shoulders and activity of muscle, would have seemeddelicately made. He was certainly effeminately habited. He had a boyishlove of ornament which was perhaps natural at his age, but it hadbeen observed that his brother Achille, though thirty-five, displayedsomething of a like passion. Our youth wore his dagger and his pistols,the former hung about his neck by a scarf, and the latter were stuck inthe belt about his waist. The dagger was richly hilted, and the pistols,though of excellent structure, were rather more remarkable for thebeauty of their ornaments than for their size and seeming usefulness asweapons for conflict.

  "And you think, Alphonse," said Laudonniere, when they had enteredthe wood, "that Le Genre is really anxious to return to France in theSylph."

  "I say nothing about his return to France, but that he will apply to youfor the command of the Sylph, I am very certain."

  "Well! And you?----"

  "Would let him have her."

  "Indeed! I am sorry, Alphonse, to hear you say so. Le Genre is not fitfor such a trust. He has no judgment, no discretion. It would be ahundred to one that he never reached France."

  "That is just my opinion," said the youth, coolly.

  "Well! And with this opinion, you would have me risk the vessel in hishands?"

  "Yes, I would! The simple question is, not so much the safety of thevessel as our own. He is a dangerous person. His presence here isdangerous to us. If he stays, unless our force is increased, in anothermonth he will have the fortress in his hands; he will be master here.You have no power even now to prevent him. You know not whom to trust.The very parties that you arm and send out for provisions, might,if they pleased, turn upon and rend us. If _he_ were not the mostsuspicious person in the world--doubtful of the very men that servehim--he would soon bring the affair to an issue. Fortunately, he doubtsrather more than we confide. He knows not his own strength, and yourseeming composure leads him to overrate ours. But he is getting wiser.The conspiracy grows every day. I am clear that you should let him go,take his vessel, pick his crew, and disappear. He will not go to France,that I am certain. He will shape his course for the West Indies as soonas he is out of our sight, and be a famous picaroon before the year isover."

  "Alphonse, you are an enemy of Le Genre."

  "That is certain," replied the youth; "but if I am his enemy, that is nogood reason why I should be the enemy of truth."

  "True, but you suspect much of this. You know nothing."

  "I _know_ all that I have told you," replied the young man, warmly.

&nb
sp; "Indeed! How?"

  "That I cannot tell. Enough that I am free to swear upon the HolyEvangel, that all I say is true. Le Genre is at the head of a factionwhich is conspiring against you."

  "Can you give me proof of this?"

  "Yes, whenever you dare issue the order for his arrest and that ofothers. But this you cannot do. You must not. They are too strong foryou. If Achille were here now!"

  "Ay! Would he were!"

  They now paused, as if the end of their walk had been reached.Laudonniere wheeled about, with the purpose of returning. They had notbegun well to retrace their steps before the figure of a person was seenapproaching them.

  "Speak of the devil," said Alphonse, "and he thinks himself called; herecomes Le Genre."

  "Indeed!" said Laudonniere.

  "See now if I am not right--he comes to solicit the command of theSylph."

  They were joined by the person of whom they had been speaking. Hisapproach was respectful--his manner civil--his tones subdued. There wascertainly a change for the better in his deportment. A slight smilemight have been seen to turn the corner of the lips of young D'Erlach,as he heard the address of the new comer. Le Genre began by requestinga private interview with his commander. Upon the words, D'Erlach wentaside and was soon out of hearing. His prediction was true. Le Genrerespectfully, but earnestly, solicited the command of the vessel aboutto sail for France. He was civilly but positively denied. Laudonnierehad not been impressed by the suggestion of his youthful counsellor; or,if he were, he was not prepared to yield a vessel of the king, with allits men and munitions, to the control of one who might abuse them to theworst purposes. The face of Le Genre changed upon this refusal.

  "You deny me all trust, Monsieur," he said. "You refused me the commandwhen my claim was at least equal to that of Ottigny. You denied methat which you gave to D'Erlach, and now--Monsieur, do you hold meincompetent to this command?"

  "Nay," said Laudonniere, "but I better prefer your services here--Icannot so well dispense with them."

  A bitter smile crossed the lips of the applicant.

  "I cannot complain of a refusal founded upon so gracious a compliment.But, enough, Monsieur, you refuse me! May I ask, who will be honoredwith this command?"

  "Lenoir!"

  "I thought so--another favorite! Well!--Monsieur, I wish you a goodevening."

  "You have refused him, I see," said Alphonse, returning as the otherdisappeared.

  "Yes, I could do no less. The very suggestion that he might convert thevessel to piratical purposes, was enough to make me resolve againsthim."

  And, still discussing that and other kindred subjects, Laudonniereand his young companion followed in the steps of La Genre towards thefortress.