Page:Daviault - Le Baron de Saint-Castin, chef abénaquis, 1939.djvu/192

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APPENDICE


— II —


A narrative of the Baron and Baroness de Saint Castine, By Gasper St. Pierre LeBlanc At the age of ninety years, To his granddaughter, Pauline, at their home near Minas Basin, Acadia (N.S.), on the evening of September 1765.


The residence of the Baron Castine was a long low, irregular building, partly of wood and partly of stone, of rather grotesque appearance. The Windows, which were small and high, admitted not a view of those within ; but the rays of the light were (as it was now evening) streaming from them in several directions.

The appearance of our able conductor, and our speech, secured us an easy entrance from the old French soldier who officiated as porter, and we were at once admitted, and so noiseless was our approach, that the party within did not at first perceive our vicinity.

I must here confess that, notwithstanding all the esteem that I had conceived for the Baron, for his great regard uniformly manifested towards the Acadians, and his great exertions to humanize the savages, yet I could not think of his Indian wife without disgust. I had never seen, in all our tradings with the Indians, who, you know, come from all parts to trade their furs, any of their squaws but what were rendered homely by negligence, untidiness, and most barbarous style of dress, if half garments they wore could be called such ; and it cannot be supposed I was prepared to behold the lady of the mansion with any sentiment of regard, to say nothing of admiration. You may imagine, then, my feelings, when starting from the floor where she was playing with the children, and turning hastily around, the chieftan’s wife, I discovered to my astonished gaze, the most beautiful female, by far, I had ever seen. The form, which is grace and symmetry itself, was the first, probably, that would strike the beholder. Her features were exquisite, as well as the form, and her skin no darker than a great part of our own nation. Health, and perhaps a little excitement, had given a heightened glow to her complexion, and her eye sparkled like gems. There was nothing terrific in their glances, nothing startling, unless it was that expression which seemed to read the soul at once. Her dress was a singular mixture of Indian and European fashion. No stocking covered the well-turned ankles, and the little foot was only partly hid by sandals, laced with blue ribbons. A close dress of blue satin fitted admirably to her shape, and was laced over her bosom until gold cord and eighly ornamented borders of the same, until a mantle of silk, of the color of the peach blossom, thrown over her shoulders, fell in graceful folds to the floor. Her coal-black tresses were braided until strings of pearl and fine gold beads, and twisted around her head, being confined until a brooch of pearl and gold. She had earrings of the same, and bracelets adorned her arms, which as revealed by the folds of the mantle were bare nearly to the shoulders. Two children, lovely as cherubs, were sporting in her arms and twining around her neck as we entered ; but, putting them aside, and gracefully