a permanent post in Canada.  Thus part of the anticipated profits for 1608 was invested to secure an advantage in the approaching competition.  The whole success of the plan depended upon the mutual confidence of De Monts and Champlain, both of whom unselfishly sought the advancement of French interests in America—­De Monts, the courageous capitalist and promoter; Champlain, the explorer whose discoveries were sure to enlarge the area of trading operations.

Pontgrave sailed from Honfleur on April 5, 1608.  Champlain followed eight days later, reaching Tadoussac at the beginning of June.  Here trouble awaited him.  The Basque traders, who always defied the monopoly, had set upon Pontgrave with cannon and muskets, killing one man and severely wounding two others, besides himself.  Going ashore, Champlain found Pontgrave very ill and the Basques in full possession.  To fight was to run the risk of ruining De Monts’ whole enterprise, and as the Basques were alarmed at what they had done, Darache, their captain, signed an agreement that he would not molest Pontgrave or do anything prejudicial to the rights of De Monts.  This basis of compromise makes it clear that Pontgrave was in charge of the season’s trade, while Champlain’s personal concern was to found the settlement.

An unpleasant dispute was thus adjusted, but the incident had a still more unpleasant sequel.  Leaving Tadoussac on June 30, Champlain reached Quebec in four days, and at once began to erect his storehouse.  A few days later he stood in grave peril of his life through conspiracy among his own men.

The ringleader was a locksmith named Jean Duval, who had been at Port Royal and narrowly escaped death from the arrows of the Cape Cod Indians.  Whether he framed his plot in collusion with the Basques is not quite clear, but it seems unlikely that he should have gone so far as he did without some encouragement.  His plan was simply to kill Champlain and deliver Quebec to the Basques in return for a rich reward, either promised or expected.  Some of the men he had no chance to corrupt, for they were aboard the barques, guarding stores till a shelter could be built.  Working among the rest, Duval ’suborned four of the worst characters, as he supposed, telling them a thousand falsehoods and presenting to them prospects of acquiring riches.’  The evidence subsequently showed that Champlain was either to be strangled when unarmed, or shot at night as he answered to a false alarm.  The conspirators made a mutual promise not to betray each other, on penalty that the first who opened his mouth should be poniarded.