History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

ins.j COL. Stoddard's mission to Canada. 541
at the same time. In the course of a few years efforts were
made to force her to marry a Frenchman. She objected
strongly, but offered to marry any one of the captives.
Ebenezer Nims joyfully responded, and they were married.
Both were anxious to return homeward, but were afraid to
make known their desire. The commissioners demanded
that Nims and his wife should be brought from Lorette,
which after much delay, and persistent and reiterated
solicitation by Stoddard and Williams, was finallj^ accomplished.
Nims was brought first, and it was intimated
that his wife was sick and unable to travel. Stoddard sent
his own physician to see her, who pronounced her in good
health, and eventually she walked to Quebec. On signifying
their desire to go home, they were permitted to embark.
A number of Indians accompanied them from
Lorette, and after they had been placed on ship board, endeavored
to entice them on shore again.
The Negotiati o n s At last after dallying months with the
come to Naught, comuiissioners, making promises one day
only to break them the next, Vaudreuil had
the cheek to suggest that they had better go home. He
said "that our Governor pretended to send a vessel to
Quebec early in the spring, but although the summer was
now far advanced, yet was not arrived, and therefore he
thought it best for us to return." They had been long in
the country, had put the King to great expense, and he re-
fused to subsist them longer. When they represented to
him that the ship had probably been delayed by contrary
winds and would arrive within eight or ten days, he prom-
ised to maintain them that length of time.
And the Commis- Capt. Baker, who had been sent to Boston
sioners Sail for with dispatclics, returned on the 23'' of July,
°'''
and on the 4"" of August, the long expected
ship appeared. Consequently the commissioners once more
reiterated their demands, at which Vaudreuil "manifested
some discontent at our insisting on those things we had so
often discussed." It all came to naught. Though repeatedly
promised, the prisoners were never convened, and
only those who could not on any pretext be prevented, were
allowed to return.