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The following is excerpted from William Kirby's Le Chien d'or / The Golden Dog, edited by Mary Jane Edwards. First published in 1877, Le Chien d'or draws upon the threads of legend spun around the real-life tablet of the Golden Dog, which can still be seen in Quebec City. Weaving historical, literary, and religious allusions together with a powerful lyricism, Le Chien d'or develops an epic narrative of the heroic past and promising future of the Dominion of Canada.
Upon the sandy beach a crowd of women, children and old men had gathered who were cheering and clapping their hands at the unexpected return of the Lady of the Manor with all their friends and relatives.
The fears of the Villagers had been greatly excited for some days past, by exaggerated reports of the presence of Iroquois on the upper waters of the Chaudiere. They not unnaturally conjectured moreover that the general call for men on the King’s Corvée to fortify the city, portended an invasion by the English, who it was rumoured, were to come up in ships from below, as in the days of Sir William Phips, with his army of New Englanders, the story of whose defeat under the walls of Quebec was still freshly remembered in the traditions of the colony.
“Never fear them!” said old Louis the one eyed Pilot. “It was in my father’s day. Many a time have I heard him tell the story, how in the autumn of the good year 1690, thirty four great ships of the Bostonais came up from below, and landed an army of ventres bleus, of New England on the flats of Beauport! But our stout Governor Count de Frontenac came upon them in the woods with his brave soldiers, habitans and Indians and drove them pell mell back to their boats, and stripped the ship of Admiral Phips of his red flag, which, if you doubt my word—which no one does—still hangs over the high altar of the church of Notre Dame des Victoires! Blessed be our Lady! who saved our country from our enemies, and will do so again if we do not by our wickedness lose her favour—! But the Arbre sec, the dry tree, still stands upon the Point de Levy, where the Boston fleet took refuge before beating their retreat down the river again, and you know the old prophecy that while that tree stands, the English shall never prevail against Quebec!—”
Much comforted by this speech of old Louis the Pilot, the Villagers of Tilly rushed to the beach to receive their friends.
The canoes came dashing into shore. Men, women and children ran knee deep into the water to meet them, and a hundred eager hands were ready to seize their prows and drag them high and dry upon the sandy beach.
“Home again! and welcome to Tilly, Pierre Philibert!” exclaimed Lady de Tilly offering her hand, “Friends like you have the right of welcome, here!”—Pierre expressed his pleasure in fitting terms and lent his aid to the noble Lady to disembark.
Le Gardeur assisted Amelie out of the canoe. As he led her across the beach he felt her hand tremble as it rested on his arm. He glanced down at her averted face and saw her eyes directed to a spot well remembered by himself, the scene of his rescue from drowning by Pierre Philibert.
The scene came before Amelie at this moment! Her vivid recollection conjured up the sight of the inanimate body of her brother, as it was brought ashore by the strong arm of Pierre Philibert and laid upon the beach. Her long agony of suspense, and her joy, the greatest she had ever felt before or since, at his resuscitation to life, and lastly her passionate vow which she made when clasping the neck of his preserver, a vow which she had enshrined as a holy thing in her heart ever since.
To learn more about The Golden Dog, or to order online, click here.
To arrange an interview with the editor, contact MQUP Publicist Jacqui Davis.
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