Band of Acadians (11 page)

Nola, with Zoopie tagging along as usual, was with Frank the next day when he decided how to test this odd new material. “Here, Nola, would you hold this jar of coal oil while I add some of these yellow grains?”

She readily obliged and returned the jar. Secretly, she was beginning to wonder if Frank was wasting his time carrying out all these strange trials, but she knew he had a remarkable intuition about these matters and admired his persistence in the face of many dead ends. She continued to help and didn't complain or grumble.

“This might be dangerous,” Frank warned. “I'm going to throw a hot ember into this new concoction. In fact, I hope it is dangerous, so please, Nola, step back a bit.”

The instant Frank threw the hot ember into the concoction it erupted into an explosion powerful enough to knock him completely off his feet. Zoopie barked with fear. Concerned, Nola rushed over to Frank. “Are you all right? That was a mighty big blast.”

Frank, dazed and flat on the ground, grabbed Nola. “I'm not just all right! I'm extremely all right! That new concoction is exactly what I was trying for.” In his excitement he hugged and kissed her roughly. Realizing what he had done, he backed off, embarrassed. “Uh, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking.”

Nola smiled broadly. “No, Frank, that was quite all right. In fact, I rather enjoyed it. You may kiss me again if you want.”

“I … I can? You mean you aren't angry with me?”

Modestly, yet with a twinkle in her eyes, she said, “On the contrary, Frank, I'm very happy you kissed me.”

Frank didn't need another invitation. He kissed her again. Hard.

Zoopie growled at these strange goings-on and pulled so hard on Frank's shirt that it ripped half open.

With big smiles and a bounce in their step, Frank and Nola went off toward the settlement hand in hand. It didn't take long for the whole of Westmount to learn about the new relationship. Friends were soon giving the new couple congratulatory hugs.

“People are saying we're a good fit,” Nola told Frank. “Isn't it nice to be a couple, dear?”

Frank responded with a smile and another kiss. “You're my girl, Nola.”

Zoopie growled.

Hector stifled a scowl when he heard the news of this new relationship. It made him unhappy that Nola had succumbed to Frank's advances. Then he realized Jocelyne wasn't around. “I guess she must be across the bay tending either her beehives or the garden,” he told Nola. “I'm going to go over to tell her about the big blast and about you and Frank.”

Hector checked both the beehive and the garden areas but didn't see Jocelyne. Worried, he went deeper into the woods by the little stream that fed the garden, and there he saw her bathing. “Hello, Jocelyne, having fun?”

“Hector, get out of here! I don't have any clothes on.”

“Oh, that's interesting. That's very interesting. I'll wait until you come out.”

“Hector, I'm naked. Be a gentleman and let me get dressed.”

“Who said I was a gentleman? I rather like looking at you like this. It's fun.”

“You're being mean, Hector. I'm getting cold in here. Go away!”

“I'll tell you what. I'll turn around so you can get out without me looking.”

Cold, and frustrated with Hector's shenanigans, Jocelyne leaped out and ran to her clothes. She got dressed quickly and then said, “You're a naughty man, Hector, but you are rather cute.”

Hector turned around and kissed her. “I've wanted to do that for a long while. I'm glad you think I'm cute.” Then he told her about Nola and Frank.

Jocelyne giggled at this news. “No wonder you were being so bold with me.”

They rowed back to Westmount where they saw Frank and Nola sitting on an embankment clasping hands. Hector and Jocelyne walked toward them, holding their hands up. “We have news, too,” Jocelyne said.

“Well, well, well, isn't this a nice surprise,” Nola said. “It looks like this is quite a day for new relationships.”

Frank and Hector were congratulating each other when Grandpa came over and said, “I see we have an unusually fine gathering here. Congratulations to all of you. By the way, Toomy just came over. He's at the main cabin looking at those iron tools Hector made last week.”

Everyone went over to say hello to their Mi'kmaq friend and to tell him their news. Toomy, reserved as usual, still managed to convey his pleasure at the new relationships. Yet once the best wishes were said he and Grandpa discreetly moved out of hearing range and were then seen to engage in earnest discussion.

When they returned, Toomy said nothing and Grandpa evaded their questions despite considerable prodding by Jocelyne. “What were you two concocting back there? You're up to something. I can tell.”

Inexplicably to the amorous four, Toomy was soon off back to Whycocomagh. “But you only just got here,” Nola protested. “Zoopie has hardly had any time to play with Zena.”

After Toomy left, Frank went back with Nola to check his chemical reactions. “What we're doing,” he explained, “is called the ‘art of heating.' You don't know in advance what will happen, so you heat each ingredient until it reaches a different colour and try this in different combinations. That yellow grain is great fun. I'm sure it's what makes the coal oil explode. I can tell from its pungent smell that the powder is strong bleach.”

“It certainly surprised me that something so small could make such a big bang,” Nola said. “It blew you right off your feet. I'm sure a larger amount would be very dangerous. I find it amazing that there's so much power hidden in a few rocks and some salt.”

“Perhaps amazing, but real, and that's very good for us. I want to try a bigger amount, but don't worry. I'm going to take more precautions this time. Especially since we're mates.” He grinned at her affectionately. “I want you to understand what I think is happening. The main ingredient in gunpowder, saltpetre, would just burn normally on its own, but when you add charcoal and sulphur, it burns so fast that it blows up. Our explosive is similar. The coal oil blows up because the bleach gives it something that it needs to burn with explosive force.”

“Oh, Frank, please be careful.”

One morning Frank and Nola were in the middle of preparing more bleach when Grandpa and twenty
Rameurs
came by and hustled the couple off without telling them what was up.

“Where are you taking us?” Frank demanded. “I don't like not knowing what's going on.”

“No need to fret,” Grandpa said. “We're going to take good care of you and Nola. Now come right this way.” He pointed down the bay toward the Bras d'Ors.

They walked and sailed in a shallop the ten miles to the head of the eastern arm where they had first landed almost a year and a half earlier. Once there Frank and Nola were astounded to see that all eight rafts had been pulled together to make a large platform that stretched right across the arm and that on the shore enough trees had been felled to make even more space. They had only just arrived when they saw that Jocelyne and Hector were also being hustled along to the opening.

“Well, hello, fellow captives,” Nola said.

“They won't tell us what's going on,” Hector declared. “I protest.”

The surprises continued when on the horizon there appeared two dozen large Native canoes. At the sighting both the Mi'kmaq and the accompanying
Rameurs
began a cheerful rhythmic chant:
“Owhaha, owhatha, owhatha.”
Four handsome new outfits were then fitted on the “captives.”

“These outfits are made from the wool cloth purchased from the Basques,” Grandpa explained.

Nola couldn't help herself. “They're beautiful.”

Dressed in full ceremonial regalia, Chief Toomy stepped onto one of the rafts and immediately called out to Hector, Jocelyne, Nola, and Frank in forceful Mi'kmaq, “Are you two couples ready to be wed?”

As this was translated by Grandpa, Jocelyne braced herself, holding on to Hector's hand. “I figured this might be what was happening.”

Grandpa, standing next to the chief, repeated the question. “Are you two couples ready to wed?”

Joy, mixed with nervousness, led all four to blurt out an exultant “Yes, yes, yes, and yes!”

To the sound of drums, flutes, and castanets, Chief Toomy and Grandpa pronounced them man and wife.

“Kiss the bride!” several people cried.

And so it was done to great cheers and merriment. The two couples were raised onto the shoulders of several wedding party-goers and brought to two overturned voyageur canoes where an elaborate feast had been set out. Many pots and dishes were also placed on the rafts, and soon a full celebration was underway. With all the gaiety, few noticed when Zoopie and Zena managed to snatch several tasty morsels.

After a few hours of feasting, Chief Toomy called out, “Take the couples to the place we've prepared for them.”

Each couple was escorted, six braves to a canoe, up the bay toward Whycocomagh. “Surely, they aren't taking us all the way back to their village,” Frank whispered.

“I don't think so,” Hector said. “That would take too long. But I can't think of where else they might be taking us.”

The large canoes went so fast that less than four hours later, just as it was turning dark, they reached their destination. It was the little narrows quarry.

“Look at those two teepees!” Jocelyne cried. “They're awfully impressive.”

“I love the festive drawings on them,” Nola said.

The Native paddlers dropped off the two couples and left, indicating they would be back the next morning.

“Finally,” Nola said, “some time with Frank without an escort. I love it! It's like we've been let out of jail!”

With great flourish and excitement, Frank lifted his bride and marched her off to the teepee, saying gleefully to Hector as he did so, “Bye, Hector.”

The next morning, glowing with contentment and basking in the warmth of the early sunshine, Jocelyne and Nola insisted on preparing the breakfast the Mi'kmaq had left for them. All too soon, though, the voyageur canoes were back. And all too soon the two couples were on their return trip to Westmount.

“It's been too short,” Jocelyne said. “I don't want this to end. Ever.”

“That's true,” Nola agreed, “but we've created memories we'll treasure forever.”

Back at Westmount, the couples were met with another pleasant surprise. The
Rameurs
had started building each of the newlyweds their very own cabin. Hector was particularly pleased. “I was getting tired living cheek by jowl with a bunch of smelly young men. This new cabin's going to be a big improvement.”

By the second anniversary of the refugees' flight from Grand Pré, many things were looking up at Westmount. The garden had produced bumper crops, the bees were producing record amounts of honey, the rabbit hutches were doing well, and many solid cabins had been constructed. Several of the residents had become skilled at reading, and a few, like Nola, had made great progress with writing. Provisions for defence were progressing. Sturdy embankments around most of the settlement were more than half completed, and a dozen fire pumps and four catapults had been built.

While relations with Louisbourg were stable, several fishing boats arriving at Westmount reported that they had to run a British blockade to get into the bay. French soldiers visiting Westmount confirmed that hostilities between Britain and France were getting worse.

Frank's distillation tower was producing adequate amounts of coal oil and charcoal for both trade and local consumption. “To me that tower is as beautiful as the most perfect church steeple,” he told Hector one day. He felt that their supplies for defence were sufficient except for bleach production. “We have to focus our energies on producing more of those precious yellow grains. We only have fifteen barrels, and I'm sure that wouldn't be enough to stop an attack.”

“What's the problem?” Hector asked. “You have more than ten men working on the project.”

“Actually, I have only eight. Two of the French deserters left with the last Basque fishing boat. They said they'd bring back wives in the spring. Mostly, though, it's a matter of time. It's not easy to break up the red rock, and it takes a lot of coal to evaporate salt water.”

“If I made you some more picks, chisels, and sledgehammers, would that help? I've found that if I plunge red-hot iron into cold water it hardens the metal.”

“That would be great, Hector. Our chisels have gotten pretty dull. And could you make a grinding machine to crush the red rock, just like you did for the gypsum project? The boys are getting tired using sledgehammers to do the crushing. Do you have enough iron for that?”

“I can always use more iron, Frank. What we don't use ourselves the Mi'kmaq will always take. You know, we owe them a lot for that wonderful wedding party they put on for us.”

“Yes, I'm sure, but we need a grinder, Hector. That should be our priority. Anyway, right now I've got to check if we finally arrived at the best bleach-coal oil proportion. I have a test batch out on that raft now. Let's get that young Sammy to shoot a flaming arrow at it to see how well it explodes. He'd love doing that.”

“I'll go get him,” Hector said.

Frank and Hector, not to say Nola and Jocelyne, vied with one another to make theirs the most stylish cabin. Although they all expressed doubts about this competition, none knew how to bring it to an end.

Nola expressed her frustration to Jocelyne. “Frank and I are being silly. Frank is spending way too much time building chairs and tables. There's no way he can do as good a job as your Hector. And I don't have your skill at sewing.”

“Yes, Nola, but your paintings are much better than any I've ever drawn.”

“I guess a little friendly competition doesn't hurt,” Nola said.