Anna’S Courage: Kébec Series, Book 3

By Lorraine M. Plante and David E. Plante

In this third book in the Kbec series, fur trader and horse breeder Zoel Smith relies on his God-given skills and strengths to forge his own pathinstead of staying with his adoptive parents, Henry and Anna, and assisting with their mission caring for sick and abandoned Indians. But the path he has chosen is not easy; the conflict between the French and the English is quickly escalating. As Zoel and his partner, Leon Durant, embark on another dangerous journey to Quebec City with a load of furs, they meet up with Indian friends who suggest they find new trading posts closer to home.

Heeding a feeling that the Lord is warning them of impending troubles, the men head homebut not before fending off a deadly attack. The two traders and a translator focus on staying alive and head to Plymouth, an English settlement where they hope to conduct business in a safer environment. Along the way, they befriend farmers and invite two teenage Indians to travel with them. And so a new adventure begins as the Holy Spirit continues His work through Zoel and Leon.

In this ongoing inspirational saga, two traders must rely on Gods guidance and blessings to thrive amid burgeoning love and life-altering challenges.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490897059

Lorraine M. Plante

David and Lorraine Plante are married and have been Christians for many years. They both have work experience in corporate America—David in finance and banking and Lorraine in the legal field. David received his BS degree in business management. They currently reside in Florida. This is their first novel.

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Copyright © 2015 David E. Plante with Lorraine M. Plante.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-9704-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-9706-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-9705-9 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/06/2015

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Characters

Chapter 1: Night Lights

Chapter 2: What to Expect

Chapter 3: Protected Mission

Chapter 4: Cochecho River

Chapter 5: Risk Avoidance

Chapter 6: Hungry

Chapter 7: Plymouth

Chapter 8: I Love Her Too

Chapter 9: Crushed

Chapter 10: Reaching Out

Chapter 11: Quilt Heaven

Chapter 12: Commitments

Chapter 13: Two and Counting

Chapter 14: Cold Rain

Chapter 15: A Blur

Chapter 16: I Never Imagined

Chapter 17: A New Book

Chapter 18: Dream Visit

Chapter 19: Mixing B & P

Chapter 20: Two and a Band

Chapter 21: Europe

Chapter 22: Creative Ralph

Chapter 23: Future Material

Afterword

References and Notes

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Lorraine and I dedicate this book to the memory of my mother, Barbara M. Freeman.

Some laughs we never forget. Mom’s laugh started with a little chuckle, then it rolled into a giggle, and then into open laughter. When she laughed, the world was fine.

Mom loved being outdoors and working in the garden. I have fond memories of working with her in our victory garden when I was young. Family and work were her passions. She set a godly example, and her efforts and prayers kept me involved in church where I came to know Jesus as my Savior. That and her unconditional love were her treasured gifts to me.

Till we meet again.

Acknowledgments

Again, special thanks to Jack Mann for the pictures he created and provided for this book series. He and his wife, Evelyn, are the owners of Brant Apple Farm in Brant, New York. His pictures can be accessed at www.brantapplefarm.com.

We are so appreciative of the professional staff at Westbow Press. Thanks to each and everyone who shared his or her expertise with us and made the publishing of Anna’s Courage possible.

Introduction

When Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City in 1608, the Plymouth Company had already set up a fur-trading post in Maine, but it lasted only one year (1607-1608). Later, the enormous European demand for beaver furs and salted cod motivated the Plymouth Company to establish a fur-trading post in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which became very successful.

In Smith & Priest, Henry Priest’s Back Bay Mission is established to care for sick and abandoned Indians. Zoel Smith makes the decision not to stay at the mission and help Henry and Anna, his adoptive parents. Instead, he chooses to use his God-given skills and strengths on his own career path.

He and his new partner, Leon Durant, become experienced fur traders and horse breeders. Half of their tithe money helps support the Back Bay Mission and the other half helps Fathers Neel and Donne manage the Quebec City Catholic Church Mission.

Zoel and Leon continue to travel to Quebec City to sell their furs at the trading post. They leverage their horses to expand the number of Indian villages they trade with and find that the demand for scarce beaver pelts and horses makes their business more profitable and, at the same time, a target for criminals in the New France area. They search for a safer and closer trading post to sell their products to and find one in Plymouth. Their travels south through the English-dominated countryside create many new and exciting opportunities as well as new risks and challenges.

The historical events are quoted and noted in the References and Notes section of the book. The biographical information is fictional. We hope you will find God’s truth in the experiences of Zoel, Leon, Henry, Anna, and their families and friends.

Characters

In order of appearance:

Zoel Smith tells the story. French by birth, he traveled from France to New France with his parents when he was twelve years old. He was adopted by Henry Priest after his parents died. Together, and with the help of two partners, Josh Ink and Yancy, they built a trapping and fur-trading business.

Henry Priest is French by birth. He is a self-educated teacher and linguist. God gives him a vision of why He brought him to the New World. With faith, he is obedient and carries out God’s will and establishes Back Bay Mission.

Josh Ink is French by birth. Josh was one of the earliest trappers in the new territory. He and Yancy are partners in their trapping and fur-trading business.

Yancy is an Algonquin Indian brave and partner with Josh Ink in their trapping and fur-trading business.

Father Neel and Father Donne are two priests in a growing church in Quebec City. They are excellent role models for Henry and Zoel in their commitment to serve their Lord and Savior by caring for His children.

Anna (mother) is an Algonquin and married to Henry Priest. She has committed her life to saving sick and abandoned Indians.

Nadie (wise) is Henry and Anna’s daughter. Her full name is Nadie Mary Priest.

Peter Smith is an orphaned English boy who had been left at the Quebec mission. Henry and Anna have taken him in.

Adoette (big tree) is Josh’s Abenaki wife.

Leon Durand was a young horse caretaker hired by Zoel’s grandfather to bring four horses from France to New France. He has become Zoel’s partner in the fur-trading and horse-breeding business. His experience with horses dramatically changes their fur-trading business by enabling them to travel to more distant Indian villages.

Halona (of happy fortune) is Yancy’s wife from the Penacook Indian village at the beginning of the Merrimack River.

Istu (sugar) is a new Abenaki friend who enjoys caring for Leon and Zoel’s horses when they are away on trading trips.

Chesmu (gritty, witty) and Knoton (wind) are teenage Indian braves. Because they were eating too much of their small village’s limited food supply, they were thrown out to fend for themselves.

Ralph, Edmund, and Grant are English farmers living in a small settlement on the way to Plymouth.

Esther is Ralph’s wife.

Rachel is Ralph and Esther’s oldest daughter.

Lindy is Ralph and Esther’s daughter.

Stanton is Ralph and Esther’s young teenage son.

CHAPTER 1

Night Lights

S eeing my two friends and former partners again relit my fire. It had been some time since we had been together. Josh, a French trapper, had taught me how to survive in the wilderness. Yancy, an Algonquin, had taught me everything Josh hadn’t about enjoying life on the trails while we traveled back and forth to Quebec City conducting our trapping and trading business. What a delightful surprise to meet up with them again.

After we exchanged hearty handshakes and manly hugs, they invited Leon Durant, my fur-trading and horse-breeding partner, and me to join them at their campsite for some stew and a good night’s sleep. Yancy was in the middle of cleaning a beaver hide, and Josh was getting the venison stew ready. Leon and I took our lead ropes and tied our horses up to some nearby trees. It was hard to believe they were trapping this far from home, but I would ask them about it later.

They both looked hale and hearty. I asked about their families. Josh said, Our wives are fine. Both Adoette and Halona have given birth to two children since you last saw them. Everyone is well, and the children are growing and getting involved in everything. We still live in the Pennacook Indian village by the Merrimack River.

Yancy made it a point to tell us there were still a lot of beautiful, unmarried women in their village. I responded jokingly, Why do you think we have stayed away? They laughed at that, and then we moved on to a more serious subject.

They told us that the sickness outbreak that had recently threatened everyone on Lake Winnipesaukee had passed and travel between their village and the Winnepisseogee Indians living at the north end of the lake was back to normal. Josh talked about what he recalled as the good old days when he, Yancy, Henry, Leon, and I had been partners for a few years, hauling furs to Quebec City and trading goods to Indian villages on the upper Connecticut River.

I brought them up to date on last month’s visit to Henry and Anna, my adoptive parents, at their Back Bay Mission at the south end of Lake Winnipesaukee, where they cared for anyone, particularly Indians who needed medical or spiritual help. The sick stayed at the mission until they were well enough to head for home and fend for themselves. Henry and Anna, their daughter, Nadie, and Peter Smith, an orphan they had taken in, were all fine. Fortunately, none of them had contracted the illness in spite of tending to the sick Indians during a number of tough winter seasons.

Josh asked about our business. Leon shared, It’s growing slowly. We are still trading for beaver and fox skins, but we don’t do much animal trapping anymore.

Yancy was especially quiet, so I asked him about his work as a village council member.

I’m still on the council. It takes very little of my time—that is, as long as everyone behaves. He had a great sense of humor, lots of common sense, and was highly respected by his villagers. He told me he still had the custom-made musket and cover I had given him years ago.

Do you use that much? I asked.

Not anymore than I have to, Zoel, but it still shoots straight. Since we don’t travel to Quebec City anymore, the Frenchmen there don’t have a chance to get nervous seeing me with it.

After Leon and I watered and curried the horses, the four of us sat, talked, and reminisced all evening long. We bedded down about ten o’clock, an hour later than normal. As usual, I went to sleep the minute I finished praying.

Before the sun rose, we were up and eating hot porridge. Josh said, Nothing has changed. Henry has trained us all to eat hot meals twice a day, and never anything uncooked, or unwashed. We chuckled, but we knew those fastidious acts had probably saved us from illness many times.

The nearby small pond was loaded with fish. We were surprised at their size and number. Yancy easily speared them with a forked branch. He had already run through three. I took my skinning knife out of its sheath and cleaned them for him. Are you going to cook them or smoke them? I asked.

I’m going to smoke them and wrap them up for a rainy day, Yancy replied.

Leon and I were headed for Quebec City with a full load of furs and one filly to trade or sell. We had hoped to see friends along the way, but we never expected to see Josh and Yancy. Their campsite was halfway between their village and the Connecticut River. Historically, they hadn’t trapped this far north and west of their village. I asked Yancy, Why are you trapping this far north?

"The conflict between the French and English is becoming intense on the lower Connecticut River. We asked ourselves, Why chance it?"

There are some large ships going up and down the lower part of the river. They are firing cannon balls at each other that light up the sky. You can see them from miles away, and you can hear them from even farther away, Josh added.

Are they are still fighting over salted cod and beaver skins?

Yes, Zoel, that’s just what they’re fighting over. It’s all about trade routes and revenue," Yancy said.

"We still sell our furs and horses in