Phantom Ships. Susan Ouriou

two trips to fetch wood, Joseph caught a glimpse of the infantry captain Joseph DuPont Duvivier, the richest man in Louisbourg, wiping his brow with an embroidered handkerchief. The gentleman – whose wealth came from his ownership of fertile lands in the county of Cognac -was not in a festive mood; he was worried about his defeat at Port-Royal when a victory would have bathed him in glory! He blamed Captain Michel de Gannes, who was busy playing pool right then, for his expedition’s failure. As for De Gannes, his thoughts too were on his dispute with Duvivier, whom he hated passionately for his slandering tongue and the underhand dealings that had allowed him to monopolize fishing operations. But the most noteworthy guest was without doubt Commissaire-Ordonnateur François Bigot, responsible for the day-to-day administration of Louisbourg, economic policies, and issues of civil law, as well as guardian of the public treasury. Everyone knew that he used public funds to reproduce in Louisbourg the pomp of Versailles, and the soldiers suspected him of holding back from their pay the money he needed to fund repairs to the fortifications.