Montlivet

A brief halt on Lake Huron draws Armand de Montlivet into the politics of New France. Arriving at Michillimackinac in 1695 with canoes and men, he hopes to continue west toward the beaver lands. Commandant La Mothe-Cadillac instead asks him to interpret for a Huron messenger. Their conversation reveals divided loyalties within the nearby settlements and the pressure of English influence on French plans.

Alice Prescott Smith gives this historical adventure the voice of an ambitious trader who delights in opportunity. His account moves between pointed conversation, canoe travel and negotiations around camp fires. A later passage follows his return from trading with a canoe so full of skins that paddling becomes difficult. His plans for leaving his wife in camp bring questions of safety, trust and companionship into his business ventures. Readers interested in frontier fiction will find the practical demands of travel closely connected to the narrator's hopes and personal attachments.