Update 56 - Andray Ehundayga
(Lake Michégami, November 1646)
Andray Ehundayga [1] watched the shoreline as he paddled his canoe down the lake. The Western shore of the lake that the canoes followed was already mottled with shadow; within an hour or two, the sun would disappear behind the first line of hills. However, the group of canoes paddled on. “We're almost there,” said Andray's companion, a Menomini man by the name of Keso.
“Remind me again why we're still paddling South. Couldn't we have camped out by the village that we passed three days ago?”
“The village we passed three days ago was a simply a waystation, a fishing camp. It's the place where the Inoka who live far to the inland come in order to fish in the lake. There are no farms there. We need to spend the winter somewhere where there are farms, somewhere where there is enough corn to last us through the winter.” [2]
When Andray had left Fort Matawang in the Spring, he had never intended to spend the winter with the Menomini. His job had been to provide them with a shipment of Atsiju [3] and teach the Menomini warriors how to use them. For most of the summer, his mission had gone according to plan.
However, in the early fall, the band of Menomini with whom he travelled had been attacked by a large group of Potawatomi and Ojibwe warriors. The Menomini, while they carried better weapons than their enemies, had been vastly outnumbered, and the band that Andray had been following had been forced to split up into small groups and flee into the forest. By the time Andray had reassembled a group of a few dozen men, and by the time this group had been able to construct new canoes with which to travel, it had already been well into the fall. There would not have been time for Andray to return to Fort Matawang before winter set in, so instead he had followed the Menomini men to rejoin their families in their winter camps to the South. It was to one of these winter camps that the small fleet of canoes was headed, a camp near a village belonging to the Inoka Confederacy.
As the canoes rounded the next headland, Andray caught sight of a small river draining into the lake. “We're almost there!” exclaimed Keso. “This river may be small, but near its headwaters lies a larger river which flows South away from the lake. It is along that larger river than the Inoka people have their farms, and the trail between the two rivers is short and easily travelled. We will make camp along the banks of the smaller river, and there we will await the rest of our band.”
Looking over at the grass-lined bank, Andray caught sight of something. At first he thought it was one of those herds of buffalo that the Ojibwe would tell stories of, but then he noticed the men standing watch over it. It wasn't a herd of buffalo, but a herd of cattle. André had never thought he would see cattle this far inland. Certainly the Atirhagenrat and Mescoutens were raising cattle at this point, but, by his judgement, they must now be far to the West of the land of the Mescoutens.
“Tell me,” Andray asked his companion, “these people, these Inoka, do they go by another name?”
“Well, the Odawa call them 'Illinwek',” Kesa replied.
“That wasn't the name I was thinking of. Are they, by any chance, the same people as the 'Mescoutens'?”
“No!” Kesa replied, laughing, “the Mescoutens and their cousins the Meskwaki and the Shawanwa [4] are great enemies of the Inoka. The Meskwaki dwell to the East of here, past the great dunes at the Southern end of Lake Michégami. The Mescoutens are even farther East still and the Shawanwa are to the South. The Potawatomi winter with the Mescoutens and Meskwaki as we winter with the Inoka. In the summer, the 'triple alliance' of the Mescoutens, Meskwaki, and Shawanwa often make war on the Inoka, although my grandfather told me that this was not always the case. What do you want of the Mescoutens?”
“Oh, they trade with our enemies, the Atirhagenrat. We have encountered them on our journeys Southward along the shores of Lake Wendake, and they have sometimes been hostile to our traders. It is good to know that they are not the same people as the Inoka.”
By this point, the canoes had turned to enter the river. The current was weak, and paddling upstream was easy. The land on either side of the river looked fertile, although it was hard to tell this close to winter. But, here, unlike further North, there were still leaves on some of the trees.
Rounding a bend in the river, the group of canoes came upon a series of encampments on the banks. André recognized the Menomini style of dress on a number of the people, although he didn't yet recognize any of the individuals he had spent the summer with. Amongst some of them were people of a different dress, probably these Inoka who Keso spoke of. Many of them were engaged in vigorous trade.
“What is this place called?” Andray asked.
“Chikakua” [5] replied Keso.
* * * * *
(Fort Ouentironk, April 1652)
It had been years since Andray had visited Fort Ouentironk. Before the construction of Fort Michégami, and Andray's posting there, he had been based out of Fort Matawang. Before that, he had been in training in Hochelaga at the Arkevujay heaquarters. But, the command structure of the Arkevujay was such that Fort Ouentironk was where he needed to be. The commander of Fort Michégami didn't have enough men and supplies to give Andray what he needed, so he had sent Andray off to speak to his own superior, who led Fort Ouentironk. If he couldn't get what he wanted from Fort Ouentironk, Andray might have to follow the chain of command back to Hochelaga itself, although by then it might be too late to make anything happen this year.
The traders of Fort Ouentironk had greeted Andray as he'd arrived, and Andray, after showing his letter from the commander of Fort Michégami, had been ushered toward the commander's office. He now waited outside the door for the commander, a man by the name of Vransua [*François] Gvirut, to be ready to see him. “Come in,” called a voice, which must be that of Gvirut himself.
“Thank you sir,” Andray began, “I have been sent to you from Fort Michégami, with a formal request for the men and supplies required to build a new trade post…”
“Yes, yes, I have read the letter,” Gwirut replied, “I know what your plans are. I am just not sure why you are so eager to open trade relations with a confederacy of farmers. Our mission is to seek out new supplies of furs. Farmers tend to import more furs than they export. We need more trade partners like the Menomini or Ojibwe who are nomadic hunters. Settled farmers won't do us any good.”
“But you see,” replied Andray, “our logistical capacity is already strained to its limit trying to ship foodstuffs Westward to the Menomini, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi. We can't expect nations of hunters and trappers to meet our quotas unless we have food we can trade to them to feed them through the winters, and the grain shipments from Wendake can only make it as far West as the end of the Great Lakes. If we want to expand our trade network beyond the Great Lakes, we will need to have new sources of corn to the West.”
“And that's where the Inoka come in,” Andray continued, “they already have trade relationships with number of nations of hunters to the West of the Lakes, and they have access to a mighty river system on which they could ship their own grain. They already do import furs from farther West. All we need to do is give them something that they desire more than furs, and we can tap into their existing trade network.”
“And what would that be?” Gvirut asked.
“Cloth,” Andray replied, “we have looms back in Hochelaga, and even in Wendake, capable of making woollen cloth. It is not as warm nor as durable as furs, but we can make it in much larger quantities. Besides, the Inoka, having never seen cloth before, will probably value it as a luxury item. Iron will probably also be useful to them. While they are able to obtain copper from the Menomini people, [6] they only use it for decorative purposes. Iron tools could be of great value to them.”
“So the Inoka do not have another source for Iron goods?”
“Well, not yet. You remember that, a few years ago, the Haudenosaunee began trading with the Dutch again. Our raiding parties against the Atirhagenrat intercepted shipments of metal tools destined for trade farther to the West. Well, the Atirhagenrat trade network has so far reached to the Meskwaki Nation, and the Meskwaki are neighbours of the Inoka. They are enemies right now, but, once the two nations make peace maybe the Inoka too will be added to the Atirhagenrat trade network. If we don't make contact with the Inoka now, we may be too late.”
“It is for this reason that I don't think it's enough to just establish a trade post amongst the Inoka. Certainly, trade is a useful first step. However, if we want to actually keep the Atirhagenrat from extending their trade network to the West, we need to establish a military alliance with the Inoka. We need to arm them the way that we armed the Menomini, and we need to destroy the Meskwaki. If we wait, the Atirhagenrat may begin trading Atsiju to the Meskwaki, and, by then, it will be too late.”
Gvirut sat and thought for a moment. “You've made a good case,” he soon said, “so what do you propose we do.”
“Well, this summer, we need to send a dozen traders and a boatload of cloth and iron tools to Chikakua. We'll build a trade post there, and start initiating contact with the Inoka. We'll overwinter with the Inoka and gain their trust. Then, next year, we'll begin showing them the power of our weapons. We'll do some military exercises, and offer to teach one or two of them how to use an Atsiju. Once word spreads of how good allies we could be, we'd offer to send their chiefs back here for a proper diplomatic council. Maybe we can get them to agree to a fur quota. How does this sound?”
“Well, it sounds like a solid plan,” the commander replied. “But, I'm still not convinced that trade with the Inoka will be profitable. I will find the men and supplies to send with you this summer, but, I need you to make sure to send a shipment of furs back here by the time of the first snows. If we don't have a large enough shipment of furs, then the trade post at Chikakua will have to be abandoned. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes it is,” Andray answered.
* * * * *
(Fort Chikakua, July 1655)
Andray looked at the men under his command. They were a motley crew: fourteen Arkevujay Traders, [7] most of who had never been to war before, seven Menomini warriors who had happened to be in the area, and thirty-two Inoka trainees. Two of the Menomini men had fought alongside Andray when they had fought together against the Ojibwe and Potawatomi, and one of the Arkevujay Traders had served with Andray at Fort Michégami. The rest of them, though, had only had a chance to use a Atsiju in training or for hunting. None of them had shot another man before.
If Andray's scouts could be believed, there were over six hundred enemy warriors hidden in the forest. Thus, Andray's war party was outnumbered ten to one. He had never fought at such a disadvantage before. When fighting alongside the Menomini, Andray had often fought against war parties twice the size of his own, but never ten times as big. However, he'd also never before fought from behind the walls of a fort. The Menomini never settled down for long enough to build a fort, and the Ojibwe and Potawatomi had been too cautious to ever attack Fort Michégami directly.
The wooden fort [8] had never been built to hold fifty men. It was designed to protect the fourteen traders and their stocks of food, trade goods, and ammunition. However, with such a large war party on its way, the Inoka trainees and Menomini warriors had been summoned to help with the defence. The space within the fort was quite crowded, and Andray knew that they could never last for long cooped up in here. However, he hoped that they could last long enough to turn back the enemy war party.
“My comrades,” Andray called out to his men, “the war party out there outnumbers us ten to one. You have all shown your bravery already in being willing to come here and defend this fort with your life. If we act together as fight as one, we can turn back the enemy before they get close enough to hurt any of us. However, if we show any dissension in our ranks, that might be enough for the enemy to reach the walls, burn them open, and bring an end to all of our lives.”
“Before the battle begins, I need to tell all of your how important this fight is. Our people, the Arkevujay and the Inoka, are on the brink of establishing a solid, lasting trading relationship which will benefit both our people. You amongst the Inoka have only been given the Atsiju you carry today and taught how to use them because we have been here. However, we have enemies out there who don't want us to be here, who want the Inoka not to have access to our technology.”
“Those people are the Atirhagenrat, the Haudenonsaunee, and their allies the Mescoutens and Meskwaki. They stand outside this small fort prepared to kill all of us and burn this fort to the ground. If they have their way, the trade link between the Arkevujay and the Inoka will be severed, and your people will be denied the marvels we have to show you. However, if we win, and our enemy is turned back, we will be able to remain here. Many more of your brothers and sons will learn how to use these marvelous weapons, and our trading relationship can continue.”
“This fort, built for a smaller number of defenders, only has seven loopholes on each side through which we can fire upon the enemy. I have organized the best shots amongst you into four ranks of seven. The first seven will fire upon the enemy as soon as they leave the shelter of the woods, and then will immediately get out of the way to let the next seven aim and fire. You can use the time after you've moved out of the way to reload your Atsiju, but you must be ready to fire again by the time your rank makes it back to the loopholes.”
“While the walls of this fort are make out of solid logs, there are small cracks between the logs through which an arrow or ball might penetrate. If you get hit, you will need to move out of the way so that others can access the loophole. If you are badly injured, others might have to pull you out of the way. Some of you have been assigned the job of moving the injured, while others have been given the job of filling in any gaps in the ranks made by casualties. Others have been giving the job of standing by the doors of the fort with iron weapons in case the enemy makes it to the walls. You all have your own role in the battle today, and I need you to stick to it.”
“Andray, Andray!” came a shout from the lookout. “I think I see movement in the woods!”
“Then it's time to take your places. Get your firearms loaded and in position. First rank, be ready to fire on my mark.” Andray moved into the lookout position himself, so that he could see what was going on outside and shout orders accordingly.
A loud cry erupted from outside, and men began emerging from the forest all along the Eastern side of the fort. They entered the area between the forest and the fort that had been painstakingly cleared over the past few years, and began to advance towards the fort.
“Fire!” Andray called out. Seven shots rang out together in unison. While only one of the shots hit its mark, the noise and the surprise seemed to startle some of the other warriors, and a group of them, probably Meskwaki based upon their dress, began fleeing back to the woods.
“Second rank, ready, fire!” Andray called. More shots rang out, and more men fell and fled. The third volley was loosed, then the fourth volley. From his vantage point, Andray noticed a group of men separating itself from the crowd. He saw the glint of metal on one of their backs… they must be the Atirhagenrat fire-warriors!
“Men!” Andray announced. “I've found the fire-warriors. They're on the right side of the enemy formation. Concentrate your fire on them. They're the most important targets!” As the defenders changed targets, the first of the enemy fire-warriors raised his own Atsiju. A loud crack ran through the fort as the first shot hit the wall.
Splinters flew through the air as several more volleys hit the fort. While most of the enemy fire would simply lodge itself in the wood, about one shot in every volley would find its way through a crack and enter the fort. One of Andray's men was struck in the leg, then another in the side. They were quickly dragged to safety and fresh men deployed in their place.
While the defenders were taking casualties, so were the attackers. One or two would fall with every volley that Andray's men unleashed, and there hadn't been that many enemy fire-warriors to begin with. Each fire-warrior who fell would be dragged to safety by one of their comrades from the Meskwaki or Mescoutens. The fifty fire-warriors were soon only thirty, and then only ten.
A shout rang out from the enemy formation, and the remaining fire-warriors left on the field started running for the woods. At the same time, from the other side of the field, came a group of warriors running with burning branches in their hands. They burned brighter than plain wood should, so they must have been coated in some sort of flammable oil or wax.
“They're going to try to burn down the fort!” Andray called, “Iron-warriors, we need you ready at the back door. Fire-warriors, concentrate your fire on the men carrying the brands!” Soon, the torch-carriers began to fall as the shots rang out amongst them. The bodies of the first group began to delay the advance of the group behind, but still the advance came. One torch could be enough to set fire to the wooden walls, and Andray wasn't about to let that happen. Already, Andray could see small grass fires starting where torches had been thrown down, although the grass was still green enough that he knew those fires wouldn't spread.
While the enemy warriors continued to fall, Andray saw two men disappear from sight as they reached the wall below him. “Iron-Warriors, go!” he called. He heard the back door of the fort open, as the men he had placed there ran out. He couldn't see what was happening, but he knew what they should be doing. Their job was to kill the men who had reached the fort and put out the fire they had started. They were luckily that the group that had reached the fort was so small, they could easily overwhelm them and get back inside before any more could arrive.
Andray was relieved when he heard the back door close. It seemed that, luckily, all of that group of men had made it back in one piece. Some had some cuts and bruises, and one had a burn, but the fire started at the base of the walls was now out.
Looking back out at the battlefield, Andray realized that there were much fewer men with torches than there had been. Many of them were still lying dead on the ground, but it seemed that many more must have fled. A loud call came up from the woods, and the few men still on the field turn and ran. The enemy was in retreat!
“We've won!” Andray called out. “They're retreating. You can hold your fire.” While Andray wasn't there in the woods, he could practically hear the dialogue that must be going on. The Meskwaki and Mescoutens had lost over a hundred warriors in the battle here today, and had nothing to show for it. They would probably right now demand that the Atirhagenrat let them raid the nearby Inoka village for supplies and captives. And the Atirhagerat would refuse to help them, as they still held out hope for establishing trade relations with the Inoka. The enemy would probably be divided here, with the Meskwaki and Mescoutens out looking for easier spoils while the more disciplined Atirhagenrat would return empty-handed.
If the Meskwaki and Mescoutens did attack the Inoka, that would only help the Arkevujay in the long run. Andray's men could help the Inoka in a retaliatory strike against the Meskwaki, further cementing the Arkevujay-Inoka alliance. While the enemy was still in the field, and would probably still fight on tomorrow against Andray's Inoka allies, his strategic goal was all but won.
* * * * *
(Fort Chikakua, May 1669)
Andray waited on Fort Chikakua's dock as the lakeboat [9] pulled up. The oars were raised and stowed inside the boat and ropes were thrown to the men standing on the dock. The first man who stepped off the boat would be the captain, and, as usual, he had a large packet of mail to present to Andray.
However, this time, there was another man behind him. The beads he wore signified that he was an officer of the Trader branch. “This is Vernard Duva [*Bernard Dubois], he is here to replace you,” the captain announced.
“Replace me?” Andray questioned. “Why do I need replacing? I'm not even fifty years old yet!”
“Because,” Vernard replied, “you have been promoted. The Head Trader back in Hochelaga wants you as one of his advisors. He feels that your record shows that you have a good strategic vision, and he needs someone familiar with the Interior, someone who has lived in the West for years. He needs advice on how best to counter the Dutch threat.”
“Well, it's good that the Head Trader is finally taking heed of the advice I've been passing on. Every year, I hear word of Piskatawij traders being spotted further and further West. They've already reached the lands of the Shawanwa, and the Inoka will surely be next.”
“Sir,” Vernard interrupted, “I know you probably have a lot to tell me about strategic matters, but our time is of the essence. You're supposed to be leaving with the lakeboat. They will probably spend the rest of today unloading, and will take tomorrow as a day of rest, but they will be leaving again the day after that. It's imperative that you brief me on whatever you think are the most important things I need to know.”
“Oh, my lieutenant can do that!” Andray replied. “He's been here almost as long as I have. I requested that he retire to be my administrative assistant after he was wounded in that battle fourteen years ago. But, I'll use the rest of the day to give you a tour of this fine fort you'll be commanding. You'll see that it's a little different than Fort Michégami or Fort Matawang.”
Andray led Vernard off the dock, and up the trail that led to the wooden palisade. The land outside the palisade was covered with fields, and a small cluster of buildings stood outside the palisade gate. It looked just as cultivated as the area outside any Kanatian town. “You see,” Andray said to his companion, “Chikakua is more than just a trade post. We've remade it in the model of Fort Dekektare or Fort Untareo as a self-sufficient town. We've invited the Inoka to take refuge with us inside the palisade in times of war, and, in return, they farm the land outside. The Inoka, though, don't follow the same Clan system that we do, so their Chiefs and Clan Mothers live with their people, rather than joining us inside.”
As the two of them passed through the gate, they saw the town inside. From the shape of the buildings it was clear that they were workshops and not just houses, the smoke coming out of one or two of the roofs clearly indicated the presence of forges. “And here is our 'Petite Rochelle',” continued Andray. “The Inoka people have always placed great value on goods such as cloth, metal tools, and beer, so we've decided to make sure they're produced locally rather than having to ship them in via lakeboat. The Inoka herd sheep, and we spin and weave their wool into cloth; they grow corn, and we brew it into beer; they give us their old tools, and we melt them down and make new ones.”
“We've always made a point,” Andray continued, “of making sure that our industries can't ever be copied by the Inoka. Craftspeople in Chikakua must be members of the Arkevujay, and are only allowed to take Arkevujay recruits as apprentices. While I have had some Inoka boys who've wished to join the Arkevujay corps, they must first go to Hochelaga for training, and the Head Trader makes a point of having them serve far from Chikakua. Moreover, while we reforge old iron and weave cloth here, we don't build looms or smelt ore. All our iron ore and all our looms are imported by lakeboat to ensure that Chikakua remains dependant on Kanata.”
By now, the two men had reached the fort in the centre of the palisade. The old wooden fort which had been built in 1653 still stood, but it now formed only one of many buildings set inside a strong stone wall. “Here,” Andray said, “is our Arkevujay compound. You will see that it is much bigger than Fort Michégami which holds an equal number of Arkevujay Traders. It is because, in addition to the Traders posted here, we also house the local Inoka warriors who serve under us. The purpose of Fort Chikakwa is not only to trade with the Inoka, but also to aid in their defence against their enemies. As we live amongst prime agricultural land, we such much larger enemy armies here than forts such as Fort Michégami or Fort Matawang, which are isolated in the woods. Thus, the Inoka settled nearby aid in our defence.”
“One advantage of having the Inoka militia here is that their presence means that the Arkevujay Traders almost never have to risk their lives. The Inoka engage in all of the front-line fighting while officers such as myself simply train them and command them in times of battle. Not that I have done much commanding these days, my role is now mostly that of an administrator. My tactical lieutenant handles the training and commanding. Do you have a background in tactics?”
“No,” Vernard replied, “I came up strictly through the Trader branch. My skills are in negotiation and administration, although I do know how to use an Atsiju.”
“I guess they're no longer training recruits the way they used to,” Andray replied, “when I was young, we all had to learn tactics. If there hadn't been so many of us with backgrounds in tactics, we wouldn't have been able to train the Menomini and win the Michilimakinak War.”
“There are still some Traders learning tactics,” Vernard replied, “but fewer and fewer every year. The Warrior branch controls the training grounds, and have been making a point of encouraging Traders not to learn combat skills. Instead, they've been encouraging Trader-controlled forts to take in ex-Warriors as officers and administrators, and making sure a small garrison of Warriors is placed at every Fort, even those traditionally under Trader control. I'm surprised that hasn't happened here yet.”
Andray looked around to see that they were alone before he spoke. “Well, they have been trying. Every year, I get an offer from the Warrior branch to post a garrison here, and every year I refuse. I trust my Inoka militia as much if not more than I would trust a Warrior garrison. The Inoka treat us with the deference and respect we deserve, while every Warrior I've met recently seems to think I'm a coward for joining the Trader branch.”
“To be honest,” Andray continued, “I think the Warrior branch is jealous of us. We control the Taresara Mine, and we control the gunpowder workshops in both Hochelaga and Untareo. We outnumber the Warriors two to one. While they still control the administration in Hochelaga, we control the Lakes, and our trade network extends farther and farther inland every year. They know that, sooner or later, we will not be willing to be governed from afar, and they want to be prepared so that we cannot overthrow them.”
“Sir,” Vernard broke in, “when you go to Hochelaga, be careful what you say. If the Konta hears you speak in Hochelaga the way you spoke to me, you could be accused of insubordination and could even be shot. I think you are right about the Warriors being afraid of us, but they're doing the best they can in Hochelaga to keep us afraid of them. Watch your back and be careful who you speak to. Also, if you ever make enemies in Hochelaga, remember that you have a friend here. You have done an admirable job keeping the Warriors out of Chikakua, and I will try to follow in your footsteps.” [10]
Footnotes:
[1] The main characters in this update do not speak French. Thus, while they are Christian, and have been baptised by the Jesuits with French given names, they would spell these names using Kanatian orthography. The Kanatian language has only six vowel sounds: a e i o u and ay. Thus, there is no distinction between é, ay, etc. There is also no 'b' or 'f' in Kanatian, with the letter 'v' used instead.
[2] The traditional lifestyle of the nomadic Northern Great Lakes people involves travelling South in the winter in order to trade furs for food with the agricultural people of the Southern Great Lakes. While people such as the Odawa and Omamiwinini would winter with the Wendat and Kanatians, respectively, the Menomini would winter with the Inoka (the peoples of the Illinois Confederacy). Note that this is a relationship that would have extended back to Mississippian times, where Great Lakes hunter/gatherers/copper miners would have traded with Mississippian farmers, although, since then, the Mississippians have been replaced by the Inoka, who are descended from hunter-gathers but have adopted many Mississippian practices such as farming [ok, we don't really know their origin story, but I tend to believe the oral history which says that all Algonqian-speakers (including the Inoka) started in the Eastern Woodlands and migrated Westward after the Mississippian collapse].
[3] Atsiju is a Kantian word (from 'Atsi' = fire and 'ju' = fight) which means 'firearm' or 'gun'. The firearms made by the Kanatians are based on the 16th-century French arquebus, but are different enough by this point that I don't feel comfortable using the word arquebus to describe them.
[4] The Shawanwa are better known OTL as the 'Shawnee' and the Meskwaki as the 'Fox'. In TTL, due to butterflies, both tribes have stayed put in their original homelands in OTL Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan, and are allied with the Mescoutens who live near OTL Detroit.
[5] If the small-river-and-portage-to-larger-river-flowing-South description didn't reveal where this is, he name should. This is OTL Chicago.
[6] The 'Copper Ranges' South of Lake Superior were exploited OTL by the Native peoples in the area. In OTL, the copper-mining cultures had been displaced by non-copper-miners by the time of the arrival of European explorers. In TTL, the Menomini have preserved more of their predecessors ways than they did OTL, partly because of their good relationship with the Kanatians who are also engaged in mining.
[7] Remember, the Trader branch of the Arkevujay is the branch that deals with economic matters: this includes trading for furs, but it also includes mining for iron, producing gunpower, and generally carrying out any of the skilled trades. All Traders do also have rudimentary training in combat, but are usually sent to postings where they don't expect to see much combat.
[8] This fort is a simple two-story blockhouse built using log-cabin type construction.
[9] A 'lakeboat' is something between a canoe and a galley. It is designed specifically for hauling freight across the Great Lakes, so it is much larger and has deeper draft than a canoe (and deeper draft than the riverboats used on the *St. Lawrence and *Ottawa Rivers). However, it is definitely canoe-inspired in its design, and is built partly using bark rather than planks for its skin. This is partly because uniformly-cut planks are still quite expensive: there may be one or two water-powered sawmills in Kanata by this time, but most planks still need to be sawed and planed by hand.
[10] Andray Ehundayga will play a pivotal war in the upcoming Kanatian Revolution. His story doesn't end here, but there are a number of other updates that need to be posted before I can cover the Revoluiton.
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