Caroline. He quickly captured the two blockhouses at the mouth of the
river. When the help of the Indians he surprised the Spanish in the Fort and
soon all were killed or captured. De Gourges had the fort blown up. Then
he took the Spaniards whom he had captured to the place where Menendez
had hung the Frenchmen. He hanged these Spaniards from the same trees
and put up a sign saying, 'I hang you not as Spaniards, but as traitors and
murderers'."

Earl stood up and looked away at the tall trees to the south of
them. He wondered if those trees were still there. He wondered too,
what he would have done if he had been De Gourges. By and by he
remarked, "I suppose that was the end of Fort Caroline."

"Not exactly," said Uncle Henry. "The Spanish rebuilt it and
used it as a retreat in times of danger. Later it became an Indian village
and for one hundred years or more it was used as a mission. After that it
was destroyed by some British and Indian raiders who came down from
the north robbing and burning churches."

Earl and his uncle spent the afternoon exploring the bluff and
surrounding country hoping to find some relic of those exciting days of
long ago.

As they were returning home about sunset Earl remarked, "Uncle
Henry, when I got home I'm going to make a little fort just like De
Laudonniere built at Fort Caroline and I'm not going to let anybody ever
destroy it."