Earl had read about castles and moats at school so he asked
enthusiastically, "Uncle Henry, did the fort have a moat?"

"Oh, yes, indeed," explained Uncle Henry. "The fort was in the
form of a triangle, facing westward. It was defended by a moat and a
high wall built of logs, stoves, and sod. The side next to the river had no
opening and was built up with planks and bundles of sticks tied together.
Inside the fort were quarters for the soldiers, a large building for the
provisions, and a comfortable residence for De Laudonniere. His house
looked westward, out over the river, and had a piazza all around it."

The motor boat stopped. Earl threw the anchor into the water as
Uncle Henry made the boat fast to a little fishing dock which extended
out into the water. The fisherman had built a little stairway up the side
of the bluff so Earl and his uncle made their way to the top up the stairs.
"Did any enemies ever attack the fort?" asked Earl reflectively as
they walked along the edge of the bluff.

"Well, their first trouble started from within," replied his uncle.
"At first the Indians brought feed and caught fish for the Huguenots but
by and by they grew tired and stopped. Then too, Laudonniere began to
make alliances with Indian chiefs who were not friendly to each other
and this caused the Indians to mistrust him. In addition to this, many of
Laudonniere's followers were adventurous young sons of rich
Huguenots, and knew nothing of work. They also