The Legend of Marguerite

Marguerite; or the isle of Demons is a legend which is now an indisputable part of the early history of Canada. Marguerite is the story of a young woman of noble birth who was one of the colonists that Roberval, Viceroy of Canada and Newfoundland, brought out from France in 1542 to establish a colony on the St. Lawrence River. Another one of the colonists was a young soldier who was in love with Marguerite. Their love-making during the voyage irritated Roberval so much that he decided to get rid of Marguerite by marooning her and the old nurse that accompanied her on one of the Harrington Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The island was the Isle of Demons, inhabited by dreaded and fearful creatures. The legend, told in verse by George Martin, a forgotten Canadian poet of nearly a century ago, is a stirring tale of a woman's fortitude and her indomitable struggle for survival.