VERCHERES, Mary Madeleine de, born in Canada in 1678; died after 1700. She was born in the fort on her father's seigniory on the St. Lawrence, about twenty miles below Montreal. In the autumn of 1692 she was on the river-bank, some distance from the fort, when suddenly she heard several shots fired, and discovered that the Indians were killing and carrying off the settlers who were working in the fields. She describes the scene in the narrative afterward written at the request of the governor of Canada. A servant shouted to her to run, and, on turning round, she saw about fifty Iroquois rushing at her. Pursued by the savages, and crying "To arms !" she entered the fort just in time to shut the gate in their faces. Besides women and children, there were only two soldiers, an old man, and her two little brothers in the fort. Seeing that the soldiers were demoralized, she seized a rifle, put on a military cap, and ordered all to take their places and by heavy firing alarm the country. She placed her two brothers--the one twelve years old, the other fourteen--on the bastions, saying: "Let us fight till death ; we fight for our country and religion." The third bastion was defended by the old man, while she took charge of the fourth, after placing the women and children in charge of the two soldiers in a redoubt. The Iroquois made several attacks, but were repelled, and eventually retreated with loss. The siege lasted two days, during which she neither ate nor slept. After another eight days the fort was relieved by an officer and forty men from Montreal. She afterward married De Lanaudiere, Sieur de la Perade.