 Not long before Pigeon 's party set out , an Indian force organized by Gaulin and Saint @-@ Castin arrived in the area north of Annapolis Royal , with instructions to harass and ambush the British when the opportunity presented itself . The exact size and composition of this force is not known with precision . Vetch reported it to be 150 , but other sources reported it to be as low as 50 men . Many historians report that the force was composed of Abenakis , although Geoffrey Plank and others claim that the force also included some Mi 'kmaq . British Lieutenant Paul Mascarene for a time thought that some local Acadians might have been involved , but thought this unlikely after learning of its recent arrival ( literally the day before , according to one account ) in the area . The identity and ethnicity of its leader is also uncertain ; Governor Vaudreuil reported that it was led by someone named l 'Aymalle . 
