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diff --git a/40143.txt b/40143.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4ac482b..0000000 --- a/40143.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,17528 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West, by -Francis Parkman - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West - France and England in North America - -Author: Francis Parkman - -Release Date: July 4, 2012 [EBook #40143] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LA SALLE *** - - - - -Produced by Sharon Joiner, Christian Boissonnas, Charles -Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - +----------------------------------------------------------------+ - | Transcriber's Note: | - | | - | * Obvious punctuation and spelling errors repaired. | - | Original spelling and its variations were not harmonized. | - | | - | * Footnotes were moved to the ends of the chapters in which | - | they belonged and numbered in one continuous sequence. | - | The pagination in index entries which referred to these | - | footnotes was not changed to match their new locations | - + and is therefore incorrect. | - +----------------------------------------------------------------+ - - - - -Francis Parkman's Works. - -NEW LIBRARY EDITION. - -Vol. III. - - - - - FRANCIS PARKMAN'S WORKS. - - New Library Edition. - - Pioneers of France in the New World 1 vol. - - The Jesuits in North America 1 vol. - - La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West 1 vol. - - The Old Regime in Canada 1 vol. - - Count Frontenac and New France under Louis XIV. 1 vol. - - A Half Century of Conflict 2 vols. - - Montcalm and Wolfe 2 vols. - - The Conspiracy of Pontiac and the Indian War after - the Conquest of Canada 2 vols. - - The Oregon Trail 1 vol. - - - - -[Illustration] - -_La Salle Presenting a Petition to Louis XIV._ - -Drawn by Adrien Moreau. - -La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West, _Frontispiece_ - - - - - LA SALLE - AND THE - DISCOVERY OF THE GREAT WEST. - - FRANCE AND ENGLAND IN - NORTH AMERICA. - - Part Third. - - BY - FRANCIS PARKMAN. - - BOSTON: - LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. - 1908. - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by - Francis Parkman, - In the Clerk's Office - of the - District Court of the District of Massachusetts. - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by - Francis Parkman, - In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - - _Copyright, 1897,_ - By Little, Brown, and Company. - - _Copyright, 1897,_ - By Grace P. Coffin and Katharine S. Coolidge. - - _Copyright, 1907,_ - By Grace P. Coffin. - - Printers - S. J. Parkhill & Co., Boston, U. S. A. - - -TO - -THE CLASS OF 1844, - -Harvard College, - -THIS BOOK IS CORDIALLY DEDICATED - -BY ONE OF THEIR NUMBER. - - - - -PREFACE OF THE ELEVENTH EDITION. - - -When the earlier editions of this book were -published, I was aware of the existence of a collection -of documents relating to La Salle, and -containing important material to which I had -not succeeded in gaining access. This collection -was in possession of M. Pierre Margry, director -of the Archives of the Marine and Colonies at -Paris, and was the result of more than thirty -years of research. With rare assiduity and zeal, -M. Margry had explored not only the vast depository -with which he has been officially connected -from youth, and of which he is now the -chief, but also the other public archives of -France, and many private collections in Paris -and the provinces. The object of his search -was to throw light on the career and achievements -of French explorers, and, above all, of La -Salle. A collection of extraordinary richness -grew gradually upon his hands. In the course -of my own inquiries, I owed much to his friendly -aid; but his collections, as a whole, remained -inaccessible, since he naturally wished to be the -first to make known the results of his labors. -An attempt to induce Congress to furnish him -with the means of printing documents so interesting -to American history was made in 1870 -and 1871, by Henry Harrisse, Esq., aided by the -American minister at Paris; but it unfortunately -failed. - -In the summer and autumn of 1872, I had -numerous interviews with M. Margry, and at his -desire undertook to try to induce some American -bookseller to publish the collection. On returning -to the United States, I accordingly made -an arrangement with Messrs. Little, Brown & -Co., of Boston, by which they agreed to print -the papers if a certain number of subscriptions -should first be obtained. The condition proved -very difficult; and it became clear that the best -hope of success lay in another appeal to Congress. -This was made in the following winter, -in conjunction with Hon. E. B. Washburne; -Colonel Charles Whittlesey, of Cleveland; O. H. -Marshall, Esq., of Buffalo; and other gentlemen -interested in early American history. The attempt -succeeded. Congress made an appropriation -for the purchase of five hundred copies of -the work, to be printed at Paris, under direction -of M. Margry; and the three volumes devoted -to La Salle are at length before the public. - -Of the papers contained in them which I had -not before examined, the most interesting are -the letters of La Salle, found in the original by -M. Margry, among the immense accumulations -of the Archives of the Marine and Colonies and -the Bibliotheque Nationale. The narrative of -La Salle's companion, Joutel, far more copious -than the abstract printed in 1713, under the -title of "Journal Historique," also deserves -special mention. These, with other fresh material -in these three volumes, while they add new -facts and throw new light on the character of -La Salle, confirm nearly every statement made -in the first edition of the Discovery of the Great -West. The only exception of consequence relates -to the causes of La Salle's failure to find -the mouth of the Mississippi in 1684, and to the -conduct, on that occasion, of the naval commander, -Beaujeu. - -This edition is revised throughout, and in part -rewritten with large additions. A map of the -country traversed by the explorers is also added. -The name of La Salle is placed on the titlepage, -as seems to be demanded by his increased prominence -in the narrative of which he is the central -figure. - -Boston, 10 December, 1878. - - * * * * * - -Note.--The title of M. Margry's printed collection is "Decouvertes -et Etablissements des Francais dans l'Ouest et dans le Sud -de l'Amerique Septentrionale (1614-1754), Memoires et Documents -originaux." I., II., III. Besides the three volumes relating to La -Salle, there will be two others, relating to other explorers. In -accordance with the agreement with Congress, an independent edition -will appear in France, with an introduction setting forth the -circumstances of the publication. - - - - -PREFACE OF THE FIRST EDITION. - - -The discovery of the "Great West," or the -valleys of the Mississippi and the Lakes, is a -portion of our history hitherto very obscure. -Those magnificent regions were revealed to the -world through a series of daring enterprises, -of which the motives and even the incidents -have been but partially and superficially known. -The chief actor in them wrote much, but printed -nothing; and the published writings of his associates -stand wofully in need of interpretation -from the unpublished documents which exist, -but which have not heretofore been used as -material for history. - -This volume attempts to supply the defect. -Of the large amount of wholly new material -employed in it, by far the greater part is drawn -from the various public archives of France, and -the rest from private sources. The discovery of -many of these documents is due to the indefatigable -research of M. Pierre Margry, assistant -director of the Archives of the Marine and Colonies -at Paris, whose labors as an investigator of -the maritime and colonial history of France can -be appreciated only by those who have seen their -results. In the department of American colonial -history, these results have been invaluable; -for, besides several private collections made by -him, he rendered important service in the collection -of the French portion of the Brodhead documents, -selected and arranged the two great -series of colonial papers ordered by the Canadian -government, and prepared with vast labor analytical -indexes of these and of supplementary -documents in the French archives, as well as a -copious index of the mass of papers relating to -Louisiana. It is to be hoped that the valuable -publications on the maritime history of France -which have appeared from his pen are an earnest -of more extended contributions in future. - -The late President Sparks, some time after the -publication of his Life of La Salle, caused a -collection to be made of documents relating to -that explorer, with the intention of incorporating -them in a future edition. This intention -was never carried into effect, and the documents -were never used. With the liberality which -always distinguished him, he placed them at my -disposal, and this privilege has been kindly continued -by Mrs. Sparks. - -Abbe Faillon, the learned author of "La Colonie -Francaise en Canada," has sent me copies -of various documents found by him, including -family papers of La Salle. Among others who -in various ways have aided my inquiries are Dr. -John Paul, of Ottawa, Ill.; Count Adolphe de -Circourt, and M. Jules Marcou, of Paris; M. A. -Gerin Lajoie, Assistant Librarian of the Canadian -Parliament; M. J. M. Le Moine, of Quebec; -General Dix, Minister of the United States -at the Court of France; O. H. Marshall, of Buffalo; -J. G. Shea, of New York; Buckingham -Smith, of St. Augustine; and Colonel Thomas -Aspinwall, of Boston. - -The smaller map contained in the book is a -portion of the manuscript map of Franquelin, of -which an account will be found in the Appendix. - -The next volume of the series will be devoted -to the efforts of Monarchy and Feudalism under -Louis XIV. to establish a permanent power on -this continent, and to the stormy career of Louis -de Buade, Count of Frontenac. - -Boston, 16 September, 1869. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - Page - - INTRODUCTION 3 - - - CHAPTER I. - - 1643-1669. - - CAVELIER DE LA SALLE. - - The Youth of La Salle: his Connection with the Jesuits; he goes to - Canada; his Character; his Schemes; his Seigniory at La Chine; his - Expedition in Search of a Western Passage to India. 7 - - - CHAPTER II. - - 1669-1671. - - LA SALLE AND THE SULPITIANS. - - The French in Western New York.--Louis Joliet.--The Sulpitians on Lake - Erie; at Detroit; at Saut Ste. Marie.--The Mystery of La Salle: he - discovers the Ohio; he descends the Illinois; did he reach the 19 - Mississippi? - - - CHAPTER III. - - 1670-1672. - - THE JESUITS ON THE LAKES. - - The Old Missions and the New.--A Change of Spirit.--Lake Superior and - the Copper-mines.--Ste. Marie.--La Pointe.--Michilimackinac.--Jesuits - on Lake Michigan.--Allouez and Dablon.--The Jesuit Fur-trade. 36 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - 1667-1672. - - FRANCE TAKES POSSESSION OF THE WEST. - - Talon.--Saint-Lusson.--Perrot.--The Ceremony at Saut Ste. Marie.--The - Speech of Allouez.--Count Frontenac. 48 - - - CHAPTER V. - - 1672-1675. - - THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. - - Joliet sent to find the Mississippi.--Jacques - Marquette.--Departure.--Green Bay.--The Wisconsin.--The - Mississippi.--Indians.--Manitous.--The Arkansas.--The - Illinois.--Joliet's Misfortune.--Marquette at Chicago: his Illness; - his Death. 57 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - 1673-1678. - - LA SALLE AND FRONTENAC. - - Objects of La Salle.--Frontenac favors him.--Projects of - Frontenac.--Cataraqui.--Frontenac on Lake Ontario.--Fort - Frontenac.--La Salle and Fenelon.--Success of La Salle: - his Enemies. 83 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - 1678. - - PARTY STRIFE. - - La Salle and his Reporter.--Jesuit Ascendency.--The Missions and the - Fur-trade.--Female Inquisitors.--Plots against La Salle: his Brother - the Priest.--Intrigues of the Jesuits.--La Salle poisoned: he - exculpates the Jesuits.--Renewed Intrigues. 106 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - 1677, 1678. - - THE GRAND ENTERPRISE. - - La Salle at Fort Frontenac.--La Salle at Court: his - Memorial.--Approval of the King.--Money and Means.--Henri de - Tonty.--Return to Canada. 120 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - 1678-1679. - - LA SALLE AT NIAGARA. - - Father Louis Hennepin: his Past Life; his - Character.--Embarkation.--Niagara Falls.--Indian Jealousy.--La Motte - and the Senecas.--A Disaster.--La Salle and his Followers. 131 - - - CHAPTER X. - - 1679. - - THE LAUNCH OF THE "GRIFFIN." - - The Niagara Portage.--A Vessel on the Stocks.--Suffering and - Discontent.--La Salle's Winter Journey.--The Vessel launched.--Fresh - Disasters. 144 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - 1679. - - LA SALLE ON THE UPPER LAKES. - - The Voyage of the "Griffin."--Detroit.--A Storm.--St. Ignace of - Michilimackinac.--Rivals and Enemies.--Lake Michigan.--Hardships.--A - Threatened Fight.--Fort Miami.--Tonty's Misfortunes.--Forebodings. 151 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - 1679, 1680. - - LA SALLE ON THE ILLINOIS. - - The St. Joseph.--Adventure of La Salle.--The Prairies.--Famine.--The - Great Town of the Illinois.--Indians.--Intrigues.--Difficulties.-- - Policy of La Salle.--Desertion.--Another Attempt to poison - La Salle. 164 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - 1680. - - FORT CREVECOE]UR. - - Building of the Fort.--Loss of the "Griffin."--A Bold - Resolution.--Another Vessel.--Hennepin sent to the - Mississippi.--Departure of La Salle. 180 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - 1680. - - HARDIHOOD OF LA SALLE. - - The Winter Journey.--The Deserted Town.--Starved Rock.--Lake - Michigan.--The Wilderness.--War Parties.--La Salle's Men give - out.--Ill Tidings.--Mutiny.--Chastisement of the Mutineers. 189 - - - CHAPTER XV. - - 1680. - - INDIAN CONQUERORS. - - The Enterprise renewed.--Attempt to rescue Tonty.--Buffalo.--A - Frightful Discovery.--Iroquois Fury.--The Ruined Town.--A Night - of Horror.--Traces of the Invaders.--No News of Tonty. 202 - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - 1680. - - TONTY AND THE IROQUOIS. - - The Deserters.--The Iroquois War.--The Great Town of the - Illinois.--The Alarm.--Onset of the Iroquois.--Peril of - Tonty.--A Treacherous Truce.--Intrepidity of Tonty.--Murder - of Ribourde.--War upon the Dead. 216 - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - 1680. - - THE ADVENTURES OF HENNEPIN. - - Hennepin an Impostor: his Pretended Discovery; his Actual Discovery; - captured by the Sioux.--The Upper Mississippi. 242 - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - 1680, 1681. - - HENNEPIN AMONG THE SIOUX. - - Signs of Danger.--Adoption.--Hennepin and his Indian Relatives.--The - Hunting Party.--The Sioux Camp.--Falls of St. Anthony.--A Vagabond - Friar: his Adventures on the Mississippi.--Greysolon Du Lhut.--Return - to Civilization. 259 - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - 1681. - - LA SALLE BEGINS ANEW. - - His Constancy; his Plans; his Savage Allies; he becomes - Snow-blind.--Negotiations.--Grand Council.--La Salle's - Oratory.--Meeting with Tonty.--Preparation.--Departure. 283 - - - CHAPTER XX. - - 1681-1682. - - SUCCESS OF LA SALLE. - - His Followers.--The Chicago Portage.--Descent of the Mississippi.--The - Lost Hunter.--The Arkansas.--The Taensas.--The Natchez.--Hostility.--The - Mouth of the Mississippi.--Louis XIV. proclaimed Sovereign of the Great - West. 295 - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - 1682, 1683. - - ST. LOUIS OF THE ILLINOIS. - - Louisiana.--Illness of La Salle: his Colony on the Illinois.--Fort - St. Louis.--Recall of Frontenac.--Le Febvre de la Barre.--Critical - Position of La Salle.--Hostility of the New Governor.--Triumph of - the Adverse Faction.--La Salle sails for France. 309 - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - 1680-1683. - - LA SALLE PAINTED BY HIMSELF. - - Difficulty of knowing him; his Detractors; his Letters; vexations of - his Position; his Unfitness for Trade; risks of Correspondence; his - Reported Marriage; alleged Ostentation; motives of Action; charges - of Harshness; intrigues against him; unpopular Manners; a Strange - Confession; his Strength and his Weakness; contrasts of his - Character. 328 - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - 1684. - - A NEW ENTERPRISE. - - La Salle at Court: his Proposals.--Occupation of Louisiana.--Invasion - of Mexico.--Royal Favor.--Preparation.--A Divided Command.--Beaujeu - and La Salle.--Mental Condition of La Salle: his Farewell to his - Mother. 343 - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - 1684, 1685. - - THE VOYAGE. - - Disputes with Beaujeu.--St. Domingo.--La Salle attacked with - Fever: his Desperate Condition.--The Gulf of Mexico.--A Vain Search - and a Fatal Error. 366 - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - 1685. - - LA SALLE IN TEXAS. - - A Party of Exploration.--Wreck of the "Aimable."--Landing of the - Colonists.--A Forlorn Position.--Indian Neighbors.--Friendly Advances - of Beaujeu: his Departure.--A Fatal Discovery. 378 - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - 1685-1687. - - ST. LOUIS OF TEXAS. - - The Fort.--Misery and Dejection.--Energy of La Salle: his Journey of - Exploration.--Adventures and Accidents.--The Buffalo.--Duhaut.--Indian - Massacre.--Return of La Salle.--A New Calamity.--A Desperate - Resolution.--Departure for Canada.--Wreck of the - "Belle."--Marriage.--Sedition.--Adventures of La Salle's Party.--The - Cenis.--The Camanches.--The Only Hope.--The Last Farewell. 391 - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - 1687. - - ASSASSINATION OF LA SALLE. - - His Followers.--Prairie Travelling.--A Hunters' Quarrel.--The Murder - of Moranget.--The Conspiracy.--Death of La Salle: his Character. 420 - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - 1687, 1688. - - THE INNOCENT AND THE GUILTY. - - Triumph of the Murderers.--Danger of Joutel.--Joutel among the - Cenis.--White Savages.--Insolence of Duhaut and his - Accomplices.--Murder of Duhaut and Liotot.--Hiens, the - Buccaneer.--Joutel and his Party: their Escape; they reach the - Arkansas.--Bravery and Devotion of Tonty.--The Fugitives reach - the Illinois.--Unworthy Conduct of Cavelier.--He and his Companions - return to France. 435 - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - 1688-1689. - - FATE OF THE TEXAN COLONY. - - Tonty attempts to rescue the Colonists: his Difficulties and - Hardships.--Spanish Hostility.--Expedition of Alonzo de Leon: he - reaches Fort St. Louis.--A Scene of Havoc.--Destruction of the - French.--The End. 464 - - - - - APPENDIX. - - I. Early Unpublished Maps of the Mississippi and the Great - Lakes 475 - - - II. The Eldorado of Mathieu Sagean 485 - - - - - INDEX 491 - -[Illustration: - -COUNTRIES -traversed by -MARQUETTE, HENNEPIN -AND -LA SALLE. - -G.W. Boynton, Sc.] - - - - -LA SALLE -AND THE -DISCOVERY OF THE GREAT WEST. - - - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -The Spaniards discovered the Mississippi. De -Soto was buried beneath its waters; and it was down -its muddy current that his followers fled from the -Eldorado of their dreams, transformed to a wilderness -of misery and death. The discovery was never used, -and was well-nigh forgotten. On early Spanish -maps, the Mississippi is often indistinguishable from -other affluents of the Gulf. A century passed after -De Soto's journeyings in the South, before a French -explorer reached a northern tributary of the great -river. - -This was Jean Nicollet, interpreter at Three Rivers on the St. Lawrence. -He had been some twenty years in Canada, had lived among the savage -Algonquins of Allumette Island, and spent eight or nine years among the -Nipissings, on the lake which bears their name. Here he became an Indian -in all his habits, but remained, nevertheless, a zealous Catholic, and -returned to civilization at last because he could not live without the -sacraments. Strange stories were current among the Nipissings of a -people without hair or beard, who came from the West to trade with a -tribe beyond the Great Lakes. Who could doubt that these strangers were -Chinese or Japanese? Such tales may well have excited Nicollet's -curiosity; and when, in 1635, or possibly in 1638, he was sent as an -ambassador to the tribe in question, he would not have been surprised if -on arriving he had found a party of mandarins among them. Perhaps it was -with a view to such a contingency that he provided himself, as a dress -of ceremony, with a robe of Chinese damask embroidered with birds and -flowers. The tribe to which he was sent was that of the Winnebagoes, -living near the head of the Green Bay of Lake Michigan. They had come to -blows with the Hurons, allies of the French; and Nicollet was charged to -negotiate a peace. When he approached the Winnebago town, he sent one of -his Indian attendants to announce his coming, put on his robe of damask, -and advanced to meet the expectant crowd with a pistol in each hand. The -squaws and children fled, screaming that it was a manito, or spirit, -armed with thunder and lightning; but the chiefs and warriors regaled -him with so bountiful a hospitality that a hundred and twenty beavers -were devoured at a single feast. From the Winnebagoes, he passed -westward, ascended Fox River, crossed to the Wisconsin, and descended -it so far that, as he reported on his return, in three days more he -would have reached the sea. The truth seems to be that he mistook the -meaning of his Indian guides, and that the "great water" to which he was -so near was not the sea, but the Mississippi. - -It has been affirmed that one Colonel Wood, of Virginia, reached a -branch of the Mississippi as early as the year 1654, and that about 1670 -a certain Captain Bolton penetrated to the river itself. Neither -statement is sustained by sufficient evidence. It is further affirmed -that, in 1678, a party from New England crossed the Mississippi, reached -New Mexico, and, returning, reported their discoveries to the -authorities of Boston,--a story without proof or probability. Meanwhile, -French Jesuits and fur-traders pushed deeper and deeper into the -wilderness of the northern lakes. In 1641, Jogues and Raymbault preached -the Faith to a concourse of Indians at the outlet of Lake Superior. Then -came the havoc and desolation of the Iroquois war, and for years farther -exploration was arrested. In 1658-59 Pierre Esprit Radisson, a Frenchman -of St. Malo, and his brother-in-law, Medard Chouart des Groseilliers, -penetrated the regions beyond Lake Superior, and roamed westward till, -as Radisson declares, they reached what was called the Forked River, -"because it has two branches, the one towards the west, the other -towards the south, which, we believe, runs towards Mexico,"--which seems -to point to the Mississippi and its great confluent the Missouri. Two -years later, the aged Jesuit Menard attempted to plant a mission on the -southern shore of Lake Superior, but perished in the forest by famine or -the tomahawk. Allouez succeeded him, explored a part of Lake Superior, -and heard, in his turn, of the Sioux and their great river the -"Messipi." More and more, the thoughts of the Jesuits--and not of the -Jesuits alone--dwelt on this mysterious stream. Through what regions did -it flow; and whither would it lead them,--to the South Sea or the "Sea -of Virginia;" to Mexico, Japan, or China? The problem was soon to be -solved, and the mystery revealed. - - - - -CHAPTER I - -1643-1669. - -CAVELIER DE LA SALLE. - - The Youth of La Salle: his Connection with the Jesuits; he goes to - Canada; his Character; his Schemes; his Seigniory at La Chine; his - Expedition in Search of a Western Passage to India. - - -Among the burghers of Rouen was the old and rich family of the -Caveliers. Though citizens and not nobles, some of their connections -held high diplomatic posts and honorable employments at Court. They were -destined to find a better claim to distinction. In 1643 was born at -Rouen Robert Cavelier, better known by the designation of La Salle.[1] -His father Jean and his uncle Henri were wealthy merchants, living more -like nobles than like burghers; and the boy received an education -answering to the marked traits of intellect and character which he soon -began to display. He showed an inclination for the exact sciences, and -especially for the mathematics, in which he made great proficiency. At -an early age, it is said, he became connected with the Jesuits; and, -though doubt has been expressed of the statement, it is probably -true.[2] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE AND THE JESUITS.] - -La Salle was always an earnest Catholic; and yet, judging by the -qualities which his after-life evinced, he was not very liable to -religious enthusiasm. It is nevertheless clear that the Society of Jesus -may have had a powerful attraction for his youthful imagination. This -great organization, so complicated yet so harmonious, a mighty machine -moved from the centre by a single hand, was an image of regulated power, -full of fascination for a mind like his. But if it was likely that he -would be drawn into it, it was no less likely that he would soon wish to -escape. To find himself not at the centre of power, but at the -circumference; not the mover, but the moved; the passive instrument of -another's will, taught to walk in prescribed paths, to renounce his -individuality and become a component atom of a vast whole,--would have -been intolerable to him. Nature had shaped him for other uses than to -teach a class of boys on the benches of a Jesuit school. Nor, on his -part, was he likely to please his directors; for, self-controlled and -self-contained as he was, he was far too intractable a subject to serve -their turn. A youth whose calm exterior hid an inexhaustible fund of -pride; whose inflexible purposes, nursed in secret, the confessional and -the "manifestation of conscience" could hardly drag to the light; whose -strong personality would not yield to the shaping hand; and who, by a -necessity of his nature, could obey no initiative but his own,--was not -after the model that Loyola had commended to his followers. - -La Salle left the Jesuits, parting with them, it is said, on good terms, -and with a reputation of excellent acquirements and unimpeachable -morals. This last is very credible. The cravings of a deep ambition, the -hunger of an insatiable intellect, the intense longing for action and -achievement, subdued in him all other passions; and in his faults the -love of pleasure had no part. He had an elder brother in Canada, the -Abbe Jean Cavelier, a priest of St. Sulpice. Apparently, it was this -that shaped his destinies. His connection with the Jesuits had deprived -him, under the French law, of the inheritance of his father, who had -died not long before. An allowance was made to him of three or (as is -elsewhere stated) four hundred livres a year, the capital of which was -paid over to him; and with this pittance he sailed for Canada, to seek -his fortune, in the spring of 1666.[3] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE AT MONTREAL.] - -Next, we find him at Montreal. In another volume, we have seen how an -association of enthusiastic devotees had made a settlement at this -place.[4] Having in some measure accomplished its work, it was now -dissolved; and the corporation of priests, styled the Seminary of St. -Sulpice, which had taken a prominent part in the enterprise, and, -indeed, had been created with a view to it, was now the proprietor and -the feudal lord of Montreal. It was destined to retain its seignorial -rights until the abolition of the feudal tenures of Canada in our own -day, and it still holds vast possessions in the city and island. These -worthy ecclesiastics, models of a discreet and sober conservatism, were -holding a post with which a band of veteran soldiers or warlike -frontiersmen would have been better matched. Montreal was perhaps the -most dangerous place in Canada. In time of war, which might have been -called the normal condition of the colony, it was exposed by its -position to incessant inroads of the Iroquois, or Five Nations, of New -York; and no man could venture into the forests or the fields without -bearing his life in his hand. The savage confederates had just received -a sharp chastisement at the hands of Courcelle, the governor; and the -result was a treaty of peace which might at any moment be broken, but -which was an inexpressible relief while it lasted. - -The priests of St. Sulpice were granting out their lands, on very easy -terms, to settlers. They wished to extend a thin line of settlements -along the front of their island, to form a sort of outpost, from which -an alarm could be given on any descent of the Iroquois. La Salle was the -man for such a purpose. Had the priests understood him,--which they -evidently did not, for some of them suspected him of levity, the last -foible with which he could be charged,--had they understood him, they -would have seen in him a young man in whom the fire of youth glowed not -the less ardently for the veil of reserve that covered it; who would -shrink from no danger, but would not court it in bravado; and who would -cling with an invincible tenacity of gripe to any purpose which he might -espouse. There is good reason to think that he had come to Canada with -purposes already conceived, and that he was ready to avail himself of -any stepping-stone which might help to realize them. Queylus, Superior -of the Seminary, made him a generous offer; and he accepted it. This -was the gratuitous grant of a large tract of land at the place now -called La Chine, above the great rapids of the same name, and eight or -nine miles from Montreal. On one hand, the place was greatly exposed to -attack; and, on the other, it was favorably situated for the fur-trade. -La Salle and his successors became its feudal proprietors, on the sole -condition of delivering to the Seminary, on every change of ownership, a -medal of fine silver, weighing one mark.[5] He entered on the -improvement of his new domain with what means he could command, and -began to grant out his land to such settlers as would join him. - -Approaching the shore where the city of Montreal now stands, one would -have seen a row of small compact dwellings, extending along a narrow -street, parallel to the river, and then, as now, called St. Paul Street. -On a hill at the right stood the windmill of the seigniors, built of -stone, and pierced with loopholes to serve, in time of need, as a place -of defence. On the left, in an angle formed by the junction of a rivulet -with the St. Lawrence, was a square bastioned fort of stone. Here lived -the military governor, appointed by the Seminary, and commanding a few -soldiers of the regiment of Carignan. In front, on the line of the -street, were the enclosure and buildings of the Seminary, and, nearly -adjoining them, those of the Hotel-Dieu, or Hospital, both provided for -defence in case of an Indian attack. In the hospital enclosure was a -small church, opening on the street, and, in the absence of any other, -serving for the whole settlement.[6] - -Landing, passing the fort, and walking southward along the shore, one -would soon have left the rough clearings, and entered the primeval -forest. Here, mile after mile, he would have journeyed on in solitude, -when the hoarse roar of the rapids, foaming in fury on his left, would -have reached his listening ear; and at length, after a walk of some -three hours, he would have found the rude beginnings of a settlement. It -was where the St. Lawrence widens into the broad expanse called the Lake -of St. Louis. Here, La Salle had traced out the circuit of a palisaded -village, and assigned to each settler half an arpent, or about the third -of an acre, within the enclosure, for which he was to render to the -young seignior a yearly acknowledgment of three capons, besides six -deniers--that is, half a sou--in money. To each was assigned, moreover, -sixty arpents of land beyond the limits of the village, with the -perpetual rent of half a sou for each arpent. He also set apart a -common, two hundred arpents in extent, for the use of the settlers, on -condition of the payment by each of five sous a year. He reserved four -hundred and twenty arpents for his own personal domain, and on this he -began to clear the ground and erect buildings. Similar to this were the -beginnings of all the Canadian seigniories formed at this troubled -period.[7] - -[Sidenote: LA CHINE.] - -That La Salle came to Canada with objects distinctly in view, is -probable from the fact that he at once began to study the Indian -languages,--and with such success that he is said, within two or three -years, to have mastered the Iroquois and seven or eight other languages -and dialects.[8] From the shore of his seigniory, he could gaze westward -over the broad breast of the Lake of St. Louis, bounded by the dim -forests of Chateauguay and Beauharnois; but his thoughts flew far -beyond, across the wild and lonely world that stretched towards the -sunset. Like Champlain, and all the early explorers, he dreamed of a -passage to the South Sea, and a new road for commerce to the riches of -China and Japan. Indians often came to his secluded settlement; and, on -one occasion, he was visited by a band of the Seneca Iroquois, not long -before the scourge of the colony, but now, in virtue of the treaty, -wearing the semblance of friendship. The visitors spent the winter with -him, and told him of a river called the Ohio, rising in their country, -and flowing into the sea, but at such a distance that its mouth could -only be reached after a journey of eight or nine months. Evidently, the -Ohio and the Mississippi are here merged into one.[9] In accordance with -geographical views then prevalent, he conceived that this great river -must needs flow into the "Vermilion Sea;" that is, the Gulf of -California. If so, it would give him what he sought, a western passage -to China; while, in any case, the populous Indian tribes said to inhabit -its banks might be made a source of great commercial profit. - -[Sidenote: SCHEMES OF DISCOVERY.] - -La Salle's imagination took fire. His resolution was soon formed; and he -descended the St. Lawrence to Quebec, to gain the countenance of the -governor for his intended exploration. Few men were more skilled than he -in the art of clear and plausible statement. Both the governor Courcelle -and the intendant Talon were readily won over to his plan; for which, -however, they seem to have given him no more substantial aid than that -of the governor's letters patent authorizing the enterprise.[10] The -cost was to be his own; and he had no money, having spent it all on his -seigniory. He therefore proposed that the Seminary, which had given it -to him, should buy it back again, with such improvements as he had made. -Queylus, the Superior, being favorably disposed towards him, consented, -and bought of him the greater part; while La Salle sold the remainder, -including the clearings, to one Jean Milot, an iron-monger, for -twenty-eight hundred livres.[11] With this he bought four canoes, with -the necessary supplies, and hired fourteen men. - -Meanwhile, the Seminary itself was preparing a similar enterprise. The -Jesuits at this time not only held an ascendency over the other -ecclesiastics in Canada, but exercised an inordinate influence on the -civil government. The Seminary priests of Montreal were jealous of these -powerful rivals, and eager to emulate their zeal in the saving of souls -and the conquering of new domains for the Faith. Under this impulse, -they had, three years before, established a mission at Quinte, on the -north shore of Lake Ontario, in charge of two of their number, one of -whom was the Abbe Fenelon, elder brother of the celebrated Archbishop of -Cambray. Another of them, Dollier de Casson, had spent the winter in a -hunting-camp of the Nipissings, where an Indian prisoner, captured in -the Northwest, told him of populous tribes of that quarter living in -heathenish darkness. On this, the Seminary priests resolved to essay -their conversion; and an expedition, to be directed by Dollier, was -fitted out to this end. - -[Sidenote: DEPARTURE.] - -He was not ill suited to the purpose. He had been a soldier in his -youth, and had fought valiantly as an officer of cavalry under Turenne. -He was a man of great courage; of a tall, commanding person; and of -uncommon bodily strength, which he had notably proved in the campaign of -Courcelle against the Iroquois, three years before.[12] On going to -Quebec to procure the necessary outfit, he was urged by Courcelle to -modify his plans so far as to act in concert with La Salle in exploring -the mystery of the great unknown river of the West. Dollier and his -brother priests consented. One of them, Galinee, was joined with him as -a colleague, because he was skilled in surveying, and could make a map -of their route. Three canoes were procured, and seven hired men -completed the party. It was determined that La Salle's expedition and -that of the Seminary should be combined in one,--an arrangement ill -suited to the character of the young explorer, who was unfit for any -enterprise of which he was not the undisputed chief. - -Midsummer was near, and there was no time to lose. Yet the moment was -most unpropitious, for a Seneca chief had lately been murdered by three -scoundrel soldiers of the fort of Montreal; and, while they were -undergoing their trial, it became known that three other Frenchmen had -treacherously put to death several Iroquois of the Oneida tribe, in -order to get possession of their furs. The whole colony trembled in -expectation of a new outbreak of the war. Happily, the event proved -otherwise. The authors of the last murder escaped; but the three -soldiers were shot at Montreal, in presence of a considerable number of -the Iroquois, who declared themselves satisfied with the atonement; and -on this same day, the sixth of July, the adventurers began their voyage. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] The following is the _acte de naissance_, discovered by Margry in -the _registres de l'etat civil_, Paroisse St. Herbland, Rouen: "Le -vingt-deuxieme jour de novembre, 1643, a ete baptise Robert Cavelier, -fils de honorable homme Jean Cavelier et de Catherine Geest; ses parrain -et marraine honorables personnes Nicolas Geest et Marguerite Morice." - -La Salle's name in full was Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle. La -Salle was the name of an estate near Rouen, belonging to the Caveliers. -The wealthy French burghers often distinguished the various members of -their families by designations borrowed from landed estates. Thus, -Francois Marie Arouet, son of an ex-notary, received the name of -Voltaire, which he made famous. - -[2] Margry, after investigations at Rouen, is satisfied of its truth -(_Journal General de l'Instruction Publique_, xxxi. 571.) Family papers -of the Caveliers, examined by the Abbe Faillon, and copies of some of -which he has sent to me, lead to the same conclusion. We shall find -several allusions hereafter to La Salle's having in his youth taught in -a school, which, in his position, could only have been in connection -with some religious community. The doubts alluded to have proceeded from -the failure of Father Felix Martin, S. J., to find the name of La Salle -on the list of novices. If he had looked for the name of Robert -Cavelier, he would probably have found it. The companion of La Salle, -Hennepin, is very explicit with regard to this connection with the -Jesuits, a point on which he had no motive for falsehood. - -[3] It does not appear what vows La Salle had taken. By a recent -ordinance (1666), persons entering religious orders could not take the -final vows before the age of twenty-five. By the family papers above -mentioned, it appears, however, that he had brought himself under the -operation of the law, which debarred those who, having entered religious -orders, afterwards withdrew, from claiming the inheritance of relatives -who had died after their entrance. - -[4] The Jesuits in North America, chap. xv. - -[5] _Transport de la Seigneurie de St. Sulpice_, cited by Faillon. La -Salle called his new domain as above. Two or three years later, it -received the name of La Chine, for a reason which will appear. - -[6] A detailed plan of Montreal at this time is preserved in the -Archives de l'Empire, and has been reproduced by Faillon. There is -another, a few years later, and still more minute, of which a fac-simile -will be found in the Library of the Canadian Parliament. - -[7] The above particulars have been unearthed by the indefatigable Abbe -Faillon. Some of La Salle's grants are still preserved in the ancient -records of Montreal. - -[8] _Papiers de Famille._ He is said to have made several journeys into -the forests, towards the North, in the years 1667 and 1668, and to have -satisfied himself that little could be hoped from explorations in that -direction. - -[9] According to Dollier de Casson, who had good opportunities of -knowing, the Iroquois always called the Mississippi the Ohio, while the -Algonquins gave it its present name. - -[10] _Patoulet a Colbert, 11 Nov., 1669._ - -[11] _Cession de la Seigneurie; Contrat de Vente_ (Margry, i. 103, 104). - -[12] He was the author of the very curious and valuable _Histoire de -Montreal_, preserved in the Bibliotheque Mazarine, of which a copy is in -my possession. The Historical Society of Montreal has recently resolved -to print it. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -1669-1671. - -LA SALLE AND THE SULPITIANS. - - The French in Western New York.--Louis Joliet.--The Sulpitians on - Lake Erie; at Detroit; at Saut Ste. Marie.--The Mystery of La - Salle: he discovers the Ohio; he descends the Illinois; did he - reach the Mississippi? - - -La Chine was the starting-point; and the combined parties, in all -twenty-four men with seven canoes, embarked on the Lake of St. Louis. -With them were two other canoes, bearing the party of Senecas who had -wintered at La Salle's settlement, and who were now to act as guides. -Father Galinee recounts the journey. He was no woodsman: the river, the -forests, the rapids, were all new to him, and he dilates on them with -the minuteness of a novice. Above all, he admired the Indian birch -canoes. "If God," he says, "grants me the grace of returning to France, -I shall try to carry one with me." Then he describes the bivouac: "Your -lodging is as extraordinary as your vessels; for, after paddling or -carrying the canoes all day, you find mother earth ready to receive your -wearied body. If the weather is fair, you make a fire and lie down to -sleep without further trouble; but if it rains, you must peel bark from -the trees, and make a shed by laying it on a frame of sticks. As for -your food, it is enough to make you burn all the cookery books that ever -were written; for in the woods of Canada one finds means to live well -without bread, wine, salt, pepper, or spice. The ordinary food is Indian -corn, or Turkey wheat as they call it in France, which is crushed -between two stones and boiled, seasoning it with meat or fish, when you -can get them. This sort of life seemed so strange to us that we all felt -the effects of it; and before we were a hundred leagues from Montreal, -not one of us was free from some malady or other. At last, after all our -misery, on the second of August, we discovered Lake Ontario, like a -great sea with no land beyond it." - -[Sidenote: THE SENECA VILLAGES.] - -Thirty-five days after leaving La Chine, they reached Irondequoit Bay, -on the south side of the lake. Here they were met by a number of Seneca -Indians, who professed friendship and invited them to their villages, -fifteen or twenty miles distant. As this was on their way to the upper -waters of the Ohio, and as they hoped to find guides at the villages to -conduct them, they accepted the invitation. Dollier, with most of the -men, remained to guard the canoes; while La Salle, with Galinee and -eight other Frenchmen, accompanied by a troop of Indians, set out on the -morning of the twelfth, and reached the principal village before -evening. It stood on a hill, in the midst of a clearing nearly two -leagues in compass.[13] A rude stockade surrounded it; and as the -visitors drew near they saw a band of old men seated on the grass, -waiting to receive them. One of these veterans, so feeble with age that -he could hardly stand, made them an harangue, in which he declared that -the Senecas were their brothers, and invited them to enter the village. -They did so, surrounded by a crowd of savages, and presently found -themselves in the midst of a disorderly cluster of large but filthy -abodes of bark, about a hundred and fifty in number, the most capacious -of which was assigned to their use. Here they made their quarters, and -were soon overwhelmed by Seneca hospitality. Children brought them -pumpkins and berries from the woods; and boy messengers came to summon -them to endless feasts, where they were regaled with the flesh of dogs -and with boiled maize seasoned with oil pressed from nuts and the seed -of sunflowers. - -La Salle had flattered himself that he knew enough Iroquois to hold -communication with the Senecas; but he failed completely in the attempt. -The priests had a Dutch interpreter, who spoke Iroquois fluently, but -knew so little French, and was withal so obstinate, that he proved -useless; so that it was necessary to employ a man in the service of the -Jesuit Fremin, whose mission was at this village. What the party needed -was a guide to conduct them to the Ohio; and soon after their arrival a -party of warriors appeared, with a young prisoner belonging to one of -the tribes of that region. Galinee wanted to beg or buy him from his -captors; but the Senecas had other intentions. "I saw," writes the -priest, "the most miserable spectacle I ever beheld in my life." It was -the prisoner tied to a stake and tortured for six hours with diabolical -ingenuity, while the crowd danced and yelled with delight, and the -chiefs and elders sat in a row smoking their pipes and watching the -contortions of the victim with an air of serene enjoyment. The body was -at last cut up and eaten, and in the evening the whole population -occupied themselves in scaring away the angry ghost by beating with -sticks against the bark sides of the lodges. - -La Salle and his companions began to fear for their own safety. Some of -their hosts wished to kill them in revenge for the chief murdered near -Montreal; and as these and others were at times in a frenzy of -drunkenness, the position of the French became critical. They suspected -that means had been used to prejudice the Senecas against them. Not only -could they get no guides, but they were told that if they went to the -Ohio the tribes of those parts would infallibly kill them. Their Dutch -interpreter became disheartened and unmanageable, and, after staying a -month at the village, the hope of getting farther on their way seemed -less than ever. Their plan, it was clear, must be changed; and an Indian -from Otinawatawa, a kind of Iroquois colony at the head of Lake -Ontario, offered to guide them to his village and show them a better way -to the Ohio. They left the Senecas, coasted the south shore of the lake, -passed the mouth of the Niagara, where they heard the distant roar of -the cataract, and on the twenty-fourth of September reached Otinawatawa, -which was a few miles north of the present town of Hamilton. The -inhabitants proved friendly, and La Salle received the welcome present -of a Shawanoe prisoner, who told them that the Ohio could be reached in -six weeks, and that he would guide them to it. Delighted at this good -fortune, they were about to set out; when they heard, to their -astonishment, of the arrival of two other Frenchmen at a neighboring -village. - -[Sidenote: LOUIS JOLIET.] - -One of the strangers was destined to hold a conspicuous place in the -history of western discovery. This was Louis Joliet, a young man of -about the age of La Salle. Like him, he had studied for the priesthood; -but the world and the wilderness had conquered his early inclinations, -and changed him to an active and adventurous fur-trader. Talon had sent -him to discover and explore the copper-mines of Lake Superior. He had -failed in the attempt, and was now returning. His Indian guide, afraid -of passing the Niagara portage lest he should meet enemies, had led him -from Lake Erie, by way of Grand River, towards the head of Lake Ontario; -and thus it was that he met La Salle and the Sulpitians. - -This meeting caused a change of plan. Joliet showed the priests a map -which he had made of such parts of the Upper Lakes as he had visited, -and gave them a copy of it; telling them, at the same time, of the -Pottawattamies and other tribes of that region in grievous need of -spiritual succor. The result was a determination on their part to follow -the route which he suggested, notwithstanding the remonstrances of La -Salle, who in vain reminded them that the Jesuits had preoccupied the -field, and would regard them as intruders. They resolved that the -Pottawattamies should no longer sit in darkness; while, as for the -Mississippi, it could be reached, as they conceived, with less risk by -this northern route than by that of the south. - -La Salle was of a different mind. His goal was the Ohio, and not the -northern lakes. A few days before, while hunting, he had been attacked -by a fever, sarcastically ascribed by Galinee to his having seen three -large rattle-snakes crawling up a rock. He now told his two colleagues -that he was in no condition to go forward, and should be forced to part -with them. The staple of La Salle's character, as his life will attest, -was an invincible determination of purpose, which set at naught all -risks and all sufferings. He had cast himself with all his resources -into this enterprise; and, while his faculties remained, he was not a -man to recoil from it. On the other hand, the masculine fibre of which -he was made did not always withhold him from the practice of the arts of -address, and the use of what Dollier de Casson styles _belles paroles_. -He respected the priesthood, with the exception, it seems, of the -Jesuits; and he was under obligations to the Sulpitians of Montreal. -Hence there can be no doubt that he used his illness as a pretext for -escaping from their company without ungraciousness, and following his -own path in his own way. - -[Sidenote: SEPARATION.] - -On the last day of September, the priests made an altar, supported by -the paddles of the canoes laid on forked sticks. Dollier said mass; La -Salle and his followers received the sacrament, as did also those of his -late colleagues; and thus they parted, the Sulpitians and their party -descending the Grand River towards Lake Erie, while La Salle, as they -supposed, began his return to Montreal. What course he actually took we -shall soon inquire; and meanwhile, for a few moments, we will follow the -priests. When they reached Lake Erie, they saw it tossing like an angry -ocean. They had no mind to tempt the dangerous and unknown navigation, -and encamped for the winter in the forest near the peninsula called the -Long Point. Here they gathered a good store of chestnuts, hickory-nuts, -plums, and grapes, and built themselves a log cabin, with a recess at -the end for an altar. They passed the winter unmolested, shooting game -in abundance, and saying mass three times a week. Early in spring, they -planted a large cross, attached to it the arms of France, and took -formal possession of the country in the name of Louis XIV. This done, -they resumed their voyage, and, after many troubles, landed one evening -in a state of exhaustion on or near Point Pelee, towards the western -extremity of Lake Erie. A storm rose as they lay asleep, and swept off a -great part of their baggage, which, in their fatigue, they had left at -the edge of the water. Their altar-service was lost with the rest,--a -misfortune which they ascribed to the jealousy and malice of the Devil. -Debarred henceforth from saying mass, they resolved to return to -Montreal and leave the Pottawattamies uninstructed. They presently -entered the strait by which Lake Huron joins Lake Erie, and landing near -where Detroit now stands, found a large stone, somewhat suggestive of -the human figure, which the Indians had bedaubed with paint, and which -they worshipped as a manito. In view of their late misfortune, this -device of the arch-enemy excited their utmost resentment. "After the -loss of our altar-service," writes Galinee, "and the hunger we had -suffered, there was not a man of us who was not filled with hatred -against this false deity. I devoted one of my axes to breaking him in -pieces; and then, having fastened our canoes side by side, we carried -the largest piece to the middle of the river, and threw it, with all the -rest, into the water, that he might never be heard of again. God -rewarded us immediately for this good action, for we killed a deer and a -bear that same day." - -[Sidenote: AT STE. MARIE DU SAUT.] - -This is the first recorded passage of white men through the Strait of -Detroit; though Joliet had, no doubt, passed this way on his return from -the Upper Lakes.[14] The two missionaries took this course, with the -intention of proceeding to the Saut Ste. Marie, and there joining the -Ottawas, and other tribes of that region, in their yearly descent to -Montreal. They issued upon Lake Huron; followed its eastern shores till -they reached the Georgian Bay, near the head of which the Jesuits had -established their great mission of the Hurons, destroyed, twenty years -before, by the Iroquois;[15] and, ignoring or slighting the labors of -the rival missionaries, held their way northward along the rocky -archipelago that edged those lonely coasts. They passed the Manitoulins, -and, ascending the strait by which Lake Superior discharges its waters, -arrived on the twenty-fifth of May at Ste. Marie du Saut. Here they -found the two Jesuits, Dablon and Marquette, in a square fort of cedar -pickets, built by their men within the past year, and enclosing a chapel -and a house. Near by, they had cleared a large tract of land, and sown -it with wheat, Indian corn, peas, and other crops. The new-comers were -graciously received, and invited to vespers in the chapel; but they very -soon found La Salle's prediction made good, and saw that the Jesuit -fathers wanted no help from St. Sulpice. Galinee, on his part, takes -occasion to remark, that, though the Jesuits had baptized a few Indians -at the Saut, not one of them was a good enough Christian to receive the -Eucharist; and he intimates that the case, by their own showing, was -still worse at their mission of St. Esprit. The two Sulpitians did not -care to prolong their stay; and, three days after their arrival, they -left the Saut,--not, as they expected, with the Indians, but with a -French guide, furnished by the Jesuits. Ascending French River to Lake -Nipissing, they crossed to the waters of the Ottawa, and descended to -Montreal, which they reached on the eighteenth of June. They had made no -discoveries and no converts; but Galinee, after his arrival, made the -earliest map of the Upper Lakes known to exist.[16] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S DISCOVERIES.] - -We return now to La Salle, only to find ourselves involved in mist and -obscurity. What did he do after he left the two priests? Unfortunately, -a definite answer is not possible; and the next two years of his life -remain in some measure an enigma. That he was busied in active -exploration, and that he made important discoveries, is certain; but the -extent and character of these discoveries remain wrapped in doubt. He is -known to have kept journals and made maps; and these were in existence, -and in possession of his niece, Madeleine Cavelier, then in advanced -age, as late as the year 1756; beyond which time the most diligent -inquiry has failed to trace them. Abbe Faillon affirms that some of La -Salle's men, refusing to follow him, returned to La Chine, and that the -place then received its name, in derision of the young adventurer's -dream of a westward passage to China.[17] As for himself, the only -distinct record of his movements is that contained in a paper, entitled -"Histoire de Monsieur de la Salle." It is an account of his -explorations, and of the state of parties in Canada previous to the year -1678,--taken from the lips of La Salle himself, by a person whose name -does not appear, but who declares that he had ten or twelve -conversations with him at Paris, whither he had come with a petition to -the Court. The writer himself had never been in America, and was -ignorant of its geography; hence blunders on his part might reasonably -be expected. His statements, however, are in some measure intelligible; -and the following is the substance of them. - -After leaving the priests, La Salle went to Onondaga, where we are left -to infer that he succeeded better in getting a guide than he had before -done among the Senecas. Thence he made his way to a point six or seven -leagues distant from Lake Erie, where he reached a branch of the Ohio, -and, descending it, followed the river as far as the rapids at -Louisville,--or, as has been maintained, beyond its confluence with the -Mississippi. His men now refused to go farther, and abandoned him, -escaping to the English and the Dutch; whereupon he retraced his steps -alone.[18] This must have been in the winter of 1669-70, or in the -following spring; unless there is an error of date in the statement of -Nicolas Perrot, the famous _voyageur_, who says that he met him in the -summer of 1670, hunting on the Ottawa with a party of Iroquois.[19] - -[Sidenote: THE RIVER ILLINOIS.] - -But how was La Salle employed in the following year? The same memoir has -its solution to the problem. By this it appears that the indefatigable -explorer embarked on Lake Erie, ascended the Detroit to Lake Huron, -coasted the unknown shores of Michigan, passed the Straits of -Michilimackinac, and, leaving Green Bay behind him, entered what is -described as an incomparably larger bay, but which was evidently the -southern portion of Lake Michigan. Thence he crossed to a river flowing -westward,--evidently the Illinois,--and followed it until it was joined -by another river flowing from the northwest to the southeast. By this, -the Mississippi only can be meant; and he is reported to have said that -he descended it to the thirty-sixth degree of latitude; where he -stopped, assured that it discharged itself not into the Gulf of -California, but into the Gulf of Mexico, and resolved to follow it -thither at a future day, when better provided with men and supplies.[20] - -[Sidenote: THE MISSISSIPPI.] - -The first of these statements,--that relating to the Ohio,--confused, -vague, and in great part incorrect, as it certainly is, is nevertheless -well sustained as regards one essential point. La Salle himself, in a -memorial addressed to Count Frontenac in 1677, affirms that he -discovered the Ohio, and descended it as far as to a fall which -obstructed it.[21] Again, his rival, Louis Joliet, whose testimony on -this point cannot be suspected, made two maps of the region of the -Mississippi and the Great Lakes. The Ohio is laid down on both of them, -with an inscription to the effect that it had been explored by La -Salle.[22] That he discovered the Ohio may then be regarded as -established. That he descended it to the Mississippi, he himself does -not pretend; nor is there reason to believe that he did so. - -With regard to his alleged voyage down the Illinois, the case is -different. Here, he is reported to have made a statement which admits -but one interpretation,--that of the discovery by him of the Mississippi -prior to its discovery by Joliet and Marquette. This statement is -attributed to a man not prone to vaunt his own exploits, who never -proclaimed them in print, and whose testimony, even in his own case, -must therefore have weight. But it comes to us through the medium of a -person strongly biassed in favor of La Salle, and against Marquette and -the Jesuits. - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S DISCOVERIES.] - -Seven years had passed since the alleged discovery, and La Salle had not -before laid claim to it; although it was matter of notoriety that during -five years it had been claimed by Joliet, and that his claim was -generally admitted. The correspondence of the governor and the intendant -is silent as to La Salle's having penetrated to the Mississippi, though -the attempt was made under the auspices of the latter, as his own -letters declare; while both had the discovery of the great river -earnestly at heart. The governor, Frontenac, La Salle's ardent supporter -and ally, believed in 1672, as his letters show, that the Mississippi -flowed into the Gulf of California; and, two years later, he announces -to the minister Colbert its discovery by Joliet.[23] After La Salle's -death, his brother, his nephew, and his niece addressed a memorial to -the king, petitioning for certain grants in consideration of the -discoveries of their relative, which they specify at some length; but -they do not pretend that he reached the Mississippi before his -expeditions of 1679 to 1682.[24] This silence is the more significant, -as it is this very niece who had possession of the papers in which La -Salle recounts the journeys of which the issues are in question.[25] -Had they led him to the Mississippi, it is reasonably certain that she -would have made it known in her memorial. La Salle discovered the Ohio, -and in all probability the Illinois also; but that he discovered the -Mississippi has not been proved, nor, in the light of the evidence we -have, is it likely. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[13] This village seems to have been that attacked by Denonville in -1687. It stood on Boughton Hill, near the present town of Victor. - -[14] The Jesuits and fur-traders, on their way to the Upper Lakes, had -followed the route of the Ottawa, or, more recently, that of Toronto and -the Georgian Bay. Iroquois hostility had long closed the Niagara portage -and Lake Erie against them. - -[15] The Jesuits in North America. - -[16] See Appendix. The above narrative is from _Recit de ce qui s'est -passe de plus remarquable dans le Voyage de MM. Dollier et Galinee_. -(Bibliotheque Nationale.) - -[17] Dollier de Casson alludes to this as "cette transmigration celebre -qui se fit de la Chine dans ces quartiers." - -[18] The following is the passage relating to this journey in the -remarkable paper above mentioned. After recounting La Salle's visit with -the Sulpitians to the Seneca village, and stating that the intrigues of -the Jesuit missionary prevented them from obtaining a guide, it speaks -of the separation of the travellers and the journey of Galinee and his -party to the Saut Ste. Marie, where "les Jesuites les congedierent." It -then proceeds as follows: "Cependant Mr. de la Salle continua son -chemin par une riviere qui va de l'est a l'ouest; et passe a Onontaque -[_Onondaga_], puis a six ou sept lieues au-dessous du Lac Erie; et -estant parvenu jusqu'au 280me ou 83me degre de longitude, et -jusqu'au 41me degre de latitude, trouva un sault qui tombe vers -l'ouest dans un pays bas, marescageux, tout couvert de vielles souches, -dont il y en a quelques-unes qui sont encore sur pied. Il fut donc -contraint de prendre terre, et suivant une hauteur qui le pouvoit mener -loin, il trouva quelques sauvages qui luy dirent que fort loin de la le -mesme fleuve qui se perdoit dans cette terre basse et vaste se -reunnissoit en un lit. Il continua donc son chemin, mais comme la -fatigue estoit grande, 23 ou 24 hommes qu'il avoit menez jusques la le -quitterent tous en une nuit, regagnerent le fleuve, et se sauverent, les -uns a la Nouvelle Hollande et les autres a la Nouvelle Angleterre. Il se -vit donc seul a 400 lieues de chez luy, ou il ne laisse pas de revenir, -remontant la riviere et vivant de chasse, d'herbes, et de ce que luy -donnerent les sauvages qu'il rencontra en son chemin." - -[19] Perrot, _Memoires_, 119, 120. - -[20] The memoir--after stating, as above, that he entered Lake Huron, -doubled the peninsula of Michigan, and passed La Baye des Puants (_Green -Bay_)--says: "Il reconnut une baye incomparablement plus large; au fond -de laquelle vers l'ouest il trouva un tres-beau havre et au fond de ce -havre un fleuve qui va de l'est a l'ouest. Il suivit ce fleuve, et -estant parvenu jusqu'environ le 280me degre de longitude et le -39me de latitude, il trouva un autre fleuve qui se joignant au -premier coulait du nordouest au sudest, et il suivit ce fleuve jusqu'au -36me degre de latitude." - -The "tres-beau havre" may have been the entrance of the river Chicago, -whence, by an easy portage, he might have reached the Des Plaines branch -of the Illinois. We shall see that he took this course in his famous -exploration of 1682. - -The intendant Talon announces, in his despatches of this year that he -had sent La Salle southward and westward to explore. - -[21] The following are his words (he speaks of himself in the third -person): "L'annee 1667, et les suivantes, il fit divers voyages avec -beaucoup de depenses, dans lesquels il decouvrit le premier beaucoup de -pays au sud des grands lacs, et _entre autres la grande riviere d'Ohio_; -il la suivit jusqu'a un endroit ou elle tombe de fort haut dans de -vastes marais, a la hauteur de 37 degres, apres avoir ete grossie par -une autre riviere fort large qui vient du nord; et toutes ces eaux se -dechargent selon toutes les apparences dans le Golfe du Mexique." - -This "autre riviere," which, it seems, was above the fall, may have been -the Miami or the Scioto. There is but one fall on the river, that of -Louisville, which is not so high as to deserve to be described as "fort -haut," being only a strong rapid. The latitude, as will be seen, is -different in the two accounts, and incorrect in both. - -[22] One of these maps is entitled _Carte de la decouverte du Sieur -Joliet_, 1674. Over the lines representing the Ohio are the words, -"Route du sieur de la Salle pour aller dans le Mexique." The other map -of Joliet bears, also written over the Ohio, the words, "Riviere par ou -descendit le sieur de la Salle au sortir du lac Erie pour aller dans le -Mexique." I have also another manuscript map, made before the voyage of -Joliet and Marquette, and apparently in the year 1673, on which the Ohio -is represented as far as to a point a little below Louisville, and over -it is written, "Riviere Ohio, ainsy appellee par les Iroquois a cause de -sa beaute, par ou le sieur de la Salle est descendu." The Mississippi is -not represented on this map; but--and this is very significant, as -indicating the extent of La Salle's exploration of the following year--a -small part of the upper Illinois is laid down. - -[23] _Lettre de Frontenac au Ministre, 14 Nov., 1674._ He here speaks of -"la grande riviere qu'il [_Joliet_] a trouvee, qui va du nord au sud, et -qui est aussi large que celle du Saint-Laurent vis-a-vis de Quebec." -Four years later, Frontenac speaks slightingly of Joliet, but neither -denies his discovery of the Mississippi, nor claims it for La Salle, in -whose interest he writes. - -[24] _Papiers de Famille; Memoire presente au Roi._ The following is an -extract: "Il parvient ... jusqu'a la riviere des Illinois. Il y -construisit un fort situe a 350 lieues au-dela du fort de Frontenac, et -suivant ensuite le cours de cette riviere, il trouva qu'elle se jettoit -dans un grand fleuve appelle par ceux du pays Mississippi, c'est a dire -_grande eau_, environ cent lieues au-dessous du fort qu'il venoit de -construire." This fort was Fort Crevecoeur, built in 1680, near the -site of Peoria. The memoir goes on to relate the descent of La Salle to -the Gulf, which concluded this expedition of 1679-82. - -[25] The following is an extract, given by Margry, from a letter of the -aged Madeleine Cavelier, dated 21 Fevrier, 1756, and addressed to her -nephew, M. Le Baillif, who had applied for the papers in behalf of the -minister, Silhouette: "J'ay cherche une occasion sure pour vous anvoye -les papiers de M. de la Salle. Il y a des cartes que j'ay jointe a ces -papiers, qui doivent prouver que, en 1675, M. de Lasalle avet deja fet -deux voyages en ces decouverte, puisqu'il y avet une carte, que je vous -envoye, par laquelle il est fait mention de l'androit auquel M. de -Lasalle aborda pres le fleuve de Mississipi; un autre androit qu'il -nomme le fleuve Colbert; en un autre il prans possession de ce pais au -nom du roy et fait planter une crois." - -The words of the aged and illiterate writer are obscure, but her -expression "aborda pres" seems to indicate that La Salle had not reached -the Mississippi prior to 1675, but only approached it. Finally, a -memorial presented to Seignelay, along with the official narrative of -1679-81, by a friend of La Salle, whose object was to place the -discoverer and his achievements in the most favorable light, contains -the following: "Il [_La Salle_] a este le premier a former le dessein de -ces descouvertes, qu'il communiqua, il y a plus de quinze ans, a M. de -Courcelles, gouverneur, et a M. Talon, intendant du Canada, qui -l'approuverent. Il a fait ensuite plusieurs voyages de ce coste-la, et -un entr'autres en 1669 avec MM. Dolier et Galinee, prestres du Seminaire -de St. Sulpice. _Il est vray que le sieur Jolliet, pour le prevenir, fit -un voyage in 1673, a la riviere Colbert_; mais ce fut uniquement pour y -faire commerce." See Margry, ii. 285. This passage is a virtual -admission that Joliet reached the Mississippi (_Colbert_) before La -Salle. - -Margry, in a series of papers in the _Journal General de l'Instruction -Publique_ for 1862, first took the position that La Salle reached the -Mississippi in 1670 and 1671, and has brought forward in defence of it -all the documents which his unwearied research enabled him to discover. -Father Tailhan, S.J., has replied at length, in the copious notes to his -edition of Nicolas Perrot, but without having seen the principal -document cited by Margry, and of which extracts have been given in the -notes to this chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -1670-1672. - -THE JESUITS ON THE LAKES. - - The Old Missions and the New.--A Change of Spirit.--Lake Superior - and the Copper-mines.--Ste. Marie.--La - Pointe.--Michilimackinac.--Jesuits on Lake Michigan.--Allouez and - Dablon.--The Jesuit Fur-trade. - - -What were the Jesuits doing? Since the ruin of their great mission of -the Hurons, a perceptible change had taken place in them. They had put -forth exertions almost superhuman, set at naught famine, disease, and -death, lived with the self-abnegation of saints and died with the -devotion of martyrs; and the result of all had been a disastrous -failure. From no short-coming on their part, but from the force of -events beyond the sphere of their influence, a very demon of havoc had -crushed their incipient churches, slaughtered their converts, uprooted -the populous communities on which their hopes had rested, and scattered -them in bands of wretched fugitives far and wide through the -wilderness.[26] They had devoted themselves in the fulness of faith to -the building up of a Christian and Jesuit empire on the conversion of -the great stationary tribes of the lakes; and of these none remained but -the Iroquois, the destroyers of the rest,--among whom, indeed, was a -field which might stimulate their zeal by an abundant promise of -sufferings and martyrdoms, but which, from its geographical position, -was too much exposed to Dutch and English influence to promise great and -decisive results. Their best hopes were now in the North and the West; -and thither, in great part, they had turned their energies. - -[Sidenote: REPORTS OF THE JESUITS.] - -We find them on Lake Huron, Lake Superior, and Lake Michigan, laboring -vigorously as of old, but in a spirit not quite the same. Now, as -before, two objects inspired their zeal,--the "greater glory of God," -and the influence and credit of the Order of Jesus. If the one motive -had somewhat lost in power, the other had gained. The epoch of the -saints and martyrs was passing away; and henceforth we find the Canadian -Jesuit less and less an apostle, more and more an explorer, a man of -science, and a politician. The yearly reports of the missions are still, -for the edification of the pious reader, filled with intolerably tedious -stories of baptisms, conversions, and the exemplary deportment of -neophytes,--for these have become a part of the formula; but they are -relieved abundantly by more mundane topics. One finds observations on -the winds, currents, and tides of the Great Lakes; speculations on a -subterranean outlet of Lake Superior; accounts of its copper-mines, and -how we, the Jesuit fathers, are laboring to explore them for the profit -of the colony; surmises touching the North Sea, the South Sea, the Sea -of China, which we hope ere long to discover; and reports of that great -mysterious river of which the Indians tell us,--flowing southward, -perhaps to the Gulf of Mexico, perhaps to the Vermilion Sea,--and the -secrets whereof, with the help of the Virgin, we will soon reveal to the -world. - -The Jesuit was as often a fanatic for his Order as for his faith; and -oftener yet the two fanaticisms mingled in him inextricably. Ardently as -he burned for the saving of souls, he would have none saved on the Upper -Lakes except by his brethren and himself. He claimed a monopoly of -conversion, with its attendant monopoly of toil, hardship, and -martyrdom. Often disinterested for himself, he was inordinately -ambitious for the great corporate power in which he had merged his own -personality; and here lies one cause, among many, of the seeming -contradictions which abound in the annals of the Order. - -Prefixed to the _Relation_ of 1671 is that monument of Jesuit hardihood -and enterprise, the map of Lake Superior,--a work of which, however, the -exactness has been exaggerated, as compared with other Canadian maps of -the day. While making surveys, the priests were diligently looking for -copper. Father Dablon reports that they had found it in greatest -abundance on Isle Minong, now Isle Royale. "A day's journey from the -head of the lake, on the south side, there is," he says, "a rock of -copper weighing from six hundred to eight hundred pounds, lying on the -shore where any who pass may see it;" and he further speaks of great -copper boulders in the bed of the river Ontonagan.[27] - -[Sidenote: STE. MARIE DU SAUT.] - -There were two principal missions on the Upper Lakes, which were, in a -certain sense, the parents of the rest. One of these was Ste. Marie du -Saut,--the same visited by Dollier and Galinee,--at the outlet of Lake -Superior. This was a noted fishing-place; for the rapids were full of -white-fish, and Indians came thither in crowds. The permanent residents -were an Ojibwa band, whom the French called Sauteurs, and whose bark -lodges were clustered at the foot of the rapids, near the fort of the -Jesuits. Besides these, a host of Algonquins, of various tribes, -resorted thither in the spring and summer,--living in abundance on the -fishery, and dispersing in winter to wander and starve in scattered -hunting-parties far and wide through the forests. - -The other chief mission was that of St. Esprit, at La Pointe, near the -western extremity of Lake Superior. Here were the Hurons, fugitives -twenty years before from the slaughter of their countrymen; and the -Ottawas, who, like them, had sought an asylum from the rage of the -Iroquois. Many other tribes--Illinois, Pottawattamies, Foxes, -Menomonies, Sioux, Assiniboins, Knisteneaux, and a multitude -besides--came hither yearly to trade with the French. Here was a young -Jesuit, Jacques Marquette, lately arrived from the Saut Ste. Marie. His -savage flock disheartened him by its backslidings; and the best that he -could report of the Hurons, after all the toil and all the blood -lavished in their conversion, was, that they "still retain a little -Christianity;" while the Ottawas are "far removed from the kingdom of -God, and addicted beyond all other tribes to foulness, incantations, and -sacrifices to evil spirits."[28] - -[Sidenote: MARQUETTE AND ANDRE.] - -Marquette heard from the Illinois--yearly visitors at La Pointe--of the -great river which they had crossed on their way,[29] and which, as he -conjectured, flowed into the Gulf of California. He heard marvels of it -also from the Sioux, who lived on its banks; and a strong desire -possessed him to explore the mystery of its course. A sudden calamity -dashed his hopes. The Sioux--the Iroquois of the West, as the Jesuits -call them--had hitherto kept the peace with the expatriated tribes of La -Pointe; but now, from some cause not worth inquiry, they broke into open -war, and so terrified the Hurons and Ottawas that they abandoned their -settlements and fled. Marquette followed his panic-stricken flock, who, -passing the Saut Ste. Marie, and descending to Lake Huron, stopped at -length,--the Hurons at Michilimackinac, and the Ottawas at the Great -Manitoulin Island. Two missions were now necessary to minister to the -divided bands. That of Michilimackinac was assigned to Marquette, and -that of the Manitoulin Island to Louis Andre. The former took post at -Point St. Ignace, on the north shore of the Straits of Michilimackinac, -while the latter began the mission of St. Simon at the new abode of the -Ottawas. When winter came, scattering his flock to their -hunting-grounds, Andre made a missionary tour among the Nipissings and -other neighboring tribes. The shores of Lake Huron had long been an -utter solitude, swept of their denizens by the terror of the -all-conquering Iroquois; but now that these tigers had felt the power of -the French, and learned for a time to leave their Indian allies in -peace, the fugitive hordes were returning to their ancient abodes. -Andre's experience among them was of the roughest. The staple of his -diet was acorns and _tripe de roche_,--a species of lichen, which, being -boiled, resolved itself into a black glue, nauseous, but not void of -nourishment. At times, he was reduced to moss, the bark of trees, or -moccasins and old moose-skins cut into strips and boiled. His hosts -treated him very ill, and the worst of their fare was always his -portion. When spring came to his relief, he returned to his post of St. -Simon, with impaired digestion and unabated zeal. - -[Sidenote: THE GREEN BAY MISSION.] - -Besides the Saut Ste. Marie and Michilimackinac, both noted -fishing-places, there was another spot, no less famous for game and -fish, and therefore a favorite resort of Indians. This was the head of -the Green Bay of Lake Michigan.[30] Here and in adjacent districts -several distinct tribes had made their abode. The Menomonies were on the -river which bears their name; the Pottawattamies and Winnebagoes were -near the borders of the bay; the Sacs, on Fox River; the Mascoutins, -Miamis, and Kickapoos, on the same river, above Lake Winnebago; and the -Outagamies, or Foxes, on a tributary of it flowing from the north. Green -Bay was manifestly suited for a mission; and, as early as the autumn of -1669, Father Claude Allouez was sent thither to found one. After nearly -perishing by the way, he set out to explore the destined field of his -labors, and went as far as the town of the Mascoutins. Early in the -autumn of 1670, having been joined by Dablon, Superior of the missions -on the Upper Lakes, he made another journey, but not until the two -fathers had held a council with the congregated tribes at St. Francois -Xavier; for so they named their mission of Green Bay. Here, as they -harangued their naked audience, their gravity was put to the proof; for -a band of warriors, anxious to do them honor, walked incessantly up and -down, aping the movements of the soldiers on guard before the governor's -tent at Montreal. "We could hardly keep from laughing," writes Dablon, -"though, we were discoursing on very important subjects; namely, the -mysteries of our religion, and the things necessary to escaping from -eternal fire."[31] - -The fathers were delighted with the country, which Dablon calls an -earthly paradise; but he adds that the way to it is as hard as the path -to heaven. He alludes especially to the rapids of Fox River, which gave -the two travellers great trouble. Having safely passed them, they saw -an Indian idol on the bank, similar to that which Dollier and Galinee -found at Detroit,--being merely a rock, bearing some resemblance to a -man, and hideously painted. With the help of their attendants, they -threw it into the river. Dablon expatiates on the buffalo, which he -describes apparently on the report of others, as his description is not -very accurate. Crossing Winnebago Lake, the two priests followed the -river leading to the town of the Mascoutins and Miamis, which they -reached on the fifteenth of September.[32] These two tribes lived -together within the compass of the same enclosure of palisades,--to the -number, it is said, of more than three thousand souls. The missionaries, -who had brought a highly colored picture of the Last Judgment, called -the Indians to council and displayed it before them; while Allouez, who -spoke Algonquin, harangued them on hell, demons, and eternal flames. -They listened with open ears, beset him night and day with questions, -and invited him and his companion to unceasing feasts. They were -welcomed in every lodge, and followed everywhere with eyes of curiosity, -wonder, and awe. Dablon overflows with praises of the Miami chief, who -was honored by his subjects like a king, and whose demeanor towards his -guests had no savor of the savage. - -Their hosts told them of the great river Mississippi, rising far in the -north and flowing southward,--they knew not whither,--and of many tribes -that dwelt along its banks. When at length they took their departure, -they left behind them a reputation as medicine-men of transcendent -power. - -[Sidenote: THE CROSS AMONG THE FOXES.] - -In the winter following, Allouez visited the Foxes, whom he found in -extreme ill-humor. They were incensed against the French by the -ill-usage which some of their tribe had lately met when on a trading -visit to Montreal; and they received the Faith with shouts of derision. -The priest was horror-stricken at what he saw. Their lodges, each -containing from five to ten families, seemed in his eyes like seraglios; -for some of the chiefs had eight wives. He armed himself with patience, -and at length gained a hearing. Nay, he succeeded so well, that when he -showed them his crucifix they would throw tobacco on it as an offering; -and, on another visit which he made them soon after, he taught the whole -village to make the sign of the cross. A war-party was going out against -their enemies, and he bethought him of telling them the story of the -Cross and the Emperor Constantine. This so wrought upon them that they -all daubed the figure of a cross on their shields of bull-hide, set out -for the war, and came back victorious, extolling the sacred symbol as a -great war-medicine. - -"Thus it is," writes Dablon, who chronicles the incident, "that our holy -faith is established among these people; and we have good hope that we -shall soon carry it to the famous river called the Mississippi, and -perhaps even to the South Sea."[33] Most things human have their phases -of the ludicrous; and the heroism of these untiring priests is no -exception to the rule. - -[Sidenote: TRADING WITH INDIANS.] - -The various missionary stations were much alike. They consisted of a -chapel (commonly of logs) and one or more houses, with perhaps a -store-house and a workshop; the whole fenced with palisades, and -forming, in fact, a stockade fort, surrounded with clearings and -cultivated fields. It is evident that the priests had need of other -hands than their own and those of the few lay brothers attached to the -mission. They required men inured to labor, accustomed to the forest -life, able to guide canoes and handle tools and weapons. In the earlier -epoch of the missions, when enthusiasm was at its height, they were -served in great measure by volunteers, who joined them through devotion -or penitence, and who were known as _donnes_ or "given men." Of late, -the number of these had much diminished; and they now relied chiefly on -hired men, or _engages_. These were employed in building, hunting, -fishing, clearing, and tilling the ground, guiding canoes, and (if faith -is to be placed in reports current throughout the colony) in trading -with the Indians for the profit of the missions. This charge of -trading--which, if the results were applied exclusively to the support -of the missions, does not of necessity involve much censure--is -vehemently reiterated in many quarters, including the official -despatches of the governor of Canada; while, so far as I can discover, -the Jesuits never distinctly denied it, and on several occasions they -partially admitted its truth.[34] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[26] See "The Jesuits in North America." - -[27] He complains that the Indians were very averse to giving -information on the subject, so that the Jesuits had not as yet -discovered the metal _in situ_, though they hoped soon to do so. The -Indians told him that the copper had first been found by four hunters, -who had landed on a certain island, near the north shore of the lake. -Wishing to boil their food in a vessel of bark, they gathered stones on -the shore, heated them red hot, and threw them in, but presently -discovered them to be pure copper. Their repast over, they hastened to -re-embark, being afraid of the lynxes and the hares, which, on this -island, were as large as dogs, and which would have devoured their -provisions, and perhaps their canoe. They took with them some of the -wonderful stones; but scarcely had they left the island, when a deep -voice, like thunder, sounded in their ears, "Who are these thieves who -steal the toys of my children?" It was the God of the Waters, or some -other powerful manito. The four adventurers retreated in great terror; -but three of them soon died, and the fourth survived only long enough to -reach his village, and tell the story. The island has no foundation, but -floats with the movement of the wind; and no Indian dares land on its -shores, dreading the wrath of the manito. Dablon, _Relation_, 1670, 84. - -[28] _Lettre du Pere Jacques Marquette au R. P. Superieur des Missions;_ -in _Relation_, 1670, 87. - -[29] The Illinois lived at this time beyond the Mississippi, thirty -days' journey from La Pointe; whither they had been driven by the -Iroquois, from their former abode near Lake Michigan. Dablon -(_Relation_, 1671, 24, 25) says that they lived seven days' journey -beyond the Mississippi, in eight villages. A few years later, most of -them returned to the east side, and made their abode on the river -Illinois. - -[30] The Baye des Puants of the early writers; or, more correctly, La -Baye des Eaux Puantes. The Winnebago Indians, living near it, were -called Les Puans, apparently for no other reason than because some -portion of the bay was said to have an odor like the sea. - -Lake Michigan, the "Lac des Illinois" of the French, was, according to a -letter of Father Allouez, called "Machihiganing" by the Indians. Dablon -writes the name "Mitchiganon." - -[31] _Relation_, 1671, 43. - -[32] This town was on the Neenah or Fox River, above Lake Winnebago. The -Mascoutins, Fire Nation, or Nation of the Prairie, are extinct or merged -in other tribes. See "The Jesuits in North America." The Miamis soon -removed to the banks of the river St. Joseph, near Lake Michigan. - -[33] _Relation_, 1672, 42. - -[34] This charge was made from the first establishment of the missions. -For remarks on it, see "The Jesuits in North America" and "The Old -Regime in Canada." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -1667-1672. - -FRANCE TAKES POSSESSION OF THE WEST. - - Talon.--Saint-Lusson.--Perrot.--The Ceremony at Saut Ste. - Marie.--The Speech of Allouez.--Count Frontenac. - - -Jean Talon, intendant of Canada, was full of projects for the good of -the colony. On the one hand, he set himself to the development of its -industries, and, on the other, to the extension of its domain. He meant -to occupy the interior of the continent, control the rivers, which were -its only highways, and hold it for France against every other nation. On -the east, England was to be hemmed within a narrow strip of seaboard; -while, on the south, Talon aimed at securing a port on the Gulf of -Mexico, to keep the Spaniards in check, and dispute with them the -possession of the vast regions which they claimed as their own. But the -interior of the continent was still an unknown world. It behooved him to -explore it; and to that end he availed himself of Jesuits, officers, -fur-traders, and enterprising schemers like La Salle. His efforts at -discovery seem to have been conducted with a singular economy of the -King's purse. La Salle paid all the expenses of his first expedition -made under Talon's auspices; and apparently of the second also, though -the intendant announces it in his despatches as an expedition sent out -by himself.[35] When, in 1670, he ordered Daumont de Saint-Lusson to -search for copper mines on Lake Superior, and at the same time to take -formal possession of the whole interior for the King, it was arranged -that he should pay the costs of the journey by trading with the -Indians.[36] - -[Sidenote: SAINT-LUSSON AND PERROT.] - -Saint-Lusson set out with a small party of men, and Nicolas Perrot as -his interpreter. Among Canadian _voyageurs_, few names are so -conspicuous as that of Perrot; not because there were not others who -matched him in achievement, but because he could write, and left behind -him a tolerable account of what he had seen.[37] He was at this time -twenty-six years old, and had formerly been an _engage_ of the Jesuits. -He was a man of enterprise, courage, and address,--the last being -especially shown in his dealings with Indians, over whom he had great -influence. He spoke Algonquin fluently, and was favorably known to many -tribes of that family. - -Saint-Lusson wintered at the Manitoulin Islands; while Perrot, having -first sent messages to the tribes of the north, inviting them to meet -the deputy of the governor at the Saut Ste. Marie in the following -spring, proceeded to Green Bay, to urge the same invitation upon the -tribes of that quarter. They knew him well, and greeted him with clamors -of welcome. The Miamis, it is said, received him with a sham battle, -which was designed to do him honor, but by which nerves more susceptible -would have been severely shaken.[38] They entertained him also with a -grand game of _la crosse_, the Indian ball-play. Perrot gives a -marvellous account of the authority and state of the Miami chief, who, -he says, was attended day and night by a guard of warriors,--an -assertion which would be incredible, were it not sustained by the -account of the same chief given by the Jesuit Dablon. Of the tribes of -the Bay, the greater part promised to send delegates to the Saut; but -the Pottawattamies dissuaded the Miami potentate from attempting so long -a journey, lest the fatigue incident to it might injure his health; and -he therefore deputed them to represent him and his tribesmen at the -great meeting. Their principal chiefs, with those of the Sacs, -Winnebagoes, and Menomonies, embarked, and paddled for the place of -rendezvous, where they and Perrot arrived on the fifth of May.[39] - -Saint-Lusson was here with his men, fifteen in number, among whom was -Louis Joliet;[40] and Indians were fast thronging in from their -wintering grounds, attracted, as usual, by the fishery of the rapids or -moved by the messages sent by Perrot,--Crees, Monsonis, Amikoues, -Nipissings, and many more. When fourteen tribes, or their -representatives, had arrived, Saint-Lusson prepared to execute the -commission with which he was charged. - -[Sidenote: CEREMONY AT THE SAUT.] - -At the foot of the rapids was the village of the Sauteurs, above the -village was a hill, and hard by stood the fort of the Jesuits. On the -morning of the fourteenth of June, Saint-Lusson led his followers to the -top of the hill, all fully equipped and under arms. Here, too, in the -vestments of their priestly office, were four Jesuits,--Claude Dablon, -Superior of the Missions of the lakes, Gabriel Druilletes, Claude -Allouez, and Louis Andre.[41] All around the great throng of Indians -stood, or crouched, or reclined at length, with eyes and ears intent. A -large cross of wood had been made ready. Dablon, in solemn form, -pronounced his blessing on it; and then it was reared and planted in the -ground, while the Frenchmen, uncovered, sang the _Vexilla Regis_. Then a -post of cedar was planted beside it, with a metal plate attached, -engraven with the royal arms; while Saint-Lusson's followers sang the -_Exaudiat_, and one of the Jesuits uttered a prayer for the King. -Saint-Lusson now advanced, and, holding his sword in one hand, and -raising with the other a sod of earth, proclaimed in a loud voice,-- - -"In the name of the Most High, Mighty, and Redoubted Monarch, Louis, -Fourteenth of that name, Most Christian King of France and of Navarre, I -take possession of this place, Sainte Marie du Saut, as also of Lakes -Huron and Superior, the Island of Manitoulin, and all countries, rivers, -lakes, and streams contiguous and adjacent thereunto,--both those which -have been discovered and those which may be discovered hereafter, in all -their length and breadth, bounded on the one side by the seas of the -North and of the West, and on the other by the South Sea: declaring to -the nations thereof that from this time forth they are vassals of his -Majesty, bound to obey his laws and follow his customs; promising them -on his part all succor and protection against the incursions and -invasions of their enemies: declaring to all other potentates, princes, -sovereigns, states, and republics,--to them and to their subjects,--that -they cannot and are not to seize or settle upon any parts of the -aforesaid countries, save only under the good pleasure of His Most -Christian Majesty, and of him who will govern in his behalf; and this on -pain of incurring his resentment and the efforts of his arms. _Vive le -Roi_."[42] - -The Frenchmen fired their guns and shouted "Vive le Roi," and the yelps -of the astonished Indians mingled with the din. - -What now remains of the sovereignty thus pompously proclaimed? Now and -then the accents of France on the lips of some straggling boatman or -vagabond half-breed,--this, and nothing more. - -[Sidenote: ALLOUEZ'S HARANGUE.] - -When the uproar was over, Father Allouez addressed the Indians in a -solemn harangue; and these were his words: "It is a good work, my -brothers, an important work, a great work, that brings us together in -council to-day. Look up at the cross which rises so high above your -heads. It was there that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, after making -himself a man for the love of men, was nailed and died, to satisfy his -Eternal Father for our sins. He is the master of our lives; the ruler of -Heaven, Earth, and Hell. It is he of whom I am continually speaking to -you, and whose name and word I have borne through all your country. But -look at this post to which are fixed the arms of the great chief of -France, whom we call King. He lives across the sea. He is the chief of -the greatest chiefs, and has no equal on earth. All the chiefs whom you -have ever seen are but children beside him. He is like a great tree, -and they are but the little herbs that one walks over and tramples under -foot. You know Onontio,[43] that famous chief at Quebec; you know and -you have seen that he is the terror of the Iroquois, and that his very -name makes them tremble, since he has laid their country waste and -burned their towns with fire. Across the sea there are ten thousand -Onontios like him, who are but the warriors of our great King, of whom I -have told you. When he says, 'I am going to war,' everybody obeys his -orders; and each of these ten thousand chiefs raises a troop of a -hundred warriors, some on sea and some on land. Some embark in great -ships, such as you have seen at Quebec. Your canoes carry only four or -five men, or, at the most, ten or twelve; but our ships carry four or -five hundred, and sometimes a thousand. Others go to war by land, and in -such numbers that if they stood in a double file they would reach from -here to Mississaquenk, which is more than twenty leagues off. When our -King attacks his enemies, he is more terrible than the thunder: the -earth trembles; the air and the sea are all on fire with the blaze of -his cannon: he is seen in the midst of his warriors, covered over with -the blood of his enemies, whom he kills in such numbers that he does not -reckon them by the scalps, but by the streams of blood which he causes -to flow. He takes so many prisoners that he holds them in no account, -but lets them go where they will, to show that he is not afraid of -them. But now nobody dares make war on him. All the nations beyond the -sea have submitted to him and begged humbly for peace. Men come from -every quarter of the earth to listen to him and admire him. All that is -done in the world is decided by him alone. - -"But what shall I say of his riches? You think yourselves rich when you -have ten or twelve sacks of corn, a few hatchets, beads, kettles, and -other things of that sort. He has cities of his own, more than there are -of men in all this country for five hundred leagues around. In each city -there are store-houses where there are hatchets enough to cut down all -your forests, kettles enough to cook all your moose, and beads enough to -fill all your lodges. His house is longer than from here to the top of -the Saut,--that is to say, more than half a league,--and higher than -your tallest trees; and it holds more families than the largest of your -towns."[44] The father added more in a similar strain; but the -peroration of his harangue is not on record. - -Whatever impression this curious effort of Jesuit rhetoric may have -produced upon the hearers, it did not prevent them from stripping the -royal arms from the post to which they were nailed, as soon as -Saint-Lusson and his men had left the Saut; probably, not because they -understood the import of the symbol, but because they feared it as a -charm. Saint-Lusson proceeded to Lake Superior, where, however, he -accomplished nothing, except, perhaps, a traffic with the Indians on his -own account; and he soon after returned to Quebec. Talon was resolved to -find the Mississippi, the most interesting object of search, and -seemingly the most attainable, in the wild and vague domain which he had -just claimed for the King. The Indians had described it; the Jesuits -were eager to discover it; and La Salle, if he had not reached it, had -explored two several avenues by which it might be approached. Talon -looked about him for a fit agent of the enterprise, and made choice of -Louis Joliet, who had returned from Lake Superior.[45] But the intendant -was not to see the fulfilment of his design. His busy and useful career -in Canada was drawing to an end. A misunderstanding had arisen between -him and the governor, Courcelle. Both were faithful servants of the -King; but the relations between the two chiefs of the colony were of a -nature necessarily so critical, that a conflict of authority was -scarcely to be avoided. Each thought his functions encroached upon, and -both asked for recall. Another governor succeeded; one who was to stamp -his mark, broad, bold, and ineffaceable, on the most memorable page of -French-American History,--Louis de Buade, Count of Palluau and -Frontenac. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[35] At least, La Salle was in great need of money, about the time of -his second journey. On the sixth of August, 1671, he had received on -credit, "dans son grand besoin et necessite," from Branssac, fiscal -attorney of the Seminary, merchandise to the amount of four hundred and -fifty livres; and on the eighteenth of December of the following year he -gave his promise to pay the same sum, in money or furs, in the August -following. Faillon found the papers in the ancient records of Montreal. - -[36] In his despatch of 2d Nov., 1671, Talon writes to the King that -"Saint-Lusson's expedition will cost nothing, as he has received beaver -enough from the Indians to pay him." - -[37] _Moeurs, Coustumes, et Relligion des Sauvages de l'Amerique -Septentrionale._ This work of Perrot, hitherto unpublished, appeared in -1864, under the editorship of Father Tailhan, S.J. A great part of it is -incorporated in La Potherie. - -[38] See La Potherie, ii. 125. Perrot himself does not mention it. -Charlevoix erroneously places this interview at Chicago. Perrot's -narrative shows that he did not go farther than the tribes of Green Bay; -and the Miamis were then, as we have seen, on the upper part of Fox -River. - -[39] Perrot, _Memoires_, 127. - -[40] _Proces Verbal de la Prise de Possession, etc., 14 Juin, 1671._ The -names are attached to this instrument. - -[41] Marquette is said to have been present; but the official act just -cited, proves the contrary. He was still at St. Esprit. - -[42] _Proces Verbal de la Prise de Possession._ - -[43] The Indian name of the governor of Canada. - -[44] A close translation of Dablon's report of the speech. See -_Relation_, 1671, 27. - -[45] _Lettre de Frontenac au Ministre, 2 Nov., 1672._ In the Brodhead -Collection, by a copyist's error, the name of the Chevalier de -Grandfontaine is substituted for that of Talon. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -1672-1675. - -THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. - - Joliet sent to find the Mississippi.--Jacques - Marquette.--Departure.--Green Bay.--The Wisconsin.--The - Mississippi.--Indians.--Manitous.--The Arkansas.--The - Illinois.--Joliet's Misfortune.--Marquette at Chicago: his Illness; - his Death. - - -If Talon had remained in the colony, Frontenac would infallibly have -quarrelled with him; but he was too clear-sighted not to approve his -plans for the discovery and occupation of the interior. Before sailing -for France, Talon recommended Joliet as a suitable agent for the -discovery of the Mississippi, and the governor accepted his counsel.[46] - -Louis Joliet was the son of a wagon-maker in the service of the Company -of the Hundred Associates,[47] then owners of Canada. He was born at -Quebec in 1645, and was educated by the Jesuits. When still very young, -he resolved to be a priest. He received the tonsure and the minor orders -at the age of seventeen. Four years after, he is mentioned with -especial honor for the part he bore in the disputes in philosophy, at -which the dignitaries of the colony were present, and in which the -intendant himself took part.[48] Not long after, he renounced his -clerical vocation, and turned fur-trader. Talon sent him, with one Pere, -to explore the copper-mines of Lake Superior; and it was on his return -from this expedition that he met La Salle and the Sulpitians near the -head of Lake Ontario.[49] - -In what we know of Joliet, there is nothing that reveals any salient or -distinctive trait of character, any especial breadth of view or boldness -of design. He appears to have been simply a merchant, intelligent, well -educated, courageous, hardy, and enterprising. Though he had renounced -the priesthood, he retained his partiality for the Jesuits; and it is -more than probable that their influence had aided not a little to -determine Talon's choice. One of their number, Jacques Marquette, was -chosen to accompany him. - -[Sidenote: MARQUETTE.] - -He passed up the lakes to Michilimackinac, and found his destined -companion at Point St. Ignace, on the north side of the strait, where, -in his palisaded mission-house and chapel, he had labored for two years -past to instruct the Huron refugees from St. Esprit, and a band of -Ottawas who had joined them. Marquette was born in 1637, of an old and -honorable family at Laon, in the north of France, and was now -thirty-five years of age. When about seventeen, he had joined the -Jesuits, evidently from motives purely religious; and in 1666 he was -sent to the missions of Canada. At first, he was destined to the station -of Tadoussac; and to prepare himself for it, he studied the Montagnais -language under Gabriel Druilletes. But his destination was changed, and -he was sent to the Upper Lakes in 1668, where he had since remained. His -talents as a linguist must have been great; for within a few years he -learned to speak with ease six Indian languages. The traits of his -character are unmistakable. He was of the brotherhood of the early -Canadian missionaries, and the true counterpart of Garnier or Jogues. He -was a devout votary of the Virgin Mary, who, imaged to his mind in -shapes of the most transcendent loveliness with which the pencil of -human genius has ever informed the canvas, was to him the object of an -adoration not unmingled with a sentiment of chivalrous devotion. The -longings of a sensitive heart, divorced from earth, sought solace in -the skies. A subtile element of romance was blended with the fervor of -his worship, and hung like an illumined cloud over the harsh and hard -realities of his daily lot. Kindled by the smile of his celestial -mistress, his gentle and noble nature knew no fear. For her he burned to -dare and to suffer, discover new lands and conquer new realms to her -sway. - -He begins the journal of his voyage thus: "The day of the Immaculate -Conception of the Holy Virgin; whom I had continually invoked since I -came to this country of the Ottawas to obtain from God the favor of -being enabled to visit the nations on the river Mississippi,--this very -day was precisely that on which M. Joliet arrived with orders from Count -Frontenac, our governor, and from M. Talon, our intendant, to go with me -on this discovery. I was all the more delighted at this good news, -because I saw my plans about to be accomplished, and found myself in the -happy necessity of exposing my life for the salvation of all these -tribes,--and especially of the Illinois, who, when I was at Point St. -Esprit, had begged me very earnestly to bring the word of God among -them." - -[Sidenote: DEPARTURE.] - -The outfit of the travellers was very simple. They provided themselves -with two birch canoes, and a supply of smoked meat and Indian corn; -embarked with five men, and began their voyage on the seventeenth of -May. They had obtained all possible information from the Indians, and -had made, by means of it, a species of map of their intended route. -"Above all," writes Marquette, "I placed our voyage under the protection -of the Holy Virgin Immaculate, promising that if she granted us the -favor of discovering the great river, I would give it the name of the -Conception."[50] Their course was westward; and, plying their paddles, -they passed the Straits of Michilimackinac, and coasted the northern -shores of Lake Michigan, landing at evening to build their camp-fire at -the edge of the forest, and draw up their canoes on the strand. They -soon reached the river Menomonie, and ascended it to the village of the -Menomonies, or Wild-rice Indians.[51] When they told them the object of -their voyage, they were filled with astonishment, and used their best -ingenuity to dissuade them. The banks of the Mississippi, they said, -were inhabited by ferocious tribes, who put every stranger to death, -tomahawking all new-comers without cause or provocation. They added that -there was a demon in a certain part of the river, whose roar could be -heard at a great distance, and who would engulf them in the abyss where -he dwelt; that its waters were full of frightful monsters, who would -devour them and their canoe; and, finally, that the heat was so great -that they would perish inevitably. Marquette set their counsel at -naught, gave them a few words of instruction in the mysteries of the -Faith, taught them a prayer, and bade them farewell. - -The travellers next reached the mission at the head of Green Bay; -entered Fox River; with difficulty and labor dragged their canoes up the -long and tumultuous rapids; crossed Lake Winnebago; and followed the -quiet windings of the river beyond, where they glided through an endless -growth of wild rice, and scared the innumerable birds that fed upon it. -On either hand rolled the prairie, dotted with groves and trees, -browsing elk and deer.[52] On the seventh of June, they reached the -Mascoutins and Miamis, who, since the visit of Dablon and Allouez, had -been joined by the Kickapoos. Marquette, who had an eye for natural -beauty, was delighted with the situation of the town, which he describes -as standing on the crown of a hill; while, all around, the prairie -stretched beyond the sight, interspersed with groves and belts of tall -forest. But he was still more delighted when he saw a cross planted in -the midst of the place. The Indians had decorated it with a number of -dressed deer-skins, red girdles, and bows and arrows, which they had -hung upon it as an offering to the Great Manitou of the French; a sight -by which Marquette says he was "extremely consoled." - -[Sidenote: THE WISCONSIN RIVER.] - -The travellers had no sooner reached the town than they called the -chiefs and elders to a council. Joliet told them that the governor of -Canada had sent him to discover new countries, and that God had sent his -companion to teach the true faith to the inhabitants; and he prayed for -guides to show them the way to the waters of the Wisconsin. The council -readily consented; and on the tenth of June the Frenchmen embarked -again, with two Indians to conduct them. All the town came down to the -shore to see their departure. Here were the Miamis, with long locks of -hair dangling over each ear, after a fashion which Marquette thought -very becoming; and here, too, the Mascoutins and the Kickapoos, whom he -describes as mere boors in comparison with their Miami townsmen. All -stared alike at the seven adventurers, marvelling that men could be -found to risk an enterprise so hazardous. - -The river twisted among lakes and marshes choked with wild rice; and, -but for their guides, they could scarcely have followed the perplexed -and narrow channel. It brought them at last to the portage, where, after -carrying their canoes a mile and a half over the prairie and through the -marsh, they launched them on the Wisconsin, bade farewell to the waters -that flowed to the St. Lawrence, and committed themselves to the current -that was to bear them they knew not whither,--perhaps to the Gulf of -Mexico, perhaps to the South Sea or the Gulf of California. They glided -calmly down the tranquil stream, by islands choked with trees and -matted with entangling grape-vines; by forests, groves, and prairies, -the parks and pleasure-grounds of a prodigal Nature; by thickets and -marshes and broad bare sand-bars; under the shadowing trees, between -whose tops looked down from afar the bold brow of some woody bluff. At -night, the bivouac,--the canoes inverted on the bank, the flickering -fire, the meal of bison-flesh or venison, the evening pipes, and slumber -beneath the stars; and when in the morning they embarked again, the mist -hung on the river like a bridal veil, then melted before the sun, till -the glassy water and the languid woods basked breathless in the sultry -glare.[53] - -[Sidenote: THE MISSISSIPPI.] - -On the seventeenth of June they saw on their right the broad meadows, -bounded in the distance by rugged hills, where now stand the town and -fort of Prairie du Chien. Before them a wide and rapid current coursed -athwart their way, by the foot of lofty heights wrapped thick in -forests. They had found what they sought, and "with a joy," writes -Marquette, "which I cannot express," they steered forth their canoes on -the eddies of the Mississippi. - -Turning southward, they paddled down the stream, through a solitude -unrelieved by the faintest trace of man. A large fish, apparently one of -the huge cat-fish of the Mississippi, blundered against Marquette's -canoe, with a force which seems to have startled him; and once, as they -drew in their net, they caught a "spade-fish," whose eccentric -appearance greatly astonished them. At length the buffalo began to -appear, grazing in herds on the great prairies which then bordered the -river; and Marquette describes the fierce and stupid look of the old -bulls, as they stared at the intruders through the tangled mane which -nearly blinded them. - -[Sidenote: THE ILLINOIS INDIANS.] - -They advanced with extreme caution, landed at night, and made a fire to -cook their evening meal; then extinguished it, embarked again, paddled -some way farther, and anchored in the stream, keeping a man on the watch -till morning. They had journeyed more than a fortnight without meeting a -human being, when, on the twenty-fifth, they discovered footprints of -men in the mud of the western bank, and a well-trodden path that led to -the adjacent prairie. Joliet and Marquette resolved to follow it; and -leaving the canoes in charge of their men, they set out on their -hazardous adventure. The day was fair, and they walked two leagues in -silence, following the path through the forest and across the sunny -prairie, till they discovered an Indian village on the banks of a river, -and two others on a hill half a league distant.[54] Now, with beating -hearts, they invoked the aid of Heaven, and, again advancing, came so -near, without being seen, that they could hear the voices of the -Indians among the wigwams. Then they stood forth in full view, and -shouted to attract attention. There was great commotion in the village. -The inmates swarmed out of their huts, and four of their chief men -presently came forward to meet the strangers, advancing very -deliberately, and holding up toward the sun two calumets, or -peace-pipes, decorated with feathers. They stopped abruptly before the -two Frenchmen, and stood gazing at them without speaking a word. -Marquette was much relieved on seeing that they wore French cloth, -whence he judged that they must be friends and allies. He broke the -silence, and asked them who they were; whereupon they answered that they -were Illinois, and offered the pipe; which having been duly smoked, they -all went together to the village. Here the chief received the travellers -after a singular fashion, meant to do them honor. He stood stark naked -at the door of a large wigwam, holding up both hands as if to shield his -eyes. "Frenchmen, how bright the sun shines when you come to visit us! -All our village awaits you; and you shall enter our wigwams in peace." -So saying, he led them into his own, which was crowded to suffocation -with savages, staring at their guests in silence. Having smoked with the -chiefs and old men, they were invited to visit the great chief of all -the Illinois, at one of the villages they had seen in the distance; and -thither they proceeded, followed by a throng of warriors, squaws, and -children. On arriving, they were forced to smoke again, and listen to a -speech of welcome from the great chief, who delivered it standing -between two old men, naked like himself. His lodge was crowded with the -dignitaries of the tribe, whom Marquette addressed in Algonquin, -announcing himself as a messenger sent by the God who had made them, and -whom it behooves them to recognize and obey. He added a few words -touching the power and glory of Count Frontenac, and concluded by asking -information concerning the Mississippi, and the tribes along its banks, -whom he was on his way to visit. The chief replied with a speech of -compliment; assuring his guests that their presence added flavor to his -tobacco, made the river more calm, the sky more serene, and the earth -more beautiful. In conclusion, he gave them a young slave and a calumet, -begging them at the same time to abandon their purpose of descending the -Mississippi. - -A feast of four courses now followed. First, a wooden bowl full of a -porridge of Indian meal boiled with grease was set before the guests; -and the master of ceremonies fed them in turn, like infants, with a -large spoon. Then appeared a platter of fish; and the same functionary, -carefully removing the bones with his fingers, and blowing on the -morsels to cool them, placed them in the mouths of the two Frenchmen. A -large dog, killed and cooked for the occasion, was next placed before -them; but, failing to tempt their fastidious appetites, was supplanted -by a dish of fat buffalo-meat, which concluded the entertainment. The -crowd having dispersed, buffalo-robes were spread on the ground, and -Marquette and Joliet spent the night on the scene of the late festivity. -In the morning, the chief, with some six hundred of his tribesmen, -escorted them to their canoes, and bade them, after their stolid -fashion, a friendly farewell. - -[Sidenote: A REAL DANGER.] - -Again they were on their way, slowly drifting down the great river. They -passed the mouth of the Illinois, and glided beneath that line of rocks -on the eastern side, cut into fantastic forms by the elements, and -marked as "The Ruined Castles" on some of the early French maps. -Presently they beheld a sight which reminded them that the Devil was -still lord paramount of this wilderness. On the flat face of a high rock -were painted, in red, black, and green, a pair of monsters, each "as -large as a calf, with horns like a deer, red eyes, a beard like a tiger, -and a frightful expression of countenance. The face is something like -that of a man, the body covered with scales; and the tail so long that -it passes entirely round the body, over the head and between the legs, -ending like that of a fish." Such is the account which the worthy Jesuit -gives of these manitous, or Indian gods.[55] He confesses that at first -they frightened him; and his imagination and that of his credulous -companions was so wrought upon by these unhallowed efforts of Indian -art, that they continued for a long time to talk of them as they plied -their paddles. They were thus engaged, when they were suddenly aroused -by a real danger. A torrent of yellow mud rushed furiously athwart the -calm blue current of the Mississippi, boiling and surging, and sweeping -in its course logs, branches, and uprooted trees. They had reached the -mouth of the Missouri, where that savage river, descending from its mad -career through a vast unknown of barbarism, poured its turbid floods -into the bosom of its gentler sister. Their light canoes whirled on the -miry vortex like dry leaves on an angry brook. "I never," writes -Marquette, "saw anything more terrific;" but they escaped with their -fright, and held their way down the turbulent and swollen current of the -now united rivers.[56] They passed the lonely forest that covered the -site of the destined city of St. Louis, and, a few days later, saw on -their left the mouth of the stream to which the Iroquois had given the -well-merited name of Ohio, or the "Beautiful River."[57] Soon they began -to see the marshy shores buried in a dense growth of the cane, with its -tall straight stems and feathery light-green foliage. The sun glowed -through the hazy air with a languid stifling heat, and by day and night -mosquitoes in myriads left them no peace. They floated slowly down the -current, crouched in the shade of the sails which they had spread as -awnings, when suddenly they saw Indians on the east bank. The surprise -was mutual, and each party was as much frightened as the other. -Marquette hastened to display the calumet which the Illinois had given -him by way of passport; and the Indians, recognizing the pacific symbol, -replied with an invitation to land. Evidently, they were in -communication with Europeans, for they were armed with guns, knives, and -hatchets, wore garments of cloth, and carried their gunpowder in small -bottles of thick glass. They feasted the Frenchmen with buffalo-meat, -bear's oil, and white plums; and gave them a variety of doubtful -information, including the agreeable but delusive assurance that they -would reach the mouth of the river in ten days. It was, in fact, more -than a thousand miles distant. - -[Sidenote: THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI.] - -They resumed their course, and again floated down the interminable -monotony of river, marsh, and forest. Day after day passed on in -solitude, and they had paddled some three hundred miles since their -meeting with the Indians, when, as they neared the mouth of the -Arkansas, they saw a cluster of wigwams on the west bank. Their inmates -were all astir, yelling the war-whoop, snatching their weapons, and -running to the shore to meet the strangers, who, on their part, called -for succor to the Virgin. In truth, they had need of her aid; for -several large wooden canoes, filled with savages, were putting out from -the shore, above and below them, to cut off their retreat, while a swarm -of headlong young warriors waded into the water to attack them. The -current proved too strong; and, failing to reach the canoes of the -Frenchmen, one of them threw his war-club, which flew over the heads of -the startled travellers. Meanwhile, Marquette had not ceased to hold up -his calumet, to which the excited crowd gave no heed, but strung their -bows and notched their arrows for immediate action; when at length the -elders of the village arrived, saw the peace-pipe, restrained the ardor -of the youth, and urged the Frenchmen to come ashore. Marquette and his -companions complied, trembling, and found a better reception than they -had reason to expect. One of the Indians spoke a little Illinois, and -served as interpreter; a friendly conference was followed by a feast of -sagamite and fish; and the travellers, not without sore misgivings, -spent the night in the lodges of their entertainers.[58] - -[Sidenote: THE ARKANSAS.] - -Early in the morning, they embarked again, and proceeded to a village of -the Arkansas tribe, about eight leagues below. Notice of their coming -was sent before them by their late hosts; and as they drew near they -were met by a canoe, in the prow of which stood a naked personage, -holding a calumet, singing, and making gestures of friendship. On -reaching the village, which was on the east side,[59] opposite the mouth -of the river Arkansas, they were conducted to a sort of scaffold, before -the lodge of the war-chief. The space beneath had been prepared for -their reception, the ground being neatly covered with rush mats. On -these they were seated; the warriors sat around them in a semi-circle; -then the elders of the tribe; and then the promiscuous crowd of -villagers, standing, and staring over the heads of the more dignified -members of the assembly. All the men were naked; but, to compensate for -the lack of clothing, they wore strings of beads in their noses and -ears. The women were clothed in shabby skins, and wore their hair -clumped in a mass behind each ear. By good luck, there was a young -Indian in the village, who had an excellent knowledge of Illinois; and -through him Marquette endeavored to explain the mysteries of -Christianity, and to gain information concerning the river below. To -this end he gave his auditors the presents indispensable on such -occasions, but received very little in return. They told him that the -Mississippi was infested by hostile Indians, armed with guns procured -from white men; and that they, the Arkansas, stood in such fear of them -that they dared not hunt the buffalo, but were forced to live on Indian -corn, of which they raised three crops a year. - -During the speeches on either side, food was brought in without -ceasing,--sometimes a platter of sagamite or mush; sometimes of corn -boiled whole; sometimes a roasted dog. The villagers had large earthen -pots and platters, made by themselves with tolerable skill, as well as -hatchets, knives, and beads, gained by traffic with the Illinois and -other tribes in contact with the French or Spaniards. All day there was -feasting without respite, after the merciless practice of Indian -hospitality; but at night some of their entertainers proposed to kill -and plunder them,--a scheme which was defeated by the vigilance of the -chief, who visited their quarters, and danced the calumet dance to -reassure his guests. - -The travellers now held counsel as to what course they should take. They -had gone far enough, as they thought, to establish one important -point,--that the Mississippi discharged its waters, not into the -Atlantic or sea of Virginia, nor into the Gulf of California or -Vermilion Sea, but into the Gulf of Mexico. They thought themselves -nearer to its mouth than they actually were, the distance being still -about seven hundred miles; and they feared that if they went farther -they might be killed by Indians or captured by Spaniards, whereby the -results of their discovery would be lost. Therefore they resolved to -return to Canada, and report what they had seen. - -They left the Arkansas village, and began their homeward voyage on the -seventeenth of July. It was no easy task to urge their way upward, in -the heat of midsummer, against the current of the dark and gloomy -stream, toiling all day under the parching sun, and sleeping at night in -the exhalations of the unwholesome shore, or in the narrow confines of -their birchen vessels, anchored on the river. Marquette was attacked -with dysentery. Languid and well-nigh spent, he invoked his celestial -mistress, as day after day, and week after week, they won their slow way -northward. At length, they reached the Illinois, and, entering its -mouth, followed its course, charmed, as they went, with its placid -waters, its shady forests, and its rich plains, grazed by the bison and -the deer. They stopped at a spot soon to be made famous in the annals of -western discovery. This was a village of the Illinois, then called -"Kaskaskia;" a name afterwards transferred to another locality.[60] A -chief, with a band of young warriors, offered to guide them to the Lake -of the Illinois; that is to say, Lake Michigan. Thither they repaired; -and, coasting its shores, reached Green Bay at the end of September, -after an absence of about four months, during which they had paddled -their canoes somewhat more than two thousand five hundred miles.[61] - -[Sidenote: RETURN TO CANADA.] - -Marquette remained to recruit his exhausted strength; but Joliet -descended to Quebec, to bear the report of his discovery to Count -Frontenac. Fortune had wonderfully favored him on his long and perilous -journey; but now she abandoned him on the very threshold of home. At the -foot of the rapids of La Chine, and immediately above Montreal, his -canoe was overset, two of his men and an Indian boy were drowned, all -his papers were lost, and he himself narrowly escaped.[62] In a letter -to Frontenac, he speaks of the accident as follows: "I had escaped every -peril from the Indians; I had passed forty-two rapids; and was on the -point of disembarking, full of joy at the success of so long and -difficult an enterprise, when my canoe capsized, after all the danger -seemed over. I lost two men and my box of papers, within sight of the -first French settlements, which I had left almost two years before. -Nothing remains to me but my life, and the ardent desire to employ it on -any service which you may please to direct."[63] - -[Sidenote: MARQUETTE'S MISSION.] - -Marquette spent the winter and the following summer at the mission of -Green Bay, still suffering from his malady. In the autumn, however, it -abated; and he was permitted by his Superior to attempt the execution of -a plan to which he was devotedly attached,--the founding, at the -principal town of the Illinois, of a mission to be called the -"Immaculate Conception," a name which he had already given to the river -Mississippi. He set out on this errand on the twenty-fifth of October, -accompanied by two men, named Pierre and Jacques, one of whom had been -with him on his great journey of discovery. A band of Pottawattamies and -another band of Illinois also joined him. The united parties--ten canoes -in all--followed the east shore of Green Bay as far as the inlet then -called "Sturgeon Cove," from the head of which they crossed by a -difficult portage through the forest to the shore of Lake Michigan. -November had come. The bright hues of the autumn foliage were changed to -rusty brown. The shore was desolate, and the lake was stormy. They were -more than a month in coasting its western border, when at length they -reached the river Chicago, entered it, and ascended about two leagues. -Marquette's disease had lately returned, and hemorrhage now ensued. He -told his two companions that this journey would be his last. In the -condition in which he was, it was impossible to go farther. The two men -built a log hut by the river, and here they prepared to spend the -winter; while Marquette, feeble as he was, began the spiritual exercises -of Saint Ignatius, and confessed his two companions twice a week. - -Meadow, marsh, and forest were sheeted with snow, but game was abundant. -Pierre and Jacques killed buffalo and deer, and shot wild turkeys close -to their hut. There was an encampment of Illinois within two days' -journey; and other Indians, passing by this well-known thoroughfare, -occasionally visited them, treating the exiles kindly, and sometimes -bringing them game and Indian corn. Eighteen leagues distant was the -camp of two adventurous French traders,--one of them, a noted _coureur -de bois_, nicknamed La Taupine;[64] and the other, a self-styled -surgeon. They also visited Marquette, and befriended him to the best of -their power. - -[Sidenote: THE MISSION AT KASKASKIA.] - -Urged by a burning desire to lay, before he died, the foundation of his -new mission of the Immaculate Conception, Marquette begged his two -followers to join him in a _novena_, or nine days' devotion to the -Virgin. In consequence of this, as he believed, his disease relented; he -began to regain strength, and in March was able to resume the journey. -On the thirtieth of the month, they left their hut, which had been -inundated by a sudden rise of the river, and carried their canoe through -mud and water over the portage which led to the Des Plaines. Marquette -knew the way, for he had passed by this route on his return from the -Mississippi. Amid the rains of opening spring, they floated down the -swollen current of the Des Plaines, by naked woods and spongy, saturated -prairies, till they reached its junction with the main stream of the -Illinois, which they descended to their destination, the Indian town -which Marquette calls "Kaskaskia." Here, as we are told, he was received -"like an angel from Heaven." He passed from wigwam to wigwam, telling -the listening crowds of God and the Virgin, Paradise and Hell, angels -and demons; and, when he thought their minds prepared, he summoned them -all to a grand council. - -It took place near the town, on the great meadow which lies between the -river and the modern village of Utica. Here five hundred chiefs and old -men were seated in a ring; behind stood fifteen hundred youths and -warriors, and behind these again all the women and children of the -village. Marquette, standing in the midst, displayed four large pictures -of the Virgin; harangued the assembly on the mysteries of the Faith, and -exhorted them to adopt it. The temper of his auditory met his utmost -wishes. They begged him to stay among them and continue his -instructions; but his life was fast ebbing away, and it behooved him to -depart. - -[Sidenote: BURIAL OF MARQUETTE.] - -A few days after Easter he left the village, escorted by a crowd of -Indians, who followed him as far as Lake Michigan. Here he embarked with -his two companions. Their destination was Michilimackinac, and their -course lay along the eastern borders of the lake. As, in the freshness -of advancing spring, Pierre and Jacques urged their canoe along that -lonely and savage shore, the priest lay with dimmed sight and prostrated -strength, communing with the Virgin and the angels. On the nineteenth of -May, he felt that his hour was near; and, as they passed the mouth of a -small river, he requested his companions to land. They complied, built a -shed of bark on a rising ground near the bank, and carried thither the -dying Jesuit. With perfect cheerfulness and composure, he gave -directions for his burial, asked their forgiveness for the trouble he -had caused them, administered to them the sacrament of penitence, and -thanked God that he was permitted to die in the wilderness, a missionary -of the Faith and a member of the Jesuit brotherhood. At night, seeing -that they were fatigued, he told them to take rest, saying that he would -call them when he felt his time approaching. Two or three hours after, -they heard a feeble voice, and, hastening to his side, found him at the -point of death. He expired calmly, murmuring the names of Jesus and -Mary, with his eyes fixed on the crucifix which one of his followers -held before him. They dug a grave beside the hut, and here they buried -him according to the directions which he had given them; then, -re-embarking, they made their way to Michilimackinac, to bear the -tidings to the priests at the mission of St. Ignace.[65] - -In the winter of 1676, a party of Kiskakon Ottawas were hunting on Lake -Michigan; and when, in the following spring, they prepared to return -home, they bethought them, in accordance with an Indian custom, of -taking with them the bones of Marquette, who had been their instructor -at the mission of St. Esprit. They repaired to the spot, found the -grave, opened it, washed and dried the bones and placed them carefully -in a box of birch-bark. Then, in a procession of thirty canoes, they -bore it, singing their funeral songs, to St. Ignace of Michilimackinac. -As they approached, priests, Indians, and traders all thronged to the -shore. The relics of Marquette were received with solemn ceremony, and -buried beneath the floor of the little chapel of the mission.[66] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[46] _Lettre de Frontenac au Ministre, 2 Nov., 1672; Ibid., 14 Nov., -1674_. - -[47] See "The Jesuits in North America." - -[48] "Le 2 Juillet (1666) les premieres disputes de philosophie se font -dans la congregation avec succes. Toutes les puissances s'y trouvent; M. -l'Intendant entr'autres y a argumente tres-bien. M. Jolliet et Pierre -Francheville y ont tres-bien repondu de toute la logique."--_Journal des -Jesuites._ - -[49] Nothing was known of Joliet till Shea investigated his history. -Ferland, in his _Notes sur les Registres de Notre-Dame de Quebec_; -Faillon, in his _Colonie Francaise en Canada_; and Margry, in a series -of papers in the _Journal General de l'Instruction Publique_,--have -thrown much new light on his life. From journals of a voyage made by him -at a later period to the coast of Labrador, given in substance by -Margry, he seems to have been a man of close and intelligent -observation. His mathematical acquirements appear to have been very -considerable. - -[50] The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, sanctioned in our own -time by the Pope, was always a favorite tenet of the Jesuits; and -Marquette was especially devoted to it. - -[51] The Malhoumines, Malouminek, Oumalouminek, or Nation des -Folles-Avoines, of early French writers. The _folle-avoine_, wild oats -or "wild rice" (_Zizania aquatica_), was their ordinary food, as also of -other tribes of this region. - -[52] Dablon, on his journey with Allouez in 1670, was delighted with the -aspect of the country and the abundance of game along this river. -Carver, a century later, speaks to the same effect, saying that the -birds rose up in clouds from the wild-rice marshes. - -[53] The above traits of the scenery of the Wisconsin are taken from -personal observation of the river during midsummer. - -[54] The Indian villages, under the names of Peouaria (_Peoria_) and -Moingouena, are represented in Marquette's map upon a river -corresponding in position with the Des Moines; though the distance from -the Wisconsin, as given by him, would indicate a river farther north. - -[55] The rock where these figures were painted is immediately above the -city of Alton. The tradition of their existence remains, though they are -entirely effaced by time. In 1867, when I passed the place, a part of -the rock had been quarried away, and, instead of Marquette's monsters, -it bore a huge advertisement of "Plantation Bitters." Some years ago, -certain persons, with more zeal than knowledge, proposed to restore the -figures, after conceptions of their own; but the idea was abandoned. - -Marquette made a drawing of the two monsters, but it is lost. I have, -however, a fac-simile of a map made a few years later, by order of the -Intendant Duchesneau, which is decorated with the portrait of one of -them, answering to Marquette's description, and probably copied from his -drawing. St. Cosme, who saw them in 1699, says that they were even then -almost effaced. Douay and Joutel also speak of them,--the former, -bitterly hostile to his Jesuit contemporaries, charging Marquette with -exaggeration in his account of them. Joutel could see nothing terrifying -in their appearance; but he says that his Indians made sacrifices to -them as they passed. - -[56] The Missouri is called "Pekitanoui" by Marquette. It also bears, on -early French maps, the names of "Riviere des Osages," and "Riviere des -Emissourites," or "Oumessourits." On Marquette's map, a tribe of this -name is placed near its banks, just above the Osages. Judging by the -course of the Mississippi that it discharged into the Gulf of Mexico, he -conceived the hope of one day reaching the South Sea by way of the -Missouri. - -[57] Called, on Marquette's map, "Ouabouskiaou." On some of the earliest -maps, it is called "Ouabache" (Wabash). - -[58] This village, called "Mitchigamea," is represented on several -contemporary maps. - -[59] A few years later, the Arkansas were all on the west side. - -[60] Marquette says that it consisted at this time of seventy-four -lodges. These, like the Huron and Iroquois lodges, contained each -several fires and several families. This village was about seven miles -below the site of the present town of Ottawa. - -[61] The journal of Marquette, first published in an imperfect form by -Thevenot, in 1681, has been reprinted by Mr. Lenox, under the direction -of Mr. Shea, from the manuscript preserved in the archives of the -Canadian Jesuits. It will also be found in Shea's _Discovery and -Exploration of the Mississippi Valley_, and the _Relations Inedites_ of -Martin. The true map of Marquette accompanies all these publications. -The map published by Thevenot and reproduced by Bancroft is not -Marquette's. The original of this, of which I have a fac-simile, bears -the title _Carte de la Nouvelle Decouverte que les Peres Jesuites ont -faite en l'annee 1672, et continuee par le Pere Jacques Marquette, etc._ -The return route of the expedition is incorrectly laid down on it. A -manuscript map of the Jesuit Raffeix, preserved in the Bibliotheque -Imperiale, is more accurate in this particular. I have also another -contemporary manuscript map, indicating the various Jesuit stations in -the West at this time, and representing the Mississippi, as discovered -by Marquette. For these and other maps, see Appendix. - -[62] _Lettre de Frontenac au Ministre, Quebec, 14 Nov., 1674._ - -[63] This letter is appended to Joliet's smaller map of his discoveries. -See Appendix. Compare _Details sur le Voyage de Louis Joliet_ and -_Relation de la Descouverte de plusieurs Pays situez au midi de la -Nouvelle France, faite en 1673_ (Margry, i. 259). These are oral -accounts given by Joliet after the loss of his papers. Also, _Lettre de -Joliet, Oct. 10, 1674_ (Harrisse). On the seventh of October, 1675, -Joliet married Claire Bissot, daughter of a wealthy Canadian merchant, -engaged in trade with the northern Indians. This drew Joliet's attention -to Hudson's Bay; and he made a journey thither in 1679, by way of the -Saguenay. He found three English forts on the bay, occupied by about -sixty men, who had also an armed vessel of twelve guns and several small -trading-craft. The English held out great inducements to Joliet to join -them; but he declined, and returned to Quebec, where he reported that -unless these formidable rivals were dispossessed, the trade of Canada -would be ruined. In consequence of this report, some of the principal -merchants of the colony formed a company to compete with the English in -the trade of Hudson's Bay. In the year of this journey, Joliet received -a grant of the islands of Mignan; and in the following year, 1680, he -received another grant, of the great island of Anticosti in the lower -St. Lawrence. In 1681 he was established here, with his wife and six -servants. He was engaged in fisheries; and, being a skilful navigator -and surveyor, he made about this time a chart of the St. Lawrence. In -1690, Sir William Phips, on his way with an English fleet to attack -Quebec, made a descent on Joliet's establishment, burnt his buildings, -and took prisoners his wife and his mother-in-law. In 1694 Joliet -explored the coasts of Labrador, under the auspices of a company formed -for the whale and seal fishery. On his return, Frontenac made him royal -pilot for the St. Lawrence; and at about the same time he received the -appointment of hydrographer at Quebec. He died, apparently poor, in 1699 -or 1700, and was buried on one of the islands of Mignan. The discovery -of the above facts is due in great part to the researches of Margry. - -[64] Pierre Moreau, _alias_ La Taupine, was afterwards bitterly -complained of by the Intendant Duchesneau, for acting as the governor's -agent in illicit trade with the Indians. - -[65] The contemporary _Relation_ tells us that a miracle took place at -the burial of Marquette. One of the two Frenchmen, overcome with grief -and colic, bethought him of applying a little earth from the grave to -the seat of pain. This at once restored him to health and cheerfulness. - -[66] For Marquette's death, see the contemporary _Relation_, published -by Shea, Lenox, and Martin, with the accompanying _Lettre et Journal_. -The river where he died is a small stream in the west of Michigan, some -distance south of the promontory called the "Sleeping Bear." It long -bore his name, which is now borne by a larger neighboring stream, -Charlevoix's account of Marquette's death is derived from tradition, and -is not supported by the contemporary narrative. In 1877, human bones, -with fragments of birch-bark, were found buried on the supposed site of -the Jesuit chapel at Point St. Ignace. - -In 1847, the missionary of the Algonquins at the Lake of Two Mountains, -above Montreal, wrote down a tradition of the death of Marquette, from -the lips of an old Indian woman, born in 1777, at Michilimackinac. Her -ancestress had been baptized by the subject of the story. The tradition -has a resemblance to that related as fact by Charlevoix. The old squaw -said that the Jesuit was returning, very ill, to Michilimackinac, when a -storm forced him and his two men to land near a little river. Here he -told them that he should die, and directed them to ring a bell over his -grave and plant a cross. They all remained four days at the spot; and, -though without food, the men felt no hunger. On the night of the fourth -day he died, and the men buried him as he had directed. On waking in the -morning, they saw a sack of Indian corn, a quantity of bacon, and some -biscuit, miraculously sent to them, in accordance with the promise of -Marquette, who had told them that they should have food enough for their -journey to Michilimackinac. At the same instant, the stream began to -rise, and in a few moments encircled the grave of the Jesuit, which -formed, thenceforth, an islet in the waters. The tradition adds, that an -Indian battle afterwards took place on the banks of this stream, between -Christians and infidels; and that the former gained the victory, in -consequence of invoking the name of Marquette. This story bears the -attestation of the priest of the Two Mountains that it is a literal -translation of the tradition, as recounted by the old woman. - -It has been asserted that the Illinois country was visited by two -priests, some time before the visit of Marquette. This assertion was -first made by M. Noiseux, late Grand Vicar of Quebec, who gives no -authority for it. Not the slightest indication of any such visit appears -in any contemporary document or map, thus far discovered. The -contemporary writers, down to the time of Marquette and La Salle, all -speak of the Illinois as an unknown country. The entire groundlessness -of Noiseux's assertion is shown by Shea, in a paper in the "Weekly -Herald," of New York, April 21,1855. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -1673-1678. - -LA SALLE AND FRONTENAC. - - Objects of La Salle.--Frontenac favors him.--Projects of - Frontenac.--Cataraqui.--Frontenac on Lake Ontario.--Fort - Frontenac.--La Salle and Fenelon.--Success of La Salle: his - Enemies. - - -We turn from the humble Marquette, thanking God with his last breath -that he died for his Order and his Faith; and by our side stands the -masculine form of Cavelier de la Salle. Prodigious was the contrast -between the two discoverers: the one, with clasped hands and upturned -eyes, seems a figure evoked from some dim legend of mediaeval saintship; -the other, with feet firm planted on the hard earth, breathes the -self-relying energies of modern practical enterprise. Nevertheless, La -Salle's enemies called him a visionary. His projects perplexed and -startled them. At first, they ridiculed him; and then, as step by step -he advanced towards his purpose, they denounced and maligned him. What -was this purpose? It was not of sudden growth, but developed as years -went on. La Salle at La Chine dreamed of a western passage to China, and -nursed vague schemes of western discovery. Then, when his earlier -journeyings revealed to him the valley of the Ohio and the fertile -plains of Illinois, his imagination took wing over the boundless -prairies and forests drained by the great river of the West. His -ambition had found its field. He would leave barren and frozen Canada -behind, and lead France and civilization into the valley of the -Mississippi. Neither the English nor the Jesuits should conquer that -rich domain: the one must rest content with the country east of the -Alleghanies, and the other with the forests, savages, and beaver-skins -of the northern lakes. It was for him to call into light the latent -riches of the great West. But the way to his land of promise was rough -and long: it lay through Canada, filled with hostile traders and hostile -priests, and barred by ice for half the year. The difficulty was soon -solved. La Salle became convinced that the Mississippi flowed, not into -the Pacific or the Gulf of California, but into the Gulf of Mexico. By a -fortified post at its mouth, he could guard it against both English and -Spaniards, and secure for the trade of the interior an access and an -outlet under his own control, and open at every season. Of this trade, -the hides of the buffalo would at first form the staple, and along with -furs would reward the enterprise till other resources should be -developed. - -Such were the vast projects that unfolded themselves in the mind of La -Salle. Canada must needs be, at the outset, his base of action, and -without the support of its authorities he could do nothing. This -support he found. From the moment when Count Frontenac assumed the -government of the colony, he seems to have looked with favor on the -young discoverer. There were points of likeness between the two men. -Both were ardent, bold, and enterprising. The irascible and fiery pride -of the noble found its match in the reserved and seemingly cold pride of -the ambitious burgher. Each could comprehend the other; and they had, -moreover, strong prejudices and dislikes in common. An understanding, -not to say an alliance, soon grew up between them. - -[Sidenote: PROJECTS OF FRONTENAC.] - -Frontenac had come to Canada a ruined man. He was ostentatious, lavish, -and in no way disposed to let slip an opportunity of mending his -fortune. He presently thought that he had found a plan by which he could -serve both the colony and himself. His predecessor, Courcelle, had urged -upon the King the expediency of building a fort on Lake Ontario, in -order to hold the Iroquois in check and intercept the trade which the -tribes of the Upper Lakes had begun to carry on with the Dutch and -English of New York. Thus a stream of wealth would be turned into -Canada, which would otherwise enrich her enemies. Here, to all -appearance, was a great public good, and from the military point of view -it was so in fact; but it was clear that the trade thus secured might be -made to profit, not the colony at large, but those alone who had control -of the fort, which would then become the instrument of a monopoly. This -the governor understood; and, without doubt, he meant that the projected -establishment should pay him tribute. How far he and La Salle were -acting in concurrence at this time, it is not easy to say; but Frontenac -often took counsel of the explorer, who, on his part, saw in the design -a possible first step towards the accomplishment of his own far-reaching -schemes. - -[Sidenote: EXPEDITION OF FRONTENAC.] - -Such of the Canadian merchants as were not in the governor's confidence -looked on his plan with extreme distrust. Frontenac, therefore, thought -it expedient "to make use," as he expresses it, "of address." He gave -out merely that he intended to make a tour through the upper parts of -the colony with an armed force, in order to inspire the Indians with -respect, and secure a solid peace. He had neither troops, money, -munitions, nor means of transportation; yet there was no time to lose, -for, should he delay the execution of his plan, it might be -countermanded by the King. His only resource, therefore, was in a prompt -and hardy exertion of the royal authority; and he issued an order -requiring the inhabitants of Quebec, Montreal, Three Rivers, and other -settlements to furnish him, at their own cost, as soon as the spring -sowing should be over, with a certain number of armed men, besides the -requisite canoes. At the same time, he invited the officers settled in -the country to join the expedition,--an invitation which, anxious as -they were to gain his good graces, few of them cared to decline. -Regardless of murmurs and discontent, he pushed his preparation -vigorously, and on the third of June left Quebec with his guard, his -staff, a part of the garrison of the Castle of St. Louis, and a number -of volunteers. He had already sent to La Salle, who was then at -Montreal, directing him to repair to Onondaga, the political centre of -the Iroquois, and invite their sachems to meet the governor in council -at the Bay of Quinte on the north of Lake Ontario. La Salle had set out -on his mission, but first sent Frontenac a map, which convinced him that -the best site for his proposed fort was the mouth of the Cataraqui, -where Kingston now stands. Another messenger was accordingly despatched, -to change the rendezvous to this point. - -Meanwhile, the governor proceeded at his leisure towards Montreal, -stopping by the way to visit the officers settled along the bank, who, -eager to pay their homage to the newly risen sun, received him with a -hospitality which under the roof of a log hut was sometimes graced by -the polished courtesies of the salon and the boudoir. Reaching Montreal, -which he had never before seen, he gazed, we may suppose, with some -interest at the long row of humble dwellings which lined the bank, the -massive buildings of the Seminary, and the spire of the church -predominant over all. It was a rude scene, but the greeting that awaited -him savored nothing of the rough simplicity of the wilderness. Perrot, -the local governor, was on the shore with his soldiers and the -inhabitants, drawn up under arms and firing a salute to welcome the -representative of the King. Frontenac was compelled to listen to a long -harangue from the judge of the place, followed by another from the -syndic. Then there was a solemn procession to the church, where he was -forced to undergo a third effort of oratory from one of the priests. _Te -Deum_ followed, in thanks for his arrival; and then he took refuge in -the fort. Here he remained thirteen days, busied with his preparations, -organizing the militia, soothing their mutual jealousies, and settling -knotty questions of rank and precedence. During this time, every means, -as he declares, was used to prevent him from proceeding; and among other -devices a rumor was set on foot that a Dutch fleet, having just captured -Boston, was on its way to attack Quebec.[67] - -[Sidenote: FRONTENAC'S JOURNEY.] - -Having sent men, canoes, and baggage, by land, to La Salle's old -settlement of La Chine, Frontenac himself followed on the twenty-eighth -of June. Including Indians from the missions, he now had with him about -four hundred men and a hundred and twenty canoes, besides two large -flat-boats, which he caused to be painted in red and blue, with strange -devices, intended to dazzle the Iroquois by a display of unwonted -splendor. Now their hard task began. Shouldering canoes through the -forest, dragging the flat-boats along the shore, working like -beavers,--sometimes in water to the knees, sometimes to the armpits, -their feet cut by the sharp stones, and they themselves well-nigh swept -down by the furious current,--they fought their way upward against the -chain of mighty rapids that break the navigation of the St. Lawrence. -The Indians were of the greatest service. Frontenac, like La Salle, -showed from the first a special faculty of managing them; for his keen, -incisive spirit was exactly to their liking, and they worked for him as -they would have worked for no man else. As they approached the Long -Saut, rain fell in torrents; and the governor, without his cloak, and -drenched to the skin, directed in person the amphibious toil of his -followers. Once, it is said, he lay awake all night, in his anxiety lest -the biscuit should be wet, which would have ruined the expedition. No -such mischance took place, and at length the last rapid was passed, and -smooth water awaited them to their journey's end. Soon they reached the -Thousand Islands, and their light flotilla glided in long file among -those watery labyrinths, by rocky islets, where some lonely pine towered -like a mast against the sky; by sun-scorched crags, where the brown -lichens crisped in the parching glare; by deep dells, shady and cool, -rich in rank ferns, and spongy, dark-green mosses; by still coves, where -the water-lilies lay like snow-flakes on their broad, flat leaves,--till -at length they neared their goal, and the glistening bosom of Lake -Ontario opened on their sight. - -Frontenac, to impose respect on the Iroquois, now set his canoes in -order of battle. Four divisions formed the first line, then came the two -flat-boats; he himself, with his guards, his staff, and the gentlemen -volunteers, followed, with the canoes of Three Rivers on his right, and -those of the Indians on his left, while two remaining divisions formed a -rear line. Thus, with measured paddles, they advanced over the still -lake, till they saw a canoe approaching to meet them. It bore several -Iroquois chiefs, who told them that the dignitaries of their nation -awaited them at Cataraqui, and offered to guide them to the spot. They -entered the wide mouth of the river, and passed along the shore, now -covered by the quiet little city of Kingston, till they reached the -point at present occupied by the barracks, at the western end of -Cataraqui bridge. Here they stranded their canoes and disembarked. -Baggage was landed, fires lighted, tents pitched, and guards set. Close -at hand, under the lee of the forest, were the camping sheds of the -Iroquois, who had come to the rendezvous in considerable numbers. - -[Sidenote: FRONTENAC AT CATARAQUI.] - -At daybreak of the next morning, the thirteenth of July, the drums beat, -and the whole party were drawn up under arms. A double line of men -extended from the front of Frontenac's tent to the Indian camp; and, -through the lane thus formed, the savage deputies, sixty in number, -advanced to the place of council. They could not hide their admiration -at the martial array of the French, many of whom were old soldiers of -the regiment of Carignan; and when they reached the tent they ejaculated -their astonishment at the uniforms of the governor's guard who -surrounded it. Here the ground had been carpeted with the sails of the -flat-boats, on which the deputies squatted themselves in a ring and -smoked their pipes for a time with their usual air of deliberate -gravity; while Frontenac, who sat surrounded by his officers, had full -leisure to contemplate the formidable adversaries whose mettle was -hereafter to put his own to so severe a test. A chief named Garakontie, -a noted friend of the French, at length opened the council, in behalf of -all the five Iroquois nations, with expressions of great respect and -deference towards "Onontio;" that is to say, the governor of Canada. -Whereupon Frontenac, whose native arrogance where Indians were concerned -always took a form which imposed respect without exciting anger, replied -in the following strain:-- - -"Children! Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. I am glad -to see you here, where I have had a fire lighted for you to smoke by, -and for me to talk to you. You have done well, my children, to obey the -command of your Father. Take courage: you will hear his word, which is -full of peace and tenderness. For do not think that I have come for war. -My mind is full of peace, and she walks by my side. Courage, then, -children, and take rest." - -With that, he gave them six fathoms of tobacco, reiterated his -assurances of friendship, promised that he would be a kind father so -long as they should be obedient children, regretted that he was forced -to speak through an interpreter, and ended with a gift of guns to the -men, and prunes and raisins to their wives and children. Here closed -this preliminary meeting, the great council being postponed to another -day. - -During the meeting, Raudin, Frontenac's engineer, was tracing out the -lines of a fort, after a predetermined plan; and the whole party, under -the direction of their officers, now set themselves to construct it. -Some cut down trees, some dug the trenches, some hewed the palisades; -and with such order and alacrity was the work urged on, that the Indians -were lost in astonishment. Meanwhile, Frontenac spared no pains to make -friends of the chiefs, some of whom he had constantly at his table. He -fondled the Iroquois children, and gave them bread and sweetmeats, and -in the evening feasted the squaws to make them dance. The Indians were -delighted with these attentions, and conceived a high opinion of the new -Onontio. - -[Sidenote: FRONTENAC AND THE INDIANS.] - -On the seventeenth, when the construction of the fort was well advanced, -Frontenac called the chiefs to a grand council, which was held with all -possible state and ceremony. His dealing with the Indians on this and -other occasions was truly admirable. Unacquainted as he was with them, -he seems to have had an instinctive perception of the treatment they -required. His predecessors had never ventured to address the Iroquois -as "Children," but had always styled them "Brothers;" and yet the -assumption of paternal authority on the part of Frontenac was not only -taken in good part, but was received with apparent gratitude. The -martial nature of the man, his clear, decisive speech, and his frank and -downright manner, backed as they were by a display of force which in -their eyes was formidable, struck them with admiration, and gave tenfold -effect to his words of kindness. They thanked him for that which from -another they would not have endured. - -Frontenac began by again expressing his satisfaction that they had -obeyed the commands of their Father, and come to Cataraqui to hear what -he had to say. Then he exhorted them to embrace Christianity; and on -this theme he dwelt at length, in words excellently adapted to produce -the desired effect,--words which it would be most superfluous to tax as -insincere, though doubtless they lost nothing in emphasis because in -this instance conscience and policy aimed alike. Then, changing his -tone, he pointed to his officers, his guard, the long files of the -militia, and the two flat-boats, mounted with cannon, which lay in the -river near by. "If," he said, "your Father can come so far, with so -great a force, through such dangerous rapids, merely to make you a visit -of pleasure and friendship, what would he do, if you should awaken his -anger, and make it necessary for him to punish his disobedient children? -He is the arbiter of peace and war. Beware how you offend him!" And he -warned them not to molest the Indian allies of the French, telling them, -sharply, that he would chastise them for the least infraction of the -peace. - -From threats he passed to blandishments, and urged them to confide in -his paternal kindness, saying that, in proof of his affection, he was -building a store-house at Cataraqui, where they could be supplied with -all the goods they needed, without the necessity of a long and dangerous -journey. He warned them against listening to bad men, who might seek to -delude them by misrepresentations and falsehoods; and he urged them to -give heed to none but "men of character, like the Sieur de la Salle." He -expressed a hope that they would suffer their children to learn French -from the missionaries, in order that they and his nephews--meaning the -French colonists--might become one people; and he concluded by -requesting them to give him a number of their children to be educated in -the French manner, at Quebec. - -[Sidenote: TREATY WITH THE INDIANS.] - -This speech, every clause of which was reinforced by abundant presents, -was extremely well received; though one speaker reminded him that he had -forgotten one important point, inasmuch as he had not told them at what -prices they could obtain goods at Cataraqui. Frontenac evaded a precise -answer, but promised them that the goods should be as cheap as possible, -in view of the great difficulty of transportation. As to the request -concerning their children, they said that they could not accede to it -till they had talked the matter over in their villages; but it is a -striking proof of the influence which Frontenac had gained over them, -that, in the following year, they actually sent several of their -children to Quebec to be educated,--the girls among the Ursulines, and -the boys in the household of the governor. - -Three days after the council, the Iroquois set out on their return; and -as the palisades of the fort were now finished, and the barracks nearly -so, Frontenac began to send his party homeward by detachments. He -himself was detained for a time by the arrival of another band of -Iroquois, from the villages on the north side of Lake Ontario. He -repeated to them the speech he had made to the others; and, this final -meeting over, he embarked with his guard, leaving a sufficient number to -hold the fort, which was to be provisioned for a year by means of a -convoy then on its way up the river. Passing the rapids safely, he -reached Montreal on the first of August. - -His enterprise had been a complete success. He had gained every point, -and, in spite of the dangerous navigation, had not lost a single canoe. -Thanks to the enforced and gratuitous assistance of the inhabitants, the -whole had cost the King only about ten thousand francs, which Frontenac -had advanced on his own credit. Though in a commercial point of view the -new establishment was of very questionable benefit to the colony at -large, the governor had, nevertheless, conferred an inestimable blessing -on all Canada by the assurance he had gained of a long respite from the -fearful scourge of Iroquois hostility. "Assuredly," he writes, "I may -boast of having impressed them at once with respect, fear, and -good-will."[68] He adds that the fort at Cataraqui, with the aid of a -vessel now building, will command Lake Ontario, keep the peace with the -Iroquois, and cut off the trade with the English; and he proceeds to say -that by another fort at the mouth of the Niagara, and another vessel on -Lake Erie, we, the French, can command all the Upper Lakes. This plan -was an essential link in the schemes of La Salle; and we shall soon find -him employed in executing it. - -A curious incident occurred soon after the building of the fort on Lake -Ontario. Frontenac, on his way back, quarrelled with Perrot, the -governor of Montreal, whom, in view of his speculations in the -fur-trade, he seems to have regarded as a rival in business; but who, by -his folly and arrogance, would have justified any reasonable measure of -severity. Frontenac, however, was not reasonable. He arrested Perrot, -threw him into prison, and set up a man of his own as governor in his -place; and as the judge of Montreal was not in his interest, he removed -him, and substituted another on whom he could rely. Thus for a time he -had Montreal well in hand. - -The priests of the Seminary, seigniors of the island, regarded these -arbitrary proceedings with extreme uneasiness. They claimed the right of -nominating their own governor; and Perrot, though he held a commission -from the King, owed his place to their appointment. True, he had set -them at nought, and proved a veritable King Stork; yet nevertheless they -regarded his removal as an infringement of their rights. - -During the quarrel with Perrot, La Salle chanced to be at Montreal, -lodged in the house of Jacques Le Ber, who, though one of the principal -merchants and most influential inhabitants of the settlement, was -accustomed to sell goods across his counter in person to white men and -Indians, his wife taking his place when he was absent. Such were the -primitive manners of the secluded little colony. Le Ber, at this time, -was in the interest of Frontenac and La Salle; though he afterwards -became one of their most determined opponents. Amid the excitement and -discussion occasioned by Perrot's arrest, La Salle declared himself an -adherent of the governor, and warned all persons against speaking ill of -him in his hearing. - -[Sidenote: ABBE FENELON.] - -The Abbe Fenelon, already mentioned as half-brother to the famous -Archbishop, had attempted to mediate between Frontenac and Perrot, and -to this end had made a journey to Quebec on the ice, in midwinter. Being -of an ardent temperament, and more courageous than prudent, he had -spoken somewhat indiscreetly, and had been very roughly treated by the -stormy and imperious Count. He returned to Montreal greatly excited, and -not without cause. It fell to his lot to preach the Easter sermon. The -service was held in the little church of the Hotel-Dieu, which was -crowded to the porch, all the chief persons of the settlement being -present. The cure of the parish, whose name also was Perrot, said High -Mass, assisted by La Salle's brother, Cavelier, and two other priests. -Then Fenelon mounted the pulpit. Certain passages of his sermon were -obviously levelled against Frontenac. Speaking of the duties of those -clothed with temporal authority, he said that the magistrate, inspired -with the spirit of Christ, was as ready to pardon offences against -himself as to punish those against his prince; that he was full of -respect for the ministers of the altar, and never maltreated them when -they attempted to reconcile enemies and restore peace; that he never -made favorites of those who flattered him, nor under specious pretexts -oppressed other persons in authority who opposed his enterprises; that -he used his power to serve his king, and not to his own advantage; that -he remained content with his salary, without disturbing the commerce of -the country, or abusing those who refused him a share in their profits; -and that he never troubled the people by inordinate and unjust levies of -men and material, using the name of his prince as a cover to his own -designs.[69] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE AND FENELON.] - -La Salle sat near the door; but as the preacher proceeded he suddenly -rose to his feet in such a manner as to attract the notice of the -congregation. As they turned their heads, he signed to the principal -persons among them, and by his angry looks and gesticulation called -their attention to the words of Fenelon. Then meeting the eye of the -cure, who sat beside the altar, he made the same signs to him, to which -the cure replied by a deprecating shrug of the shoulders. Fenelon -changed color, but continued his sermon.[70] - -This indecent proceeding of La Salle, and the zeal with which throughout -the quarrel he took the part of the governor, did not go unrewarded. -Henceforth, Frontenac was more than ever his friend; and this plainly -appeared in the disposition made, through his influence, of the new fort -on Lake Ontario. Attempts had been made to induce the king to have it -demolished; but it was resolved at last that, being built, it should be -allowed to stand; and, after long delay, a final arrangement was made -for its maintenance, in the manner following: In the autumn of 1674, La -Salle went to France, with letters of strong recommendation from -Frontenac.[71] He was well received at Court; and he made two petitions -to the King,--the one for a patent of nobility, in consideration of his -services as an explorer; and the other for a grant in seigniory of Fort -Frontenac, for so he called the new post, in honor of his patron. On his -part, he offered to pay back the ten thousand francs which the fort had -cost the King; to maintain it at his own charge, with a garrison equal -to that of Montreal, besides fifteen or twenty laborers; to form a -French colony around it; to build a church, whenever the number of -inhabitants should reach one hundred; and, meanwhile, to support one or -more Recollet friars; and, finally, to form a settlement of domesticated -Indians in the neighborhood. His offers were accepted. He was raised to -the rank of the untitled nobles; received a grant of the fort and lands -adjacent, to the extent of four leagues in front and half a league in -depth, besides the neighboring islands; and was invested with the -government of the fort and settlement, subject to the orders of the -governor-general.[72] - -La Salle returned to Canada, proprietor of a seigniory which, all things -considered, was one of the most valuable in the colony. His friends and -his family, rejoicing in his good fortune and not unwilling to share it, -made him large advances of money, enabling him to pay the stipulated sum -to the King, to rebuild the fort in stone, maintain soldiers and -laborers, and procure in part, at least, the necessary outfit. Had La -Salle been a mere merchant, he was in a fair way to make a fortune, for -he was in a position to control the better part of the Canadian -fur-trade. But he was not a mere merchant; and no commercial profit -could content his ambition. - -Those may believe, who will, that Frontenac did not expect a share in -the profits of the new post. That he did expect it, there is positive -evidence; for a deposition is extant, taken at the instance of his enemy -the Intendant Duchesneau, in which three witnesses attest that the -governor, La Salle, his lieutenant La Forest, and one Boisseau, had -formed a partnership to carry on the trade of Fort Frontenac. - -[Sidenote: ENEMIES OF LA SALLE.] - -No sooner was La Salle installed in his new post than the merchants of -Canada joined hands to oppose him. Le Ber, once his friend, became his -bitter enemy; for he himself had hoped to share the monopoly of Fort -Frontenac, of which he and one Bazire had at first been placed -provisionally in control, and from which he now saw himself ejected. La -Chesnaye, Le Moyne, and others of more or less influence took part in -the league, which, in fact, embraced all the traders in the colony -except the few joined with Frontenac and La Salle. Duchesneau, intendant -of the colony, aided the malcontents. As time went on, their bitterness -grew more bitter; and when at last it was seen that, not satisfied with -the monopoly of Fort Frontenac, La Salle aimed at the control of the -valleys of the Ohio and the Mississippi, and the usufruct of half a -continent, the ire of his opponents redoubled, and Canada became for him -a nest of hornets, buzzing in wrath and watching the moment to sting. -But there was another element of opposition, less noisy, but not less -formidable; and this arose from the Jesuits. Frontenac hated them; and -they, under befitting forms of duty and courtesy, paid him back in the -same coin. Having no love for the governor, they would naturally have -little for his partisan and _protege_; but their opposition had another -and a deeper root, for the plans of the daring young schemer jarred with -their own. - -[Sidenote: PURPOSES OF THE JESUITS.] - -We have seen the Canadian Jesuits in the early apostolic days of their -mission, when the flame of their zeal, fed by an ardent hope, burned -bright and high. This hope was doomed to disappointment. Their avowed -purpose of building another Paraguay on the borders of the Great -Lakes[73] was never accomplished, and their missions and their converts -were swept away in an avalanche of ruin. Still, they would not despair. -From the lakes they turned their eyes to the Valley of the Mississippi, -in the hope to see it one day the seat of their new empire of the Faith. -But what did this new Paraguay mean? It meant a little nation of -converted and domesticated savages, docile as children, under the -paternal and absolute rule of Jesuit fathers, and trained by them in -industrial pursuits, the results of which were to inure, not to the -profit of the producers, but to the building of churches, the founding -of colleges, the establishment of warehouses and magazines, and the -construction of works of defence,--all controlled by Jesuits, and -forming a part of the vast possessions of the Order. Such was the old -Paraguay;[74] and such, we may suppose, would have been the new, had the -plans of those who designed it been realized. - -I have said that since the middle of the century the religious -exaltation of the early missions had sensibly declined. In the nature of -things, that grand enthusiasm was too intense and fervent to be long -sustained. But the vital force of Jesuitism had suffered no diminution. -That marvellous _esprit de corps_, that extinction of self and -absorption of the individual in the Order which has marked the Jesuits -from their first existence as a body, was no whit changed or -lessened,--a principle, which, though different, was no less strong -than the self-devoted patriotism of Sparta or the early Roman Republic. - -The Jesuits were no longer supreme in Canada; or, in other words, Canada -was no longer simply a mission. It had become a colony. Temporal -interests and the civil power were constantly gaining ground; and the -disciples of Loyola felt that relatively, if not absolutely, they were -losing it. They struggled vigorously to maintain the ascendency of their -Order, or, as they would have expressed it, the ascendency of religion; -but in the older and more settled parts of the colony it was clear that -the day of their undivided rule was past. Therefore, they looked with -redoubled solicitude to their missions in the West. They had been among -its first explorers; and they hoped that here the Catholic Faith, as -represented by Jesuits, might reign with undisputed sway. In Paraguay, -it was their constant aim to exclude white men from their missions. It -was the same in North America. They dreaded fur-traders, partly because -they interfered with their teachings and perverted their converts, and -partly for other reasons. But La Salle was a fur-trader, and far worse -than a fur-trader: he aimed at occupation, fortification, and -settlement. The scope and vigor of his enterprises, and the powerful -influence that aided them, made him a stumbling-block in their path. He -was their most dangerous rival for the control of the West, and from -first to last they set themselves against him. - -[Sidenote: SPIRIT OF LA SALLE.] - -What manner of man was he who could conceive designs so vast and defy -enmities so many and so powerful? And in what spirit did he embrace -these designs? We will look hereafter for an answer. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[67] _Lettre de Frontenac a Colbert, 13 Nov., 1673._ This rumor, it -appears, originated with the Jesuit Dablon. _Journal du Voyage du Comte -de Frontenac au lac Ontario_. The Jesuits were greatly opposed to the -establishment of forts and trading-posts in the upper country, for -reasons that will appear hereafter. - -[68] _Lettre de Frontenac au Ministre, 13 Nov., 1673._ - -[69] Faillon, _Colonie Francaise_, iii. 497, and manuscript authorities -there cited. I have examined the principal of these. Faillon himself is -a priest of St. Sulpice. Compare H. Verreau, _Les Deux Abbes de -Fenelon_, chap. vii. - -[70] _Information faicte par nous, Charles le Tardieu, Sieur de Tilly, -et Nicolas Dupont, etc., etc., contre le Sr. Abbe de Fenelon._ Tilly -and Dupont were sent by Frontenac to inquire into the affair. Among the -deponents is La Salle himself. - -[71] In his despatch to the minister Colbert, of the fourteenth of -November, 1674, Frontenac speaks of La Salle as follows: "I cannot help, -Monseigneur, recommending to you the Sieur de la Salle, who is about to -go to France, and who is a man of intelligence and ability, more capable -than anybody else I know here to accomplish every kind of enterprise and -discovery which may be intrusted to him, as he has the most perfect -knowledge of the state of the country, as you will see, if you are -disposed to give him a few moments of audience." - -[72] _Memoire pour l'entretien du Fort Frontenac, par le Sr. de la -Salle, 1674. Petition du Sr. de la Salle au Roi. Lettres patentes de -concession, du Fort de Frontenac et terres adjacentes au profit du -Sr. de la Salle; donnees a Compiegne le 13 Mai, 1675. Arret qui -accepte les offres faites par Robert Cavelier Sr. de la Salle; a -Compiegne le 13 Mai, 1675. Lettres de noblesse pour le Sr. Cavelier -de la Salle; donnees a Compiegne le 13 Mai, 1675. Papiers de Famille. -Memoire au Roi._ - -[73] This purpose is several times indicated in the _Relations_. For an -instance, see "The Jesuits in North America," 245. - -[74] Compare Charlevoix, _Histoire de Paraguay_, with Robertson, -_Letters on Paraguay_. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -1678. - -PARTY STRIFE. - - La Salle and his Reporter.--Jesuit Ascendency.--The Missions and - the Fur-trade.--Female Inquisitors.--Plots against La Salle: his - Brother the Priest.--Intrigues Of the Jesuits.--La Salle poisoned: - he exculpates the Jesuits.--Renewed Intrigues. - - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S MEMOIR.] - -One of the most curious monuments of La Salle's time is a long memoir, -written by a person who made his acquaintance at Paris in the summer of -1678, when, as we shall soon see, he had returned to France in -prosecution of his plans. The writer knew the Sulpitian Galinee,[75] -who, as he says, had a very high opinion of La Salle; and he was also in -close relations with the discoverer's patron, the Prince de Conti.[76] -He says that he had ten or twelve interviews with La Salle; and, -becoming interested in him and in that which he communicated, he wrote -down the substance of his conversation. The paper is divided into two -parts: the first, called "Memoire sur Mr. de la Salle," is devoted to -the state of affairs in Canada, and chiefly to the Jesuits; the second, -entitled "Histoire de Mr. de la Salle," is an account of the -discoverer's life, or as much of it as the writer had learned from -him.[77] Both parts bear throughout the internal evidence of being what -they profess to be; but they embody the statements of a man of intense -partisan feeling, transmitted through the mind of another person in -sympathy with him, and evidently sharing his prepossessions. In one -respect, however, the paper is of unquestionable historical value; for -it gives us a vivid and not an exaggerated picture of the bitter strife -of parties which then raged in Canada, and which was destined to tax to -the utmost the vast energy and fortitude of La Salle. At times, the -memoir is fully sustained by contemporary evidence; but often, again, it -rests on its own unsupported authority. I give an abstract of its -statements as I find them. - -The following is the writer's account of La Salle: "All those among my -friends who have seen him find him a man of great intelligence and -sense. He rarely speaks of any subject except when questioned about it, -and his words are very few and very precise. He distinguishes perfectly -between that which he knows with certainly and that which he knows with -some mingling of doubt. When he does not know, he does not hesitate to -avow it; and though I have heard him say the same thing more than five -or six times, when persons were present who had not heard it before, he -always said it in the same manner. In short, I never heard anybody speak -whose words carried with them more marks of truth."[78] - -[Sidenote: JESUIT ASCENDENCY.] - -After mentioning that he is thirty-three or thirty-four years old, and -that he has been twelve years in America, the memoir declares that he -made the following statements: that the Jesuits are masters at Quebec; -that the bishop is their creature, and does nothing but in concert with -them;[79] that he is not well inclined towards the Recollets,[80] who -have little credit, but who are protected by Frontenac; that in Canada -the Jesuits think everybody an enemy to religion who is an enemy to -them; that, though they refused absolution to all who sold brandy to the -Indians, they sold it themselves, and that he, La Salle, had himself -detected them in it;[81] that the bishop laughs at the orders of the -King when they do not agree with the wishes of the Jesuits; that the -Jesuits dismissed one of their servants named Robert, because he told of -their trade in brandy; that Albanel,[82] in particular, carried on a -great fur-trade, and that the Jesuits have built their college in part -from the profits of this kind of traffic; that they admitted that they -carried on a trade, but denied that they gained so much by it as was -commonly supposed.[83] - -[Sidenote: FEMALE INQUISITORS.] - -The memoir proceeds to affirm that they trade largely with the Sioux at -Ste. Marie, and with other tribes at Michilimackinac, and that they are -masters of the trade of that region, where the forts are in their -possession.[84] An Indian said, in full council, at Quebec, that he had -prayed and been a Christian as long as the Jesuits would stay and teach -him, but since no more beaver were left in his country, the missionaries -were gone also. The Jesuits, pursues the memoir, will have no priests -but themselves in their missions, and call them all Jansenists, not -excepting the priests of St. Sulpice. - -The bishop is next accused of harshness and intolerance, as well as of -growing rich by tithes, and even by trade, in which it is affirmed he -has a covert interest.[85] It is added that there exists in Quebec, -under the auspices of the Jesuits, an association called the Sainte -Famille, of which Madame Bourdon[86] is superior. They meet in the -cathedral every Thursday, with closed doors, where they relate to each -other--as they are bound by a vow to do--all they have learned, whether -good or evil, concerning other people, during the week. It is a sort of -female inquisition, for the benefit of the Jesuits, the secrets of whose -friends, it is said, are kept, while no such discretion is observed with -regard to persons not of their party.[87] - -Here follow a series of statements which it is needless to repeat, as -they do not concern La Salle. They relate to abuse of the confessional, -hostility to other priests, hostility to civil authorities, and -over-hasty baptisms, in regard to which La Salle is reported to have -made a comparison, unfavorable to the Jesuits, between them and the -Recollets and Sulpitians. - -[Sidenote: PLOTS AGAINST LA SALLE.] - -We now come to the second part of the memoir, entitled "History of -Monsieur de la Salle." After stating that he left France at the age of -twenty-one or twenty-two, with the purpose of attempting some new -discovery, it makes the statements repeated in a former chapter, -concerning his discovery of the Ohio, the Illinois, and possibly the -Mississippi. It then mentions the building of Fort Frontenac, and says -that one object of it was to prevent the Jesuits from becoming -undisputed masters of the fur-trade.[88] Three years ago, it pursues, La -Salle came to France, and obtained a grant of the fort; and it proceeds -to give examples of the means used by the party opposed to him to injure -his good name and bring him within reach of the law. Once, when he was -at Quebec, the farmer of the King's revenue, one of the richest men in -the place, was extremely urgent in his proffers of hospitality, and at -length, though he knew La Salle but slightly, persuaded him to lodge in -his house. He had been here but a few days when his host's wife began to -enact the part of the wife of Potiphar, and this with so much vivacity -that on one occasion La Salle was forced to take an abrupt leave, in -order to avoid an infringement of the laws of hospitality. As he opened -the door, he found the husband on the watch, and saw that it was a plot -to entrap him.[89] - -Another attack, of a different character, though in the same direction, -was soon after made. The remittances which La Salle received from the -various members and connections of his family were sent through the -hands of his brother, Abbe Cavelier, from whom his enemies were, -therefore, very eager to alienate him. To this end, a report was made to -reach the priest's ears that La Salle had seduced a young woman, with -whom he was living in an open and scandalous manner at Fort Frontenac. -The effect of this device exceeded the wishes of its contrivers; for the -priest, aghast at what he had heard, set out for the fort, to administer -his fraternal rebuke, but on arriving, in place of the expected -abomination, found his brother, assisted by two Recollet friars, ruling -with edifying propriety over a most exemplary household. - -Thus far the memoir. From passages in some of La Salle's letters, it may -be gathered that Abbe Cavelier gave him at times no little annoyance. In -his double character of priest and elder brother, he seems to have -constituted himself the counsellor, monitor, and guide of a man who, -though many years his junior, was in all respects incomparably superior -to him, as the sequel will show. This must have been almost insufferable -to a nature like that of La Salle, who, nevertheless, was forced to arm -himself with patience, since his brother held the purse-strings. On one -occasion his forbearance was put to a severe proof, when, wishing to -marry a damsel of good connections in the colony, Abbe Cavelier saw fit -for some reason to interfere, and prevented the alliance.[90] - -[Sidenote: INTRIGUES OF THE JESUITS.] - -To resume the memoir. It declares that the Jesuits procured an ordinance -from the Supreme Council prohibiting traders from going into the Indian -country, in order that they, the Jesuits, being already established -there in their missions, might carry on trade without competition. But -La Salle induced a good number of the Iroquois to settle around his -fort; thus bringing the trade to his own door, without breaking the -ordinance. These Iroquois, he is further reported to have said, were -very fond of him, and aided him in rebuilding the fort with cut stone. -The Jesuits told the Iroquois on the south side of the lake, where they -were established as missionaries, that La Salle was strengthening his -defences with the view of making war on them. They and the intendant, -who was their creature, endeavored to embroil the Iroquois with the -French in order to ruin La Salle; writing to him at the same time that -he was the bulwark of the country, and that he ought to be always on his -guard. They also tried to persuade Frontenac that it was necessary to -raise men and prepare for war. La Salle suspected them; and seeing that -the Iroquois, in consequence of their intrigues, were in an excited -state, he induced the governor to come to Fort Frontenac to pacify them. -He accordingly did so; and a council was held, which ended in a complete -restoration of confidence on the part of the Iroquois.[91] At this -council they accused the two Jesuits, Bruyas and Pierron,[92] of -spreading reports that the French were preparing to attack them. La -Salle thought that the object of the intrigue was to make the Iroquois -jealous of him, and engage Frontenac in expenses which would offend the -King. After La Salle and the governor had lost credit by the rupture, -the Jesuits would come forward as pacificators, in the full assurance -that they could restore quiet, and appear in the attitude of saviors of -the colony. - -La Salle, pursues his reporter, went on to say that about this time a -quantity of hemlock and verdigris was given him in a salad; and that the -guilty person was a man in his employ named Nicolas Perrot, otherwise -called Jolycoeur, who confessed the crime.[93] The memoir adds that La -Salle, who recovered from the effects of the poison, wholly exculpates -the Jesuits. - -This attempt, which was not, as we shall see, the only one of the kind -made against La Salle, is alluded to by him in a letter to a friend at -Paris, written in Canada when he was on the point of departure on his -great expedition to descend the Mississippi. The following is an extract -from it: - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE EXCULPATES THE JESUITS.] - -"I hope to give myself the honor of sending you a more particular -account of this enterprise when it shall have had the success which I -hope for it; but I have need of a strong protection for its support. It -traverses the commercial operations of certain persons, who will find it -hard to endure it. They intended to make a new Paraguay in these parts, -and the route which I close against them gave them facilities for an -advantageous correspondence with Mexico. This check will infallibly be a -mortification to them; and you know how they deal with whatever opposes -them. _Nevertheless, I am bound to render them the justice to say that -the poison which was given me was not at all of their instigation._ The -person who was conscious of the guilt, believing that I was their enemy -because he saw that our sentiments were opposed, thought to exculpate -himself by accusing them, and I confess that at the time I was not sorry -to have this indication of their ill-will; but having afterwards -carefully examined the affair, I clearly discovered the falsity of the -accusation which this rascal had made against them. I nevertheless -pardoned him, in order not to give notoriety to the affair; as the mere -suspicion might sully their reputation, to which I should scrupulously -avoid doing the slightest injury unless I thought it necessary to the -good of the public, and unless the fact were fully proved. Therefore, -Monsieur, if anybody shared the suspicion which I felt, oblige me by -undeceiving him."[94] - -This letter, so honorable to La Salle, explains the statement made in -the memoir, that, notwithstanding his grounds of complaint against the -Jesuits, he continued to live on terms of courtesy with them, -entertained them at his fort, and occasionally corresponded with them. -The writer asserts, however, that they intrigued with his men to induce -them to desert,--employing for this purpose a young man named -Deslauriers, whom they sent to him with letters of recommendation. La -Salle took him into his service; but he soon after escaped, with several -other men, and took refuge in the Jesuit missions.[95] The object of the -intrigue is said to have been the reduction of La Salle's garrison to a -number less than that which he was bound to maintain, thus exposing him -to a forfeiture of his title of possession. - -[Sidenote: RENEWED INTRIGUES.] - -He is also stated to have declared that Louis Joliet was an -impostor,[96] and a _donne_ of the Jesuits,--that is, a man who worked -for them without pay; and, further, that when he, La Salle, came to -court to ask for privileges enabling him to pursue his discoveries, the -Jesuits represented in advance to the minister Colbert that his head was -turned, and that he was fit for nothing but a mad-house. It was only by -the aid of influential friends that he was at length enabled to gain an -audience. - -Here ends this remarkable memoir, which, criticise it as we may, does -not exaggerate the jealousies and enmities that beset the path of the -discoverer. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[75] _Ante_, p. 17. - -[76] Louis-Armand de Bourbon, second Prince de Conti. The author of the -memoir seems to have been Abbe Renaudot, a learned churchman. - -[77] Extracts from this have already been given in connection with La -Salle's supposed discovery of the Mississippi. _Ante_, p. 29. - -[78] "Tous ceux de mes amis qui l'ont vu luy trouve beaucoup d'esprit et -un tres-grand sens; il ne parle guere que des choses sur lesquelles on -l'interroge; il les dit en tres-peu de mots et tres-bien -circonstanciees; il distingue parfaitement ce qu'il scait avec -certitude, de ce qu'il scait avec quelque melange de doute. Il avoue -sans aucune facon ne pas savoir ce qu'il ne scait pas, et quoyque je luy -aye ouy dire plus de cinq ou six fois les mesme choses a l'occasion de -quelques personnes qui ne les avaient point encore entendues, je les luy -ay toujours ouy dire de la mesme maniere. En un mot je n'ay jamais ouy -parler personne dont les paroles portassent plus de marques de verite." - -[79] "Il y a une autre chose qui me deplait, qui est l'entiere -dependence dans laquelle les Pretres du Seminaire de Quebec et le Grand -Vicaire de l'Eveque sont pour les Peres Jesuites, car il ne fait pas la -moindre chose sans leur ordre; ce qui fait qu'indirectement ils sont les -maitres de ce qui regarde le spirituel, qui, comme vous savez, est une -grande machine pour remuer tout le reste."--_Lettre de Frontenac a -Colbert, 2 Nov., 1672._ - -[80] "Ces religieux [_les Recollets_] sont fort proteges partout par le -comte de Frontenac, gouverneur du pays, et a cause de cela assez -maltraites par l'evesque, parceque la doctrine de l'evesque et des -Jesuites est que les affaires de la Religion chrestienne n'iront point -bien dans ce pays-la que quand le gouverneur sera creature des Jesuites, -ou que l'evesque sera gouverneur."--_Memoire sur Mr. de la Salle_. - -[81] "Ils [_les Jesuites_] refusent l'absolution a ceux qui ne veulent -pas promettre de n'en plus vendre [_de l'eau-de-vie_], et s'ils meurent -en cet etat, ils les privent de la sepulture ecclesiastique; au -contraire ils se permettent a eux-memes sans aucune difficulte ce mesme -trafic quoique toute sorte de trafic soit interdite a tous les -ecclesiastiques par les ordonnances du Roy, et par une bulle expresse du -Pape. La Bulle et les ordonnances sont notoires, et quoyqu'ils cachent -le trafic qu'ils font d'eau-de-vie, M. de la Salle pretend qu'il ne -l'est pas moins; qu'outre la notoriete il en a des preuves certaines, et -qu'il les a surpris dans ce trafic, et qu'ils luy ont tendu des pieges -pour l'y surprendre.... Ils ont chasse leur valet Robert a cause qu'il -revela qu'ils en traitaient jour et nuit."--_Ibid._ The writer says that -he makes this last statement, not on the authority of La Salle, but on -that of a memoir made at the time when the intendant, Talon, with whom -he elsewhere says that he was well acquainted, returned to France. A -great number of particulars are added respecting the Jesuit trade in -furs. - -[82] Albanel was prominent among the Jesuit explorers at this time. He -is best known by his journey up the Saguenay to Hudson's Bay in 1672. - -[83] "Pour vous parler franchement, ils [_les Jesuites_] songent autant -a la conversion du Castor qu'a celle des ames."--_Lettre de Frontenac a -Colbert, 2 Nov., 1672_. - -In his despatch of the next year, he says that the Jesuits ought to -content themselves with instructing the Indians in their old missions, -instead of neglecting them to make new ones in countries where there are -"more beaver-skins to gain than souls to save." - -[84] These forts were built by them, and were necessary to the security -of their missions. - -[85] Francois Xavier de Laval-Montmorency, first bishop of Quebec, was a -prelate of austere character. His memory is cherished in Canada by -adherents of the Jesuits and all ultramontane Catholics. - -[86] This Madame Bourdon was the widow of Bourdon, the engineer (see -"The Jesuits in North America," 297). If we may credit the letters of -Marie de l'Incarnation, she had married him from a religious motive, in -order to charge herself with the care of his motherless children; -stipulating in advance that he should live with her, not as a husband, -but as a brother. As may be imagined, she was regarded as a most devout -and saint-like person. - -[87] "Il y a dans Quebec une congregation de femmes et de filles qu'ils -[_les Jesuites_] appellent la sainte famille, dans laquelle on fait -voeu sur les Saints Evangiles de dire tout ce qu'on sait de bien et de -mal des personnes qu'on connoist. La Superieure de cette compagnie -s'appelle Madame Bourdon; une Mde. d'Ailleboust est, je crois, -l'assistante et une Mde. Charron, la Tresoriere. La Compagnie -s'assemble tous les Jeudis dans la Cathedrale, a porte fermee, et la -elles se disent les unes aux autres tout ce qu'elles ont appris. C'est -une espece d'Inquisition contre toutes les personnes qui ne sont pas -unies avec les Jesuites. Ces personnes sont accusees de tenir secret ce -qu'elles apprennent de mal des personnes de leur party et de n'avoir pas -la mesme discretion pour les autres."--_Memoire sur M^r. de la Salle_. - -The Madame d'Ailleboust mentioned above was a devotee like Madame -Bourdon, and, in one respect, her history was similar. See "The Jesuits -in North America," 360. - -The association of the Sainte Famille was founded by the Jesuit -Chaumonot at Montreal in 1663. Laval, Bishop of Quebec, afterwards -encouraged its establishment at that place; and, as Chaumonot himself -writes, caused it to be attached to the cathedral. _Vie de Chaumonot_, -83. For its establishment at Montreal, see Faillon, _Vie de Mlle. -Mance_, i. 233. - -"Ils [_les Jesuites_] ont tous une si grande envie de savoir tout ce qui -se fait dans les familles qu'ils ont des Inspecteurs a gages dans la -Ville, qui leur rapportent tout ce qui se fait dans les maisons," etc., -etc.--_Lettre de Frontenac au Ministre, 13 Nov., 1673._ - -[88] Mention has been made (p. 88, _note_) of the report set on foot by -the Jesuit Dablon, to prevent the building of the fort. - -[89] This story is told at considerable length, and the advances of the -lady particularly described. - -[90] Letter of La Salle, in possession of M. Margry. - -[91] Louis XIV. alludes to this visit, in a letter to Frontenac, dated -28 April, 1677. "I cannot but approve," he writes, "of what you have -done, in your voyage to Fort Frontenac, to reconcile the minds of the -Five Iroquois Nations, and to clear yourself from the suspicions they -had entertained, and from the motives that might induce them to make -war." Frontenac's despatches of this year, as well as of the preceding -and following years, are missing from the archives. - -In a memoir written in November, 1680, La Salle alludes to "le desir que -l'on avoit que Monseigneur le Comte de Frontenac fit la guerre aux -Iroquois." See Thomassy, _Geologie Pratique de la Louisiane_, 203. - -[92] Bruyas was about this time stationed among the Onondagas. Pierron -was among the Senecas. He had lately removed to them from the Mohawk -country. _Relation des Jesuites, 1673-79_, 140 (Shea). Bruyas was also -for a long time among the Mohawks. - -[93] This puts the character of Perrot in a new light; for it is not -likely that any other can be meant than the famous _voyageur_. I have -found no mention elsewhere of the synonyme of Jolycoeur. Poisoning was -the current crime of the day, and persons of the highest rank had -repeatedly been charged with it. The following is the passage:-- - -"Quoiqu'il en soit, Mr. de la Salle se sentit quelque temps apres -empoisonne d'une salade dans laquelle on avoit mesle du cigue, qui est -poison en ce pays la, et du verd de gris. Il en fut malade a -l'extremite, vomissant presque continuellement 40 ou 50 jours apres, et -il ne rechappa que par la force extreme de sa constitution. Celuy qui -luy donna le poison fut un nomme Nicolas Perrot, autrement Jolycoeur, -l'un de ses domestiques.... Il pouvait faire mourir cet homme, qui a -confesse son crime, mais il s'est contente de l'enfermer les fers aux -pieds."--_Histoire de Mr. de la Salle._ - -[94] The following words are underlined in the original: "_Je suis -pourtant oblige de leur rendre une justice, que le poison qu'on m'avoit -donne n'estoit point de leur instigation."--Lettre de La Salle au Prince -de Conti, 31 Oct., 1678._ - -[95] In a letter to the King, Frontenac mentions that several men who -had been induced to desert from La Salle had gone to Albany, where the -English had received them well. _Lettre de Frontenac au Roy, 6 Nov., -1679._ The Jesuits had a mission in the neighboring tribe of the Mohawks -and elsewhere in New York. - -[96] This agrees with expressions used by La Salle in a memoir addressed -by him to Frontenac in November, 1680. In this, he intimates his belief -that Joliet went but little below the mouth of the Illinois, thus doing -flagrant injustice to that brave explorer. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -1677, 1678. - -THE GRAND ENTERPRISE. - - La Salle at Fort Frontenac.--La Salle at Court: his - Memorial.--Approval of the King.--Money and Means.--Henri de - Tonty.--Return to Canada. - - -"If," writes a friend of La Salle," he had preferred gain to glory, he -had only to stay at his fort, where he was making more than twenty-five -thousand livres a year."[97] He loved solitude and he loved power; and -at Fort Frontenac he had both, so far as each consisted with the other. -The nearest settlement was a week's journey distant, and he was master -of all around him. He had spared no pains to fulfil the conditions on -which his wilderness seigniory had been granted, and within two years he -had demolished the original wooden fort, replacing it by another much -larger, enclosed on the land side by ramparts and bastions of stone, and -on the water side by palisades. It contained a range of barracks of -squared timber, a guard-house, a lodging for officers, a forge, a well, -a mill, and a bakery. Nine small cannon were mounted on the walls. Two -officers and a surgeon, with ten or twelve soldiers, made up the -garrison; and three or four times that number of masons, laborers, and -canoe-men were at one time maintained at the place. - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE AT FORT FRONTENAC.] - -Along the shore south of the fort was a small village of French -families, to whom La Salle had granted farms, and, farther on, a village -of Iroquois, whom he had persuaded to settle here. Near these villages -were the house and chapel of two Recollet friars, Luc Buisset and Louis -Hennepin. More than a hundred French acres of land had been cleared of -wood, and planted in part with crops; while cattle, fowls, and swine had -been brought up from Montreal. Four vessels, of from twenty-five to -forty tons, had been built for the lake and the river; but canoes served -best for ordinary uses, and La Salle's followers became so skilled in -managing them that they were reputed the best canoe-men in America. -Feudal lord of the forests around him, commander of a garrison raised -and paid by himself, founder of the mission, and patron of the church, -he reigned the autocrat of his lonely little empire.[98] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S MEMORIAL.] - -It was not solely or chiefly for commercial gain that La Salle had -established Fort Frontenac. He regarded it as a first step towards -greater things; and now, at length, his plans were ripe and his time was -come. In the autumn of 1677 he left the fort in charge of his -lieutenant, descended the St. Lawrence to Quebec, and sailed for France. -He had the patronage of Frontenac and the help of strong friends in -Paris. It is said, as we have seen already, that his enemies denounced -him, in advance, as a madman; but a memorial of his, which his friends -laid before the minister Colbert, found a favorable hearing. In it he -set forth his plans, or a portion of them. He first recounted briefly -the discoveries he had made, and then described the country he had seen -south and west of the great lakes. "It is nearly all so beautiful and so -fertile; so free from forests, and so full of meadows, brooks, and -rivers; so abounding in fish, game, and venison, that one can find there -in plenty, and with little trouble, all that is needful for the support -of flourishing colonies. The soil will produce everything that is raised -in France. Flocks and herds can be left out at pasture all winter; and -there are even native wild cattle, which, instead of hair, have a fine -wool that may answer for making cloth and hats. Their hides are better -than those of France, as appears by the sample which the Sieur de la -Salle has brought with him. Hemp and cotton grow here naturally, and may -be manufactured with good results; so there can be no doubt that -colonies planted here would become very prosperous. They would be -increased by a great number of western Indians, who are in the main of a -tractable and social disposition; and as they have the use neither of -our weapons nor of our goods, and are not in intercourse with other -Europeans, they will readily adapt themselves to us and imitate our way -of life as soon as they taste the advantages of our friendship and of -the commodities we bring them, insomuch that these countries will -infallibly furnish, within a few years, a great many new subjects to the -Church and the King. - -"It was the knowledge of these things, joined to the poverty of Canada, -its dense forests, its barren soil, its harsh climate, and the snow that -covers the ground for half the year, that led the Sieur de la Salle to -undertake the planting of colonies in these beautiful countries of the -West." - -Then he recounts the difficulties of the attempt,--the vast distances, -the rapids and cataracts that obstruct the way; the cost of men, -provisions, and munitions; the danger from the Iroquois, and the rivalry -of the English, who covet the western country, and would gladly seize it -for themselves. "But this last reason," says the memorial, "only -animates the Sieur de la Salle the more, and impels him to anticipate -them by the promptness of his action." - -He declares that it was for this that he had asked for the grant of Fort -Frontenac; and he describes what he had done at that post, in order to -make it a secure basis for his enterprise. He says that he has now -overcome the chief difficulties in his way, and that he is ready to -plant a new colony at the outlet of Lake Erie, of which the English, if -not prevented, might easily take possession. Towards the accomplishment -of his plans, he asks the confirmation of his title to Fort Frontenac, -and the permission to establish at his own cost two other posts, with -seigniorial rights over all lands which he may discover and colonize -within twenty years, and the government of all the country in question. -On his part, he proposes to renounce all share in the trade carried on -between the tribes of the Upper Lakes and the people of Canada. - -La Salle seems to have had an interview with the minister, in which the -proposals of his memorial were somewhat modified. He soon received in -reply the following patent from the King:-- - -[Sidenote: THE KING'S APPROVAL.] - -"Louis, by the grace of God King of France and Navarre, to our dear and -well-beloved Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, greeting. We have -received with favor the very humble petition made us in your name, to -permit you to labor at the discovery of the western parts of New France; -and we have the more willingly entertained this proposal, since we have -nothing more at heart than the exploration of this country, through -which, to all appearance, a way may be found to Mexico.... For this and -other causes thereunto moving us, we permit you by these presents, -signed with our hand, to labor at the discovery of the western parts of -our aforesaid country of New France; and, for the execution of this -enterprise, to build forts at such places as you may think necessary, -and enjoy possession thereof under the same clauses and conditions as of -Fort Frontenac, conformably to our letters patent of May thirteenth, -1675, which, so far as needful, we confirm by these presents. And it is -our will that they be executed according to their form and tenor: on -condition, nevertheless, that you finish this enterprise within five -years, failing which, these presents shall be void, and of no effect; -that you carry on no trade with the savages called Ottawas, or with -other tribes who bring their peltries to Montreal; and that you do the -whole at your own cost and that of your associates, to whom we have -granted the sole right of trade in buffalo-hides. And we direct the -Sieur Count Frontenac, our governor and lieutenant-general, and also -Duchesneau, intendant of justice, police, and finance, and the officers -of the supreme council of the aforesaid country, to see to the execution -of these presents; for such is our pleasure. - -"Given at St. Germain en Laye, this 12th day of May, 1678, and of our -reign the 35th year." - -This patent grants both more and less than the memorial had asked. It -authorizes La Salle to build and own, not two forts only, but as many as -he may see fit, provided that he do so within five years; and it gives -him, besides, the monopoly of buffalo-hides, for which at first he had -not petitioned. Nothing is said of colonies. To discover the country, -secure it by forts, and find, if possible, a way to Mexico, are the only -object set forth; for Louis XIV. always discountenanced settlement in -the West, partly as tending to deplete Canada, and partly as removing -his subjects too far from his paternal control. It was but the year -before that he refused to Louis Joliet the permission to plant a trading -station in the Valley of the Mississippi.[99] La Salle, however, still -held to his plan of a commercial and industrial colony, and in -connection with it to another purpose, of which his memorial had made no -mention. This was the building of a vessel on some branch of the -Mississippi, in order to sail down that river to its mouth, and open a -route to commerce through the Gulf of Mexico. It is evident that this -design was already formed; for he had no sooner received his patent, -than he engaged ship-carpenters, and procured iron, cordage, and -anchors, not for one vessel, but for two. - -[Sidenote: MONEY AND MEANS.] - -What he now most needed was money; and having none of his own, he set -himself to raising it from others. A notary named Simonnet lent him four -thousand livres; an advocate named Raoul, twenty-four thousand; and one -Dumont, six thousand. His cousin Francois Plet, a merchant of Rue St. -Martin, lent him about eleven thousand, at the interest of forty per -cent; and when he returned to Canada, Frontenac found means to procure -him another loan of about fourteen thousand, secured by the mortgage of -Fort Frontenac. But his chief helpers were his family, who became -sharers in his undertaking. "His brothers and relations," says a -memorial afterwards addressed by them to the King, "spared nothing to -enable him to respond worthily to the royal goodness;" and the document -adds, that, before his allotted five years were ended, his discoveries -had cost them more than five hundred thousand livres (francs).[100] La -Salle himself believed, and made others believe, that there was more -profit than risk in his schemes. - -Lodged rather obscurely in Rue de la Truanderie, and of a nature -reserved and shy, he nevertheless found countenance and support from -personages no less exalted than Colbert, Seignelay, and the Prince de -Conti. Others, too, in stations less conspicuous, warmly espoused his -cause, and none more so than the learned Abbe Renaudot, who helped him -with tongue and pen, and seems to have been instrumental in introducing -to him a man who afterwards proved invaluable. This was Henri de Tonty, -an Italian officer, a _protege_ of the Prince de Conti, who sent him to -La Salle as a person suited to his purposes, Tonty had but one hand, the -other having been blown off by a grenade in the Sicilian wars.[101] His -father, who had been governor of Gaeta, but who had come to France in -consequence of political disturbances in Naples, had earned no small -reputation as a financier, and had invented the form of life insurance -still called the Tontine. La Salle learned to know his new lieutenant on -the voyage across the Atlantic; and, soon after reaching Canada, he -wrote of him to his patron in the following terms: "His honorable -character and his amiable disposition were well known to you; but -perhaps you would not have thought him capable of doing things for which -a strong constitution, an acquaintance with the country, and the use of -both hands seemed absolutely necessary. Nevertheless, his energy and -address make him equal to anything; and now, at a season when everybody -is in fear of the ice, he is setting out to begin a new fort, two -hundred leagues from this place, and to which I have taken the liberty -to give the name of Fort Conti. It is situated near that great cataract, -more than a hundred and twenty _toises_ in height, by which the lakes of -higher elevation precipitate themselves into Lake Frontenac [Ontario]. -From there one goes by water, five hundred leagues, to the place where -Fort Dauphin is to be begun; from which it only remains to descend the -great river of the Bay of St. Esprit, to reach the Gulf of -Mexico."[102] - -[Sidenote: RETURN TO CANADA.] - -Besides Tonty, La Salle found in France another ally, La Motte de -Lussiere, to whom he offered a share in the enterprise, and who joined -him at Rochelle, the place of embarkation. Here vexatious delays -occurred. Bellinzani, director of trade, who had formerly taken lessons -in rascality in the service of Cardinal Mazarin, abused his official -position to throw obstacles in the way of La Salle, in order to extort -money from him; and he extorted, in fact, a considerable sum, which his -victim afterwards reclaimed. It was not till the fourteenth of July that -La Salle, with Tonty, La Motte, and thirty men, set sail for Canada, and -two months more elapsed before he reached Quebec. Here, to increase his -resources and strengthen his position, he seems to have made a league -with several Canadian merchants, some of whom had before been his -enemies, and were to be so again. Here, too, he found Father Louis -Hennepin, who had come down from Fort Frontenac to meet him.[103] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[97] _Memoire pour Monseigneur le Marquis de Seignelay sur les -Descouvertes du Sieur de la Salle_, 1682. - -[98] _Etat de la depense faite par Mr. de la Salle, Gouverneur du -Fort Frontenac. Recit de Nicolas de la Salle. Revue faite au Fort de -Frontenac, 1677; Memoire sur le Projet du Sieur de la Salle_ (Margry, i. -329). Plan of Fort Frontenac, published by Faillon, from the original -sent to France by Denonville in 1685. _Relation des Decouvertes du Sieur -de la Salle._ When Frontenac was at the fort in September, 1677, he -found only four _habitants_. It appears, by the _Relation des -Decouvertes du Sieur de la Salle_, that, three or four years later, -there were thirteen or fourteen families. La Salle spent 34,426 francs -on the fort. _Memoire au Roy, Papiers de Famille._ - -[99] _Colbert a Duchesneau, 28 Avril, 1677._ - -[100] _Memoire au Roy, presente sous la Regence; Obligation du Sieur de -la Salle envers le Sieur Plet; Autres Emprunts de Cavelier de la Salle_ -(Margry, i. 423-432). - -[101] Tonty, _Memoire_, in Margry, _Relations et Memoires inedits_, 5. - -[102] _Lettre de La Salle, 31 Oct., 1678._ Fort Conti was to have been -built on the site of the present Fort Niagara. The name of Lac de Conti -was given by La Salle to Lake Erie. The fort mentioned as Fort Dauphin -was built, as we shall see, on the Illinois, though under another name. -La Salle, deceived by Spanish maps, thought that the Mississippi -discharged itself into the Bay of St. Esprit (Mobile Bay). - -Henri de Tonty signed his name in the Gallicized, and not in the -original Italian form _Tonti_. He wore a hand of iron or some other -metal, which was usually covered with a glove. La Potherie says that he -once or twice used it to good purpose when the Indians became -disorderly, in breaking the heads of the most contumacious or knocking -out their teeth. Not knowing at the time the secret of the unusual -efficacy of his blows, they regarded him as a "medicine" of the first -order. La Potherie erroneously ascribes the loss of his hand to a -sabre-cut received in a _sortie_ at Messina. - -[103] _La Motte de Lussiere a----, sans date; Memoire de la Salle sur -les Extorsions commises par Bellinzani; Societe formee par La Salle; -Relation de Henri de Tonty_, 1684 (Margry, i. 338, 573; ii. 2, 25). - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -1678-1679. - -LA SALLE AT NIAGARA. - - Father Louis Hennepin: his Past Life; his - Character.--Embarkation.--Niagara Falls.--Indian Jealousy.--La - Motte and the Senecas.--A Disaster.--La Salle and his Followers. - - -Hennepin was all eagerness to join in the adventure; and, to his great -satisfaction, La Salle gave him a letter from his Provincial, Father Le -Fevre, containing the coveted permission. Whereupon, to prepare himself, -he went into retreat at the Recollet convent of Quebec, where he -remained for a time in such prayer and meditation as his nature, the -reverse of spiritual, would permit. Frontenac, always partial to his -Order, then invited him to dine at the chateau; and having visited the -bishop and asked his blessing, he went down to the Lower Town and -embarked. His vessel was a small birch canoe, paddled by two men. With -sandalled feet, a coarse gray capote, and peaked hood, the cord of St. -Francis about his waist, and a rosary and crucifix hanging at his side, -the father set forth on his memorable journey. He carried with him the -furniture of a portable altar, which in time of need he could strap on -his back like a knapsack. - -He slowly made his way up the St. Lawrence, stopping here and there, -where a clearing and a few log houses marked the feeble beginning of a -parish and a seigniory. The settlers, though good Catholics, were too -few and too poor to support a priest, and hailed the arrival of the -friar with delight. He said mass, exhorted a little, as was his custom, -and on one occasion baptized a child. At length he reached Montreal, -where the enemies of the enterprise enticed away his two canoe-men. He -succeeded in finding two others, with whom he continued his voyage, -passed the rapids of the upper St. Lawrence, and reached Fort Frontenac -at eleven o'clock at night of the second of November, where his brethren -of the mission, Ribourde and Buisset, received him with open arms.[104] -La Motte, with most of the men, appeared on the eighth; but La Salle and -Tonty did not arrive till more than a month later. Meanwhile, in -pursuance of his orders, fifteen men set out in canoes for Lake Michigan -and the Illinois, to trade with the Indians and collect provisions, -while La Motte embarked in a small vessel for Niagara, accompanied by -Hennepin.[105] - -[Illustration] - -_Father Hennepin Celebrating Mass._ - -Drawn by Howard Pyle. - -La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West, 132. - -[Sidenote: HENNEPIN.] - -This bold, hardy, and adventurous friar, the historian of the -expedition, and a conspicuous actor in it, has unwittingly painted his -own portrait with tolerable distinctness. "I always," he says, "felt a -strong inclination to fly from the world and live according to the rules -of a pure and severe virtue; and it was with this view that I entered -the Order of St. Francis."[106] He then speaks of his zeal for the -saving of souls, but admits that a passion for travel and a burning -desire to visit strange lands had no small part in his inclination for -the missions.[107] Being in a convent in Artois, his Superior sent him -to Calais, at the season of the herring-fishery, to beg alms, after the -practice of the Franciscans. Here and at Dunkirk he made friends of the -sailors, and was never tired of their stories. So insatiable, indeed, -was his appetite for them, that "often," he says, "I hid myself behind -tavern doors while the sailors were telling of their voyages. The -tobacco smoke made me very sick at the stomach; but, notwithstanding, I -listened attentively to all they said about their adventures at sea and -their travels in distant countries. I could have passed whole days and -nights in this way without eating."[108] - -He presently set out on a roving mission through Holland; and he -recounts various mishaps which befell him, "in consequence of my zeal in -laboring for the saving of souls," "I was at the bloody fight of -Seneff," he pursues, "where so many perished by fire and sword, and -where I had abundance of work in comforting and consoling the poor -wounded soldiers. After undergoing great fatigues, and running extreme -danger in the sieges of towns, in the trenches, and in battles, where I -exposed myself freely for the salvation of others while the soldiers -were breathing nothing but blood and carnage, I found myself at last in -a way of satisfying my old inclination for travel."[109] - -He got leave from his superiors to go to Canada, the most adventurous of -all the missions, and accordingly sailed in 1675, in the ship which -carried La Salle, who had just obtained the grant of Fort Frontenac. In -the course of the voyage, he took it upon him to reprove a party of -girls who were amusing themselves and a circle of officers and other -passengers by dancing on deck. La Salle, who was among the spectators, -was annoyed at Hennepin's interference, and told him that -he was behaving like a pedagogue. The friar retorted, by -alluding--unconsciously, as he says--to the circumstance that La Salle -was once a pedagogue himself, having, according to Hennepin, been for -ten or twelve years teacher of a class in a Jesuit school. La Salle, he -adds, turned pale with rage, and never forgave him to his dying day, -but always maligned and persecuted him.[110] - -On arriving in Canada, he was sent up to Fort Frontenac, as a -missionary. That wild and remote post was greatly to his liking. He -planted a gigantic cross, superintended the building of a chapel for -himself and his colleague Buisset, and instructed the Iroquois -colonists of the place. He visited, too, the neighboring Indian -settlements,--paddling his canoe in summer, when the lake was open, and -journeying in winter on snow-shoes, with a blanket slung at his back. -His most noteworthy journey was one which he made in the -winter,--apparently of 1677,--with a soldier of the fort. They crossed -the eastern extremity of Lake Ontario on snow-shoes, and pushed -southward through the forests, towards Onondaga,--stopping at evening to -dig away the snow, which was several feet deep, and collect wood for -their fire, which they were forced to replenish repeatedly during the -night, to keep themselves from freezing. At length, they reached the -great Onondaga town, where the Indians were much amazed at their -hardihood. Thence they proceeded eastward to the Oneidas, and afterwards -to the Mohawks, who regaled them with small frogs, pounded up with a -porridge of Indian corn. Here Hennepin found the Jesuit Bruyas, who -permitted him to copy a dictionary of the Mohawk language[111] which he -had compiled; and here he presently met three Dutchmen, who urged him to -visit the neighboring settlement of Orange, or Albany,--an invitation -which he seems to have declined.[112] - -They were pleased with him, he says, because he spoke Dutch. Bidding -them farewell, he tied on his snow-shoes again, and returned with his -companion to Fort Frontenac. Thus he inured himself to the hardships of -the woods, and prepared for the execution of the grand plan of discovery -which he calls his own,--"an enterprise," to borrow his own words, -"capable of terrifying anybody but me."[113] When the later editions of -his book appeared, doubts had been expressed of his veracity. "I here -protest to you, before God," he writes, addressing the reader, "that my -narrative is faithful and sincere, and that you may believe everything -related in it."[114] And yet, as we shall see, this reverend father was -the most impudent of liars; and the narrative of which he speaks is a -rare monument of brazen mendacity. Hennepin, however, had seen and dared -much; for among his many failings fear had no part, and where his -vanity or his spite was not involved, he often told the truth. His books -have their value, with all their enormous fabrications.[115] - -La Motte and Hennepin, with sixteen men, went on board the little vessel -of ten tons, which lay at Fort Frontenac. The friar's two brethren, -Buisset and Ribourde, threw their arms about his neck as they bade him -farewell; while his Indian proselytes, learning whither he was bound, -stood with their hands pressed upon their mouths, in amazement at the -perils which awaited their ghostly instructor. La Salle, with the rest -of the party, was to follow as soon as he could finish his preparations. -It was a boisterous and gusty day, the eighteenth of November. The sails -were spread; the shore receded,--the stone walls of the fort, the huge -cross that the friar had reared, the wigwams, the settlers' cabins, the -group of staring Indians on the strand. The lake was rough; and the men, -crowded in so small a craft, grew nervous and uneasy. They hugged the -northern shore, to escape the fury of the wind, which blew savagely from -the northeast; while the long gray sweep of naked forests on their right -betokened that winter was fast closing in. On the twenty-sixth, they -reached the neighborhood of the Indian town of Taiaiagon,[116] not far -from Toronto, and ran their vessel, for safety, into the mouth of a -river,--probably the Humber,--where the ice closed about her, and they -were forced to cut her out with axes. On the fifth of December, they -attempted to cross to the mouth of the Niagara; but darkness overtook -them, and they spent a comfortless night, tossing on the troubled lake, -five or six miles from shore. In the morning, they entered the mouth of -the Niagara, and landed on the point at its eastern side, where now -stand the historic ramparts of Fort Niagara. Here they found a small -village of Senecas, attracted hither by the fisheries, who gazed with -curious eyes at the vessel, and listened in wonder as the voyagers sang -_Te Deum_ in gratitude for their safe arrival. - -[Sidenote: NIAGARA FALLS.] - -Hennepin, with several others, now ascended the river in a canoe to the -foot of the mountain ridge of Lewiston, which, stretching on the right -hand and on the left, forms the acclivity of a vast plateau, rent with -the mighty chasm, along which, from this point to the cataract, seven -miles above, rush, with the fury of an Alpine torrent, the gathered -waters of four inland oceans. To urge the canoe farther was impossible. -He landed, with his companions, on the west bank, near the foot of that -part of the ridge now called Queenstown Heights, climbed the steep -ascent, and pushed through the wintry forest on a tour of exploration. -On his left sank the cliffs, the furious river raging below; till at -length, in primeval solitudes unprofaned as yet by the pettiness of man, -the imperial cataract burst upon his sight.[117] - -The explorers passed three miles beyond it, and encamped for the night -on the banks of Chippewa Creek, scraping away the snow, which was a foot -deep, in order to kindle a fire. In the morning they retraced their -steps, startling a number of deer and wild turkeys on their way, and -rejoined their companions at the mouth of the river. - -[Sidenote: LA MOTTE AND THE SENECAS.] - -La Motte now began the building of a fortified house, some two leagues -above the mouth of the Niagara.[118] Hot water was used to soften the -frozen ground; but frost was not the only obstacle. The Senecas of the -neighboring village betrayed a sullen jealousy at a design which, -indeed, boded them no good. Niagara was the key to the four great lakes -above; and whoever held possession of it could, in no small measure, -control the fur-trade of the interior. Occupied by the French, it would -in time of peace intercept the trade which the Iroquois carried on -between the western Indians and the Dutch and English at Albany, and in -time of war threaten them with serious danger. La Motte saw the -necessity of conciliating these formidable neighbors, and, if possible, -cajoling them to give their consent to the plan. La Salle, indeed, had -instructed him to that effect. He resolved on a journey to the great -village of the Senecas, and called on Hennepin, who was busied in -building a bark chapel for himself, to accompany him. They accordingly -set out with several men well armed and equipped, and bearing at their -backs presents of very considerable value. The village was beyond the -Genesee, southeast of the site of Rochester.[119] After a march of five -days, they reached it on the last day of December. They were conducted -to the lodge of the great chief, where they were beset by a staring -crowd of women and children. Two Jesuits, Raffeix and Julien Garnier, -were in the village; and their presence boded no good for the embassy. -La Motte, who seems to have had little love for priests of any kind, was -greatly annoyed at seeing them; and when the chiefs assembled to hear -what he had to say, he insisted that the two fathers should leave the -council-house. At this, Hennepin, out of respect for his cloth, thought -it befitting that he should retire also. The chiefs, forty-two in -number, squatted on the ground, arrayed in ceremonial robes of beaver, -wolf, or black-squirrel skin. "The senators of Venice," writes Hennepin, -"do not look more grave or speak more deliberately than the counsellors -of the Iroquois." La Motte's interpreter harangued the attentive -conclave, placed gift after gift at their feet,--coats, scarlet cloth, -hatchets, knives, and beads,--and used all his eloquence to persuade -them that the building of a fort on the banks of the Niagara, and a -vessel on Lake Erie, were measures vital to their interest. They gladly -took the gifts, but answered the interpreter's speech with evasive -generalities; and having been entertained with the burning of an Indian -prisoner, the discomfited embassy returned, half-famished, to Niagara. - -Meanwhile, La Salle and Tonty were on their way from Fort Frontenac, -with men and supplies, to join La Motte and his advance party. They -were in a small vessel, with a pilot either unskilful or treacherous. -On Christmas eve, he was near wrecking them off the Bay of Quinte. On -the next day they crossed to the mouth of the Genesee; and La Salle, -after some delay, proceeded to the neighboring town of the Senecas, -where he appears to have arrived just after the departure of La Motte -and Hennepin. He, too, called them to a council, and tried to soothe the -extreme jealousy with which they regarded his proceedings. "I told them -my plan," he says, "and gave the best pretexts I could, and I succeeded -in my attempt."[120] More fortunate than La Motte, he persuaded them to -consent to his carrying arms and ammunition by the Niagara portage, -building a vessel above the cataract, and establishing a fortified -warehouse at the mouth of the river. - -[Sidenote: JEALOUSIES.] - -This success was followed by a calamity. La Salle had gone up the -Niagara to find a suitable place for a ship-yard, when he learned that -the pilot in charge of the vessel he had left had disobeyed his orders, -and ended by wrecking it on the coast. Little was saved except the -anchors and cables destined for the new vessel to be built above the -cataract. This loss threw him into extreme perplexity, and, as Hennepin -says, "would have made anybody but him give up the enterprise."[121] The -whole party were now gathered at the palisaded house which La Motte had -built, a little below the mountain ridge of Lewiston. They were a motley -crew of French, Flemings, and Italians, all mutually jealous. La Salle's -enemies had tampered with some of the men; and none of them seemed to -have had much heart for the enterprise. The fidelity even of La Motte -was doubtful. "He served me very ill," says La Salle; "and Messieurs de -Tonty and de la Forest knew that he did his best to debauch all my -men."[122] His health soon failed under the hardships of these winter -journeyings, and he returned to Fort Frontenac, half-blinded by an -inflammation of the eyes.[123] La Salle, seldom happy in the choice of -subordinates, had, perhaps, in all his company but one man whom he could -fully trust; and this was Tonty. He and Hennepin were on indifferent -terms. Men thrown together in a rugged enterprise like this quickly -learn to know each other; and the vain and assuming friar was not likely -to commend himself to La Salle's brave and loyal lieutenant. Hennepin -says that it was La Salle's policy to govern through the dissensions of -his followers; and, from whatever cause, it is certain that those -beneath him were rarely in perfect harmony. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[104] Hennepin, _Description de la Louisiane_ (1683), 19; Ibid., _Voyage -Curieux_ (1704), 66. Ribourde had lately arrived. - -[105] _Lettre de La Motte de la Lussiere, sans date; Relation de Henri -de Tonty ecrite de Quebec, le 14 Novembre, 1684_ (Margry, i. 573). This -paper, apparently addressed to Abbe Renaudot, is entirely distinct from -Tonty's memoir of 1693, addressed to the minister Ponchartrain. - -[106] Hennepin, _Nouvelle Decouverte_ (1697), 8. - -[107] Ibid., _Avant Propos_, 5. - -[108] Ibid., _Voyage Curieux_ (1704), 12. - -[109] Hennepin, _Voyage Curieux_ (1704), 18. - -[110] Ibid. _Avis au Lecteur._ He elsewhere represents himself as on -excellent terms with La Salle; with whom, he says, he used to read -histories of travels at Fort Frontenac, after which they discussed -together their plans of discovery. - -[111] This was the _Racines Agnieres_ of Bruyas. It was published by Mr. -Shea in 1862. Hennepin seems to have studied it carefully; for on -several occasions he makes use of words evidently borrowed from it, -putting them into the mouths of Indians speaking a dialect different -from that of the Agniers, or Mohawks. - -[112] Compare Brodhead in _Hist. Mag._, x. 268. - -[113] "Une enterprise capable d'epouvanter tout autre que -moi."--Hennepin, _Voyage Curieux, Avant Propos_ (1704). - -[114] "Je vous proteste ici devant Dieu, que ma Relation est fidele et -sincere," etc.--Ibid., _Avis au Lecteur_. - -[115] The nature of these fabrications will be shown hereafter. They -occur, not in the early editions of Hennepin's narrative, which are -comparatively truthful, but in the edition of 1697 and those which -followed. La Salle was dead at the time of their publication. - -[116] This place is laid down on a manuscript map sent to France by the -Intendant Duchesneau, and now preserved in the Archives de la Marine, -and also on several other contemporary maps. - -[117] Hennepin's account of the falls and river of Niagara--especially -his second account, on his return from the West--is very minute, and on -the whole very accurate. He indulges in gross exaggeration as to the -height of the cataract, which, in the edition of 1683, he states at five -hundred feet, and raises to six hundred in that of 1697. He also says -that there was room for four carriages to pass abreast under the -American Fall without being wet. This is, of course, an exaggeration at -the best; but it is extremely probable that a great change has taken -place since his time. He speaks of a small lateral fall at the west side -of the Horse Shoe Fall which does not now exist. Table Rock, now -destroyed, is distinctly figured in his picture. He says that he -descended the cliffs on the west side to the foot of the cataract, but -that no human being can get down on the east side. - -The name of Niagara, written _Onguiaahra_ by Lalemant in 1641, and -_Ongiara_ by Sanson, on his map of 1657, is used by Hennepin in its -present form. His description of the falls is the earliest known to -exist. They are clearly indicated on the map of Champlain, 1632. For -early references to them, see "The Jesuits in North America," 235, -_note_. A brief but curious notice of them is given by Gendron, -_Quelques Particularitez du Pays des Hurons_, 1659. The indefatigable -Dr. O'Callaghan has discovered thirty-nine distinct forms of the name -Niagara. _Index to Colonial Documents of New York_, 465. It is of -Iroquois origin, and in the Mohawk dialect is pronounced Nyagarah. - -[118] Tonty, _Relation_, 1684 (Margry, i. 573). - -[119] Near the town of Victor. It is laid down on the map of Galinee, -and other unpublished maps. Compare Marshall, _Historical Sketches of -the Niagara Frontier_, 14. - -[120] _Lettre de La Salle a un de ses associes_ (Margry, ii. 32). - -[121] _Description de la Louisiane_ (1683), 41. It is characteristic of -Hennepin that, in the editions of his book published after La Salle's -death, he substitutes, for "anybody but him," "anybody but those who had -formed so generous a design,"--meaning to include himself, though he -lost nothing by the disaster, and had not formed the design. - -On these incidents, compare the two narratives of Tonty, of 1684 and -1693. The book bearing Tonty's name is a compilation full of errors. He -disowned its authorship. - -[122] _Lettre de La Salle, 22 Aout, 1682_ (Margry, ii. 212). - -[123] _Lettre de La Motte, sans date._ - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -1679. - -THE LAUNCH OF THE "GRIFFIN." - - The Niagara Portage.--A Vessel on the Stocks.--Suffering and - Discontent.--La Salle's Winter Journey.--The Vessel - launched.--Fresh Disasters. - - -[Sidenote: THE NIAGARA PORTAGE.] - -A more important work than that of the warehouse at the mouth of the -river was now to be begun. This was the building of a vessel above the -cataract. The small craft which had brought La Motte and Hennepin with -their advance party had been hauled to the foot of the rapids at -Lewiston, and drawn ashore with a capstan, to save her from the drifting -ice. Her lading was taken out, and must now be carried beyond the -cataract to the calm water above. The distance to the destined point was -at least twelve miles, and the steep heights above Lewiston must first -be climbed. This heavy task was accomplished on the twenty-second of -January. The level of the plateau was reached, and the file of burdened -men, some thirty in number, toiled slowly on its way over the snowy -plains and through the gloomy forests of spruce and naked oak-trees; -while Hennepin plodded through the drifts with his portable altar -lashed fast to his back. They came at last to the mouth of a stream -which entered the Niagara two leagues above the cataract, and which was -undoubtedly that now called Cayuga Creek.[124] - -Trees were felled, the place cleared, and the master-carpenter set his -ship-builders at work. Meanwhile, two Mohegan hunters, attached to the -party, made bark wigwams to lodge the men. Hennepin had his chapel, -apparently of the same material, where he placed his altar, and on -Sundays and saints' days said mass, preached, and exhorted; while some -of the men, who knew the Gregorian chant, lent their aid at the service. -When the carpenters were ready to lay the keel of the vessel, La Salle -asked the friar to drive the first bolt; "but the modesty of my -religious profession," he says, "compelled me to decline this honor." - -Fortunately, it was the hunting-season of the Iroquois, and most of the -Seneca warriors were in the forests south of Lake Erie; yet enough -remained to cause serious uneasiness. They loitered sullenly about the -place, expressing their displeasure at the proceedings of the French. -One of them, pretending to be drunk, attacked the blacksmith and tried -to kill him; but the Frenchman, brandishing a red-hot bar of iron, held -him at bay till Hennepin ran to the rescue, when, as he declares, the -severity of his rebuke caused the savage to desist.[125] The work of the -ship-builders advanced rapidly; and when the Indian visitors beheld the -vast ribs of the wooden monster, their jealousy was redoubled. A squaw -told the French that they meant to burn the vessel on the stocks. All -now stood anxiously on the watch. Cold, hunger, and discontent found -imperfect antidotes in Tonty's energy and Hennepin's sermons. - -[Sidenote: SUFFERING AND DISCONTENT.] - -La Salle was absent, and his lieutenant commanded in his place. Hennepin -says that Tonty was jealous because he, the friar, kept a journal, and -that he was forced to use all manner of just precautions to prevent the -Italian from seizing it. The men, being half-starved, in consequence of -the loss of their provisions on Lake Ontario, were restless and moody; -and their discontent was fomented by one of their number, who had very -probably been tampered with by La Salle's enemies.[126] The Senecas -refused to supply them with corn, and the frequent exhortations of the -Recollet father proved an insufficient substitute. In this extremity, -the two Mohegans did excellent service,--bringing deer and other game, -which relieved the most pressing wants of the party, and went far to -restore their cheerfulness. - -La Salle, meanwhile, had gone down to the mouth of the river, with a -sergeant and a number of men; and here, on the high point of land where -Fort Niagara now stands, he marked out the foundations of two -blockhouses.[127] Then, leaving his men to build them, he set out on -foot for Fort Frontenac, where the condition of his affairs demanded his -presence, and where he hoped to procure supplies to replace those lost -in the wreck of his vessel. It was February, and the distance was some -two hundred and fifty miles, through the snow-encumbered forests of the -Iroquois and over the ice of Lake Ontario. Two men attended him, and a -dog dragged his baggage on a sledge. For food, they had only a bag of -parched corn, which failed them two days before they reached the fort; -and they made the rest of the journey fasting. - -[Sidenote: THE SHIP FINISHED.] - -During his absence, Tonty finished the vessel, which was of about -forty-five tons' burden.[128] As spring opened, she was ready for -launching. The friar pronounced his blessing on her; the assembled -company sang _Te Deum_; cannon were fired; and French and Indians, -warmed alike by a generous gift of brandy, shouted and yelped in chorus -as she glided into the Niagara. Her builders towed her out and anchored -her in the stream, safe at last from incendiary hands; and then, -swinging their hammocks under her deck, slept in peace, beyond reach of -the tomahawk. The Indians gazed on her with amazement. Five small cannon -looked out from her portholes; and on her prow was carved a portentous -monster, the Griffin, whose name she bore, in honor of the armorial -bearings of Frontenac. La Salle had often been heard to say that he -would make the griffin fly above the crows, or, in other words, make -Frontenac triumph over the Jesuits. - -They now took her up the river, and made her fast below the swift -current at Black Rock. Here they finished her equipment, and waited for -La Salle's return; but the absent commander did not appear. The spring -and more than half of the summer had passed before they saw him again. -At length, early in August, he arrived at the mouth of the Niagara, -bringing three more friars; for, though no friend of the Jesuits, he was -zealous for the Faith, and was rarely without a missionary in his -journeyings. Like Hennepin, the three friars were all Flemings. One of -them, Melithon Watteau, was to remain at Niagara; the others, Zenobe -Membre and Gabriel Ribourde, were to preach the Faith among the tribes -of the West. Ribourde was a hale and cheerful old man of sixty-four. He -went four times up and down the Lewiston heights, while the men were -climbing the steep pathway with their loads. It required four of them, -well stimulated with brandy, to carry up the principal anchor destined -for the "Griffin." - -La Salle brought a tale of disaster. His enemies, bent on ruining the -enterprise, had given out that he was embarked on a harebrained venture, -from which he would never return. His creditors, excited by rumors set -afloat to that end, had seized on all his property in the settled parts -of Canada, though his seigniory of Fort Frontenac alone would have more -than sufficed to pay all his debts. There was no remedy. To defer the -enterprise would have been to give his adversaries the triumph that they -sought; and he hardened himself against the blow with his usual -stoicism.[129] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[124] It has been a matter of debate on which side of the Niagara the -first vessel on the Upper Lakes was built. A close study of Hennepin, -and a careful examination of the localities, have convinced me that the -spot was that indicated above. Hennepin repeatedly alludes to a large -detached rock, rising out of the water at the foot of the rapids above -Lewiston, on the west side of the river. This rock may still be seen -immediately under the western end of the Lewiston suspension-bridge. -Persons living in the neighborhood remember that a ferry-boat used to -pass between it and the cliffs of the western shore; but it has since -been undermined by the current and has inclined in that direction, so -that a considerable part of it is submerged, while the gravel and earth -thrown down from the cliff during the building of the bridge has filled -the intervening channel. Opposite to this rock, and on the east side of -the river, says Hennepin, are three mountains, about two leagues below -the cataract. (_Nouveau Voyage_ (1704), 462, 466.) To these "three -mountains," as well as to the rock, he frequently alludes. They are also -spoken of by La Hontan, who clearly indicates their position. They -consist in the three successive grades of the acclivity: first, that -which rises from the level of the water, forming the steep and lofty -river-bank; next, an intermediate ascent, crowned by a sort of terrace, -where the tired men could find a second resting-place and lay down their -burdens, whence a third effort carried them with difficulty to the level -top of the plateau. That this was the actual "portage," or carrying -place of the travellers, is shown by Hennepin (1704), 114, who describes -the carrying of anchors and other heavy articles up these heights in -August, 1679. La Hontan also passed the Falls by way of the "three -mountains" eight years later. La Hontan (1703), 106. It is clear, then, -that the portage was on the east side, whence it would be safe to -conclude that the vessel was built on the same side. Hennepin says that -she was built at the mouth of a stream (_riviere_) entering the Niagara -two leagues above the Falls. Excepting one or two small brooks, there is -no stream on the west side but Chippewa Creek, which Hennepin had -visited and correctly placed at about a league from the cataract. His -distances on the Niagara are usually correct. On the east side there is -a stream which perfectly answers the conditions. This is Cayuga Creek, -two leagues above the Falls. Immediately in front of it is an island -about a mile long, separated from the shore by a narrow and deep arm of -the Niagara, into which Cayuga Creek discharges itself. The place is so -obviously suited to building and launching a vessel, that, in the early -part of this century, the government of the United States chose it for -the construction of a schooner to carry supplies to the garrisons of the -Upper Lakes. The neighboring village now bears the name of La Salle. - -In examining this and other localities on the Niagara, I have been -greatly aided by my friend O. H. Marshall, Esq., of Buffalo, who is -unrivalled in his knowledge of the history and traditions of the Niagara -frontier. - -[125] Hennepin (1704), 97. On a paper drawn up at the instance of the -Intendant Duchesneau, the names of the greater number of La Salle's men -are preserved. These agree with those given by Hennepin: thus, the -master-carpenter, whom he calls Maitre Moyse, appears as Moise Hillaret; -and the blacksmith, whom he calls La Forge, is mentioned as--(illegible) -dit la Forge. - -[126] "This bad man," says Hennepin, "would infallibly have debauched -our workmen, if I had not reassured them by the exhortations which I -made them on fete-days and Sundays, after divine service." (1704), 98. - -[127] _Lettre de La Salle, 22 Aout, 1682_ (Margry, ii. 229); _Relation -de Tonty_, 1684 (Ibid., i. 577). He called this new post Fort Conti. It -was burned some months after, by the carelessness of the sergeant in -command, and was the first of a succession of forts on this historic -spot. - -[128] Hennepin (1683), 46. In the edition of 1697, he says that it was -of sixty tons. I prefer to follow the earlier and more trustworthy -narrative. - -[129] La Salle's embarrassment at this time was so great that he -purposed to send Tonty up the lakes in the "Griffin," while he went back -to the colony to look after his affairs; but suspecting that the pilot, -who had already wrecked one of his vessels, was in the pay of his -enemies, he resolved at last to take charge of the expedition himself, -to prevent a second disaster. (_Lettre de La Salle, 22 Aout, 1682_; -Margry, ii. 214.) Among the creditors who bore hard upon him were -Migeon, Charon, Giton, and Peloquin, of Montreal, in whose name his furs -at Fort Frontenac had been seized. The intendant also placed under seal -all his furs at Quebec, among which is set down the not very precious -item of two hundred and eighty-four skins of _enfants du diable_, or -skunks. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -1679. - -LA SALLE ON THE UPPER LAKES. - - The Voyage of the "Griffin."--Detroit.--A Storm.--St. Ignace of - Michilimackinac.--Rivals and Enemies.--Lake - Michigan.--Hardships.--A Threatened Fight.--Fort Miami.--Tonty's - Misfortunes.--Forebodings. - - -The "Griffin" had lain moored by the shore, so near that Hennepin could -preach on Sundays from the deck to the men encamped along the bank. She -was now forced up against the current with tow-ropes and sails, till she -reached the calm entrance of Lake Erie. On the seventh of August, La -Salle and his followers embarked, sang _Te Deum_, and fired their -cannon. A fresh breeze sprang up; and with swelling canvas the "Griffin" -ploughed the virgin waves of Lake Erie, where sail was never seen -before. For three days they held their course over these unknown waters, -and on the fourth turned northward into the Strait of Detroit. Here, on -the right hand and on the left, lay verdant prairies, dotted with groves -and bordered with lofty forests. They saw walnut, chestnut, and wild -plum trees, and oaks festooned with grape-vines; herds of deer, and -flocks of swans and wild turkeys. The bulwarks of the "Griffin" were -plentifully hung with game which the men killed on shore, and among the -rest with a number of bears, much commended by Hennepin for their want -of ferocity and the excellence of their flesh. "Those," he says, "who -will one day have the happiness to possess this fertile and pleasant -strait, will be very much obliged to those who have shown them the way." -They crossed Lake St. Clair,[130] and still sailed northward against the -current, till now, sparkling in the sun, Lake Huron spread before them -like a sea. - -[Sidenote: ST. IGNACE.] - -For a time they bore on prosperously. Then the wind died to a calm, then -freshened to a gale, then rose to a furious tempest; and the vessel -tossed wildly among the short, steep, perilous waves of the raging lake. -Even La Salle called on his followers to commend themselves to Heaven. -All fell to their prayers but the godless pilot, who was loud in -complaint against his commander for having brought him, after the honor -he had won on the ocean, to drown at last ignominiously in fresh water. -The rest clamored to the saints. St. Anthony of Padua was promised a -chapel to be built in his honor, if he would but save them from their -jeopardy; while in the same breath La Salle and the friars declared him -patron of their great enterprise.[131] The saint heard their prayers. -The obedient winds were tamed; and the "Griffin" plunged on her way -through foaming surges that still grew calmer as she advanced. Now the -sun shone forth on woody islands, Bois Blanc and Mackinaw and the -distant Manitoulins,--on the forest wastes of Michigan and the vast blue -bosom of the angry lake; and now her port was won, and she found her -rest behind the point of St. Ignace of Michilimackinac, floating in that -tranquil cove where crystal waters cover but cannot hide the pebbly -depths beneath. Before her rose the house and chapel of the Jesuits, -enclosed with palisades; on the right, the Huron village, with its bark -cabins and its fence of tall pickets; on the left, the square compact -houses of the French traders; and, not far off, the clustered wigwams of -an Ottawa village.[132] Here was a centre of the Jesuit missions, and a -centre of the Indian trade; and here, under the shadow of the cross, was -much sharp practice in the service of Mammon. Keen traders, with or -without a license, and lawless _coureurs de bois_, whom a few years of -forest life had weaned from civilization, made St. Ignace their resort; -and here there were many of them when the "Griffin" came. They and their -employers hated and feared La Salle, who, sustained as he was by the -governor, might set at nought the prohibition of the King, debarring him -from traffic with these tribes. Yet, while plotting against him, they -took pains to allay his distrust by a show of welcome. - -The "Griffin" fired her cannon, and the Indians yelped in wonder and -amazement. The adventurers landed in state, and marched under arms to -the bark chapel of the Ottawa village, where they heard mass. La Salle -knelt before the altar, in a mantle of scarlet bordered with gold. -Soldiers, sailors, and artisans knelt around him,--black Jesuits, gray -Recollets, swarthy _voyageurs_, and painted savages; a devout but motley -concourse. - -As they left the chapel, the Ottawa chiefs came to bid them welcome, and -the Hurons saluted them with a volley of musketry. They saw the -"Griffin" at her anchorage, surrounded by more than a hundred bark -canoes, like a Triton among minnows. Yet it was with more wonder than -good-will that the Indians of the mission gazed on the "floating fort," -for so they called the vessel. A deep jealousy of La Salle's designs had -been infused into them. His own followers, too, had been tampered with. -In the autumn before, it may be remembered, he had sent fifteen men up -the lakes to trade for him, with orders to go thence to the Illinois and -make preparation against his coming. Early in the summer, Tonty had been -despatched in a canoe from Niagara to look after them.[133] It was high -time. Most of the men had been seduced from their duty, and had -disobeyed their orders, squandered the goods intrusted to them, or used -them in trading on their own account. La Salle found four of them at -Michilimackinac. These he arrested, and sent Tonty to the Falls of Ste. -Marie, where two others were captured, with their plunder. The rest were -in the woods, and it was useless to pursue them. - -[Sidenote: RIVALS AND ENEMIES.] - -Anxious and troubled as to the condition of his affairs in Canada. La -Salle had meant, after seeing his party safe at Michilimackinac, to -leave Tonty to conduct it to the Illinois, while he himself returned to -the colony. But Tonty was still at Ste. Marie, and he had none to trust -but himself. Therefore, he resolved at all risks to remain with his men; -"for," he says, "I judged my presence absolutely necessary to retain -such of them as were left me, and prevent them from being enticed away -during the winter." Moreover, he thought that he had detected an -intrigue of his enemies to hound on the Iroquois against the Illinois, -in order to defeat his plan by involving him in the war. - -Early in September he set sail again, and passing westward into Lake -Michigan,[134] cast anchor near one of the islands at the entrance of -Green Bay. Here, for once, he found a friend in the person of a -Pottawattamie chief, who had been so wrought upon by the politic -kindness of Frontenac that he declared himself ready to die for the -children of Onontio.[135] Here, too, he found several of his advance -party, who had remained faithful and collected a large store of furs. It -would have been better had they proved false, like the rest. La Salle, -who asked counsel of no man, resolved, in spite of his followers, to -send back the "Griffin" laden with these furs, and others collected on -the way, to satisfy his creditors.[136] It was a rash resolution, for it -involved trusting her to the pilot, who had already proved either -incompetent or treacherous. She fired a parting shot, and on the -eighteenth of September set sail for Niagara, with orders to return to -the head of Lake Michigan as soon as she had discharged her cargo. La -Salle, with the fourteen men who remained, in four canoes deeply laden -with a forge, tools, merchandise, and arms, put out from the island and -resumed his voyage. - -[Sidenote: POTTAWATTAMIES.] - -The parting was not auspicious. The lake, glassy and calm in the -afternoon, was convulsed at night with a sudden storm, when the canoes -were midway between the island and the main shore. It was with -difficulty that they could keep together, the men shouting to each -other through the darkness. Hennepin, who was in the smallest canoe with -a heavy load, and a carpenter for a companion who was awkward at the -paddle, found himself in jeopardy which demanded all his nerve. The -voyagers thought themselves happy when they gained at last the shelter -of a little sandy cove, where they dragged up their canoes, and made -their cheerless bivouac in the drenched and dripping forest. Here they -spent five days, living on pumpkins and Indian corn, the gift of their -Pottawattamie friends, and on a Canada porcupine brought in by La -Salle's Mohegan hunter. The gale raged meanwhile with relentless fury. -They trembled when they thought of the "Griffin." When at length the -tempest lulled, they re-embarked, and steered southward along the shore -of Wisconsin; but again the storm fell upon them, and drove them for -safety to a bare, rocky islet. Here they made a fire of drift-wood, -crouched around it, drew their blankets over their heads, and in this -miserable plight, pelted with sleet and rain, remained for two days. - -At length they were afloat again; but their prosperity was brief. On the -twenty-eighth, a fierce squall drove them to a point of rocks covered -with bushes, where they consumed the little that remained of their -provisions. On the first of October they paddled about thirty miles, -without food, when they came to a village of Pottawattamies, who ran -down to the shore to help them to land; but La Salle, fearing that some -of his men would steal the merchandise and desert to the Indians, -insisted on going three leagues farther, to the great indignation of his -followers. The lake, swept by an easterly gale, was rolling its waves -against the beach, like the ocean in a storm. In the attempt to land, La -Salle's canoe was nearly swamped. He and his three canoe-men leaped into -the water, and in spite of the surf, which nearly drowned them, dragged -their vessel ashore with all its load. He then went to the rescue of -Hennepin, who with his awkward companion was in woful need of succor. -Father Gabriel, with his sixty-four years, was no match for the surf and -the violent undertow. Hennepin, finding himself safe, waded to his -relief, and carried him ashore on his sturdy shoulders; while the old -friar, though drenched to the skin, laughed gayly under his cowl as his -brother missionary staggered with him up the beach.[137] - -When all were safe ashore, La Salle, who distrusted the Indians they had -passed, took post on a hill, and ordered his followers to prepare their -guns for action. Nevertheless, as they were starving, an effort must be -risked to gain a supply of food; and he sent three men back to the -village to purchase it. Well armed, but faint with toil and famine, they -made their way through the stormy forest bearing a pipe of peace, but on -arriving saw that the scared inhabitants had fled. They found, however, -a stock of corn, of which they took a portion, leaving goods in -exchange, and then set out on their return. - -Meanwhile, about twenty of the warriors, armed with bows and arrows, -approached the camp of the French to reconnoitre. La Salle went to meet -them with some of his men, opened a parley with them, and kept them -seated at the foot of the hill till his three messengers returned, when -on seeing the peace-pipe the warriors set up a cry of joy. In the -morning they brought more corn to the camp, with a supply of fresh -venison, not a little cheering to the exhausted Frenchmen, who, in dread -of treachery, had stood under arms all night. - -[Sidenote: HARDSHIPS.] - -This was no journey of pleasure. The lake was ruffled with almost -ceaseless storms; clouds big with rain above, a turmoil of gray and -gloomy waves beneath. Every night the canoes must be shouldered through -the breakers and dragged up the steep banks, which, as they neared the -site of Milwaukee, became almost insurmountable. The men paddled all -day, with no other food than a handful of Indian corn. They were spent -with toil, sick with the haws and wild berries which they ravenously -devoured, and dejected at the prospect before them. Father Gabriel's -good spirits began to fail. He fainted several times from famine and -fatigue, but was revived by a certain "confection of Hyacinth" -administered by Hennepin, who had a small box of this precious specific. - -At length they descried at a distance, on the stormy shore, two or three -eagles among a busy congregation of crows or turkey buzzards. They -paddled in all haste to the spot. The feasters took flight; and the -starved travellers found the mangled body of a deer, lately killed by -the wolves. This good luck proved the inauguration of plenty. As they -approached the head of the lake, game grew abundant; and, with the aid -of the Mohegan, there was no lack of bear's meat and venison. They found -wild grapes, too, in the woods, and gathered them by cutting down the -trees to which the vines clung. - -[Sidenote: ENCOUNTER WITH INDIANS.] - -While thus employed, they were startled by a sight often so fearful in -the waste and the wilderness,--the print of a human foot. It was clear -that Indians were not far off. A strict watch was kept, not, as it -proved, without cause; for that night, while the sentry thought of -little but screening himself and his gun from the floods of rain, a -party of Outagamies crept under the bank, where they lurked for some -time before he discovered them. Being challenged, they came forward, -professing great friendship, and pretending to have mistaken the French -for Iroquois. In the morning, however, there was an outcry from La -Salle's servant, who declared that the visitors had stolen his coat from -under the inverted canoe where he had placed it; while some of the -carpenters also complained of being robbed. La Salle well knew that if -the theft were left unpunished, worse would come of it. First, he posted -his men at the woody point of a peninsula, whose sandy neck was -interposed between them and the main forest. Then he went forth, pistol -in hand, met a young Outagami, seized him, and led him prisoner to his -camp. This done, he again set out, and soon found an Outagami -chief,--for the wigwams were not far distant,--to whom he told what he -had done, adding that unless the stolen goods were restored, the -prisoner should be killed. The Indians were in perplexity, for they had -cut the coat to pieces and divided it. In this dilemma they resolved, -being strong in numbers, to rescue their comrade by force. Accordingly, -they came down to the edge of the forest, or posted themselves behind -fallen trees on the banks, while La Salle's men in their stronghold -braced their nerves for the fight. Here three Flemish friars with their -rosaries, and eleven Frenchmen with their guns, confronted a hundred and -twenty screeching Outagamies. Hennepin, who had seen service, and who -had always an exhortation at his tongue's end, busied himself to inspire -the rest with a courage equal to his own. Neither party, however, had an -appetite for the fray. A parley ensued: full compensation was made for -the stolen goods, and the aggrieved Frenchmen were farther propitiated -with a gift of beaver-skins. - -Their late enemies, now become friends, spent the next day in dances, -feasts, and speeches. They entreated La Salle not to advance farther, -since the Illinois, through whose country he must pass, would be sure to -kill him; for, added these friendly counsellors, they hated the French -because they had been instigating the Iroquois to invade their country, -Here was another subject of anxiety. La Salle was confirmed in his -belief that his busy and unscrupulous enemies were intriguing for his -destruction. - -He pushed on, however, circling around the southern shore of Lake -Michigan, till he reached the mouth of the St. Joseph, called by him the -Miamis. Here Tonty was to have rejoined him with twenty men, making his -way from Michilimackinac along the eastern shore of the lake; but the -rendezvous was a solitude,--Tonty was nowhere to be seen. It was the -first of November; winter was at hand, and the streams would soon be -frozen. The men clamored to go forward, urging that they should starve -if they could not reach the villages of the Illinois before the tribe -scattered for the winter hunt. La Salle was inexorable. If they should -all desert, he said, he, with his Mohegan hunter and the three friars, -would still remain and wait for Tonty. The men grumbled, but obeyed; -and, to divert their thoughts, he set them at building a fort of timber -on a rising ground at the mouth of the river. - -They had spent twenty days at this task, and their work was well -advanced, when at length Tonty appeared. He brought with him only half -of his men. Provisions had failed; and the rest of his party had been -left thirty leagues behind, to sustain themselves by hunting. La Salle -told him to return and hasten them forward. He set out with two men. A -violent north wind arose. He tried to run his canoe ashore through the -breakers. The two men could not manage their vessel, and he with his one -hand could not help them. She swamped, rolling over in the surf. Guns, -baggage, and provisions were lost; and the three voyagers returned to -the Miamis, subsisting on acorns by the way. Happily, the men left -behind, excepting two deserters, succeeded, a few days after, in -rejoining the party.[138] - -[Sidenote: FOREBODINGS.] - -Thus was one heavy load lifted from the heart of La Salle. But where was -the "Griffin"? Time enough, and more than enough, had passed for her -voyage to Niagara and back again. He scanned the dreary horizon with an -anxious eye. No returning sail gladdened the watery solitude, and a dark -foreboding gathered on his heart. Yet further delay was impossible. He -sent back two men to Michilimackinac to meet her, if she still existed, -and pilot her to his new fort of the Miamis, and then prepared to ascend -the river, whose weedy edges were already glassed with thin flakes of -ice.[139] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[130] They named it Sainte Claire, of which the present name is a -perversion. - -[131] Hennepin (1683), 58. - -[132] There is a rude plan of the establishment in La Hontan, though in -several editions its value is destroyed by the reversal of the plate. - -[133] _Relation de Tonty, 1684; Ibid., 1693_. He was overtaken at the -Detroit by the "Griffin." - -[134] Then usually known as Lac des Illinois, because it gave access to -the country of the tribes so called. Three years before, Allouez gave it -the name of Lac St. Joseph, by which it is often designated by the early -writers. Membre, Douay, and others, call it Lac Dauphin. - -[135] "The Great Mountain," the Iroquois name for the governor of -Canada. It was borrowed by other tribes also. - -[136] In the license of discovery granted to La Salle, he is expressly -prohibited from trading with the Ottawas and others who brought furs to -Montreal. This traffic on the lakes was, therefore, illicit. His enemy, -the Intendant Duchesneau, afterwards used this against him. _Lettre de -Duchesneau au Ministre, 10 Nov., 1680._ - -[137] Hennepin (1683), 79. - -[138] Hennepin (1683), 112; _Relation de Tonty_, 1693. - -[139] The official account of this journey is given at length in the -_Relation des Decouvertes et des Voyages du Sieur de la Salle_, -1679-1681. This valuable document, compiled from letters and diaries of -La Salle, early in the year 1682, was known to Hennepin, who evidently -had a copy of it before him when he wrote his book, in which he -incorporated many passages from it. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -1679, 1680. - -LA SALLE ON THE ILLINOIS. - - The St. Joseph.--Adventure of La Salle.--The - Prairies.--Famine.--The Great Town of the - Illinois.--Indians.--Intrigues.--Difficulties.--Policy of la - Salle.--Desertion.--Another Attempt to poison La Salle. - - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S ADVENTURE.] - -On the third of December the party re-embarked, thirty-three in all, in -eight canoes,[140] and ascended the chill current of the St. Joseph, -bordered with dreary meadows and bare gray forests. When they approached -the site of the present village of South Bend, they looked anxiously -along the shore on their right to find the portage or path leading to -the headquarters of the Illinois. The Mohegan was absent, hunting; and, -unaided by his practised eye, they passed the path without seeing it. La -Salle landed to search the woods. Hours passed, and he did not return. -Hennepin and Tonty grew uneasy, disembarked, bivouacked, ordered guns to -be fired, and sent out men to scour the country. Night came, but not -their lost leader. Muffled in their blankets and powdered by the -thick-falling snow-flakes, they sat ruefully speculating as to what had -befallen him; nor was it till four o'clock of the next afternoon that -they saw him approaching along the margin of the river. His face and -hands were besmirched with charcoal; and he was further decorated with -two opossums which hung from his belt, and which he had killed with a -stick as they were swinging head downwards from the bough of a tree, -after the fashion of that singular beast. He had missed his way in the -forest, and had been forced to make a wide circuit around the edge of a -swamp; while the snow, of which the air was full, added to his -perplexities. Thus he pushed on through the rest of the day and the -greater part of the night, till, about two o'clock in the morning, he -reached the river again, and fired his gun as a signal to his party. -Hearing no answering shot, he pursued his way along the bank, when he -presently saw the gleam of a fire among the dense thickets close at -hand. Not doubting that he had found the bivouac of his party, he -hastened to the spot. To his surprise, no human being was to be seen. -Under a tree beside the fire was a heap of dry grass impressed with the -form of a man who must have fled but a moment before, for his couch was -still warm. It was no doubt an Indian, ambushed on the bank, watching to -kill some passing enemy. La Salle called out in several Indian -languages; but there was dead silence all around. He then, with -admirable coolness, took possession of the quarters he had found, -shouting to their invisible proprietor that he was about to sleep in -his bed; piled a barricade of bushes around the spot, rekindled the -dying fire, warmed his benumbed hands, stretched himself on the dried -grass, and slept undisturbed till morning. - -The Mohegan had rejoined the party before La Salle's return, and with -his aid the portage was soon found. Here the party encamped. La Salle, -who was excessively fatigued, occupied, together with Hennepin, a wigwam -covered in the Indian manner with mats of reeds. The cold forced them to -kindle a fire, which before daybreak set the mats in a blaze; and the -two sleepers narrowly escaped being burned along with their hut. - -[Sidenote: THE KANKAKEE.] - -In the morning, the party shouldered their canoes and baggage and began -their march for the sources of the river Illinois, some five miles -distant. Around them stretched a desolate plain, half-covered with snow -and strewn with the skulls and bones of buffalo; while, on its farthest -verge, they could see the lodges of the Miami Indians, who had made this -place their abode. As they filed on their way, a man named Duplessis, -bearing a grudge against La Salle, who walked just before him, raised -his gun to shoot him through the back, but was prevented by one of his -comrades. They soon reached a spot where the oozy, saturated soil quaked -beneath their tread. All around were clumps of alder-bushes, tufts of -rank grass, and pools of glistening water. In the midst a dark and lazy -current, which a tall man might bestride, crept twisting like a snake -among the weeds and rushes. Here were the sources of the Kankakee, one -of the heads of the Illinois.[141] They set their canoes on this thread -of water, embarked their baggage and themselves, and pushed down the -sluggish streamlet, looking, at a little distance, like men who sailed -on land. Fed by an unceasing tribute of the spongy soil, it quickly -widened to a river; and they floated on their way through a voiceless, -lifeless solitude of dreary oak barrens, or boundless marshes overgrown -with reeds. At night, they built their fire on ground made firm by -frost, and bivouacked among the rushes. A few days brought them to a -more favored region. On the right hand and on the left stretched the -boundless prairie, dotted with leafless groves and bordered by gray -wintry forests, scorched by the fires kindled in the dried grass by -Indian hunters, and strewn with the carcasses and the bleached skulls of -innumerable buffalo. The plains were scored with their pathways, and the -muddy edges of the river were full of their hoof-prints. Yet not one was -to be seen. At night, the horizon glowed with distant fires; and by day -the savage hunters could be descried at times roaming on the verge of -the prairie. The men, discontented and half-starved, would have deserted -to them had they dared. La Salle's Mohegan could kill no game except two -lean deer, with a few wild geese and swans. At length, in their straits, -they made a happy discovery. It was a buffalo bull, fast mired in a -slough. They killed him, lashed a cable about him, and then twelve men -dragged out the shaggy monster, whose ponderous carcass demanded their -utmost efforts. - -The scene changed again as they descended. On either hand ran ranges of -woody hills, following the course of the river; and when they mounted to -their tops, they saw beyond them a rolling sea of dull green prairie, a -boundless pasture of the buffalo and the deer, in our own day strangely -transformed,--yellow in harvest-time with ripened wheat, and dotted with -the roofs of a hardy and valiant yeomanry.[142] - -[Sidenote: THE ILLINOIS TOWN.] - -They passed the site of the future town of Ottawa, and saw on their -right the high plateau of Buffalo Rock, long a favorite dwelling-place -of Indians. A league below, the river glided among islands bordered with -stately woods. Close on their left towered a lofty cliff,[143] crested -with trees that overhung the rippling current; while before them spread -the valley of the Illinois, in broad low meadows, bordered on the right -by the graceful hills at whose foot now lies the village of Utica. A -population far more numerous then tenanted the valley. Along the right -bank of the river were clustered the lodges of a great Indian town. -Hennepin counted four hundred and sixty of them.[144] In shape, they -were somewhat like the arched top of a baggage-wagon. They were built -of a framework of poles, covered with mats of rushes closely interwoven; -and each contained three or four fires, of which the greater part served -for two families. - -[Sidenote: HUNGER RELIEVED.] - -Here, then, was the town; but where were the inhabitants? All was silent -as the desert. The lodges were empty, the fires dead, and the ashes -cold. La Salle had expected this; for he knew that in the autumn the -Illinois always left their towns for their winter hunting, and that the -time of their return had not yet come. Yet he was not the less -embarrassed, for he would fain have bought a supply of food to relieve -his famished followers. Some of them, searching the deserted town, -presently found the _caches_, or covered pits, in which the Indians hid -their stock of corn. This was precious beyond measure in their eyes, and -to touch it would be a deep offence. La Salle shrank from provoking -their anger, which might prove the ruin of his plans; but his necessity -overcame his prudence, and he took thirty _minots_ of corn, hoping to -appease the owners by presents. Thus provided, the party embarked again, -and resumed their downward voyage. - -On New Year's Day, 1680, they landed and heard mass. Then Hennepin -wished a happy new year to La Salle first, and afterwards to all the -men, making them a speech, which, as he tells us, was "most -touching."[145] He and his two brethren next embraced the whole company -in turn, "in a manner," writes the father, "most tender and -affectionate," exhorting them, at the same time, to patience, faith, and -constancy. Four days after these solemnities, they reached the long -expansion of the river then called Pimitoui, and now known as Peoria -Lake, and leisurely made their way downward to the site of the city of -Peoria.[146] Here, as evening drew near, they saw a faint spire of -smoke curling above the gray forest, betokening that Indians were at -hand. La Salle, as we have seen, had been warned that these tribes had -been taught to regard him as their enemy; and when, in the morning, he -resumed his course, he was prepared alike for peace or war. - -The shores now approached each other; and the Illinois was once more a -river, bordered on either hand with overhanging woods.[147] - -At nine o'clock, doubling a point, he saw about eighty Illinois wigwams, -on both sides of the river. He instantly ordered the eight canoes to be -ranged in line, abreast, across the stream,--Tonty on the right, and he -himself on the left. The men laid down their paddles and seized their -weapons; while, in this warlike guise, the current bore them swiftly -into the midst of the surprised and astounded savages. The camps were in -a panic. Warriors whooped and howled; squaws and children screeched in -chorus. Some snatched their bows and war-clubs; some ran in terror; and, -in the midst of the hubbub, La Salle leaped ashore, followed by his men. -None knew better how to deal with Indians; and he made no sign of -friendship, knowing that it might be construed as a token of fear. His -little knot of Frenchmen stood, gun in hand, passive, yet prepared for -battle. The Indians, on their part, rallying a little from their -fright, made all haste to proffer peace. Two of their chiefs came -forward, holding out the calumet; while another began a loud harangue, -to check the young warriors who were aiming their arrows from the -farther bank. La Salle, responding to these friendly overtures, -displayed another calumet; while Hennepin caught several scared children -and soothed them with winning blandishments.[148] The uproar was -quelled; and the strangers were presently seated in the midst of the -camp, beset by a throng of wild and swarthy figures. - -[Sidenote: ILLINOIS HOSPITALITY.] - -Food was placed before them; and, as the Illinois code of courtesy -enjoined, their entertainers conveyed the morsels with their own hands -to the lips of these unenviable victims of their hospitality, while -others rubbed their feet with bear's grease. La Salle, on his part, made -them a gift of tobacco and hatchets; and when he had escaped from their -caresses, rose and harangued them. He told them that he had been forced -to take corn from their granaries, lest his men should die of hunger; -but he prayed them not to be offended, promising full restitution or -ample payment. He had come, he said, to protect them against their -enemies, and teach them to pray to the true God. As for the Iroquois, -they were subjects of the Great King, and therefore brethren of the -French; yet, nevertheless, should they begin a war and invade the -country of the Illinois, he would stand by them, give them guns, and -fight in their defence, if they would permit him to build a fort among -them for the security of his men. It was also, he added, his purpose to -build a great wooden canoe, in which to descend the Mississippi to the -sea, and then return, bringing them the goods of which they stood in -need; but if they would not consent to his plans and sell provisions to -his men, he would pass on to the Osages, who would then reap all the -benefits of intercourse with the French, while they were left destitute, -at the mercy of the Iroquois.[149] - -This threat had its effect, for it touched their deep-rooted jealousy of -the Osages. They were lavish of promises, and feasts and dances consumed -the day. Yet La Salle soon learned that the intrigues of his enemies -were still pursuing him. That evening, unknown to him, a stranger -appeared in the Illinois camp. He was a Mascoutin chief, named Monso, -attended by five or six Miamis, and bringing a gift of knives, hatchets, -and kettles to the Illinois.[150] The chiefs assembled in a secret -nocturnal session, where, smoking their pipes, they listened with open -ears to the harangue of the envoys. Monso told them that he had come in -behalf of certain Frenchmen, whom he named, to warn his hearers against -the designs of La Salle, whom he denounced as a partisan and spy of the -Iroquois, affirming that he was now on his way to stir up the tribes -beyond the Mississippi to join in a war against the Illinois, who, thus -assailed from the east and from the west, would be utterly destroyed. -There was no hope for them, he added, but in checking the farther -progress of La Salle, or, at least, retarding it, thus causing his men -to desert him. Having thrown his fire-brand, Monso and his party left -the camp in haste, dreading to be confronted with the object of their -aspersions.[151] - -[Sidenote: FRESH INTRIGUES.] - -In the morning, La Salle saw a change in the behavior of his hosts. They -looked on him askance, cold, sullen, and suspicious. There was one -Omawha, a chief, whose favor he had won the day before by the politic -gift of two hatchets and three knives, and who now came to him in secret -to tell him what had taken place at the nocturnal council. La Salle at -once saw in it a device of his enemies; and this belief was confirmed, -when, in the afternoon, Nicanope, brother of the head chief, sent to -invite the Frenchmen to a feast. They repaired to his lodge; but before -dinner was served,--that is to say, while the guests, white and red, -were seated on mats, each with his hunting-knife in his hand, and the -wooden bowl before him which was to receive his share of the bear's or -buffalo's meat, or the corn boiled in fat, with which he was to be -regaled,--while such was the posture of the company, their host arose -and began a long speech. He told the Frenchmen that he had invited them -to his lodge less to refresh their bodies with good cheer than to cure -their minds of the dangerous purpose which possessed them, of descending -the Mississippi. Its shores, he said, were beset by savage tribes, -against whose numbers and ferocity their valor would avail nothing; its -waters were infested by serpents, alligators, and unnatural monsters; -while the river itself, after raging among rocks and whirlpools, plunged -headlong at last into a fathomless gulf, which would swallow them and -their vessel forever. - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE AND THE INDIANS.] - -La Salle's men were for the most part raw hands, knowing nothing of the -wilderness, and easily alarmed at its dangers; but there were two among -them, old _coureurs de bois_, who unfortunately knew too much; for they -understood the Indian orator, and explained his speech to the rest. As -La Salle looked around on the circle of his followers, he read an augury -of fresh trouble in their disturbed and rueful visages. He waited -patiently, however, till the speaker had ended, and then answered him, -through his interpreter, with great composure. First, he thanked him for -the friendly warning which his affection had impelled him to utter; but, -he continued, the greater the danger, the greater the honor; and even -if the danger were real, Frenchmen would never flinch from it. But were -not the Illinois jealous? Had they not been deluded by lies? "We were -not asleep, my brother, when Monso came to tell you, under cover of -night, that we were spies of the Iroquois. The presents he gave you, -that you might believe his falsehoods, are at this moment buried in the -earth under this lodge. If he told the truth, why did he skulk away in -the dark? Why did he not show himself by day? Do you not see that when -we first came among you, and your camp was all in confusion, we could -have killed you without needing help from the Iroquois? And now, while I -am speaking, could we not put your old men to death, while your young -warriors are all gone away to hunt? If we meant to make war on you, we -should need no help from the Iroquois, who have so often felt the force -of our arms. Look at what we have brought you. It is not weapons to -destroy you, but merchandise and tools for your good. If you still -harbor evil thoughts of us, be frank as we are, and speak them boldly. -Go after this impostor Monso, and bring him back, that we may answer him -face to face; for he never saw either us or the Iroquois, and what can -he know of the plots that he pretends to reveal?"[152] Nicanope had -nothing to reply, and, grunting assent in the depths of his throat, -made a sign that the feast should proceed. - -The French were lodged in huts, near the Indian camp; and, fearing -treachery, La Salle placed a guard at night. On the morning after the -feast, he came out into the frosty air and looked about him for the -sentinels. Not one of them was to be seen. Vexed and alarmed, he entered -hut after hut and roused his drowsy followers. Six of the number, -including two of the best carpenters, were nowhere to be found. -Discontented and mutinous from the first, and now terrified by the -fictions of Nicanope, they had deserted, preferring the hardships of the -midwinter forest to the mysterious terrors of the Mississippi. La Salle -mustered the rest before him, and inveighed sternly against the -cowardice and baseness of those who had thus abandoned him, regardless -of his many favors. If any here, he added, are afraid, let them but wait -till the spring, and they shall have free leave to return to Canada, -safely and without dishonor.[153] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE AGAIN POISONED.] - -This desertion cut him to the heart. It showed him that he was leaning -on a broken reed; and he felt that, on an enterprise full of doubt and -peril, there were scarcely four men in his party whom he could trust. -Nor was desertion the worst he had to fear; for here, as at Fort -Frontenac, an attempt was made to kill him. Tonty tells us that poison -was placed in the pot in which their food was cooked, and that La Salle -was saved by an antidote which some of his friends had given him before -he left France. This, it will be remembered, was an epoch of poisoners. -It was in the following month that the notorious La Voisin was burned -alive, at Paris, for practices to which many of the highest nobility -were charged with being privy, not excepting some in whose veins ran the -blood of the gorgeous spendthrift who ruled the destinies of -France.[154] - -In these early French enterprises in the West, it was to the last degree -difficult to hold men to their duty. Once fairly in the wilderness, -completely freed from the sharp restraints of authority in which they -had passed their lives, a spirit of lawlessness broke out among them -with a violence proportioned to the pressure which had hitherto -controlled it. Discipline had no resources and no guarantee; while those -outlaws of the forest, the _coureurs de bois_, were always before their -eyes, a standing example of unbridled license. La Salle, eminently -skilful in his dealings with Indians, was rarely so happy with his own -countrymen; and yet the desertions from which he was continually -suffering were due far more to the inevitable difficulty of his position -than to any want of conduct on his part. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[140] _Lettre de Duchesneau a----, 10 Nov., 1680._ - -[141] The Kankakee was called at this time the Theakiki, or Haukiki -(Marest); a name which, as Charlevoix says, was afterwards corrupted by -the French to Kiakiki whence, probably, its present form. In La Salle's -time, the name "Theakiki" was given to the river Illinois through all -its course. It was also called the Riviere Seignelay, the Riviere des -Macopins, and the Riviere Divine, or Riviere de la Divine. The latter -name, when Charlevoix visited the country in 1721, was confined to the -northern branch. He gives an interesting and somewhat graphic account of -the portage and the sources of the Kankakee, in his letter dated _De la -Source du Theakiki, ce dix-sept Septembre_, 1721. - -Why the Illinois should ever have been called the "Divine," it is not -easy to see. The Memoirs of St. Simon suggest an explanation. Madame de -Frontenac and her friend Mademoiselle d'Outrelaise, he tells us, lived -together in apartments at the Arsenal, where they held their _salon_ and -exercised a great power in society. They were called at court _les -Divines_. (St. Simon, v. 335: Cheruel.) In compliment to Frontenac, the -river may have been named after his wife or her friend. The suggestion -is due to M. Margry. I have seen a map by Raudin, Frontenac's engineer, -on which the river is called "Riviere de la Divine ou l'Outrelaise." - -[142] The change is very recent. Within the memory of men not yet old, -wolves and deer, besides wild swans, wild turkeys, cranes, and pelicans, -abounded in this region. In 1840, a friend of mine shot a deer from the -window of a farmhouse, near the present town of La Salle. Running wolves -on horseback was his favorite amusement in this part of the country. The -buffalo long ago disappeared; but the early settlers found frequent -remains of them. Mr. James Clark, of Utica, Ill., told me that he once -found a large quantity of their bones and skulls in one place, as if a -herd had perished in the snowdrifts. - -[143] "Starved Rock." It will hold, hereafter, a conspicuous place in -the narrative. - -[144] _La Louisiane_, 137. Allouez (_Relation_, 1673-79) found three -hundred and fifty-one lodges. This was in 1677. The population of this -town, which embraced five or six distinct tribes of the Illinois, was -continually changing. In 1675, Marquette addressed here an auditory -composed of five hundred chiefs and old men, and fifteen hundred young -men, besides women and children. He estimates the number of fires at -five or six hundred. (_Voyages du Pere Marquette_, 98: Lenox.) Membre, -who was here in 1680, says that it then contained seven or eight -thousand souls. (Membre in Le Clerc, _Premier Etablissement de la Foy_, -ii. 173.) On the remarkable manuscript map of Franquelin, 1684, it is -set down at twelve hundred warriors, or about six thousand souls. This -was after the destructive inroad of the Iroquois. Some years later, -Rasle reported upwards of twenty-four hundred families. (_Lettre a son -Frere, in Lettres Edifiantes._) - -At times, nearly the whole Illinois population was gathered here. At -other times, the several tribes that composed it separated, some -dwelling apart from the rest; so that at one period the Illinois formed -eleven villages, while at others they were gathered into two, of which -this was much the larger. The meadows around it were extensively -cultivated, yielding large crops, chiefly of Indian corn. The lodges -were built along the river-bank for a distance of a mile, and sometimes -far more. In their shape, though not in their material, they resembled -those of the Hurons. There were no palisades or embankments. - -This neighborhood abounds in Indian relics. The village graveyard -appears to have been on a rising ground, near the river immediately in -front of the town of Utica. This is the only part of the river bottom, -from this point to the Mississippi, not liable to inundation in the -spring floods. It now forms part of a farm occupied by a tenant of Mr. -James Clark. Both Mr. Clark and his tenant informed me that every year -great quantities of human bones and teeth were turned up here by the -plough. Many implements of stone are also found, together with beads and -other ornaments of Indian and European fabric. - -[145] "Les paroles les plus touchantes."--_Hennepin_ (1683), 139. The -later editions add the modest qualification, "que je pus." - -[146] Peoria was the name of one of the tribes of the Illinois. -Hennepin's dates here do not exactly agree with those of La Salle -(_Lettre du 29 Sept., 1680_), who says that they were at the Illinois -village on the first of January, and at Peoria Lake on the fifth. - -[147] At least, it is so now at this place. Perhaps, in La Salle's time, -it was not wholly so; for there is evidence, in various parts of the -West, that the forest has made considerable encroachments on the open -country. - -[148] Hennepin (1683), 142. - -[149] Hennepin (1683), 144-149. The later editions omit a part of the -above. - -[150] "Un sauvage, nomme Monso, qui veut dire Chevreuil_."--La Salle._ -Probably Monso is a misprint for Mouso, as _mousoa_ is Illinois for -_chevreuil_, or deer. - -[151] Hennepin (1683), 151, (1704), 205; Le Clerc, ii. 157; _Memoire du -Voyage de M. de la Salle_. This is a paper appended to Frontenac's -Letter to the Minister, 9 Nov., 1680. Hennepin prints a translation of -it in the English edition of his later work. It charges the Jesuit -Allouez with being at the bottom of the intrigue. Compare _Lettre de La -Salle, 29 Sept., 1680_ (Margry, ii. 41), and _Memoire de La Salle_, in -Thomassy, _Geologie Pratique de la Louisiane_, 203. - -The account of the affair of Monso, in the spurious work bearing Tonty's -name, is mere romance. - -[152] The above is a paraphrase, with some condensation, from Hennepin, -whose account is substantially identical with that of La Salle. - -[153] Hennepin (1683), 162. _Declaration faite par Moyse Hillaret, -charpentier de barque, cy devant au service du Sr. de la Salle._ - -[154] The equally noted Brinvilliers was burned four years before. An -account of both will be found in the Letters of Madame de Sevigne. The -memoirs of the time abound in evidence of the frightful prevalence of -these practices, and the commotion which they excited in all ranks of -society. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -1680. - -FORT CREVEC[OE]UR. - - Building of the Fort.--Loss of the "Griffin."--A Bold - Resolution.--Another Vessel.--Hennepin sent to the - Mississippi.--Departure of La Salle. - - -[Sidenote: BUILDING OF THE FORT.] - -La Salle now resolved to leave the Indian camp, and fortify himself for -the winter in a strong position, where his men would be less exposed to -dangerous influence, and where he could hold his ground against an -outbreak of the Illinois or an Iroquois invasion. At the middle of -January, a thaw broke up the ice which had closed the river; and he set -out in a canoe, with Hennepin, to visit the site he had chosen for his -projected fort. It was half a league below the camp, on a low hill or -knoll, two hundred yards from the southern bank. On either side was a -deep ravine, and in front a marshy tract, overflowed at high water. -Thither, then, the party was removed. They dug a ditch behind the hill, -connecting the two ravines, and thus completely isolating it. The hill -was nearly square in form. An embankment of earth was thrown up on every -side: its declivities were sloped steeply down to the bottom of the -ravines and the ditch, and further guarded by _chevaux-de-frise_; while -a palisade, twenty-five feet high, was planted around the whole. The -lodgings of the men, built of musket-proof timber, were at two of the -angles; the house of the friars at the third; the forge and magazine at -the fourth; and the tents of La Salle and Tonty in the area within. - -Hennepin laments the failure of wine, which prevented him from saying -mass; but every morning and evening he summoned the men to his cabin to -listen to prayers and preaching, and on Sundays and fete-days they -chanted vespers. Father Zenobe usually spent the day in the Indian camp, -striving, with very indifferent success, to win them to the Faith, and -to overcome the disgust with which their manners and habits inspired -him. - -Such was the first civilized occupation of the region which now forms -the State of Illinois. La Salle christened his new fort Fort -Crevecoeur. The name tells of disaster and suffering, but does no -justice to the iron-hearted constancy of the sufferer. Up to this time -he had clung to the hope that his vessel, the "Griffin," might still be -safe. Her safety was vital to his enterprise. She had on board articles -of the last necessity to him, including the rigging and anchors of -another vessel which he was to build at Fort Crevecoeur, in order to -descend the Mississippi and sail thence to the West Indies. But now his -last hope had well-nigh vanished. Past all reasonable doubt, the -"Griffin" was lost; and in her loss he and all his plans seemed ruined -alike. - -Nothing, indeed, was ever heard of her. Indians, fur-traders, and even -Jesuits, have been charged with contriving her destruction. Some say -that the Ottawas boarded and burned her, after murdering those on board; -others accuse the Pottawattamies; others affirm that her own crew -scuttled and sunk her; others, again, that she foundered in a -storm.[155] As for La Salle, the belief grew in him to a settled -conviction that she had been treacherously sunk by the pilot and the -sailors to whom he had intrusted her; and he thought he had found -evidence that the authors of the crime, laden with the merchandise they -had taken from her, had reached the Mississippi and ascended it, hoping -to join Du Lhut, a famous chief of _coureurs de bois_, and enrich -themselves by traffic with the northern tribes.[156] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S ANXIETIES.] - -But whether her lading was swallowed in the depths of the lake, or lost -in the clutches of traitors, the evil was alike past remedy. She was -gone, it mattered little how. The main-stay of the enterprise was -broken; yet its inflexible chief lost neither heart nor hope. One path, -beset with hardships and terrors, still lay open to him. He might return -on foot to Fort Frontenac, and bring thence the needful succors. - -La Salle felt deeply the dangers of such a step. His men were uneasy, -discontented, and terrified by the stories with which the jealous -Illinois still constantly filled their ears, of the whirlpools and the -monsters of the Mississippi. He dreaded lest, in his absence, they -should follow the example of their comrades, and desert. In the midst of -his anxieties, a lucky accident gave him the means of disabusing them. -He was hunting, one day, near the fort, when he met a young Illinois on -his way home, half-starved, from a distant war excursion. He had been -absent so long that he knew nothing of what had passed between his -countrymen and the French. La Salle gave him a turkey he had shot, -invited him to the fort, fed him, and made him presents. Having thus -warmed his heart, he questioned him, with apparent carelessness, as to -the countries he had visited, and especially as to the Mississippi,--on -which the young warrior, seeing no reason to disguise the truth, gave -him all the information he required. La Salle now made him the present -of a hatchet, to engage him to say nothing of what had passed, and, -leaving him in excellent humor, repaired, with some of his followers, to -the Illinois camp. Here he found the chiefs seated at a feast of bear's -meat, and he took his place among them on a mat of rushes. After a -pause, he charged them with having deceived him in regard to the -Mississippi; adding that he knew the river perfectly, having been -instructed concerning it by the Master of Life. He then described it to -them with so much accuracy that his astonished hearers, conceiving that -he owed his knowledge to "medicine," or sorcery, clapped their hands to -their mouths in sign of wonder, and confessed that all they had said was -but an artifice, inspired by their earnest desire that he should remain -among them.[157] On this, La Salle's men took heart again; and their -courage rose still more when, soon after, a band of Chickasa, Arkansas, -and Osage warriors, from the Mississippi, came to the camp on a friendly -visit, and assured the French not only that the river was navigable to -the sea, but that the tribes along its banks would give them a warm -welcome. - -[Sidenote: ANOTHER VESSEL.] - -La Salle had now good reason to hope that his followers would neither -mutiny nor desert in his absence. One chief purpose of his intended -journey was to procure the anchors, cables, and rigging of the vessel -which he meant to build at Fort Crevecoeur, and he resolved to see her -on the stocks before he set out. This was no easy matter, for the -pit-sawyers had deserted. "Seeing," he writes, "that I should lose a -year if I waited to get others from Montreal, I said one day, before my -people, that I was so vexed to find that the absence of two sawyers -would defeat my plans and make all my trouble useless, that I was -resolved to try to saw the planks myself, if I could find a single man -who would help me with a will." Hereupon, two men stepped forward and -promised to do their best. They were tolerably successful, and, the rest -being roused to emulation, the work went on with such vigor that within -six weeks the hull of the vessel was half finished. She was of forty -tons' burden, and was built with high bulwarks, to protect those on -board from Indian arrows. - -La Salle now bethought him that, in his absence, he might get from -Hennepin service of more value than his sermons; and he requested him to -descend the Illinois, and explore it to its mouth. The friar, though -hardy and daring, would fain have excused himself, alleging a -troublesome bodily infirmity; but his venerable colleague Ribourde, -himself too old for the journey, urged him to go, telling him that if he -died by the way, his apostolic labors would redound to the glory of God. -Membre had been living for some time in the Indian camp, and was -thoroughly out of humor with the objects of his missionary efforts, of -whose obduracy and filth he bitterly complained. Hennepin proposed to -take his place, while he should assume the Mississippi adventure; but -this Membre declined, preferring to remain where he was. Hennepin now -reluctantly accepted the proposed task. "Anybody but me," he says, with -his usual modesty, "would have been very much frightened at the dangers -of such a journey; and, in fact, if I had not placed all my trust in -God, I should not have been the dupe of the Sieur de la Salle, who -exposed my life rashly."[158] - -On the last day of February, Hennepin's canoe lay at the water's edge; -and the party gathered on the bank to bid him farewell. He had two -companions,--Michel Accau, and a man known as the Picard du Gay,[159] -though his real name was Antoine Auguel. The canoe was well laden with -gifts for the Indians,--tobacco, knives, beads, awls, and other goods, -to a very considerable value, supplied at La Salle's cost; "and, in -fact," observes Hennepin, "he is liberal enough towards his -friends."[160] - -[Sidenote: DEPARTURE OF HENNEPIN.] - -The friar bade farewell to La Salle, and embraced all the rest in turn. -Father Ribourde gave him his benediction. "Be of good courage and let -your heart be comforted," said the excellent old missionary, as he -spread his hands in benediction over the shaven crown of the reverend -traveller. Du Gay and Accau plied their paddles; the canoe receded, and -vanished at length behind the forest. We will follow Hennepin hereafter -on his adventures, imaginary and real. Meanwhile, we will trace the -footsteps of his chief, urging his way, in the storms of winter, through -those vast and gloomy wilds,--those realms of famine, treachery, and -death,--that lay betwixt him and his far-distant goal of Fort Frontenac. - -On the first of March,[161] before the frost was yet out of the ground, -when the forest was still leafless, and the oozy prairies still patched -with snow, a band of discontented men were again gathered on the shore -for another leave-taking. Hard by, the unfinished ship lay on the -stocks, white and fresh from the saw and axe, ceaselessly reminding them -of the hardship and peril that was in store. Here you would have seen -the calm, impenetrable face of La Salle, and with him the Mohegan -hunter, who seems to have felt towards him that admiring attachment -which he could always inspire in his Indian retainers. Besides the -Mohegan, four Frenchmen were to accompany him,--Hunaut, La Violette, -Collin, and Dautray.[162] His parting with Tonty was an anxious one, -for each well knew the risks that environed both. Embarking with his -followers in two canoes, he made his way upward amid the drifting ice; -while the faithful Italian, with two or three honest men and twelve or -thirteen knaves, remained to hold Fort Crevecoeur in his absence. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[155] Charlevoix, i. 459; La Potherie, ii. 140; La Hontan, _Memoir on -the Fur-Trade of Canada_. I am indebted for a copy of this paper to -Winthrop Sargent, Esq., who purchased the original at the sale of the -library of the poet Southey. Like Hennepin, La Hontan went over to the -English; and this memoir is written in their interest. - -[156] _Lettre de La Salle a La Barre, Chicagou, 4 Juin, 1683._ This is a -long letter, addressed to the successor of Frontenac in the government -of Canada. La Salle says that a young Indian belonging to him told him -that three years before he saw a white man, answering the description of -the pilot, a prisoner among a tribe beyond the Mississippi. He had been -captured with four others on that river, while making his way with -canoes, laden with goods, towards the Sioux. His companions had been -killed. Other circumstances, which La Salle details at great length, -convinced him that the white prisoner was no other than the pilot of the -"Griffin." The evidence, however, is not conclusive. - -[157] _Relation des Decouvertes et des Voyages du Sr. de la Salle, -Seigneur et Gouverneur du Fort de Frontenac, au dela des grands Lacs de -la Nouvelle France, faits par ordre de Monseigneur Colbert_, 1679, 80 et -81. Hennepin gives a story which is not essentially different, except -that he makes himself a conspicuous actor in it. - -[158] All the above is from Hennepin; and it seems to be marked by his -characteristic egotism. It appears, from La Salle's letters, that Accau -was the real chief of the party; that their orders were to explore not -only the Illinois, but also a part of the Mississippi; and that Hennepin -volunteered to go with the others. Accau was chosen because he spoke -several Indian languages. - -[159] An eminent writer has mistaken "Picard" for a personal name. Du -Gay was called "Le Picard," because he came from the province of -Picardy. - -[160] (1683), 188. This commendation is suppressed in the later -editions. - -[161] Tonty erroneously places their departure on the twenty-second. - -[162] _Declaration faite par Moyse Hillaret, charpentier de barque._ - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -1680. - -HARDIHOOD OF LA SALLE. - - The Winter Journey.--The Deserted Town.--Starved Rock.--Lake - Michigan.--The Wilderness.--War Parties.--La Salle's Men give - out.--Ill Tidings.--Mutiny.--Chastisement of the Mutineers. - - -La Salle well knew what was before him, and nothing but necessity -spurred him to this desperate journey. He says that he could trust -nobody else to go in his stead, and that unless the articles lost in the -"Griffin" were replaced without delay, the expedition would be retarded -a full year, and he and his associates consumed by its expenses. -"Therefore," he writes to one of them, "though the thaws of approaching -spring greatly increased the difficulty of the way, interrupted as it -was everywhere by marshes and rivers, to say nothing of the length of -the journey, which is about five hundred leagues in a direct line, and -the danger of meeting Indians of four or five different nations through -whose country we were to pass, as well as an Iroquois army which we knew -was coming that way; though we must suffer all the time from hunger; -sleep on the open ground, and often without food; watch by night and -march by day, loaded with baggage, such as blanket, clothing, kettle, -hatchet, gun, powder, lead, and skins to make moccasins; sometimes -pushing through thickets, sometimes climbing rocks covered with ice and -snow, sometimes wading whole days through marshes where the water was -waist-deep or even more, at a season when the snow was not entirely -melted,--though I knew all this, it did not prevent me from resolving to -go on foot to Fort Frontenac, to learn for myself what had become of my -vessel, and bring back the things we needed."[163] - -The winter had been a severe one; and when, an hour after leaving the -fort, he and his companions reached the still water of Peoria Lake, they -found it sheeted with ice from shore to shore. They carried their canoes -up the bank, made two rude sledges, placed the light vessels upon them, -and dragged them to the upper end of the lake, where they encamped. In -the morning they found the river still covered with ice, too weak to -bear them and too strong to permit them to break a way for the canoes. -They spent the whole day in carrying them through the woods, toiling -knee-deep in saturated snow. Rain fell in floods, and they took shelter -at night in a deserted Indian hut. - -In the morning, the third of March, they dragged their canoes half a -league farther; then launched them, and, breaking the ice with clubs and -hatchets, forced their way slowly up the stream. Again their progress -was barred, and again they took to the woods, toiling onward till a -tempest of moist, half-liquid snow forced them to bivouac for the night. -A sharp frost followed, and in the morning the white waste around them -was glazed with a dazzling crust. Now, for the first time, they could -use their snow-shoes. Bending to their work, dragging their canoes, -which glided smoothly over the polished surface, they journeyed on hour -after hour and league after league, till they reached at length the -great town of the Illinois, still void of its inhabitants.[164] - -[Sidenote: THE DESERTED TOWN.] - -It was a desolate and lonely scene,--the river gliding dark and cold -between its banks of rushes; the empty lodges, covered with crusted -snow; the vast white meadows; the distant cliffs, bearded with shining -icicles; and the hills wrapped in forests, which glittered from afar -with the icy incrustations that cased each frozen twig. Yet there was -life in the savage landscape. The men saw buffalo wading in the snow, -and they killed one of them. More than this: they discovered the tracks -of moccasins. They cut rushes by the edge of the river, piled them on -the bank, and set them on fire, that the smoke might attract the eyes of -savages roaming near. - -On the following day, while the hunters were smoking the meat of the -buffalo, La Salle went out to reconnoitre, and presently met three -Indians, one of whom proved to be Chassagoac, the principal chief of the -Illinois.[165] La Salle brought them to his bivouac, feasted them, gave -them a red blanket, a kettle, and some knives and hatchets, made friends -with them, promised to restrain the Iroquois from attacking them, told -them that he was on his way to the settlements to bring arms and -ammunition to defend them against their enemies, and, as the result of -these advances, gained from the chief a promise that he would send -provisions to Tonty's party at Fort Crevecoeur. - -After several days spent at the deserted town, La Salle prepared to -resume his journey. Before his departure, his attention was attracted to -the remarkable cliff of yellow sandstone, now called Starved Rock, a -mile or more above the village,--a natural fortress, which a score of -resolute white men might make good against a host of savages; and he -soon afterwards sent Tonty an order to examine it, and make it his -stronghold in case of need.[166] - -On the fifteenth the party set out again, carried their canoes along -the bank of the river as far as the rapids above Ottawa, then launched -them and pushed their way upward, battling with the floating ice, which, -loosened by a warm rain, drove down the swollen current in sheets. On -the eighteenth they reached a point some miles below the site of Joliet, -and here found the river once more completely closed. Despairing of -farther progress by water, they hid their canoes on an island, and -struck across the country for Lake Michigan. - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S JOURNEY.] - -It was the worst of all seasons for such a journey. The nights were -cold, but the sun was warm at noon, and the half-thawed prairie was one -vast tract of mud, water, and discolored, half-liquid snow. On the -twenty-second they crossed marshes and inundated meadows, wading to the -knee, till at noon they were stopped by a river, perhaps the Calumet. -They made a raft of hard-wood timber, for there was no other, and shoved -themselves across. On the next day they could see Lake Michigan dimly -glimmering beyond the waste of woods; and, after crossing three swollen -streams, they reached it at evening. On the twenty-fourth they followed -its shore, till, at nightfall, they arrived at the fort which they had -built in the autumn at the mouth of the St. Joseph. Here La Salle found -Chapelle and Leblanc, the two men whom he had sent from hence to -Michilimackinac, in search of the "Griffin."[167] They reported that -they had made the circuit of the lake, and had neither seen her nor -heard tidings of her. Assured of her fate, he ordered them to rejoin -Tonty at Fort Crevecoeur; while he pushed onward with his party -through the unknown wild of Southern Michigan. - -"The rain," says La Salle, "which lasted all day, and the raft we were -obliged to make to cross the river, stopped us till noon of the -twenty-fifth, when we continued our march through the woods, which was -so interlaced with thorns and brambles that in two days and a half our -clothes were all torn, and our faces so covered with blood that we -hardly knew each other. On the twenty-eighth we found the woods more -open, and began to fare better, meeting a good deal of game, which after -this rarely failed us; so that we no longer carried provisions with us, -but made a meal of roast meat wherever we happened to kill a deer, bear, -or turkey. These are the choicest feasts on a journey like this; and -till now we had generally gone without them, so that we had often walked -all day without breakfast. - -[Sidenote: INDIAN ALARMS.] - -"The Indians do not hunt in this region, which is debatable ground -between five or six nations who are at war, and, being afraid of each -other, do not venture into these parts except to surprise each other, -and always with the greatest precaution and all possible secrecy. The -reports of our guns and the carcasses of the animals we killed soon led -some of them to find our trail. In fact, on the evening of the -twenty-eighth, having made our fire by the edge of a prairie, we were -surrounded by them; but as the man on guard waked us, and we posted -ourselves behind trees with our guns, these savages, who are called -Wapoos, took us for Iroquois, and thinking that there must be a great -many of us because we did not travel secretly, as they do when in small -bands, they ran off without shooting their arrows, and gave the alarm to -their comrades, so that we were two days without meeting anybody." - -La Salle guessed the cause of their fright; and, in order to confirm -their delusion, he drew with charcoal, on the trunks of trees from which -he had stripped the bark, the usual marks of an Iroquois war-party, with -signs for prisoners and for scalps, after the custom of those dreaded -warriors. This ingenious artifice, as will soon appear, was near proving -the destruction of the whole party. He also set fire to the dry grass of -the prairies over which he and his men had just passed, thus destroying -the traces of their passage. "We practised this device every night, and -it answered very well so long as we were passing over an open country; -but on the thirtieth we got into great marshes, flooded by the thaws, -and were obliged to cross them in mud or water up to the waist; so that -our tracks betrayed us to a band of Mascoutins who were out after -Iroquois. They followed us through these marshes during the three days -we were crossing them; but we made no fire at night, contenting -ourselves with taking off our wet clothes and wrapping ourselves in our -blankets on some dry knoll, where we slept till morning. At last, on -the night of the second of April, there came a hard frost, and our -clothes, which were drenched when we took them off, froze stiff as -sticks, so that we could not put them on in the morning without making a -fire to thaw them. The fire betrayed us to the Indians, who were -encamped across the marsh; and they ran towards us with loud cries, till -they were stopped halfway by a stream so deep that they could not get -over, the ice which had formed in the night not being strong enough to -bear them. We went to meet them, within gun-shot; and whether our -fire-arms frightened them, or whether they thought us more numerous than -we were, or whether they really meant us no harm, they called out, in -the Illinois language, that they had taken us for Iroquois, but now saw -that we were friends and brothers; whereupon, they went off as they -came, and we kept on our way till the fourth, when two of my men fell -ill and could not walk." - -In this emergency, La Salle went in search of some watercourse by which -they might reach Lake Erie, and soon came upon a small river, which was -probably the Huron. Here, while the sick men rested, their companions -made a canoe. There were no birch-trees; and they were forced to use -elm-bark, which at that early season would not slip freely from the wood -until they loosened it with hot water. Their canoe being made, they -embarked in it, and for a time floated prosperously down the stream, -when at length the way was barred by a matted barricade of trees fallen -across the water. The sick men could now walk again, and, pushing -eastward through the forest, the party soon reached the banks of the -Detroit. - -[Sidenote: THE JOURNEY'S END.] - -La Salle directed two of the men to make a canoe, and go to -Michilimackinac, the nearest harborage. With the remaining two, he -crossed the Detroit on a raft, and, striking a direct line across the -country, reached Lake Erie not far from Point Pelee. Snow, sleet, and -rain pelted them with little intermission: and when, after a walk of -about thirty miles, they gained the lake, the Mohegan and one of the -Frenchmen were attacked with fever and spitting of blood. Only one man -now remained in health. With his aid, La Salle made another canoe, and, -embarking the invalids, pushed for Niagara. It was Easter Monday when -they landed at a cabin of logs above the cataract, probably on the spot -where the "Griffin" was built. Here several of La Salle's men had been -left the year before, and here they still remained. They told him woful -news. Not only had he lost the "Griffin," and her lading of ten thousand -crowns in value, but a ship from France, freighted with his goods, -valued at more than twenty-two thousand livres, had been totally wrecked -at the mouth of the St. Lawrence; and of twenty hired men on their way -from Europe to join him, some had been detained by his enemy, the -Intendant Duchesneau, while all but four of the remainder, being told -that he was dead, had found means to return home. - -His three followers were all unfit for travel: he alone retained his -strength and spirit. Taking with him three fresh men at Niagara, he -resumed his journey, and on the sixth of May descried, looming through -floods of rain, the familiar shores of his seigniory and the bastioned -walls of Fort Frontenac. During sixty-five days he had toiled almost -incessantly, travelling, by the course he took, about a thousand miles -through a country beset with every form of peril and obstruction,--"the -most arduous journey," says the chronicler, "ever made by Frenchmen in -America." - -Such was Cavelier de la Salle. In him, an unconquerable mind held at its -service a frame of iron, and tasked it to the utmost of its endurance. -The pioneer of western pioneers was no rude son of toil, but a man of -thought, trained amid arts and letters.[168] He had reached his goal; -but for him there was neither rest nor peace. Man and Nature seemed in -arms against him. His agents had plundered him; his creditors had seized -his property; and several of his canoes, richly laden, had been lost in -the rapids of the St. Lawrence.[169] He hastened to Montreal, where his -sudden advent caused great astonishment; and where, despite his crippled -resources and damaged credit, he succeeded, within a week, in gaining -the supplies which he required and the needful succors for the forlorn -band on the Illinois. He had returned to Fort Frontenac, and was on the -point of embarking for their relief, when a blow fell upon him more -disheartening than any that had preceded. - -[Sidenote: THE MUTINEERS.] - -On the twenty-second of July, two _voyageurs_, Messier and Laurent, came -to him with a letter from Tonty, who wrote that soon after La Salle's -departure nearly all the men had deserted, after destroying Fort -Crevecoeur, plundering the magazine, and throwing into the river all -the arms, goods, and stores which they could not carry off. The -messengers who brought this letter were speedily followed by two of the -_habitants_ of Fort Frontenac, who had been trading on the lakes, and -who, with a fidelity which the unhappy La Salle rarely knew how to -inspire, had travelled day and night to bring him their tidings. They -reported that they had met the deserters, and that, having been -reinforced by recruits gained at Michilimackinac and Niagara, they now -numbered twenty men.[170] They had destroyed the fort on the St. -Joseph, seized a quantity of furs belonging to La Salle at -Michilimackinac, and plundered the magazine at Niagara. Here they had -separated, eight of them coasting the south side of Lake Ontario to find -harborage at Albany, a common refuge at that time of this class of -scoundrels; while the remaining twelve, in three canoes, made for Fort -Frontenac along the north shore, intending to kill La Salle as the -surest means of escaping punishment. - -[Sidenote: CHASTISEMENT.] - -He lost no time in lamentation. Of the few men at his command he chose -nine of the trustiest, embarked with them in canoes, and went to meet -the marauders. After passing the Bay of Quinte, he took his station with -five of his party at a point of land suited to his purpose, and detached -the remaining four to keep watch. In the morning, two canoes were -discovered approaching without suspicion, one of them far in advance of -the other. As the foremost drew near, La Salle's canoe darted out from -under the leafy shore,--two of the men handling the paddles, while he, -with the remaining two, levelled their guns at the deserters, and called -on them to surrender. Astonished and dismayed, they yielded at once; -while two more, who were in the second canoe, hastened to follow their -example. La Salle now returned to the fort with his prisoners, placed -them in custody, and again set forth. He met the third canoe upon the -lake at about six o'clock in the evening. His men vainly plied their -paddles in pursuit. The mutineers reached the shore, took post among -rocks and trees, levelled their guns, and showed fight. Four of La -Salle's men made a circuit to gain their rear and dislodge them, on -which they stole back to their canoe and tried to escape in the -darkness. They were pursued, and summoned to yield; but they replied by -aiming their guns at their pursuers, who instantly gave them a volley, -killed two of them, and captured the remaining three. Like their -companions, they were placed in custody at the fort, to await the -arrival of Count Frontenac.[171] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[163] _Lettre de La Salle a un de ses associes_ (Thouret?), _29 Sept., -1680_ (Margry, ii. 50). - -[164] Membre says that he was in the town at the time; but this could -hardly have been the case. He was, in all probability, among the -Illinois, in their camp near Fort Crevecoeur. - -[165] The same whom Hennepin calls Chassagouasse. He was brother of the -chief, Nicanope, who, in his absence, had feasted the French on the day -after the nocturnal council with Monso. Chassagoac was afterwards -baptized by Membre or Ribourde, but soon relapsed into the superstitions -of his people, and died, as the former tells us, "doubly a child of -perdition." See Le Clerc, ii. 181. - -[166] Tonty, _Memoire_. The order was sent by two Frenchmen, whom La -Salle met on Lake Michigan. - -[167] _Declaration de Moyse Hillaret; Relation des Decouvertes._ - -[168] A Rocky Mountain trapper, being complimented on the hardihood of -himself and his companions, once said to the writer, "That's so; but a -gentleman of the right sort will stand hardship better than anybody -else." The history of Arctic and African travel and the military records -of all time are a standing evidence that a trained and developed mind is -not the enemy, but the active and powerful ally, of constitutional -hardihood. The culture that enervates instead of strengthening is always -a false or a partial one. - -[169] Zenobe Membre in Le Clerc, ii. 202. - -[170] When La Salle was at Niagara, in April, he had ordered Dautray, -the best of the men who had accompanied him from the Illinois, to return -thither as soon as he was able. Four men from Niagara were to go with -him and he was to rejoin Tonty with such supplies as that post could -furnish. Dautray set out accordingly, but was met on the lakes by the -deserters, who told him that Tonty was dead, and seduced his men. -(_Relation des Decouvertes._) Dautray himself seems to have remained -true; at least, he was in La Salle's service immediately after, and was -one of his most trusted followers. He was of good birth, being the son -of Jean Bourdon, a conspicuous personage in the early period of the -colony; and his name appears on official records as Jean Bourdon, Sieur -d'Autray. - -[171] La Salle's long letter, written apparently to his associate -Thouret, and dated 29 Sept., 1680, is the chief authority for the above. -The greater part of this letter is incorporated, almost verbatim, in the -official narrative called _Relation des Decouvertes_. Hennepin, Membre, -and Tonty also speak of the journey from Fort Crevecoeur. The death of -the two mutineers was used by La Salle's enemies as the basis of a -charge of murder. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -1680. - -INDIAN CONQUERORS. - - The Enterprise renewed.--Attempt to rescue Tonty.--Buffalo.--A - Frightful Discovery.--Iroquois Fury.--The Ruined Town.--A Night of - Horror.--Traces of the Invaders.--No News of Tonty. - - -[Sidenote: ANOTHER EFFORT.] - -And now La Salle's work must be begun afresh. He had staked all, and all -had seemingly been lost. In stern, relentless effort he had touched the -limits of human endurance; and the harvest of his toil was -disappointment, disaster, and impending ruin. The shattered fabric of -his enterprise was prostrate in the dust. His friends desponded; his -foes were blatant and exultant. Did he bend before the storm? No human -eye could pierce the depths of his reserved and haughty nature; but the -surface was calm, and no sign betrayed a shaken resolve or an altered -purpose. Where weaker men would have abandoned all in despairing apathy, -he turned anew to his work with the same vigor and the same apparent -confidence as if borne on the full tide of success. - -His best hope was in Tonty. Could that brave and true-hearted officer -and the three or four faithful men who had remained with him make good -their foothold on the Illinois, and save from destruction the vessel on -the stocks and the forge and tools so laboriously carried thither, then -a basis was left on which the ruined enterprise might be built up once -more. There was no time to lose. Tonty must be succored soon, or succor -would come too late. La Salle had already provided the necessary -material, and a few days sufficed to complete his preparations. On the -tenth of August he embarked again for the Illinois. With him went his -lieutenant La Forest, who held of him in fief an island, then called -Belle Isle, opposite Fort Frontenac.[172] A surgeon, ship-carpenters, -joiners, masons, soldiers, _voyageurs_ and laborers completed his -company, twenty-five men in all, with everything needful for the outfit -of the vessel. - -His route, though difficult, was not so long as that which he had -followed the year before. He ascended the river Humber; crossed to Lake -Simcoe, and thence descended the Severn to the Georgian Bay of Lake -Huron; followed its eastern shore, coasted the Manitoulin Islands, and -at length reached Michilimackinac. Here, as usual, all was hostile; and -he had great difficulty in inducing the Indians, who had been excited -against him, to sell him provisions. Anxious to reach his destination, -he pushed forward with twelve men, leaving La Forest to bring on the -rest. On the fourth of November[173] he reached the ruined fort at the -mouth of the St. Joseph, and left five of his party, with the heavy -stores, to wait till La Forest should come up, while he himself hastened -forward with six Frenchmen and an Indian. A deep anxiety possessed him. -The rumor, current for months past, that the Iroquois, bent on -destroying the Illinois, were on the point of invading their country had -constantly gained strength. Here was a new disaster, which, if realized, -might involve him and his enterprise in irretrievable wreck. - -He ascended the St. Joseph, crossed the portage to the Kankakee, and -followed its course downward till it joined the northern branch of the -Illinois. He had heard nothing of Tonty on the way, and neither here nor -elsewhere could he discover the smallest sign of the passage of white -men. His friend, therefore, if alive, was probably still at his post; -and he pursued his course with a mind lightened, in some small measure, -of its load of anxiety. - -[Sidenote: BUFFALO.] - -When last he had passed here, all was solitude; but now the scene was -changed. The boundless waste was thronged with life. He beheld that -wondrous spectacle, still to be seen at times on the plains of the -remotest West, and the memory of which can quicken the pulse and stir -the blood after the lapse of years: far and near, the prairie was alive -with buffalo; now like black specks dotting the distant swells; now -trampling by in ponderous columns, or filing in long lines, morning, -noon, and night, to drink at the river,--wading, plunging, and snorting -in the water; climbing the muddy shores, and staring with wild eyes at -the passing canoes. It was an opportunity not to be lost. The party -landed, and encamped for a hunt. Sometimes they hid under the shelving -bank, and shot them as they came to drink; sometimes, flat on their -faces, they dragged themselves through the long dead grass, till the -savage bulls, guardians of the herd, ceased their grazing, raised their -huge heads, and glared through tangled hair at the dangerous intruders. -The hunt was successful. In three days the hunters killed twelve -buffalo, besides deer, geese, and swans. They cut the meat into thin -flakes, and dried it in the sun or in the smoke of their fires. The men -were in high spirits,--delighting in the sport, and rejoicing in the -prospect of relieving Tonty and his hungry followers with a plentiful -supply. - -They embarked again, and soon approached the great town of the Illinois. -The buffalo were far behind; and once more the canoes glided on their -way through a voiceless solitude. No hunters were seen; no saluting -whoop greeted their ears. They passed the cliff afterwards called the -Rock of St. Louis, where La Salle had ordered Tonty to build his -stronghold; but as he scanned its lofty top he saw no palisades, no -cabins, no sign of human hand, and still its primeval crest of forests -overhung the gliding river. Now the meadow opened before them where the -great town had stood. They gazed, astonished and confounded: all was -desolation. The town had vanished, and the meadow was black with fire. -They plied their paddles, hastened to the spot, landed; and as they -looked around their cheeks grew white, and the blood was frozen in their -veins. - -[Sidenote: A NIGHT OF HORROR.] - -Before them lay a plain once swarming with wild human life and covered -with Indian dwellings, now a waste of devastation and death, strewn with -heaps of ashes, and bristling with the charred poles and stakes which -had formed the framework of the lodges. At the points of most of them -were stuck human skulls, half picked by birds of prey.[174] Near at hand -was the burial-ground of the village. The travellers sickened with -horror as they entered its revolting precincts. Wolves in multitudes -fled at their approach; while clouds of crows or buzzards, rising from -the hideous repast, wheeled above their heads, or settled on the naked -branches of the neighboring forest. Every grave had been rifled, and the -bodies flung down from the scaffolds where, after the Illinois custom, -many of them had been placed. The field was strewn with broken bones and -torn and mangled corpses. A hyena warfare had been waged against the -dead. La Salle knew the handiwork of the Iroquois. The threatened blow -had fallen, and the wolfish hordes of the five cantons had fleshed their -rabid fangs in a new victim.[175] - -Not far distant, the conquerors had made a rude fort of trunks, boughs, -and roots of trees laid together to form a circular enclosure; and this, -too, was garnished with skulls, stuck on the broken branches and -protruding sticks. The _caches_, or subterranean store-houses of the -villagers, had been broken open and the contents scattered. The -cornfields were laid waste, and much of the corn thrown into heaps and -half burned. As La Salle surveyed this scene of havoc, one thought -engrossed him: where were Tonty and his men? He searched the Iroquois -fort: there were abundant traces of its savage occupants, and, among -them, a few fragments of French clothing. He examined the skulls; but -the hair, portions of which clung to nearly all of them, was in every -case that of an Indian. Evening came on before he had finished the -search. The sun set, and the wilderness sank to its savage rest. Night -and silence brooded over the waste, where, far as the raven could wing -his flight, stretched the dark domain of solitude and horror. - -Yet there was no silence at the spot where La Salle and his companions -made their bivouac. The howling of the wolves filled the air with fierce -and dreary dissonance. More dangerous foes were not far off, for before -nightfall they had seen fresh Indian tracks; "but, as it was very cold," -says La Salle, "this did not prevent us from making a fire and lying -down by it, each of us keeping watch in turn. I spent the night in a -distress which you can imagine better than I can write it; and I did not -sleep a moment with trying to make up my mind as to what I ought to do. -My ignorance as to the position of those I was looking after, and my -uncertainty as to what would become of the men who were to follow me -with La Forest if they arrived at the ruined village and did not find me -there, made me apprehend every sort of trouble and disaster. At last, I -decided to keep on my way down the river, leaving some of my men behind -in charge of the goods, which it was not only useless but dangerous to -carry with me, because we should be forced to abandon them when the -winter fairly set in, which would be very soon." - -[Sidenote: FEARS FOR TONTY.] - -This resolution was due to a discovery he had made the evening before, -which offered, as he thought, a possible clew to the fate of Tonty and -the men with him. He thus describes it: "Near the garden of the Indians, -which was on the meadows, a league from the village and not far from the -river, I found six pointed stakes set in the ground and painted red. On -each of them was the figure of a man with bandaged eyes, drawn in black. -As the savages often set stakes of this sort where they have killed -people, I thought, by their number and position, that when the Iroquois -came, the Illinois, finding our men alone in the hut near their garden, -had either killed them or made them prisoners. And I was confirmed in -this, because, seeing no signs of a battle, I supposed that on hearing -of the approach of the Iroquois, the old men and other non-combatants -had fled, and that the young warriors had remained behind to cover their -flight, and afterwards followed, taking the French with them; while the -Iroquois, finding nobody to kill, had vented their fury on the corpses -in the graveyard." - -Uncertain as was the basis of this conjecture, and feeble as was the -hope it afforded, it determined him to push forward, in order to learn -more. When daylight returned, he told his purpose to his followers, and -directed three of them to await his return near the ruined village. They -were to hide themselves on an island, conceal their fire at night, make -no smoke by day, fire no guns, and keep a close watch. Should the rest -of the party arrive, they, too, were to wait with similar precautions. -The baggage was placed in a hollow of the rocks, at a place difficult of -access; and, these arrangements made, La Salle set out on his perilous -journey with the four remaining men, Dautray, Hunaut, You, and the -Indian. Each was armed with two guns, a pistol, and a sword; and a -number of hatchets and other goods were placed in the canoe, as presents -for Indians whom they might meet. - -Several leagues below the village they found, on their right hand close -to the river, a sort of island, made inaccessible by the marshes and -water which surrounded it. Here the flying Illinois had sought refuge -with their women and children, and the place was full of their deserted -huts. On the left bank, exactly opposite, was an abandoned camp of the -Iroquois. On the level meadow stood a hundred and thirteen huts, and on -the forest trees which covered the hills behind were carved the totems, -or insignia, of the chiefs, together with marks to show the number of -followers which each had led to the war. La Salle counted five hundred -and eighty-two warriors. He found marks, too, for the Illinois killed or -captured, but none to indicate that any of the Frenchmen had shared -their fate. - -[Sidenote: SEARCH FOR TONTY.] - -As they descended the river, they passed, on the same day, six abandoned -camps of the Illinois; and opposite to each was a camp of the invaders. -The former, it was clear, had retreated in a body; while the Iroquois -had followed their march, day by day, along the other bank. La Salle and -his men pushed rapidly onward, passed Peoria Lake, and soon reached Fort -Crevecoeur, which they found, as they expected, demolished by the -deserters. The vessel on the stocks was still left entire, though the -Iroquois had found means to draw out the iron nails and spikes. On one -of the planks were written the words: "_Nous sommes tous sauvages: ce -15, 1680_,"--the work, no doubt, of the knaves who had pillaged and -destroyed the fort. - -La Salle and his companions hastened on, and during the following day -passed four opposing camps of the savage armies. The silence of death -now reigned along the deserted river, whose lonely borders, wrapped deep -in forests, seemed lifeless as the grave. As they drew near the mouth of -the stream they saw a meadow on their right, and on its farthest verge -several human figures, erect, yet motionless. They landed, and -cautiously examined the place. The long grass was trampled down, and all -around were strewn the relics of the hideous orgies which formed the -ordinary sequel of an Iroquois victory. The figures they had seen were -the half-consumed bodies of women, still bound to the stakes where they -had been tortured. Other sights there were, too revolting for -record.[176] All the remains were those of women and children. The men, -it seemed, had fled, and left them to their fate. - -Here, again, La Salle sought long and anxiously, without finding the -smallest sign that could indicate the presence of Frenchmen. Once more -descending the river, they soon reached its mouth. Before them, a broad -eddying current rolled swiftly on its way; and La Salle beheld the -Mississippi,--the object of his day-dreams, the destined avenue of his -ambition and his hopes. It was no time for reflections. The moment was -too engrossing, too heavily charged with anxieties and cares. From a -rock on the shore, he saw a tree stretched forward above the stream; and -stripping off its bark to make it more conspicuous, he hung upon it a -board on which he had drawn the figures of himself and his men, seated -in their canoe, and bearing a pipe of peace. To this he tied a letter -for Tonty, informing him that he had returned up the river to the ruined -village. - -His four men had behaved admirably throughout, and they now offered to -continue the journey if he saw fit, and follow him to the sea; but he -thought it useless to go farther, and was unwilling to abandon the three -men whom he had ordered to await his return. Accordingly, they retraced -their course, and, paddling at times both day and night, urged their -canoe so swiftly that they reached the village in the incredibly short -space of four days.[177] - -[Sidenote: THE COMET.] - -The sky was clear, and as night came on the travellers saw a prodigious -comet blazing above this scene of desolation. On that night, it was -chilling with a superstitious awe the hamlets of New England and the -gilded chambers of Versailles; but it is characteristic of La Salle, -that, beset as he was with perils and surrounded with ghastly images of -death, he coolly notes down the phenomenon, not as a portentous -messenger of war and woe, but rather as an object of scientific -curiosity.[178] - -He found his three men safely ensconced upon their island, where they -were anxiously looking for his return. After collecting a store of -half-burnt corn from the ravaged granaries of the Illinois, the whole -party began to ascend the river, and on the sixth of January reached the -junction of the Kankakee with the northern branch. On their way downward -they had descended the former stream; they now chose the latter, and -soon discovered, by the margin of the water, a rude cabin of bark. La -Salle landed and examined the spot, when an object met his eye which -cheered him with a bright gleam of hope. It was but a piece of wood; but -the wood had been cut with a saw. Tonty and his party, then, had passed -this way, escaping from the carnage behind them. Unhappily, they had -left no token of their passage at the fork of the two streams; and thus -La Salle, on his voyage downward, had believed them to be still on the -river below. - -With rekindled hope, the travellers pursued their journey, leaving their -canoes, and making their way overland towards the fort on the St. -Joseph. - -"Snow fell in extraordinary quantities all day," writes La Salle, "and -it kept on falling for nineteen days in succession, with cold so severe -that I never knew so hard a winter, even in Canada. We were obliged to -cross forty leagues of open country, where we could hardly find wood to -warm ourselves at evening, and could get no bark whatever to make a hut, -so that we had to spend the night exposed to the furious winds which -blow over these plains. I never suffered so much from cold, or had more -trouble in getting forward; for the snow was so light, resting suspended -as it were among the tall grass, that we could not use snow-shoes. -Sometimes it was waist deep; and as I walked before my men, as usual, to -encourage them by breaking the path, I often had much ado, though I am -rather tall, to lift my legs above the drifts, through which I pushed -by the weight of my body." - -[Sidenote: FORT MIAMI.] - -At length they reached their goal, and found shelter and safety within -the walls of Fort Miami. Here was the party left in charge of La Forest; -but, to his surprise and grief, La Salle heard no tidings of Tonty. He -found some amends for the disappointment in the fidelity and zeal of La -Forest's men, who had restored the fort, cleared ground for planting, -and even sawed the planks and timber for a new vessel on the lake. - -And now, while La Salle rests at Fort Miami, let us trace the adventures -which befell Tonty and his followers, after their chief's departure from -Fort Crevecoeur. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[172] _Robert Cavelier, Sr. de la Salle, a Francois Daupin, Sr. de -la Forest, 10 Juin, 1679._ - -[173] This date is from the _Relation_. Membre says the twenty-eighth; -but he is wrong, by his own showing, as he says that the party reached -the Illinois village on the first of December, which would be an -impossibility. - -[174] "Il ne restoit que quelques bouts de perches brulees qui -montroient quelle avoit ete l'etendue du village, et sur la plupart -desquelles il y avoit des tetes de morts plantees et mangees des -corbeaux."--_Relation des Decouvertes du Sr. de la Salle._ - -[175] "Beaucoup de carcasses a demi rongees par les loups, les -sepulchres demolis, les os tires de leurs fosses et epars par la -campagne; ... enfin les loups et les corbeaux augmentoient encore par -leurs hurlemens et par leurs cris l'horreur de ce spectacle."--_Relation -des Decouvertes du Sr. de la Salle._ - -The above may seem exaggerated; but it accords perfectly with what is -well established concerning the ferocious character of the Iroquois and -the nature of their warfare. Many other tribes have frequently made war -upon the dead. I have myself known an instance in which five corpses of -Sioux Indians placed in trees, after the practice of the Western bands -of that people, were thrown down and kicked into fragments by a war -party of the Crows, who then held the muzzles of their guns against the -skulls, and blew them to pieces. This happened near the head of the -Platte, in the summer of 1846. Yet the Crows are much less ferocious -than were the Iroquois in La Salle's time. - -[176] "On ne scauroit exprimer la rage de ces furieux ni les tourmens -qu'ils avoient fait souffrir aux miserables Tamaroa [_a tribe of the -Illinois_]. Il y en avoit encore dans des chaudieres qu'ils avoient -laissees pleines sur les feux, qui depuis s'etoient eteints," etc., -etc.--_Relation des Decouvertes._ - -[177] The distance is about two hundred and fifty miles. The letters of -La Salle, as well as the official narrative compiled from them, say that -they left the village on the second of December, and returned to it on -the eleventh, having left the mouth of the river on the seventh. - -[178] This was the "Great Comet of 1680." Dr. B. A. Gould writes me: "It -appeared in December, 1680, and was visible until the latter part of -February, 1681, being especially brilliant in January." It was said to -be the largest ever seen. By observations upon it, Newton demonstrated -the regular revolutions of comets around the sun. "No comet," it is -said, "has threatened the earth with a nearer approach than that of -1680." (_Winthrop on Comets, Lecture II_. p. 44.) Increase Mather, in -his _Discourse concerning Comets_, printed at Boston in 1683, says of -this one: "Its appearance was very terrible; the Blaze ascended above 60 -Degrees almost to its Zenith." Mather thought it fraught with terrific -portent to the nations of the earth. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -1680. - -TONTY AND THE IROQUOIS. - - The Deserters.--The Iroquois War.--The Great Town of the - Illinois.--The Alarm.--Onset of the Iroquois.--Peril of Tonty.--A - Treacherous Truce.--Intrepidity of Tonty.--Murder of Ribourde.--War - upon the Dead. - - -When La Salle set out on his rugged journey to Fort Frontenac, he left, -as we have seen, fifteen men at Fort Crevecoeur,--smiths, -ship-carpenters, house-wrights, and soldiers, besides his servant -L'Esperance and the two friars Membre and Ribourde. Most of the men were -ripe for mutiny. They had no interest in the enterprise, and no love for -its chief. They were disgusted with the present, and terrified at the -future. La Salle, too, was for the most part a stern commander, -impenetrable and cold; and when he tried to soothe, conciliate, and -encourage, his success rarely answered to the excellence of his -rhetoric. He could always, however, inspire respect, if not love; but -now the restraint of his presence was removed. He had not been long -absent, when a fire-brand was thrown into the midst of the discontented -and restless crew. - -It may be remembered that La Salle had met two of his men, La Chapelle -and Leblanc, at his fort on the St. Joseph, and ordered them to rejoin -Tonty. Unfortunately, they obeyed. On arriving, they told their comrades -that the "Griffin" was lost, that Fort Frontenac was seized by the -creditors of La Salle, that he was ruined past recovery, and that they, -the men, would never receive their pay. Their wages were in arrears for -more than two years; and, indeed, it would have been folly to pay them -before their return to the settlements, as to do so would have been a -temptation to desert. Now, however, the effect on their minds was still -worse, believing, as many of them did, that they would never be paid at -all. - -[Sidenote: THE DESERTERS.] - -La Chapelle and his companion had brought a letter from La Salle to -Tonty, directing him to examine and fortify the cliff so often -mentioned, which overhung the river above the great Illinois village. -Tonty, accordingly, set out on his errand with some of the men. In his -absence, the malcontents destroyed the fort, stole powder, lead, furs, -and provisions, and deserted, after writing on the side of the -unfinished vessel the words seen by La Salle, "_Nous sommes tous -sauvages_."[179] The brave young Sieur de Boisrondet and the servant -L'Esperance hastened to carry the news to Tonty, who at once despatched -four of those with him, by two different routes, to inform La Salle of -the disaster.[180] Besides the two just named, there now remained with -him only one hired man and the Recollet friars. With this feeble band, -he was left among a horde of treacherous savages, who had been taught to -regard him as a secret enemy. Resolved, apparently, to disarm their -jealousy by a show of confidence, he took up his abode in the midst of -them, making his quarters in the great village, whither, as spring -opened, its inhabitants returned, to the number, according to Membre, of -seven or eight thousand. Hither he conveyed the forge and such tools as -he could recover, and here he hoped to maintain himself till La Salle -should reappear. The spring and the summer were past, and he looked -anxiously for his coming, unconscious that a storm was gathering in the -east, soon to burst with devastation over the fertile wilderness of the -Illinois. - -[Sidenote: THE IROQUOIS WAR.] - -I have recounted the ferocious triumphs of the Iroquois in another -volume.[181] Throughout a wide semi-circle around their cantons, they -had made the forest a solitude; destroyed the Hurons, exterminated the -Neutrals and the Eries, reduced the formidable Andastes to helpless -insignificance, swept the borders of the St. Lawrence with fire, spread -terror and desolation among the Algonquins of Canada; and now, tired of -peace, they were seeking, to borrow their own savage metaphor, new -nations to devour. Yet it was not alone their homicidal fury that now -impelled them to another war. Strange as it may seem, this war was in no -small measure one of commercial advantage. They had long traded with the -Dutch and English of New York, who gave them, in exchange for their -furs, the guns, ammunition, knives, hatchets, kettles, beads, and brandy -which had become indispensable to them. Game was scarce in their -country. They must seek their beaver and other skins in the vacant -territories of the tribes they had destroyed; but this did not content -them. The French of Canada were seeking to secure a monopoly of the furs -of the north and west; and, of late, the enterprises of La Salle on the -tributaries of the Mississippi had especially roused the jealousy of the -Iroquois, fomented, moreover, by Dutch and English traders.[182] These -crafty savages would fain reduce all these regions to subjection, and -draw thence an exhaustless supply of furs, to be bartered for English -goods with the traders of Albany. They turned their eyes first towards -the Illinois, the most important, as well as one of the most accessible, -of the western Algonquin tribes; and among La Salle's enemies were some -in whom jealousy of a hated rival could so far override all the best -interests of the colony that they did not scruple to urge on the -Iroquois to an invasion which they hoped would prove his ruin. The -chiefs convened, war was decreed, the war-dance was danced, the war-song -sung, and five hundred warriors began their march. In their path lay the -town of the Miamis, neighbors and kindred of the Illinois. It was always -their policy to divide and conquer; and these forest Machiavels had -intrigued so well among the Miamis, working craftily on their jealousy, -that they induced them to join in the invasion, though there is every -reason to believe that they had marked these infatuated allies as their -next victims.[183] - -[Sidenote: THE ILLINOIS TOWN.] - -Go to the banks of the Illinois where it flows by the village of Utica, -and stand on the meadow that borders it on the north. In front glides -the river, a musket-shot in width; and from the farther bank rises, with -gradual slope, a range of wooded hills that hide from sight the vast -prairie behind them. A mile or more on your left these gentle -acclivities end abruptly in the lofty front of the great cliff, called -by the French the Rock of St. Louis, looking boldly out from the forests -that environ it; and, three miles distant on your right, you discern a -gap in the steep bluffs that here bound the valley, marking the mouth of -the river Vermilion, called Aramoni by the French.[184] Now stand in -fancy on this same spot in the early autumn of the year 1680. You are in -the midst of the great town of the Illinois,--hundreds of mat-covered -lodges, and thousands of congregated savages. Enter one of their -dwellings: they will not think you an intruder. Some friendly squaw will -lay a mat for you by the fire; you may seat yourself upon it, smoke your -pipe, and study the lodge and its inmates by the light that streams -through the holes at the top. Three or four fires smoke and smoulder on -the ground down the middle of the long arched structure; and, as to -each fire there are two families, the place is somewhat crowded when all -are present. But now there is breathing room, for many are in the -fields. A squaw sits weaving a mat of rushes; a warrior, naked except -his moccasins, and tattooed with fantastic devices, binds a stone -arrow-head to its shaft, with the fresh sinews of a buffalo. Some lie -asleep, some sit staring in vacancy, some are eating, some are squatted -in lazy chat around a fire. The smoke brings water to your eyes; the -fleas annoy you; small unkempt children, naked as young puppies, crawl -about your knees and will not be repelled. You have seen enough; you -rise and go out again into the sunlight. It is, if not a peaceful, at -least a languid scene. A few voices break the stillness, mingled with -the joyous chirping of crickets from the grass. Young men lie flat on -their faces, basking in the sun; a group of their elders are smoking -around a buffalo-skin on which they have just been playing a game of -chance with cherry-stones. A lover and his mistress, perhaps, sit -together under a shed of bark, without uttering a word. Not far off is -the graveyard, where lie the dead of the village, some buried in the -earth, some wrapped in skins and laid aloft on scaffolds, above the -reach of wolves. In the cornfields around, you see squaws at their -labor, and children driving off intruding birds; and your eye ranges -over the meadows beyond, spangled with the yellow blossoms of the -resin-weed and the Rudbeckia, or over the bordering hills still green -with the foliage of summer.[185] - -This, or something like it, one may safely affirm, was the aspect of the -Illinois village at noon of the tenth of September.[186] In a hut apart -from the rest, you would probably have found the Frenchmen. Among them -was a man, not strong in person, and disabled, moreover, by the loss of -a hand, yet in this den of barbarism betraying the language and bearing -of one formed in the most polished civilization of Europe. This was -Henri de Tonty. The others were young Boisrondet, the servant -L'Esperance, and a Parisian youth named Etienne Renault. The friars, -Membre and Ribourde, were not in the village, but at a hut a league -distant, whither they had gone to make a "retreat" for prayer and -meditation. Their missionary labors had not been fruitful; they had made -no converts, and were in despair at the intractable character of the -objects of their zeal. As for the other Frenchmen, time, doubtless, hung -heavy on their hands; for nothing can surpass the vacant monotony of an -Indian town when there is neither hunting, nor war, nor feasts, nor -dances, nor gambling, to beguile the lagging hours. - -[Sidenote: THE ALARM.] - -Suddenly the village was wakened from its lethargy as by the crash of a -thunderbolt. A Shawanoe, lately here on a visit, had left his Illinois -friends to return home. He now reappeared, crossing the river in hot -haste, with the announcement that he had met, on his way, an army of -Iroquois approaching to attack them. All was panic and confusion. The -lodges disgorged their frightened inmates; women and children screamed, -startled warriors snatched their weapons. There were less than five -hundred of them, for the greater part of the young men had gone to war. -A crowd of excited savages thronged about Tonty and his Frenchmen, -already objects of their suspicion, charging them, with furious -gesticulation, with having stirred up their enemies to invade them. -Tonty defended himself in broken Illinois, but the naked mob were but -half convinced. They seized the forge and tools and flung them into the -river, with all the goods that had been saved from the deserters; then, -distrusting their power to defend themselves, they manned the wooden -canoes which lay in multitudes by the bank, embarked their women and -children, and paddled down the stream to that island of dry land in the -midst of marshes which La Salle afterwards found filled with their -deserted huts. Sixty warriors remained here to guard them, and the rest -returned to the village. All night long fires blazed along the shore. -The excited warriors greased their bodies, painted their faces, -befeathered their heads, sang their war-songs, danced, stamped, yelled, -and brandished their hatchets, to work up their courage to face the -crisis. The morning came, and with it came the Iroquois. - -Young warriors had gone out as scouts, and now they returned. They had -seen the enemy in the line of forest that bordered the river Aramoni, or -Vermilion, and had stealthily reconnoitred them. They were very -numerous,[187] and armed for the most part with guns, pistols, and -swords. Some had bucklers of wood or raw-hide, and some wore those -corselets of tough twigs interwoven with cordage which their fathers had -used when fire-arms were unknown. The scouts added more, for they -declared that they had seen a Jesuit among the Iroquois; nay, that La -Salle himself was there, whence it must follow that Tonty and his men -were enemies and traitors. The supposed Jesuit was but an Iroquois chief -arrayed in a black hat, doublet, and stockings; while another, equipped -after a somewhat similar fashion, passed in the distance for La Salle. -But the Illinois were furious. Tonty's life hung by a hair. A crowd of -savages surrounded him, mad with rage and terror. He had come lately -from Europe, and knew little of Indians, but, as the friar Membre says -of him, "he was full of intelligence and courage," and when they heard -him declare that he and his Frenchmen would go with them to fight the -Iroquois, their threats grew less clamorous and their eyes glittered -with a less deadly lustre. - -[Sidenote: TONTY'S MEDIATION.] - -Whooping and screeching, they ran to their canoes, crossed the river, -climbed the woody hill, and swarmed down upon the plain beyond. About a -hundred of them had guns; the rest were armed with bows and arrows. They -were now face to face with the enemy, who had emerged from the woods of -the Vermilion, and were advancing on the open prairie. With unwonted -spirit, for their repute as warriors was by no means high, the Illinois -began, after their fashion, to charge; that is, they leaped, yelled, and -shot off bullets and arrows, advancing as they did so; while the -Iroquois replied with gymnastics no less agile and howlings no less -terrific, mingled with the rapid clatter of their guns. Tonty saw that -it would go hard with his allies. It was of the last moment to stop the -fight, if possible. The Iroquois were, or professed to be, at peace with -the French; and, taking counsel of his courage, he resolved on an -attempt to mediate, which may well be called a desperate one. He laid -aside his gun, took in his hand a wampum belt as a flag of truce, and -walked forward to meet the savage multitude, attended by Boisrondet, -another Frenchman, and a young Illinois who had the hardihood to -accompany him. The guns of the Iroquois still flashed thick and fast. -Some of them were aimed at him, on which he sent back the two Frenchmen -and the Illinois, and advanced alone, holding out the wampum belt.[188] -A moment more, and he was among the infuriated warriors. It was a -frightful spectacle,--the contorted forms, bounding, crouching, -twisting, to deal or dodge the shot; the small keen eyes that shone like -an angry snake's; the parted lips pealing their fiendish yells; the -painted features writhing with fear and fury, and every passion of an -Indian fight,--man, wolf, and devil, all in one.[189] With his swarthy -complexion and his half-savage dress, they thought he was an Indian, and -thronged about him, glaring murder. A young warrior stabbed at his heart -with a knife, but the point glanced aside against a rib, inflicting only -a deep gash. A chief called out that, as his ears were not pierced, he -must be a Frenchman. On this, some of them tried to stop the bleeding, -and led him to the rear, where an angry parley ensued, while the yells -and firing still resounded in the front. Tonty, breathless, and bleeding -at the mouth with the force of the blow he had received, found words to -declare that the Illinois were under the protection of the King and the -governor of Canada, and to demand that they should be left in -peace.[190] - -[Sidenote: PERIL OF TONTY.] - -A young Iroquois snatched Tonty's hat, placed it on the end of his gun, -and displayed it to the Illinois, who, thereupon thinking he was -killed, renewed the fight; and the firing in front clattered more -angrily than before. A warrior ran in, crying out that the Iroquois were -giving ground, and that there were Frenchmen among the Illinois, who -fired at them. On this, the clamor around Tonty was redoubled. Some -wished to kill him at once; others resisted. "I was never," he writes, -"in such perplexity; for at that moment there was an Iroquois behind me, -with a knife in his hand, lifting my hair as if he were going to scalp -me. I thought it was all over with me, and that my best hope was that -they would knock me in the head instead of burning me, as I believed -they would do." In fact, a Seneca chief demanded that he should be -burned; while an Onondaga chief, a friend of La Salle, was for setting -him free. The dispute grew fierce and hot. Tonty told them that the -Illinois were twelve hundred strong, and that sixty Frenchmen were at -the village, ready to back them. This invention, though not fully -believed, had no little effect. The friendly Onondaga carried his point; -and the Iroquois, having failed to surprise their enemies, as they had -hoped, now saw an opportunity to delude them by a truce. They sent back -Tonty with a belt of peace: he held it aloft in sight of the Illinois; -chiefs and old warriors ran to stop the fight; the yells and the firing -ceased; and Tonty, like one waked from a hideous nightmare, dizzy, -almost fainting with loss of blood, staggered across the intervening -prairie, to rejoin his friends. He was met by the two friars, Ribourde -and Membre, who in their secluded hut, a league from the village, had -but lately heard of what was passing, and who now, with benedictions and -thanksgiving, ran to embrace him as a man escaped from the jaws of -death. - -The Illinois now withdrew, re-embarking in their canoes, and crossing -again to their lodges; but scarcely had they reached them, when their -enemies appeared at the edge of the forest on the opposite bank. Many -found means to cross, and, under the pretext of seeking for provisions, -began to hover in bands about the skirts of the town, constantly -increasing in numbers. Had the Illinois dared to remain, a massacre -would doubtless have ensued; but they knew their foe too well, set fire -to their lodges, embarked in haste, and paddled down the stream to -rejoin their women and children at the sanctuary among the morasses. The -whole body of the Iroquois now crossed the river, took possession of the -abandoned town, building for themselves a rude redoubt or fort of the -trunks of trees and of the posts and poles forming the framework of the -lodges which escaped the fire. Here they ensconced themselves, and -finished the work of havoc at their leisure. - -Tonty and his companions still occupied their hut; but the Iroquois, -becoming suspicious of them, forced them to remove to the fort, crowded -as it was with the savage crew. On the second day, there was an alarm. -The Illinois appeared in numbers on the low hills, half a mile behind -the town; and the Iroquois, who had felt their courage, and who had -been told by Tonty that they were twice as numerous as themselves, -showed symptoms of no little uneasiness. They proposed that he should -act as mediator, to which he gladly assented, and crossed the meadow -towards the Illinois, accompanied by Membre, and by an Iroquois who was -sent as a hostage. The Illinois hailed the overtures with delight, gave -the ambassadors some refreshment, which they sorely needed, and sent -back with them a young man of their nation as a hostage on their part. -This indiscreet youth nearly proved the ruin of the negotiation; for he -was no sooner among the Iroquois than he showed such an eagerness to -close the treaty, made such promises, professed such gratitude, and -betrayed so rashly the numerical weakness of the Illinois, that he -revived all the insolence of the invaders. They turned furiously upon -Tonty, and charged him with having robbed them of the glory and the -spoils of victory. "Where are all your Illinois warriors, and where are -the sixty Frenchmen that you said were among them?" It needed all -Tonty's tact and coolness to extricate himself from this new danger. - -[Sidenote: IROQUOIS TREACHERY.] - -The treaty was at length concluded; but scarcely was it made, when the -Iroquois prepared to break it, and set about constructing canoes of -elm-bark, in which to attack the Illinois women and children in their -island sanctuary. Tonty warned his allies that the pretended peace was -but a snare for their destruction. The Iroquois, on their part, grew -hourly more jealous of him, and would certainly have killed him, had it -not been their policy to keep the peace with Frontenac and the French. - -Several days after, they summoned him and Membre to a council. Six packs -of beaver-skins were brought in; and the savage orator presented them to -Tonty in turn, explaining their meaning as he did so. The first two were -to declare that the children of Count Frontenac--that is, the -Illinois--should not be eaten; the next was a plaster to heal Tonty's -wound; the next was oil wherewith to anoint him and Membre, that they -might not be fatigued in travelling; the next proclaimed that the sun -was bright; and the sixth and last required them to decamp and go -home.[191] Tonty thanked them for their gifts, but demanded when they -themselves meant to go and leave the Illinois in peace. At this, the -conclave grew angry; and, despite their late pledge, some of them said -that before they went they would eat Illinois flesh. Tonty instantly -kicked away the packs of beaver-skins, the Indian symbol of the scornful -rejection of a proposal, telling them that since they meant to eat the -governor's children he would have none of their presents. The chiefs, -in a rage, rose and drove him from the lodge. The French withdrew to -their hut, where they stood all night on the watch, expecting an attack, -and resolved to sell their lives dearly. At daybreak, the chiefs ordered -them to begone. - -[Sidenote: MURDER OF RIBOURDE.] - -Tonty, with admirable fidelity and courage, had done all in the power of -man to protect the allies of Canada against their ferocious assailants; -and he thought it unwise to persist further in a course which could lead -to no good, and which would probably end in the destruction of the whole -party. He embarked in a leaky canoe with Membre, Ribourde, Boisrondet, -and the remaining two men, and began to ascend the river. After paddling -about five leagues, they landed to dry their baggage and repair their -crazy vessel; when Father Ribourde, breviary in hand, strolled across -the sunny meadows for an hour of meditation among the neighboring -groves. Evening approached, and he did not return. Tonty, with one of -the men, went to look for him, and, following his tracks, presently -discovered those of a band of Indians, who had apparently seized or -murdered him. Still, they did not despair. They fired their guns to -guide him, should he still be alive; built a huge fire by the bank, and -then, crossing the river, lay watching it from the other side. At -midnight, they saw the figure of a man hovering around the blaze; then -many more appeared, but Ribourde was not among them. In truth, a band of -Kickapoos, enemies of the Iroquois, about whose camp they had been -prowling in quest of scalps, had met and wantonly murdered the -inoffensive old man. They carried his scalp to their village, and danced -round it in triumph, pretending to have taken it from an enemy. Thus, in -his sixty-fifth year, the only heir of a wealthy Burgundian house -perished under the war-clubs of the savages for whose salvation he had -renounced station, ease, and affluence.[192] - -[Sidenote: ATTACK OF THE IROQUOIS.] - -Meanwhile, a hideous scene was enacted at the ruined village of the -Illinois. Their savage foes, balked of a living prey, wreaked their fury -on the dead. They dug up the graves; they threw down the scaffolds. Some -of the bodies they burned; some they threw to the dogs; some, it is -affirmed, they ate.[193] Placing the skulls on stakes as trophies, they -turned to pursue the Illinois, who, when the French withdrew, had -abandoned their asylum and retreated down the river. The Iroquois, -still, it seems, in awe of them, followed them along the opposite bank, -each night encamping face to face with them; and thus the adverse bands -moved slowly southward, till they were near the mouth of the river. -Hitherto, the compact array of the Illinois had held their enemies in -check; but now, suffering from hunger, and lulled into security by the -assurances of the Iroquois that their object was not to destroy them, -but only to drive them from the country, they rashly separated into -their several tribes. Some descended the Mississippi; some, more -prudent, crossed to the western side. One of their principal tribes, the -Tamaroas, more credulous than the rest, had the fatuity to remain near -the mouth of the Illinois, where they were speedily assailed by all the -force of the Iroquois. The men fled, and very few of them were killed; -but the women and children were captured to the number, it is said, of -seven hundred.[194] Then followed that scene of torture of which, some -two weeks later, La Salle saw the revolting traces.[195] Sated, at -length, with horrors, the conquerors withdrew, leading with them a host -of captives, and exulting in their triumphs over women, children, and -the dead. - -After the death of Father Ribourde, Tonty and his companions remained -searching for him till noon of the next day, and then in despair of -again seeing him, resumed their journey. They ascended the river, -leaving no token of their passage at the junction of its northern and -southern branches. For food, they gathered acorns and dug roots in the -meadows. Their canoe proved utterly worthless; and, feeble as they were, -they set out on foot for Lake Michigan. Boisrondet wandered off, and was -lost. He had dropped the flint of his gun, and he had no bullets; but he -cut a pewter porringer into slugs, with which he shot wild turkeys by -discharging his piece with a fire-brand, and after several days he had -the good fortune to rejoin the party. Their object was to reach the -Pottawattamies of Green Bay. Had they aimed at Michilimackinac, they -would have found an asylum with La Forest at the fort on the St. Joseph; -but unhappily they passed westward of that post, and, by way of Chicago, -followed the borders of Lake Michigan northward. The cold was intense; -and it was no easy task to grub up wild onions from the frozen ground to -save themselves from starving. Tonty fell ill of a fever and a swelling -of the limbs, which disabled him from travelling, and hence ensued a -long delay. At length they neared Green Bay, where they would have -starved, had they not gleaned a few ears of corn and frozen squashes in -the fields of an empty Indian town. - -[Sidenote: FRIENDS IN NEED.] - -This enabled them to reach the bay, and having patched an old canoe -which they had the good luck to find, they embarked in it; whereupon, -says Tonty, "there rose a northwest wind, which lasted five days, with -driving snow. We consumed all our food; and not knowing what to do next, -we resolved to go back to the deserted town, and die by a warm fire in -one of the wigwams. On our way, we saw a smoke; but our joy was short, -for when we reached the fire we found nobody there. We spent the night -by it; and before morning the bay froze. We tried to break a way for our -canoe through the ice, but could not; and therefore we determined to -stay there another night, and make moccasins in order to reach the town. -We made some out of Father Gabriel's cloak. I was angry with Etienne -Renault for not finishing his; but he excused himself on account of -illness, because he had a great oppression of the stomach, caused by -eating a piece of an Indian shield of raw-hide, which he could not -digest. His delay proved our salvation; for the next day, December -fourth, as I was urging him to finish the moccasins, and he was still -excusing himself on the score of his malady, a party of Kiskakon -Ottawas, who were on their way to the Pottawattamies, saw the smoke of -our fire, and came to us. We gave them such a welcome as was never seen -before. They took us into their canoes, and carried us to an Indian -village, only two leagues off. There we found five Frenchmen, who -received us kindly, and all the Indians seemed to take pleasure in -sending us food; so that, after thirty-four days of starvation, we found -our famine turned to abundance." - -This hospitable village belonged to the Pottawattamies, and was under -the sway of the chief who had befriended La Salle the year before, and -who was wont to say that he knew but three great captains in the -world,--Frontenac, La Salle, and himself.[196] - -THE ILLINOIS TOWN. - -The Site of the Great Illinois Town.--This has not till now been -determined, though there have been various conjectures concerning it. -From a study of the contemporary documents and maps, I became satisfied, -first, that the branch of the river Illinois, called the "Big -Vermilion," was the _Aramoni_ of the French explorers; and, secondly, -that the cliff called "Starved Rock" was that known to the French as _Le -Rocher_, or the Rock of St. Louis. If I was right in this conclusion, -then the position of the Great Village was established; for there is -abundant proof that it was on the north side of the river, above the -Aramoni, and below Le Rocher. I accordingly went to the village of -Utica, which, as I judged by the map, was very near the point in -question, and mounted to the top of one of the hills immediately behind -it, whence I could see the valley of the Illinois for miles, bounded on -the farther side by a range of hills, in some parts rocky and -precipitous, and in others covered with forests. Far on the right was a -gap in these hills, through which the Big Vermilion flowed to join the -Illinois; and somewhat towards the left, at the distance of a mile and a -half, was a huge cliff, rising perpendicularly from the opposite margin -of the river. This I assumed to be _Le Rocher_ of the French, though -from where I stood I was unable to discern the distinctive features -which I was prepared to find in it. In every other respect, the scene -before me was precisely what I had expected to see. There was a meadow -on the hither side of the river, on which stood a farmhouse; and this, -as it seemed to me, by its relations with surrounding objects, might be -supposed to stand in the midst of the space once occupied by the -Illinois town. - -On the way down from the hill I met Mr. James Clark, the principal -inhabitant of Utica, and one of the earliest settlers of this region. I -accosted him, told him my objects, and requested a half hour's -conversation with him, at his leisure. He seemed interested in the -inquiry, and said he would visit me early in the evening at the inn, -where, accordingly, he soon appeared. The conversation took place in the -porch, where a number of farmers and others were gathered. I asked Mr. -Clark if any Indian remains were found in the neighborhood. "Yes," he -replied, "plenty of them." I then inquired if there was any one spot -where they were more numerous than elsewhere. "Yes," he answered again, -pointing towards the farmhouse on the meadow; "on my farm down yonder by -the river, my tenant ploughs up teeth and bones by the peck every -spring, besides arrow-heads, beads, stone hatchets, and other things of -that sort." I replied that this was precisely what I had expected, as I -had been led to believe that the principal town of the Illinois Indians -once covered that very spot. "If," I added, "I am right in this belief, -the great rock beyond the river is the one which the first explorers -occupied as a fort; and I can describe it to you from their accounts of -it, though I have never seen it, except from the top of the hill where -the trees on and around it prevented me from seeing any part but the -front." The men present now gathered around to listen. "The rock," I -continued, "is nearly a hundred and fifty feet high, and rises directly -from the water. The front and two sides are perpendicular and -inaccessible; but there is one place where it is possible for a man to -climb up, though with difficulty. The top is large enough and level -enough for houses and fortifications." Here several of the men -exclaimed: "That's just it." "You've hit it exactly." I then asked if -there was any other rock on that side of the river which could answer to -the description. They all agreed that there was no such rock on either -side, along the whole length of the river. I then said: "If the Indian -town was in the place where I suppose it to have been, I can tell you -the nature of the country which lies behind the hills on the farther -side of the river, though I know nothing about it except what I have -learned from writings nearly two centuries old. From the top of the -hills, you look out upon a great prairie reaching as far as you can see, -except that it is crossed by a belt of woods, following the course of a -stream which enters the main river a few miles below." (See _ante_, p. -221, _note_.) "You are exactly right again," replied Mr. Clark; "we call -that belt of timber the 'Vermilion Woods,' and the stream is the Big -Vermilion." "Then," I said, "the Big Vermilion is the river which the -French called the Aramoni; 'Starved Rock' is the same on which they -built a fort called St. Louis, in the year 1682; and your farm is on the -site of the great town of the Illinois." - -I spent the next day in examining these localities, and was fully -confirmed in my conclusions. Mr. Clark's tenant showed me the spot where -the human bones were ploughed up. It was no doubt the graveyard violated -by the Iroquois. The Illinois returned to the village after their -defeat, and long continued to occupy it. The scattered bones were -probably collected and restored to their place of burial. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[179] For the particulars of this desertion, Membre in Le Clerc, ii. -171, _Relation des Decouvertes_; Tonty, _Memoire_, 1684, 1693; -_Declaration faite par devant le Sr. Duchesneau, Intendant en Canada, -par Moyse Hillaret, charpentier de barque cy-devant au service du Sr. -de la Salle, Aoust, 1680_. - -Moyse Hillaret, the "Maitre Moyse" of Hennepin, was a ring-leader of the -deserters, and seems to have been one of those captured by La Salle near -Fort Frontenac. Twelve days after, Hillaret was examined by La Salle's -enemy, the intendant; and this paper is the formal statement made by -him. It gives the names of most of the men, and furnishes incidental -confirmation of many statements of Hennepin, Tonty, Membre, and the -_Relation des Decouvertes_. Hillaret, Leblanc, and Le Meilleur, the -blacksmith nicknamed La Forge, went off together, and the rest seem to -have followed afterwards. Hillaret does not admit that any goods were -wantonly destroyed. - -There is before me a schedule of the debts of La Salle, made after his -death. It includes a claim of this man for wages to the amount of 2,500 -livres. - -[180] Two of the messengers, Laurent and Messier, arrived safely. The -others seem to have deserted. - -[181] The Jesuits in North America. - -[182] Duchesneau, in _Paris Docs._, ix. 163. - -[183] There had long been a rankling jealousy between the Miamis and the -Illinois. According to Membre, La Salle's enemies had intrigued -successfully among the former, as well as among the Iroquois, to induce -them to take arms against the Illinois. - -[184] The above is from notes made on the spot. The following is La -Salle's description of the locality in the _Relation des Decouvertes_, -written in 1681: "La rive gauche de la riviere, du cote du sud, est -occupee par un long rocher, fort etroit et escarpe presque partout, a la -reserve d'un endroit de plus d'une lieue de longueur, situe vis-a-vis du -village, ou le terrain, tout couvert de beaux chenes, s'etend par une -pente douce jusqu'au bord de la riviere. Au dela de cette hauteur est -une vaste plaine, qui s'etend bien loin du cote du sud, et qui est -traversee par la riviere Aramoni, dont les bords sont couverts d'une -lisiere de bois peu large." - -The Aramoni is laid down on the great manuscript map of Franquelin, -1684, and on the map of Coronelli, 1688. It is, without doubt, the Big -Vermilion. _Aramoni_ is the Illinois word for "red," or "vermilion." -Starved Rock, or the Rock of St. Louis, is the highest and steepest -escarpment of the _long rocher_ above mentioned. - -[185] The Illinois were an aggregation of distinct though kindred -tribes,--the Kaskaskias, the Peorias, the Kahokias, the Tamaroas, the -Moingona, and others. Their general character and habits were those of -other Indian tribes; but they were reputed somewhat cowardly and -slothful. In their manners, they were more licentious than many of their -neighbors, and addicted to practices which are sometimes supposed to be -the result of a perverted civilization. Young men enacting the part of -women were frequently to be seen among them. These were held in great -contempt. Some of the early travellers, both among the Illinois and -among other tribes, where the same practice prevailed, mistook them for -hermaphrodites. According to Charlevoix (_Journal Historique_, 303), -this abuse was due in part to a superstition. The Miamis and Piankishaws -were in close affinities of language and habits with the Illinois. All -these tribes belonged to the great Algonquin family. The first -impressions which the French received of them, as recorded in the -_Relation_ of 1671, were singularly favorable; but a closer acquaintance -did not confirm them. The Illinois traded with the lake tribes, to whom -they carried slaves taken in war, receiving in exchange guns, hatchets, -and other French goods. Marquette in _Relation_, 1670, 91. - -[186] This is Membre's date. The narratives differ as to the day, though -all agree as to the month. - -[187] The _Relation des Decouvertes_ says, five hundred Iroquois and one -hundred Shawanoes. Membre says that the allies were Miamis. He is no -doubt right, as the Miamis had promised their aid, and the Shawanoes -were at peace with the Illinois. Tonty is silent on the point. - -[188] Membre says that he went with Tonty: "J'etois aussi a cote du -Sieur de Tonty." This is an invention of the friar's vanity. "Les deux -peres Recollets etoient alors dans une cabane a une lieue du village, ou -ils s'etoient retires pour faire une espece de retraite, et ils ne -furent avertis de l'arrivee des Iroquois que dans le temps du -combat."--_Relation des Decouvertes_. "Je rencontrai en chemin les peres -Gabriel et Zenobe Membre, qui cherchoient de mes nouvelles."--Tonty, -_Memoire_, 1693. This was on his return from the Iroquois. The -_Relation_ confirms the statement, as far as concerns Membre: "II -rencontra le Pere Zenobe [_Membre_], qui venoit pour le secourir, aiant -ete averti du combat et de sa blessure." - -The perverted _Dernieres Decouvertes_, published without authority, -under Tonty's name, says that he was attended by a slave, whom the -Illinois sent with him as interpreter. In his narrative of 1684, Tonty -speaks of a Sokokis (Saco) Indian who was with the Iroquois and who -spoke French enough to serve as interpreter. - -[189] Being once in an encampment of Sioux when a quarrel broke out, and -the adverse factions raised the war-whoop and began to fire at each -other, I had a good, though for the moment a rather dangerous, -opportunity of seeing the demeanor of Indians at the beginning of a -fight. The fray was quelled before much mischief was done, by the -vigorous intervention of the elder warriors, who ran between the -combatants. - -[190] "Je leur fis connoistre que les Islinois etoient sous la -protection du roy de France et du gouverneur du pays, que j'estois -surpris qu'ils voulussent rompre avec les Francois et qu'ils voulussent -_attendre_ [_sic_] a une paix."--Tonty, _Memoire_, 1693. - -[191] An Indian speech, it will be remembered, is without validity if -not confirmed by presents, each of which has its special interpretation. -The meaning of the fifth pack of beaver, informing Tonty that the sun -was bright,--"que le soleil etoit beau," that is, that the weather was -favorable for travelling,--is curiously misconceived by the editor of -the _Dernieres Decouvertes_, who improves upon his original by -substituting the words "par le cinquieme paquet _ils nous exhortoient a -adorer le Soleil_." - -[192] Tonty, _Memoire_; Membre in Le Clerc, ii. 191. Hennepin, who hated -Tonty, unjustly charges him with having abandoned the search too soon, -admitting, however, that it would have been useless to continue it. This -part of his narrative is a perversion of Membre's account. - -[193] "Cependant les Iroquois, aussitot apres le depart du Sr. de -Tonty, exercerent leur rage sur les corps morts des Ilinois, qu'ils -deterrerent ou abbatterent de dessus les echafauds ou les Ilinois les -laissent longtemps exposes avant que de les mettre en terre. Ils en -brulerent la plus grande partie, ils en mangerent meme quelques uns, et -jetterent le reste aux chiens. Ils planterent les tetes de ces cadavres -a demi decharnes sur des pieux," etc.--_Relation des Decouvertes_. - -[194] _Relation des Decouvertes_; Frontenac to the King, _N. Y. Col. -Docs._, ix. 147. A memoir of Duchesneau makes the number twelve hundred. - -[195] "Ils [_les Illinois_] trouverent dans leur campement des carcasses -de leurs enfans que ces anthropophages avoient mangez, ne voulant meme -d'autre nourriture que la chair de ces infortunez."--_La Potherie_, ii. -145, 146. Compare _note, ante_, p. 211. - -[196] Membre in Le Clerc, ii. 199. The other authorities for the -foregoing chapter are the letters of La Salle, the _Relation des -Decouvertes_, in which portions of them are embodied, and the two -narratives of Tonty, of 1684 and 1693. They all agree in essential -points. - -In his letters of this period, La Salle dwells at great length on the -devices by which, as he believed, his enemies tried to ruin him and his -enterprise. He is particularly severe against the Jesuit Allouez, whom -he charges with intriguing "pour commencer la guerre entre les Iroquois -et les Illinois par le moyen des Miamis qu'on engageoit dans cette -negociation afin ou de me faire massacrer avec mes gens par quelqu'une -de ces nations ou de me brouiller avec les Iroquois."--_Lettre (a -Thouret?), 22 Aout, 1682_. He gives in detail the circumstances on which -this suspicion rests, but which are not convincing. He says, further, -that the Jesuits gave out that Tonty was dead in order to discourage the -men going to his relief, and that Allouez encouraged the deserters, -"leur servoit de conseil, benit mesme leurs balles, et les asseura -plusieurs fois que M. de Tonty auroit la teste cassee." He also affirms -that great pains were taken to spread the report that he was himself -dead. A Kiskakon Indian, he says, was sent to Tonty with a story to this -effect; while a Huron named Scortas was sent to him (La Salle) with -false news of the death of Tonty. The latter confirms this statement, -and adds that the Illinois had been told "que M. de la Salle estoit venu -en leur pays pour les donner a manger aux Iroquois." - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -1680. - -THE ADVENTURES OF HENNEPIN. - - Hennepin an Impostor: his Pretended Discovery; his Actual - Discovery; Captured by the Sioux.--The Upper Mississippi. - - -It was on the last day of the winter that preceded the invasion of the -Iroquois that Father Hennepin, with his two companions, Accau and Du -Gay, had set out from Fort Crevecoeur to explore the Illinois to its -mouth. It appears from his own later statements, as well as from those -of Tonty, that more than this was expected of him, and that La Salle had -instructed him to explore, not alone the Illinois, but also the Upper -Mississippi. That he actually did so, there is no reasonable doubt; and -could he have contented himself with telling the truth, his name would -have stood high as a bold and vigorous discoverer. But his vicious -attempts to malign his commander and plunder him of his laurels have -wrapped his genuine merit in a cloud. - -Hennepin's first book was published soon after his return from his -travels, and while La Salle was still alive. In it he relates the -accomplishment of the instructions given him, without the smallest -intimation that he did more.[197] Fourteen years after, when La Salle -was dead, he published another edition of his travels,[198] in which he -advanced a new and surprising pretension. Reasons connected with his -personal safety, he declares, before compelled him to remain silent; but -a time at length had come when the truth must be revealed. And he -proceeds to affirm, that, before ascending the Mississippi, he, with his -two men, explored its whole course from the Illinois to the sea,--thus -anticipating the discovery which forms the crowning laurel of La Salle. - -[Sidenote: HENNEPIN'S RESOLUTION.] - -"I am resolved," he says, "to make known here to the whole world the -mystery of this discovery, which I have hitherto concealed, that I might -not offend the Sieur de la Salle, who wished to keep all the glory and -all the knowledge of it to himself. It is for this that he sacrificed -many persons whose lives he exposed, to prevent them from making known -what they had seen, and thereby crossing his secret plans.... I was -certain that if I went down the Mississippi, he would not fail to -traduce me to my superiors for not taking the northern route, which I -was to have followed in accordance with his desire and the plan we had -made together. But I saw myself on the point of dying of hunger, and -knew not what to do; because the two men who were with me threatened -openly to leave me in the night, and carry off the canoe and everything -in it, if I prevented them from going down the river to the nations -below. Finding myself in this dilemma, I thought that I ought not to -hesitate, and that I ought to prefer my own safety to the violent -passion which possessed the Sieur de la Salle of enjoying alone the -glory of this discovery. The two men, seeing that I had made up my mind -to follow them, promised me entire fidelity; so, after we had shaken -hands together as a mutual pledge, we set out on our voyage."[199] - -He then proceeds to recount at length the particulars of his alleged -exploration. The story was distrusted from the first.[200] Why had he -not told it before? An excess of modesty, a lack of self-assertion, or a -too sensitive reluctance to wound the susceptibilities of others, had -never been found among his foibles. Yet some, perhaps, might have -believed him, had he not in the first edition of his book gratuitously -and distinctly declared that he did not make the voyage in question. "We -had some designs," he says, "of going down the river Colbert -[Mississippi] as far as its mouth; but the tribes that took us prisoners -gave us no time to navigate this river both up and down."[201] - -[Sidenote: HENNEPIN AN IMPOSTOR.] - -In declaring to the world the achievement which he had so long concealed -and so explicitly denied, the worthy missionary found himself in serious -embarrassment. In his first book, he had stated that on the twelfth of -March he left the mouth of the Illinois on his way northward, and that -on the eleventh of April he was captured by the Sioux near the mouth of -the Wisconsin, five hundred miles above. This would give him only a -month to make his alleged canoe-voyage from the Illinois to the Gulf of -Mexico, and again upward to the place of his capture,--a distance of -three thousand two hundred and sixty miles. With his means of -transportation, three months would have been insufficient.[202] He saw -the difficulty; but, on the other hand, he saw that he could not greatly -change either date without confusing the parts of his narrative which -preceded and which followed. In this perplexity he chose a middle -course, which only involved him in additional contradictions. Having, as -he affirms, gone down to the Gulf and returned to the mouth of the -Illinois, he set out thence to explore the river above; and he assigns -the twenty-fourth of April as the date of this departure. This gives him -forty-three days for his voyage to the mouth of the river and back. -Looking further, we find that having left the Illinois on the -twenty-fourth he paddled his canoe two hundred leagues northward, and -was then captured by the Sioux on the twelfth of the same month. In -short, he ensnares himself in a hopeless confusion of dates.[203] - -Here, one would think, is sufficient reason for rejecting his story; and -yet the general truth of the descriptions, and a certain verisimilitude -which marks it, might easily deceive a careless reader and perplex a -critical one. These, however, are easily explained. Six years before -Hennepin published his pretended discovery, his brother friar, Father -Chretien Le Clerc, published an account of the Recollet missions among -the Indians, under the title of "Etablissement de la Foi." This book, -offensive to the Jesuits, is said to have been suppressed by order of -government; but a few copies fortunately survive.[204] One of these is -now before me. It contains the journal of Father Zenobe Membre, on his -descent of the Mississippi in 1681, in company with La Salle. The -slightest comparison of his narrative with that of Hennepin is -sufficient to show that the latter framed his own story out of incidents -and descriptions furnished by his brother missionary, often using his -very words, and sometimes copying entire pages, with no other -alterations than such as were necessary to make himself, instead of La -Salle and his companions, the hero of the exploit. The records of -literary piracy may be searched in vain for an act of depredation more -recklessly impudent.[205] - -Such being the case, what faith can we put in the rest of Hennepin's -story? Fortunately, there are tests by which the earlier parts of his -book can be tried; and, on the whole, they square exceedingly well with -contemporary records of undoubted authenticity. Bating his exaggerations -respecting the Falls of Niagara, his local descriptions, and even his -estimates of distance, are generally accurate. He constantly, it is -true, magnifies his own acts, and thrusts himself forward as one of the -chiefs of an enterprise to the costs of which he had contributed -nothing, and to which he was merely an appendage; and yet, till he -reaches the Mississippi, there can be no doubt that in the main he tells -the truth. As for his ascent of that river to the country of the Sioux, -the general statement is fully confirmed by La Salle, Tonty, and other -contemporary writers.[206] For the details of the journey we must rest -on Hennepin alone, whose account of the country and of the peculiar -traits of its Indian occupants afford, as far as they go, good evidence -of truth. Indeed, this part of his narrative could only have been -written by one well versed in the savage life of this northwestern -region.[207] Trusting, then, to his own guidance in the absence of -better, let us follow in the wake of his adventurous canoe. - -[Sidenote: HIS VOYAGE NORTHWARD.] - -It was laden deeply with goods belonging to La Salle, and meant by him -as presents to Indians on the way, though the travellers, it appears, -proposed to use them in trading on their own account. The friar was -still wrapped in his gray capote and hood, shod with sandals, and -decorated with the cord of St. Francis. As for his two companions, -Accau[208] and Du Gay, it is tolerably clear that the former was the -real leader of the party, though Hennepin, after his custom, thrusts -himself into the foremost place. Both were somewhat above the station of -ordinary hired hands; and Du Gay had an uncle who was an ecclesiastic of -good credit at Amiens, his native place. - -In the forests that overhung the river the buds were feebly swelling -with advancing spring. There was game enough. They killed buffalo, deer, -beavers, wild turkeys, and now and then a bear swimming in the river. -With these, and the fish which they caught in abundance, they fared -sumptuously, though it was the season of Lent. They were exemplary, -however, at their devotions. Hennepin said prayers at morning and night, -and the _angelus_ at noon, adding a petition to Saint Anthony of Padua -that he would save them from the peril that beset their way. In truth, -there was a lion in the path. The ferocious character of the Sioux, or -Dacotah, who occupied the region of the Upper Mississippi, was already -known to the French; and Hennepin, with excellent reason, prayed that it -might be his fortune to meet them, not by night, but by day. - -[Sidenote: CAPTURED BY THE SIOUX.] - -On the eleventh or twelfth of April, they stopped in the afternoon to -repair their canoe; and Hennepin busied himself in daubing it with -pitch, while the others cooked a turkey. Suddenly, a fleet of Sioux -canoes swept into sight, bearing a war-party of a hundred and twenty -naked savages, who on seeing the travellers raised a hideous clamor; -and, some leaping ashore and others into the water, they surrounded the -astonished Frenchmen in an instant.[209] Hennepin held out the -peace-pipe; but one of them snatched it from him. Next, he hastened to -proffer a gift of Martinique tobacco, which was better received. Some of -the old warriors repeated the name _Miamiha_, giving him to understand -that they were a war-party, on the way to attack the Miamis; on which, -Hennepin, with the help of signs and of marks which he drew on the sand -with a stick, explained that the Miamis had gone across the Mississippi, -beyond their reach. Hereupon, he says that three or four old men placed -their hands on his head, and began a dismal wailing; while he with his -handkerchief wiped away their tears, in order to evince sympathy with -their affliction, from whatever cause arising. Notwithstanding this -demonstration of tenderness, they refused to smoke with him in his -peace-pipe, and forced him and his companions to embark and paddle -across the river; while they all followed behind, uttering yells and -howlings which froze the missionary's blood. - -On reaching the farther side, they made their camp-fires, and allowed -their prisoners to do the same. Accau and Du Gay slung their kettle; -while Hennepin, to propitiate the Sioux, carried to them two turkeys, -of which there were several in the canoe. The warriors had seated -themselves in a ring, to debate on the fate of the Frenchmen; and two -chiefs presently explained to the friar, by significant signs, that it -had been resolved that his head should be split with a war-club. This -produced the effect which was no doubt intended. Hennepin ran to the -canoe, and quickly returned with one of the men, both loaded with -presents, which he threw into the midst of the assembly; and then, -bowing his head, offered them at the same time a hatchet with which to -kill him, if they wished to do so. His gifts and his submission seemed -to appease them. They gave him and his companions a dish of beaver's -flesh; but, to his great concern, they returned his peace-pipe,--an act -which he interpreted as a sign of danger. That night the Frenchmen slept -little, expecting to be murdered before morning. There was, in fact, a -great division of opinion among the Sioux. Some were for killing them -and taking their goods; while others, eager above all things that French -traders should come among them with the knives, hatchets, and guns of -which they had heard the value, contended that it would be impolitic to -discourage the trade by putting to death its pioneers. - -Scarcely had morning dawned on the anxious captives, when a young chief, -naked, and painted from head to foot, appeared before them and asked for -the pipe, which the friar gladly gave him. He filled it, smoked it, -made the warriors do the same, and, having given this hopeful pledge of -amity, told the Frenchmen that, since the Miamis were out of reach, the -war-party would return home, and that they must accompany them. To this -Hennepin gladly agreed, having, as he declares, his great work of -exploration so much at heart that he rejoiced in the prospect of -achieving it even in their company. - -[Sidenote: SUSPECTED OF SORCERY.] - -He soon, however, had a foretaste of the affliction in store for him; -for when he opened his breviary and began to mutter his morning -devotion, his new companions gathered about him with faces that betrayed -their superstitious terror, and gave him to understand that his book was -a bad spirit with which he must hold no more converse. They thought, -indeed, that he was muttering a charm for their destruction. Accau and -Du Gay, conscious of the danger, begged the friar to dispense with his -devotions, lest he and they alike should be tomahawked; but Hennepin -says that his sense of duty rose superior to his fears, and that he was -resolved to repeat his office at all hazards, though not until he had -asked pardon of his two friends for thus imperilling their lives. -Fortunately, he presently discovered a device by which his devotion and -his prudence were completely reconciled. He ceased the muttering which -had alarmed the Indians, and, with the breviary open on his knees, sang -the service in loud and cheerful tones. As this had no savor of sorcery, -and as they now imagined that the book was teaching its owner to sing -for their amusement, they conceived a favorable opinion of both alike. - -These Sioux, it may be observed, were the ancestors of those who -committed the horrible but not unprovoked massacres of 1862, in the -valley of the St. Peter. Hennepin complains bitterly of their treatment -of him, which, however, seems to have been tolerably good. Afraid that -he would lag behind, as his canoe was heavy and slow,[210] they placed -several warriors in it to aid him and his men in paddling. They kept on -their way from morning till night, building huts for their bivouac when -it rained, and sleeping on the open ground when the weather was -fair,--which, says Hennepin, "gave us a good opportunity to contemplate -the moon and stars." The three Frenchmen took the precaution of sleeping -at the side of the young chief who had been the first to smoke the -peace-pipe, and who seemed inclined to befriend them; but there was -another chief, one Aquipaguetin, a crafty old savage, who having lost a -son in war with the Miamis, was angry that the party had abandoned their -expedition, and thus deprived him of his revenge. He therefore kept up a -dismal lament through half the night; while other old men, crouching -over Hennepin as he lay trying to sleep, stroked him with their hands, -and uttered wailings so lugubrious that he was forced to the belief -that he had been doomed to death, and that they were charitably -bemoaning his fate.[211] - -[Sidenote: THE CAPTIVE FRIAR.] - -One night, the captives were, for some reason, unable to bivouac near -their protector, and were forced to make their fire at the end of the -camp. Here they were soon beset by a crowd of Indians, who told them -that Aquipaguetin had at length resolved to tomahawk them. The -malcontents were gathered in a knot at a little distance, and Hennepin -hastened to appease them by another gift of knives and tobacco. This was -but one of the devices of the old chief to deprive them of their goods -without robbing them outright. He had with him the bones of a deceased -relative, which he was carrying home wrapped in skins prepared with -smoke after the Indian fashion, and gayly decorated with bands of dyed -porcupine quills. He would summon his warriors, and placing these relics -in the midst of the assembly, call on all present to smoke in their -honor; after which, Hennepin was required to offer a more substantial -tribute in the shape of cloth, beads, hatchets, tobacco, and the like, -to be laid upon the bundle of bones. The gifts thus acquired were then, -in the name of the deceased, distributed among the persons present. - -On one occasion, Aquipaguetin killed a bear, and invited the chiefs and -warriors to feast upon it. They accordingly assembled on a prairie, west -of the river, where, after the banquet, they danced a "medicine-dance." -They were all painted from head to foot, with their hair oiled, -garnished with red and white feathers, and powdered with the down of -birds. In this guise they set their arms akimbo, and fell to stamping -with such fury that the hard prairie was dented with the prints of their -moccasins; while the chief's son, crying at the top of his throat, gave -to each in turn the pipe of war. Meanwhile, the chief himself, singing -in a loud and rueful voice, placed his hands on the heads of the three -Frenchmen, and from time to time interrupted his music to utter a -vehement harangue. Hennepin could not understand the words, but his -heart sank as the conviction grew strong within him that these -ceremonies tended to his destruction. It seems, however, that, after all -the chief's efforts, his party was in the minority, the greater part -being adverse to either killing or robbing the three strangers. - -Every morning, at daybreak, an old warrior shouted the signal of -departure; and the recumbent savages leaped up, manned their birchen -fleet, and plied their paddles against the current, often without -waiting to break their fast. Sometimes they stopped for a buffalo-hunt -on the neighboring prairies; and there was no lack of provisions. They -passed Lake Pepin, which Hennepin called the Lake of Tears, by reason -of the howlings and lamentations here uttered over him by Aquipaguetin, -and nineteen days after his capture landed near the site of St. Paul. -The father's sorrows now began in earnest. The Indians broke his canoe -to pieces, having first hidden their own among the alder-bushes. As they -belonged to different bands and different villages, their mutual -jealousy now overcame all their prudence; and each proceeded to claim -his share of the captives and the booty. Happily, they made an amicable -distribution, or it would have fared ill with the three Frenchmen; and -each taking his share, not forgetting the priestly vestments of -Hennepin, the splendor of which they could not sufficiently admire, they -set out across the country for their villages, which lay towards the -north in the neighborhood of Lake Buade, now called Mille Lac. - -[Sidenote: A HARD JOURNEY.] - -Being, says Hennepin, exceedingly tall and active, they walked at a -prodigious speed, insomuch that no European could long keep pace with -them. Though the month of May had begun, there were frosts at night; and -the marshes and ponds were glazed with ice, which cut the missionary's -legs as he waded through. They swam the larger streams, and Hennepin -nearly perished with cold as he emerged from the icy current. His two -companions, who were smaller than he, and who could not swim, were -carried over on the backs of the Indians. They showed, however, no -little endurance; and he declares that he should have dropped by the -way, but for their support. Seeing him disposed to lag, the Indians, to -spur him on, set fire to the dry grass behind him, and then, taking him -by the hands, ran forward with him to escape the flames. To add to his -misery, he was nearly famished, as they gave him only a small piece of -smoked meat once a day, though it does not appear that they themselves -fared better. On the fifth day, being by this time in extremity, he saw -a crowd of squaws and children approaching over the prairie, and -presently descried the bark lodges of an Indian town. The goal was -reached. He was among the homes of the Sioux. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[197] _Description de la Louisiane, nouvellement decouverte_, Paris, -1683. - -[198] _Nouvelle Decouverte d'un tres grand Pays situe dans l'Amerique_, -Utrecht, 1697. - -[199] _Nouvelle Decouverte_, 248, 250, 251. - -[200] See the preface of the Spanish translation by Don Sebastian -Fernandez de Medrano, 1699, and also the letter of Gravier, dated 1701, -in Shea's _Early Voyages on the Mississippi_. Barcia, Charlevoix, Kalm, -and other early writers put a low value on Hennepin's veracity. - -[201] _Description de la Louisiane_, 218. - -[202] La Salle, in the following year, with a far better equipment, was -more than three months and a half in making the journey. A Mississippi -trading-boat of the last generation, with sails and oars, ascending -against the current, was thought to do remarkably well if it could make -twenty miles a day. Hennepin, if we believe his own statements, must -have ascended at an average rate of sixty miles, though his canoe was -large and heavily laden. - -[203] Hennepin here falls into gratuitous inconsistencies. In the -edition of 1697, in order to gain a little time, he says that he left -the Illinois on his voyage southward on the eighth of March, 1680; and -yet in the preceding chapter he repeats the statement of the first -edition, that he was detained at the Illinois by floating ice till the -twelfth. Again, he says in the first edition that he was captured by the -Sioux on the eleventh of April; and in the edition of 1697 he changes -this date to the twelfth, without gaining any advantage by doing so. - -[204] Le Clerc's book had been made the text of an attack on the -Jesuits. See _Reflexions sur un Livre intitule Premier Etablissement de -la Foi_. This piece is printed in the _Morale Pratique des Jesuites_. - -[205] Hennepin may have copied from the unpublished journal of Membre, -which the latter had placed in the hands of his Superior; or he may have -compiled from Le Clerc's book, relying on the suppression of the edition -to prevent detection. He certainly saw and used it; for he elsewhere -borrows the exact words of the editor. He is so careless that he steals -from Membre passages which he might easily have written for himself; as, -for example, a description of the opossum and another of the -cougar,--animals with which he was acquainted. Compare the following -pages of the _Nouvelle Decouverte_ with the corresponding pages of Le -Clerc: Hennepin, 252, Le Clerc, ii. 217; H. 253, Le C. ii. 218; H. 257, -Le C. ii. 221; H. 259, Le C. ii. 224; H. 262, Le C. ii. 226; H. 265, Le -C. ii. 229; H. 267, Le C. ii. 233; H. 270, Le C. ii. 235; H. 280, Le C. -ii. 240; H. 295, Le C. ii. 249; H. 296, Le C. ii. 250; H. 297, Le C. ii. -253; H. 299, Le C. ii. 254; H. 301, Le C. ii. 257. Some of these -parallel passages will be found in Sparks's _Life of La Salle_, where -this remarkable fraud was first fully exposed. In Shea's _Discovery of -the Mississippi_, there is an excellent critical examination of -Hennepin's works. His plagiarisms from Le Clerc are not confined to the -passages cited above; for in his later editions he stole largely from -other parts of the suppressed _Etablissement de la Foi_. - -[206] It is certain that persons having the best means of information -believed at the time in Hennepin's story of his journeys on the Upper -Mississippi. The compiler of the _Relation des Decouvertes_, who was in -close relations with La Salle and those who acted with him, does not -intimate a doubt of the truth of the report which Hennepin on his return -gave to the Provincial Commissary of his Order, and which is in -substance the same which he published two years later. The _Relation_, -it is to be observed, was written only a few months after the return of -Hennepin, and embodies the pith of his narrative of the Upper -Mississippi, no part of which had then been published. - -[207] In this connection, it is well to examine the various Sioux words -which Hennepin uses incidentally, and which he must have acquired by -personal intercourse with the tribe, as no Frenchman then understood the -language. These words, as far as my information reaches, are in every -instance correct. Thus, he says that the Sioux called his breviary a -"bad spirit,"--_Ouackanche_. _Wakanshe_, or _Wakanshecha_, would express -the same meaning in modern English spelling. He says elsewhere that they -called the guns of his companions _Manzaouackanche_, which he -translates, "iron possessed with a bad spirit." The western Sioux to -this day call a gun _Manzawakan_, "metal possessed with a spirit." -_Chonga (shonka)_, "a dog," _Ouasi (wahsee)_, "a pine-tree," _Chinnen -(shinnan)_, "a robe," or "garment," and other words, are given -correctly, with their interpretations. The word _Louis_, affirmed by -Hennepin to mean "the sun," seems at first sight a wilful inaccuracy, as -this is not the word used in general by the Sioux. The Yankton band of -this people, however, call the sun _oouee_, which, it is evident, -represents the French pronunciation of _Louis_, omitting the initial -letter. This Hennepin would be apt enough to supply, thereby conferring -a compliment alike on himself, Louis Hennepin, and on the King, Louis -XIV., who, to the indignation of his brother monarchs, had chosen the -sun as his emblem. - -Various trivial incidents touched upon by Hennepin, while recounting his -life among the Sioux, seem to me to afford a strong presumption of an -actual experience. I speak on this point with the more confidence, as -the Indians in whose lodges I was once domesticated for several weeks -belonged to a western band of the same people. - -[208] Called Ako by Hennepin. In contemporary documents, it is written -Accau, Acau, D'Accau, Dacau, Dacan, and D'Accault. - -[209] The edition of 1683 says that there were thirty-three canoes; that -of 1697 raises the number to fifty. The number of Indians is the same in -both. The later narrative is more in detail than the former. - -[210] And yet it had, by his account, made a distance of thirteen -hundred and eighty miles from the mouth of the Mississippi upward in -twenty-four days! - -[211] This weeping and wailing over Hennepin once seemed to me an -anomaly in his account of Sioux manners, as I am not aware that such -practices are to be found among them at present. They are mentioned, -however, by other early writers. Le Sueur, who was among them in -1699-1700, was wept over no less than Hennepin. See the abstract of his -journal in La Harpe. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -1680, 1681. - -HENNEPIN AMONG THE SIOUX. - - Signs of Danger.--Adoption.--Hennepin and his Indian - Relatives.--The Hunting Party.--The Sioux Camp.--Falls of St. - Anthony.--A Vagabond Friar: his Adventures on the - Mississippi.--Greysolon du Lhut.--Return to Civilization. - - -As Hennepin entered the village, he beheld a sight which caused him to -invoke Saint Anthony of Padua. In front of the lodges were certain -stakes, to which were attached bundles of straw, intended, as he -supposed, for burning him and his friends alive. His concern was -redoubled when he saw the condition of the Picard Du Gay, whose hair and -face had been painted with divers colors, and whose head was decorated -with a tuft of white feathers. In this guise he was entering the -village, followed by a crowd of Sioux, who compelled him to sing and -keep time to his own music by rattling a dried gourd containing a number -of pebbles. The omens, indeed, were exceedingly threatening; for -treatment like this was usually followed by the speedy immolation of the -captive. Hennepin ascribes it to the effect of his invocations, that, -being led into one of the lodges, among a throng of staring squaws and -children, he and his companions were seated on the ground, and presented -with large dishes of birch-bark, containing a mess of wild rice boiled -with dried whortleberries,--a repast which he declares to have been the -best that had fallen to his lot since the day of his captivity.[212] - -[Sidenote: THE SIOUX.] - -This soothed his fears; but, as he allayed his famished appetite, he -listened with anxious interest to the vehement jargon of the chiefs and -warriors, who were disputing among themselves to whom the three captives -should respectively belong; for it seems that, as far as related to -them, the question of distribution had not yet been definitely settled. -The debate ended in the assigning of Hennepin to his old enemy -Aquipaguetin, who, however, far from persisting in his evil designs, -adopted him on the spot as his son. The three companions must now part -company. Du Gay, not yet quite reassured of his safety, hastened to -confess himself to Hennepin; but Accau proved refractory, and refused -the offices of religion, which did not prevent the friar from embracing -them both, as he says, with an extreme tenderness. Tired as he was, he -was forced to set out with his self-styled father to his village, which -was fortunately not far off. An unpleasant walk of a few miles through -woods and marshes brought them to the borders of a sheet of water, -apparently Lake Buade, where five of Aquipaguetin's wives received the -party in three canoes, and ferried them to an island on which the -village stood. - -At the entrance of the chief's lodge, Hennepin was met by a decrepit old -Indian, withered with age, who offered him the peace-pipe, and placed -him on a bear-skin which was spread by the fire. Here, to relieve his -fatigue,--for he was well-nigh spent,--a small boy anointed his limbs -with the fat of a wild-cat, supposed to be sovereign in these cases by -reason of the great agility of that animal. His new father gave him a -bark-platter of fish, covered him with a buffalo-robe, and showed him -six or seven of his wives, who were thenceforth, he was told, to regard -him as a son. The chief's household was numerous; and his allies and -relatives formed a considerable clan, of which the missionary found -himself an involuntary member. He was scandalized when he saw one of his -adopted brothers carrying on his back the bones of a deceased friend, -wrapped in the chasuble of brocade which they had taken with other -vestments from his box. - -[Sidenote: HENNEPIN AS A MISSIONARY.] - -Seeing their new relative so enfeebled that he could scarcely stand, the -Indians made for him one of their sweating baths,[213] where they -immersed him in steam three times a week,--a process from which he -thinks he derived great benefit. His strength gradually returned, in -spite of his meagre fare; for there was a dearth of food, and the squaws -were less attentive to his wants than to those of their children. They -respected him, however, as a person endowed with occult powers, and -stood in no little awe of a pocket compass which he had with him, as -well as of a small metal pot with feet moulded after the face of a lion. -This last seemed in their eyes a "medicine" of the most formidable -nature, and they would not touch it without first wrapping it in a -beaver-skin. For the rest, Hennepin made himself useful in various ways. -He shaved the heads of the children, as was the custom of the tribe; -bled certain asthmatic persons, and dosed others with orvietan, the -famous panacea of his time, of which he had brought with him a good -supply. With respect to his missionary functions, he seems to have given -himself little trouble, unless his attempt to make a Sioux vocabulary is -to be regarded as preparatory to a future apostleship. "I could gain -nothing over them," he says, "in the way of their salvation, by reason -of their natural stupidity." Nevertheless, on one occasion, he baptized -a sick child, naming it Antoinette in honor of Saint Anthony of Padua. -It seemed to revive after the rite, but soon relapsed and presently -died, "which," he writes, "gave me great joy and satisfaction." In this -he was like the Jesuits, who could find nothing but consolation in the -death of a newly baptized infant, since it was thus assured of a -paradise which, had it lived, it would probably have forfeited by -sharing in the superstitions of its parents. - -With respect to Hennepin and his Indian father, there seems to have been -little love on either side; but Ouasicoude, the principal chief of the -Sioux of this region, was the fast friend of the three white men. He was -angry that they had been robbed, which he had been unable to prevent, as -the Sioux had no laws, and their chiefs little power; but he spoke his -mind freely, and told Aquipaguetin and the rest, in full council, that -they were like a dog who steals a piece of meat from a dish and runs -away with it. When Hennepin complained of hunger, the Indians had always -promised him that early in the summer he should go with them on a -buffalo hunt, and have food in abundance. The time at length came, and -the inhabitants of all the neighboring villages prepared for departure. -To each band was assigned its special hunting-ground, and he was -expected to accompany his Indian father. To this he demurred; for he -feared lest Aquipaguetin, angry at the words of the great chief, might -take this opportunity to revenge the insult put upon him. He therefore -gave out that he expected a party of "Spirits"--that is to say, -Frenchmen--to meet him at the mouth of the Wisconsin, bringing a supply -of goods for the Indians; and he declares that La Salle had in fact -promised to send traders to that place. Be this as it may, the Indians -believed him; and, true or false, the assertion, as will be seen, -answered the purpose for which it was made. - -[Sidenote: CAMP OF SAVAGES.] - -The Indians set out in a body to the number of two hundred and fifty -warriors, with their women and children. The three Frenchmen, who though -in different villages had occasionally met during the two months of -their captivity, were all of the party. They descended Rum River, which -forms the outlet of Mille Lac, and which is called the St. Francis by -Hennepin. None of the Indians had offered to give him passage; and, -fearing lest he should be abandoned, he stood on the bank, hailing the -passing canoes and begging to be taken in. Accau and Du Gay presently -appeared, paddling a small canoe which the Indians had given them; but -they would not listen to the missionary's call, and Accau, who had no -love for him, cried out that he had paddled him long enough already. Two -Indians, however, took pity on him, and brought him to the place of -encampment, where Du Gay tried to excuse himself for his conduct; but -Accau was sullen, and kept aloof. - -After reaching the Mississippi, the whole party encamped together -opposite to the mouth of Rum River, pitching their tents of skin, or -building their bark-huts, on the slope of a hill by the side of the -water. It was a wild scene, this camp of savages among whom as yet no -traders had come and no handiwork of civilization had found its -way,--the tall warriors, some nearly naked, some wrapped in -buffalo-robes, and some in shirts of dressed deer-skin fringed with hair -and embroidered with dyed porcupine quills, war-clubs of stone in their -hands, and quivers at their backs filled with stone-headed arrows; the -squaws, cutting smoke-dried meat with knives of flint, and boiling it in -rude earthen pots of their own making, driving away, meanwhile, with -shrill cries, the troops of lean dogs, which disputed the meal with a -crew of hungry children. The whole camp, indeed, was threatened with -starvation. The three white men could get no food but unripe -berries,--from the effects of which Hennepin thinks they might all have -died, but for timely doses of his orvietan. - -[Sidenote: FALLS OF ST. ANTHONY.] - -Being tired of the Indians, he became anxious to set out for the -Wisconsin to find the party of Frenchmen, real or imaginary, who were to -meet him at that place. That he was permitted to do so was due to the -influence of the great chief Ouasicoude, who always befriended him, and -who had soundly berated his two companions for refusing him a seat in -their canoe. Du Gay wished to go with him; but Accau, who liked the -Indian life as much as he disliked Hennepin, preferred to remain with -the hunters. A small birch-canoe was given to the two adventurers, -together with an earthen pot; and they had also between them a gun, a -knife, and a robe of beaver-skin. Thus equipped, they began their -journey, and soon approached the Falls of St. Anthony, so named by -Hennepin in honor of the inevitable Saint Anthony of Padua.[214] As they -were carrying their canoe by the cataract, they saw five or six Indians, -who had gone before, and one of whom had climbed into an oak-tree beside -the principal fall, whence in a loud and lamentable voice he was -haranguing the spirit of the waters, as a sacrifice to whom he had just -hung a robe of beaver-skin among the branches.[215] Their attention was -soon engrossed by another object. Looking over the edge of the cliff -which overhung the river below the falls, Hennepin saw a snake, which, -as he avers, was six feet long,[216] writhing upward towards the holes -of the swallows in the face of the precipice, in order to devour their -young. He pointed him out to Du Gay, and they pelted him with stones -till he fell into the river, but not before his contortions and the -darting of his forked tongue had so affected the Picard's imagination -that he was haunted that night with a terrific incubus. - -[Sidenote: ADVENTURES.] - -They paddled sixty leagues down the river in the heats of July, and -killed no large game but a single deer, the meat of which soon spoiled. -Their main resource was the turtles, whose shyness and watchfulness -caused them frequent disappointments and many involuntary fasts. They -once captured one of more than common size; and, as they were -endeavoring to cut off his head, he was near avenging himself by -snapping off Hennepin's finger. There was a herd of buffalo in sight on -the neighboring prairie; and Du Gay went with his gun in pursuit of -them, leaving the turtle in Hennepin's custody. Scarcely was he gone -when the friar, raising his eyes, saw that their canoe, which they had -left at the edge of the water, had floated out into the current. Hastily -turning the turtle on his back, he covered him with his habit of St. -Francis, on which, for greater security, he laid a number of stones, and -then, being a good swimmer, struck out in pursuit of the canoe, which -he at length overtook. Finding that it would overset if he tried to -climb into it, he pushed it before him to the shore, and then paddled -towards the place, at some distance above, where he had left the turtle. -He had no sooner reached it than he heard a strange sound, and beheld a -long file of buffalo--bulls, cows, and calves--entering the water not -far off, to cross to the western bank. Having no gun, as became his -apostolic vocation, he shouted to Du Gay, who presently appeared, -running in all haste, and they both paddled in pursuit of the game. Du -Gay aimed at a young cow, and shot her in the head. She fell in shallow -water near an island, where some of the herd had landed; and being -unable to drag her out, they waded into the water and butchered her -where she lay. It was forty-eight hours since they had tasted food. -Hennepin made a fire, while Du Gay cut up the meat. They feasted so -bountifully that they both fell ill, and were forced to remain two days -on the island, taking doses of orvietan, before they were able to resume -their journey. - -Apparently they were not sufficiently versed in woodcraft to smoke the -meat of the cow; and the hot sun soon robbed them of it. They had a few -fishhooks, but were not always successful in the use of them. On one -occasion, being nearly famished, they set their line, and lay watching -it, uttering prayers in turn. Suddenly, there was a great turmoil in the -water. Du Gay ran to the line, and, with the help of Hennepin, drew in -two large cat-fish.[217] The eagles, or fish-hawks, now and then dropped -a newly caught fish, of which they gladly took possession; and once they -found a purveyor in an otter which they saw by the bank, devouring some -object of an appearance so wonderful that Du Gay cried out that he had a -devil between his paws. They scared him from his prey, which proved to -be a spade-fish, or, as Hennepin correctly describes it, a species of -sturgeon, with a bony projection from his snout in the shape of a -paddle. They broke their fast upon him, undeterred by this eccentric -appendage. - -[Sidenote: THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI.] - -If Hennepin had had an eye for scenery, he would have found in these his -vagabond rovings wherewith to console himself in some measure for his -frequent fasts. The young Mississippi, fresh from its northern springs, -unstained as yet by unhallowed union with the riotous Missouri, flowed -calmly on its way amid strange and unique beauties,--a wilderness, -clothed with velvet grass; forest-shadowed valleys; lofty heights, whose -smooth slopes seemed levelled with the scythe; domes and pinnacles, -ramparts and ruined towers, the work of no human hand. The canoe of the -voyagers, borne on the tranquil current, glided in the shade of gray -crags festooned with honeysuckles; by trees mantled with wild -grape-vines; dells bright with the flowers of the white euphorbia, the -blue gentian, and the purple balm; and matted forests, where the red -squirrels leaped and chattered. They passed the great cliff whence the -Indian maiden threw herself in her despair;[218] and Lake Pepin lay -before them, slumbering in the July sun,--the far-reaching sheets of -sparkling water, the woody slopes, the tower-like crags, the grassy -heights basking in sunlight or shadowed by the passing cloud; all the -fair outline of its graceful scenery, the finished and polished -master-work of Nature. And when at evening they made their bivouac fire -and drew up their canoe, while dim, sultry clouds veiled the west, and -the flashes of the silent heat-lightning gleamed on the leaden water, -they could listen, as they smoked their pipes, to the mournful cry of -the whippoorwills and the quavering scream of the owls. - -Other thoughts than the study of the picturesque occupied the mind of -Hennepin when one day he saw his Indian father, Aquipaguetin, whom he -had supposed five hundred miles distant, descending the river with ten -warriors in canoes. He was eager to be the first to meet the traders, -who, as Hennepin had given out, were to come with their goods to the -mouth of the Wisconsin. The two travellers trembled for the -consequences of this encounter; but the chief, after a short colloquy, -passed on his way. In three days he returned in ill-humor, having found -no traders at the appointed spot. The Picard was absent at the time, -looking for game; and Hennepin was sitting under the shade of his -blanket, which he had stretched on forked sticks to protect him from the -sun, when he saw his adopted father approaching with a threatening look, -and a war-club in his hand. He attempted no violence, however, but -suffered his wrath to exhale in a severe scolding, after which he -resumed his course up the river with his warriors. - -If Hennepin, as he avers, really expected a party of traders at the -Wisconsin, the course he now took is sufficiently explicable. If he did -not expect them, his obvious course was to rejoin Tonty on the Illinois, -for which he seems to have had no inclination; or to return to Canada by -way of the Wisconsin,--an attempt which involved the risk of starvation, -as the two travellers had but ten charges of powder left. Assuming, -then, his hope of the traders to have been real, he and Du Gay resolved, -in the mean time, to join a large body of Sioux hunters, who, as -Aquipaguetin had told them, were on a stream which he calls Bull River, -now the Chippeway, entering the Mississippi near Lake Pepin. By so -doing, they would gain a supply of food, and save themselves from the -danger of encountering parties of roving warriors. - -[Sidenote: HE REJOINS THE INDIANS.] - -They found this band, among whom was their companion Accau, and followed -them on a grand hunt along the borders of the Mississippi. Du Gay was -separated for a time from Hennepin, who was placed in a canoe with a -withered squaw more than eighty years old. In spite of her age, she -handled her paddle with great address, and used it vigorously, as -occasion required, to repress the gambols of three children, who, to -Hennepin's annoyance, occupied the middle of the canoe. The hunt was -successful. The Sioux warriors, active as deer, chased the buffalo on -foot with their stone-headed arrows, on the plains behind the heights -that bordered the river; while the old men stood sentinels at the top, -watching for the approach of enemies. One day an alarm was given. The -warriors rushed towards the supposed point of danger, but found nothing -more formidable than two squaws of their own nation, who brought strange -news. A war-party of Sioux, they said, had gone towards Lake Superior, -and had met by the way five "Spirits;" that is to say, five Europeans. -Hennepin was full of curiosity to learn who the strangers might be; and -they, on their part, were said to have shown great anxiety to know the -nationality of the three white men who, as they were told, were on the -river. The hunt was over; and the hunters, with Hennepin and his -companion, were on their way northward to their towns, when they met the -five "Spirits" at some distance below the Falls of St. Anthony. They -proved to be Daniel Greysolon du Lhut, with four well-armed Frenchmen. - -[Sidenote: DE LHUT'S EXPLORATIONS.] - -This bold and enterprising man, stigmatized by the Intendant Duchesneau -as a leader of _coureurs de bois_, was a cousin of Tonty, born at Lyons. -He belonged to that caste of the lesser nobles whose name was legion, -and whose admirable military qualities shone forth so conspicuously in -the wars of Louis XIV. Though his enterprises were independent of those -of La Salle, they were at this time carried on in connection with Count -Frontenac and certain merchants in his interest, of whom Du Lhut's -uncle, Patron, was one; while Louvigny, his brother-in-law, was in -alliance with the governor, and was an officer of his guard. Here, then, -was a kind of family league, countenanced by Frontenac, and acting -conjointly with him, in order, if the angry letters of the intendant are -to be believed, to reap a clandestine profit under the shadow of the -governor's authority, and in violation of the royal ordinances. The -rudest part of the work fell to the share of Du Lhut, who with a -persistent hardihood, not surpassed perhaps even by La Salle, was -continually in the forest, in the Indian towns, or in remote wilderness -outposts planted by himself, exploring, trading, fighting, ruling -lawless savages and whites scarcely less ungovernable, and on one or -more occasions varying his life by crossing the ocean to gain interviews -with the colonial minister Seignelay, amid the splendid vanities of -Versailles. Strange to say, this man of hardy enterprise was a martyr -to the gout, which for more than a quarter of a century grievously -tormented him; though for a time he thought himself cured by the -intercession of the Iroquois saint, Catharine Tegahkouita, to whom he -had made a vow to that end. He was, without doubt, an habitual breaker -of the royal ordinances regulating the fur-trade; yet his services were -great to the colony and to the crown, and his name deserves a place of -honor among the pioneers of American civilization.[219] - -When Hennepin met him, he had been about two years in the wilderness. In -September, 1678, he left Quebec for the purpose of exploring the region -of the Upper Mississippi, and establishing relations of friendship with -the Sioux and their kindred the Assiniboins. In the summer of 1679 he -visited three large towns of the eastern division of the Sioux, -including those visited by Hennepin in the following year, and planted -the King's arms in all of them. Early in the autumn he was at the head -of Lake Superior, holding a council with the Assiniboins and the lake -tribes, and inducing them to live at peace with the Sioux. In all this, -he acted in a public capacity, under the authority of the governor; but -it is not to be supposed that he forgot his own interests or those of -his associates. The intendant angrily complains that he aided and -abetted the _coureurs de bois_ in their lawless courses, and sent down -in their canoes great quantities of beaver-skins consigned to the -merchants in league with him, under cover of whose names the governor -reaped his share of the profits. - -In June, 1680, while Hennepin was in the Sioux villages, Du Lhut set out -from the head of Lake Superior, with two canoes, four Frenchmen, and an -Indian, to continue his explorations.[220] He ascended a river, -apparently the Burnt Wood, and reached from thence a branch of the -Mississippi, which seems to have been the St. Croix. It was now that, to -his surprise, he learned that there were three Europeans on the main -river below; and fearing that they might be Englishmen or Spaniards -encroaching on the territories of the King, he eagerly pressed forward -to solve his doubts. When he saw Hennepin, his mind was set at rest; and -the travellers met with mutual cordiality. They followed the Indians to -their villages of Mille Lac, where Hennepin had now no reason to -complain of their treatment of him. The Sioux gave him and Du Lhut a -grand feast of honor, at which were seated a hundred and twenty naked -guests; and the great chief Ouasicoude, with his own hands, placed -before Hennepin a bark dish containing a mess of smoked meat and wild -rice. - -Autumn had come, and the travellers bethought them of going home. The -Sioux, consoled by their promises to return with goods for trade, did -not oppose their departure; and they set out together, eight white men -in all. As they passed St. Anthony's Falls, two of the men stole two -buffalo-robes which were hung on trees as offerings to the spirit of the -cataract. When Du Lhut heard of it he was very angry, telling the men -that they had endangered the lives of the whole party. Hennepin admitted -that in the view of human prudence he was right, but urged that the act -was good and praiseworthy, inasmuch as the offerings were made to a -false god; while the men, on their part, proved mutinous, declaring that -they wanted the robes and meant to keep them. The travellers continued -their journey in great ill-humor, but were presently soothed by the -excellent hunting which they found on the way. As they approached the -Wisconsin, they stopped to dry the meat of the buffalo they had killed, -when to their amazement they saw a war-party of Sioux approaching in a -fleet of canoes. Hennepin represents himself as showing on this occasion -an extraordinary courage, going to meet the Indians with a peace-pipe, -and instructing Du Lhut, who knew more of these matters than he, how he -ought to behave. The Sioux proved not unfriendly, and said nothing of -the theft of the buffalo-robes. They soon went on their way to attack -the Illinois and Missouris, leaving the Frenchmen to ascend the -Wisconsin unmolested. - -[Sidenote: THE RETURN.] - -After various adventures, they reached the station of the Jesuits at -Green Bay; but its existence is wholly ignored by Hennepin, whose zeal -for his own Order will not permit him to allude to this establishment of -the rival missionaries.[221] He is equally reticent with regard to the -Jesuit mission at Michilimackinac, where the party soon after arrived, -and where they spent the winter. The only intimation which he gives of -its existence consists in the mention of the Jesuit Pierson, who was a -Fleming like himself, and who often skated with him on the frozen lake, -or kept him company in fishing through a hole in the ice.[222] When the -spring opened, Hennepin descended Lake Huron, followed the Detroit to -Lake Erie, and proceeded thence to Niagara. Here he spent some time in -making a fresh examination of the cataract, and then resumed his voyage -on Lake Ontario. He stopped, however, at the great town of the Senecas, -near the Genesee, where, with his usual spirit of meddling, he took upon -him the functions of the civil and military authorities, convoked the -chiefs to a council, and urged them to set at liberty certain Ottawa -prisoners whom they had captured in violation of treaties. Having -settled this affair to his satisfaction, he went to Fort Frontenac, -where his brother missionary, Buisset, received him with a welcome -rendered the warmer by a story which had reached him that the Indians -had hanged Hennepin with his own cord of St. Francis. - -From Fort Frontenac he went to Montreal; and leaving his two men on a -neighboring island, that they might escape the payment of duties on a -quantity of furs which they had with them, he paddled alone towards the -town. Count Frontenac chanced to be here, and, looking from the window -of a house near the river, he saw approaching in a canoe a Recollet -father, whose appearance indicated the extremity of hard service; for -his face was worn and sunburnt, and his tattered habit of St. Francis -was abundantly patched with scraps of buffalo-skin. When at length he -recognized the long-lost Hennepin, he received him, as the father -writes, "with all the tenderness which a missionary could expect from a -person of his rank and quality." He kept him for twelve days in his own -house, and listened with interest to such of his adventures as the friar -saw fit to divulge. - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S LETTERS.] - -And here we bid farewell to Father Hennepin. "Providence," he writes, -"preserved my life that I might make known my great discoveries to the -world." He soon after went to Europe, where the story of his travels -found a host of readers, but where he died at last in a deserved -obscurity.[223] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[212] The Sioux, or Dacotah, as they call themselves, were a numerous -people, separated into three great divisions, which were again -subdivided into bands. Those among whom Hennepin was a prisoner belonged -to the division known as the Issanti, Issanyati, or, as he writes it, -_Issati_, of which the principal band was the Meddewakantonwan. The -other great divisions, the Yanktons and the Tintonwans, or Tetons, lived -west of the Mississippi, extending beyond the Missouri, and ranging as -far as the Rocky Mountains. The Issanti cultivated the soil; but the -extreme western bands subsisted on the buffalo alone. The former had two -kinds of dwelling,--the _teepee_, or skin-lodge, and the bark-lodge. The -teepee, which was used by all the Sioux, consists of a covering of -dressed buffalo-hide, stretched on a conical stack of poles. The -bark-lodge was peculiar to the Eastern Sioux; and examples of it might -be seen, until within a few years, among the bands on the St. Peter's. -In its general character, it was like the Huron and Iroquois houses, but -was inferior in construction. It had a ridge roof, framed of poles, -extending from the posts which formed the sides; and the whole was -covered with elm-bark. The lodges in the villages to which Hennepin was -conducted were probably of this kind. - -The name Sioux is an abbreviation of _Nadouessioux_, an Ojibwa word, -meaning "enemies." The Ojibwas used it to designate this people, and -occasionally also the Iroquois, being at deadly war with both. - -Rev. Stephen B. Riggs, for many years a missionary among the Issanti -Sioux, says that this division consists of four distinct bands. They -ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi to the United States in -1837, and lived on the St. Peter's till driven thence in consequence of -the massacres of 1862, 1863. The Yankton Sioux consist of two bands, -which are again subdivided. The Assiniboins, or Hohays, are an offshoot -from the Yanktons, with whom they are now at war. The Tintonwan, or -Teton Sioux, forming the most western division and the largest, comprise -seven bands, and are among the bravest and fiercest tenants of the -prairie. - -The earliest French writers estimate the total number of the Sioux at -forty thousand; but this is little better than conjecture. Mr. Riggs, in -1852, placed it at about twenty-five thousand. - -[213] These baths consist of a small hut, covered closely with -buffalo-skins, into which the patient and his friends enter, carefully -closing every aperture. A pile of heated stones is placed in the middle, -and water is poured upon them, raising a dense vapor. They are still -(1868) in use among the Sioux and some other tribes. - -[214] Hennepin's notice of the falls of St. Anthony, though brief, is -sufficiently accurate. He says, in his first edition, that they are -forty or fifty feet high, but adds ten feet more in the edition of 1697. -In 1821, according to Schoolcraft, the perpendicular fall measured forty -feet. Great changes, however, have taken place here, and are still in -progress. The rock is a very soft, friable sandstone, overlaid by a -stratum of limestone; and it is crumbling with such rapidity under the -action of the water that the cataract will soon be little more than a -rapid. Other changes equally disastrous, in an artistic point of view, -are going on even more quickly. Beside the falls stands a city, which, -by an ingenious combination of the Greek and Sioux languages, has -received the name of Minneapolis, or City of the Waters, and which in -1867 contained ten thousand inhabitants, two national banks, and an -opera-house; while its rival city of St. Anthony, immediately opposite, -boasted a gigantic water-cure and a State university. In short, the -great natural beauty of the place is utterly spoiled. - -[215] Oanktayhee, the principal deity of the Sioux, was supposed to live -under these falls, though he manifested himself in the form of a -buffalo. It was he who created the earth, like the Algonquin Manabozho, -from mud brought to him in the paws of a musk-rat. Carver, in 1766, saw -an Indian throw everything he had about him into the cataract as an -offering to this deity. - -[216] In the edition of 1683. In that of 1697 he had grown to seven or -eight feet. The bank-swallows still make their nests in these cliffs, -boring easily into the soft sandstone. - -[217] Hennepin speaks of their size with astonishment, and says that the -two together would weigh twenty-five pounds. Cat-fish have been taken in -the Mississippi, weighing more than a hundred and fifty pounds. - -[218] The "Lover's Leap," or "Maiden's Rock" from which a Sioux girl, -Winona, or the "Eldest Born," is said to have thrown herself, in the -despair of disappointed affection. The story, which seems founded in -truth, will be found, not without embellishments, in Mrs. Eastman's -_Legends of the Sioux_. - -[219] The facts concerning Du Lhut have been gleaned from a variety of -contemporary documents, chiefly the letters of his enemy Duchesneau, who -always puts him in the worst light, especially in his despatch to -Seignelay of 10 Nov., 1679, where he charges both him and the governor -with carrying on an illicit trade with the English of New York. Du Lhut -himself, in a memoir dated 1685 (see Harrisse, _Bibliographie_, 176), -strongly denies these charges. Du Lhut built a trading fort on Lake -Superior, called Cananistigoyan (La Hontan), or Kamalastigouia (Perrot). -It was on the north side, at the mouth of a river entering Thunder Bay, -where Fort William now stands. In 1684 he caused two Indians, who had -murdered several Frenchmen on Lake Superior, to be shot. He displayed in -this affair great courage and coolness, undaunted by the crowd of -excited savages who surrounded him and his little band of Frenchmen. The -long letter, in which he recounts the capture and execution of the -murderers, is before me. Duchesneau makes his conduct on this occasion -the ground of a charge of rashness. In 1686 Denonville, then governor of -the colony, ordered him to fortify the Detroit; that is, the strait -between Lakes Erie and Huron. He went thither with fifty men and built a -palisade fort, which he occupied for some time. In 1687 he, together -with Tonty and Durantaye, joined Denonville against the Senecas, with a -body of Indians from the Upper Lakes. In 1689, during the panic that -followed the Iroquois invasion of Montreal, Du Lhut, with twenty-eight -Canadians, attacked twenty-two Iroquois in canoes, received their fire -without returning it, bore down upon them, killed eighteen of them, and -captured three, only one escaping. In 1695 he was in command at Fort -Frontenac. In 1697 he succeeded to the command of a company of infantry, -but was suffering wretchedly from the gout at Fort Frontenac. In 1710 -Vaudreuil, in a despatch to the minister Ponchartrain, announced his -death as occurring in the previous winter, and added the brief comment, -"c'etait un tres-honnete homme." Other contemporaries speak to the same -effect. "Mr. Dulhut, Gentilhomme Lionnois, qui a beaucoup de merite -et de capacite."--_La Hontan_, i. 103 (1703). "Le Sieur du Lut, homme -d'esprit et d'experience."--_Le Clerc_, ii. 137. Charlevoix calls him -"one of the bravest officers the King has ever had in this colony." His -name is variously spelled Du Luc, Du Lud, Du Lude, Du Lut, Du Luth, Du -Lhut. For an account of the Iroquois virgin, Tegahkouita, whose -intercession is said to have cured him of the gout, see Charlevoix, i. -572. - -On a contemporary manuscript map by the Jesuit Raffeix, representing the -routes of Marquette, La Salle, and Du Lhut, are the following words, -referring to the last-named discoverer, and interesting in connection -with Hennepin's statements: "Mr. du Lude le premier a este chez les -Sioux en 1678, et a este proche la source du Mississippi, et ensuite -vint retirer le P. Louis [_Hennepin_] qui avoit este fait prisonnier -chez les Sioux." Du Lhut here appears as the deliverer of Hennepin. One -of his men was named Pepin; hence, no doubt, the name of Lake Pepin. - -[220] _Memoir on the French Dominion in Canada, N. Y. Col. Docs._, ix. -781. - -[221] On the other hand, he sets down on his map of 1683 a mission of -the Recollets at a point north of the farthest sources of the -Mississippi, to which no white man had ever penetrated. - -[222] He says that Pierson had come among the Indians to learn their -language; that he "retained the frankness and rectitude of our country" -and "a disposition always on the side of candor and sincerity. In a -word, he seemed to me to be all that a Christian ought to be" (1697), -433. - -[223] Since the two preceding chapters were written, the letters of La -Salle have been brought to light by the researches of M. Margry. They -confirm, in nearly all points, the conclusions given above; though, as -before observed (_note_, 186), they show misstatements on the part of -Hennepin concerning his position at the outset of the expedition. La -Salle writes: "J'ay fait remonter le fleuve Colbert, nomme par les -Iroquois Gastacha, par les Outaouais Mississipy par un canot conduit par -deux de mes gens, l'un nomme Michel Accault et l'autre Picard, auxquels -le R. P. Hennepin se joignit pour ne perdre pas l'occasion de prescher -l'Evangile aux peuples qui habitent dessus et qui n'en avoient jamais -oui parler." In the same letter he recounts their voyage on the Upper -Mississippi, and their capture by the Sioux in accordance with the story -of Hennepin himself. Hennepin's assertion, that La Salle had promised to -send a number of men to meet him at the mouth of the Wisconsin, turns -out to be true. "Estans tous revenus en chasse avec les Nadouessioux -[_Sioux_] vers Ouisconsing [_Wisconsin_], le R. P. Louis Hempin -[_Hennepin_] et Picard prirent resolution de venir jusqu'a l'emboucheure -de la riviere ou j'avois promis d'envoyer de mes nouvelles, comme -j'avois fait par six hommes que les Jesuistes desbaucherent en leur -disant que le R. P. Louis et ses compagnons de voyage avoient este -tuez." - -It is clear that La Salle understood Hennepin; for, after speaking of -his journey, he adds: "J'ai cru qu'il estoit a propos de vous faire le -narre des aventures de ce canot parce que je ne doute pas qu'on en -parle; et si vous souhaitez en conferer avec le P. Louis Hempin, -Recollect, qui est repasse en France, il faut un peu le connoistre, car -il ne manquera pas d'exagerer toutes choses, c'est son caractere, et a -moy mesme il m'a escrit comme s'il eust este tout pres d'estre brusle, -quoiqu'il n'en ait pas este seulement en danger; mais il croit qu'il luy -est honorable de le faire de la sorte, et _il parle plus conformement a -ce qu'il veut qu'a ce qu'il scait_."--_Lettre de la Salle, 22 Aout, -1682_ (1681?), Margry, ii. 259. - -On his return to France, Hennepin got hold of the manuscript, _Relation -des Decouvertes_, compiled for the government from La Salle's letters, -and, as already observed, made very free use of it in the first edition -of his book, printed in 1683. In 1699 he wished to return to Canada; -but, in a letter of that year, Louis XIV. orders the governor to seize -him, should he appear, and send him prisoner to Rochefort. This seems to -have been in consequence of his renouncing the service of the French -crown, and dedicating his edition of 1697 to William III. of England. - -More than twenty editions of Hennepin's travels appeared, in French, -English, Dutch, German, Italian, and Spanish. Most of them include the -mendacious narrative of the pretended descent of the Mississippi. For a -list of them, see _Hist. Mag._, i. 346; ii. 24. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -1681. - -LA SALLE BEGINS ANEW. - - His Constancy; his Plans; his Savage Allies; he becomes - Snow-blind.--Negotiations.--Grand Council.--La Salle's - Oratory.--Meeting with Tonty.--Preparation.--Departure. - - -In tracing the adventures of Tonty and the rovings of Hennepin, we have -lost sight of La Salle, the pivot of the enterprise. Returning from the -desolation and horror in the valley of the Illinois, he had spent the -winter at Fort Miami, on the St. Joseph, by the borders of Lake -Michigan. Here he might have brooded on the redoubled ruin that had -befallen him,--the desponding friends, the exulting foes; the wasted -energies, the crushing load of debt, the stormy past, the black and -lowering future. But his mind was of a different temper. He had no -thought but to grapple with adversity, and out of the fragments of his -ruin to build up the fabric of success. - -He would not recoil; but he modified his plans to meet the new -contingency. His white enemies had found, or rather perhaps had made, a -savage ally in the Iroquois. Their incursions must be stopped, or his -enterprise would come to nought; and he thought he saw the means by -which this new danger could be converted into a source of strength. The -tribes of the West, threatened by the common enemy, might be taught to -forget their mutual animosities and join in a defensive league, with La -Salle at its head. They might be colonized around his fort in the valley -of the Illinois, where in the shadow of the French flag, and with the -aid of French allies, they could hold the Iroquois in check, and acquire -in some measure the arts of a settled life. The Franciscan friars could -teach them the Faith; and La Salle and his associates could supply them -with goods, in exchange for the vast harvest of furs which their hunters -could gather in these boundless wilds. Meanwhile, he would seek out the -mouth of the Mississippi; and the furs gathered at his colony in the -Illinois would then find a ready passage to the markets of the world. -Thus might this ancient slaughter-field of warring savages be redeemed -to civilization and Christianity; and a stable settlement, half-feudal, -half-commercial, grow up in the heart of the western wilderness. This -plan was but a part of the original scheme of his enterprise, adapted to -new and unexpected circumstances; and he now set himself to its -execution with his usual vigor, joined to an address which, when dealing -with Indians, never failed him. - -[Sidenote: INDIAN FRIENDS.] - -There were allies close at hand. Near Fort Miami were the huts of -twenty-five or thirty savages, exiles from their homes, and strangers -in this western world. Several of the English colonies, from Virginia to -Maine, had of late years been harassed by Indian wars; and the Puritans -of New England, above all, had been scourged by the deadly outbreak of -King Philip's war. Those engaged in it had paid a bitter price for their -brief triumphs. A band of refugees, chiefly Abenakis and Mohegans, -driven from their native seats, had roamed into these distant wilds, and -were wintering in the friendly neighborhood of the French. La Salle soon -won them over to his interests. One of their number was the Mohegan -hunter, who for two years had faithfully followed his fortunes, and who -had been four years in the West. He is described as a prudent and -discreet young man, in whom La Salle had great confidence, and who could -make himself understood in several western languages, belonging, like -his own, to the great Algonquin tongue. This devoted henchman proved an -efficient mediator with his countrymen. The New-England Indians, with -one voice, promised to follow La Salle, asking no recompense but to call -him their chief, and yield to him the love and admiration which he -rarely failed to command from this hero-worshipping race. - -New allies soon appeared. A Shawanoe chief from the valley of the Ohio, -whose following embraced a hundred and fifty warriors, came to ask the -protection of the French against the all-destroying Iroquois. "The -Shawanoes are too distant," was La Salle's reply; "but let them come to -me at the Illinois, and they shall be safe." The chief promised to join -him in the autumn, at Fort Miami, with all his band. But, more important -than all, the consent and co-operation of the Illinois must be gained; -and the Miamis, their neighbors and of late their enemies, must be -taught the folly of their league with the Iroquois, and the necessity of -joining in the new confederation. Of late, they had been made to see the -perfidy of their dangerous allies. A band of the Iroquois, returning -from the slaughter of the Tamaroa Illinois, had met and murdered a band -of Miamis on the Ohio, and had not only refused satisfaction, but had -intrenched themselves in three rude forts of trees and brushwood in the -heart of the Miami country. The moment was favorable for negotiating; -but, first, La Salle wished to open a communication with the Illinois, -some of whom had begun to return to the country they had abandoned. With -this view, and also, it seems, to procure provisions, he set out on the -first of March, with his lieutenant La Forest, and fifteen men. - -The country was sheeted in snow, and the party journeyed on snow-shoes; -but when they reached the open prairies, the white expanse glared in the -sun with so dazzling a brightness that La Salle and several of the men -became snow-blind. They stopped and encamped under the edge of a forest; -and here La Salle remained in darkness for three days, suffering extreme -pain. Meanwhile, he sent forward La Forest and most of the men, keeping -with him his old attendant Hunaut. Going out in quest of pine-leaves,--a -decoction of which was supposed to be useful in cases of -snow-blindness,--this man discovered the fresh tracks of Indians, -followed them, and found a camp of Outagamies, or Foxes, from the -neighborhood of Green Bay. From them he heard welcome news. They told -him that Tonty was safe among the Pottawattamies, and that Hennepin had -passed through their country on his return from among the Sioux.[224] - -[Sidenote: ILLINOIS ALLIES.] - -A thaw took place; the snow melted rapidly; the rivers were opened; the -blind men began to recover; and launching the canoes which they had -dragged after them, the party pursued their way by water. They soon met -a band of Illinois. La Salle gave them presents, condoled with them on -their losses, and urged them to make peace and alliance with the Miamis. -Thus, he said, they could set the Iroquois at defiance; for he himself, -with his Frenchmen and his Indian friends, would make his abode among -them, supply them with goods, and aid them to defend themselves. They -listened, well pleased, promised to carry his message to their -countrymen, and furnished him with a large supply of corn.[225] -Meanwhile he had rejoined La Forest, whom he now sent to -Michilimackinac to await Tonty, and tell him to remain there till he, La -Salle, should arrive. - -Having thus accomplished the objects of his journey, he returned to Fort -Miami, whence he soon after ascended the St. Joseph to the village of -the Miami Indians, on the portage, at the head of the Kankakee. Here he -found unwelcome guests. These were three Iroquois warriors, who had been -for some time in the place, and who, as he was told, had demeaned -themselves with the insolence of conquerors, and spoken of the French -with the utmost contempt. He hastened to confront them, rebuked and -menaced them, and told them that now, when he was present, they dared -not repeat the calumnies which they had uttered in his absence. They -stood abashed and confounded, and during the following night secretly -left the town and fled. The effect was prodigious on the minds of the -Miamis, when they saw that La Salle, backed by ten Frenchmen, could -command from their arrogant visitors a respect which they, with their -hundreds of warriors, had wholly failed to inspire. Here, at the outset, -was an augury full of promise for the approaching negotiations. - -There were other strangers in the town,--a band of eastern Indians, more -numerous than those who had wintered at the fort. The greater number -were from Rhode Island, including, probably, some of King Philip's -warriors; others were from New York, and others again from Virginia. La -Salle called them to a council, promised them a new home in the West -under the protection of the Great King, with rich lands, an abundance of -game, and French traders to supply them with the goods which they had -once received from the English. Let them but help him to make peace -between the Miamis and the Illinois, and he would insure for them a -future of prosperity and safety. They listened with open ears, and -promised their aid in the work of peace. - -[Sidenote: GRAND COUNCIL.] - -On the next morning, the Miamis were called to a grand council. It was -held in the lodge of their chief, from which the mats were removed, that -the crowd without might hear what was said. La Salle rose and harangued -the concourse. Few men were so skilled in the arts of forest rhetoric -and diplomacy. After the Indian mode, he was, to follow his chroniclers, -"the greatest orator in North America."[226] He began with a gift of -tobacco, to clear the brains of his auditory; next, for he had brought a -canoe-load of presents to support his eloquence, he gave them cloth to -cover their dead, coats to dress them, hatchets to build a grand -scaffold in their honor, and beads, bells, and trinkets of all sorts, to -decorate their relatives at a grand funeral feast. All this was mere -metaphor. The living, while appropriating the gifts to their own use, -were pleased at the compliment offered to their dead; and their delight -redoubled as the orator proceeded. One of their great chiefs had lately -been killed; and La Salle, after a eulogy of the departed, declared that -he would now raise him to life again; that is, that he would assume his -name and give support to his squaws and children. This flattering -announcement drew forth an outburst of applause; and when, to confirm -his words, his attendants placed before them a huge pile of coats, -shirts, and hunting-knives, the whole assembly exploded in yelps of -admiration. - -Now came the climax of the harangue, introduced by a further present of -six guns:-- - -"He who is my master, and the master of all this country, is a mighty -chief, feared by the whole world; but he loves peace, and the words of -his lips are for good alone. He is called the King of France, and he is -the mightiest among the chiefs beyond the great water. His goodness -reaches even to your dead, and his subjects come among you to raise them -up to life. But it is his will to preserve the life he has given; it is -his will that you should obey his laws, and make no war without the -leave of Onontio, who commands in his name at Quebec, and who loves all -the nations alike, because such is the will of the Great King. You -ought, then, to live at peace with your neighbors, and above all with -the Illinois. You have had causes of quarrel with them; but their defeat -has avenged you. Though they are still strong, they wish to make peace -with you. Be content with the glory of having obliged them to ask for -it. You have an interest in preserving them; since, if the Iroquois -destroy them, they will next destroy you. Let us all obey the Great -King, and live together in peace, under his protection. Be of my mind, -and use these guns that I have given you, not to make war, but only to -hunt and to defend yourselves."[227] - -[Sidenote: THE CHIEFS REPLY.] - -So saying, he gave two belts of wampum to confirm his words; and the -assembly dissolved. On the following day, the chiefs again convoked it, -and made their reply in form. It was all that La Salle could have -wished. "The Illinois is our brother, because he is the son of our -Father, the Great King." "We make you the master of our beaver and our -lands, of our minds and our bodies." "We cannot wonder that our brothers -from the East wish to live with you. We should have wished so too, if we -had known what a blessing it is to be the children of the Great King." -The rest of this auspicious day was passed in feasts and dances, in -which La Salle and his Frenchmen all bore part. His new scheme was -hopefully begun. It remained to achieve the enterprise, twice defeated, -of the discovery of the mouth of the Mississippi,--that vital condition -of his triumph, without which all other success was meaningless and -vain. - -To this end he must return to Canada, appease his creditors, and collect -his scattered resources. Towards the end of May he set out in canoes -from Fort Miami, and reached Michilimackinac after a prosperous voyage. -Here, to his great joy, he found Tonty and Zenobe Membre, who had lately -arrived from Green Bay. The meeting was one at which even his stoic -nature must have melted. Each had for the other a tale of disaster; but -when La Salle recounted the long succession of his reverses, it was with -the tranquil tone and cheerful look of one who relates the incidents of -an ordinary journey. Membre looked on him with admiration. "Any one -else," he says, "would have thrown up his hand and abandoned the -enterprise; but, far from this, with a firmness and constancy that never -had its equal, I saw him more resolved than ever to continue his work -and push forward his discovery."[228] - -Without loss of time they embarked together for Fort Frontenac, paddled -their canoes a thousand miles, and safely reached their destination. -Here, in this third beginning of his enterprise, La Salle found himself -beset with embarrassments. Not only was he burdened with the fruitless -costs of his two former efforts, but the heavy debts which he had -incurred in building and maintaining Fort Frontenac had not been wholly -paid. The fort and the seigniory were already deeply mortgaged; yet -through the influence of Count Frontenac, the assistance of his -secretary Barrois, a consummate man of business, and the support of a -wealthy relative, he found means to appease his creditors and even to -gain fresh advances. To this end, however, he was forced to part with a -portion of his monopolies. Having first made his will at Montreal, in -favor of a cousin who had befriended him,[229] he mustered his men, and -once more set forth, resolved to trust no more to agents, but to lead on -his followers, in a united body, under his own personal command.[230] - -[Sidenote: THE TORONTO PORTAGE.] - -At the beginning of autumn he was at Toronto, where the long and -difficult portage to Lake Simcoe detained him a fortnight. He spent a -part of it in writing an account of what had lately occurred to a -correspondent in France, and he closes his letter thus: "This is all I -can tell you this year. I have a hundred things to write, but you could -not believe how hard it is to do it among Indians. The canoes and their -lading must be got over the portage, and I must speak to them -continually and bear all their importunity, or else they will do nothing -I want. I hope to write more at leisure next year, and tell you the end -of this business, which I hope will turn out well: for I have M. de -Tonty, who is full of zeal; thirty Frenchmen, all good men, without -reckoning such as I cannot trust; and more than a hundred Indians, some -of them Shawanoes, and others from New England, all of whom know how to -use guns." - -It was October before he reached Lake Huron. Day after day and week -after week the heavy-laden canoes crept on along the lonely wilderness -shores, by the monotonous ranks of bristling moss-bearded firs; lake and -forest, forest and lake; a dreary scene haunted with yet more dreary -memories,--disasters, sorrows, and deferred hopes; time, strength, and -wealth spent in vain; a ruinous past and a doubtful future; slander, -obloquy, and hate. With unmoved heart, the patient voyager held his -course, and drew up his canoes at last on the beach at Fort Miami. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[224] _Relation des Decouvertes._ Compare _Lettre de La Salle_ (Margry, -ii. 144). - -[225] This seems to have been taken from the secret repositories, or -_caches_, of the ruined town of the Illinois. - -[226] "En ce genre, il etoit le plus grand orateur de l'Amerique -Septentrionale."--_Relation des Decouvertes._ - -[227] Translated from the _Relation_, where these councils are reported -at great length. - -[228] Membre in Le Clerc, ii. 208. Tonty, in his memoir of 1693, speaks -of the joy of La Salle at the meeting. The _Relation_, usually very -accurate, says, erroneously, that Tonty had gone to Fort Frontenac. La -Forest had gone thither, not long before La Salle's arrival. - -[229] _Copie du Testament du deffunt Sr. de la Salle, 11 Aout, 1681._ -The relative was Francois Plet, to whom he was deeply in debt. - -[230] "On apprendra a la fin de cette annee, 1682, le succes de la -decouverte qu'il etoit resolu d'achever, au plus tard le printemps -dernier ou de perir en y travaillant. Tant de traverses et de malheurs -toujours arrives en son absence l'ont fait resoudre a ne se fier plus a -personne et a conduire lui-meme tout son monde, tout son equipage, et -toute son entreprise, de laquelle il esperoit une heureuse conclusion." - -The above is a part of the closing paragraph of the _Relation des -Decouvertes_, so often cited. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -1681-1682. - -SUCCESS OF LA SALLE. - - His Followers.--The Chicago Portage.--Descent of the - Mississippi.--The Lost Hunter.--The Arkansas.--The Taensas.--The - Natchez.--Hostility.--The Mouth of the Mississippi.--Louis XIV. - proclaimed Sovereign of the Great West. - - -The season was far advanced. On the bare limbs of the forest hung a few -withered remnants of its gay autumnal livery; and the smoke crept upward -through the sullen November air from the squalid wigwams of La Salle's -Abenaki and Mohegan allies. These, his new friends, were savages whose -midnight yells had startled the border hamlets of New England; who had -danced around Puritan scalps, and whom Puritan imaginations painted as -incarnate fiends. La Salle chose eighteen of them, whom he added to the -twenty-three Frenchmen who remained with him, some of the rest having -deserted and others lagged behind. The Indians insisted on taking their -squaws with them. These were ten in number, besides three children; and -thus the expedition included fifty-four persons, of whom some were -useless, and others a burden. - -On the 21st of December, Tonty and Membre set out from Fort Miami with -some of the party in six canoes, and crossed to the little river -Chicago.[231] La Salle, with the rest of the men, joined them a few days -later. It was the dead of winter, and the streams were frozen. They made -sledges, placed on them the canoes, the baggage, and a disabled -Frenchman; crossed from the Chicago to the northern branch of the -Illinois, and filed in a long procession down its frozen course. They -reached the site of the great Illinois village, found it tenantless, and -continued their journey, still dragging their canoes, till at length -they reached open water below Lake Peoria. - -[Sidenote: PRUDHOMME.] - -La Salle had abandoned for a time his original plan of building a vessel -for the navigation of the Mississippi. Bitter experience had taught him -the difficulty of the attempt, and he resolved to trust to his canoes -alone. They embarked again, floating prosperously down between the -leafless forests that flanked the tranquil river; till, on the sixth of -February, they issued upon the majestic bosom of the Mississippi. Here, -for the time, their progress was stopped; for the river was full of -floating ice. La Salle's Indians, too, had lagged behind; but within a -week all had arrived, the navigation was once more free, and they -resumed their course. Towards evening they saw on their right the mouth -of a great river; and the clear current was invaded by the headlong -torrent of the Missouri, opaque with mud. They built their camp-fires in -the neighboring forest; and at daylight, embarking anew on the dark and -mighty stream, drifted swiftly down towards unknown destinies. They -passed a deserted town of the Tamaroas; saw, three days after, the mouth -of the Ohio;[232] and, gliding by the wastes of bordering swamp, landed -on the twenty-fourth of February near the Third Chickasaw Bluffs.[233] -They encamped, and the hunters went out for game. All returned, -excepting Pierre Prudhomme; and as the others had seen fresh tracks of -Indians, La Salle feared that he was killed. While some of his followers -built a small stockade fort on a high bluff[234] by the river, others -ranged the woods in pursuit of the missing hunter. After six days of -ceaseless and fruitless search, they met two Chickasaw Indians in the -forest; and through them La Salle sent presents and peace-messages to -that warlike people, whose villages were a few days' journey distant. -Several days later Prudhomme was found, and brought into the camp, -half-dead. He had lost his way while hunting; and to console him for his -woes La Salle christened the newly built fort with his name, and left -him, with a few others, in charge of it. - -Again they embarked; and with every stage of their adventurous progress -the mystery of this vast New World was more and more unveiled. More and -more they entered the realms of spring. The hazy sunlight, the warm and -drowsy air, the tender foliage, the opening flowers, betokened the -reviving life of Nature. For several days more they followed the -writhings of the great river on its tortuous course through wastes of -swamp and cane-brake, till on the thirteenth of March[235] they found -themselves wrapped in a thick fog. Neither shore was visible; but they -heard on the right the booming of an Indian drum and the shrill outcries -of the war-dance. La Salle at once crossed to the opposite side, where, -in less than an hour, his men threw up a rude fort of felled trees. -Meanwhile the fog cleared; and from the farther bank the astonished -Indians saw the strange visitors at their work. Some of the French -advanced to the edge of the water, and beckoned them to come over. -Several of them approached, in a wooden canoe, to within the distance of -a gun-shot. La Salle displayed the calumet, and sent a Frenchman to meet -them. He was well received; and the friendly mood of the Indians being -now apparent, the whole party crossed the river. - -[Sidenote: THE ARKANSAS.] - -On landing, they found themselves at a town of the Kappa band of the -Arkansas, a people dwelling near the mouth of the river which bears -their name. "The whole village," writes Membre to his superior, "came -down to the shore to meet us, except the women, who had run off. I -cannot tell you the civility and kindness we received from these -barbarians, who brought us poles to make huts, supplied us with firewood -during the three days we were among them, and took turns in feasting us. -But, my Reverend Father, this gives no idea of the good qualities of -these savages, who are gay, civil, and free-hearted. The young men, -though the most alert and spirited we had seen, are nevertheless so -modest that not one of them would take the liberty to enter our hut, but -all stood quietly at the door. They are so well formed that we were in -admiration at their beauty. We did not lose the value of a pin while we -were among them." - -Various were the dances and ceremonies with which they entertained the -strangers, who, on their part, responded with a solemnity which their -hosts would have liked less if they had understood it better. La Salle -and Tonty, at the head of their followers, marched to the open area in -the midst of the village. Here, to the admiration of the gazing crowd of -warriors, women, and children, a cross was raised bearing the arms of -France. Membre, in canonicals, sang a hymn; the men shouted _Vive le -Roi_; and La Salle, in the King's name, took formal possession of the -country.[236] The friar, not, he flatters himself, without success, -labored to expound by signs the mysteries of the Faith; while La Salle, -by methods equally satisfactory, drew from the chief an acknowledgement -of fealty to Louis XIV.[237] - -[Sidenote: THE TAENSAS.] - -After touching at several other towns of this people, the voyagers -resumed their course, guided by two of the Arkansas; passed the sites, -since become historic, of Vicksburg and Grand Gulf; and, about three -hundred miles below the Arkansas, stopped by the edge of a swamp on the -western side of the river.[238] Here, as their two guides told them, -was the path to the great town of the Taensas. Tonty and Membre were -sent to visit it. They and their men shouldered their birch canoe -through the swamp, and launched it on a lake which had once formed a -portion of the channel of the river. In two hours, they reached the -town; and Tonty gazed at it with astonishment. He had seen nothing like -it in America,--large square dwellings, built of sun-baked mud mixed -with straw, arched over with a dome-shaped roof of canes, and placed in -regular order around an open area. Two of them were larger and better -than the rest. One was the lodge of the chief; the other was the temple, -or house of the Sun. They entered the former, and found a single room, -forty feet square, where, in the dim light,--for there was no opening -but the door,--the chief sat awaiting them on a sort of bedstead, three -of his wives at his side; while sixty old men, wrapped in white cloaks -woven of mulberry-bark, formed his divan. When he spoke, his wives -howled to do him honor; and the assembled councillors listened with the -reverence due to a potentate for whom, at his death, a hundred victims -were to be sacrificed. He received the visitors graciously, and -joyfully accepted the gifts which Tonty laid before him.[239] This -interview over, the Frenchmen repaired to the temple, wherein were kept -the bones of the departed chiefs. In construction, it was much like the -royal dwelling. Over it were rude wooden figures, representing three -eagles turned towards the east. A strong mud wall surrounded it, planted -with stakes, on which were stuck the skulls of enemies sacrificed to the -Sun; while before the door was a block of wood, on which lay a large -shell surrounded with the braided hair of the victims. The interior was -rude as a barn, dimly lighted from the doorway, and full of smoke. There -was a structure in the middle which Membre thinks was a kind of altar; -and before it burned a perpetual fire, fed with three logs laid end to -end, and watched by two old men devoted to this sacred office. There was -a mysterious recess, too, which the strangers were forbidden to explore, -but which, as Tonty was told, contained the riches of the nation, -consisting of pearls from the Gulf, and trinkets obtained, probably -through other tribes, from the Spaniards and other Europeans. - -The chief condescended to visit La Salle at his camp,--a favor which he -would by no means have granted, had the visitors been Indians. A master -of ceremonies and six attendants preceded him, to clear the path and -prepare the place of meeting. When all was ready, he was seen advancing, -clothed in a white robe and preceded by two men bearing white fans, -while a third displayed a disk of burnished copper,--doubtless to -represent the Sun, his ancestor, or, as others will have it, his elder -brother. His aspect was marvellously grave, and he and La Salle met with -gestures of ceremonious courtesy. The interview was very friendly; and -the chief returned well pleased with the gifts which his entertainer -bestowed on him, and which, indeed, had been the principal motive of his -visit. - -[Sidenote: THE NATCHEZ.] - -On the next morning, as they descended the river, they saw a wooden -canoe full of Indians; and Tonty gave chase. He had nearly overtaken it, -when more than a hundred men appeared suddenly on the shore, with bows -bent to defend their countrymen. La Salle called out to Tonty to -withdraw. He obeyed; and the whole party encamped on the opposite bank. -Tonty offered to cross the river with a peace-pipe, and set out -accordingly with a small party of men. When he landed, the Indians made -signs of friendship by joining their hands,--a proceeding by which -Tonty, having but one hand, was somewhat embarrassed; but he directed -his men to respond in his stead. La Salle and Membre now joined him, and -went with the Indians to their village, three leagues distant. Here they -spent the night. "The Sieur de la Salle," writes Membre, "whose very -air, engaging manners, tact, and address attract love and respect -alike, produced such an effect on the hearts of these people that they -did not know how to treat us well enough."[240] - -The Indians of this village were the Natchez; and their chief was -brother of the great chief, or Sun, of the whole nation. His town was -several leagues distant, near the site of the city of Natchez; and -thither the French repaired to visit him. They saw what they had already -seen among the Taensas,--a religious and political despotism, a -privileged caste descended from the sun, a temple, and a sacred -fire.[241] La Salle planted a large cross, with the arms of France -attached, in the midst of the town; while the inhabitants looked on with -a satisfaction which they would hardly have displayed had they -understood the meaning of the act. - -[Sidenote: HOSTILITY.] - -The French next visited the Coroas, at their village two leagues below; -and here they found a reception no less auspicious. On the thirty-first -of March, as they approached Red River, they passed in the fog a town of -the Oumas, and three days later discovered a party of fishermen, in -wooden canoes, among the canes along the margin of the water. They fled -at sight of the Frenchmen. La Salle sent men to reconnoitre, who, as -they struggled through the marsh, were greeted with a shower of arrows; -while from the neighboring village of the Quinipissas,[242] invisible -behind the cane-brake, they heard the sound of an Indian drum and the -whoops of the mustering warriors. La Salle, anxious to keep the peace -with all the tribes along the river, recalled his men, and pursued his -voyage. A few leagues below they saw a cluster of Indian lodges on the -left bank, apparently void of inhabitants. They landed, and found three -of them filled with corpses. It was a village of the Tangibao, sacked by -their enemies only a few days before.[243] - -And now they neared their journey's end. On the sixth of April the river -divided itself into three broad channels. La Salle followed that of the -west, and Dautray that of the east; while Tonty took the middle passage. -As he drifted down the turbid current, between the low and marshy -shores, the brackish water changed to brine, and the breeze grew fresh -with the salt breath of the sea. Then the broad bosom of the great Gulf -opened on his sight, tossing its restless billows, limitless, voiceless, -lonely as when born of chaos, without a sail, without a sign of life. - -La Salle, in a canoe, coasted the marshy borders of the sea; and then -the reunited parties assembled on a spot of dry ground, a short distance -above the mouth of the river. Here a column was made ready, bearing the -arms of France, and inscribed with the words, "Louis Le Grand, Roy De -France Et De Navarre, Regne; Le Neuvieme Avril, 1682." - -The Frenchmen were mustered under arms; and while the New England -Indians and their squaws looked on in wondering silence, they chanted -the _Te Deum_, the _Exaudiat_, and the _Domine salvum fac Regem_. Then, -amid volleys of musketry and shouts of _Vive le Roi_, La Salle planted -the column in its place, and, standing near it, proclaimed in a loud -voice,-- - -[Sidenote: POSSESSION TAKEN.] - -"In the name of the most high, mighty, invincible, and victorious -Prince, Louis the Great, by the grace of God King of France and of -Navarre, Fourteenth of that name, I, this ninth day of April, one -thousand six hundred and eighty-two, in virtue of the commission of his -Majesty, which I hold in my hand, and which may be seen by all whom it -may concern, have taken, and do now take, in the name of his Majesty and -of his successors to the crown, possession of this country of Louisiana, -the seas, harbors, ports, bays, adjacent straits, and all the nations, -peoples, provinces, cities, towns, villages, mines, minerals, fisheries, -streams, and rivers, within the extent of the said Louisiana, from the -mouth of the great river St. Louis, otherwise called the Ohio, ... as -also along the river Colbert, or Mississippi, and the rivers which -discharge themselves thereinto, from its source beyond the country of -the Nadouessioux ... as far as its mouth at the sea, or Gulf of Mexico, -and also to the mouth of the River of Palms, upon the assurance we have -had from the natives of these countries that we are the first Europeans -who have descended or ascended the said river Colbert; hereby protesting -against all who may hereafter undertake to invade any or all of these -aforesaid countries, peoples, or lands, to the prejudice of the rights -of his Majesty, acquired by the consent of the nations dwelling herein. -Of which, and of all else that is needful, I hereby take to witness -those who hear me, and demand an act of the notary here present."[244] - -Shouts of _Vive le Roi_ and volleys of musketry responded to his words. -Then a cross was planted beside the column, and a leaden plate buried -near it, bearing the arms of France, with a Latin inscription, -_Ludovicus Magnus regnat_. The weather-beaten voyagers joined their -voices in the grand hymn of the _Vexilla Regis_:-- - - "The banners of Heaven's King advance, - The mystery of the Cross shines forth;" - -and renewed shouts of _Vive le Roi_ closed the ceremony. - -On that day, the realm of France received on parchment a stupendous -accession. The fertile plains of Texas; the vast basin of the -Mississippi, from its frozen northern springs to the sultry borders of -the Gulf; from the woody ridges of the Alleghanies to the bare peaks of -the Rocky Mountains,--a region of savannas and forests, sun-cracked -deserts, and grassy prairies, watered by a thousand rivers, ranged by a -thousand warlike tribes, passed beneath the sceptre of the Sultan of -Versailles; and all by virtue of a feeble human voice, inaudible at half -a mile. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[231] La Salle, _Relation de la Decouverte_, 1682, in Thomassy, -_Geologie Pratique de la Louisiane 9; Lettre du Pere Zenobe Membre, 3 -Juin, 1682; Ibid., 14 Aout, 1682_; Membre in Le Clerc, ii. 214; Tonty, -1684, 1693; _Proces Verbal de la Prise de Possession de la Louisiane, -Feuilles detachees d'une Lettre de La Salle_ (Margry, ii. 164); _Recit -de Nicolas de la Salle_ (Ibid., i. 547). - -The narrative ascribed to Membre and published by Le Clerc is based on -the document preserved in the Archives Scientifiques de la Marine, -entitled _Relation de la Decouverte de l'Embouchure de la Riviere -Mississippi faite par le Sieur de la Salle, l'annee passee_, 1682. The -writer of the narrative has used it very freely, copying the greater -part verbatim, with occasional additions of a kind which seem to -indicate that he had taken part in the expedition. The _Relation de la -Decouverte_, though written in the third person, is the official report -of the discovery made by La Salle, or perhaps for him by Membre. - -[232] Called by Membre the Ouabache (Wabash). - -[233] La Salle, _Relation de la Decouverte de l'Embouchure, etc._; -Thomassy, 10. Membre gives the same date; but the _Proces Verbal_ makes -it the twenty-sixth. - -[234] Gravier, in his letter of 16 Feb., 1701, says that he encamped -near a "great bluff of stone, called Fort Prudhomme, because M. de La -Salle, going on his discovery, intrenched himself here with his party, -fearing that Prudhomme, who had lost himself in the woods, had been -killed by the Indians, and that he himself would be attacked." - -[235] La Salle, _Relation_; Thomassy, 11. - -[236] _Proces Verbal de la Prise de Possession du Pays des Arkansas, 14 -Mars, 1682._ - -[237] The nation of the Akanseas, Alkansas, or Arkansas, dwelt on the -west bank of the Mississippi, near the mouth of the Arkansas. They were -divided into four tribes, living for the most part in separate villages. -Those first visited by La Salle were the Kappas, or Quapaws, a remnant -of whom still subsists. The others were the Topingas, or Tongengas; the -Torimans; and the Osotouoy, or Sauthouis. According to Charlevoix, who -saw them in 1721, they were regarded as the tallest and best-formed -Indians in America, and were known as _les Beaux Hommes_. Gravier says -that they once lived on the Ohio. - -[238] In Tensas County, Louisiana. Tonty's estimates of distance are -here much too low. They seem to be founded on observations of latitude, -without reckoning the windings of the river. It may interest sportsmen -to know that the party killed several large alligators, on their way. -Membre is much astonished that such monsters should be born of eggs like -chickens. - -[239] Tonty, 1684, 1693. In the spurious narrative, published in Tonty's -name, the account is embellished and exaggerated. Compare Membre in Le -Clerc, ii. 227. La Salle's statements in the _Relation_ of 1682 -(Thomassy, 12) sustain those of Tonty. - -[240] Membre in Le Clerc, ii. 232. - -[241] The Natchez and the Taensas, whose habits and customs were -similar, did not, in their social organization, differ radically from -other Indians. The same principle of clanship, or _totemship_, so widely -spread, existed in full force among them, combined with their religious -ideas, and developed into forms of which no other example, equally -distinct, is to be found. (For Indian clanship, see "The Jesuits in -North America," _Introduction_.) Among the Natchez and Taensas, the -principal clan formed a ruling caste; and its chiefs had the attributes -of demi-gods. As descent was through the female, the chief's son never -succeeded him, but the son of one of his sisters; and as she, by the -usual totemic law, was forced to marry in another clan,--that is, to -marry a common mortal,--her husband, though the destined father of a -demi-god, was treated by her as little better than a slave. She might -kill him, if he proved unfaithful; but he was forced to submit to her -infidelities in silence. - -The customs of the Natchez have been described by Du Pratz, Le Petit, -Penecaut, and others. Charlevoix visited their temple in 1721, and found -it in a somewhat shabby condition. At this time, the Taensas were -extinct. In 1729 the Natchez, enraged by the arbitrary conduct of a -French commandant, massacred the neighboring settlers, and were in -consequence expelled from their country and nearly destroyed. A few -still survive, incorporated with the Creeks; but they have lost their -peculiar customs. - -[242] In St. Charles County, on the left bank, not far above New -Orleans. - -[243] Hennepin uses this incident, as well as most of those which have -preceded it, in making up the story of his pretended voyage to the Gulf. - -[244] In the passages omitted above, for the sake of brevity, the Ohio -is mentioned as being called also the _Olighin_-(Alleghany) _Sipou_, and -_Chukagoua_; and La Salle declares that he takes possession of the -country with the consent of the nations dwelling in it, of whom he names -the Chaouanons (Shawanoes), Kious, or Nadouessious (Sioux), Chikachas -(Chickasaws), Motantees (?), Illinois, Mitchigamias, Arkansas, Natchez, -and Koroas. This alleged consent is, of course, mere farce. If there -could be any doubt as to the meaning of the words of La Salle, as -recorded in the _Proces Verbal de la Prise de Possession de la -Louisiane_, it would be set at rest by Le Clerc, who says: "Le Sieur de -la Salle prit au nom de sa Majeste possession de ce fleuve, _de toutes -les rivieres qui y entrent, et de tous les pays qu'elles arrosent_." -These words are borrowed from the report of La Salle (see Thomassy, 14). -A copy of the original _Proces Verbal_ is before me. It bears the name -of Jacques de la Metairie, Notary of Fort Frontenac, who was one of the -party. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -1682, 1683. - -ST. LOUIS OF THE ILLINOIS. - - Louisiana.--Illness of La Salle: his Colony on the Illinois.--Fort - St. Louis.--Recall of Frontenac.--Le Febvre de la Barre.--Critical - Position of la Salle.--Hostility Of the New Governor.--Triumph of - the Adverse Faction.--La Salle sails for France. - - -Louisiana was the name bestowed by La Salle on the new domain of the -French crown. The rule of the Bourbons in the West is a memory of the -past, but the name of the Great King still survives in a narrow corner -of their lost empire. The Louisiana of to-day is but a single State of -the American republic. The Louisiana of La Salle stretched from the -Alleghanies to the Rocky Mountains; from the Rio Grande and the Gulf to -the farthest springs of the Missouri.[245] - -La Salle had written his name in history; but his hard-earned success -was but the prelude of a harder task. Herculean labors lay before him, -if he would realize the schemes with which his brain was pregnant. Bent -on accomplishing them, he retraced his course, and urged his canoes -upward against the muddy current. The party were famished. They had -little to subsist on but the flesh of alligators. When they reached the -Quinipissas, who had proved hostile on their way down, they resolved to -risk an interview with them, in the hope of obtaining food. The -treacherous savages dissembled, brought them corn, and on the following -night made an attack upon them, but met with a bloody repulse. The party -next revisited the Coroas, and found an unfavorable change in their -disposition towards them. They feasted them, indeed, but during the -repast surrounded them with an overwhelming force of warriors. The -French, however, kept so well on their guard, that their entertainers -dared not make an attack, and suffered them to depart unmolested.[246] - -[Sidenote: ILLNESS OF LA SALLE.] - -And now, in a career of unwonted success and anticipated triumph, La -Salle was arrested by a foe against which the boldest heart avails -nothing. As he ascended the Mississippi, he was seized by a dangerous -illness. Unable to proceed, he sent forward Tonty to Michilimackinac, -whence, after despatching news of their discovery to Canada, he was to -return to the Illinois. La Salle himself lay helpless at Fort Prudhomme, -the palisade work which his men had built at the Chickasaw Bluffs on -their way down. Father Zenobe Membre attended him; and at the end of -July he was once more in a condition to advance by slow movements -towards Fort Miami, which he reached in about a month. - -In September he rejoined Tonty at Michilimackinac, and in the following -month wrote to a friend in France: "Though my discovery is made, and I -have descended the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, I cannot send you -this year either an account of my journey or a map. On the way back I -was attacked by a deadly disease, which kept me in danger of my life for -forty days, and left me so weak that I could think of nothing for four -months after. I have hardly strength enough now to write my letters, and -the season is so far advanced that I cannot detain a single day this -canoe which I send expressly to carry them. If I had not feared being -forced to winter on the way, I should have tried to get to Quebec to -meet the new governor, if it is true that we are to have one; but in my -present condition this would be an act of suicide, on account of the bad -nourishment I should have all winter in case the snow and ice stopped me -on the way. Besides, my presence is absolutely necessary in the place to -which I am going. I pray you, my dear sir, to give me once more all the -help you can. I have great enemies, who have succeeded in all they have -undertaken. I do not pretend to resist them, but only to justify myself, -so that I can pursue by sea the plans I have begun here by land." - -This was what he had proposed to himself from the first; that is, to -abandon the difficult access through Canada, beset with enemies, and -open a way to his western domain through the Gulf and the Mississippi. -This was the aim of all his toilsome explorations. Could he have -accomplished his first intention of building a vessel on the Illinois -and descending in her to the Gulf, he would have been able to defray in -good measure the costs of the enterprise by means of the furs and -buffalo-hides collected on the way and carried in her to France. With a -fleet of canoes, this was impossible; and there was nothing to offset -the enormous outlay which he and his associates had made. He meant, as -we have seen, to found on the banks of the Illinois a colony of French -and Indians to answer the double purpose of a bulwark against the -Iroquois and a place of storage for the furs of all the western tribes; -and he hoped in the following year to secure an outlet for this colony -and for all the trade of the valley of the Mississippi, by occupying the -mouth of that river with a fort and another colony. This, too, was an -essential part of his original design. - -But for his illness, he would have gone to France to provide for its -execution. Meanwhile, he ordered Tonty to collect as many men as -possible, and begin the projected colony on the banks of the Illinois. A -report soon after reached him that those pests of the wilderness the -Iroquois were about to renew their attacks on the western tribes. This -would be fatal to his plans; and, following Tonty to the Illinois, he -rejoined him near the site of the great town. - -[Sidenote: "STARVED ROCK."] - -The cliff called "Starved Rock," now pointed out to travellers as the -chief natural curiosity of the region, rises, steep on three sides as a -castle wall, to the height of a hundred and twenty-five feet above the -river. In front, it overhangs the water that washes its base; its -western brow looks down on the tops of the forest trees below; and on -the east lies a wide gorge or ravine, choked with the mingled foliage of -oaks, walnuts, and elms; while in its rocky depths a little brook creeps -down to mingle with the river. From the trunk of the stunted cedar that -leans forward from the brink, you may drop a plummet into the river -below, where the cat-fish and the turtles may plainly be seen gliding -over the wrinkled sands of the clear and shallow current. The cliff is -accessible only from behind, where a man may climb up, not without -difficulty, by a steep and narrow passage. The top is about an acre in -extent. Here, in the month of December, La Salle and Tonty began to -intrench themselves. They cut away the forest that crowned the rock, -built store-houses and dwellings of its remains, dragged timber up the -rugged pathway, and encircled the summit with a palisade.[247] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S COLONY.] - -[Illustration: LA SALLE'S COLONY -on the Illinois, -FROM THE MAP OF -FRANQUELIN, -1684] - -Thus the winter passed, and meanwhile the work of negotiation went -prosperously on. The minds of the Indians had been already prepared. In -La Salle they saw their champion against the Iroquois, the standing -terror of all this region. They gathered round his stronghold like the -timorous peasantry of the middle ages around the rock-built castle of -their feudal lord. From the wooden ramparts of St. Louis,--for so he -named his fort,--high and inaccessible as an eagle's nest, a strange -scene lay before his eye. The broad, flat valley of the Illinois was -spread beneath him like a map, bounded in the distance by its low wall -of woody hills. The river wound at his feet in devious channels among -islands bordered with lofty trees; then, far on the left, flowed calmly -westward through the vast meadows, till its glimmering blue ribbon was -lost in hazy distance. - -There had been a time, and that not remote, when these fair meadows were -a waste of death and desolation, scathed with fire, and strewn with the -ghastly relics of an Iroquois victory. Now all was changed. La Salle -looked down from his rock on a concourse of wild human life. Lodges of -bark and rushes, or cabins of logs, were clustered on the open plain or -along the edges of the bordering forests. Squaws labored, warriors -lounged in the sun, naked children whooped and gambolled on the grass. -Beyond the river, a mile and a half on the left, the banks were studded -once more with the lodges of the Illinois, who, to the number of six -thousand, had returned, since their defeat, to this their favorite -dwelling-place. Scattered along the valley, among the adjacent hills, -or over the neighboring prairie, were the cantonments of a half-score of -other tribes and fragments of tribes, gathered under the protecting aegis -of the French,--Shawanoes from the Ohio, Abenakis from Maine, Miamis -from the sources of the Kankakee, with others whose barbarous names are -hardly worth the record.[248] Nor were these La Salle's only -dependants. By the terms of his patent, he held seigniorial rights over -this wild domain; and he now began to grant it out in parcels to his -followers. These, however, were as yet but a score,--a lawless band, -trained in forest license, and marrying, as their detractors affirm, a -new squaw every day in the week. This was after their lord's departure, -for his presence imposed a check on these eccentricities. - -La Salle, in a memoir addressed to the Minister of the Marine, reports -the total number of the Indians around Fort St. Louis at about four -thousand warriors, or twenty thousand souls. His diplomacy had been -crowned with a marvellous success,--for which his thanks were due, first -to the Iroquois, and the universal terror they inspired; next, to his -own address and unwearied energy. His colony had sprung up, as it were, -in a night; but might not a night suffice to disperse it? - -The conditions of maintaining it were twofold: first, he must give -efficient aid to his savage colonists against the Iroquois; secondly, he -must supply them with French goods in exchange for their furs. The men, -arms, and ammunition for their defence, and the goods for trading with -them, must be brought from Canada, until a better and surer avenue of -supply could be provided through the entrepot which he meant to -establish at the mouth of the Mississippi. Canada was full of his -enemies; but as long as Count Frontenac was in power, he was sure of -support. Count Frontenac was in power no longer. He had been recalled to -France through the intrigues of the party adverse to La Salle; and Le -Febvre de la Barre reigned in his stead. - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE AND LA BARRE.] - -La Barre was an old naval officer of rank, advanced to a post for which -he proved himself notably unfit. If he was without the arbitrary -passions which had been the chief occasion of the recall of his -predecessor, he was no less without his energies and his talents. He -showed a weakness and an avarice for which his age may have been in some -measure answerable. He was no whit less unscrupulous than his -predecessor in his secret violation of the royal ordinances regulating -the fur-trade, which it was his duty to enforce. Like Frontenac, he took -advantage of his position to carry on an illicit traffic with the -Indians; but it was with different associates. The late governor's -friends were the new governor's enemies; and La Salle, armed with his -monopolies, was the object of his especial jealousy.[249] - -Meanwhile, La Salle, buried in the western wilderness, remained for the -time ignorant of La Barre's disposition towards him, and made an effort -to secure his good-will and countenance. He wrote to him from his rock -of St. Louis, early in the spring of 1683, expressing the hope that he -should have from him the same support as from Count Frontenac; -"although," he says, "my enemies will try to influence you against me." -His attachment to Frontenac, he pursues, has been the cause of all the -late governor's enemies turning against him. He then recounts his voyage -down the Mississippi; says that, with twenty-two Frenchmen, he caused -all the tribes along the river to ask for peace; and speaks of his right -under the royal patent to build forts anywhere along his route, and -grant out lands around them, as at Fort Frontenac. - -"My losses in my enterprises," he continues, "have exceeded forty -thousand crowns. I am now going four hundred leagues south-southwest of -this place, to induce the Chickasaws to follow the Shawanoes and other -tribes, and settle, like them, at St. Louis. It remained only to settle -French colonists here, and this I have already done. I hope you will not -detain them as _coureurs de bois_, when they come down to Montreal to -make necessary purchases. I am aware that I have no right to trade with -the tribes who descend to Montreal, and I shall not permit such trade to -my men; nor have I ever issued licenses to that effect, as my enemies -say that I have done."[250] - -Again, on the fourth of June following, he writes to La Barre, from the -Chicago portage, complaining that some of his colonists, going to -Montreal for necessary supplies, have been detained by his enemies, and -begging that they may be allowed to return, that his enterprise may not -be ruined. "The Iroquois," he pursues, "are again invading the country. -Last year, the Miamis were so alarmed by them that they abandoned their -town and fled; but at my return they came back, and have been induced to -settle with the Illinois at my fort of St. Louis. The Iroquois have -lately murdered some families of their nation, and they are all in -terror again. I am afraid they will take flight, and so prevent the -Missouris and neighboring tribes from coming to settle at St. Louis, as -they are about to do. - -"Some of the Hurons and French tell the Miamis that I am keeping them -here for the Iroquois to destroy. I pray that you will let me hear from -you, that I may give these people some assurances of protection before -they are destroyed in my sight. Do not suffer my men who have come down -to the settlements to be longer prevented from returning. There is great -need here of reinforcements. The Iroquois, as I have said, have lately -entered the country; and a great terror prevails. I have postponed going -to Michilimackinac, because, if the Iroquois strike any blow in my -absence, the Miamis will think that I am in league with them; whereas, -if I and the French stay among them, they will regard us as protectors. -But, Monsieur, it is in vain that we risk our lives here, and that I -exhaust my means in order to fulfil the intentions of his Majesty, if -all my measures are crossed in the settlements below, and if those who -go down to bring munitions, without which we cannot defend ourselves, -are detained under pretexts trumped up for the occasion. If I am -prevented from bringing up men and supplies, as I am allowed to do by -the permit of Count Frontenac, then my patent from the King is useless. -It would be very hard for us, after having done what was required, even -before the time prescribed, and after suffering severe losses, to have -our efforts frustrated by obstacles got up designedly. - -"I trust that, as it lies with you alone to prevent or to permit the -return of the men whom I have sent down, you will not so act as to -thwart my plans. A part of the goods which I have sent by them belong -not to me, but to the Sieur de Tonty, and are a part of his pay. Others -are to buy munitions indispensable for our defence. Do not let my -creditors seize them. It is for their advantage that my fort, full as it -is of goods, should be held against the enemy. I have only twenty men, -with scarcely a hundred pounds of powder; and I cannot long hold the -country without more. The Illinois are very capricious and uncertain.... -If I had men enough to send out to reconnoitre the enemy, I would have -done so before this; but I have not enough. I trust you will put it in -my power to obtain more, that this important colony may be saved."[251] - -While La Salle was thus writing to La Barre, La Barre was writing to -Seignelay, the Marine and Colonial Minister, decrying his -correspondent's discoveries, and pretending to doubt their reality. "The -Iroquois," he adds, "have sworn his [La Salle's] death. The imprudence -of this man is about to involve the colony in war."[252] And again he -writes, in the following spring, to say that La Salle was with a score -of vagabonds at Green Bay, where he set himself up as a king, pillaged -his countrymen, and put them to ransom, exposed the tribes of the West -to the incursions of the Iroquois, and all under pretence of a patent -from his Majesty, the provisions of which he grossly abused; but, as his -privileges would expire on the twelfth of May ensuing, he would then be -forced to come to Quebec, where his creditors, to whom he owed more than -thirty thousand crowns, were anxiously awaiting him.[253] - -Finally, when La Barre received the two letters from La Salle, of which -the substance is given above, he sent copies of them to the Minister -Seignelay, with the following comment: "By the copies of the Sieur de la -Salle's letters, you will perceive that his head is turned, and that he -has been bold enough to give you intelligence of a false discovery, and -that, instead of returning to the colony to learn what the King wishes -him to do, he does not come near me, but keeps in the backwoods, five -hundred leagues off, with the idea of attracting the inhabitants to him, -and building up an imaginary kingdom for himself, by debauching all the -bankrupts and idlers of this country. If you will look at the two -letters I had from him, you can judge the character of this personage -better than I can. Affairs with the Iroquois are in such a state that I -cannot allow him to muster all their enemies together and put himself at -their head. All the men who brought me news from him have abandoned him, -and say not a word about returning, _but sell the furs they have brought -as if they were their own_; so that he cannot hold his ground much -longer."[254] Such calumnies had their effect. The enemies of La Salle -had already gained the ear of the King; and he had written in August, -from Fontainebleau, to his new governor of Canada: "I am convinced, like -you, that the discovery of the Sieur de la Salle is very useless, and -that such enterprises ought to be prevented in future, as they tend only -to debauch the inhabitants by the hope of gain, and to diminish the -revenue from beaver-skins."[255] - -In order to understand the posture of affairs at this time, it must be -remembered that Dutch and English traders of New York were urging on the -Iroquois to attack the western tribes, with the object of gaining, -through their conquest, the control of the fur-trade of the interior, -and diverting it from Montreal to Albany. The scheme was full of danger -to Canada, which the loss of the trade would have ruined. La Barre and -his associates were greatly alarmed at it. Its complete success would -have been fatal to their hopes of profit; but they nevertheless wished -it such a measure of success as would ruin their rival, La Salle. Hence, -no little satisfaction mingled with their anxiety when they heard that -the Iroquois were again threatening to invade the Miamis and the -Illinois; and thus La Barre, whose duty it was strenuously to oppose the -intrigue of the English, and use every effort to quiet the ferocious -bands whom they were hounding against the Indian allies of the French, -was, in fact, but half-hearted in the work. He cut off La Salle from all -supplies; detained the men whom he sent for succor; and, at a conference -with the Iroquois, told them that they were welcome to plunder and kill -him.[256] - -[Sidenote: A NEW ALARM.] - -The old governor, and the unscrupulous ring with which he was -associated, now took a step to which he was doubtless emboldened by the -tone of the King's letter, in condemnation of La Salle's enterprise. He -resolved to seize Fort Frontenac, the property of La Salle, under the -pretext that the latter had not fulfilled the conditions of the grant, -and had not maintained a sufficient garrison.[257] Two of his -associates, La Chesnaye and Le Ber, armed with an order from him, went -up and took possession, despite the remonstrances of La Salle's -creditors and mortgagees; lived on La Salle's stores, sold for their own -profit, and (it is said) that of La Barre, the provisions sent by the -King, and turned in the cattle to pasture on the growing crops. La -Forest, La Salle's lieutenant, was told that he might retain the command -of the fort if he would join the associates; but he refused, and sailed -in the autumn for France.[258] - -Meanwhile La Salle remained at the Illinois in extreme embarrassment, -cut off from supplies, robbed of his men who had gone to seek them, and -disabled from fulfilling the pledges he had given to the surrounding -Indians. Such was his position, when reports came to Fort St. Louis that -the Iroquois were at hand. The Indian hamlets were wild with terror, -beseeching him for succor which he had no power to give. Happily, the -report proved false. No Iroquois appeared; the threatened attack was -postponed, and the summer passed away in peace. But La Salle's position, -with the governor his declared enemy, was intolerable and untenable; and -there was no resource but in the protection of the court. Early in the -autumn, he left Tonty in command of the rock, bade farewell to his -savage retainers, and descended to Quebec, intending to sail for France. - -On his way, he met the Chevalier de Baugis, an officer of the King's -dragoons, commissioned by La Barre to take possession of Fort St. Louis, -and bearing letters from the governor ordering La Salle to come to -Quebec,--a superfluous command, as he was then on his way thither. He -smothered his wrath, and wrote to Tonty to receive De Baugis well. The -chevalier and his party proceeded to the Illinois, and took possession -of the fort,--De Baugis commanding for the governor, while Tonty -remained as representative of La Salle. The two officers could not live -in harmony; but, with the return of spring, each found himself in sore -need of aid from the other. Towards the end of March the Iroquois -attacked their citadel, and besieged it for six days, but at length -withdrew discomfited, carrying with them a number of Indian prisoners, -most of whom escaped from their clutches.[259] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE SAILS FOR FRANCE.] - -Meanwhile, La Salle had sailed for France. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[245] The boundaries are laid down on the great map of Franquelin, made -in 1684, and preserved in the Depot des Cartes of the Marine. The line -runs along the south shore of Lake Erie, and thence follows the heads of -the streams flowing into Lake Michigan. It then turns northwest, and is -lost in the vast unknown of the now British Territories. On the south, -it is drawn by the heads of the streams flowing into the Gulf, as far -west as Mobile, after which it follows the shore of the Gulf to a little -south of the Rio Grande; then runs west, northwest, and finally north, -along the range of the Rocky Mountains. - -[246] Tonty, 1684, 1693. - -[247] "Starved Rock" perfectly answers, in every respect, to the -indications of the contemporary maps and documents concerning "Le -Rocher," the site of La Salle's fort of St. Louis. It is laid down on -several contemporary maps, besides the great map of La Salle's -discoveries, made in 1684. They all place it on the south side of the -river; whereas Buffalo Rock, three miles above, which has been supposed -to be the site of the fort, is on the north. The latter is crowned by a -plateau of great extent, is but sixty feet high, is accessible at many -points, and would require a large force to defend it; whereas La Salle -chose "Le Rocher," because a few men could hold it against a multitude. -Charlevoix, in 1721, describes both rocks, and says that the top of -Buffalo Rock had been occupied by the Miami village, so that it was -known as _Le Fort des Miamis_. This is confirmed by Joutel, who found -the Miamis here in 1687. Charlevoix then speaks of "Le Rocher," calling -it by that name; says that it is about a league below, on the left or -south side, forming a sheer cliff, very high, and looking like a -fortress on the border of the river. He saw remains of palisades at the -top, which, he thinks, were made by the Illinois (_Journal Historique, -Let._ xxvii.), though his countrymen had occupied it only three years -before. "The French reside on the rock (Le Rocher), which is very lofty -and impregnable." (_Memoir on Western Indians_, 1718, _in N. Y. Col. -Docs._, ix. 890.) St. Cosme, passing this way in 1699, mentions it as -"Le Vieux Fort," and says that it is "a rock about a hundred feet high -at the edge of the river, where M. de la Salle built a fort, since -abandoned." (_Journal de St. Cosme._) Joutel, who was here in 1687, -says, "Fort St. Louis is on a steep rock, about two hundred feet high, -with the river running at its base." He adds that its only defences were -palisades. The true height, as stated above, is about a hundred and -twenty-five feet. - -A traditional interest also attaches to this rock. It is said that, in -the Indian wars that followed the assassination of Pontiac, a few years -after the cession of Canada, a party of Illinois, assailed by the -Pottawattamies, here took refuge, defying attack. At length they were -all destroyed by starvation, and hence the name of "Starved Rock." - -For other proofs concerning this locality, see _ante_, 239. - -[248] This singular extemporized colony of La Salle, on the banks of the -Illinois, is laid down in detail on the great map of La Salle's -discoveries, by Jean Baptiste Franquelin, finished in 1684. There can be -no doubt that this part of the work is composed from authentic data. La -Salle himself, besides others of his party, came down from the Illinois -in the autumn of 1683, and undoubtedly supplied the young engineer with -materials. The various Indian villages, or cantonments, are all -indicated, with the number of warriors belonging to each, the aggregate -corresponding very nearly with that of La Salle's report to the -minister. The Illinois, properly so called, are set down at 1,200 -warriors; the Miamis, at 1,300; the Shawanoes, at 200; the Ouiatnoens -(Weas), at 500; the Peanqhichia (Piankishaw) band, at 150; the -Pepikokia, at 160; the Kilatica, at 300; and the Ouabona, at 70,--in -all, 3,880 warriors. A few others, probably Abenakis, lived in the fort. - -The Fort St. Louis is placed, on the map, at the exact site of Starved -Rock, and the Illinois village at the place where, as already mentioned -(see 239), Indian remains in great quantities are yearly ploughed up. -The Shawanoe camp, or village, is placed on the south side of the river, -behind the fort. The country is here hilly, broken, and now, as in La -Salle's time, covered with wood, which, however, soon ends in the open -prairie. A short time since, the remains of a low, irregular earthwork -of considerable extent were discovered at the intersection of two -ravines, about twenty-four hundred feet behind, or south of, Starved -Rock. The earthwork follows the line of the ravines on two sides. On the -east, there is an opening, or gateway, leading to the adjacent prairie. -The work is very irregular in form, and shows no trace of the civilized -engineer. In the stump of an oak-tree upon it, Dr. Paul counted a -hundred and sixty rings of annual growth. The village of the Shawanoes -(Chaouenons), on Franquelin's map, corresponds with the position of this -earthwork. I am indebted to the kindness of Dr. John Paul and Col. D. F. -Hitt, the proprietor of Starved Rock, for a plan of these curious -remains and a survey of the neighboring district. I must also express my -obligations to Mr. W. E. Bowman, photographer at Ottawa, for views of -Starved Rock and other features of the neighboring scenery. - -An interesting relic of the early explorers of this region was found a -few years ago at Ottawa, six miles above Starved Rock, in the shape of a -small iron gun, buried several feet deep in the drift of the river. It -consists of a welded tube of iron, about an inch and a half in calibre, -strengthened by a series of thick iron rings, cooled on, after the most -ancient as well as the most recent method of making cannon. It is about -fourteen inches long, the part near the muzzle having been burst off. -The construction is very rude. Small field-pieces, on a similar -principle, were used in the fourteenth century. Several of them may be -seen at the Musee d'Artillerie at Paris. In the time of Louis XIV., the -art of casting cannon was carried to a high degree of perfection. The -gun in question may have been made by a French blacksmith on the spot. A -far less probable supposition is, that it is a relic of some unrecorded -visit of the Spaniards; but the pattern of the piece would have been -antiquated, even in the time of De Soto. - -[249] The royal instructions to La Barre, on his assuming the -government, dated at Versailles, 10 May, 1682, require him to give no -further permission to make journeys of discovery towards the Sioux and -the Mississippi, as his Majesty thinks his subjects better employed in -cultivating the land. The letter adds, however, that La Salle is to be -allowed to continue his discoveries, if they appear to be useful. The -same instructions are repeated in a letter of the Minister of the Marine -to the new intendant of Canada, De Meules. - -[250] _Lettre de La Salle a La Barre, Fort St. Louis, 2 Avril, 1683._ -The above is condensed from passages in the original. - -[251] _Lettre de La Salle a La Barre, Portage de Chicagou, 4 Juin, -1683._ The substance of the letter is given above, in a condensed form. -A passage is omitted, in which La Salle expresses his belief that his -vessel, the "Griffin," had been destroyed, not by Indians, but by the -pilot, who, as he thinks, had been induced to sink her, and then, with -some of the crew, attempted to join Du Lhut with their plunder, but were -captured by Indians on the Mississippi. - -[252] _Lettre de La Barre au Ministre, 14 Nov., 1682._ - -[253] _Lettre de La Barre au Ministre, 30 Avril, 1683._ La Salle had -spent the winter, not at Green Bay, as this slanderous letter declares, -but in the Illinois country. - -[254] _Lettre de La Barre au Ministre, 4 Nov., 1683._ - -[255] _Lettre du Roy a La Barre, 5 Aout, 1683._ - -[256] _Memoire pour rendre compte a Monseigneur le Marquis de Seignelay -de l'Etat ou le Sieur de Lasalle a laisse le Fort Frontenac pendant le -temps de sa decouverte._ On La Barre's conduct, see "Count Frontenac and -New France under Louis XIV.," chap. v. - -[257] La Salle, when at Mackinaw, on his way to Quebec, in 1682, had -been recalled to the Illinois, as we have seen, by a threatened Iroquois -invasion. There is before me a copy of a letter which he then wrote to -Count Frontenac, begging him to send up more soldiers to the fort, at -his (La Salle's) expense. Frontenac, being about to sail for France, -gave this letter to his newly arrived successor, La Barre, who, far from -complying with the request, withdrew La Salle's soldiers already at the -fort, and then made its defenceless state a pretext for seizing it. This -statement is made in the memoir addressed to Seignelay, before cited. - -[258] These are the statements of the memorial addressed in La Salle's -behalf to the minister, Seignelay. - -[259] Tonty, 1684, 1693; _Lettre de La Barre au Ministre, 5 Juin, 1684; -Ibid., 9 Juillet, 1684_. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -1680-1683. - -LA SALLE PAINTED BY HIMSELF. - - Difficulty of knowing him; his Detractors; his Letters; vexations - of his Position; his Unfitness for Trade; risks Of Correspondence; - his Reported Marriage; alleged Ostentation; motives of Action; - charges of Harshness; intrigues against him; unpopular Manners; a - Strange Confession; his Strength and his Weakness; contrasts of his - Character. - - -We have seen La Salle in his acts. While he crosses the sea, let us look -at him in himself. Few men knew him, even of those who saw him most. -Reserved and self-contained as he was, with little vivacity or gayety or -love of pleasure, he was a sealed book to those about him. His daring -energy and endurance were patent to all; but the motive forces that -urged him, and the influences that wrought beneath the surface of his -character, were hidden where few eyes could pierce. His enemies were -free to make their own interpretations, and they did not fail to use the -opportunity. - -The interests arrayed against him were incessantly at work. His men were -persuaded to desert and rob him; the Iroquois were told that he was -arming the western tribes against them; the western tribes were told -that he was betraying them to the Iroquois; his proceedings were -denounced to the court; and continual efforts were made to alienate his -associates. They, on their part, sore as they were from disappointment -and loss, were in a mood to listen to the aspersions cast upon him; and -they pestered him with letters, asking questions, demanding -explanations, and dunning him for money. It is through his answers that -we are best able to judge him; and at times, by those touches of nature -which make the whole world kin, they teach us to know him and to feel -for him. - -[Sidenote: CHARGES AGAINST LA SALLE.] - -The main charges against him were that he was a crack-brained schemer, -that he was harsh to his men, that he traded where he had no right to -trade, and that his discoveries were nothing but a pretence for making -money. No accusations appear that touch his integrity or his honor. - -It was hard to convince those who were always losing by him. A -remittance of good dividends would have been his best answer, and would -have made any other answer needless; but, instead of bills of exchange, -he had nothing to give but excuses and explanations. In the autumn of -1680, he wrote to an associate who had demanded the long-deferred -profits: "I have had many misfortunes in the last two years. In the -autumn of '78, I lost a vessel by the fault of the pilot; in the next -summer, the deserters I told you about robbed me of eight or ten -thousand livres' worth of goods. In the autumn of '79, I lost a vessel -worth more than ten thousand crowns; in the next spring, five or six -rascals stole the value of five or six thousand livres in goods and -beaver-skins, at the Illinois, when I was absent. Two other men of mine, -carrying furs worth four or five thousand livres, were killed or drowned -in the St. Lawrence, and the furs were lost. Another robbed me of three -thousand livres in beaver-skins stored at Michilimackinac. This last -spring, I lost about seventeen hundred livres' worth of goods by the -upsetting of a canoe. Last winter, the fort and buildings at Niagara -were burned by the fault of the commander; and in the spring the -deserters, who passed that way, seized a part of the property that -remained, and escaped to New York. All this does not discourage me in -the least, and will only defer for a year or two the returns of profit -which you ask for this year. These losses are no more my fault than the -loss of the ship 'St. Joseph' was yours. I cannot be everywhere, and -cannot help making use of the people of the country." - -He begs his correspondent to send out an agent of his own. "He need not -be very _savant_, but he must be faithful, patient of labor, and fond -neither of gambling, women, nor good cheer; for he will find none of -these with me. Trusting in what he will write you, you may close your -ears to what priests and Jesuits tell you. - -[Sidenote: VEXATIONS OF HIS POSITION.] - -"After having put matters in good trim for trade I mean to withdraw, -though I think it will be very profitable; for I am disgusted to find -that I must always be making excuses, which is a part I cannot play -successfully. I am utterly tired of this business; for I see that it is -not enough to put property and life in constant peril, but that it -requires more pains to answer envy and detraction than to overcome the -difficulties inseparable from my undertaking." - -And he makes a variety of proposals, by which he hopes to get rid of a -part of his responsibility to his correspondent. He begs him again to -send out a confidential agent, saying that for his part he does not want -to have any account to render, except that which he owes to the court, -of his discoveries. He adds, strangely enough for a man burdened with -such liabilities, "I have neither the habit nor the inclination to keep -books, nor have I anybody with me who knows how." He says to another -correspondent, "I think, like you, that partnerships in business are -dangerous, on account of the little practice I have in these matters." -It is not surprising that he wanted to leave his associates to manage -business for themselves: "You know that this trade is good; and with a -trusty agent to conduct it for you, you run no risk. As for me, I will -keep the charge of the forts, the command of posts and of men, the -management of Indians and Frenchmen, and the establishment of the -colony, which will remain my property, leaving your agent and mine to -look after our interests, and drawing my half without having any hand in -what belongs to you." - -La Salle was a very indifferent trader; and his heart was not in the -commercial part of his enterprise. He aimed at achievement, and thirsted -after greatness. His ambition was to found another France in the West; -and if he meant to govern it also,--as without doubt he did,--it is not -a matter of wonder or of blame. His misfortune was, that, in the pursuit -of a great design, he was drawn into complications of business with -which he was ill fitted to grapple. He had not the instinct of the -successful merchant. He dared too much, and often dared unwisely; -attempted more than he could grasp, and forgot, in his sanguine -anticipations, to reckon with enormous and incalculable risks. - -Except in the narrative parts, his letters are rambling and -unconnected,--which is natural enough, written, as they were, at odd -moments, by camp-fires and among Indians. The style is crude; and being -well aware of this, he disliked writing, especially as the risk was -extreme that his letters would miss their destination. "There is too -little good faith in this country, and too many people on the watch, for -me to trust anybody with what I wish to send you. Even sealed letters -are not too safe. Not only are they liable to be lost or stopped by the -way, but even such as escape the curiosity of spies lie at Montreal, -waiting a long time to be forwarded." - -[Sidenote: HIS LETTERS INTERCEPTED.] - -Again, he writes: "I cannot pardon myself for the stoppage of my -letters, though I made every effort to make them reach you. I wrote to -you in '79 (in August), and sent my letters to M. de la Forest, who gave -them in good faith to my brother. I don't know what he has done with -them. I wrote you another, by the vessel that was lost last year. I sent -two canoes, by two different routes; but the wind and the rain were so -furious that they wintered on the way, and I found my letters at the -fort on my return. I now send you one of them, which I wrote last year -to M. Thouret, in which you will find a full account of what passed, -from the time when we left the outlet of Lake Erie down to the sixteenth -of August, 1680. What preceded was told at full length in the letters my -brother has seen fit to intercept." - -This brother was the Sulpitian priest, Jean Cavelier, who had been -persuaded that La Salle's enterprise would be ruinous, and therefore set -himself sometimes to stop it altogether, and sometimes to manage it in -his own way. "His conduct towards me," says La Salle, "has always been -so strange, through the small love he bears me, that it was clear gain -for me when he went away; since while he stayed he did nothing but cross -all my plans, which I was forced to change every moment to suit his -caprice." - -There was one point on which the interference of his brother and of his -correspondents was peculiarly annoying. They thought it for their -interest that he should remain a single man; whereas, it seems that his -devotion to his purpose was not so engrossing as to exclude more tender -subjects. He writes:-- - -"I am told that you have been uneasy about my pretended marriage. I had -not thought about it at that time; and I shall not make any engagement -of the sort till I have given you reason to be satisfied with me. It is -a little extraordinary that I must render account of a matter which is -free to all the world. - -"In fine, Monsieur, it is only as an earnest of something more -substantial that I write to you so much at length. I do not doubt that -you will hereafter change the ideas about me which some persons wish to -give you, and that you will be relieved of the anxiety which all that -has happened reasonably causes you. I have written this letter at more -than twenty different times; and I am more than a hundred and fifty -leagues from where I began it. I have still two hundred more to get -over, before reaching the Illinois. I am taking with me twenty-five men -to the relief of the six or seven who remain with the Sieur de Tonty." - -This was the journey which ended in that scene of horror at the ruined -town of the Illinois. - -[Sidenote: CHARGED WITH OSTENTATION.] - -To the same correspondent, pressing him for dividends, he says: "You -repeat continually that you will not be satisfied unless I make you -large returns of profit. Though I have reason to thank you for what you -have done for this enterprise, it seems to me that I have done still -more, since I have put everything at stake; and it would be hard to -reproach me either with foolish outlays or with the ostentation which is -falsely imputed to me. Let my accusers explain what they mean. Since I -have been in this country, I have had neither servants nor clothes nor -fare which did not savor more of meanness than of ostentation; and the -moment I see that there is anything with which either you or the court -find fault, I assure you that I will give it up,--for the life I am -leading has no other attraction for me than that of honor; and the more -danger and difficulty there is in undertakings of this sort, the more -worthy of honor I think they are." - -His career attests the sincerity of these words. They are a momentary -betrayal of the deep enthusiasm of character which may be read in his -life, but to which he rarely allowed the faintest expression. - -"Above all," he continues, "if you want me to keep on, do not compel me -to reply to all the questions and fancies of priests and Jesuits. They -have more leisure than I; and I am not subtle enough to anticipate all -their empty stories. I could easily give you the information you ask; -but I have a right to expect that you will not believe all you hear, nor -require me to prove to you that I am not a madman. That is the first -point to which you should have attended, before having business with me; -and in our long acquaintance, either you must have found me out, or else -I must have had long intervals of sanity." - -To another correspondent he defends himself against the charge of -harshness to his men: "The facility I am said to want is out of place -with this sort of people, who are libertines for the most part; and to -indulge them means to tolerate blasphemy, drunkenness, lewdness, and a -license incompatible with any kind of order. It will not be found that I -have in any case whatever treated any man harshly, except for -blasphemies and other such crimes openly committed. These I cannot -tolerate: first, because such compliance would give grounds for another -accusation, much more just; secondly, because, if I allowed such -disorders to become habitual, it would be hard to keep the men in -subordination and obedience, as regards executing the work I am -commissioned to do; thirdly, because the debaucheries, too common with -this rabble, are the source of endless delays and frequent thieving; -and, finally, because I am a Christian, and do not want to bear the -burden of their crimes. - -[Sidenote: INTRIGUES AGAINST HIM.] - -"What is said about my servants has not even a show of truth; for I use -no servants here, and all my men are on the same footing. I grant that -as those who have lived with me are steadier and give me no reason to -complain of their behavior, I treat them as gently as I should treat the -others if they resembled them, and as those who were formerly my -servants are the only ones I can trust, I speak more openly to them than -to the rest, who are generally spies of my enemies. The twenty-two men -who deserted and robbed me are not to be believed on their word, -deserters and thieves as they are. They are ready enough to find some -pretext for their crime; and it needs as unjust a judge as the intendant -to prompt such rascals to enter complaints against a person to whom he -had given a warrant to arrest them. But, to show the falsity of these -charges, Martin Chartier, who was one of those who excited the rest to -do as they did, was never with me at all; and the rest had made their -plot before seeing me." And he proceeds to relate, in great detail, a -variety of circumstances to prove that his men had been instigated first -to desert, and then to slander him; adding, "Those who remain with me -are the first I had, and they have not left me for six years." - -"I have a hundred other proofs of the bad counsel given to these -deserters, and will produce them when wanted; but as they themselves are -the only witnesses of the severity they complain of, while the witnesses -of their crimes are unimpeachable, why am I refused the justice I -demand, and why is their secret escape connived at? - -"I do not know what you mean by having popular manners. There is nothing -special in my food, clothing, or lodging, which are all the same for me -as for my men. How can it be that I do not talk with them? I have no -other company. M. de Tonty has often found fault with me because I -stopped too often to talk with them. You do not know the men one must -employ here, when you exhort me to make merry with them. They are -incapable of that; for they are never pleased, unless one gives free -rein to their drunkenness and other vices. If that is what you call -having popular manners, neither honor nor inclination would let me stoop -to gain their favor in a way so disreputable: and, besides, the -consequences would be dangerous, and they would have the same contempt -for me that they have for all who treat them in this fashion. - -"You write me that even my friends say that I am not a man of popular -manners. I do not know what friends they are. I know of none in this -country. To all appearance they are enemies, more subtle and secret than -the rest. I make no exceptions; for I know that those who seem to give -me support do not do it out of love for me, but because they are in some -sort bound in honor, and that in their hearts they think I have dealt -ill with them. M. Plet will tell you what he has heard about it himself, -and the reasons they have to give.[260] I have seen it for a long time; -and these secret stabs they give me show it very plainly. After that, it -is not surprising that I open my mind to nobody, and distrust everybody. -I have reasons that I cannot write. - -"For the rest, Monsieur, pray be well assured that the information you -are so good as to give me is received with a gratitude equal to the -genuine friendship from which it proceeds; and, however unjust are the -charges made against me, I should be much more unjust myself if I did -not feel that I have as much reason to thank you for telling me of them -as I have to complain of others for inventing them. - -[Sidenote: HIS MANNERS.] - -"As for what you say about my look and manner, I myself confess that you -are not far from right. But _naturam expellas_; and if I am wanting in -expansiveness and show of feeling towards those with whom I associate, -_it is only through a timidity which is natural to me, and which has -made me leave various employments, where without it I could have -succeeded_. But as I judged myself ill-fitted for them on account of -this defect, I have chosen a life more suited to my solitary -disposition; which, nevertheless, does not make me harsh to my people, -though, joined to a life among savages, it makes me, perhaps, less -polished and complaisant than the atmosphere of Paris requires. I well -believe that there is self-love in this; and that, knowing how little I -am accustomed to a more polite life, the fear of making mistakes makes -me more reserved than I like to be. So I rarely expose myself to -conversation with those in whose company I am afraid of making blunders, -and can hardly help making them. Abbe Renaudot knows with what -repugnance I had the honor to appear before Monseigneur de Conti; and -sometimes it took me a week to make up my mind to go to the -audience,--that is, when I had time to think about myself, and was not -driven by pressing business. It is much the same with letters, which I -never write except when pushed to it, and for the same reason. It is a -defect of which I shall never rid myself as long as I live, often as it -spites me against myself, and often as I quarrel with myself about it." - -[Sidenote: HIS STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS.] - -Here is a strange confession for a man like La Salle. Without doubt, the -timidity of which he accuses himself had some of its roots in pride; but -not the less was his pride vexed and humbled by it. It is surprising -that, being what he was, he could have brought himself to such an avowal -under any circumstances or any pressure of distress. Shyness; a morbid -fear of committing himself; and incapacity to express, and much more to -simulate, feeling,--a trait sometimes seen in those with whom feeling is -most deep,--are strange ingredients in the character of a man who had -grappled so dauntlessly with life on its harshest and rudest side. They -were deplorable defects for one in his position. He lacked that -sympathetic power, the inestimable gift of the true leader of men, in -which lies the difference between a willing and a constrained obedience. -This solitary being, hiding his shyness under a cold reserve, could -rouse no enthusiasm in his followers. He lived in the purpose which he -had made a part of himself, nursed his plans in secret, and seldom asked -or accepted advice. He trusted himself, and learned more and more to -trust no others. One may fairly infer that distrust was natural to him; -but the inference may possibly be wrong. Bitter experience had schooled -him to it; for he lived among snares, pitfalls, and intriguing enemies. -He began to doubt even the associates who, under representations he had -made them in perfect good faith, had staked their money on his -enterprise, and lost it, or were likely to lose it. They pursued him -with advice and complaint, and half believed that he was what his -maligners called him,--a visionary or a madman. It galled him that they -had suffered for their trust in him, and that they had repented their -trust. His lonely and shadowed nature needed the mellowing sunshine of -success, and his whole life was a fight with adversity. - -All that appears to the eye is his intrepid conflict with obstacles -without; but this, perhaps, was no more arduous than the invisible and -silent strife of a nature at war with itself,--the pride, aspiration, -and bold energy that lay at the base of his character battling against -the superficial weakness that mortified and angered him. In such a man, -the effect of such an infirmity is to concentrate and intensify the -force within. In one form or another, discordant natures are common -enough; but very rarely is the antagonism so irreconcilable as it was in -him. And the greater the antagonism, the greater the pain. There are -those in whom the sort of timidity from which he suffered is matched -with no quality that strongly revolts against it. These gentle natures -may at least have peace, but for him there was no peace. - -Cavelier de La Salle stands in history like a statue cast in iron; but -his own unwilling pen betrays the man, and reveals in the stern, sad -figure an object of human interest and pity.[261] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[260] His cousin, Francois Plet, was in Canada in 1680, where, with La -Salle's approval, he carried on the trade of Fort Frontenac, in order to -indemnify himself for money advanced. La Salle always speaks of him with -esteem and gratitude. - -[261] The following is the character of La Salle, as drawn by his -friend, Abbe Bernou, in a memorial to the minister Seignelay: "Il est -irreprochable dans ses moeurs, regle dans sa conduite, et qui veut de -l'ordre parmy ses gens. Il est savant, judicieux, politique, vigilant, -infatigable, sobre, et intrepide. Il entend suffisament l'architecture -civile, militaire, et navale ainsy que l'agriculture; il parle ou entend -quatre ou cinq langues des Sauvages, et a beaucoup de facilite pour -apprendre les autres. Il scait toutes leurs manieres et obtient d'eux -tout ce qu'il veut par son adresse, par son eloquence, et parce qu'il -est beaucoup estime d'eux. Dans ses voyages il ne fait pas meilleure -chere que le moindre de ses gens et se donne plus de peine que pas un -pour les encourager, et il y a lieu de croire qu'avec la protection de -Monseigneur il fondera des colonies plus considerables que toutes celles -que les Francois ont etablies jusqu'a present."--_Memoire pour -Monseigneur le Marquis de Seignelay_, 1682 (Margry, ii. 277). - -The extracts given in the foregoing chapter are from La Salle's long -letters of 29 Sept., 1680, and 22 Aug., 1682 (1681?). Both are printed -in the second volume of the Margry collection, and the originals of both -are in the Bibliotheque Nationale. The latter seems to have been written -to La Salle's friend, Abbe Bernou; and the former, to a certain M. -Thouret. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -1684. - -A NEW ENTERPRISE. - - La Salle at Court: his Proposals.--Occupation of - Louisiana.--Invasion of Mexico.--Royal Favor.--Preparation.--A - Divided Command.--Beaujeu and La Salle.--Mental Condition of La - Salle: his Farewell to his Mother. - - -When La Salle reached Paris, he went to his old lodgings in Rue de la -Truanderie, and, it is likely enough, thought for an instant of the -adventures and vicissitudes he had passed since he occupied them before. -Another ordeal awaited him. He must confront, not painted savages with -tomahawk and knife, but--what he shrank from more--the courtly throngs -that still live and move in the pages of Sevigne and Saint-Simon. - -The news of his discovery and the rumor of his schemes were the talk of -a moment among the courtiers, and then were forgotten. It was not so -with their master. La Salle's friends and patrons did not fail him. A -student and a recluse in his youth, and a backwoodsman in his manhood, -he had what was to him the formidable honor of an interview with royalty -itself, and stood with such philosophy as he could command before the -gilded arm-chair, where, majestic and awful, the power of France sat -embodied. The King listened to all he said; but the results of the -interview were kept so secret that it was rumored in the ante-chambers -that his proposals had been rejected.[262] - -On the contrary, they had met with more than favor. The moment was -opportune for La Salle. The King had long been irritated against the -Spaniards, because they not only excluded his subjects from their -American ports, but forbade them to enter the Gulf of Mexico. Certain -Frenchmen who had sailed on this forbidden sea had been seized and -imprisoned; and more recently a small vessel of the royal navy had been -captured for the same offence. This had drawn from the King a -declaration that every sea should be free to all his subjects; and Count -d'Estrees was sent with a squadron to the Gulf, to exact satisfaction of -the Spaniards, or fight them if they refused it.[263] This was in time -of peace. War had since arisen between the two crowns, and brought with -it the opportunity of settling the question forever. In order to do so, -the minister Seignelay, like his father Colbert, proposed to establish a -French port on the Gulf, as a permanent menace to the Spaniards and a -basis of future conquest. It was in view of this plan that La Salle's -past enterprises had been favored; and the proposals he now made were in -perfect accord with it. - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S PROPOSALS.] - -These proposals were set forth in two memorials. The first of them -states that the late Monseigneur Colbert deemed it important for the -service of his Majesty to discover a port in the Gulf of Mexico; that to -this end the memorialist, La Salle, made five journeys of upwards of -five thousand leagues, in great part on foot; and traversed more than -six hundred leagues of unknown country, among savages and cannibals, at -the cost of a hundred and fifty thousand francs. He now proposes to -return by way of the Gulf of Mexico and the mouth of the Mississippi to -the countries he has discovered, whence great benefits may be expected: -first, the cause of God may be advanced by the preaching of the gospel -to many Indian tribes; and, secondly, great conquests may be effected -for the glory of the King, by the seizure of provinces rich in silver -mines, and defended only by a few indolent and effeminate Spaniards. The -Sieur de la Salle, pursues the memorial, binds himself to be ready for -the accomplishment of this enterprise within one year after his arrival -on the spot; and he asks for this purpose only one vessel and two -hundred men, with their arms, munitions, pay, and maintenance. When -Monseigneur shall direct him, he will give the details of what he -proposes. The memorial then describes the boundless extent, the -fertility and resources of the country watered by the river Colbert, or -Mississippi; the necessity of guarding it against foreigners, who will -be eager to seize it now that La Salle's discovery has made it known; -and the ease with which it may be defended by one or two forts at a -proper distance above its mouth, which would form the key to an interior -region eight hundred leagues in extent. "Should foreigners anticipate -us," he adds, "they will complete the ruin of New France, which they -already hem in by their establishments of Virginia, Pennsylvania, New -England, and Hudson's Bay."[264] - -The second memorial is more explicit. The place, it says, which the -Sieur de la Salle proposes to fortify, is on the river Colbert, or -Mississippi, sixty leagues above its mouth, where the soil is very -fertile, the climate very mild, and whence we, the French, may control -the continent,--since, the river being narrow, we could defend ourselves -by means of fire-ships against a hostile fleet, while the position is -excellent both for attacking an enemy or retreating in case of need. The -neighboring Indians detest the Spaniards, but love the French, having -been won over by the kindness of the Sieur de la Salle. We could form of -them an army of more than fifteen thousand savages, who, supported by -the French and Abenakis, followers of the Sieur de la Salle, could -easily subdue the province of New Biscay (the most northern province of -Mexico), where there are but four hundred Spaniards, more fit to work -the mines than to fight. On the north of New Biscay lie vast forests, -extending to the river Seignelay[265] (Red River), which is but forty or -fifty leagues from the Spanish province. This river affords the means of -attacking it to great advantage. - -In view of these facts, pursues the memorial, the Sieur de la Salle -offers, if the war with Spain continues, to undertake this conquest with -two hundred men from France. He will take on his way fifty buccaneers at -St. Domingo, and direct the four thousand Indian warriors at Fort St. -Louis of the Illinois to descend the river and join him. He will -separate his force into three divisions, and attack at the same time the -centre and the two extremities of the province. To accomplish this great -design, he asks only for a vessel of thirty guns, a few cannon for the -forts, and power to raise in France two hundred such men as he shall -think fit, to be armed, paid, and maintained six months at the King's -charge. And the Sieur de la Salle binds himself, if the execution of -this plan is prevented for more than three years, by peace with Spain, -to refund to his Majesty all the costs of the enterprise, on pain of -forfeiting the government of the ports he will have established.[266] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLES'S PLANS.] - -Such, in brief, was the substance of this singular proposition. And, -first, it is to be observed that it is based on a geographical blunder, -the nature of which is explained by the map of La Salle's discoveries -made in this very year. Here the river Seignelay, or Red River, is -represented as running parallel to the northern border of Mexico, and at -no great distance from it,--the region now called Texas being almost -entirely suppressed. According to the map, New Biscay might be reached -from this river in a few days; and, after crossing the intervening -forests, the coveted mines of Ste. Barbe, or Santa Barbara, would be -within striking distance.[267] That La Salle believed in the possibility -of invading the Spanish province of New Biscay from Red River there can -be no doubt; neither can it reasonably be doubted that he hoped at some -future day to make the attempt; and yet it is incredible that a man in -his sober senses could have proposed this scheme with the intention of -attempting to execute it at the time and in the manner which he -indicates.[268] This memorial bears some indications of being drawn up -in order to produce a certain effect on the minds of the King and his -minister. La Salle's immediate necessity was to obtain from them the -means for establishing a fort and a colony within the mouth of the -Mississippi. This was essential to his own plans; nor did he in the -least exaggerate the value of such an establishment to the French -nation, and the importance of anticipating other powers in the -possession of it. But he thought that he needed a more glittering lure -to attract the eyes of Louis and Seignelay; and thus, it may be, he held -before them, in a definite and tangible form, the project of Spanish -conquest which had haunted his imagination from youth,--trusting that -the speedy conclusion of peace, which actually took place, would absolve -him from the immediate execution of the scheme, and give him time, with -the means placed at his disposal, to mature his plans and prepare for -eventual action. Such a procedure may be charged with indirectness; but -there is a different explanation, which we shall suggest hereafter, and -which implies no such reproach.[269] - -Even with this madcap enterprise lopped off, La Salle's scheme of -Mississippi trade and colonization, perfectly sound in itself, was too -vast for an individual,--above all, for one crippled and crushed with -debt. While he grasped one link of the great chain, another, no less -essential, escaped from his hand; while he built up a colony on the -Mississippi, it was reasonably certain that evil would befall his -distant colony of the Illinois. - -[Sidenote: LA BARRE REBUKED.] - -The glittering project which he now unfolded found favor in the eyes of -the King and his minister; for both were in the flush of an unparalleled -success, and looked in the future, as in the past, for nothing but -triumphs. They granted more than the petitioner asked, as indeed they -well might, if they expected the accomplishment of all that he proposed -to attempt. La Forest, La Salle's lieutenant, ejected from Fort -Frontenac by La Barre, was now at Paris; and he was despatched to -Canada, empowered to reoccupy, in La Salle's name, both Fort Frontenac -and Fort St. Louis of the Illinois. The King himself wrote to La Barre -in a strain that must have sent a cold thrill through the veins of that -official. "I hear," he says, "that you have taken possession of Fort -Frontenac, the property of the Sieur de la Salle, driven away his men, -suffered his land to run to waste, and even told the Iroquois that they -might seize him as an enemy of the colony." He adds, that, if this is -true, La Barre must make reparation for the wrong, and place all La -Salle's property, as well as his men, in the hands of the Sieur de la -Forest, "as I am satisfied that Fort Frontenac was not abandoned, as you -wrote to me that it had been."[270] Four days later, he wrote to the -intendant of Canada, De Meules, to the effect that the bearer, La -Forest, is to suffer no impediment, and that La Barre is to surrender to -him without reserve all that belongs to La Salle.[271] Armed with this -letter, La Forest sailed for Canada.[272] - -A chief object of his mission, as it was represented to Seignelay, was, -not only to save the colony at the Illinois from being broken up by La -Barre, but also to collect La Salle's scattered followers, muster the -savage warriors around the rock of St. Louis, and lead the whole down -the Mississippi, to co-operate in the attack on New Biscay. If La Salle -meant that La Forest should seriously attempt to execute such a scheme, -then the charges of his enemies that his brain was turned were better -founded than he would have us think.[273] - -[Sidenote: PREPARATION.] - -He had asked for two vessels,[274] and four were given to him. Agents -were sent to Rochelle and Rochefort to gather recruits. A hundred -soldiers were enrolled, besides mechanics and laborers; and thirty -volunteers, including gentlemen and burghers of condition, joined the -expedition. And, as the plan was one no less of colonization than of -war, several families embarked for the new land of promise, as well as a -number of girls, lured by the prospect of almost certain matrimony. Nor -were missionaries wanting. Among them was La Salle's brother, Cavelier, -and two other priests of St. Sulpice. Three Recollets were -added,--Zenobe Membre, who was then in France, Anastase Douay, and -Maxime Le Clerc. The principal vessel was the "Joly," belonging to the -royal navy, and carrying thirty-six guns. Another armed vessel of six -guns was added, together with a store-ship and a ketch. - -La Salle had asked for sole command of the expedition, with a subaltern -officer, and one or two pilots to sail the vessels as he should direct. -Instead of complying, Seignelay gave the command of the vessels to -Beaujeu, a captain of the royal navy,--whose authority was restricted to -their management at sea, while La Salle was to prescribe the route they -were to take, and have entire control of the troops and colonists on -land.[275] This arrangement displeased both parties. Beaujeu, an old and -experienced officer, was galled that a civilian should be set over -him,--and he, too, a burgher lately ennobled; nor was La Salle the man -to soothe his ruffled spirit. Detesting a divided command, cold, -reserved, and impenetrable, he would have tried the patience of a less -excitable colleague. Beaujeu, on his part, though set to a task which he -disliked, seems to have meant to do his duty, and to have been willing -at the outset to make the relations between himself and his unwelcome -associate as agreeable as possible. Unluckily, La Salle discovered that -the wife of Beaujeu was devoted to the Jesuits. We have seen the extreme -distrust with which he regarded these guides of his youth, and he seems -now to have fancied that Beaujeu was their secret ally. Possibly, he -suspected that information of his movements would be given to the -Spaniards; more probably, he had undefined fears of adverse -machinations. Granting that such existed, it was not his interest to -stimulate them by needlessly exasperating the naval commander. His -deportment, however, was not conciliating; and Beaujeu, prepared to -dislike him, presently lost temper. While the vessels still lay at -Rochelle; while all was bustle and preparation; while stores, arms, and -munitions were embarking; while boys and vagabonds were enlisting as -soldiers for the expedition,--Beaujeu was venting his disgust in long -letters to the minister. - -[Sidenote: BEAUJEU AND LA SALLE.] - -"You have ordered me, Monseigneur, to give all possible aid to this -undertaking, and I shall do so to the best of my power; but permit me to -take great credit to myself, for I find it very hard to submit to the -orders of the Sieur de la Salle, whom I believe to be a man of merit, -but who has no experience of war except with savages, and who has no -rank, while I have been captain of a ship thirteen years, and have -served thirty by sea and land. Besides, Monseigneur, he has told me that -in case of his death you have directed that the Sieur de Tonty shall -succeed him. This, indeed, is very hard; for, though I am not acquainted -with that country, I should be very dull, if, being on the spot, I did -not know at the end of a month as much of it as they do. I beg, -Monseigneur, that I may at least share the command with them; and that, -as regards war, nothing may be done without my knowledge and -concurrence,--for, as to their commerce, I neither intend nor desire to -know anything about it." - -Seignelay answered by a rebuff, and told him to make no trouble about -the command. This increased his irritation, and he wrote: "In my last -letter, Monseigneur, I represented to you the hardship of compelling me -to obey M. de la Salle, who has no rank, and _never commanded anybody -but school-boys_; and I begged you at least to divide the command -between us. I now, Monseigneur, take the liberty to say that I will obey -without repugnance, if you order me to do so, having reflected that -there can be no competition between the said Sieur de la Salle and me. - -"Thus far, he has not told me his plan; and he changes his mind every -moment. He is a man so suspicious, and so afraid that one will penetrate -his secrets, that I dare not ask him anything. He says that M. de -Parassy, commissary's clerk, with whom he has often quarrelled, is paid -by his enemies to defeat his undertaking; and many other things with -which I will not trouble you.... - -"He pretends that I am only to command the sailors, and have no -authority over the volunteer officers and the hundred soldiers who are -to take passage in the 'Joly;' and that they are not to recognize or -obey me in any way during the voyage.... - -"He has covered the decks with boxes and chests of such prodigious size -that neither the cannon nor the capstan can be worked." - -La Salle drew up a long list of articles, defining the respective rights -and functions of himself and Beaujeu, to whom he presented it for -signature. Beaujeu demurred at certain military honors demanded by La -Salle, saying that if a marshal of France should come on board his ship, -he would have none left to offer him. The point was referred to the -naval intendant; and the articles of the treaty having been slightly -modified, Beaujeu set his name to it. "By this," he says, "you can judge -better of the character of M. de la Salle than by all I can say. He is a -man who wants smoke [form and ceremony]. I will give him his fill of it, -and, perhaps, more than he likes. - -"I am bound to an unknown country, to seek what is about as hard to find -as the philosopher's stone. It vexes me, Monseigneur, that you should -have been involved in a business the success of which is very uncertain. -M. de la Salle begins to doubt it himself." - -While Beaujeu wrote thus to the minister, he was also writing to Cabart -de Villermont, one of his friends at Paris, with whom La Salle was also -on friendly terms. These letters are lively and entertaining, and by no -means suggestive of any secret conspiracy. He might, it is true, have -been more reserved in his communications; but he betrays no confidence, -for none was placed in him. It is the familiar correspondence of an -irritable but not ill-natured veteran, who is placed in an annoying -position, and thinks he is making the best of it. - -La Salle thought that the minister had been too free in communicating -the secrets of the expedition to the naval intendant at Rochefort, and -through him to Beaujeu. It is hard to see how Beaujeu was to blame for -this; but La Salle nevertheless fell into a dispute with him. "He could -hardly keep his temper, and used expressions which obliged me to tell -him that I cared very little about his affairs, and that the King -himself would not speak as he did. He retracted, made excuses, and we -parted good friends.... - -"I do not like his suspiciousness. I think him a good, honest Norman; -but Normans are out of fashion. It is one thing to-day, another -to-morrow. It seems to me that he is not so sure about his undertaking -as he was at Paris. This morning he came to see me, and told me he had -changed his mind, and meant to give a new turn to the business, and go -to another coast. He gave very poor reasons, to which I assented, to -avoid a quarrel. I thought, by what he said, that he wanted to find a -scapegoat to bear the blame, in case his plan does not succeed as he -hopes. For the rest, I think him a brave man and a true; and I am -persuaded that if this business fails, it will be because he does not -know enough, and will not trust us of the profession. As for me, I shall -do my best to help him, as I have told you before; and I am delighted to -have him keep his secret, so that I shall not have to answer for the -result. Pray do not show my letters, for fear of committing me with him. -He is too suspicious already; and never was Norman so Norman as he, -which is a great hinderance to business." - -Beaujeu came from the same province and calls himself jocularly _un bon -gros Normand_. His good-nature, however, rapidly gave way as time went -on. "Yesterday," he writes, "this Monsieur told me that he meant to go -to the Gulf of Mexico. A little while ago, as I said before, he talked -about going to Canada. I see nothing certain in it. It is not that I do -not believe that all he says is true; but not being of the profession, -and not liking to betray his ignorance, he is puzzled what to do. - -"I shall go straight forward, without regarding a thousand whims and -_bagatelles_. His continual suspicion would drive anybody mad except a -Norman like me; but I shall humor him, as I have always done, even to -sailing my ship on dry land, if he likes." - -[Sidenote: AN OPEN QUARREL.] - -A few days later, there was an open quarrel. "M. de la Salle came to me, -and said, rather haughtily and in a tone of command, that I must put -provisions for three months more on board my vessel. I told him it was -impossible, as she had more lading already than anybody ever dared to -put in her before. He would not hear reason, but got angry and abused me -in good French, and found fault with me because the vessel would not -hold his three months' provisions. He said I ought to have told him of -it before. 'And how would you have me tell you,' said I, 'when you never -tell me what you mean to do?' We had still another quarrel. He asked me -where his officers should take their meals. I told him that they might -take them where he pleased; for I gave myself no trouble in the matter, -having no orders. He answered that they should not mess on bacon, while -the rest ate fowls and mutton. I said that if he would send fowls and -mutton on board, his people should eat them; but, as for bacon, I had -often ate it myself. At this, he went off and complained to M. Dugue -that I refused to embark his provisions, and told him that he must live -on bacon. I excused him as not knowing how to behave himself, having -spent his life among school-boy brats and savages. Nevertheless, I -offered to him, his brother, and two of his friends, seats at my table -and the same fare as myself. He answered my civility by an -impertinence, saying that he distrusted people who offered so much and -seemed so obliging. I could not help telling him that I saw he was -brought up in the provinces." - -This was touching La Salle on a sensitive point. Beaujeu continues: "In -fact, you knew him better than I; for I always took him for a gentleman -(_honnete homme_). I see now that he is anything but that. Pray set Abbe -Renaudot and M. Morel right about this man, and tell them he is not what -they take him for. Adieu. It has struck twelve: the postman is just -going." - -Bad as was the state of things, it soon grew worse. Renaudot wrote to La -Salle that Beaujeu was writing to Villermont everything that happened, -and that Villermont showed the letters to all his acquaintance. -Villermont was a relative of the Jesuit Beschefer; and this was -sufficient to suggest some secret machination to the mind of La Salle. -Villermont's fault, however, seems to have been simple indiscretion, for -which Beaujeu took him sharply to task. "I asked you to burn my letters; -and I cannot help saying that I am angry with you, not because you make -known my secrets, but because you show letters scrawled in haste, and -sent off without being even read over. M. de la Salle not having told me -his secret, though M. de Seignelay ordered him to tell me, I am not -obliged to keep it, and have as good a right as anybody to make my -conjectures on what I read about it in the _Gazette de Hollande_. Let -Abbe Renaudot glorify M. de la Salle as much as he likes, and make him a -Cortez, a Pizarro, or an Almagro,--that is nothing to me; but do not let -him speak of me as an obstacle in his hero's way. Let him understand -that I know how to execute the orders of the court as well as he.... - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S INDISCRETION.] - -"You ask how I get on with M. de la Salle. Don't you know that this man -is impenetrable, and that there is no knowing what he thinks of one? He -told a person of note whom I will not name that he had suspicions about -our correspondence, as well as about Madame de Beaujeu's devotion to the -Jesuits. His distrust is incredible. If he sees one of his people speak -to the rest, he suspects something, and is gruff with them. He told me -himself that he wanted to get rid of M. de Tonty, who is in America." - -La Salle's claim to exclusive command of the soldiers on board the -"Joly" was a source of endless trouble. Beaujeu declared that he would -not set sail till officers, soldiers, and volunteers had all sworn to -obey him when at sea; at which La Salle had the indiscretion to say, "If -I am not master of my soldiers, how can I make him [Beaujeu] do his duty -in case he does not want to do it?" - -Beaujeu says that this affair made a great noise among the officers at -Rochefort, and adds: "_There are very few people who do not think that -his brain is touched._ I have spoken to some who have known him twenty -years. They all say that he was always rather visionary." - -It is difficult not to suspect that the current belief at Rochefort had -some foundation; and that the deadly strain of extreme hardship, -prolonged anxiety, and alternation of disaster and success, joined to -the fever which nearly killed him, had unsettled his judgment and given -a morbid development to his natural defects. His universal suspicion, -which included even the stanch and faithful Henri de Tonty; his needless -provocation of persons whose good-will was necessary to him; his doubts -whether he should sail for the Gulf or for Canada, when to sail to -Canada would have been to renounce, or expose to almost certain defeat, -an enterprise long cherished and definitely planned,--all point to one -conclusion. It may be thought that his doubts were feigned, in order to -hide his destination to the last moment; but if so, he attempted to -blind not only his ill wishers, but his mother, whom he also left in -uncertainty as to his route. - -[Sidenote: AN OVERWROUGHT BRAIN.] - -Unless we assume that his scheme of invading Mexico was thrown out as a -bait to the King, it is hard to reconcile it with the supposition of -mental soundness. To base so critical an attempt on a geographical -conjecture, which rested on the slightest possible information, and was -in fact a total error; to postpone the perfectly sound plan of securing -the mouth of the Mississippi, to a wild project of leading fifteen -thousand savages for an unknown distance through an unknown country to -attack an unknown enemy,--was something more than Quixotic daring. The -King and the minister saw nothing impracticable in it, for they did not -know the country or its inhabitants. They saw no insuperable difficulty -in mustering and keeping together fifteen thousand of the most wayward -and unstable savages on earth, split into a score and more of tribes, -some hostile to each other and some to the French; nor in the problem of -feeding such a mob, on a march of hundreds of miles; nor in the plan of -drawing four thousand of them from the Illinois, nearly two thousand -miles distant, though some of these intended allies had no canoes or -other means of transportation, and though, travelling in such numbers, -they would infallibly starve on the way to the rendezvous. It is -difficult not to see in all this the chimera of an overwrought brain, no -longer able to distinguish between the possible and the impossible. - -Preparation dragged slowly on; the season was growing late; the King -grew impatient, and found fault with the naval intendant. Meanwhile, the -various members of the expedition had all gathered at Rochelle. Joutel, -a fellow-townsman of La Salle, returning to his native Rouen, after -sixteen years in the army, found all astir with the new project. His -father had been gardener to Henri Cavelier, La Salle's uncle; and being -of an adventurous spirit he volunteered for the enterprise, of which he -was to become the historian. With La Salle's brother the priest, and -two of his nephews, one of whom was a boy of fourteen, Joutel set out -for Rochelle, where all were to embark together for their promised -land.[276] - -[Sidenote: A PARTING LETTER.] - -La Salle wrote a parting letter to his mother at Rouen:-- - - - Rochelle, 18 July, 1684. - -Madame my Most Honored Mother,-- - -At last, after having waited a long time for a favourable wind, and -having had a great many difficulties to overcome, we are setting sail -with four vessels, and nearly four hundred men on board. Everybody is -well, including little Colin and my nephew. We all have good hope of a -happy success. We are not going by way of Canada, but by the Gulf of -Mexico. I passionately wish, and so do we all, that the success of this -voyage may contribute to your repose and comfort. Assuredly, I shall -spare no effort that it may; and I beg you, on your part, to preserve -yourself for the love of us. - -You need not be troubled by the news from Canada, which are nothing but -the continuation of the artifices of my enemies. I hope to be as -successful against them as I have been thus far, and to embrace you a -year hence with all the pleasure that the most grateful of children can -feel with so good a mother as you have always been. Pray let this hope, -which shall not disappoint you, support you through whatever trials may -happen, and be sure that you will always find me with a heart full of -the feelings which are due to you. - -Madame my Most Honored Mother, from your most humble and most obedient -servant and son, - - De la Salle. - -My brother, my nephews, and all the others greet you, and take their -leave of you. - -This memorable last farewell has lain for two hundred years among the -family papers of the Caveliers.[277] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[262] _Lettres de l'Abbe Tronson, 8 Avril, 10 Avril, 1684_ (Margry, ii. -354). - -[263] _Lettres du Roy et du Ministre sur la Navigation du Golfe du -Mexique, 1669-1682_ (Margry, iii. 3-14). - -[264] _Memoire du Sr. de la Salle, pour rendre compte a Monseigneur -de Seignelay de la decouverte qu'il a faite par l'ordre de sa Majeste._ - -[265] This name, also given to the Illinois, is used to designate Red -River on the map of Franquelin, where the forests above mentioned are -represented. - -[266] _Memoire du Sr. de la Salle sur l'Entreprise qu'il a propose a -Monseigneur le Marquis de Seignelay sur une des provinces de Mexique._ - -[267] Both the memorial and the map represent the banks of Red River as -inhabited by Indians, called Terliquiquimechi, and known to the -Spaniards as _Indios bravos_, or _Indios de guerra_. The Spaniards, it -is added, were in great fear of them, as they made frequent inroads into -Mexico. La Salle's Mexican geography was in all respects confused and -erroneous; nor was Seignelay better informed. Indeed, Spanish jealousy -placed correct information beyond their reach. - -[268] While the plan, as proposed in the memorial, was clearly -impracticable, the subsequent experience of the French in Texas tended -to prove that the tribes of that region could be used with advantage in -attacking the Spaniards of Mexico, and that an inroad on a comparatively -small scale might have been successfully made with their help. In 1689, -Tonty actually made the attempt, as we shall see, but failed, from the -desertion of his men. In 1697, the Sieur de Louvigny wrote to the -Minister of the Marine, asking to complete La Salle's discoveries, and -invade Mexico from Texas. (_Lettre de M. de Louvigny, 14 Oct., 1697._) -In an unpublished memoir of the year 1700, the seizure of the Mexican -mines is given as one of the motives of the colonization of Louisiana. - -[269] Another scheme, with similar aims, but much more practicable, was -at this very time before the court. Count Penalossa, a Spanish Creole, -born in Peru, had been governor of New Mexico, where he fell into a -dispute with the Inquisition, which involved him in the loss of -property, and for a time of liberty. Failing to obtain redress in Spain, -he renounced his allegiance in disgust, and sought refuge in France, -where, in 1682, he first proposed to the King the establishment of a -colony of French buccaneers at the mouth of Rio Bravo, on the Gulf of -Mexico. In January, 1684, after the war had broken out, he proposed to -attack the Spanish town of Panuco, with twelve hundred buccaneers from -St. Domingo; then march into the interior, seize the mines, conquer -Durango, and occupy New Mexico. It was proposed to combine his plan with -that of La Salle; but the latter, who had an interview with him, -expressed distrust, and showed characteristic reluctance to accept a -colleague. It is extremely probable, however, that his knowledge of -Penalossa's original proposal had some influence in stimulating him to -lay before the court proposals of his own, equally attractive. Peace was -concluded before the plans of the Spanish adventurer could be carried -into effect. - -[270] _Lettre du Roy a La Barre, Versailles, 10 Avril, 1684._ - -[271] _Lettre du Roy a De Meules, Versailles, 14 Avril, 1684._ Seignelay -wrote to De Meules to the same effect. - -[272] On La Forest's mission,--_Memoire pour representer a Monseigneur -le Marquis de Seignelay la necessite d'envoyer le Sr. de la Forest en -diligence a la Nouvelle France; Lettre du Roy a La Barre, 14 Avril, -1684; Ibid., 31 Oct., 1684._ - -There is before me a promissory note of La Salle to La Forest, of 5,200 -livres, dated at Rochelle, 17 July, 1684. This seems to be pay due to La -Forest, who had served as La Salle's officer for nine years. A -memorandum is attached, signed by La Salle, to the effect that it is his -wish that La Forest reimburse himself, "_par preference_," out of any -property of his (La Salle's) in France or Canada. - -[273] The attitude of La Salle, in this matter, is incomprehensible. In -July, La Forest was at Rochefort, complaining because La Salle had -ordered him to stay in garrison at Fort Frontenac. _Beaujeu a -Villermont, 10 July, 1684_. This means an abandonment of the scheme of -leading the warriors at the rock of St. Louis down the Mississippi; but, -in the next month, La Salle writes to Seignelay that he is afraid La -Barre will use the Iroquois war as a pretext to prevent La Forest from -making his journey (to the Illinois), and that in this case he will -himself try to go up the Mississippi, and meet the Illinois warriors; so -that, in five or six months from the date of the letter, the minister -will hear of his departure to attack the Spaniards. (_La Salle a -Seignelay, Aout, 1684._) Either this is sheer folly, or else it is meant -to delude the minister. - -[274] _Memoire de ce qui aura este accorde au Sieur de la Salle._ - -[275] _Lettre au Roy a La Salle, 12 Avril, 1684; Memoire pour servir -d'Instruction au Sieur de Beaujeu, 14 Avril, 1684._ - -[276] Joutel, _Journal Historique_, 12. - -[277] The letters of Beaujeu to Seignelay and to Cabart de Villermont, -with most of the other papers on which this chapter rests, will be found -in Margry, ii. 354-471. This indefatigable investigator has also brought -to light a number of letters from a brother officer of Beaujeu, -Machaut-Rougemont, written at Rochefort, just after the departure of the -expedition from Rochelle, and giving some idea of the views there -entertained concerning it. He says: "L'on ne peut pas faire plus -d'extravagances que le Sieur de la Salle n'en a fait sur toutes ses -pretentions de commandement. Je plains beaucoup le pauvre Beaujeu -d'avoir affaire a une humeur si saturnienne.... Je le croy beaucoup -visionnaire ... Beaujeu a une sotte commission." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -1684, 1685. - -THE VOYAGE. - - Disputes with Beaujeu.--St. Domingo.--La Salle Attacked with Fever: - his Desperate Condition.--The Gulf Of Mexico.--A Vain Search and a - Fatal Error. - - -The four ships sailed from Rochelle on the twenty-fourth of July. Four -days after, the "Joly" broke her bowsprit, by design as La Salle -fancied. They all put back to Rochefort, where the mischief was quickly -repaired; and they put to sea again. La Salle, and the chief persons of -the expedition, with a crowd of soldiers, artisans, and women, the -destined mothers of Louisiana, were all on board the "Joly." Beaujeu -wished to touch at Madeira, to replenish his water-casks. La Salle -refused, lest by doing so the secret of the enterprise might reach the -Spaniards. One Paget, a Huguenot, took up the word in support of -Beaujeu. La Salle told him that the affair was none of his; and as Paget -persisted with increased warmth and freedom, he demanded of Beaujeu if -it was with his consent that a man of no rank spoke to him in that -manner. Beaujeu sustained the Huguenot. "That is enough," returned La -Salle, and withdrew into his cabin.[278] - -This was not the first misunderstanding; nor was it the last. There was -incessant chafing between the two commanders; and the sailors of the -"Joly" were soon of one mind with their captain. When the ship crossed -the tropic, they made ready a tub on deck to baptize the passengers, -after the villanous practice of the time; but La Salle refused to permit -it, at which they were highly exasperated, having promised themselves a -bountiful ransom, in money or liquor, from their victims. "Assuredly," -says Joutel, "they would gladly have killed us all." - -[Sidenote: ST. DOMINGO.] - -When, after a wretched voyage of two months the ships reached St. -Domingo, a fresh dispute occurred. It had been resolved at a council of -officers to stop at Port de Paix; but Beaujeu, on pretext of a fair -wind, ran by that place in the night, and cast anchor at Petit Goave, on -the other side of the island. La Salle was extremely vexed; for he -expected to meet at Port de Paix the Marquis de Saint-Laurent, -lieutenant-general of the islands, Begon the intendant, and De Cussy, -governor of La Tortue, who had orders to supply him with provisions and -give him all possible aid. - -The "Joly" was alone: the other vessels had lagged behind. She had more -than fifty sick men on board, and La Salle was of the number. He sent a -messenger to Saint-Laurent, Begon, and Cussy, begging them to come to -him; ordered Joutel to get the sick ashore, suffocating as they were in -the hot and crowded ship; and caused the soldiers to be landed on a -small island in the harbor. Scarcely had the voyagers sung _Te Deum_ for -their safe arrival, when two of the lagging vessels appeared, bringing -tidings that the third, the ketch "St. Francois," had been taken by -Spanish buccaneers. She was laden with provisions, tools, and other -necessaries for the colony; and the loss was irreparable. Beaujeu was -answerable for it; for had he anchored at Port de Paix, it would not -have occurred. The lieutenant-general, with Begon and Cussy, who -presently arrived, plainly spoke their minds to him.[279] - -[Sidenote: ILLNESS OF LA SALLE.] - -La Salle's illness increased. "I was walking with him one day," writes -Joutel, "when he was seized of a sudden with such a weakness that he -could not stand, and was obliged to lie down on the ground. When he was -a little better, I led him to a chamber of a house that the brothers -Duhaut had hired. Here we put him to bed, and in the morning he was -attacked by a violent fever."[280] "It was so violent that," says -another of his shipmates, "his imagination pictured to him things -equally terrible and amazing."[281] He lay delirious in the wretched -garret, attended by his brother, and one or two others who stood -faithful to him. A goldsmith of the neighborhood, moved at his -deplorable condition, offered the use of his house; and Abbe Cavelier -had him removed thither. But there was a tavern hard by, and the patient -was tormented with daily and nightly riot. At the height of the fever, a -party of Beaujeu's sailors spent a night in singing and dancing before -the house; and, says Cavelier, "The more we begged them to be quiet, the -more noise they made." La Salle lost reason and well-nigh life; but at -length his mind resumed its balance, and the violence of the disease -abated. A friendly Capucin friar offered him the shelter of his roof; -and two of his men supported him thither on foot, giddy with exhaustion -and hot with fever. Here he found repose, and was slowly recovering, -when some of his attendants rashly told him the loss of the ketch "St. -Francois;" and the consequence was a critical return of the -disease.[282] - -There was no one to fill his place. Beaujeu would not; Cavelier could -not. Joutel, the gardener's son, was apparently the most trusty man of -the company; but the expedition was virtually without a head. The men -roamed on shore, and plunged into every excess of debauchery, -contracting diseases which eventually killed them. - -[Sidenote: COMPLAINTS OF BEAUJEU.] - -Beaujeu, in the extremity of ill-humor, resumed his correspondence with -Seignelay. "But for the illness of the Sieur de la Salle," he writes, "I -could not venture to report to you the progress of our voyage, as I am -charged only with the navigation, and he with the secrets; but as his -malady has deprived him of the use of his faculties, both of body and -mind, I have thought myself obliged to acquaint you with what is -passing, and of the condition in which we are." - -He then declares that the ships freighted by La Salle were so slow that -the "Joly" had continually been forced to wait for them, thus doubling -the length of the voyage; that he had not had water enough for the -passengers, as La Salle had not told him that there were to be any such -till the day they came on board; that great numbers were sick, and that -he had told La Salle there would be trouble if he filled all the space -between decks with his goods, and forced the soldiers and sailors to -sleep on deck; that he had told him he would get no provisions at St. -Domingo, but that he insisted on stopping; that it had always been -so,--that whatever he proposed La Salle would refuse, alleging orders -from the King; "and now," pursues the ruffled commander, "everybody is -ill; and he himself has a violent fever, as dangerous, the surgeon tells -me, to the mind as to the body." - -The rest of the letter is in the same strain. He says that a day or two -after La Salle's illness began, his brother Cavelier came to ask him to -take charge of his affairs; but that he did not wish to meddle with -them, especially as nobody knows anything about them, and as La Salle -has sold some of the ammunition and provisions; that Cavelier tells him -that he thinks his brother keeps no accounts, wishing to hide his -affairs from everybody; that he learns from buccaneers that the entrance -of the Mississippi is very shallow and difficult, and that this is the -worst season for navigating the Gulf; that the Spaniards have in these -seas six vessels of from thirty to sixty guns each, besides row-galleys; -but that he is not afraid, and will perish, or bring back an account of -the Mississippi. "Nevertheless," he adds, "if the Sieur de la Salle -dies, I shall pursue a course different from that which he has marked -out; for I do not approve his plans." - -"If," he continues, "you permit me to speak my mind, M. de la Salle -ought to have been satisfied with discovering his river, without -undertaking to conduct three vessels with troops two thousand leagues -through so many different climates, and across seas entirely unknown to -him. I grant that he is a man of knowledge, that he has reading, and -even some tincture of navigation; but there is so much difference -between theory and practice, that a man who has only the former will -always be at fault. There is also a great difference between conducting -canoes on lakes and along a river, and navigating ships with troops on -distant oceans."[283] - -While Beaujeu was complaining of La Salle, his followers were deserting -him. It was necessary to send them on board ship, and keep them there; -for there were French buccaneers at Petit Goave, who painted the -promised land in such dismal colors that many of the adventurers -completely lost heart. Some, too, were dying. "The air of this place is -bad," says Joutel; "so are the fruits; and there are plenty of women -worse than either."[284] - -It was near the end of November before La Salle could resume the voyage. -He was told that Beaujeu had said that he would not wait longer for the -store-ship "Aimable," and that she might follow as she could.[285] -Moreover, La Salle was on ill terms with Aigron, her captain, who had -declared that he would have nothing more to do with him.[286] Fearing, -therefore, that some mishap might befall her, he resolved to embark in -her himself, with his brother Cavelier, Membre, Douay, and others, the -trustiest of his followers. On the twenty-fifth they set sail; the -"Joly" and the little frigate "Belle" following. They coasted the shore -of Cuba, and landed at the Isle of Pines, where La Salle shot an -alligator, which the soldiers ate; and the hunter brought in a wild pig, -half of which he sent to Beaujeu. Then they advanced to Cape St. -Antoine, where bad weather and contrary winds long detained them. A load -of cares oppressed the mind of La Salle, pale and haggard with recent -illness, wrapped within his own thoughts, and seeking sympathy from -none. - -[Sidenote: A VAIN SEARCH.] - -At length they entered the Gulf of Mexico, that forbidden sea whence by -a Spanish decree, dating from the reign of Philip II., all foreigners -were excluded on pain of extermination.[287] Not a man on board knew the -secrets of its perilous navigation. Cautiously feeling their way, they -held a north-westerly course, till on the twenty-eighth of December a -sailor at the mast-head of the "Aimable" saw land. La Salle and all the -pilots had been led to form an exaggerated idea of the force of the -easterly currents; and they therefore supposed themselves near the Bay -of Appalache, when, in fact, they were much farther westward. - -On New Year's Day they anchored three leagues from the shore. La Salle, -with the engineer Minet, went to explore it, and found nothing but a -vast marshy plain, studded with clumps of rushes. Two days after there -was a thick fog, and when at length it cleared, the "Joly" was nowhere -to be seen. La Salle in the "Aimable," followed closely by the little -frigate "Belle," stood westward along the coast. When at the mouth of -the Mississippi in 1682, he had taken its latitude, but unhappily could -not determine its longitude; and now every eye on board was strained to -detect in the monotonous lines of the low shore some tokens of the -great river. In fact, they had already passed it. On the sixth of -January, a wide opening was descried between two low points of land; and -the adjacent sea was discolored with mud. "La Salle," writes his brother -Cavelier, "has always thought that this was the Mississippi." To all -appearance, it was the entrance of Galveston Bay.[288] But why did he -not examine it? Joutel says that his attempts to do so were frustrated -by the objections of the pilot of the "Aimable," to which, with a -facility very unusual with him, he suffered himself to yield. Cavelier -declares, on the other hand, that he would not enter the opening because -he was afraid of missing the "Joly." But he might have entered with one -of his two vessels, while the other watched outside for the absent ship. -From whatever cause, he lay here five or six days, waiting in vain for -Beaujeu;[289] till, at last, thinking that he must have passed westward, -he resolved to follow. The "Aimable" and the "Belle" again spread their -sails, and coasted the shores of Texas. Joutel, with a boat's crew, -tried to land; but the sand-bars and breakers repelled him. A party of -Indians swam out through the surf, and were taken on board; but La Salle -could learn nothing from them, as their language was unknown to him. -Again Joutel tried to land, and again the breakers repelled him. He -approached as near as he dared, and saw vast plains and a dim expanse of -forest, buffalo running with their heavy gallop along the shore, and -deer grazing on the marshy meadows. - -[Sidenote: THE SHORES OF TEXAS.] - -Soon after, he succeeded in landing at a point somewhere between -Matagorda Island and Corpus Christi Bay. The aspect of the country was -not cheering, with its barren plains, its reedy marshes, its -interminable oyster-beds, and broad flats of mud bare at low tide. -Joutel and his men sought in vain for fresh water, and after shooting -some geese and ducks returned to the "Aimable." Nothing had been seen of -Beaujeu and the "Joly;" the coast was trending southward; and La Salle, -convinced that he must have passed the missing ship, turned to retrace -his course. He had sailed but a few miles when the wind failed, a fog -covered the sea, and he was forced to anchor opposite one of the -openings into the lagoons north of Mustang Island. At length, on the -nineteenth, there came a faint breeze; the mists rolled away before it, -and to his great joy he saw the "Joly" approaching. - -"His joy," says Joutel, "was short." Beaujeu's lieutenant, Aire, came on -board to charge him with having caused the separation, and La Salle -retorted by throwing the blame on Beaujeu. Then came a debate as to -their position. The priest Esmanville was present, and reports that La -Salle seemed greatly perplexed. He had more cause for perplexity than -he knew; for in his ignorance of the longitude of the Mississippi, he -had sailed more than four hundred miles beyond it. - -Of this he had not the faintest suspicion. In full sight from his ship -lay a reach of those vast lagoons which, separated from the sea by -narrow strips of land, line this coast with little interruption from -Galveston Bay to the Rio Grande. The idea took possession of him that -the Mississippi discharged itself into these lagoons, and thence made -its way to the sea through the various openings he had seen along the -coast, chief among which was that he had discovered on the sixth, about -fifty leagues from the place where he now was.[290] - -[Sidenote: PERPLEXITY OF LA SALLE.] - -Yet he was full of doubt as to what he should do. Four days after -rejoining Beaujeu, he wrote him the strange request to land the troops, -that he "might fulfil his commission;" that is, that he might set out -against the Spaniards.[291] More than a week passed, a gale had set in, -and nothing was done. Then La Salle wrote again, intimating some doubt -as to whether he was really at one of the mouths of the Mississippi, and -saying that, being sure that he had passed the principal mouth, he was -determined to go back to look for it.[292] Meanwhile, Beaujeu was in a -state of great irritation. The weather was stormy, and the coast was -dangerous. Supplies were scanty; and La Salle's soldiers, still crowded -in the "Joly," were consuming the provisions of the ship. Beaujeu gave -vent to his annoyance, and La Salle retorted in the same strain. - -According to Joutel, he urged the naval commander to sail back in search -of the river; and Beaujeu refused, unless La Salle should give the -soldiers provisions. La Salle, he adds, offered to supply them with -rations for fifteen days; and Beaujeu declared this insufficient. There -is reason, however, to believe that the request was neither made by the -one nor refused by the other so positively as here appears. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[278] _Lettre (sans nom d'auteur) ecrite de St. Domingue, 14 Nov., 1684_ -(Margry, ii. 492); _Memoire autographe de l'Abbe Jean Cavelier sur le -Voyage de 1684_. Compare Joutel. - -[279] _Memoire de MM. de Saint-Laurens et Begon_ (Margry, ii. 499); -Joutel, _Journal Historique_, 28. - -[280] _Relation de Henri Joutel_ (Margry, iii. 98). - -[281] _Lettre (sans nom d'auteur), 14 Nov., 1684_ (Margry, ii. 496). - -[282] The above particulars are from the memoir of La Salle's brother, -Abbe Cavelier, already cited. - -[283] _Lettre de Beaujeu au Ministre, 20 Oct., 1684._ - -[284] _Relation de Henri Joutel_ (Margry, iii. 105). - -[285] _Memoire autographe de l'Abbe Jean Cavelier._ - -[286] _Lettre de Beaujeu au Ministre, 20 Oct., 1684._ - -[287] _Letter of Don Luis de Onis to the Secretary of State_ (American -State Papers, xii, 27-31). - -[288] "La hauteur nous a fait remarquer ... que ce que nous avions vu le -sixieme janvier estoit en effet la principale entree de la riviere que -nous cherchions."--_Lettre de La Salle au Ministre, 4 Mars, 1687._ - -[289] _Memoire autographe de l'Abbe Cavelier._ - -[290] "Depuis que nous avions quitte cette riviere qu'il croyoit -infailliblement estre le fleuve Colbert _[Mississippi]_ nous avions fait -environ 45 lieues ou 50 au plus." (Cavelier, _Memoire_.) This, taken in -connection with the statement of La Salle that this "principale entree -de la riviere que nous cherchions" was twenty-five or thirty leagues -northeast from the entrance of the Bay of St. Louis (Matagorda Bay), -shows that it can have been no other than the entrance of Galveston Bay, -mistaken by him for the chief outlet of the Mississippi. It is evident -that he imagined Galveston Bay to form a part of the chain of lagoons -from which it is in fact separated. He speaks of these lagoons as "une -espece de baye fort longue et fort large, _dans laquelle le fleuve -Colbert se decharge_." He adds that on his descent to the mouth of the -river in 1682 he had been deceived in supposing that this expanse of -salt water, where no shore was in sight, was the open sea. _Lettre de La -Salle au Ministre, 4 Mars, 1685._ Galveston Bay and the mouth of the -Mississippi differ little in latitude, though separated by about five -and a half degrees of longitude. - -[291] _Lettre de La Salle a Beaujeu, 23 Jan., 1685_ (Margry, ii. 526). - -[292] This letter is dated, "De l'emboucheure d'une riviere que _je -crois estre_ une des descharges du Mississipy" (Margry, ii. 528). - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -1685. - -LA SALLE IN TEXAS. - - A Party of Exploration--Wreck of the "Aimable."--Landing of the - Colonists.--A Forlorn Position.--Indian Neighbors.--Friendly - Advances of Beaujeu: his Departure.--A Fatal Discovery. - - -Impatience to rid himself of his colleague and to command alone no doubt -had its influence on the judgment of La Salle. He presently declared -that he would land the soldiers, and send them along shore till they -came to the principal outlet of the river. On this, the engineer Minet -took up the word,--expressed his doubts as to whether the Mississippi -discharged itself into the lagoons at all; represented that even if it -did, the soldiers would be exposed to great risks; and gave as his -opinion that all should reimbark and continue the search in company. The -advice was good, but La Salle resented it as coming from one in whom he -recognized no right to give it. "He treated me," complains the engineer, -"as if I were the meanest of mankind."[293] - -He persisted in his purpose, and sent Joutel and Moranget with a party -of soldiers to explore the coast. They made their way northeastward -along the shore of Matagorda Island, till they were stopped on the third -day by what Joutel calls a river, but which was in fact the entrance of -Matagorda Bay. Here they encamped, and tried to make a raft of -drift-wood. "The difficulty was," says Joutel, "our great number of men, -and the few of them who were fit for anything except eating. As I said -before, they had all been caught by force or surprise, so that our -company was like Noah's ark, which contained animals of all sorts." -Before their raft was finished, they descried to their great joy the -ships which had followed them along the coast.[294] - -[Sidenote: LANDING OF LA SALLE.] - -La Salle landed, and announced that here was the western mouth of the -Mississippi, and the place to which the King had sent him. He said -further that he would land all his men, and bring the "Aimable" and the -"Belle" to the safe harborage within. Beaujeu remonstrated, alleging the -shallowness of the water and the force of the currents; but his -remonstrance was vain.[295] - -The Bay of St. Louis, now Matagorda Bay, forms a broad and sheltered -harbor, accessible from the sea by a narrow passage, obstructed by -sand-bars and by the small island now called Pelican Island. Boats were -sent to sound and buoy out the channel, and this was successfully -accomplished on the sixteenth of February. The "Aimable" was ordered to -enter; and, on the twentieth, she weighed anchor. La Salle was on shore -watching her. A party of men, at a little distance, were cutting down a -tree to make a canoe. Suddenly some of them ran towards him with -terrified faces, crying out that they had been set upon by a troop of -Indians, who had seized their companions and carried them off. La Salle -ordered those about him to take their arms, and at once set out in -pursuit. He overtook the Indians, and opened a parley with them; but -when he wished to reclaim his men, he discovered that they had been led -away during the conference to the Indian camp, a league and a half -distant. Among them was one of his lieutenants, the young Marquis de la -Sablonniere. He was deeply vexed, for the moment was critical; but the -men must be recovered, and he led his followers in haste towards the -camp. Yet he could not refrain from turning a moment to watch the -"Aimable," as she neared the shoals; and he remarked with deep anxiety -to Joutel, who was with him, that if she held that course she would soon -be aground. - -[Sidenote: WRECK OF THE "AIMABLE".] - -They hurried on till they saw the Indian huts. About fifty of them, -oven-shaped, and covered with mats and hides, were clustered on a rising -ground, with their inmates gathered among and around them. As the French -entered the camp, there was the report of a cannon from the seaward. -The startled savages dropped flat with terror. A different fear seized -La Salle, for he knew that the shot was a signal of disaster. Looking -back, he saw the "Aimable" furling her sails, and his heart sank with -the conviction that she had struck upon the reef. Smothering his -distress,--she was laden with all the stores of the colony,--he pressed -forward among the filthy wigwams, whose astonished inmates swarmed about -the band of armed strangers, staring between curiosity and fear. La -Salle knew those with whom he was dealing, and, without ceremony, -entered the chief's lodge with his followers. The crowd closed around -them, naked men and half-naked women, described by Joutel as of singular -ugliness. They gave buffalo meat and dried porpoise to the unexpected -guests, but La Salle, racked with anxiety, hastened to close the -interview; and having without difficulty recovered the kidnapped men, he -returned to the beach, leaving with the Indians, as usual, an impression -of good-will and respect. - -When he reached the shore, he saw his worst fears realized. The -"Aimable" lay careened over on the reef, hopelessly aground. Little -remained but to endure the calamity with firmness, and to save, as far -as might be, the vessel's cargo. This was no easy task. The boat which -hung at her stern had been stove in,--it is said, by design. Beaujeu -sent a boat from the "Joly," and one or more Indian pirogues were -procured. La Salle urged on his men with stern and patient energy, and -a quantity of gunpowder and flour was safely landed. But now the wind -blew fresh from the sea; the waves began to rise; a storm came on; the -vessel, rocking to and fro on the sand-bar, opened along her side, and -the ravenous waves were strewn with her treasures. When the confusion -was at its height, a troop of Indians came down to the shore, greedy for -plunder. The drum was beat; the men were called to arms; La Salle set -his trustiest followers to guard the gunpowder, in fear, not of the -Indians alone, but of his own countrymen. On that lamentable night, the -sentinels walked their rounds through the dreary bivouac among the -casks, bales, and boxes which the sea had yielded up; and here, too, -their fate-hunted chief held his drearier vigil, encompassed with -treachery, darkness, and the storm. - -Not only La Salle, but Joutel and others of his party, believed that the -wreck of the "Aimable" was intentional. Aigron, who commanded her, had -disobeyed orders and disregarded signals. Though he had been directed to -tow the vessel through the channel, he went in under sail; and though -little else was saved from the wreck, his personal property, including -even some preserved fruits, was all landed safely. He had long been on -ill terms with La Salle.[296] - -All La Salle's company were now encamped on the sands at the left side -of the inlet where the "Aimable" was wrecked.[297] "They were all," says -the engineer Minet, "sick with nausea and dysentery. Five or six died -every day, in consequence of brackish water and bad food. There was no -grass, but plenty of rushes and plenty of oysters. There was nothing to -make ovens, so that they had to eat flour saved from the wreck, boiled -into messes of porridge with this brackish water. Along the shore were -quantities of uprooted trees and rotten logs, thrown up by the sea and -the lagoon." Of these, and fragments of the wreck, they made a sort of -rampart to protect their camp; and here, among tents and hovels, bales, -boxes, casks, spars, dismounted cannon, and pens for fowls and swine, -were gathered the dejected men and homesick women who were to seize New -Biscay, and hold for France a region large as half Europe. The -Spaniards, whom they were to conquer, were they knew not where. They -knew not where they were themselves; and for the fifteen thousand Indian -allies who were to have joined them, they found two hundred squalid -savages, more like enemies than friends. - -In fact, it was soon made plain that these their neighbors wished them -no good. A few days after the wreck, the prairie was seen on fire. As -the smoke and flame rolled towards them before the wind, La Salle caused -all the grass about the camp to be cut and carried away, and especially -around the spot where the powder was placed. The danger was averted; but -it soon became known that the Indians had stolen a number of blankets -and other articles, and carried them to their wigwams. Unwilling to -leave his camp, La Salle sent his nephew Moranget and several other -volunteers, with a party of men, to reclaim them. They went up the bay -in a boat, landed at the Indian camp, and, with more mettle than -discretion, marched into it, sword in hand. The Indians ran off, and the -rash adventurers seized upon several canoes as an equivalent for the -stolen goods. Not knowing how to manage them, they made slow progress on -their way back, and were overtaken by night before reaching the French -camp. They landed, made a fire, placed a sentinel, and lay down on the -dry grass to sleep. The sentinel followed their example, when suddenly -they were awakened by the war-whoop and a shower of arrows. Two -volunteers, Oris and Desloges, were killed on the spot; a third, named -Gayen, was severely wounded; and young Moranget received an arrow -through the arm. He leaped up and fired his gun at the vociferous but -invisible foe. Others of the party did the same, and the Indians fled. - -[Sidenote: BEAUJEU AND LA SALLE.] - -It was about this time that Beaujeu prepared to return to France. He had -accomplished his mission, and landed his passengers at what La Salle -assured him to be one of the mouths of the Mississippi. His ship was in -danger on this exposed and perilous coast, and he was anxious to find -shelter. For some time past, his relations with La Salle had been -amicable, and it was agreed between them that Beaujeu should stop at -Galveston Bay, the supposed chief mouth of the Mississippi; or, failing -to find harborage here, that he should proceed to Mobile Bay, and wait -there till April, to hear from his colleague. Two days before the wreck -of the "Aimable," he wrote to La Salle: "I wish with all my heart that -you would have more confidence in me. For my part, I will always make -the first advances; and I will follow your counsel whenever I can do so -without risking my ship. I will come back to this place, if you want to -know the results of the voyage I am going to make. If you wish, I will -go to Martinique for provisions and reinforcements. In fine, there is -nothing I am not ready to do: you have only to speak." - -La Salle had begged him to send ashore a number of cannon and a quantity -of iron, stowed in the "Joly," for the use of the colony; and Beaujeu -replies: "I wish very much that I could give you your iron, but it is -impossible except in a harbor; for it is on my ballast, and under your -cannon, my spare anchors, and all my stowage. It would take three days -to get it out, which cannot be done in this place, where the sea runs -like mountains when the slightest wind blows outside. I would rather -come back to give it to you, in case you do not send the 'Belle' to Baye -du St. Esprit [Mobile Bay] to get it.... I beg you once more to consider -the offer I make you to go to Martinique to get provisions for your -people. I will ask the intendant for them in your name; and if they are -refused, I will take them on my own account."[298] - -To this La Salle immediately replied: "I received with singular pleasure -the letter you took the trouble to write me; for I found in it -extraordinary proofs of kindness in the interest you take in the success -of an affair which I have the more at heart, as it involves the glory of -the King and the honor of Monseigneur de Seignelay. I have done my part -towards a perfect understanding between us, and have never been wanting -in confidence; but even if I could be so, the offers you make are so -obliging that they would inspire complete trust." He nevertheless -declines them,--assuring Beaujeu at the same time that he has reached -the place he sought, and is in a fair way of success if he can but have -the cannon, cannonballs, and iron stowed on board the "Joly."[299] - -Directly after he writes again, "I cannot help conjuring you once more -to try to give us the iron." Beaujeu replies: "To show you how ardently -I wish to contribute to the success of your undertaking, I have ordered -your iron to be got out, in spite of my officers and sailors, who tell -me that I endanger my ship by moving everything in the depth of the hold -on a coast like this, where the seas are like mountains. I hesitated to -disturb my stowage, not so much to save trouble as because no ballast is -to be got hereabout; and I have therefore had six cannon, from my lower -deck battery, let down into the hold to take the place of the iron." And -he again urges La Salle to accept his offer to bring provisions to the -colonists from Martinique. - -[Sidenote: DEPARTURE OF BEAUJEU.] - -On the next day, the "Aimable" was wrecked. Beaujeu remained a fortnight -longer on the coast, and then told La Salle that being out of wood, -water, and other necessaries, he must go to Mobile Bay to get them. -Nevertheless, he lingered a week more, repeated his offer to bring -supplies from Martinique, which La Salle again refused, and at last set -sail on the twelfth of March, after a leave-taking which was courteous -on both sides.[300] - -La Salle and his colonists were left alone. Several of them had lost -heart, and embarked for home with Beaujeu. Among these was Minet the -engineer, who had fallen out with La Salle, and who when he reached -France was imprisoned for deserting him. Even his brother, the priest -Jean Cavelier, had a mind to abandon the enterprise, but was persuaded -at last to remain, along with his nephew the hot-headed Moranget, and -the younger Cavelier, a mere school-boy. The two Recollet friars, Zenobe -Membre and Anastase Douay, the trusty Joutel, a man of sense and -observation, and the Marquis de la Sablonniere, a debauched noble whose -patrimony was his sword, were now the chief persons of the forlorn -company. The rest were soldiers, raw and undisciplined, and artisans, -most of whom knew nothing of their vocation. Add to these the miserable -families and the infatuated young women who had come to tempt fortune in -the swamps and cane-brakes of the Mississippi. - -La Salle set out to explore the neighborhood. Joutel remained in command -of the so-called fort. He was beset with wily enemies, and often at -night the Indians would crawl in the grass around his feeble stockade, -howling like wolves; but a few shots would put them to flight. A strict -guard was kept; and a wooden horse was set in the enclosure, to punish -the sentinel who should sleep at his post. They stood in daily fear of a -more formidable foe, and once they saw a sail, which they doubted not -was Spanish; but she happily passed without discovering them. They -hunted on the prairies, and speared fish in the neighboring pools. On -Easter Day, the Sieur le Gros, one of the chief men of the company, -went out after the service to shoot snipes; but as he walked barefoot -through the marsh, a snake bit him, and he soon after died. Two men -deserted, to starve on the prairie, or to become savages among savages. -Others tried to escape, but were caught; and one of them was hung. A -knot of desperadoes conspired to kill Joutel; but one of them betrayed -the secret, and the plot was crushed. - -La Salle returned from his exploration, but his return brought no cheer. -He had been forced to renounce the illusion to which he had clung so -long, and was convinced at last that he was not at the mouth of the -Mississippi. The wreck of the "Aimable" itself was not pregnant with -consequences so disastrous. - -[Sidenote: CONDUCT OF BEAUJEU.] - -Note.--The conduct of Beaujeu, hitherto judged chiefly by the printed -narrative of Joutel, is set in a new and more favorable light by his -correspondence with La Salle. Whatever may have been their mutual -irritation, it is clear that the naval commander was anxious to -discharge his duty in a manner to satisfy Seignelay, and that he may be -wholly acquitted of any sinister design. When he left La Salle on the -twelfth of March, he meant to sail in search of the Bay of Mobile (Baye -du St. Esprit),--partly because he hoped to find it a safe harbor, where -he could get La Salle's cannon out of the hold and find ballast to take -their place; and partly to get a supply of wood and water, of which he -was in extreme need. He told La Salle that he would wait there till the -middle of April, in order that he (La Salle) might send the "Belle" to -receive the cannon; but on this point there was no definite agreement -between them. Beaujeu was ignorant of the position of the bay, which he -thought much nearer than it actually was. After trying two days to reach -it, the strong head-winds and the discontent of his crew induced him to -bear away for Cuba; and after an encounter with pirates and various -adventures, he reached France about the first of July. He was coldly -received by Seignelay, who wrote to the intendant at Rochelle: "His -Majesty has seen what you wrote about the idea of the Sieur de Beaujeu, -that the Sieur de la Salle is not at the mouth of the Mississippi. He -seems to found this belief on such weak conjectures that no great -attention need be given to his account, especially as _this man_ has -been prejudiced from the first against La Salle's enterprise." (_Lettre -de Seignelay a Arnoul, 22 Juillet, 1685._ Margry, ii. 604.) The minister -at the same time warns Beaujeu to say nothing in disparagement of the -enterprise, under pain of the King's displeasure. - -The narrative of the engineer, Minet, sufficiently explains a curious -map, made by him, as he says, not on the spot, but on the voyage -homeward, and still preserved in the Archives Scientifiques de la -Marine. This map includes two distinct sketches of the mouth of the -Mississippi. The first, which corresponds to that made by Franquelin in -1684, is entitled "Embouchure de la Riviere comme M. de la Salle la -marque dans sa Carte." The second bears the words, "Costes et Lacs par -la Hauteur de sa Riviere, comme nous les avons trouves." These "Costes -et Lacs" are a rude representation of the lagoons of Matagorda Bay and -its neighborhood, into which the Mississippi is made to discharge, in -accordance with the belief of La Salle. A portion of the coast-line is -drawn from actual, though superficial observation. The rest is merely -conjectural. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[293] _Relation de Minet; Lettre de Minet a Seignelay, 6 July, 1685_ -(Margry, ii. 591, 602). - -[294] Joutel, _Journal Historique_, 68; _Relation_ (Margry, iii. -143-146) Compare _Journal d'Esmanville_ (Margry, ii. 510). - -[295] _Relation de Minet_ (Margry, ii. 591). - -[296] _Proces Verbal du Sieur de la Salle sur le Naufrage de la Flute -l'Aimable_; _Lettre de La Salle a Seignelay, 4 Mars, 1685_; _Lettre de -Beaujeu a Seignelay, sans date_. Beaujeu did his best to save the cargo. -The loss included nearly all the provisions, 60 barrels of wine, 4 -cannon, 1,620 balls, 400 grenades, 4,000 pounds of iron, 5,000 pounds of -lead, most of the tools, a forge, a mill, cordage, boxes of arms, nearly -all the medicines, and most of the baggage of the soldiers and -colonists. Aigron returned to France in the "Joly," and was thrown into -prison, "comme il paroist clairement que cet accident est arrive par sa -faute."--_Seignelay au Sieur Arnoul, 22 Juillet, 1685_ (Margry, ii. -604). - -[297] A map, entitled _Entree du Lac ou on a laisse le Sr. de la -Salle_, made by the engineer Minet, and preserved in the Archives de la -Marine, represents the entrance of Matagorda Bay, the camp of La Salle -on the left, Indian camps on the borders of the bay, the "Belle" at -anchor within, the "Aimable" stranded at the entrance, and the "Joly" -anchored in the open sea. - -[298] _Lettre de Beaujeu a La Salle, 18 Fev., 1685_ (Margry, ii. 542). - -[299] _Lettre de La Salle a Beaujeu, 18 Fev., 1685_ (Margry, ii. 546). - -[300] The whole of this correspondence between Beaujeu and La Salle will -be found in Margry, ii. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -1685-1687. - -ST. LOUIS OF TEXAS. - - The Fort.--Misery and Dejection.--Energy of La Salle: his Journey - of Exploration.--Adventures and Accidents.--The - Buffalo.--Duhaut.--Indian Massacre.--Return Of La Salle.--A New - Calamity.--A Desperate Resolution.--Departure for Canada.--Wreck of - the "Belle."--Marriage.--Sedition.--Adventures Of la Salle's - Party.--The Cenis.--The Camanches.--The Only Hope.--The Last - Farewell. - - -Of what avail to plant a colony by the mouth of a petty Texan river? The -Mississippi was the life of the enterprise, the condition of its growth -and of its existence. Without it, all was futile and meaningless,--a -folly and a ruin. Cost what it might, the Mississippi must be found. - -But the demands of the hour were imperative. The hapless colony, cast -ashore like a wreck on the sands of Matagorda Bay, must gather up its -shattered resources and recruit its exhausted strength, before it -essayed anew its pilgrimage to the "fatal river." La Salle during his -explorations had found a spot which he thought well fitted for a -temporary establishment. It was on the river which he named the La -Vache,[301] now the Lavaca, which enters the head of Matagorda Bay; and -thither he ordered all the women and children, and most of the men, to -remove; while the rest, thirty in number, remained with Joutel at the -fort near the mouth of the bay. Here they spent their time in hunting, -fishing, and squaring the logs of drift-wood which the sea washed up in -abundance, and which La Salle proposed to use in building his new -station on the Lavaca. Thus the time passed till midsummer, when Joutel -received orders to abandon his post, and rejoin the main body of the -colonists. To this end, the little frigate "Belle" was sent down the -bay. She was a gift from the King to La Salle, who had brought her -safely over the bar, and regarded her as a main-stay of his hopes. She -now took on board the stores and some of the men, while Joutel with the -rest followed along shore to the post on the Lavaca. Here he found a -state of things that was far from cheering. Crops had been sown, but the -drought and the cattle had nearly destroyed them. The colonists were -lodged under tents and hovels; and the only solid structure was a small -square enclosure of pickets, in which the gunpowder and the brandy were -stored. The site was good, a rising ground by the river; but there was -no wood within the distance of a league, and no horses or oxen to drag -it. Their work must be done by men. Some felled and squared the timber; -and others dragged it by main force over the matted grass of the -prairie, under the scorching Texan sun. The gun-carriages served to make -the task somewhat easier; yet the strongest men soon gave out under it. -Joutel went down to the first fort, made a raft and brought up the -timber collected there, which proved a most seasonable and useful -supply. Palisades and buildings began to rise. The men labored without -spirit, yet strenuously; for they labored under the eye of La Salle. The -carpenters brought from Rochelle proved worthless; and he himself made -the plans of the work, marked out the tenons and mortises, and directed -the whole.[302] - -[Sidenote: MISERY AND DEJECTION.] - -Death, meanwhile, made withering havoc among his followers; and under -the sheds and hovels that shielded them from the sun lay a score of -wretches slowly wasting away with the diseases contracted at St. -Domingo. Of the soldiers enlisted for the expedition by La Salle's -agents, many are affirmed to have spent their lives in begging at the -church doors of Rochefort, and were consequently incapable of -discipline. It was impossible to prevent either them or the sailors from -devouring persimmons and other wild fruits to a destructive excess. -Nearly all fell ill; and before the summer had passed, the graveyard had -more than thirty tenants.[303] The bearing of La Salle did not aid to -raise the drooping spirits of his followers. The results of the -enterprise had been far different from his hopes; and, after a season of -flattering promise, he had entered again on those dark and obstructed -paths which seemed his destined way of life. The present was beset with -trouble; the future, thick with storms. The consciousness quickened his -energies; but it made him stern, harsh, and often unjust to those -beneath him. - -Joutel was returning to camp one afternoon with the master-carpenter, -when they saw game; and the carpenter went after it. He was never seen -again. Perhaps he was lost on the prairie, perhaps killed by Indians. He -knew little of his trade, but they nevertheless had need of him. Le -Gros, a man of character and intelligence, suffered more and more from -the bite of the snake received in the marsh on Easter Day. The injured -limb was amputated, and he died. La Salle's brother, the priest, lay -ill; and several others among the chief persons of the colony were in -the same condition. - -Meanwhile, the work was urged on. A large building was finished, -constructed of timber, roofed with boards and raw hides, and divided -into apartments for lodging and other uses. La Salle gave the new -establishment his favorite name of Fort St. Louis, and the neighboring -bay was also christened after the royal saint.[304] The scene was not -without its charms. Towards the southeast stretched the bay with its -bordering meadows; and on the northeast the Lavaca ran along the base of -green declivities. Around, far and near, rolled a sea of prairie, with -distant forests, dim in the summer haze. At times, it was dotted with -the browsing buffalo, not yet scared from their wonted pastures; and the -grassy swells were spangled with the flowers for which Texas is -renowned, and which now form the gay ornaments of our gardens. - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S EXPLORATIONS.] - -And now, the needful work accomplished, and the colony in some measure -housed and fortified, its indefatigable chief prepared to renew his -quest of the "fatal river," as Joutel repeatedly calls it. Before his -departure he made some preliminary explorations, in the course of which, -according to the report of his brother the priest, he found evidence -that the Spaniards had long before had a transient establishment at a -spot about fifteen leagues from Fort St. Louis.[305] - -[Sidenote: LIFE AT THE FORT.] - -It was the last day of October when La Salle set out on his great -journey of exploration. His brother Cavelier, who had now recovered, -accompanied him with fifty men; and five cannon-shot from the fort -saluted them as they departed. They were lightly equipped; but some of -them wore corselets made of staves, to ward off arrows. Descending the -Lavaca, they pursued their course eastward on foot along the margin of -the bay, while Joutel remained in command of the fort. It was two -leagues above the mouth of the river; and in it were thirty-four -persons, including three Recollet friars, a number of women and girls -from Paris, and two young orphan daughters of one Talon, a Canadian, who -had lately died. Their live-stock consisted of some hogs and a litter of -eight pigs, which, as Joutel does not forget to inform us, passed their -time in wallowing in the ditch of the palisade; a cock and hen, with a -young family; and a pair of goats, which, in a temporary dearth of fresh -meat, were sacrificed to the needs of the invalid Abbe Cavelier. Joutel -suffered no man to lie idle. The blacksmith, having no anvil, was -supplied with a cannon as a substitute. Lodgings were built for the -women and girls, and separate lodgings for the men. A small chapel was -afterwards added, and the whole was fenced with a palisade. At the four -corners of the house were mounted eight pieces of cannon, which, in the -absence of balls, were loaded with bags of bullets.[306] Between the -palisades and the stream lay a narrow strip of marsh, the haunt of -countless birds; and at a little distance it deepened into pools full of -fish. All the surrounding prairies swarmed with game,--buffalo, deer, -hares, turkeys, ducks, geese, swans, plover, snipe, and grouse. The -river supplied the colonists with turtles, and the bay with oysters. Of -these last, they often found more than they wanted; for when in their -excursions they shoved their log canoes into the water, wading shoeless -through the deep, tenacious mud, the sharp shells would cut their feet -like knives; "and what was worse," says Joutel, "the salt water came -into the gashes, and made them smart atrociously." - -He sometimes amused himself with shooting alligators. "I never spared -them when I met them near the house. One day I killed an extremely large -one, which was nearly four feet and a half in girth, and about twenty -feet long." He describes with accuracy that curious native of the -southwestern plains, the "horned frog," which, deceived by its -uninviting appearance, he erroneously supposed to be venomous. "We had -some of our animals bitten by snakes; among the others, a bitch that had -belonged to the deceased Sieur le Gros. She was bitten in the jaw when -she was with me, as I was fishing by the shore of the bay. I gave her a -little theriac [an antidote then in vogue], which cured her, as it did -one of our sows, which came home one day with her head so swelled that -she could hardly hold it up. Thinking it must be some snake that had -bitten her, I gave her a dose of the theriac mixed with meal and water." -The patient began to mend at once. "I killed a good many rattle-snakes -by means of the aforesaid bitch, for when she saw one she would bark -around him, sometimes for a half hour together, till I took my gun and -shot him. I often found them in the bushes, making a noise with their -tails. When I had killed them, our hogs ate them." He devotes many pages -to the plants and animals of the neighborhood, most of which may easily -be recognized from his description. - -[Sidenote: THE BUFFALO.] - -With the buffalo, which he calls "our daily bread," his experiences were -many and strange. Being, like the rest of the party, a novice in the art -of shooting them, he met with many disappointments. Once, having mounted -to the roof of the large house in the fort, he saw a dark moving object -on a swell of the prairie three miles off; and rightly thinking that it -was a herd of buffalo, he set out with six or seven men to try to kill -some of them. After a while, he discovered two bulls lying in a hollow; -and signing to the rest of his party to keep quiet, he made his -approach, gun in hand. The bulls presently jumped up, and stared -through their manes at the intruder. Joutel fired. It was a close shot; -but the bulls merely shook their shaggy heads, wheeled about, and -galloped heavily away. The same luck attended him the next day. "We saw -plenty of buffalo. I approached several bands of them, and fired again -and again, but could not make one of them fall." He had not yet learned -that a buffalo rarely falls at once, unless hit in the spine. He -continues: "I was not discouraged; and after approaching several more -bands,--which was hard work, because I had to crawl on the ground, so as -not to be seen,--I found myself in a herd of five or six thousand, but, -to my great vexation, I could not bring one of them down. They all ran -off to the right and left. It was near night, and I had killed nothing. -Though I was very tired, I tried again, approached another band, and -fired a number of shots; but not a buffalo would fall. The skin was off -my knees with crawling. At last, as I was going back to rejoin our men, -I saw a buffalo lying on the ground. I went towards it, and saw that it -was dead. I examined it, and found that the bullet had gone in near the -shoulder. Then I found others dead like the first. I beckoned the men to -come on, and we set to work to cut up the meat,--a task which was new to -us all." It would be impossible to write a more true and characteristic -sketch of the experience of a novice in shooting buffalo on foot. A few -days after, he went out again, with Father Anastase Douay; approached a -bull, fired, and broke his shoulder. The bull hobbled off on three legs. -Douay ran in his cassock to head him back, while Joutel reloaded his -gun; upon which the enraged beast butted at the missionary, and knocked -him down. He very narrowly escaped with his life. "There was another -missionary," pursues Joutel, "named Father Maxime Le Clerc, who was very -well fitted for such an undertaking as ours, because he was equal to -anything, even to butchering a buffalo; and as I said before that every -one of us must lend a hand, because we were too few for anybody to be -waited upon, I made the women, girls, and children do their part, as -well as him; for as they all wanted to eat, it was fair that they all -should work." He had a scaffolding built near the fort, and set them to -smoking buffalo meat, against a day of scarcity.[307] - -[Sidenote: RETURN OF DUHAUT.] - -Thus the time passed till the middle of January; when late one evening, -as all were gathered in the principal building, conversing perhaps, or -smoking, or playing at cards, or dozing by the fire in homesick dreams -of France, a man on guard came in to report that he had heard a voice -from the river. They all went down to the bank, and descried a man in a -canoe, who called out, "Dominic!" This was the name of the younger of -the two brothers Duhaut, who was one of Joutel's followers. As the -canoe approached, they recognized the elder, who had gone with La Salle -on his journey of discovery, and who was perhaps the greatest villain of -the company. Joutel was much perplexed. La Salle had ordered him to -admit nobody into the fort without a pass and a watchword. Duhaut, when -questioned, said that he had none, but told at the same time so -plausible a story that Joutel no longer hesitated to receive him. As La -Salle and his men were pursuing their march along the prairie, Duhaut, -who was in the rear, had stopped to mend his moccasins, and when he -tried to overtake the party, had lost his way, mistaking a buffalo-path -for the trail of his companions. At night he fired his gun as a signal, -but there was no answering shot. Seeing no hope of rejoining them, he -turned back for the fort, found one of the canoes which La Salle had -hidden at the shore, paddled by night and lay close by day, shot -turkeys, deer, and buffalo for food, and, having no knife, cut the meat -with a sharp flint, till after a month of excessive hardship he reached -his destination. As the inmates of Fort St. Louis gathered about the -weather-beaten wanderer, he told them dreary tidings. The pilot of the -"Belle," such was his story, had gone with five men to sound along the -shore, by order of La Salle, who was then encamped in the neighborhood -with his party of explorers. The boat's crew, being overtaken by the -night, had rashly bivouacked on the beach without setting a guard; and -as they slept, a band of Indians had rushed in upon them, and butchered -them all. La Salle, alarmed by their long absence, had searched along -the shore, and at length found their bodies scattered about the sands -and half-devoured by wolves.[308] Well would it have been, if Duhaut had -shared their fate. - -Weeks and months dragged on, when, at the end of March, Joutel, chancing -to mount on the roof of one of the buildings, saw seven or eight men -approaching over the prairie. He went out to meet them with an equal -number, well armed; and as he drew near recognized, with mixed joy and -anxiety, La Salle and some of those who had gone with him. His brother -Cavelier was at his side, with his cassock so tattered that, says -Joutel, "there was hardly a piece left large enough to wrap a farthing's -worth of salt. He had an old cap on his head, having lost his hat by the -way. The rest were in no better plight, for their shirts were all in -rags. Some of them carried loads of meat, because M. de la Salle was -afraid that we might not have killed any buffalo. We met with great joy -and many embraces. After our greetings were over, M. de la Salle, seeing -Duhaut, asked me in an angry tone how it was that I had received this -man who had abandoned him. I told him how it had happened, and repeated -Duhaut's story. Duhaut defended himself, and M. de la Salle's anger was -soon over. We went into the house, and refreshed ourselves with some -bread and brandy, as there was no wine left."[309] - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S ADVENTURES.] - -La Salle and his companions told their story. They had wandered on -through various savage tribes, with whom they had more than one -encounter, scattering them like chaff by the terror of their fire-arms. -At length they found a more friendly band, and learned much touching the -Spaniards, who, they were told, were universally hated by the tribes of -that country. It would be easy, said their informants, to gather a host -of warriors and lead them over the Rio Grande; but La Salle was in no -condition for attempting conquests, and the tribes in whose alliance he -had trusted had, a few days before, been at blows with him. The invasion -of New Biscay must be postponed to a more propitious day. Still -advancing, he came to a large river, which he at first mistook for the -Mississippi; and building a fort of palisades, he left here several of -his men.[310] The fate of these unfortunates does not appear. He now -retraced his steps towards Fort St. Louis, and, as he approached it, -detached some of his men to look for his vessel, the "Belle," for whose -safety, since the loss of her pilot, he had become very anxious. - -On the next day these men appeared at the fort, with downcast looks. -They had not found the "Belle" at the place where she had been ordered -to remain, nor were any tidings to be heard of her. From that hour, the -conviction that she was lost possessed the mind of La Salle. Surrounded -as he was, and had always been, with traitors, the belief now possessed -him that her crew had abandoned the colony, and made sail for the West -Indies or for France. The loss was incalculable. He had relied on this -vessel to transport the colonists to the Mississippi, as soon as its -exact position could be ascertained; and thinking her a safer place of -deposit than the fort, he had put on board of her all his papers and -personal baggage, besides a great quantity of stores, ammunition, and -tools.[311] In truth, she was of the last necessity to the unhappy -exiles, and their only resource for escape from a position which was -fast becoming desperate. - -La Salle, as his brother tells us, now fell dangerously ill,--the -fatigues of his journey, joined to the effects upon his mind of this -last disaster, having overcome his strength, though not his fortitude. -"In truth," writes the priest, "after the loss of the vessel which -deprived us of our only means of returning to France, we had no resource -but in the firm guidance of my brother, whose death each of us would -have regarded as his own."[312] - -[Sidenote: DEPARTURE FOR CANADA.] - -La Salle no sooner recovered than he embraced a resolution which could -be the offspring only of a desperate necessity. He determined to make -his way by the Mississippi and the Illinois to Canada, whence he might -bring succor to the colonists, and send a report of their condition to -France. The attempt was beset with uncertainties and dangers. The -Mississippi was first to be found, then followed through all the -perilous monotony of its interminable windings to a goal which was to be -but the starting-point of a new and not less arduous journey. Cavelier -his brother, Moranget his nephew, the friar Anastase Douay, and others -to the number of twenty, were chosen to accompany him. Every corner of -the magazine was ransacked for an outfit. Joutel generously gave up the -better part of his wardrobe to La Salle and his two relatives. Duhaut, -who had saved his baggage from the wreck of the "Aimable," was -required to contribute to the necessities of the party; and the -scantily-furnished chests of those who had died were used to supply the -wants of the living. Each man labored with needle and awl to patch his -failing garments, or supply their place with buffalo or deer skins. On -the twenty-second of April, after mass and prayers in the chapel, they -issued from the gate, each bearing his pack and his weapons, some with -kettles slung at their backs, some with axes, some with gifts for -Indians. In this guise, they held their way in silence across the -prairie; while anxious eyes followed them from the palisades of St. -Louis, whose inmates, not excepting Joutel himself, seem to have been -ignorant of the extent and difficulty of the undertaking.[313] - -[Sidenote: WRECK OF THE "BELLE."] - -"On May Day," he writes, "at about two in the afternoon, as I was -walking near the house, I heard a voice from the river below, crying out -several times, _Qui vive?_ Knowing that the Sieur Barbier had gone that -way with two canoes to hunt buffalo, I thought that it might be one of -these canoes coming back with meat, and did not think much of the matter -till I heard the same voice again. I answered, _Versailles_, which was -the password I had given the Sieur Barbier, in case he should come back -in the night. But, as I was going towards the bank, I heard other voices -which I had not heard for a long time. I recognized among the rest that -of M. Chefdeville, which made me fear that some disaster had happened. I -ran down to the bank, and my first greeting was to ask what had become -of the 'Belle.' They answered that she was wrecked on the other side of -the bay, and that all on board were drowned except the six who were in -the canoe; namely, the Sieur Chefdeville, the Marquis de la Sablonniere, -the man named Teissier, a soldier, a girl, and a little boy."[314] - -From the young priest Chefdeville, Joutel learned the particulars of the -disaster. Water had failed on board the "Belle"; a boat's crew of five -men had gone in quest of it; the wind rose, their boat was swamped, and -they were all drowned. Those who remained had now no means of going -ashore; but if they had no water, they had wine and brandy in abundance, -and Teissier, the master of the vessel, was drunk every day. After a -while they left their moorings, and tried to reach the fort; but they -were few, weak, and unskilful. A violent north wind drove them on a -sand-bar. Some of them were drowned in trying to reach land on a raft. -Others were more successful; and, after a long delay, they found a -stranded canoe, in which they made their way to St. Louis, bringing with -them some of La Salle's papers and baggage saved from the wreck. - -These multiplied disasters bore hard on the spirits of the colonists; -and Joutel, like a good commander as he was, spared no pains to cheer -them. "We did what we could to amuse ourselves and drive away care. I -encouraged our people to dance and sing in the evenings; for when M. de -la Salle was among us, pleasure was often banished. Now, there is no -use in being melancholy on such occasions. It is true that M. de la -Salle had no great cause for merry-making, after all his losses and -disappointments; but his troubles made others suffer also. Though he had -ordered me to allow to each person only a certain quantity of meat at -every meal, I observed this rule only when meat was rare. The air here -is very keen, and one has a great appetite. One must eat and act, if he -wants good health and spirits. I speak from experience; for once, when I -had ague chills, and was obliged to keep the house with nothing to do, I -was dreary and down-hearted. On the contrary, if I was busy with hunting -or anything else, I was not so dull by half. So I tried to keep the -people as busy as possible. I set them to making a small cellar to keep -meat fresh in hot weather; but when M. de la Salle came back, he said it -was too small. As he always wanted to do everything on a grand scale, he -prepared to make a large one, and marked out the plan." This plan of the -large cellar, like more important undertakings of its unhappy projector, -proved too extensive for execution, the colonists being engrossed by the -daily care of keeping themselves alive. - -[Sidenote: MATRIMONY.] - -A gleam of hilarity shot for an instant out of the clouds. The young -Canadian, Barbier, usually conducted the hunting-parties; and some of -the women and girls often went out with them, to aid in cutting up the -meat. Barbier became enamoured of one of the girls; and as his devotion -to her was the subject of comment, he asked Joutel for leave to marry -her. The commandant, after due counsel with the priests and friars, -vouchsafed his consent, and the rite was duly solemnized; whereupon, -fired by the example, the Marquis de la Sablonniere begged leave to -marry another of the girls. Joutel, the gardener's son, concerned that a -marquis should so abase himself, and anxious at the same time for the -morals of the fort, which La Salle had especially commended to his care, -not only flatly refused, but, in the plenitude of his authority, forbade -the lovers all further intercourse. - -Father Zenobe Membre, superior of the mission, gave unwilling occasion -for further merriment. These worthy friars were singularly unhappy in -their dealings with the buffalo, one of which, it may be remembered, had -already knocked down Father Anastase. Undeterred by his example, Father -Zenobe one day went out with the hunters, carrying a gun like the rest. -Joutel shot a buffalo, which was making off, badly wounded, when a -second shot stopped it, and it presently lay down. The father superior -thought it was dead; and, without heeding the warning shout of Joutel, -he approached, and pushed it with the butt of his gun. The bull sprang -up with an effort of expiring fury, and, in the words of Joutel, -"trampled on the father, took the skin off his face in several places, -and broke his gun, so that he could hardly manage to get away, and -remained in an almost helpless state for more than three months. Bad as -the accident was, he was laughed at nevertheless for his rashness." - -The mishaps of the friars did not end here. Father Maxime Le Clerc was -set upon by a boar belonging to the colony. "I do not know," says -Joutel, "what spite the beast had against him, whether for a beating or -some other offence; but, however this may be, I saw the father running -and crying for help, and the boar running after him. I went to the -rescue, but could not come up in time. The father stooped as he ran, to -gather up his cassock from about his legs; and the boar, which ran -faster than he, struck him in the arm with his tusks, so that some of -the nerves were torn. Thus, all three of our good Recollet fathers were -near being the victims of animals."[315] - -In spite of his efforts to encourage them, the followers of Joutel were -fast losing heart. Father Maxime Le Clerc kept a journal, in which he -set down various charges against La Salle. Joutel got possession of the -paper, and burned it on the urgent entreaty of the friars, who dreaded -what might ensue, should the absent commander become aware of the -aspersions cast upon him. The elder Duhaut fomented the rising -discontent of the colonists, played the demagogue, told them that La -Salle would never return, and tried to make himself their leader. Joutel -detected the mischief, and, with a lenity which he afterwards deeply -regretted, contented himself with a rebuke to the offender, and words -of reproof and encouragement to the dejected band. - -[Sidenote: ADVENTURES OF THE TRAVELLERS.] - -He had caused the grass to be cut near the fort, so as to form a sort of -playground; and here, one evening, he and some of the party were trying -to amuse themselves, when they heard shouts from beyond the river, and -Joutel recognized the voice of La Salle. Hastening to meet him in a -wooden canoe, he brought him and his party to the fort. Twenty men had -gone out with him, and eight had returned. Of the rest, four had -deserted, one had been lost, one had been devoured by an alligator; and -the others, giving out on the march, had probably perished in attempting -to regain the fort. The travellers told of a rich country, a wild and -beautiful landscape,--woods, rivers, groves, and prairies; but all -availed nothing, and the acquisition of five horses was but an -indifferent return for the loss of twelve men. - -After leaving the fort, they had journeyed towards the northeast, over -plains green as an emerald with the young verdure of April, till at -length they saw, far as the eye could reach, the boundless prairie alive -with herds of buffalo. The animals were in one of their tame or stupid -moods; and they killed nine or ten of them without the least difficulty, -drying the best parts of the meat. They crossed the Colorado on a raft, -and reached the banks of another river, where one of the party, named -Hiens, a German of Wuertemberg, and an old buccaneer, was mired and -nearly suffocated in a mud-hole. Unfortunately, as will soon appear, he -managed to crawl out; and, to console him, the river was christened with -his name. The party made a bridge of felled trees, on which they crossed -in safety. La Salle now changed their course, and journeyed eastward, -when the travellers soon found themselves in the midst of a numerous -Indian population, where they were feasted and caressed without measure. -At another village they were less fortunate. The inhabitants were -friendly by day and hostile by night. They came to attack the French in -their camp, but withdrew, daunted by the menacing voice of La Salle, who -had heard them approaching through the cane-brake. - -La Salle's favorite Shawanoe hunter, Nika, who had followed him from -Canada to France, and from France to Texas, was bitten by a rattlesnake; -and, though he recovered, the accident detained the party for several -days. At length they resumed their journey, but were stopped by a river, -called by Douay, "La Riviere des Malheurs." La Salle and Cavelier, with -a few others, tried to cross on a raft, which, as it reached the -channel, was caught by a current of marvellous swiftness. Douay and -Moranget, watching the transit from the edge of the cane-brake, beheld -their commander swept down the stream, and vanishing, as it were, in an -instant. All that day they remained with their companions on the bank, -lamenting in despair for the loss of their guardian angel, for so Douay -calls La Salle.[316] It was fast growing dark, when, to their -unspeakable relief, they saw him advancing with his party along the -opposite bank, having succeeded, after great exertion, in guiding the -raft to land. How to rejoin him was now the question. Douay and his -companions, who had tasted no food that day, broke their fast on two -young eagles which they knocked out of their nest, and then spent the -night in rueful consultation as to the means of crossing the river. In -the morning they waded into the marsh, the friar with his breviary in -his hood to keep it dry, and hacked among the canes till they had -gathered enough to make another raft; on which, profiting by La Salle's -experience, they safely crossed, and rejoined him. - -Next, they became entangled in a cane-brake, where La Salle, as usual -with him in such cases, took the lead, a hatchet in each hand, and hewed -out a path for his followers. They soon reached the villages of the -Cenis Indians, on and near the river Trinity,--a tribe then powerful, -but long since extinct. Nothing could surpass the friendliness of their -welcome. The chiefs came to meet them, bearing the calumet, and followed -by warriors in shirts of embroidered deer-skin. Then the whole village -swarmed out like bees, gathering around the visitors with offerings of -food and all that was precious in their eyes. La Salle was lodged with -the great chief; but he compelled his men to encamp at a distance, lest -the ardor of their gallantry might give occasion of offence. The lodges -of the Cenis, forty or fifty feet high, and covered with a thatch of -meadow-grass, looked like huge bee-hives. Each held several families, -whose fire was in the middle, and their beds around the circumference. -The spoil of the Spaniards was to be seen on all sides,--silver lamps -and spoons, swords, old muskets, money, clothing, and a bull of the Pope -dispensing the Spanish colonists of New Mexico from fasting during -summer.[317] These treasures, as well as their numerous horses, were -obtained by the Cenis from their neighbors and allies the Camanches, -that fierce prairie banditti who then, as now, scourged the Mexican -border with their bloody forays. A party of these wild horsemen was in -the village. Douay was edified at seeing them make the sign of the cross -in imitation of the neophytes of one of the Spanish missions. They -enacted, too, the ceremony of the mass; and one of them, in his rude -way, drew a sketch of a picture he had seen in some church which he had -pillaged, wherein the friar plainly recognized the Virgin weeping at the -foot of the cross. They invited the French to join them on a raid into -New Mexico; and they spoke with contempt, as their tribesmen will speak -to this day, of the Spanish creoles, saying that it would be easy to -conquer a nation of cowards who make people walk before them with fans -to cool them in hot weather.[318] - -Soon after leaving the Cenis villages, both La Salle and his nephew -Moranget were attacked by fever. This caused a delay of more than two -months, during which the party seem to have remained encamped on the -Neches, or possibly the Sabine. When at length the invalids had -recovered sufficient strength to travel, the stock of ammunition was -nearly spent, some of the men had deserted, and the condition of the -travellers was such that there seemed no alternative but to return to -Fort St. Louis. This they accordingly did, greatly aided in their march -by the horses bought from the Cenis, and suffering no very serious -accident by the way,--excepting the loss of La Salle's servant, -Dumesnil, who was seized by an alligator while attempting to cross the -Colorado. - -[Sidenote: DEJECTION.] - -The temporary excitement caused among the colonists by their return soon -gave place to a dejection bordering on despair. "This pleasant land," -writes Cavelier, "seemed to us an abode of weariness and a perpetual -prison." Flattering themselves with the delusion, common to exiles of -every kind, that they were objects of solicitude at home, they watched -daily, with straining eyes, for an approaching sail. Ships, indeed, had -ranged the coast to seek them, but with no friendly intent. Their -thoughts dwelt, with unspeakable yearning, on the France they had left -behind, which, to their longing fancy, was pictured as an unattainable -Eden. Well might they despond; for of a hundred and eighty colonists, -besides the crew of the "Belle," less than forty-five remained. The -weary precincts of Fort St. Louis, with its fence of rigid palisades, -its area of trampled earth, its buildings of weather-stained timber, and -its well-peopled graveyard without, were hateful to their sight. La -Salle had a heavy task to save them from despair. His composure, his -unfailing equanimity, his words of encouragement and cheer, were the -breath of life to this forlorn company; for though he could not impart -to minds of less adamantine temper the audacity of hope with which he -still clung to the final accomplishment of his purposes, the contagion -of his hardihood touched, nevertheless, the drooping spirits of his -followers.[319] - -[Sidenote: TWELFTH NIGHT.] - -The journey to Canada was clearly their only hope; and, after a brief -rest, La Salle prepared to renew the attempt. He proposed that Joutel -should this time be of the party; and should proceed from Quebec to -France, with his brother Cavelier, to solicit succors for the colony, -while he himself returned to Texas. A new obstacle was presently -interposed. La Salle, whose constitution seems to have suffered from his -long course of hardships, was attacked in November with hernia. Joutel -offered to conduct the party in his stead; but La Salle replied that his -own presence was indispensable at the Illinois. He had the good fortune -to recover, within four or five weeks, sufficiently to undertake the -journey; and all in the fort busied themselves in preparing an outfit. -In such straits were they for clothing, that the sails of the "Belle" -were cut up to make coats for the adventurers. Christmas came, and was -solemnly observed. There was a midnight mass in the chapel, where -Membre, Cavelier, Douay, and their priestly brethren stood before the -altar, in vestments strangely contrasting with the rude temple and the -ruder garb of the worshippers. And as Membre elevated the consecrated -wafer, and the lamps burned dim through the clouds of incense, the -kneeling group drew from the daily miracle such consolation as true -Catholics alone can know. When Twelfth Night came, all gathered in the -hall, and cried, after the jovial old custom, "The King drinks," with -hearts, perhaps, as cheerless as their cups, which were filled with cold -water. - -[Sidenote: THE LAST FAREWELL.] - -On the morrow, the band of adventurers mustered for the fatal -journey.[320] The five horses, bought by La Salle of the Indians, stood -in the area of the fort, packed for the march; and here was gathered the -wretched remnant of the colony,--those who were to go, and those who -were to stay behind. These latter were about twenty in all,--Barbier, -who was to command in the place of Joutel; Sablonniere, who, despite his -title of marquis, was held in great contempt;[321] the friars, Membre -and Le Clerc,[322] and the priest Chefdeville, besides a surgeon, -soldiers, laborers, seven women and girls, and several children, doomed, -in this deadly exile, to wait the issues of the journey, and the -possible arrival of a tardy succor. La Salle had made them a last -address, delivered, we are told, with that winning air which, though -alien from his usual bearing, seems to have been at times a natural -expression of this unhappy man.[323] It was a bitter parting, one of -sighs, tears, and embracings,--the farewell of those on whose souls had -sunk a heavy boding that they would never meet again.[324] Equipped and -weaponed for the journey, the adventurers filed from the gate, crossed -the river, and held their slow march over the prairies beyond, till -intervening woods and hills shut Fort St. Louis forever from their -sight. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[301] Called by Joutel, Riviere aux Boeufs. - -[302] Joutel, _Journal Historique_, 108; _Relation_ (Margry, iii. 174); -_Proces Verbal fait au poste de St. Louis, le 18 Avril, 1686_. - -[303] Joutel, _Journal Historique_, 109. Le Clerc, who was not present, -says a hundred. - -[304] The Bay of St. Louis, St. Bernard's Bay, or Matagorda Bay,--for it -has borne all these names,--was also called Espiritu Santo Bay by the -Spaniards, in common with several other bays in the Gulf of Mexico. An -adjoining bay still retains the name. - -[305] Cavelier, in his report to the minister, says: "We reached a large -village, enclosed with a kind of wall made of clay and sand, and -fortified with little towers at intervals, where we found the arms of -Spain engraved on a plate of copper, with the date of 1588, attached to -a stake. The inhabitants gave us a kind welcome, and showed us some -hammers and an anvil, two small pieces of iron cannon, a small brass -culverin, some pike-heads, some old sword-blades, and some books of -Spanish comedy; and thence they guided us to a little hamlet of -fishermen, about two leagues distant, where they showed us a second -stake, also with the arms of Spain, and a few old chimneys. All this -convinced us that the Spaniards had formerly been here." (Cavelier, -_Relation du Voyage que mon frere entreprit pour decouvrir l'embouchure -du fleuve de Missisipy_.) The above is translated from the original -draft of Cavelier, which is in my possession. It was addressed to the -colonial minister, after the death of La Salle. The statement concerning -the Spaniards needs confirmation. - -[306] Compare Joutel with the Spanish account in _Carta en que se da -noticia de un viaje hecho a la Bahia de Espiritu Santo y de la poblacion -que tenian ahi los Franceses; Coleccion de Varios Documentos_, 25. - -[307] For the above incidents of life at Fort St. Louis, see Joutel, -_Relation_ (Margry, iii. 185-218, _passim_). The printed condensation of -the narrative omits most of these particulars. - -[308] Joutel, _Relation_ (Margry, iii. 206). Compare Le Clerc, ii. 296. -Cavelier, always disposed to exaggerate, says that ten men were killed. -La Salle had previously had encounters with the Indians, and punished -them severely for the trouble they had given his men. Le Clerc says of -the principal fight: "Several Indians were wounded, a few were killed, -and others made prisoners,--one of whom, a girl of three or four years, -was baptized, and died a few days after, as the first-fruit of this -mission, and a sure conquest sent to heaven." - -[309] Joutel, _Relation_ (Margry, iii. 219). - -[310] Cavelier says that he actually reached the Mississippi; but, on -the one hand, the abbe did not know whether the river in question was -the Mississippi or not; and, on the other, he is somewhat inclined to -mendacity. Le Clerc says that La Salle thought he had found the river. -According to the _Proces Verbal_ of 18 April, 1686, "il y arriva le 13 -Fevrier." Joutel says that La Salle told him "qu'il n'avoit point trouve -sa riviere." - -[311] _Proces Verbal fait au poste de St. Louis, le 18 Avril, 1686._ - -[312] Cavelier, _Relation du Voyage pour decouvrir l'Embouchure du -Fleuve de Missisipy_. - -[313] Joutel, _Journal Historique_, 140; Anastase Douay in Le Clerc, ii. -303; Cavelier, _Relation_. The date is from Douay. It does not appear, -from his narrative, that they meant to go farther than the Illinois. -Cavelier says that after resting here they were to go to Canada. Joutel -supposed that they would go only to the Illinois. La Salle seems to have -been even more reticent than usual. - -[314] Joutel, _Relation_ (Margry, iii. 226). - -[315] Joutel, _Relation_ (Margry, iii. 244, 246). - -[316] "Ce fut une desolation extreme pour nous tous qui desesperions de -revoir jamais nostre Ange tutelaire, le Sieur de la Salle.... Tout le -jour se passa en pleurs et en larmes."--_Douay in Le Clerc_, ii. 315. - -[317] Douay in Le Clerc, ii. 321; Cavelier, _Relation_. - -[318] Douay in Le Clerc, ii. 324, 325. - -[319] "L'egalite d'humeur du Chef rassuroit tout le monde; et il -trouvoit des resources a tout par son esprit qui relevoit les esperances -les plus abatues."--Joutel, _Journal Historique_, 152. - -"Il seroit difficile de trouver dans l'Histoire un courage plus -intrepide et plus invincible que celuy du Sieur de la Salle dans les -evenemens contraires; il ne fut jamais abatu, et il esperoit toujours -avec le secours du Ciel de venir a bout de son entreprise malgre tous -les obstacles qui se presentoient."--_Douay in Le Clerc_, ii. 327. - -[320] I follow Douay's date, who makes the day of departure the seventh -of January, or the day after Twelfth Night. Joutel thinks it was the -twelfth of January, but professes uncertainty as to all his dates at -this time, as he lost his notes. - -[321] He had to be kept on short allowance, because he was in the habit -of bargaining away everything given to him. He had squandered the little -that belonged to him at St. Domingo, in amusements "indignes de sa -naissance," and in consequence was suffering from diseases which -disabled him from walking. (_Proces Verbal, 18 Avril, 1686._) - -[322] Maxime le Clerc was a relative of the author of _L'Etablissement -de la Foi_. - -[323] "Il fit une Harangue pleine d'eloquence et de cet air engageant -qui luy estoit si naturel: toute la petite Colonie y estoit presente et -en fut touchee jusques aux larmes, persuadee de la necessite de son -voyage et de la droiture de ses intentions."--_Douay in Le Clerc_, ii, -330. - -[324] "Nous nous separames les uns des autres, d'une maniere si tendre -et si triste qu'il sembloit que nous avions tous le secret pressentiment -que nous ne nous reverrions jamais."--Joutel, _Journal Historique_, -158. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -1687. - -ASSASSINATION OF LA SALLE. - - His Followers.--Prairie Travelling--A Hunters' Quarrel--The Murder - of Moranget.--The Conspiracy.--Death of La Salle: his Character. - - -[Sidenote: LA SALLE'S FOLLOWERS.] - -The travellers were crossing a marshy prairie towards a distant belt of -woods that followed the course of a little river. They led with them -their five horses, laden with their scanty baggage, and, with what was -of no less importance, their stock of presents for Indians. Some wore -the remains of the clothing they had worn from France, eked out with -deer-skins, dressed in the Indian manner; and some had coats of old -sail-cloth. Here was La Salle, in whom one would have known, at a -glance, the chief of the party; and the priest, Cavelier, who seems to -have shared not one of the high traits of his younger brother. Here, -too, were their nephews, Moranget and the boy Cavelier, now about -seventeen years old; the trusty soldier Joutel; and the friar Anastase -Douay. Duhaut followed, a man of respectable birth and education; and -Liotot, the surgeon of the party. At home, they might perhaps have -lived and died with a fair repute; but the wilderness is a rude -touchstone, which often reveals traits that would have lain buried and -unsuspected in civilized life. The German Hiens, the ex-buccaneer, was -also of the number. He had probably sailed with an English crew; for he -was sometimes known as _Gemme Anglais_, or "English Jem."[325] The Sieur -de Marie; Teissier, a pilot; L'Archeveque, a servant of Duhaut; and -others, to the number in all of seventeen,--made up the party; to which -is to be added Nika, La Salle's Shawanoe hunter, who, as well as another -Indian, had twice crossed the ocean with him, and still followed his -fortunes with an admiring though undemonstrative fidelity. - -They passed the prairie, and neared the forest. Here they saw buffalo; -and the hunters approached, and killed several of them. Then they -traversed the woods; found and forded the shallow and rushy stream, and -pushed through the forest beyond, till they again reached the open -prairie. Heavy clouds gathered over them, and it rained all night; but -they sheltered themselves under the fresh hides of the buffalo they had -killed. - -[Sidenote: PRAIRIE TRAVELLING.] - -It is impossible, as it would be needless, to follow the detail of their -daily march.[326] It was such an one, though with unwonted hardship, as -is familiar to the memory of many a prairie traveller of our own time. -They suffered greatly from the want of shoes, and found for a while no -better substitute than a casing of raw buffalo-hide, which they were -forced to keep always wet, as, when dry, it hardened about the foot like -iron. At length they bought dressed deer-skin from the Indians, of which -they made tolerable moccasins. The rivers, streams, and gullies filled -with water were without number; and to cross them they made a boat of -bull-hide, like the "bull boat" still used on the Upper Missouri. This -did good service, as, with the help of their horses, they could carry it -with them. Two or three men could cross in it at once, and the horses -swam after them like dogs. Sometimes they traversed the sunny prairie; -sometimes dived into the dark recesses of the forest, where the buffalo, -descending daily from their pastures in long files to drink at the -river, often made a broad and easy path for the travellers. When foul -weather arrested them, they built huts of bark and long meadow-grass; -and safely sheltered lounged away the day, while their horses, picketed -near by, stood steaming in the rain. At night, they usually set a rude -stockade about their camp; and here, by the grassy border of a brook, -or at the edge of a grove where a spring bubbled up through the sands, -they lay asleep around the embers of their fire, while the man on guard -listened to the deep breathing of the slumbering horses, and the howling -of the wolves that saluted the rising moon as it flooded the waste of -prairie with pale mystic radiance. - -They met Indians almost daily,--sometimes a band of hunters, mounted or -on foot, chasing buffalo on the plains; sometimes a party of fishermen; -sometimes a winter camp, on the slope of a hill or under the sheltering -border of a forest. They held intercourse with them in the distance by -signs; often they disarmed their distrust, and attracted them into their -camp; and often they visited them in their lodges, where, seated on -buffalo-robes, they smoked with their entertainers, passing the pipe -from hand to hand, after the custom still in use among the prairie -tribes. Cavelier says that they once saw a band of a hundred and fifty -mounted Indians attacking a herd of buffalo with lances pointed with -sharpened bone. The old priest was delighted with the sport, which he -pronounces "the most diverting thing in the world." On another occasion, -when the party were encamped near the village of a tribe which Cavelier -calls Sassory, he saw them catch an alligator about twelve feet long, -which they proceeded to torture as if he were a human enemy,--first -putting out his eyes, and then leading him to the neighboring prairie, -where, having confined him by a number of stakes, they spent the entire -day in tormenting him.[327] - -Holding a northerly course, the travellers crossed the Brazos, and -reached the waters of the Trinity. The weather was unfavorable, and on -one occasion they encamped in the rain during four or five days -together. It was not an harmonious company. La Salle's cold and haughty -reserve had returned, at least for those of his followers to whom he was -not partial. Duhaut and the surgeon Liotot, both of whom were men of -some property, had a large pecuniary stake in the enterprise, and were -disappointed and incensed at its ruinous result. They had a quarrel with -young Moranget, whose hot and hasty temper was as little fitted to -conciliate as was the harsh reserve of his uncle. Already at Fort St. -Louis, Duhaut had intrigued among the men; and the mild admonition of -Joutel had not, it seems, sufficed to divert him from his sinister -purposes. Liotot, it is said, had secretly sworn vengeance against La -Salle, whom he charged with having caused the death of his brother, or, -as some will have it, his nephew. On one of the former journeys this -young man's strength had failed; and, La Salle having ordered him to -return to the fort, he had been killed by Indians on the way. - -[Sidenote: MURDER OF MORANGET.] - -The party moved again as the weather improved, and on the fifteenth of -March encamped within a few miles of a spot which La Salle had passed on -his preceding journey, and where he had left a quantity of Indian corn -and beans in _cache_; that is to say, hidden in the ground or in a -hollow tree. As provisions were falling short, he sent a party from the -camp to find it. These men were Duhaut, Liotot,[328] Hiens the -buccaneer, Teissier, L'Archeveque, Nika the hunter, and La Salle's -servant Saget. They opened the _cache_, and found the contents spoiled; -but as they returned from their bootless errand they saw buffalo, and -Nika shot two of them. They now encamped on the spot, and sent the -servant to inform La Salle, in order that he might send horses to bring -in the meat. Accordingly, on the next day, he directed Moranget and De -Marle, with the necessary horses, to go with Saget to the hunters' camp. -When they arrived, they found that Duhaut and his companions had already -cut up the meat, and laid it upon scaffolds for smoking, though it was -not yet so dry as, it seems, this process required. Duhaut and the -others had also put by, for themselves, the marrow-bones and certain -portions of the meat, to which, by woodland custom, they had a perfect -right. Moranget, whose rashness and violence had once before caused a -fatal catastrophe, fell into a most unreasonable fit of rage, berated -and menaced Duhaut and his party, and ended by seizing upon the whole of -the meat, including the reserved portions. This added fuel to the fire -of Duhaut's old grudge against Moranget and his uncle. There is reason -to think that he had harbored deadly designs, the execution of which -was only hastened by the present outbreak. The surgeon also bore hatred -against Moranget, whom he had nursed with constant attention when -wounded by an Indian arrow, and who had since repaid him with abuse. -These two now took counsel apart with Hiens, Teissier, and L'Archeveque; -and it was resolved to kill Moranget that night. Nika, La Salle's -devoted follower, and Saget, his faithful servant, must die with him. -All of the five were of one mind except the pilot Teissier, who neither -aided nor opposed the plot. - -Night came: the woods grew dark; the evening meal was finished, and the -evening pipes were smoked. The order of the guard was arranged; and, -doubtless by design, the first hour of the night was assigned to -Moranget, the second to Saget, and the third to Nika. Gun in hand, each -stood watch in turn over the silent but not sleeping forms around him, -till, his time expiring, he called the man who was to relieve him, -wrapped himself in his blanket, and was soon buried in a slumber that -was to be his last. Now the assassins rose. Duhaut and Hiens stood with -their guns cocked, ready to shoot down any one of the destined victims -who should resist or fly. The surgeon, with an axe, stole towards the -three sleepers, and struck a rapid blow at each in turn. Saget and Nika -died with little movement; but Moranget started spasmodically into a -sitting posture, gasping and unable to speak; and the murderers -compelled De Marle, who was not in their plot, to compromise himself by -despatching him. - -The floodgates of murder were open, and the torrent must have its way. -Vengeance and safety alike demanded the death of La Salle. Hiens, or -"English Jem," alone seems to have hesitated; for he was one of those to -whom that stern commander had always been partial. Meanwhile, the -intended victim was still at his camp, about six miles distant. It is -easy to picture, with sufficient accuracy, the features of the -scene,--the sheds of bark and branches, beneath which, among blankets -and buffalo-robes, camp-utensils, pack-saddles, rude harness, guns, -powder-horns, and bullet-pouches, the men lounged away the hour, -sleeping or smoking, or talking among themselves; the blackened kettles -that hung from tripods of poles over the fires; the Indians strolling -about the place or lying, like dogs in the sun, with eyes half-shut, yet -all observant; and, in the neighboring meadow, the horses grazing under -the eye of a watchman. - -[Sidenote: SUSPENSE.] - -It was the eighteenth of March. Moranget and his companions had been -expected to return the night before; but the whole day passed, and they -did not appear. La Salle became very anxious. He resolved to go and look -for them; but not well knowing the way, he told the Indians who were -about the camp that he would give them a hatchet if they would guide -him. One of them accepted the offer; and La Salle prepared to set out in -the morning, at the same time directing Joutel to be ready to go with -him. Joutel says: "That evening, while we were talking about what could -have happened to the absent men, he seemed to have a presentiment of -what was to take place. He asked me if I had heard of any machinations -against them, or if I had noticed any bad design on the part of Duhaut -and the rest. I answered that I had heard nothing, except that they -sometimes complained of being found fault with so often; and that this -was all I knew; besides which, as they were persuaded that I was in his -interest, they would not have told me of any bad design they might have. -We were very uneasy all the rest of the evening." - -[Sidenote: THE FATAL SHOT.] - -In the morning, La Salle set out with his Indian guide. He had changed -his mind with regard to Joutel, whom he now directed to remain in charge -of the camp and to keep a careful watch. He told the friar Anastase -Douay to come with him instead of Joutel, whose gun, which was the best -in the party, he borrowed for the occasion, as well as his pistol. The -three proceeded on their way,--La Salle, the friar, and the Indian. "All -the way," writes the friar, "he spoke to me of nothing but matters of -piety, grace, and predestination; enlarging on the debt he owed to God, -who had saved him from so many perils during more than twenty years of -travel in America. Suddenly, I saw him overwhelmed with a profound -sadness, for which he himself could not account. He was so much moved -that I scarcely knew him." He soon recovered his usual calmness; and -they walked on till they approached the camp of Duhaut, which was on the -farther side of a small river. Looking about him with the eye of a -woodsman, La Salle saw two eagles circling in the air nearly over him, -as if attracted by carcasses of beasts or men. He fired his gun and his -pistol, as a summons to any of his followers who might be within -hearing. The shots reached the ears of the conspirators. Rightly -conjecturing by whom they were fired, several of them, led by Duhaut, -crossed the river at a little distance above, where trees or other -intervening objects hid them from sight. Duhaut and the surgeon crouched -like Indians in the long, dry, reed-like grass of the last summer's -growth, while L'Archeveque stood in sight near the bank. La Salle, -continuing to advance, soon saw him, and, calling to him, demanded where -was Moranget. The man, without lifting his hat, or any show of respect, -replied in an agitated and broken voice, but with a tone of studied -insolence, that Moranget was strolling about somewhere. La Salle rebuked -and menaced him. He rejoined with increased insolence, drawing back, as -he spoke, towards the ambuscade, while the incensed commander advanced -to chastise him. At that moment a shot was fired from the grass, -instantly followed by another; and, pierced through the brain, La Salle -dropped dead. - -The friar at his side stood terror-stricken, unable to advance or to -fly; when Duhaut, rising from the ambuscade, called out to him to take -courage, for he had nothing to fear. The murderers now came forward, and -with wild looks gathered about their victim. "There thou liest, great -Bashaw! There thou liest!"[329] exclaimed the surgeon Liotot, in base -exultation over the unconscious corpse. With mockery and insult, they -stripped it naked, dragged it into the bushes, and left it there, a prey -to the buzzards and the wolves. - -Thus in the vigor of his manhood, at the age of forty-three, died Robert -Cavelier de la Salle, "one of the greatest men," writes Tonty, "of this -age;" without question one of the most remarkable explorers whose names -live in history. His faithful officer Joutel thus sketches his portrait: -"His firmness, his courage, his great knowledge of the arts and -sciences, which made him equal to every undertaking, and his untiring -energy, which enabled him to surmount every obstacle, would have won at -last a glorious success for his grand enterprise, had not all his fine -qualities been counterbalanced by a haughtiness of manner which often -made him insupportable, and by a harshness towards those under his -command which drew upon him an implacable hatred, and was at last the -cause of his death."[330] - -[Sidenote: HIS CHARACTER.] - -The enthusiasm of the disinterested and chivalrous Champlain was not -the enthusiasm of La Salle; nor had he any part in the self-devoted zeal -of the early Jesuit explorers. He belonged not to the age of the -knight-errant and the saint, but to the modern world of practical study -and practical action. He was the hero not of a principle nor of a faith, -but simply of a fixed idea and a determined purpose. As often happens -with concentred and energetic natures, his purpose was to him a passion -and an inspiration; and he clung to it with a certain fanaticism of -devotion. It was the offspring of an ambition vast and comprehensive, -yet acting in the interest both of France and of civilization. - -Serious in all things, incapable of the lighter pleasures, incapable of -repose, finding no joy but in the pursuit of great designs, too shy for -society and too reserved for popularity, often unsympathetic and always -seeming so, smothering emotions which he could not utter, schooled to -universal distrust, stern to his followers and pitiless to himself, -bearing the brunt of every hardship and every danger, demanding of -others an equal constancy joined to an implicit deference, heeding no -counsel but his own, attempting the impossible and grasping at what was -too vast to hold,--he contained in his own complex and painful nature -the chief springs of his triumphs, his failures, and his death. - -It is easy to reckon up his defects, but it is not easy to hide from -sight the Roman virtues that redeemed them. Beset by a throng of -enemies, he stands, like the King of Israel, head and shoulders above -them all. He was a tower of adamant, against whose impregnable front -hardship and danger, the rage of man and of the elements, the southern -sun, the northern blast, fatigue, famine, disease, delay, -disappointment, and deferred hope emptied their quivers in vain. That -very pride which, Coriolanus-like, declared itself most sternly in the -thickest press of foes, has in it something to challenge admiration. -Never, under the impenetrable mail of paladin or crusader, beat a heart -of more intrepid mettle than within the stoic panoply that armed the -breast of La Salle. To estimate aright the marvels of his patient -fortitude, one must follow on his track through the vast scene of his -interminable journeyings,--those thousands of weary miles of forest, -marsh, and river, where, again and again, in the bitterness of baffled -striving, the untiring pilgrim pushed onward towards the goal which he -was never to attain. America owes him an enduring memory; for in this -masculine figure she sees the pioneer who guided her to the possession -of her richest heritage.[331] - -[Sidenote: DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE.] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[325] Tonty also speaks of him as "un flibustier anglois." In another -document, he is called "James." - -[326] Of the three narratives of this journey, those of Joutel, -Cavelier, and Anastase Douay, the first is by far the best. That of -Cavelier seems the work of a man of confused brain and indifferent -memory. Some of his statements are irreconcilable with those of Joutel -and Douay; and known facts of his history justify the suspicion of a -wilful inaccuracy. Joutel's account is of a very different character, -and seems to be the work of an honest and intelligent man. Douay's -account if brief; but it agrees with that of Joutel, in most essential -points. - -[327] Cavelier, _Relation_. - -[328] Called Lanquetot by Tonty. - -[329] "Te voila, grand Bacha, te voila!"--Joutel, _Journal Historique_, -203. - -[330] _Ibid._ - -[331] On the assassination of La Salle, the evidence is fourfold: 1. The -narrative of Douay, who was with him at the time. 2. That of Joutel, who -learned the facts, immediately after they took place, from Douay and -others, and who parted from La Salle an hour or more before his death. -3. A document preserved in the Archives de la Marine, entitled _Relation -de la Mort du Sr. de la Salle, suivant le rapport d'un nomme Couture a -qui M. Cavelier l'apprit en passant au pays des Akansa, avec toutes les -circonstances que le dit Couture a apprises d'un Francois que M. -Cavelier avoit laisse aux dits pays des Akansa, crainte qu'il ne gardat -pas le secret_. 4. The authentic memoir of Tonty, of which a copy from -the original is before me, and which has recently been printed by -Margry. - -The narrative of Cavelier unfortunately fails us several weeks before -the death of his brother, the remainder being lost. On a study of these -various documents, it is impossible to resist the conclusion that -neither Cavelier nor Douay always wrote honestly. Joutel, on the -contrary, gives the impression of sense, intelligence, and candor -throughout. Charlevoix, who knew him long after, says that he was "un -fort honnete homme, et le seul de la troupe de M. de la Salle, sur qui -ce celebre voyageur put compter." Tonty derived his information from the -survivors of La Salle's party. Couture, whose statements are embodied in -the _Relation de la Mort de M. de la Salle_, was one of Tonty's men, -who, as will be seen hereafter, were left by him at the mouth of the -Arkansas, and to whom Cavelier told the story of his brother's death. -Couture also repeats the statements of one of La Salle's followers, -undoubtedly a Parisian boy, named Barthelemy, who was violently -prejudiced against his chief, whom he slanders to the utmost of his -skill, saying that he was so enraged at his failures that he did not -approach the sacraments for two years; that he nearly starved his -brother Cavelier, allowing him only a handful of meal a day; that he -killed with his own hand "quantite de personnes," who did not work to -his liking; and that he killed the sick in their beds, without mercy, -under the pretence that they were counterfeiting sickness in order to -escape work. These assertions certainly have no other foundation than -the undeniable rigor of La Salle's command. Douay says that he confessed -and made his devotions on the morning of his death, while Cavelier -always speaks of him as the hope and the staff of the colony. - -Douay declares that La Salle lived an hour after the fatal shot; that he -gave him absolution, buried his body, and planted a cross on his grave. -At the time, he told Joutel a different story; and the latter, with the -best means of learning the facts, explicitly denies the friar's printed -statement. Couture, on the authority of Cavelier himself, also says that -neither he nor Douay was permitted to take any step for burying the -body. Tonty says that Cavelier begged leave to do so, but was refused. -Douay, unwilling to place upon record facts from which the inference -might easily be drawn that he had been terrified from discharging his -duty, no doubt invented the story of the burial, as well as that of the -edifying behavior of Moranget, after he had been struck in the head with -an axe. - -The locality of La Salle's assassination is sufficiently clear, from a -comparison of the several narratives; and it is also indicated on a -contemporary manuscript map, made on the return of the survivors of the -party to France. The scene of the catastrophe is here placed on a -southern branch of the Trinity. - -La Salle's debts, at the time of his death, according to a schedule -presented in 1701 to Champigny, intendant of Canada, amounted to 106,831 -livres, without reckoning interest. This cannot be meant to include all, -as items are given which raise the amount much higher. In 1678 and 1679 -alone, he contracted debts to the amount of 97,184 livres, of which -46,000 were furnished by Branssac, fiscal attorney of the Seminary of -Montreal. This was to be paid in beaver-skins. Frontenac, at the same -time, became his surety for 13,623 livres. In 1684, he borrowed 34,825 -livres from the Sieur Pen, at Paris. These sums do not include the -losses incurred by his family, which, in the memorial presented by them -to the King, are set down at 500,000 livres for the expeditions between -1678 and 1683, and 300,000 livres for the fatal Texan expedition of 1684 -These last figures are certainly exaggerated. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -1687, 1688. - -THE INNOCENT AND THE GUILTY. - - Triumph of the Murderers.--Danger of Joutel.--Joutel among the - Cenis.--White Savages.--Insolence of Duhaut and his - Accomplices.--Murder of Duhaut and Liotot.--Hiens, the - Buccaneer.--Joutel and his Party: their Escape; they reach the - Arkansas.--Bravery and Devotion of Tonty.--The Fugitives reach - the Illinois.--Unworthy Conduct of Cavelier.--He and his Companions - return to France. - -Father Anastase Douay returned to the camp, and, aghast with grief and -terror, rushed into the hut of Cavelier. "My poor brother is dead!" -cried the priest, instantly divining the catastrophe from the -horror-stricken face of the messenger. Close behind came the murderers, -Duhaut at their head. Cavelier, his young nephew, and Douay himself, all -fell on their knees, expecting instant death. The priest begged -piteously for half an hour to prepare for his end; but terror and -submission sufficed, and no more blood was shed. The camp yielded -without resistance; and Duhaut was lord of all. In truth, there were -none to oppose him; for, except the assassins themselves, the party was -now reduced to six persons,--Joutel, Douay, the elder Cavelier, his -young nephew, and two other boys, the orphan Talon and a lad called -Barthelemy. - -[Sidenote: DOUBT AND ANXIETY.] - -Joutel, for the moment, was absent; and L'Archeveque, who had a kindness -for him, went quietly to seek him. He found him on a hillock, making a -fire of dried grass in order that the smoke might guide La Salle on his -return, and watching the horses grazing in the meadow below. "I was very -much surprised," writes Joutel, "when I saw him approaching. When he -came up to me he seemed all in confusion, or, rather, out of his wits. -He began with saying that there was very bad news. I asked what it was. -He answered that the Sieur de la Salle was dead, and also his nephew the -Sieur de Moranget, his Indian hunter, and his servant. I was petrified, -and did not know what to say; for I saw that they had been murdered. The -man added that, at first, the murderers had sworn to kill me too. I -easily believed it, for I had always been in the interest of M. de la -Salle, and had commanded in his place; and it is hard to please -everybody, or prevent some from being dissatisfied. I was greatly -perplexed as to what I ought to do, and whether I had not better escape -to the woods, whithersoever God should guide me; but, by bad or good -luck, I had no gun and only one pistol, without balls or powder except -what was in my powder-horn. To whatever side I turned, my life was in -great peril. It is true that L'Archeveque assured me that they had -changed their minds, and had agreed to murder nobody else, unless they -met with resistance. So, being in no condition, as I just said, to go -far, having neither arms nor powder, I abandoned myself to Providence, -and went back to the camp, where I found that these wretched murderers -had seized everything belonging to M. de la Salle, and even my personal -effects. They had also taken possession of all the arms. The first words -that Duhaut said to me were, that each should command in turn; to which -I made no answer. I saw M. Cavelier praying in a corner, and Father -Anastase in another. He did not dare to speak to me, nor did I dare to -go towards him till I had seen the designs of the assassins. They were -in furious excitement, but, nevertheless, very uneasy and embarrassed. I -was some time without speaking, and, as it were, without moving, for -fear of giving umbrage to our enemies. - -"They had cooked some meat, and when it was supper-time they distributed -it as they saw fit, saying that formerly their share had been served out -to them, but that it was they who would serve it out in future. They, no -doubt, wanted me to say something that would give them a chance to make -a noise; but I managed always to keep my mouth closed. When night came -and it was time to stand guard, they were in perplexity, as they could -not do it alone; therefore they said to M. Cavelier, Father Anastase, -me, and the others who were not in the plot with them, that all we had -to do was to stand guard as usual; that there was no use in thinking -about what had happened,--that what was done was done; that they had -been driven to it by despair, and that they were sorry for it, and meant -no more harm to anybody. M. Cavelier took up the word, and told them -that when they killed M. de la Salle they killed themselves, for there -was nobody but him who could get us out of this country. At last, after -a good deal of talk on both sides, they gave us our arms. So we stood -guard; during which, M. Cavelier told me how they had come to the camp, -entered his hut like so many madmen, and seized everything in it." - -Joutel, Douay, and the two Caveliers spent a sleepless night, consulting -as to what they should do. They mutually pledged themselves to stand by -each other to the last, and to escape as soon as they could from the -company of the assassins. In the morning, Duhaut and his accomplices, -after much discussion, resolved to go to the Cenis villages; and, -accordingly, the whole party broke up their camp, packed their horses, -and began their march. They went five leagues, and encamped at the edge -of a grove. On the following day they advanced again till noon, when -heavy rains began, and they were forced to stop by the banks of a river. -"We passed the night and the next day there," says Joutel; "and during -that time my mind was possessed with dark thoughts. It was hard to -prevent ourselves from being in constant fear among such men, and we -could not look at them without horror. When I thought of the cruel -deeds they had committed, and the danger we were in from them, I longed -to revenge the evil they had done us. This would have been easy while -they were asleep; but M. Cavelier dissuaded us, saying that we ought to -leave vengeance to God, and that he himself had more to revenge than we, -having lost his brother and his nephew." - -[Sidenote: JOURNEY TO THE CENIS.] - -The comic alternated with the tragic. On the twenty-third, they reached -the bank of a river too deep to ford. Those who knew how to swim crossed -without difficulty, but Joutel, Cavelier, and Douay were not of the -number. Accordingly, they launched a log of light, dry wood, embraced it -with one arm, and struck out for the other bank with their legs and the -arm that was left free. But the friar became frightened. "He only clung -fast to the aforesaid log," says Joutel, "and did nothing to help us -forward. While I was trying to swim, my body being stretched at full -length, I hit him in the belly with my feet; on which he thought it was -all over with him, and, I can answer for it, he invoked Saint Francis -with might and main. I could not help laughing, though I was myself in -danger of drowning." Some Indians who had joined the party swam to the -rescue, and pushed the log across. - -The path to the Cenis villages was exceedingly faint, and but for the -Indians they would have lost the way. They crossed the main stream of -the Trinity in a boat of raw hides, and then, being short of -provisions, held a council to determine what they should do. It was -resolved that Joutel, with Hiens, Liotot, and Teissier, should go in -advance to the villages and buy a supply of corn. Thus, Joutel found -himself doomed to the company of three villains, who, he strongly -suspected, were contriving an opportunity to kill him; but, as he had no -choice, he dissembled his doubts, and set out with his sinister -companions, Duhaut having first supplied him with goods for the intended -barter. - -[Sidenote: JOUTEL AND THE CENIS.] - -They rode over hills and plains till night, encamped, supped on a wild -turkey, and continued their journey till the afternoon of the next day, -when they saw three men approaching on horseback, one of whom, to -Joutel's alarm, was dressed like a Spaniard. He proved, however, to be a -Cenis Indian, like the others. The three turned their horses' heads, and -accompanied the Frenchmen on their way. At length they neared the Indian -town, which, with its large thatched lodges, looked like a cluster of -gigantic haystacks. Their approach had been made known, and they were -received in solemn state. Twelve of the elders came to meet them in -their dress of ceremony, each with his face daubed red or black, and his -head adorned with painted plumes. From their shoulders hung deer-skins -wrought with gay colors. Some carried war-clubs; some, bows and arrows; -some, the blades of Spanish rapiers, attached to wooden handles -decorated with hawk's bells and bunches of feathers. They stopped -before the honored guests, and, raising their hands aloft, uttered howls -so extraordinary that Joutel could hardly preserve the gravity which the -occasion demanded. Having next embraced the Frenchmen, the elders -conducted them into the village, attended by a crowd of warriors and -young men; ushered them into their town-hall, a large lodge, devoted to -councils, feasts, dances, and other public assemblies; seated them on -mats, and squatted in a ring around them. Here they were regaled with -sagamite or Indian porridge, corn-cake, beans, bread made of the meal of -parched corn, and another kind of bread made of the kernels of nuts and -the seed of sunflowers. Then the pipe was lighted, and all smoked -together. The four Frenchmen proposed to open a traffic for provisions, -and their entertainers grunted assent. - -Joutel found a Frenchman in the village. He was a young man from -Provence, who had deserted from La Salle on his last journey, and was -now, to all appearance, a savage like his adopted countrymen, being -naked like them, and affecting to have forgotten his native language. He -was very friendly, however, and invited the visitors to a neighboring -village, where he lived, and where, as he told them, they would find a -better supply of corn. They accordingly set out with him, escorted by a -crowd of Indians. They saw lodges and clusters of lodges scattered along -their path at intervals, each with its field of corn, beans, and -pumpkins, rudely cultivated with a wooden hoe. Reaching their -destination, which was four or five leagues distant, they were greeted -with the same honors as at the first village, and, the ceremonial of -welcome over, were lodged in the abode of the savage Frenchman. It is -not to be supposed, however, that he and his squaws, of whom he had a -considerable number, dwelt here alone; for these lodges of the Cenis -often contained eight or ten families. They were made by firmly planting -in a circle tall, straight young trees, such as grew in the swamps. The -tops were then bent inward and lashed together; great numbers of -cross-pieces were bound on; and the frame thus constructed was thickly -covered with thatch, a hole being left at the top for the escape of the -smoke. The inmates were ranged around the circumference of the -structure, each family in a kind of stall, open in front, but separated -from those adjoining it by partitions of mats. Here they placed their -beds of cane, their painted robes of buffalo and deer-skin, their -cooking utensils of pottery, and other household goods; and here, too, -the head of the family hung his bow, quiver, lance, and shield. There -was nothing in common but the fire, which burned in the middle of the -lodge, and was never suffered to go out. These dwellings were of great -size, and Joutel declares that he has seen some of them sixty feet in -diameter.[332] - -It was in one of the largest that the four travellers were now lodged. A -place was assigned them where to bestow their baggage; and they took -possession of their quarters amid the silent stares of the whole -community. They asked their renegade countryman, the Provencal, if they -were safe. He replied that they were; but this did not wholly reassure -them, and they spent a somewhat wakeful night. In the morning, they -opened their budgets, and began a brisk trade in knives, awls, beads, -and other trinkets, which they exchanged for corn and beans. Before -evening, they had acquired a considerable stock; and Joutel's three -companions declared their intention of returning with it to the camp, -leaving him to continue the trade. They went, accordingly, in the -morning; and Joutel was left alone. On the one hand, he was glad to be -rid of them; on the other, he found his position among the Cenis very -irksome, and, as he thought, insecure. Besides the Provencal, who had -gone with Liotot and his companions, there were two other French -deserters among this tribe, and Joutel was very desirous to see them, -hoping that they could tell him the way to the Mississippi; for he was -resolved to escape, at the first opportunity, from the company of Duhaut -and his accomplices. He therefore made the present of a knife to a young -Indian, whom he sent to find the two Frenchmen and invite them to come -to the village. Meanwhile he continued his barter, but under many -difficulties; for he could only explain himself by signs, and his -customers, though friendly by day, pilfered his goods by night. This, -joined to the fears and troubles which burdened his mind, almost -deprived him of sleep, and, as he confesses, greatly depressed his -spirits. Indeed, he had little cause for cheerfulness as to the past, -present, or future. An old Indian, one of the patriarchs of the tribe, -observing his dejection and anxious to relieve it, one evening brought -him a young wife, saying that he made him a present of her. She seated -herself at his side; "but," says Joutel, "as my head was full of other -cares and anxieties, I said nothing to the poor girl. She waited for a -little time; and then, finding that I did not speak a word, she went -away."[333] - -[Sidenote: WHITE SAVAGES.] - -Late one night, he lay between sleeping and waking on the buffalo-robe -that covered his bed of canes. All around the great lodge, its inmates -were buried in sleep; and the fire that still burned in the midst cast -ghostly gleams on the trophies of savage chivalry--the treasured -scalp-locks, the spear and war-club, and shield of whitened -bull-hide--that hung by each warrior's resting-place. Such was the -weird scene that lingered on the dreamy eyes of Joutel, as he closed -them at last in a troubled sleep. The sound of a footstep soon wakened -him; and, turning, he saw at his side the figure of a naked savage, -armed with a bow and arrows. Joutel spoke, but received no answer. Not -knowing what to think, he reached out his hand for his pistols; on which -the intruder withdrew, and seated himself by the fire. Thither Joutel -followed; and as the light fell on his features, he looked at him -closely. His face was tattooed, after the Cenis fashion, in lines drawn -from the top of the forehead and converging to the chin; and his body -was decorated with similar embellishments. Suddenly, this supposed -Indian rose and threw his arms around Joutel's neck, making himself -known, at the same time, as one of the Frenchmen who had deserted from -La Salle and taken refuge among the Cenis. He was a Breton sailor named -Ruter. His companion, named Grollet, also a sailor, had been afraid to -come to the village lest he should meet La Salle. Ruter expressed -surprise and regret when he heard of the death of his late commander. He -had deserted him but a few months before. That brief interval had -sufficed to transform him into a savage; and both he and his companion -found their present reckless and ungoverned way of life greatly to their -liking. He could tell nothing of the Mississippi; and on the next day he -went home, carrying with him a present of beads for his wives, of which -last he had made a large collection. - -In a few days he reappeared, bringing Grollet with him. Each wore a -bunch of turkey-feathers dangling from his head, and each had wrapped -his naked body in a blanket. Three men soon after arrived from Duhaut's -camp, commissioned to receive the corn which Joutel had purchased. They -told him that Duhaut and Liotot, the tyrants of the party, had resolved -to return to Fort St. Louis, and build a vessel to escape to the West -Indies,--"a visionary scheme," writes Joutel, "for our carpenters were -all dead; and even if they had been alive, they were so ignorant that -they would not have known how to go about the work; besides, we had no -tools for it. Nevertheless, I was obliged to obey, and set out for the -camp with the provisions." - -On arriving, he found a wretched state of affairs. Douay and the two -Caveliers, who had been treated by Duhaut with great harshness and -contempt, had been told to make their mess apart; and Joutel now joined -them. This separation restored them their freedom of speech, of which -they had hitherto been deprived; but it subjected them to incessant -hunger, as they were allowed only food enough to keep them from -famishing. Douay says that quarrels were rife among the assassins -themselves,--the malcontents being headed by Hiens, who was enraged that -Duhaut and Liotot should have engrossed all the plunder. Joutel was -helpless, for he had none to back him but two priests and a boy. - -[Sidenote: SCHEMES OF ESCAPE.] - -He and his companions talked of nothing around their solitary camp-fire -but the means of escaping from the villanous company into which they -were thrown. They saw no resource but to find the Mississippi, and thus -make their way to Canada,--a prodigious undertaking in their forlorn -condition; nor was there any probability that the assassins would permit -them to go. These, on their part, were beset with difficulties. They -could not return to civilization without manifest peril of a halter; and -their only safety was to turn buccaneers or savages. Duhaut, however, -still held to his plan of going back to Fort St. Louis; and Joutel and -his companions, who with good reason stood in daily fear of him, devised -among themselves a simple artifice to escape from his company. The elder -Cavelier was to tell him that they were too fatigued for the journey, -and wished to stay among the Cenis; and to beg him to allow them a -portion of the goods, for which Cavelier was to give his note of hand. -The old priest, whom a sacrifice of truth even on less important -occasions cost no great effort, accordingly opened the negotiation, and -to his own astonishment and that of his companions, gained the assent of -Duhaut. Their joy, however, was short; for Ruter, the French savage, to -whom Joutel had betrayed his intention, when inquiring the way to the -Mississippi, told it to Duhaut, who on this changed front and made the -ominous declaration that he and his men would also go to Canada. Joutel -and his companions were now filled with alarm; for there was no -likelihood that the assassins would permit them, the witnesses of their -crime, to reach the settlements alive. In the midst of their trouble, -the sky was cleared as by the crash of a thunderbolt. - -[Sidenote: THE CRISIS.] - -Hiens and several others had gone, some time before, to the Cenis -villages to purchase horses; and here they had been detained by the -charms of the Indian women. During their stay, Hiens heard of Duhaut's -new plan of going to Canada by the Mississippi; and he declared to those -with him that he would not consent. On a morning early in May he -appeared at Duhaut's camp, with Ruter and Grollet, the French savages, -and about twenty Indians. Duhaut and Liotot, it is said, were passing -the time by practising with bows and arrows in front of their hut. One -of them called to Hiens, "Good-morning;" but the buccaneer returned a -sullen answer. He then accosted Duhaut, telling him that he had no mind -to go up the Mississippi with him, and demanding a share of the goods. -Duhaut replied that the goods were his own, since La Salle had owed him -money. "So you will not give them to me?" returned Hiens. "No," was the -answer. "You are a wretch!" exclaimed Hiens; "you killed my -master."[334] And drawing a pistol from his belt he fired at Duhaut, -who staggered three or four paces and fell dead. Almost at the same -instant Ruter fired his gun at Liotot, shot three balls into his body, -and stretched him on the ground mortally wounded. - -Douay and the two Caveliers stood in extreme terror, thinking that their -turn was to come next. Joutel, no less alarmed, snatched his gun to -defend himself; but Hiens called to him to fear nothing, declaring that -what he had done was only to avenge the death of La Salle,--to which, -nevertheless, he had been privy, though not an active sharer in the -crime. Liotot lived long enough to make his confession, after which -Ruter killed him by exploding a pistol loaded with a blank charge of -powder against his head. Duhaut's myrmidon, L'Archeveque, was absent, -hunting, and Hiens was for killing him on his return; but the two -priests and Joutel succeeded in dissuading him. - -The Indian spectators beheld these murders with undisguised amazement, -and almost with horror. What manner of men were these who had pierced -the secret places of the wilderness to riot in mutual slaughter? Their -fiercest warriors might learn a lesson in ferocity from these heralds of -civilization. Joutel and his companions, who could not dispense with the -aid of the Cenis, were obliged to explain away, as they best might, the -atrocity of what they had witnessed.[335] - -Hiens, and others of the French, had before promised to join the Cenis -on an expedition against a neighboring tribe with whom they were at war; -and the whole party having removed to the Indian village, the warriors -and their allies prepared to depart. Six Frenchmen went with Hiens; and -the rest, including Joutel, Douay, and the Caveliers, remained behind, -in the lodge where Joutel had been domesticated, and where none were now -left but women, children, and old men. Here they remained a week or -more, watched closely by the Cenis, who would not let them leave the -village; when news at length arrived of a great victory, and the -warriors soon after returned with forty-eight scalps. It was the French -guns that won the battle, but not the less did they glory in their -prowess; and several days were spent in ceremonies and feasts of -triumph.[336] - -When all this hubbub of rejoicing had subsided, Joutel and his -companions broke to Hiens their plan of attempting to reach home by way -of the Mississippi. As they had expected, he opposed it vehemently, -declaring that for his own part he would not run such a risk of losing -his head; but at length he consented to their departure, on condition -that the elder Cavelier should give him a certificate of his entire -innocence of the murder of La Salle, which the priest did not hesitate -to do. For the rest, Hiens treated his departing fellow-travellers with -the generosity of a successful free-booter; for he gave them a good -share of the plunder he had won by his late crime, supplying them with -hatchets, knives, beads, and other articles of trade, besides several -horses. Meanwhile, adds Joutel, "we had the mortification and chagrin of -seeing this scoundrel walking about the camp in a scarlet coat laced -with gold which had belonged to the late Monsieur de la Salle, and which -he had seized upon, as also upon all the rest of his property." A -well-aimed shot would have avenged the wrong, but Joutel was clearly a -mild and moderate person; and the elder Cavelier had constantly opposed -all plans of violence. Therefore they stifled their emotions, and armed -themselves with patience. - -[Sidenote: JOUTEL AND HIS PARTY.] - -Joutel's party consisted, besides himself, of the Caveliers (uncle and -nephew), Anastase Douay, De Marle, Teissier, and a young Parisian named -Barthelemy. Teissier, an accomplice in the murders of Moranget and La -Salle, had obtained a pardon, in form, from the elder Cavelier. They had -six horses and three Cenis guides. Hiens embraced them at parting, as -did the ruffians who remained with him. Their course was northeast, -toward the mouth of the Arkansas,--a distant goal, the way to which was -beset with so many dangers that their chance of reaching it seemed -small. It was early in June, and the forests and prairies were green -with the verdure of opening summer. - -They soon reached the Assonis, a tribe near the Sabine, who received -them well, and gave them guides to the nations dwelling towards Red -River. On the twenty-third, they approached a village, the inhabitants -of which, regarding them as curiosities of the first order, came out in -a body to see them; and, eager to do them honor, they required them to -mount on their backs, and thus make their entrance in procession. -Joutel, being large and heavy, weighed down his bearer, insomuch that -two of his countrymen were forced to sustain him, one on each side. On -arriving, an old chief washed their faces with warm water from an -earthen pan, and then invited them to mount on a scaffold of canes, -where they sat in the hot sun listening to four successive speeches of -welcome, of which they understood not a word.[337] - -At the village of another tribe, farther on their way, they met with a -welcome still more oppressive. Cavelier, the unworthy successor of his -brother, being represented as the chief of the party, became the -principal victim of their attentions. They danced the calumet before -him; while an Indian, taking him, with an air of great respect, by the -shoulders as he sat, shook him in cadence with the thumping of the drum. -They then placed two girls close beside him, as his wives; while, at the -same time, an old chief tied a painted feather in his hair. These -proceedings so scandalized him that, pretending to be ill, he broke off -the ceremony; but they continued to sing all night, with so much zeal -that several of them were reduced to a state of complete exhaustion. - -[Sidenote: ARRIVAL AT THE ARKANSAS.] - -At length, after a journey of about two months, during which they lost -one of their number,--De Marle, accidentally drowned while bathing,--the -travellers approached the river Arkansas, at a point not far above its -junction with the Mississippi. Led by their Indian guides, they -traversed a rich district of plains and woods, and stood at length on -the borders of the stream. Nestled beneath the forests of the farther -shore, they saw the lodges of a large Indian town; and here, as they -gazed across the broad current, they presently descried an object which -nerved their spent limbs, and thrilled their homesick hearts with joy. -It was a tall, wooden cross; and near it was a small house, built -evidently by Christian hands. With one accord they fell on their knees, -and raised their hands to Heaven in thanksgiving. Two men, in European -dress, issued from the door of the house and fired their guns to salute -the excited travellers, who on their part replied with a volley. Canoes -put out from the farther shore and ferried them to the town, where they -were welcomed by Couture and De Launay, two followers of Henri de -Tonty.[338] - -That brave, loyal, and generous man, always vigilant and always active, -beloved and feared alike by white men and by red,[339] had been -ejected, as we have seen, by the agent of the governor, La Barre, from -the command of Fort St. Louis of the Illinois. An order from the King -had reinstated him; and he no sooner heard the news of La Salle's -landing on the shores of the Gulf, and of the disastrous beginnings of -his colony,[340] than he prepared, on his own responsibility and at his -own cost, to go to his assistance. He collected twenty-five Frenchmen -and eleven Indians, and set out from his fortified rock on the -thirteenth of February, 1686;[341] descended the Mississippi, and -reached its mouth in Holy Week. All was solitude, a voiceless desolation -of river, marsh, and sea. He despatched canoes to the east and to the -west, searching the coast for some thirty leagues on either side. -Finding no trace of his friend, who at that moment was ranging the -prairies of Texas in no less fruitless search of his "fatal river," -Tonty wrote for him a letter, which he left in the charge of an Indian -chief, who preserved it with reverential care, and gave it, fourteen -years after, to Iberville, the founder of Louisiana.[342] Deeply -disappointed at his failure, Tonty retraced his course, and ascended the -Mississippi to the villages of the Arkansas, where some of his men -volunteered to remain. He left six of them; and of this number were -Couture and De Launay.[343] - -[Sidenote: A HOSPITABLE RECEPTION.] - -Cavelier and his companions, followed by a crowd of Indians, some -carrying their baggage, some struggling for a view of the white -strangers, entered the log cabin of their two hosts. Rude as it was, -they found in it an earnest of peace and safety, and a foretaste of -home. Couture and De Launay were moved even to tears by the story of -their disasters, and of the catastrophe that crowned them. La Salle's -death was carefully concealed from the Indians, many of whom had seen -him on his descent of the Mississippi, and who regarded him with -prodigious respect. They lavished all their hospitality on his -followers; feasted them on corn-bread, dried buffalo meat, and -watermelons, and danced the calumet before them, the most august of all -their ceremonies. On this occasion, Cavelier's patience failed him -again; and pretending, as before, to be ill, he called on his nephew to -take his place. There were solemn dances, too, in which the -warriors--some bedaubed with white clay, some with red, and some with -both; some wearing feathers, and some the horns of buffalo; some naked, -and some in painted shirts of deer-skin, fringed with scalp-locks, -insomuch, says Joutel, that they looked like a troop of devils--leaped, -stamped, and howled from sunset till dawn. All this was partly to do the -travellers honor, and partly to extort presents. They made objections, -however, when asked to furnish guides; and it was only by dint of great -offers that four were at length procured. - -[Sidenote: THE MISSISSIPPI.] - -With these, the travellers resumed their journey in a wooden canoe, -about the first of August,[344] descended the Arkansas, and soon reached -the dark and inexorable river, so long the object of their search, -rolling, like a destiny, through its realms of solitude and shade. They -launched their canoe on its turbid bosom, plied their oars against the -current, and slowly won their way upward, following the writhings of -this watery monster through cane-brake, swamp, and fen. It was a hard -and toilsome journey, under the sweltering sun of August,--now on the -water, now knee-deep in mud, dragging their canoe through the -unwholesome jungle. On the nineteenth, they passed the mouth of the -Ohio; and their Indian guides made it an offering of buffalo meat. On -the first of September, they passed the Missouri, and soon after saw -Marquette's pictured rock, and the line of craggy heights on the east -shore, marked on old French maps as "the Ruined Castles." Then, with a -sense of relief, they turned from the great river into the peaceful -current of the Illinois. They were eleven days in ascending it, in their -large and heavy wooden canoe; when at length, on the afternoon of the -fourteenth of September, they saw, towering above the forest and the -river, the cliff crowned with the palisades of Fort St. Louis of the -Illinois. As they drew near, a troop of Indians, headed by a Frenchman, -descended from the rock, and fired their guns to salute them. They -landed, and followed the forest path that led towards the fort, when -they were met by Boisrondet, Tonty's comrade in the Iroquois war, and -two other Frenchmen, who no sooner saw them than they called out, -demanding where was La Salle. Cavelier, fearing lest he and his party -would lose the advantage they might derive from his character of -representative of his brother, was determined to conceal his death; and -Joutel, as he himself confesses, took part in the deceit. Substituting -equivocation for falsehood, they replied that La Salle had been with -them nearly as far as the Cenis villages, and that, when they parted, -he was in good health. This, so far as they were concerned, was, -literally speaking, true; but Douay and Teissier, the one a witness and -the other a sharer in his death, could not have said so much without a -square falsehood, and therefore evaded the inquiry. - -Threading the forest path, and circling to the rear of the rock, they -climbed the rugged height, and reached the top. Here they saw an area, -encircled by the palisades that fenced the brink of the cliff, and by -several dwellings, a store-house, and a chapel. There were Indian lodges -too; for some of the red allies of the French made their abode with -them.[345] Tonty was absent, fighting the Iroquois; but his lieutenant, -Bellefontaine, received the travellers, and his little garrison of -bush-rangers greeted them with a salute of musketry, mingled with the -whooping of the Indians. A _Te Deum_ followed at the chapel; "and, with -all our hearts," says Joutel, "we gave thanks to God, who had preserved -and guided us." At length, the tired travellers were among countrymen -and friends. Bellefontaine found a room for the two priests; while -Joutel, Teissier, and young Cavelier were lodged in the store-house. - -[Sidenote: THE JESUIT ALLOUEZ.] - -The Jesuit Allouez was lying ill at the fort; and Joutel, Cavelier, and -Douay went to visit him. He showed great anxiety when told that La Salle -was alive, and on his way to the Illinois; asked many questions, and -could not hide his agitation. When, some time after, he had partially -recovered, he left St. Louis, as if to shun a meeting with the object of -his alarm.[346] Once before, in 1679, Allouez had fled from the -Illinois on hearing of the approach of La Salle. - -The season was late, and they were eager to hasten forward that they -might reach Quebec in time to return to France in the autumn ships. -There was not a day to lose. They bade farewell to Bellefontaine, from -whom, as from all others, they had concealed the death of La Salle, and -made their way across the country to Chicago. Here they were detained a -week by a storm; and when at length they embarked in a canoe furnished -by Bellefontaine, the tempest soon forced them to put back. On this, -they abandoned their design, and returned to Fort St. Louis, to the -astonishment of its inmates. - -[Sidenote: CONDUCT OF CAVELIER.] - -It was October when they arrived; and, meanwhile, Tonty had returned -from the Iroquois war, where he had borne a conspicuous part in the -famous attack on the Senecas by the Marquis de Denonville.[347] He -listened with deep interest to the mournful story of his guests. -Cavelier knew him well. He knew, so far as he was capable of knowing, -his generous and disinterested character, his long and faithful -attachment to La Salle, and the invaluable services he had rendered him. -Tonty had every claim on his confidence and affection. Yet he did not -hesitate to practise on him the same deceit which he had practised on -Bellefontaine. He told him that he had left his brother in good health -on the Gulf of Mexico, and drew upon him, in La Salle's name, for an -amount stated by Joutel at about four thousand livres, in furs, besides -a canoe and a quantity of other goods, all of which were delivered to -him by the unsuspecting victim.[348] - -This was at the end of the winter, when the old priest and his -companions had been living for months on Tonty's hospitality. They set -out for Canada on the twenty-first of March, reached Chicago on the -twenty-ninth, and thence proceeded to Michilimackinac. Here Cavelier -sold some of Tonty's furs to a merchant, who gave him in payment a draft -on Montreal, thus putting him in funds for his voyage home. The party -continued their journey in canoes by way of French River and the Ottawa, -and safely reached Montreal on the seventeenth of July. Here they -procured the clothing of which they were wofully in need, and then -descended the river to Quebec, where they took lodging,--some with the -Recollet friars, and some with the priests of the Seminary,--in order to -escape the questions of the curious. At the end of August they embarked -for France, and early in October arrived safely at Rochelle. None of the -party were men of especial energy or force of character; and yet, under -the spur of a dire necessity, they had achieved one of the most -adventurous journeys on record. - -[Sidenote: THE COLONISTS ABANDONED.] - -Now, at length, they disburdened themselves of their gloomy secret; but -the sole result seems to have been an order from the King for the arrest -of the murderers, should they appear in Canada.[349] Joutel was -disappointed. It had been his hope throughout that the King would send a -ship to the relief of the wretched band at Fort St. Louis of Texas. But -Louis XIV. hardened his heart, and left them to their fate. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[332] The lodges of the Florida Indians were somewhat similar. The -winter lodges of the now nearly extinct Mandans, though not so high in -proportion to their width, and built of more solid materials, as the -rigor of a northern climate requires, bear a general resemblance to -those of the Cenis. - -The Cenis tattooed their faces and some parts of their bodies, by -pricking powdered charcoal into the skin. The women tattooed the -breasts; and this practice was general among them, notwithstanding the -pain of the operation, as it was thought very ornamental. Their dress -consisted of a sort of frock, or wrapper of skin, from the waist to the -knees. The men, in summer, wore nothing but the waist-cloth. - -[333] _Journal Historique_, 237. - -[334] "Tu es un miserable. Tu as tue mon maistre."--Tonty, _Memoire_. -Tonty derived his information from some of those present. Douay and -Joutel have each left an account of this murder. They agree in essential -points; though Douay says that when it took place, Duhaut had moved his -camp beyond the Cenis villages, which is contrary to Joutel's statement. - -[335] Joutel, _Relation_ (Margry, iii. 371). - -[336] These are described by Joutel. Like nearly all the early observers -of Indian manners, he speaks of the practice of cannibalism. - -[337] These Indians were a portion of the Cadodaquis, or Caddoes, then -living on Red River. The travellers afterwards visited other villages of -the same people. Tonty was here two years afterwards, and mentions the -curious custom of washing the faces of guests. - -[338] Joutel, _Journal Historique_, 298. - -[339] _Journal de St. Cosme_, 1699. This journal has been printed by Mr. -Shea, from the copy in my possession. St. Cosme, who knew Tonty well, -speaks of him in the warmest terms of praise. - -[340] In the autumn of 1685, Tonty made a journey from the Illinois to -Michilimackinac, to seek news of La Salle. He there learned, by a letter -of the new governor, Denonville, just arrived from France, of the -landing of La Salle, and the loss of the "Aimable," as recounted by -Beaujeu, on his return. He immediately went back on foot to Fort St. -Louis of the Illinois, and prepared to descend the Mississippi, "dans -l'esperance de lui donner secours." _Lettre de Tonty au Ministre, 24 -Aoust, 1686; Ibid., a Cabart de Villermont, meme date_; _Memoire de -Tonty_; _Proces Verbal de Tonty, 13 Avril, 1686._ - -[341] The date is from the _Proces Verbal_. In the _Memoire_, hastily -written long after, he falls into errors of date. - -[342] Iberville sent it to France, and Charlevoix gives a portion of it. -(_Histoire de la Nouvelle France_, ii. 259.) Singularly enough, the -date, as printed by him, is erroneous, being 20 April, 1685, instead of -1686. There is no doubt whatever, from its relations with concurrent -events, that this journey was in the latter year. - -[343] Tonty, _Memoire; Ibid., Lettre a Monseigneur de Ponchartrain_, -1690. Joutel, _Journal Historique_, 301. - -[344] Joutel says that the Parisian boy, Barthelemy, was left behind. It -was this youth who afterwards uttered the ridiculous defamation of La -Salle mentioned in a preceding note. The account of the death of La -Salle, taken from the lips of Couture, was received by him from Cavelier -and his companions, during their stay at the Arkansas. Couture was by -trade a carpenter, and was a native of Rouen. - -[345] The condition of Fort St. Louis, at this time, may be gathered -from several passages of Joutel. The houses, he says, were built at the -brink of the cliff, forming, with the palisades, the circle of defence. -The Indians lived in the area. - -[346] Joutel adds that this was occasioned by "une espece de -conspiration qu'on a voulu faire contre les interests de Monsieur de la -Salle."--_Journal Historique_, 350. - -"Ce Pere apprehendoit que le dit sieur ne l'y rencontrast, ... suivant -ce que j'en ai pu apprendre, les Peres avoient avance plusieurs choses -pour contrebarrer l'entreprise et avoient voulu detacher plusieurs -nations de Sauvages, lesquelles s'estoient donnees a M. de la Salle. Ils -avoient este mesme jusques a vouloir destruire le fort Saint-Louis, en -ayant construit un a Chicago, ou ils avoient attire une partie des -Sauvages, ne pouvant en quelque facon s'emparer du dit fort. Pour -conclure, le bon Pere ayant eu peur d'y estre trouve, aima mieux se -precautionner en prenant le devant.... Quoyque M. Cavelier eust dit au -Pere qu'il pouvoit rester, il partit quelques sept ou huit jours avant -nous."--_Relation_ (Margry, iii. 500). - -La Salle always saw the influence of the Jesuits in the disasters that -befell him. His repeated assertion, that they wished to establish -themselves in the valley of the Mississippi, receives confirmation from -a document entitled _Memoire sur la proposition a faire par les R. Peres -Jesuites pour la decouverte des environs de la riviere du Mississipi et -pour voir si elle est navigable jusqu'a la mer_. It is a memorandum of -propositions to be made to the minister Seignelay, and was apparently -put forward as a feeler, before making the propositions in form. It was -written after the return of Beaujeu to France, and before La Salle's -death became known. It intimates that the Jesuits were entitled to -precedence in the valley of the Mississippi, as having first explored -it. It affirms that _La Salle had made a blunder, and landed his colony, -not at the mouth of the river, but at another place_; and it asks -permission to continue the work in which he has failed. To this end, it -petitions for means to build a vessel at St. Louis of the Illinois, -together with canoes, arms, tents, tools, provisions, and merchandise -for the Indians; and it also asks for La Salle's maps and papers, and -for those of Beaujeu. On their part, it pursues, the Jesuits will engage -to make a complete survey of the river, and return an exact account of -its inhabitants, its plants, and its other productions. - -[347] Tonty, Du Lhut, and Durantaye came to the aid of Denonville with a -hundred and eighty Frenchmen, chiefly _coureurs de bois_, and four -hundred Indians from the upper country. Their services were highly -appreciated; and Tonty especially is mentioned in the despatches of -Denonville with great praise. - -[348] "Monsieur Tonty, croyant M. de la Salle vivant, ne fit pas de -difficulte de luy donner pour environ quatre mille liv. de pelleterie, -de castors, loutres, un canot, et autres effets."--Joutel, _Journal -Historique_, 349. - -Tonty himself does not make the amount so great: "Sur ce qu'ils -m'assuroient qu'il etoit reste au Golfe de Mexique en bonne sante, je -les recus comme si c'avoit este lui mesme et luy prestay [_a Cavelier_] -plus de 700 francs."--Tonty, _Memoire_. - -Cavelier must have known that La Salle was insolvent. Tonty had long -served without pay. Douay says that he made the stay of the party at the -fort very agreeable, and speaks of him, with some apparent compunction, -as "ce brave gentilhomme, toujours inseparablement attache aux interets -du Sieur de la Salle, dont nous luy avons cache la deplorable destinee." - -Couture, from the Arkansas, brought word to Tonty, several months after, -of La Salle's death, adding that Cavelier had concealed it, with no -other purpose than that of gaining money or supplies from him (Tonty), -in his brother's name. Cavelier had a letter from La Salle, desiring -Tonty to give him supplies, and pay him 2,652 livres in beaver. If -Cavelier is to be believed, this beaver belonged to La Salle. - -[349] _Lettre du Roy a Denonville, 1 Mai, 1689._ Joutel must have been a -young man at the time of the Mississippi expedition; for Charlevoix saw -him at Rouen, thirty-five years after. He speaks of him with emphatic -praise; but it must be admitted that his connivance in the deception -practised by Cavelier on Tonty leaves a shade on his character, as well -as on that of Douay. In other respects, everything that appears -concerning him is highly favorable, which is not the case with Douay, -who, on one or two occasions, makes wilful misstatements. - -Douay says that the elder Cavelier made a report of the expedition to -the minister Seignelay. This report remained unknown in an English -collection of autographs and old manuscripts, whence I obtained it by -purchase, in 1854, both the buyer and seller being at the time ignorant -of its exact character. It proved, on examination, to be a portion of -the first draft of Cavelier's report to Seignelay. It consists of -twenty-six small folio pages, closely written in a clear hand, though in -a few places obscured by the fading of the ink, as well as by occasional -erasures and interlineations of the writer. It is, as already stated, -confused and unsatisfactory in its statements; and all the latter part -has been lost. On reaching France, he had the impudence to tell Abbe -Tronson, Superior of St. Sulpice, "qu'il avait laisse M. de la Salle -dans un tres-beau pays avec M. de Chefdeville en bonne sante."--_Lettre -de Tronson a Mad. Fauvel-Cavelier, 29 Nov., 1688._ - -Cavelier addressed to the King a memorial on the importance of keeping -possession of the Illinois. It closes with an earnest petition for money -in compensation for his losses, as, according to his own statement, he -was completely _epuise_. It is affirmed in a memorial of the heirs of -his cousin, Francois Plet, that he concealed the death of La Salle some -time after his return to France, in order to get possession of property -which would otherwise have been seized by the creditors of the deceased. -The prudent abbe died rich and very old, at the house of a relative, -having inherited a large estate after his return from America. -Apparently, this did not satisfy him; for there is before me the copy of -a petition, written about 1717, in which he asks, jointly with one of -his nephews, to be given possession of the seigniorial property held by -La Salle in America. The petition was refused. - -Young Cavelier, La Salle's nephew, died some years after, an officer in -a regiment. He has been erroneously supposed to be the same with one De -la Salle, whose name is appended to a letter giving an account of -Louisiana, and dated at Toulon, 3 Sept., 1698. This person was the son -of a naval official at Toulon, and was not related to the Caveliers. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -1688-1689. - -FATE OF THE TEXAN COLONY. - - Tonty attempts to rescue the Colonists: his Difficulties and - Hardships.--Spanish Hostility.--Expedition of Alonzo de Leon: he - reaches Fort St. Louis.--A Scene of Havoc.--Destruction of the - French.--The End. - - -[Sidenote: COURAGE OF TONTY.] - -Henri De Tonty, on his rock of St. Louis, was visited in September by -Couture and two Indians from the Arkansas. Then, for the first time, he -heard with grief and indignation of the death of La Salle, and the -deceit practised by Cavelier. The chief whom he had served so well was -beyond his help; but might not the unhappy colonists left on the shores -of Texas still be rescued from destruction? Couture had confirmed what -Cavelier and his party had already told him, that the tribes south of -the Arkansas were eager to join the French in an invasion of northern -Mexico; and he soon after received from the governor, Denonville, a -letter informing him that war had again been declared against Spain. As -bold and enterprising as La Salle himself, Tonty resolved on an effort -to learn the condition of the few Frenchmen left on the borders of the -Gulf, relieve their necessities, and, should it prove practicable, make -them the nucleus of a war-party to cross the Rio Grande, and add a new -province to the domain of France. It was the revival, on a small scale, -of La Salle's scheme of Mexican invasion; and there is no doubt that, -with a score of French musketeers, he could have gathered a formidable -party of savage allies from the tribes of Red River, the Sabine, and the -Trinity. This daring adventure and the rescue of his suffering -countrymen divided his thoughts, and he prepared at once to execute the -double purpose.[350] - -[Sidenote: TONTY MISREPRESENTED.] - -He left Fort St. Louis of the Illinois early in December, in a pirogue, -or wooden canoe, with five Frenchmen, a Shawanoe warrior, and two Indian -slaves; and, after a long and painful journey, he reached the villages -of the Caddoes on Red River on the twenty-eighth of March. Here he was -told that Hiens and his companions were at a village eighty leagues -distant; and thither he was preparing to go in search of them, when all -his men, excepting the Shawanoe and one Frenchman, declared themselves -disgusted with the journey, and refused to follow him. Persuasion was -useless, and there was no means of enforcing obedience. He found himself -abandoned; but he still pushed on, with the two who remained faithful. A -few days after, they lost nearly all their ammunition in crossing a -river. Undeterred by this accident, Tonty made his way to the village -where Hiens and those who had remained with him were said to be; but no -trace of them appeared, and the demeanor of the Indians, when he -inquired for them, convinced him that they had been put to death. He -charged them with having killed the Frenchmen, whereupon the women of -the village raised a wail of lamentation; "and I saw," he says, "that -what I had said to them was true." They refused to give him guides; and -this, with the loss of his ammunition, compelled him to forego his -purpose of making his way to the colonists on the Bay of St. Louis. With -bitter disappointment, he and his two companions retraced their course, -and at length approached Red River. Here they found the whole country -flooded. Sometimes they waded to the knees, sometimes to the neck, -sometimes pushed their slow way on rafts. Night and day it rained -without ceasing. They slept on logs placed side by side to raise them -above the mud and water, and fought their way with hatchets through the -inundated cane-brakes. They found no game but a bear, which had taken -refuge on an island in the flood; and they were forced to eat their -dogs. "I never in my life," writes Tonty, "suffered so much." In judging -these intrepid exertions, it is to be remembered that he was not, at -least in appearance, of a robust constitution, and that he had but one -hand. They reached the Mississippi on the eleventh of July, and the -Arkansas villages on the thirty-first. Here Tonty was detained by an -attack of fever. He resumed his journey when it began to abate, and -reached his fort of the Illinois in September.[351] - -[Sidenote: A SCENE OF HAVOC.] - -While the King of France abandoned the exiles of Texas to their fate, a -power dark, ruthless, and terrible was hovering around the feeble colony -on the Bay of St. Louis, searching with pitiless eye to discover and -tear out that dying germ of civilization from the bosom of the -wilderness in whose savage immensity it lay hidden. Spain claimed the -Gulf of Mexico and all its coasts as her own of unanswerable right, and -the viceroys of Mexico were strenuous to enforce her claim. The capture -of one of La Salle's four vessels at St. Domingo had made known his -designs, and in the course of the three succeeding years no less than -four expeditions were sent out from Vera Cruz to find and destroy him. -They scoured the whole extent of the coast, and found the wrecks of the -"Aimable" and the "Belle;" but the colony of St. Louis,[352] inland and -secluded, escaped their search. For a time, the jealousy of the -Spaniards was lulled to sleep. They rested in the assurance that the -intruders had perished, when fresh advices from the frontier province of -New Leon caused the Viceroy, Galve, to order a strong force, under -Alonzo de Leon, to march from Coahuila, and cross the Rio Grande. Guided -by a French prisoner, probably one of the deserters from La Salle, they -pushed their way across wild and arid plains, rivers, prairies, and -forests, till at length they approached the Bay of St. Louis, and -descried, far off, the harboring-place of the French.[353] As they drew -near, no banner was displayed, no sentry challenged; and the silence of -death reigned over the shattered palisades and neglected dwellings. The -Spaniards spurred their reluctant horses through the gateway, and a -scene of desolation met their sight. No living thing was stirring. Doors -were torn from their hinges; broken boxes, staved barrels, and rusty -kettles, mingled with a great number of stocks of arquebuses and -muskets, were scattered about in confusion. Here, too, trampled in mud -and soaked with rain, they saw more than two hundred books, many of -which still retained the traces of costly bindings. On the adjacent -prairie lay three dead bodies, one of which, from fragments of dress -still clinging to the wasted remains, they saw to be that of a woman. It -was in vain to question the imperturbable savages, who, wrapped to the -throat in their buffalo-robes, stood gazing on the scene with looks of -wooden immobility. Two strangers, however, at length arrived.[354] Their -faces were smeared with paint, and they were wrapped in buffalo-robes -like the rest; yet these seeming Indians were L'Archeveque, the tool of -La Salle's murderer Duhaut, and Grollet, the companion of the white -savage Ruter. The Spanish commander, learning that these two men were in -the district of the tribe called Texas,[355] had sent to invite them to -his camp under a pledge of good treatment; and they had resolved to -trust Spanish clemency rather than endure longer a life that had become -intolerable. From them the Spaniards learned nearly all that is known of -the fate of Barbier, Zenobe Membre, and their companions. Three months -before, a large band of Indians had approached the fort, the inmates of -which had suffered severely from the ravages of the small-pox. From fear -of treachery, they refused to admit their visitors, but received them at -a cabin without the palisades. Here the French began a trade with them; -when suddenly a band of warriors, yelling the war-whoop, rushed from an -ambuscade under the bank of the river, and butchered the greater number. -The children of one Talon, together with an Italian and a young man from -Paris named Breman, were saved by the Indian women, who carried them off -on their backs. L'Archeveque and Grollet, who with others of their stamp -were domesticated in the Indian villages, came to the scene of -slaughter, and, as they affirmed, buried fourteen dead bodies.[356] - -[Sidenote: THE SURVIVORS.] - -L'Archeveque and Grollet were sent to Spain, where, in spite of the -pledge given them, they were thrown into prison, with the intention of -sending them back to labor in the mines. The Indians, some time after De -Leon's expedition, gave up their captives to the Spaniards. The Italian -was imprisoned at Vera Cruz. Breman's fate is unknown. Pierre and Jean -Baptiste Talon, who were now old enough to bear arms, were enrolled in -the Spanish navy, and, being captured in 1696 by a French ship of war, -regained their liberty; while their younger brothers and their sister -were carried to Spain by the Viceroy.[357] With respect to the ruffian -companions of Hiens, the conviction of Tonty that they had been put to -death by the Indians may have been well founded; but the buccaneer -himself is said to have been killed in a quarrel with his accomplice -Ruter, the white savage; and thus in ignominy and darkness died the last -embers of the doomed colony of La Salle. - - * * * * * - -[Sidenote: FRUIT OF EXPLORATIONS.] - -Here ends the wild and mournful story of the explorers of the -Mississippi. Of all their toil and sacrifice, no fruit remained but a -great geographical discovery, and a grand type of incarnate energy and -will. Where La Salle had ploughed, others were to sow the seed; and on -the path which the undespairing Norman had hewn out, the Canadian -D'Iberville was to win for France a vast though a transient dominion. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[350] Tonty, _Memoire_. - -[351] Two causes have contributed to detract, most unjustly, from -Tonty's reputation,--the publication, under his name, but without his -authority, of a perverted account of the enterprises in which he took -part; and the confounding him with his brother, Alphonse de Tonty, who -long commanded at Detroit, where charges of peculation were brought -against him. There are very few names in French-American history -mentioned with such unanimity of praise as that of Henri de Tonty. -Hennepin finds some fault with him; but his censure is commendation. The -despatches of the governor, Denonville, speak in strong terms of his -services in the Iroquois war, praise his character, and declare that he -is fit for any bold enterprise, adding that he deserves reward from the -King. The missionary, St. Cosme, who travelled under his escort in 1699, -says of him: "He is beloved by all the _voyageurs_.... It was with deep -regret that we parted from him: ... he is the man who best knows the -country; ... he is loved and feared everywhere.... Your grace will, I -doubt not, take pleasure in acknowledging the obligations we owe him." - -Tonty held the commission of captain; but, by a memoir which he -addressed to Ponchartrain in 1690, it appears that he had never received -any pay. Count Frontenac certifies the truth of the statement, and adds -a recommendation of the writer. In consequence, probably, of this, the -proprietorship of Fort St. Louis of the Illinois was granted in the same -year to Tonty, jointly with La Forest, formerly La Salle's lieutenant. -Here they carried on a trade in furs. In 1699, a royal declaration was -launched against the _coureurs de bois_; but an express provision was -added in favor of Tonty and La Forest, who were empowered to send up the -country yearly two canoes, with twelve men, for the maintenance of this -fort. With such a limitation, this fort and the trade carried on at it -must have been very small. In 1702, we find a royal order, to the effect -that La Forest is henceforth to reside in Canada, and Tonty on the -Mississippi; and that the establishment at the Illinois is to be -discontinued. In the same year, Tonty joined D'Iberville in Lower -Louisiana, and was sent by that officer from Mobile to secure the -Chickasaws in the French interest. His subsequent career and the time of -his death do not appear. He seems never to have received the reward -which his great merit deserved. Those intimate with the late lamented -Dr. Sparks will remember his often-expressed wish that justice should be -done to the memory of Tonty. - -Fort St. Louis of the Illinois was afterwards reoccupied by the French. -In 1718, a number of them, chiefly traders, were living here; but three -years later it was again deserted, and Charlevoix, passing the spot, saw -only the remains of its palisades. - -[352] Fort St. Louis of Texas is not to be confounded with Fort St. -Louis of the Illinois. - -[353] After crossing the Del Norte, they crossed in turn the Upper -Nueces, the Hondo (Rio Frio), the De Leon (San Antonio), and the -Guadalupe, and then, turning southward, descended to the Bay of St. -Bernard.... Manuscript map of "Route que firent les Espagnols, pour -venir enlever les Francais restez a la Baye St. Bernard ou St. Louis, -apres la perte du vaisseau de Mr. de la Salle en 1689." (Margry's -collection.) - -[354] May 1st. The Spaniards reached the fort April 22. - -[355] This is the first instance in which the name occurs. In a letter -written by a member of De Leon's party, the Texan Indians are mentioned -several times. (See _Coleccion de Varios Documentos_, 25.) They are -described as an agricultural tribe, and were, to all appearance, -identical with the Cenis. The name Tejas, or Texas, was first applied as -a local designation to a spot on the river Neches, in the Cenis -territory, whence it extended to the whole country. (See Yoakum, -_History of Texas_, 52.) - -[356] _Derrotero de la Jornada que hizo el General Alonso de Leon para -el descubrimiento de la Bahia del Espiritu Santo, y poblacion de -Franceses. Ano de 1689._--This is the official journal of the -expedition, signed by Alonzo de Leon. I am indebted to Colonel Thomas -Aspinwall for the opportunity of examining it. The name of Espiritu -Santo was, as before mentioned, given by the Spaniards to St. Louis, or -Matagorda Bay, as well as to two other bays of the Gulf of Mexico. - -_Carta en que se da noticia de un viaje hecho a la Bahia de Espiritu -Santo y de la poblacion que tenian ahi los Franceses. Coleccion de -Varios Documentos para la Historia de la Florida_, 25.--This is a letter -from a person accompanying the expedition of De Leon. It is dated May -18, 1689, and agrees closely with the journal cited above, though -evidently by another hand. Compare Barcia, _Ensayo Cronologico_, 294. -Barcia's story has been doubted; but these authentic documents prove the -correctness of his principal statements, though on minor points he seems -to have indulged his fancy. - -The Viceroy of New Spain, in a report to the King, 1690, says that, in -order to keep the Texas and other Indians of that region in obedience to -his Majesty, he has resolved to establish eight missions among them. He -adds that he has appointed as governor, or commander, in that province, -Don Domingo Teran de los Rios, who will make a thorough exploration of -it, carry out what De Leon has begun; prevent the further intrusion of -foreigners like La Salle, and go in pursuit of the remnant of the -French, who are said still to remain among the tribes of Red River. I -owe this document to the kindness of Mr. Buckingham Smith. - -[357] _Memoire sur lequel on a interroge les deux Canadiens [Pierre et -Jean Baptiste Talon] qui sont soldats dans la Compagnie de Feuguerolles. -A Brest, 14 Fevrier, 1698._ - -_Interrogations faites a Pierre et Jean Baptiste Talon a leur arrivee de -la Veracrux._--This paper, which differs in some of its details from the -preceding, was sent by D'Iberville, the founder of Louisiana, to Abbe -Cavelier. Appended to it is a letter from D'Iberville, written in May, -1704, in which he confirms the chief statements of the Talons, by -information obtained by him from a Spanish officer at Pensacola. - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -I. - -EARLY UNPUBLISHED MAPS OF THE MISSISSIPPI AND THE GREAT LAKES. - - Most of the maps described below are to be found in the Depot des - Cartes de la Marine et des Colonies, at Paris. Taken together, they - exhibit the progress of western discovery, and illustrate the - records of the explorers. - -1. The map of Galinee, 1670, has a double title,--_Carte du Canada et -des Terres decouvertes vers le lac Derie, and Carte du Lac Ontario et -des habitations qui l'environnent ensemble le pays que Messrs. Dolier -et Galinee, missionnaires du seminaire de St. Sulpice, ont parcouru_. It -professes to represent only the country actually visited by the two -missionaries. Beginning with Montreal, it gives the course of the Upper -St. Lawrence and the shores of Lake Ontario, the river Niagara, the -north shore of Lake Erie, the Strait of Detroit, and the eastern and -northern shores of Lake Huron. Galinee did not know the existence of the -peninsula of Michigan, and merges Lakes Huron and Michigan into one, -under the name of "Michigane, ou Mer Douce des Hurons." He was also -entirely ignorant of the south shore of Lake Erie. He represents the -outlet of Lake Superior as far as the Saut Ste. Marie, and lays down -the river Ottawa in great detail, having descended it on his return. The -Falls of the Genesee are indicated, as also the Falls of Niagara, with -the inscription, "Sault qui tombe au rapport des sauvages de plus de 200 -pieds de haut." Had the Jesuits been disposed to aid him, they could -have given him much additional information, and corrected his most -serious errors; as, for example, the omission of the peninsula of -Michigan. The first attempt to map out the Great Lakes was that of -Champlain, in 1632. This of Galinee may be called the second. - -2. The map of Lake Superior, published in the Jesuit Relation of 1670, -1671, was made at about the same time with Galinee's map. Lake Superior -is here styled "Lac Tracy, ou Superieur." Though not so exact as it has -been represented, this map indicates that the Jesuits had explored every -part of this fresh-water ocean, and that they had a thorough knowledge -of the straits connecting the three Upper Lakes, and of the adjacent -bays, inlets, and shores. The peninsula of Michigan, ignored by Galinee, -is represented in its proper place. - -3. Three years or more after Galinee made the map mentioned above, -another, indicating a greatly increased knowledge of the country, was -made by some person whose name does not appear. This map, which is -somewhat more than four feet long and about two feet and a half wide, -has no title. All the Great Lakes, through their entire extent, are laid -down on it with considerable accuracy. Lake Ontario is called "Lac -Ontario, ou de Frontenac." Fort Frontenac is indicated, as well as the -Iroquois colonies of the north shore. Niagara is "Chute haute de 120 -toises par ou le Lac Erie tombe dans le Lac Frontenac." Lake Erie is -"Lac Teiocha-rontiong, dit communement Lac Erie." Lake St. Clair is -"Tsiketo, ou Lac de la Chaudiere." Lake Huron is "Lac Huron, ou Mer -Douce des Hurons." Lake Superior is "Lac Superieur." Lake Michigan is -"Lac Mitchiganong, ou des Illinois." On Lake Michigan, immediately -opposite the site of Chicago, are written the words, of which the -following is the literal translation: "The largest vessels can come to -this place from the outlet of Lake Erie, where it discharges into Lake -Frontenac [Ontario]; and from this marsh into which they can enter there -is only a distance of a thousand paces to the River La Divine [Des -Plaines], which can lead them to the River Colbert [Mississippi], and -thence to the Gulf of Mexico." This map was evidently made after that -voyage of La Salle in which he discovered the Illinois, or at least the -Des Plaines branch of it. The Ohio is laid down with the inscription, -"River Ohio, so called by the Iroquois on account of its beauty, which -the Sieur de la Salle descended." (_Ante_, 32, _note_.) - -4. We now come to the map of Marquette, which is a rude sketch of a -portion of Lakes Superior and Michigan, and of the route pursued by him -and Joliet up the Fox River of Green Bay, down the Wisconsin, and thence -down the Mississippi as far as the Arkansas. The river Illinois is also -laid down, as it was by this course that he returned to Lake Michigan -after his memorable voyage. He gives no name to the Wisconsin. The -Mississippi is called "Riviere de la Conception;" the Missouri, the -Pekitanoui; and the Ohio, the Ouabouskiaou, though La Salle, its -discoverer, had previously given it its present name, borrowed from the -Iroquois. The Illinois is nameless, like the Wisconsin. At the mouth of -a river, perhaps the Des Moines, Marquette places the three villages of -the Peoria Indians visited by him. These, with the Kaskaskias, Maroas, -and others, on the map, were merely sub-tribes of the aggregation of -savages known as the Illinois. On or near the Missouri he places the -Ouchage (Osages), the Oumessourit (Missouris), the Kansa (Kanzas), the -Paniassa (Pawnees), the Maha (Omahas), and the Pahoutet (Pah-Utahs?). -The names of many other tribes, "esloignees dans les terres," are also -given along the course of the Arkansas, a river which is nameless on the -map. Most of these tribes are now indistinguishable. This map has -recently been engraved and published. - -5. Not long after Marquette's return from the Mississippi, another map -was made by the Jesuits, with the following title: _Carte de la nouvelle -decouverte que les peres Iesuites ont fait en l'annee 1672, et continuee -par le P. Iacques Marquette de la mesme Compagnie accompagne de quelques -francois en l'annee 1673, qu'on pourra nommer en francois la -Manitoumie_. This title is very elaborately decorated with figures drawn -with a pen, and representing Jesuits instructing Indians. The map is the -same published by Thevenot, not without considerable variations, in -1681. It represents the Mississippi from a little above the Wisconsin to -the Gulf of Mexico, the part below the Arkansas being drawn from -conjecture. The river is named "Mitchisipi, ou grande Riviere." The -Wisconsin, the Illinois, the Ohio, the Des Moines(?), the Missouri, and -the Arkansas are all represented, but in a very rude manner. Marquette's -route, in going and returning, is marked by lines; but the return route -is incorrect. The whole map is so crude and careless, and based on -information so inexact, that it is of little interest. - -6. The Jesuits made also another map, without title, of the four Upper -Lakes and the Mississippi to a little below the Arkansas. The -Mississippi is called "Riuiere Colbert." The map is remarkable as -including the earliest representation of the Upper Mississippi, based, -perhaps, on the reports of Indians. The Falls of St. Anthony are -indicated by the word "Saut." It is possible that the map may be of -later date than at first appears, and that it may have been drawn in the -interval between the return of Hennepin from the Upper Mississippi and -that of La Salle from his discovery of the mouth of the river. The -various temporary and permanent stations of the Jesuits are marked by -crosses. - -7. Of far greater interest is the small map of Louis Joliet made and -presented to Count Frontenac after the discoverer's return from the -Mississippi. It is entitled _Carte de la decouverte du Sr. Jolliet ou -l'on voit La Communication du fleuve St. Laurens avec les lacs -frontenac, Erie, Lac des Hurons et Ilinois_. Then succeeds the -following, written in the same antiquated French, as if it were a part -of the title: "Lake Frontenac [Ontario] is separated by a fall of half a -league from Lake Erie, from which one enters that of the Hurons, and by -the same navigation, into that of the Illinois [Michigan], from the head -of which one crosses to the Divine River [Riviere Divine; _i. e._, the -Des Plaines branch of the river Illinois], by a portage of a thousand -paces. This river falls into the river Colbert [Mississippi], which -discharges itself into the Gulf of Mexico." A part of this map is based -on the Jesuit map of Lake Superior, the legends being here for the most -part identical, though the shape of the lake is better given by Joliet. -The Mississippi, or "Riuiere Colbert," is made to flow from three lakes -in latitude 47 deg.; and it ends in latitude 37 deg., a little below the mouth -of the Ohio, the rest being apparently cut off to make room for Joliet's -letter to Frontenac (_ante_, 76), which is written on the lower part of -the map. The valley of the Mississippi is called on the map "Colbertie, -ou Amerique Occidentale." The Missouri is represented without name, and -against it is a legend, of which the following is the literal -translation: "By one of these great rivers which come from the west and -discharge themselves into the river Colbert, one will find a way to -enter the Vermilion Sea (Gulf of California). I have seen a village -which was not more than twenty days' journey by land from a nation which -has commerce with those of California. If I had come two days sooner, I -should have spoken with those who had come from thence, and had brought -four hatchets as a present." The Ohio has no name, but a legend over it -states that La Salle had descended it. (See _ante_, 32, _note_). - -8. Joliet, at about the same time, made another map, larger than that -just mentioned, but not essentially different. The letter to Frontenac -is written upon both. There is a third map, of which the following is -the title: _Carte generalle de la France septentrionale contenant la -descouuerte du pays des Illinois, faite par le Sr. Jolliet_. This -map, which is inscribed with a dedication by the Intendant Duchesneau to -the minister Colbert, was made some time after the voyage of Joliet and -Marquette. It is an elaborate piece of work, but very inaccurate. It -represents the continent from Hudson's Strait to Mexico and California, -with the whole of the Atlantic and a part of the Pacific coast. An open -sea is made to extend from Hudson's Strait westward to the Pacific. The -St. Lawrence and all the Great Lakes are laid down with tolerable -correctness, as also is the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi, called -"Messasipi," flows into the Gulf, from which it extends northward nearly -to the "Mer du Nord." Along its course, above the Wisconsin, which is -called "Miskous," is a long list of Indian tribes, most of which cannot -now be recognized, though several are clearly sub-tribes of the Sioux. -The Ohio is called "Ouaboustikou." The whole map is decorated with -numerous figures of animals, natives of the country, or supposed to be -so. Among them are camels, ostriches, and a giraffe, which are placed on -the plains west of the Mississippi. But the most curious figure is that -which represents one of the monsters seen by Joliet and Marquette, -painted on a rock by the Indians. It corresponds with Marquette's -description (_ante_, 68). This map, which is an early effort of the -engineer Franquelin, does more credit to his skill as a designer than to -his geographical knowledge, which appears in some respects behind his -time. - -9. _Carte de l'Amerique Septentrionale depuis l'embouchure de la Riviere -St. Laurens jusques au Sein Mexique._ On this curious little map, the -Mississippi is called "Riuiere Buade" (the family name of Frontenac); -and the neighboring country is "La Frontenacie." The Illinois is -"Riuiere de la Diuine ou Loutrelaise," and the Arkansas is "Riuiere -Bazire." The Mississippi is made to head in three lakes, and to -discharge itself into "B. du S. Esprit" (Mobile Bay). Some of the -legends and the orthography of various Indian names are clearly borrowed -from Marquette. This map appears to be the work of Raudin, Frontenac's -engineer. I owe a tracing of it to the kindness of Henry Harrisse, Esq. - -10. _Carte des Parties les plus occidentales du Canada, par le Pere -Pierre Raffeix_, S. J. This rude map shows the course of Du Lhut from -the head of Lake Superior to the Mississippi, and partly confirms the -story of Hennepin, who, Raffeix says in a note, was rescued by Du Lhut. -The course of Joliet and Marquette is given, with the legend "Voyage et -premiere descouverte du Mississipy faite par le P. Marquette et Mr. -Joliet en 1672." The route of La Salle in 1679, 1680, is also laid down. - -11. In the Depot des Cartes de la Marine is another map of the Upper -Mississippi, which seems to have been made by or for Du Lhut. Lac Buade, -the "Issatis," the "Tintons," the "Houelbatons," the "Poualacs," and -other tribes of this region appear upon it. This is the map numbered -208 in the _Cartographie_ of Harrisse. - -12. Another map deserving mention is a large and fine one, entitled -_Carte de l'Amerique Septentrionale et partie de la Meridionale ... avec -les nouvelles decouvertes de la Riviere Missisipi, ou Colbert_. It -appears to have been made in 1682 or 1683, before the descent of La -Salle to the mouth of the Mississippi was known to the maker, who seems -to have been Franquelin. The lower Mississippi is omitted, but its upper -portions are elaborately laid down; and the name _La Louisiane_ appears -in large gold letters along its west side. The Falls of St. Anthony are -shown, and above them is written "Armes du Roy gravees sur cet arbre -l'an 1679." This refers to the _acte de prise de possession_ of Du Lhut -in July of that year, and this part of the map seems made from data -supplied by him. - -13. We now come to the great map of Franquelin, the most remarkable of -all the early maps of the interior of North America, though hitherto -completely ignored by both American and Canadian writers. It is entitled -_Carte de la Louisiane ou des Voyages du Sr. de la Salle et des pays -qu'il a decouverts depuis la Nouvelle France jusqu'au Golfe Mexique les -annees 1679, 80, 81, et 82, par Jean Baptiste Louis Franquelin, l'an -1684. Paris._ Franquelin was a young engineer, who held the post of -hydrographer to the King, at Quebec, in which Joliet succeeded him. -Several of his maps are preserved, including one made in 1681, in which -he lays down the course of the Mississippi,--the lower part from -conjecture,--making it discharge itself into Mobile Bay. It appears from -a letter of the governor, La Barre, that Franquelin was at Quebec in -1683, engaged on a map which was probably that of which the title is -given above, though had La Barre known that it was to be called a map of -the journeys of his victim La Salle, he would have been more sparing of -his praises. "He" (Franquelin), writes the governor, "is as skilful as -any in France, but extremely poor and in need of a little aid from his -Majesty as an Engineer; he is at work on a very correct map of the -country, which I shall send you next year in his name; meanwhile, I -shall support him with some little assistance."--_Colonial Documents of -New York_, IX. 205. - -The map is very elaborately executed, and is six feet long and four and -a half wide. It exhibits the political divisions of the continent, as -the French then understood them; that is to say, all the regions drained -by streams flowing into the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi are claimed -as belonging to France, and this vast domain is separated into two grand -divisions, La Nouvelle France and La Louisiane. The boundary line of the -former, New France, is drawn from the Penobscot to the southern -extremity of Lake Champlain, and thence to the Mohawk, which it crosses -a little above Schenectady, in order to make French subjects of the -Mohawk Indians. Thence it passes by the sources of the Susquehanna and -the Alleghany, along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across Southern -Michigan, and by the head of Lake Michigan, whence it sweeps -northwestward to the sources of the Mississippi. Louisiana includes the -entire valley of the Mississippi and the Ohio, besides the whole of -Texas. The Spanish province of Florida comprises the peninsula and the -country east of the Bay of Mobile, drained by streams flowing into the -Gulf; while Carolina, Virginia, and the other English provinces, form a -narrow strip between the Alleghanies and the Atlantic. - -The Mississippi is called "Missisipi, ou Riviere Colbert;" the Missouri, -"Grande Riviere des Emissourittes, ou Missourits;" the Illinois, -"Riviere des Ilinois, ou Macopins;" the Ohio, which La Salle had before -called by its present name, "Fleuve St. Louis, ou Chucagoa, ou -Casquinampogamou;" one of its principal branches is "Ohio, ou Olighin" -(Alleghany); the Arkansas, "Riviere des Acansea;" the Red River, -"Riviere Seignelay," a name which had once been given to the Illinois. -Many smaller streams are designated by names which have been entirely -forgotten. - -The nomenclature differs materially from that of Coronelli's map, -published four years later. Here the whole of the French territory is -laid down as "Canada, ou La Nouvelle France," of which "La Louisiane" -forms an integral part. The map of Homannus, like that of Franquelin, -makes two distinct provinces, of which one is styled "Canada" and the -other "La Louisiane," the latter including Michigan and the greater part -of New York. Franquelin gives the shape of Hudson's Bay, and of all the -Great Lakes, with remarkable accuracy. He makes the Mississippi bend -much too far to the West. The peculiar sinuosities of its course are -indicated; and some of its bends--as, for example, that at New -Orleans--are easily recognized. Its mouths are represented with great -minuteness; and it may be inferred from the map that, since La Salle's -time, they have advanced considerably into the sea. - -Perhaps the most interesting feature in Franquelin's map is his sketch -of La Salle's evanescent colony on the Illinois, engraved for this -volume. He reproduced the map in 1688, for presentation to the King, -with the title _Carte de l'Amerique Septentrionale, depuis le 25 jusq'au -65 degre de latitude et environ 140 et 235 degres de longitude, etc._ In -this map, Franquelin corrects various errors in that which preceded. One -of these corrections consists in the removal of a branch of the river -Illinois which he had marked on his first map,--as will be seen by -referring to the portion of it in this book,--but which does not in fact -exist. On this second map, La Salle's colony appears in much diminished -proportions, his Indian settlements having in good measure dispersed. - -Two later maps of New France and Louisiana, both bearing Franquelin's -name, are preserved in the Depot des Cartes de la Marine, as well as a -number of smaller maps and sketches, also by him. They all have more or -less of the features of the great map of 1684, which surpasses them all -in interest and completeness. - -The remarkable manuscript map of the Upper Mississippi by Le Sueur -belongs to a period later than the close of this narrative. - -These various maps, joined to contemporary documents, show that the -Valley of the Mississippi received, at an early date, the several names -of Manitoumie, Frontenacie, Colbertie, and La Louisiane. This last name, -which it long retained, is due to La Salle. The first use of it which I -have observed is in a conveyance of the Island of Belleisle made by him -to his lieutenant, La Forest, in 1679. - - -II. - -THE ELDORADO OF MATHIEU SAGEAN. - -Father Hennepin had among his contemporaries two rivals in the -fabrication of new discoveries. The first was the noted La Hontan, whose -book, like his own, had a wide circulation and proved a great success. -La Hontan had seen much, and portions of his story have a substantial -value; but his account of his pretended voyage up the "Long River" is a -sheer fabrication. His "Long River" corresponds in position with the -St. Peter, but it corresponds in nothing else; and the populous nations -whom he found on it--the Eokoros, the Esanapes, and the Gnacsitares, no -less than their neighbors the Mozeemlek and the Tahuglauk--are as real -as the nations visited by Captain Gulliver. But La Hontan did not, like -Hennepin, add slander and plagiarism to mendacity, or seek to -appropriate to himself the credit of genuine discoveries made by others. - -Mathieu Sagean is a personage less known than Hennepin or La Hontan; for -though he surpassed them both in fertility of invention, he was -illiterate, and never made a book. In 1701, being then a soldier in a -company of marines at Brest, he revealed a secret which he declared that -he had locked within his breast for twenty years, having been unwilling -to impart it to the Dutch and English, in whose service he had been -during the whole period. His story was written down from his dictation, -and sent to the minister Ponchartrain. It is preserved in the -Bibliotheque Nationale, and in 1863 it was printed by Mr. Shea. - -He was born, he declares, at La Chine in Canada, and engaged in the -service of La Salle about twenty years before the revelation of his -secret; that is, in 1681. Hence, he would have been, at the utmost, only -fourteen years old, as La Chine did not exist before 1667. He was with -La Salle at the building of Fort St. Louis of the Illinois, and was left -here as one of a hundred men under command of Tonty. Tonty, it is to be -observed, had but a small fraction of this number; and Sagean describes -the fort in a manner which shows that he never saw it. Being desirous of -making some new discovery, he obtained leave from Tonty, and set out -with eleven other Frenchmen and two Mohegan Indians. They ascended the -Mississippi a hundred and fifty leagues, carried their canoes by a -cataract, went forty leagues farther, and stopped a month to hunt. -While thus employed, they found another river, fourteen leagues distant, -flowing south-southwest. They carried their canoes thither, meeting on -the way many lions, leopards, and tigers, which did them no harm; then -they embarked, paddled a hundred and fifty leagues farther, and found -themselves in the midst of the great nation of the Acanibas, dwelling in -many fortified towns, and governed by King Hagaren, who claimed descent -from Montezuma. The King, like his subjects, was clothed with the skins -of men. Nevertheless, he and they were civilized and polished in their -manners. They worshipped certain frightful idols of gold in the royal -palace. One of them represented the ancestor of their monarch armed with -lance, bow, and quiver, and in the act of mounting his horse; while in -his mouth he held a jewel as large as a goose's egg, which shone like -fire, and which, in the opinion of Sagean, was a carbuncle. Another of -these images was that of a woman mounted on a golden unicorn, with a -horn more than a fathom long. After passing, pursues the story, between -these idols, which stand on platforms of gold, each thirty feet square, -one enters a magnificent vestibule, conducting to the apartment of the -King. At the four corners of this vestibule are stationed bands of -music, which, to the taste of Sagean, was of very poor quality. The -palace is of vast extent, and the private apartment of the King is -twenty-eight or thirty feet square; the walls, to the height of eighteen -feet, being of bricks of solid gold, and the pavement of the same. Here -the King dwells alone, served only by his wives, of whom he takes a new -one every day. The Frenchmen alone had the privilege of entering, and -were graciously received. - -These people carry on a great trade in gold with a nation, believed by -Sagean to be the Japanese, as the journey to them lasts six months. He -saw the departure of one of the caravans, which consisted of more than -three thousand oxen, laden with gold, and an equal number of horsemen, -armed with lances, bows, and daggers. They receive iron and steel in -exchange for their gold. The King has an army of a hundred thousand men, -of whom three fourths are cavalry. They have golden trumpets, with which -they make very indifferent music; and also golden drums, which, as well -as the drummer, are carried on the backs of oxen. The troops are -practised once a week in shooting at a target with arrows; and the King -rewards the victor with one of his wives, or with some honorable -employment. - -These people are of a dark complexion and hideous to look upon, because -their faces are made long and narrow by pressing their heads between two -boards in infancy. The women, however, are as fair as in Europe; though, -in common with the men, their ears are enormously large. All persons of -distinction among the Acanibas wear their fingernails very long. They -are polygamists, and each man takes as many wives as he wants. They are -of a joyous disposition, moderate drinkers, but great smokers. They -entertained Sagean and his followers during five months with the fat of -the land; and any woman who refused a Frenchman was ordered to be -killed. Six girls were put to death with daggers for this breach of -hospitality. The King, being anxious to retain his visitors in his -service, offered Sagean one of his daughters, aged fourteen years, in -marriage; and when he saw him resolved to depart, promised to keep her -for him till he should return. - -The climate is delightful, and summer reigns throughout the year. The -plains are full of birds and animals of all kinds, among which are many -parrots and monkeys, besides the wild cattle, with humps like camels, -which these people use as beasts of burden. - -King Hagaren would not let the Frenchmen go till they had sworn by the -sky, which is the customary oath of the Acanibas, that they would return -in thirty-six moons, and bring him a supply of beads and other trinkets -from Canada. As gold was to be had for the asking, each of the eleven -Frenchmen took away with him sixty small bars, weighing about four -pounds each. The King ordered two hundred horsemen to escort them, and -carry the gold to their canoes; which they did, and then bade them -farewell with terrific howlings, meant, doubtless, to do them honor. - -After many adventures, wherein nearly all his companions came to a -bloody end, Sagean, and the few others who survived, had the ill luck to -be captured by English pirates, at the mouth of the St. Lawrence. He -spent many years among them in the East and West Indies, but would not -reveal the secret of his Eldorado to these heretical foreigners. - -Such was the story, which so far imposed on the credulity of the -minister Ponchartrain as to persuade him that the matter was worth -serious examination. Accordingly, Sagean was sent to Louisiana, then in -its earliest infancy as a French colony. Here he met various persons who -had known him in Canada, who denied that he had ever been on the -Mississippi, and contradicted his account of his parentage. -Nevertheless, he held fast to his story, and declared that the gold -mines of the Acanibas could be reached without difficulty by the river -Missouri. But Sauvolle and Bienville, chiefs of the colony, were -obstinate in their unbelief; and Sagean and his King Hagaren lapsed -alike into oblivion. - - - - -INDEX. - - -Abenakis, the, 285, 295, 316, 346. - -Acanibas, the, great nation of, - description of, 487-489; - gold mines of, 489. - -"Acansea" (Arkansas) River, the, 484. - -Accau, Michel, 186, 187, 249, 251, 253, 261, 265, 266, 273. - -African travel, history of, 198. - -Agniers (Mohawks), the, 136. - -Aigron, Captain, on ill-terms with La Salle, 372, 382, 383. - -Ailleboust, Madame d', 111. - -"Aimable," La Salle's store-ship, 372, 373, 374, 375, 379, 380, - 381, 405, 454, 468. - -Aire, Beaujeu's lieutenant, 375. - -Akanseas, nation of the, 300. See also _Arkansas Indians, the_. - -Albanel, - prominent among the Jesuit explorers, 109; - his journey up the Saguenay to Hudson's Bay, 109. - -Albany, 118, 200, 220. - -Algonquin Indians, the, - Jean Nicollet among, 3; - at Ste. Marie du Saut, 39; - the Iroquois spread desolation among, 219. - -Alkansas, nation of the, 300. See also _Arkansas Indians, the_. - -Alleghany Mountains, the, 84, 308, 309, 483. - -Alleghany River, the, 307, 483, 484. - -Allouez, Father Claude, - explores a part of Lake Superior, 6; - name of Lake Michigan, 42, 155; - sent to Green Bay to found a mission, 43; - joined by Dablon, 43; - among the Mascoutins and the Miamis, 44; - among the Foxes, 45; - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51; - addresses the Indians at Saut Ste. Marie, 53; - population of the Illinois Valley, 169; - intrigues against La Salle, 175, 238; - at Fort St. Louis of the Illinois, 458; - his fear of La Salle, 459. - -Allumette Island, 3. - -Alton, city of, 68. - -America, - debt due La Salle from, 432. - -"Amerique Occidentale" (Mississippi Valley), 479. - -Amikoues, the, - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51. - -Andastes, - reduced to helpless insignificance by the Iroquois, 219. - -Andre, Louis, - mission of the Manitoulin Island assigned to, 41; - makes a missionary tour among the Nipissings, 41; - his experiences among them, 42; - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51. - -Anthony, St., of Padua, the patron of La Salle's great - enterprise, 152, 250, 259. - -Anticosti, great island of, - granted to Joliet, 76. - -Appalache, Bay of, 373. - -Aquipaguetin, Chief, 254; - plots against Hennepin, 255, 261, 262, 264, 271, 272. - -Aramoni River, the, 221, 225, 239. - -Arctic travel, - history of, 198. - -Arkansas Indians, the, - Joliet and Marquette among, 72, 184; - La Salle among, 299; - various names of, 300; - tallest and best-formed Indians in America, 300, 308; - villages of, 466. - -Arkansas River, the, 71; - Joutel's arrival at, 453; - Joutel descends, 456; 478, 484. - -Arnoul, Sieur, 383, 390. - -Arouet, Francois Marie, see _Voltaire_. - -Aspinwall, Col. Thomas, 471. - -Assiniboins, the, - at the Jesuit mission of St. Esprit, 40, 261; - Du Lhut among, 276. - -Assonis, the, - Joutel among, 451; - Tonty among, 452. - -Atlantic coast, the, 480. - -Atlantic Ocean, the, 74. - -Auguel, Antoine, 186. - See also _Du Gay, Picard_. - -Autray, Sieur d', 200. - - -Bancroft, 75. - -Barbier, Sieur, 406; - marriage of, 408, 418; - fate of, 470. - -Barcia, 244, 471. - -Barrois, secretary of Count Frontenac, 293. - -Barthelemy, 433, 451, 456. - -Baugis, Chevalier de, 326, 327. - -Bazire, 101. - -Beauharnois, forest of, 14. - -Beaujeu, Madame de, - devotion to the Jesuits, 361. - -Beaujeu, Sieur de, - divides with La Salle the command of the new enterprise, 353; - lack of harmony between La Salle and, 354-361; - letters to Seignelay, 354-356; - letters to Cabart de Villermont, 357-360; - sails from Rochelle, 366; - disputes with La Salle, 366; - the voyage, 368; - complaints of, 370; - La Salle waiting for, 374; - meeting with La Salle, 375; - in Texas, 381; - makes friendly advances to La Salle, 385; - departure of, 387; - conduct of, 389; - coldly received by Seignelay, 389, 454. - -"Beautiful River" (Ohio), the, 70. - -Begon, the intendant, 367, 368. - -"Belle," La Salle's frigate, 372, 373, 374, 379, 383, 386, 389, - 392, 401, 404, 406, 407, 416, 417, 468. - -Bellefontaine, Tonty's lieutenant, 458, 460. - -Belle Isle, 203. - -Belleisle, Island of, 485. - -Bellinzani, 129. - -Bernon, Abbe, - on the character of La Salle, 342. - -Bibliotheque Mazarine, the, 17. - -Bienville, 489. - -Big Vermilion River, the, 221, 239, 241. - -Bissot, Claire, - her marriage to Louis Joliet, 76. - -Black Rock, 149. - -Boeufs, Riviere aux, 392. - -Bois Blanc, Island of, 153. - -Boisrondet, Sieur de, 218, 223, 227, 233, 236, 457. - -Boisseau, 101. - -Bolton, Captain, - reaches the Mississippi, 5. - -Boston, 5; - rumored that the Dutch fleet had captured, 88. - -Boughton Hill, 21. - -Bourbon, Louis Armand de, see, _Conti, Prince de_. - -Bourdon, the engineer, 111. - -Bourdon, Jean, 200. - See also _Dautray_. - -Bourdon, Madame, superior of the Sainte Famille, 111. - -Bowman, W. E., 317. - -Branssac, - loans merchandise to La Salle, 49, 434. - -Brazos River, the, 424. - -Breman, - fate of, 471, 472. - -Brest, 486. - -Brinvilliers, - burned alive, 179. - -British territories, the, 309. - -Brodhead, 136. - -Bruyas, the Jesuit, 115; - among the Onondagas and the Mohawks, 115, 135; - the "Racines Agnieres" of, 136. - -Buade, Lake, 257, 262, 481. - -Buade, Louis de, see _Frontenac, Count_. - -Buade, Riviere (Mississippi), 481. - -Buffalo, the, 205, 398. - -Buffalo Rock, 169, 314; - occupied by the Miami village, 314; - described by Charlevoix, 314. - -Buisset, Luc, the Recollet, 121; - at Fort Frontenac, 132, 135, 137, 280. - -Bull River, 272. - -Burnt Wood River, the, 277. - - -Caddoes, the, 452; - villages of, 465. - -Cadodaquis, the, 452. - -California, Gulf of, 15, 31, 41, 63, 74, 84, 480. - -California, State of, 480. - -Camanches, the, 414. - -Cambray, Archbishop of, 16. - -Canada, 10; - Frontenac's treaty with the Indians confers an inestimable - blessing on all, 95; - no longer merely a mission, 104, 484. - -Canadian Parliament, Library of, the, 13. - -Cananistigoyan, 275. - -Carignan, regiment of, 12, 91. - -Carolina, 483. - -Carver, 62, 267. - -"Casquinampogamou" (St. Louis) River, the, 484. - -Casson, Dollier de, 15; - among the Nipissings, 16; - leads an expedition of conversion, 16; - combines his expedition with that of La Salle, 17; - journey of, 19, 20; - _belles paroles_ of La Salle, 25; - discoveries of La Salle, 29, 475. - -Cataraqui Bridge, the, 90. - -Cataraqui River, the, 87; - Frontenac at, 90; - fort built on the banks of, 92. - -Cavelier, nephew of La Salle, 420, 435, 438, 446, 449, 451, 458, 463. - -Cavelier, Henri, uncle of La Salle, 7, 363. - -Cavelier, Jean, father of La Salle, 7. - -Cavelier, Abbe Jean, brother of La Salle, 9; - at Montreal, 98; - La Salle defamed to, 113; - causes La Salle no little annoyance, 114, 333, 353, 367, 369, 370, - 371, 372, 374, 376, 388, 394, 396, 402, 405, 406, 412, 415, 416, - 417, 420, 421, 423; - unreliable in his writings, 433, 435, 436; - doubt and anxiety, 437, 438, 446; - plans to escape, 447; - the murder of Duhaut, 449; - sets out for home, 450, 451; - among the Assonis, 452, 453; - on the Arkansas, 455; - at Fort St. Louis of the Illinois, 457; - visit to Father Allouez, 459; - conceals La Salle's death, 460; - reaches Montreal, 462; - embarks for France, 462; - his report to Seignelay, 462, 463; - his memorial to the King, 463, 464. - -Cavelier, Madeleine, 28, 34. - -Cavelier, Rene Robert, see _La Salle, Sieur de_. - -Cayuga Creek, 145, 146. - -Cayugas, the, - Frontenac's address to, 91. - -Cenis, the, - La Salle among, 413; - villages of, 415; - Duhaut's journey to, 438; - Joutel among, 440-445; - customs of, 443; - joined by Hiens on a war-expedition, 450. - -Champigny, Intendant of Canada, 434. - -Champlain, Lake, 483. - -Champlain, Samuel de, - dreams of the South Sea, 14; - map of, 139; - his enthusiasm compared with that of La Salle, 431; - first to map out the Great Lakes, 476. - -Chaouanons (Shawanoes), the, 307, 317. - -Charlevoix, 50; - death of Marquette, 82; 103; - the names of the Illinois River, 167; - the loss of the "Griffin," 182; - the Illinois Indians, 223; - doubted veracity of Hennepin, 244; - the Iroquois virgin, Tegahkouita, 275; - the Arkansas nation, 300; - visits the Natchez Indians, 304; - describes "Starved Rock" and Buffalo Rock, 314; - speaks of "Le Rocher," 314; - character of La Salle, 433, 454; - the remains of Fort St. Louis of the Illinois, 468. - -Charon, creditor of La Salle, 150. - -Charron, Madame, 111. - -Chartier, Martin, 337. - -Chassagoac, chief of the Illinois, - meeting with La Salle, 192. - -Chassagouasse, Chief, 192. - -Chateauguay, forest of, 14. - -"Chaudiere, Lac de la" (Lake St. Clair), 476. - -Chaumonot, the Jesuit, - founds the association of the Sainte Famille, 111. - -Chefdeville, M. de, 406, 407, 418, 463. - -Cheruel, 167. - -Chicago, 50, 236, 460, 462, 477. - -Chicago Portage, the, 320. - -Chicago River, the, 31; - Marquette on, 78, 296. - -Chickasaw Bluffs, the, 311. - -Chickasaw Indians, the, 184, 296, 307, 320, 468. - -Chikachas (Chickasaws), the, 307. - -China, 6, 14, 29. - -China, Sea of, 38, 83. - -Chippewa Creek, 139, 145. - -Chippeway River, the, 272. - -"Chucagoa" (St. Louis) River, the, 484. - -Chukagoua (Ohio) River, the, 307. - -Clark, James, 169, 170; - the site of the Great Illinois Town, 239. - -Coahuila, 469. - -Colbert, the minister, - Joliet's discovery of the Mississippi announced to, 34; - Frontenac's despatch, recommending La Salle, 99; - La Salle defamed to, 119; - a memorial of La Salle laid before, 122, 344, 345, 480. - -Colbert River (Mississippi), the, 35, 244, 307, 346, 376, 477, 479, 482. - -"Colbertie" (Mississippi Valley), 479. - -Collin, 187. - -Colorado River, the, 411, 415. - -Comet of 1680, the Great, 213. - -"Conception, Riviere de la" (Mississippi River), 477. - -Conti, Fort, 128; - location of, 129, 148. - -Conti, Lac de (Lake Erie), 129. - -Conti, Prince de (second), - patron of La Salle, 106; - letter from La Salle, 118. - -Copper mines of Lake Superior, 23; - Joliet attempts to discover, 23; - the Jesuits labor to explore, 38; - Indian legends concerning, 39; - Saint-Lusson sets out to discover, 49. - -Coroas, the, - visited by the French, 305, 310. - -Coronelli, map made by, 221, 484. - -Corpus Christi Bay, 375. - -Cosme, St., 69, 314, 454; - commendation of Tonty, 467. - -Courcelle, Governor, 11, 15, 17, 35; - quarrel with Talon, 56; - schemes to protect French trade in Canada, 85. - -Couture, - the assassination of La Salle, 433; - welcomes Joutel, 453, 455, 456, 461, 464. - -Creeks, the, 304. - -Crees, the, - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51. - -Crevecoeur, Fort, 34; - built by La Salle, 180; - La Salle at, 180-188; - destroyed by the mutineers, 199; - La Salle finds the ruins of, 211. - -Crow Indians, the, - make war upon the dead, 207. - -Cuba, 372, 389. - -Cussy, De, governor of La Tortue, 367, 368. - - -Dablon, Father Claude the Jesuit, - at Ste. Marie du Saut, 27, 51; - reports the discovery of copper, 38; - the location of the Illinois Indians, 41; - the name of Lake Michigan, 42; - joins Father Allouez at the Green Bay Mission, 43; - among the Mascoutins and the Miamis, 44; - the Cross among the Foxes, 45; - the authority and state of the Miami chief, 50; - Allouez's harangue at Saut Ste. Marie, 55; - rumors of the Dutch fleet, 88, 112. - -Dacotah (Sioux) Indians, the, 260. - -Dauphin, Fort, 128; - location of, 129. - -Dauphin, Lac (Lake Michigan), 155. - -Daupin, Francois, 203. - -Dautray, 187, 199, 210, 306. - -De Launay, see _Launay, De_. - -De Leon, see _Leon, Alonzo de_. - -De Leon (San Antonio), the, 469. - -Del Norte, the, 469. - -De Marle, see _Marle, De_. - -Denonville, Marquis de, 21, 121, 275, 454; - in the Iroquois War, 460; - announces war against Spain, 464; - commendation of Tonty, 467. - -Des Groseilliers, Medard Chouart, - reaches the Mississippi, 5. - -Deslauriers, 118. - -Desloges, 384. - -Des Moines, 65. - -Des Moines River, the, 477, 478. - -De Soto, Hernando, - buried in the Mississippi, 3. - -Des Plaines River, the, 79, 477, 479. - -Detroit, 26. - -Detroit River, the, 31, 197, 279. - -Detroit, the Strait of, - first recorded passage of white men through, 26; - the "Griffin" in, 151; - Du Lhut ordered to fortify, 275, 475. - -Divine, the Riviere de la, 167, 479. - -Dollier, see _Casson, Dollier de_. - -Douay, Anastase, 69, 155; - joins La Salle's new enterprise, 353, 372; - in Texas, 388; - at Fort St. Louis, 399, 405, 406, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, - 417, 418, 420, 421, 422, 428; - the assassination of La Salle, 432; - unreliable in his writings, 433, 435; - doubt and anxiety, 437, 446; - the murder of Duhaut, 448, 449; - sets out for home, 451, 458; - visit to Father Allouez, 459; - character of, 462. - -Druilletes, Gabriel, - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51; - teaches Marquette the Montagnais language, 59. - -Duchesneau, the intendant, 69, 78, 101, 102, 125, 126, 138, 156, - 164, 197, 217, 218, 219, 235, 274, 275, 480. - -Du Gay, Picard, 186, 187, 250, 251, 253; - among the Sioux, 259, 261, 265, 266, 268, 269, 270, 272, 273. - -Duhaut, the brothers, 368, 400. - -Duhaut, the elder, - return of, 401; - at Fort St. Louis, 405; - plots against La Salle, 410, 420, 424; - quarrel with Moranget, 425; - murders Moranget, Saget, and Nika, 426; - assassinates La Salle, 429; - triumph of, 435; - journey to the Cenis villages, 438; - resolves to return to Fort St. Louis, 446; - quarrel with Hiens, 446; - plans to go to Canada, 448; - murder of, 448. - -Du Lhut, Daniel Greysolon, 182; - meeting with Hennepin, 273; - sketch of, 274; - exploits of, 275, 276; - route of, 276; - explorations of, 276-278; - among the Assiniboins and the Sioux, 276; - joined by Hennepin, 278; - reaches the Green Bay Mission, 279, 322; - in the Iroquois War, 460, 481, 482. - -Dumesnil, La Salle's servant, 415. - -Dumont, - La Salle borrows money from, 127. - -Duplessis, - attempts to murder La Salle, 166. - -Dupont, Nicolas, 99. - -Du Pratz, - customs of the Natchez, 304. - -Durango, 350. - -Durantaye, 275; - in the Iroquois War, 460. - -Dutch, the, - trade with the Indians, 219; - encourage the Iroquois to fight, 324. - -Dutch fleet, the, - rumored to have captured Boston, 88. - - -East Indies, the, 489. - -Eastman, Mrs., legend of Winona, 271. - -"Emissourites, Riviere des" (Missouri), 70. - -English, the, - hold out great inducements to Joliet to join them, 76; - French company formed to compete at Hudson's Bay with, 76; - trade with the Indians, 219; - encourage the Iroquois to fight, 324. - -"English Jem," 421. - -Eokoros, the, 486. - -Erie, Lake, 23, 25, 26, 29, 31, 96, 124, 141, 146, 151, 196, 197, - 275, 279, 309, 333, 475, 476, 477, 479, 483. - -Eries, the, - exterminated by the Iroquois, 219. - -Esanapes, the, 486. - -Esmanville, the priest, 375, 379. - -Espiritu Santo Bay, 394, 471. - -Estrees, Count d', 344. - - -Faillon, Abbe, - connection of La Salle with the Jesuits, 8; - the seigniory of La Salle, 12, 13; - detailed plan of Montreal, 13; - La Salle's discoveries, 29; - La Salle in need of money, 49; - throws much light on the life of, 58, 98; - on the establishment of the association of the Sainte Famille, 112; - plan of Fort Frontenac, 121. - -Fauvel-Cavelier, Mme., 463. - -Fenelon, Abbe, 16; - attempts to mediate between Frontenac and Perrot, 97; - preaches against Frontenac at Montreal, 98. - -Ferland, - throws much light on the life of Joliet, 58. - -Fire Nation, the, 44. - -Five Nations, the, 11. - -Florida, 483. - -Florida Indians, the, - lodges of, 442. - -Folles-Avoines, Nation des, 61. - -Forked River (Mississippi), the, 5. - -Fox River, the, 4, 43, 50, 62, 477. - -Foxes, the - at the Jesuit mission of St. Esprit, 40; - location of, 43; - Father Allouez among, 45; - incensed against the French, 45; - the Cross among, 45, 287. - -France, - takes possession of the West, 52; - receives on parchment a stupendous accession, 308. - -Francheville, Pierre, 58. - -Francis, St., 249. - -Franciscans, the, 133. - -Franquelin, Jean Baptiste Louis, - manuscript map made by, 169, 221, - 309, 316, 317, 347, 390, 481, 482, 483, 484, 485. - -Fremin, the Jesuit, 21. - -French, the, - Hurons the allies of, 4; - in western New York, 19-23; - the Iroquois felt the power of, 42; - the Foxes incensed against, 45; - the Jesuits seek to embroil the Iroquois with, 115; - seeking to secure a monopoly of the furs of the north and west, 219; - in Texas, 348; - reoccupy Fort St. Louis of the Illinois, 468. - -French River, 28, 462. - -Frontenac, Count, - La Salle addresses a memorial to, 32; - announces Joliet's discovery of the Mississippi to Colbert, 34; - speaks slightingly of Joliet, 34; - succeeds Courcelle as governor, 56, 57, 60, 67; - letter from Joliet to, 76; - favorably disposed to La Salle, 85; - comes to Canada a ruined man, 85; - schemes of, 86; - at Montreal, 87; - his journey to Lake Ontario, 88; - faculty for managing the Indians, 89; - reaches Lake Ontario, 89; - at Cataraqui, 90; - addresses the Indians, 91; - admirable dealing with the Indians, 92, 93; - his enterprise a complete success, 95; - confers an inestimable benefit on all Canada, 95; - his plan to command the Upper Lakes, 96; - quarrel with Perrot, 96; - arrests Perrot, 96; - has Montreal well in hand, 96; - the Abbe Fenelon attempts to mediate between Perrot and, 97; - the Abbe Fenelon preaches against, 98; - championed by La Salle, 99; - recommends La Salle to Colbert, 99; - expects to share in profits of La Salle's new post, 101; - hatred of the Jesuits, 102; - protects the Recollets, 109; - intrigues of the Jesuits, 118, 125, 201, 232, 235, 238, 274; - entertains Father Hennepin, 280, 292; - recalled to France, 318; - obligations of La Salle to, 434; - commendation of Tonty, 467, 479, 480, 481. - -Frontenac, Fort, 34; - granted to La Salle, 100; - rebuilt by La Salle, 101, 112; - La Salle at, 120; - plan of, 121; - not established for commercial gain alone, 122, 148, 203, 292; - La Barre takes possession of, 325; - restored to La Salle by the King, 351, 476. - -Frontenac (Ontario), Lake, 128, 476, 477, 479. - -Frontenac, Madame de, 167. - -"Frontenacie, La," 481. - -Fur-trade, the, - the Jesuits accused of taking part in, 109, 110; - the Jesuits seek to establish a monopoly in, 114. - - -Gabriel, Father, 158, 159, 227, 237. - -Gaeta, 128. - -Galinee, Father, 17; - recounts the journey of La Salle and the Sulpitians, 19, 20, 26; - cruelty of the Senecas, 22; - the work of the Jesuits, 28; - makes the earliest map of the Upper Lakes, 28, 106, 140, 475. - -Galve, Viceroy, 469. - -Galveston Bay, 374, 376, 385. - -Garakontie, Chief, 91. - -Garnier, Julien, 59; - among the Senecas, 141. - -Gayen, 384. - -Geest, Catherine - mother of La Salle, 7; - La Salle's farewell to, 364. - -Geest, Nicolas, 7. - -Gendron, 139. - -Genesee, the Falls of the, 476. - -Genesee River, the, 140, 142, 279. - -Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, 27, 203. - -Giton, - La Salle borrows money from, 150. - -Gnacsitares, the, 486. - -Gould, Dr. B. A., - on the "Great Comet of 1680," 213. - -Grandfontaine, Chevalier de, 56. - -Grand Gulf, 300. - -Grand River, 23, 25. - -Gravier, 244, 297; - the Arkansas nation, 300. - -Great Lakes, the, 4; - Joliet makes a map of the region of, 32; - early unpublished maps of, 475-485; - Champlain makes the first attempt to map out, 476. - -Great Manitoulin Island, the, 41. - -"Great Mountain," the Indian name for the governor of Canada, 156. - -Green Bay of Lake Michigan, the, 4, 31, 42, 43, 75; - La Salle at, 155; 236. - -Green Bay Mission, the, - Father Allouez sent to found, 43; - Marquette at, 62; - Father Hennepin and Du Lhut reach, 279. - -"Griffin," the, - building of, 144-148; - finished, 149; - voyage of, 151-153; - at St. Ignace of Michilimackinac, 154; - set sail for Niagara laden with furs, 156; - La Salle's forebodings concerning, 163; - loss of, 181, 322. - -Grollet, 445, 446, 448, 470, 471; - sent to Spain, 472. - -Guadalupe, the, 469. - -Gulliver, Captain, 486. - - -Hagaren, King of the Acanibas, 487-489. - -Hamilton, town of, 23. - -Harrisse, Henry, 76, 481, 482. - -Haukiki (Marest) River, the, 167. - -Hennepin, Louis, - connection of La Salle with the Jesuits, 8; - at Fort Frontenac, 121; - meets La Salle on his return to Canada, 130; - receives permission to join La Salle, 131; - his journey to Fort Frontenac, 132; - sets out with La Motte for Niagara, 132; - portrait of, 133; - his past life, 133; - sails for Canada, 134; - relations with La Salle, 134, 135; - work among the Indians, 135; - the most impudent of liars, 136; - daring of, 137; - embarks on the journey, 137; - reaches the Niagara, 138; - account of the falls and river of Niagara, 139; - among the Senecas, 140, 141; - at the Niagara Portage, 145-147; - the launch of the "Griffin," 148, 149; - on board the "Griffin," 151; - St. Anthony of Padua the patron saint of La Salle's great - enterprise, 152; - the departure of the "Griffin" for Niagara, 157; - La Salle's encounter with the Outagamies, 161; - La Salle rejoined by Tonty, 163; - La Salle's forebodings concerning the "Griffin," 163; - population of the Illinois Valley, 169; - among the Illinois, 173, 174; - the story of Monso, 177; - La Salle's men desert him, 178; - at Fort Crevecoeur, 181; - sent to the Mississippi, 185; - the journey from Fort Crevecoeur, 201; - the mutineers at Fort Crevecoeur, 218; 234; - sets out to explore the Illinois River, 242; - his claims to the discovery of the Mississippi, 243; - doubted veracity of, 244; - captured by the Sioux, 245; - proved an impostor, 245; - steals passages from Membre and Le Clerc, 247; - his journey northward, 249; - suspected of sorcery, 253; - plots against, 255; - a hard journey, 257; - among the Sioux, 259-282; - adopted as a son by the Sioux, 261; - sets out for the Wisconsin, 266; - notice of the Falls of St. Anthony, 267; - rejoins the Indians, 273; - meeting with Du Lhut, 273; - joins Du Lhut, 278; - reaches the Green Bay Mission, 279; - reaches Fort Frontenac, 280; - goes to Montreal, 280; - entertained by Frontenac, 280; - returns to Europe, 280; - dies in obscurity, 281; - Louis XIV. orders the arrest of, 282; - various editions of the travels of, 282; - finds fault with Tonty, 467, 479, 481; - rivals of, 485, 486. - -Hiens, the German, 411, 421, 425; - murders Moranget, Saget, and Nika, 426; - quarrel with Duhaut and Liotot, 446; - murders Duhaut, 448; - joins the Cenis on a war expedition, 450, 465; - fate of, 472. - -Hillaret Moise, 147, 178, 187, 193, 217, 218. - -Hitt, Col. D. F., 317. - -Hohays, the, 261. - -Homannus, - map made by, 484. - -Hondo (Rio Frio), the, 469. - -Horse Shoe Fall, the, 139. - -Hotel-Dieu at Montreal, the, 13, 98. - -Hudson's Bay, - Joliet's voyage to, 76; - Albanel's journey to, 109, 346, 484. - -Hudson's Strait, 480. - -Humber River, the, 138, 203. - -Hunaut, 187, 210, 287. - -Hundred Associates, Company of the, 57. - -Huron Indians, the, - quarrel with the Winnebagoes, 4; - allies of the French, 4; - at the Jesuit mission of St. Esprit, 40; - Marquette among, 40; - terrified by the Sioux, 41; - destroyed by the Iroquois, 219. - -Huron, Lake, 26, 27, 31; - the Jesuits on, 37, 41; - Saint-Lusson takes possession for France of, 52; - La Salle on, 152, 475, 476, 479. - -Huron Mission, the, 27. - -Huron River, the, 196. - -"Hyacinth, confection of," 159. - - -Iberville, the founder of Louisiana, 455; - joined by Tonty, 467, 472, 473. - -Ignatius, Saint, 78. - -Illinois, Great Town of the, 170; - deserted, 191; - La Salle at, 205; - description of, 221; - Tonty in, 223; - abandoned to the Iroquois, 230; - site of, 239. - -Illinois Indians, the, - at the Jesuit mission of St. Esprit, 40; - location of, 40, 41, 60; - Joliet and Marquette among, 66, 77, 78, 154, 155, 161; - La Salle among, 171-173; - hospitality of, 173; - deep-rooted jealousy of the Osages, 174, 203; - war with the Iroquois, 210, 220; - the Miamis join the Iroquois against, 220; - rankling jealousy between the Miamis and, 220; - an aggregation of kindred tribes, 223; - characteristics of, 223; - Tonty intercedes for, 228; - treaty made with the Iroquois, 231; - attacked by the Iroquois, 235; - become allies of La Salle, 287, 307; - at "Starved Rock," 314; - join La Salle's colony, 315, 316; - very capricious and uncertain, 322, 477. - -Illinois, Lake of the (Lake Michigan), 42, 75, 155, 477, 479. - -Illinois River, the, 31, 33, 34; - discovered by La Salle, 35; - Joliet and Marquette on, 74, 132; - La Salle on, 168; - various names of, 16, 204; - ravaged granaries of, 213, 220; - Father Hennepin sets out to explore, 242, 245, 296; - La Salle's projected colony on the banks of, 313, 315, 316, 405, 406; - Joutel on, 457, 477, 478, 481, 484. - -Illinois, State of, - first civilized occupation of, 181. - -Illinois, Valley of the, population of, 169. - -Immaculate Conception, the, doctrine of, - a favorite tenet of the - Jesuits, 61. - -Immaculate Conception, Mission of the, - Marquette sets out to found, 77. - -Incarnation, Marie de l', 111. - -Indians, the, - Father Jogues and Raymbault preach among, 5; - ferocity of, 11; - manitous of, 26, 44, 68; - their game of la crosse, 50; - the tribes meet at Saut Ste. Marie to confer with - Saint-Lusson, 51-56; - reception to Joliet and Marquette, 63; - lodges of, 75; - reception to Frontenac, 90; - Frontenac's admirable dealing with, 92, 93; - Alphabetical list of tribes referred to:-- - Abenakis, - Acanibas, - Agniers, - Akanseas, - Algonquins, - Alkansas, - Amikoues, - Andastes, - Arkansas, - Assiniboins, - Assonis, - Caddoes, - Cadodaquis, - Camanches, - Cenis, - Chaouanons, - Chickasaws, - Chikachas, - Coroas, - Creeks, - Crees, - Crows, - Dacotah, - Eries, - Fire Nation, - Five Nations, - Floridas, - Foxes, - Hohays, - Hurons, - Illinois, - Iroquois, - Issanti, - Issanyati, - Issati, - Kahokias, - Kanzas, - Kappas, - Kaskaskias, - Kickapoos, - Kilatica, - Kious, - Kiskakon Ottawas, - Knisteneaux, - Koroas, - Malhoumines, - Malouminek, - Mandans, - Maroas, - Mascoutins, - Meddewakantonwan, - Menomonies, - Miamis, - Mitchigamias, - Mohawks, - Mohegans, - Moingona, - Monsonis, - Motantees, - Nadouessioux, - Natchez, - Nation des Folles-Avoines, - Nation of the Prairie, - Neutrals, - Nipissings, - Ojibwas, - Omahas, - Oneidas, - Onondagas, - Osages, - Osotouoy, - Ottawas, - Ouabona, - Ouiatenons, - Oumalouminek, - Oumas, - Outagamies, - Pah-Utahs, - Pawnees, - Peanqhichia, - Peorias, - Pepikokia, - Piankishaws, - Pottawattamies, - Quapaws, - Quinipissas, - Sacs, - Sauteurs, - Sauthouis, - Senecas, - Shawanoes, - Sioux, - Sokokis, - Taensas, - Tamaroas, - Tangibao, - Terliquiquimechi, - Tetons, - Texas, - Tintonwans, - Tongengas, - Topingas, - Torimans, - Wapoos, - Weas, - Wild-rice, - Winnebagoes, - Yankton Sioux. - -Irondequoit Bay, 20. - -Iroquois Indians, the, 11; - alone remain, 37; - felt the power of the French, 42; - the "Beautiful River," 70; - Onondaga the political centre of, 87; - the Jesuits seek to embroil them with the French, 115; - ferocious character of, 207; - war with the Illinois, 210; - ferocious triumphs of, 219; - break into war, 219; - trade with the Dutch and the English, 219; - jealous of La Salle, 219; - joined by the Miamis against the Illinois, 220; - attack on the Illinois village, 225; - grant a truce to Tonty, 230; - take possession of the Illinois village, 230; - make a treaty with the Illinois, 231; - treachery of, 231; - Tonty departs from, 233; - attack on the dead, 234; - attack on the Illinois, 235, 320; - encouraged to fight by the Dutch and English traders, 324; - attack Fort St. Louis, 327. - -Iroquois War, the, - havoc and desolation of, 5, 219; - a war of commercial advantage, 219; - the French in, 460. - -Isle of Pines, the, 372. - -Issanti, the, 260. - -Issanyati, the, 260. - -Issati, the, 260. - -"Issatis," the, 481. - - -Jacques, companion of Marquette, 78, 80. - -Jansenists, the, 110. - -Japan, 6, 14. - -Japanese, the, 487. - -Jesuitism, - no diminution in the vital force of, 103. - -Jesuits, the, - their thoughts dwell on the Mississippi, 6; - La Salle's connection with, 8; - La Salle parts with, 9; - influence exercised by, 16; - want no help from the Sulpitians, 27; - a change of spirit, 36, 37; - their best hopes in the North and West, 37; - on the Lakes, 37; - labor to explore the copper mines of Lake Superior, 38; - a mixture of fanaticism, 38; - claimed a monopoly of conversion, 38; - make a map of Lake Superior, 38; - the missionary stations, 46; - trading with the Indians, 47; - doctrine of the Immaculate Conception a favorite tenet of, 61; - greatly opposed to the establishment of forts and trading-posts - in the upper country, 88; - opposition to Frontenac and La Salle, 102; - Frontenac's hatred of, 102; - turn their eyes towards the Valley of the Mississippi, 103; - no longer supreme in Canada, 104; - La Salle their most dangerous rival for the control of the West, 104; - masters at Quebec, 108; - accused of selling brandy to the Indians, 109; - accused of carrying on a fur-trade, 109, 110; - comparison between the Recollets and Sulpitians and, 112; - seek to establish a monopoly in the fur-trade, 114; - intrigues against La Salle, 115; - seek to embroil the Iroquois with the French, 115; - exculpated by La Salle from the attempt to poison him, 116; - induce men to desert from La Salle, 118; - have a mission among the Mohawks, 118; - plan against La Salle, 459; - maps made by, 478. - -Jesus, Order of, 37. - -Jesus, Society of, see _Society of Jesus_. - -Jogues, Father Isaac, - preaches among the Indians, 5, 59. - -Joliet, Louis, - destined to hold a conspicuous place in history of - western discovery, 23; - early life of, 23; - sent to discover the copper mines of Lake Superior, 23, 58; - his failure, 23; - meeting with La Salle and the Sulpitians, 23; - passage through the Strait of Detroit, 27; - makes maps of the region of the Mississippi and the Great Lakes, 32; - claims the discovery of the Mississippi, 33; - Frontenac speaks slightingly of, 34; - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51; - sent by Talon to discover the Mississippi, 56; - early history of, 57; - characteristics of, 58; - Shea first to discover history of, 58; - Ferland, Faillon, and Margry throw much light on the life of, 58; - Marquette chosen to accompany him on his search for the - Mississippi, 59; - the departure, 60; - the Mississippi at last, 64; - on the Mississippi, 65; - meeting with the Illinois, 66; - at the mouth of the Missouri, 69; - on the lower Mississippi, 71; - among the Arkansas Indians, 72; - determines that the Mississippi discharges into the Gulf of - Mexico, 74; - resolves to return to Canada, 74; - serious accident to, 75; - letter to Frontenac, 76; - smaller map of his discoveries, 76; - marriage to Claire Bissot, 76; - journey to Hudson's Bay, 76; - the English hold out great inducements to, 76; - receives grants of land, 76; - engages in fisheries, 76; - makes a chart of the St. Lawrence, 77; - Sir William Phips makes a descent on the establishment of, 77; - explores the coast of Labrador, 77; - made royal pilot for the St. Lawrence by Frontenac, 77; - appointed hydrographer at Quebec, 77; - death of, 77; - said to be an impostor, 118; - refused permission to plant a trading station in the Valley of the - Mississippi, 126, 477; - maps made by, 479, 480, 481, 482. - -Joliet, town of, 193. - -"Joly," the vessel, 353, 366, 367, 372, 373, 374, 375, 377, 381, - 383, 385. - -Jolycoeur (Nicolas Perrot), 116. - -Joutel, Henri, 69, 314, 363, 367, 368, 372, 374, 375, 377, 379, - 380, 382, 388, 389, 392, 393, 395, 396, 397, 399, 400, 401, 402, - 403, 406, 407, 409, 410, 411, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 428; - sketches the portrait of La Salle, 430; - the assassination of La Salle, 432, 433; - danger of, 436; friendship of L'Archeveque for, 436; - doubt and anxiety, 437, 438; - among the Cenis Indians, 440-445; - plans to escape, 445-447; - the murder of Duhaut, 448, 449; - sets out for home, 450; - his party, 451; - among the Assonis, 451-453; - arrival at the Arkansas, 453; - friendly reception, 455; - descends the Arkansas, 456; - on the Illinois, 457; - at Fort St. Louis of the Illinois, 457; - visit to Father Allouez, 459; - reaches Montreal, 462; - embarks for France, 462; - character of, 462. - - -Kahokias, the, 223. - -Kalm, 244. - -Kamalastigouia, 275. - -Kankakee, - the sources of, 167, 204, 288, 316. - -Kansa (Kanzas), the, 478. - -Kanzas, the, 478. - -Kappa band, the, of the Arkansas, 299. - -"Kaskaskia," - Illinois village of, 74; - the mission at, 79. - -Kaskaskias, the, 223, 477. - -Kiakiki River, the, 167. - -Kickapoos, the, - location of 43; - join the Mascoutins and Miamis, 62; - murder Father Ribourde, 233. - -Kilatica, the, - join La Salle's colony, 316. - -King Philip's War, 285. - -Kingston, 87, 90. - -Kious (Sioux), the, 307. - -Kiskakon Ottawas, the, 81, 237. - -Knisteneaux, the, - at the Jesuit mission of St. Esprit, 40. - -Koroas, the, 308. - - -La Barre, Le Febvre de, 182; - succeeds Frontenac as governor, 318; - weakness and avarice of, 318; - royal instructions to, 319; - letters from La Salle, 319-322; - defames La Salle to Seignelay, 322-324; - plots against La Salle, 325; - takes possession of Fort Frontenac and Fort St. Louis, 325-327; - ordered by the King to make restitution, 351, 482. - -Labrador, coasts of, 58; - explored by Joliet, 77. - -La Chapelle, 193; - takes false reports of La Salle to Fort Crevecoeur, 217. - -La Chesnaye, 102, 326. - -La Chine, - the seigniory of La Salle at, 12; - La Salle lays the rude beginnings of a settlement at, 13; - La Salle and the Sulpitians set out from, 19; - origin of the name, 29, 88, 486. - -La Chine Rapids, the, 75. - -La Crosse, Indian game of, 50. - -La Divine River, the (Des Plaines River), 477, 481. - -La Forest, La Salle's lieutenant, 101, 143, 203, 204, 208, 215, 236, - 286, 287, 292, 326, 333, 351, 352, 467, 485. - -La Forge, 147, 218. - -La Harpe, 255. - -La Hontan, 145, 153; - loss of the "Griffin," 182, 275, 276, 485, 486. - -Lakes, Upper, 24, 27; - Galinee, makes the earliest map of, 28, 38; - Jesuit missions on, 39; - Marquette on, 59, 85; - Frontenac's plan to command, 96; - first vessel on, 145; - La Salle on, 151-163. - -Lalemant, 139. - -La Metairie, Jacques de, 308. - -La Motte, see _Lussiere, La Motte de_. - -Lanquetot, see _Liotot_. - -Laon, 59. - -La Pointe, Jesuit mission of St. Esprit at, 40. - -La Potherie, 49; - reception of Saint-Lusson by the Miamis, 50; - Henri de Tonty's iron hand, 129; - loss of the "Griffin," 182; - the Iroquois attack on the Illinois, 235. - -L'Archeveque, 421, 425; - murders Moranget, Saget, and Nika, 426; - the assassination of La Salle, 429; - friendship for Joutel, 436; - danger of, 449, 470, 471; - sent to Spain, 472. - -La Sablonniere, Marquis de, 380, 388, 407, 409, 418. - -La Salle, Sieur de, birth of, 7; - origin of his name, 7; - connection with the Jesuits, 8; - characteristics of, 9; - parts with the Jesuits, 9; - sails for Canada, 10; - at Montreal, 10; - schemes of, 11; - his seigniory at La Chine, 12; - begins to study Indian languages, 14; - plans of discovery, 14, 15; - sells his seigniory, 16; - joins his expedition to that of the seminary priests, 17; - sets out from La Chine, 19; - journey of, 19, 20; - hospitality of the Senecas, 21; - fears for his safety, 22; - meeting with Joliet, 23; - _belles paroles_ of, 25; - parts with the Sulpitians, 25; - obscurity of his subsequent work, 28; - goes to Onondaga, 29; - deserted by his men, 30; - meeting with Perrot, 30; - reported movements of, 31; - Talon claims to have sent him to explore, 31; - affirms that he discovered the Ohio, 32; - discovery of the Mississippi, 33; - discovered the Illinois River, 35; - pays the expenses of his expeditions, 49; - in great need of money, 49; - borrows merchandise from the Seminary, 49; - contrasted with Marquette, 83; - called a visionary, 83; - projects of, 84; - Frontenac favorably disposed towards, 85; - faculty for managing the Indians, 89; - at Montreal, 97; - champions Frontenac, 99; - goes to France, 99; recommended to Colbert by Frontenac, 99; - petitions for a patent of nobility and a grant of Fort - Frontenac, 100; - his petition granted, 100; - returns to Canada, 101; - oppressed by the merchants of Canada, 101; - Le Ber becomes the bitter enemy of, 101; - aims at the control of the valleys of the Ohio and the - Mississippi, 102; - opposed by the Jesuits, 102; - the most dangerous rival of the Jesuits for the control of - the West, 104; - the Prince de Conti the patron of, 106; - the Abbe Renaudot's memoir of, 106, 107; - account of, 107; - not well inclined towards the Recollets, 108; - plots against, 113; - caused no little annoyance by his brother, 114; - Jesuit intrigues against, 115; - attempt to poison, 116; - exculpates the Jesuits, 116; - letter to the Prince de Conti, 118; - the Jesuits induce men to desert from, 118; - defamed to Colbert, 119; - at Fort Frontenac, 120; - sails again for France, 122; - his memorial laid before Colbert, 122; - urges the planting of colonies in the West, 123; - receives a patent from Louis XIV., 124; - forbidden to trade with the Ottawas, 125; - given the monopoly of buffalo-hides, 126; - makes plans to carry out his designs, 126; - assistance received from his friends, 127; - invaluable aid received from Henri de Tonty, 127; - joined by La Motte de Lussiere, 129; - sails for Canada, 129; - makes a league with the Canadian merchants, 129; - met by Father Hennepin on his return to Canada, 130; - joined by Father Hennepin, 131; - relations with Father Hennepin, 134, 135; - sets out to join La Motte, 141; - almost wrecked, 142; - treachery of his pilot, 142; - pacifies the Senecas, 142; - delayed by jealousies, 143; - returns to Fort Frontenac, 143; - unfortunate in the choice of subordinates, 143; - builds a vessel above the Niagara cataract, 144; - jealousy and discontent, 147; - lays foundation for blockhouses at Niagara, 148; - the launch of the "Griffin," 149; - his property attached by his creditors, 150; - on Lake Huron, 152; - commends his great enterprise to St. Anthony of Padua, 152; - at St. Ignace of Michilimackinac, 153; - rivals and enemies, 154; - on Lake Michigan, 155; - at Green Bay, 155; - finds the Pottawattamies friendly, 155; - sends the "Griffin" back to Niagara laden with furs, 156; - trades with the Ottawas, 156; - hardships, 158; - encounter with the Outagamies, 160, 161; - rejoined by Tonty, 162; - forebodings concerning the "Griffin," 163; - on the St. Joseph, 164; - lost in the forest, 165; - on the Illinois, 166; - Duplessis attempts to murder, 166; - the Illinois town, 169, 170; - hunger relieved, 171; - Illinois hospitality, 173; - still followed by the intrigues of his enemies, 175; - harangues the Indians, 177; - deserted by his men, 178; - another attempt to poison, 178; - builds Fort Crevecoeur, 180; - loss of the "Griffin," 181; - anxieties of, 183; - a happy artifice, 184; - builds another vessel, 185; - sends Hennepin to the Mississippi, 185; - parting with Tonty, 188; - hardihood of, 189-201; - his winter journey to Fort Frontenac, 189; - the deserted town of the Illinois, 191; - meeting with Chief Chassagoac, 192; - "Starved Rock," 192; - Lake Michigan, 193; - the wilderness, 193, 194; - Indian alarms, 195; - reaches Niagara, 197; - man and nature in arms against, 198; - mutineers at Fort Crevecoeur, 199; - chastisement of the mutineers, 201; - strength in the face of adversity, 202; - his best hope in Tonty, 202; - sets out to succor Tonty, 203; - kills buffalo, 205; - a night of horror, 207; - fears for Tonty, 209; - finds the ruins of Fort Crevecoeur, 211; - beholds the Mississippi, 212; - beholds the "Great Comet of 1680," 213; - returns to Fort Miami, 215; - jealousy of the Iroquois of, 219, 238; - route of, 276; - Margry brings to light the letters of, 281; - begins anew, 283; - plans for a defensive league, 284; - Indian friends, 285; - hears good news of Tonty, 287; - Illinois allies, 287; - calls the Indians to a grand council, 289; - his power of oratory, 289; - his harangue, 289; - the reply of the chiefs, 291; - finds Tonty, 292; - parts with a portion of his monopolies, 293; - at Toronto, 293; - reaches Lake Huron, 294; - at Fort Miami, 294; - on the Mississippi, 297; - among the Arkansas Indians, 299; - takes formal possession of the Arkansas country, 300; - visited by the chief of the Taensas, 302; - visits the Coroas, 305; - hostility, 305; - the mouth of the Mississippi, 306; - takes possession of the Great West for France, 306; - bestows the name of "Louisiana" on the new domain, 309; - attacked by the Quinipissas, 310; - revisits the Coroas, 310; - seized by a dangerous illness, 310; - rejoins Tonty at Michilimackinac, 311; - his projected colony on the banks of the Illinois, 313; - intrenches himself at "Starved Rock," 313; - gathers his Indian allies at Fort St. Louis, 315; - his colony on the Illinois, 316; - success of his colony, 318; - letters to La Barre, 319-322; - defamed by La Barre to Seignelay, 322-324; - La Barre plots against, 325; - La Barre takes possession of Fort Frontenac and Fort - St. Louis, 325-327; - sails for France, 327; - painted by himself, 328-342; - difficulty of knowing him, 328; - his detractors, 329; - his letters, 329-331; - vexations of his position, 331; - his unfitness for trade, 332; - risks of correspondence, 332; - his reported marriage, 334; - alleged ostentation, 335; - motives of actions, 335; - charges of harshness, 336; - intrigues against him, 337; - unpopular manners, 337, 338; - a strange confession, 339; - his strength and his weakness, 340, 341; - contrasts of his character, 341, 342; - at court, 343; - received by the King, 344; - new proposals of, 345-347; - small knowledge of Mexican geography, 348; - plans of, 349; - his petitions granted, 350; - Forts Frontenac and St. Louis restored by the King to, 351; - preparations for his new enterprise, 353; - divides his command with Beaujeu, 353; - lack of harmony between Beaujeu and, 354-361; - indiscretion of, 361; - overwrought brain of, 362; - farewell to his mother, 364; - sails from Rochelle, 366; - disputes with Beaujeu, 366; - the voyage, 368; - his illness, 368; - Beaujeu's complaints of, 370; - resumes his journey, 372; - enters the Gulf of Mexico, 373; - waiting for Beaujeu, 374; - coasts the shores of Texas, 374; - meeting with Beaujeu, 375; - perplexity of, 375-377; - lands in Texas, 379; - attacked by the Indians, 380; - wreck of the "Aimable," 381; - forlorn position of, 383; - Indian neighbors, 384; - Beaujeu makes friendly advances to, 385; - departure of Beaujeu, 387; - at Matagorda Bay, 391; - misery and dejection, 393; - the new Fort St. Louis, 394; - explorations of, 395; - adventures of, 402; - again falls ill, 404; - departure for Canada, 405; - wreck of the "Belle," 407; - Maxime Le Clerc makes charges against, 410; - Duhaut plots against, 410; - return to Fort St. Louis, 411; - account of his adventures, 411-413; - among the Cenis Indians, 413; - attacked with hernia, 417; - Twelfth Night at Fort St. Louis, 417; - his last farewell, 418; - followers of, 420; - prairie travelling, 423; - Liotot swears vengeance against, 424; - the murder of Moranget, Saget, and Nika, 426; - his premonition of disaster, 428; - murdered by Duhaut, 429; - character of, 430; - his enthusiasm compared with that of Champlain, 431; - his defects, 431; - America owes him an enduring memory, 432; - the marvels of his patient fortitude, 432; - evidences of his assassination, 432; - undeniable rigor of his command, 433; - locality of his assassination, 434; - his debts, 434; - Tonty's plan to assist, 453-455; - fear of Father Allouez for, 459; - Jesuit plans against, 459, 477, 479, 480, 481, 482, 483, 484, - 485, 486. - -La Salle, village of, 146, 167. - -La Taupine (Pierre Moreau), 78. - -La Tortue, 367. - -Launay, De, 453, 455. - -Laurent, 199, 218. - -Lavaca River, the, 392, 395, 396. - -La Vache River, the, 392. - -Laval-Montmorency, Francois Xavier de, - first bishop of Quebec, 110; - accused of harshness and intolerance, 110; - encourages the establishment of the association of - the Sainte Famille, 111. - -La Violette, 187. - -La Voisin, - burned alive at Paris, 179. - -Le Baillif, M., 34. - -Le Ber, Jacques, 97; - becomes La Salle's bitter enemy, 101, 326. - -Leblanc, 193; - takes false reports of La Salle to Fort Crevecoeur, 217, 218. - -Le Clerc, Father Chretien, 169, 175, 192, 198, 217, 234, 238; - his account of the Recollet missions among the Indians, 246; - Hennepin steals passages from, 247; - character of Du Lhut, 276; - energy of La Salle, 292, 296; - Louis XIV. becomes the sovereign of the Great West, 308; - misery and dejection at Matagorda Bay, 393, 403, 406, 413, 414, - 415, 416, 417. - -Le Clerc, Maxime, - joins La Salle's new enterprise, 353; - in Texas, 400; - adventure with a boar, 410; - makes charges against La Salle, 410, 418. - -Le Fevre, Father, 131. - -Le Gros, Simon, 388, 394, 398. - -Le Meilleur, 218. - -Le Moyne, 102. - -Lenox, Mr., - the Journal of Marquette, 75; - death of Marquette, 81, 169. - -Leon, Alonzo de, 469, 471. - -Le Petit, - customs of the Natchez, 304. - -L'Esperance, 216, 218, 223. - -Le Sueur, map made by, 225, 485. - -Le Tardieu, Charles, 99. - -Lewiston, mountain ridge of, 138, 143; - rapids at, 144. - -Liotot, - La Salle's surgeon, 420; - swears vengeance against La Salle, 424, 425; - murders Moranget, Saget, and Nika, 426; - the assassination of La Salle, 429, 430; - resolves to return to Fort St. Louis, 446; - quarrels with Hiens, 446; - murder of, 449. - -Long Point, 25; - the Sulpitians spend the winter at, 25. - -"Long River," the, 485. - -Long Saut, the, 89. - -Louis XIV. - becomes the sovereign of the Great West, 308; - misery and dejection at Matagorda Bay, 393, 403, 406, 413, 414, 415, - 416, 417. - -Louis XIV., of France, 26, 52, 115; - grants a patent to La Salle, 124; - orders the arrest of Hennepin, 282; - proclaimed by La Salle the sovereign of the Great West, 306; - receives La Salle, 344; - irritated against the Spaniards, 344; - grants La Salle's petitions, 350; - abandons the colonists, 463; - Cavelier's memorial to, 463. - -Louisiana, country of, 307; - name bestowed by La Salle, 309; - vast extent of, 309; - boundaries of, 309; - Iberville the founder of, 455, 483, 484, 485, 489. - -Louisville, 29, 32. - -Louvigny, Sieur de, 274, 349. - -"Lover's leap," the, 271. - -Loyola, Disciples of, - losing ground in Canada, 104. - -Lussiere, La Motte de, - joins La Salle, 129, 132; - embarks on the journey, 137; - reaches the Niagara, 138; - begins to build fortifications, 140; - jealousy of the Senecas, 140; - seeks to conciliate the Senecas, 140, 141; - fidelity to La Salle doubtful, 143. - - -Machaut-Rougemont, 365. - -Mackinaw, La Salle at, 325. - -Mackinaw, Island of, 153. - -Macopins, Riviere des (Illinois River), 167, 483. - -Madeira, 366. - -Maha (Omahas), the, 478. - -"Maiden's Rock," the, 271. - -"Malheurs, La Riviere des," 402. - -Malhoumines, the, 61. - -Malouminek, the, 61. - -Manabozho, the Algonquin deity, 267. - -Mance, Mlle., 112. - -Mandans, the, - winter lodges of, 442. - -Manitoulin Island, - Mission of, 41; - assigned to Andre, 41. - -Manitoulin Islands, - Saint-Lusson winters at, 50; - Saint-Lusson takes possession for France of, 52, 153, 203. - -Manitoulins, the, 27. - -Manitoumie (Mississippi Valley), 485. - -Manitous, 26, 44, 68. - -Maps, - Champlain's map (the first) of the Great Lakes, 476; - Coronelli's map, 221, 484; - manuscript map of Franquelin, 169, 221, 316, 317, 347, 390, 481, - 482, 483, 484, 485; - map of Galinee, 475; - map of Lake Superior, 476; - map of the Great Lakes, 476; - map of Marquette, 477; - maps of the Jesuits, 478; - small maps of Joliet, 479, 480; - Raudin's map, 481; - rude map of Father Raffeix, 481; - Franquelin's map of Louisiana, 482; - the great map of Franquelin, 482; - map of Le Sueur, 481, 485; - map of Homannus, 484. - -Margry, - birth of La Salle, 7; - La Salle's connection with the Jesuits, 8; - La Salle sells his seigniory, 16; - La Salle's claims to the discovery of the Mississippi, 34, 35; - throws much light on the life of Joliet, 58, 77; - La Salle's marriage prevented by his brother, 114; - La Salle at Fort Frontenac, 121; - assistance given to La Salle, 127; - Henri de Tonty, 128, 130, 132; - La Motte at Niagara, 140; - La Salle pacifies the Senecas, 142; - La Salle at Niagara, 148; - La Salle attached by his creditors, 150; - the names of the Illinois, 167; - intrigues against La Salle, 175; - brings to light the letters of La Salle, 281, 296, 342; - letters of Beaujeu to Seignelay and to Cabart de Villermont, 365; - La Salle's disputes with Beaujeu, 366; - illness of La Salle, 368; - La Salle resumes his voyage, 372; - La Salle lands in Texas, 379; - Beaujeu makes friendly advances to La Salle, 386, 387; - misery and dejection at Matagorda Bay, 393; - life at Fort St. Louis, 400; - the murder of Duhaut and Liotot, 449; - Allouez's fear of La Salle, 459. - -Marle, Sieur de, 421; - murders Moranget, 427; - sets out for home, 451; - drowned, 453. - -Maroas, the, 477. - -Marquette, Jacques, the Jesuit, - at Ste. Marie du Saut, 27; - voyage of, 32; - discovery of the Mississippi, 33; - among the Hurons and the Ottawas, 40; - at the Jesuit mission of St. Esprit, 40; - the mission of Michilimackinac assigned to, 41, 51; - chosen to accompany Joliet in his search for the Mississippi, 59; - early life of, 59; - on the Upper Lakes, 59; - great talents as a linguist, 59; - traits of character, 59; - journal of his voyage to the Mississippi, 60; - especially devoted to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, 61; - at the Green Bay Mission, 62; - among the Mascoutins and Miamis, 62; - on the Wisconsin River, 63; - the Mississippi at last, 64; on the Mississippi, 65; - map drawn by, 65; - meeting with the Illinois, 66; - affrighted by the Indian manitous, 68; - at the mouth of the Missouri, 69; - on the lower Mississippi, 71; - among the Arkansas Indians, 72; - determines that the Mississippi discharges into the - Gulf of Mexico, 74; - resolves to return to Canada, 74; - illness of, 74; - remains at Green Bay, 75; - journal of, 75; - true map of, 75; - sets out to found the mission of the Immaculate Conception, 77; - gives the name of "Immaculate Conception" to the Mississippi, 77; - on the Chicago River, 78; - return of his illness, 78; - founds the mission at the village "Kaskaskia," 79; - peaceful death of, 80; - burial of, 81; - his bones removed to St. Ignace of Michilimackinac, 81; - miracle at the burial of, 81; - tradition of the death of, 82; - contrasted with La Salle, 83; 169, 223; - route of, 276; - pictured rock of, 457; - maps made by, 477, 478, 480, 481. - -Marshall, O. H., 140, 146. - -Martin, 75; death of Marquette, 81. - -Martin, Father Felix, - connection of La Salle with the Jesuits, 8. - -Martinique, 385, 386, 387. - -Mascoutins, the, - location of, 43; - Fathers Allouez and Dablon among, 44; - joined by the Kickapoos, 62; - visited by Marquette, 62; - La Salle falls in with, 195. - -Matagorda Bay, 376, 379, 383, 391, 471. - See also _St. Louis, Bay of._ - -Matagorda Island, 375, 379. - -Mather, Increase, 213. - -Mazarin, Cardinal, 129. - -Meddewakantonwan, the, 260. - -Medrano, Sebastian Fernandez de, 244. - -Membre, Father Zenobe, 150, 155, 169, 185, 191, 192, 198, 201, 204, 216; - the mutineers at Fort Crevecoeur, 217, 218; - intrigues of La Salle's enemies, 220, 223, 224; - the Iroquois attack on the Illinois village, 225, 227, 230, 231, 233; - the Iroquois attack on the dead, 234, 238; - his journal on his descent of the Mississippi with La Salle, 246; - Hennepin steals passages from, 247; - meeting with La Salle, 292; - sets out from Fort Miami, 296; - among the Arkansas Indians, 299; - visits the Taensas, 301; - attends La Salle during his illness, 311; - joins La Salle's new enterprise, 353; - on the "Joly," 372; - in Texas, 388; - adventure with a buffalo, 409, 417, 418; - fate of, 470. - -Menard, the Jesuit, - attempts to plant a mission on southern shore of Lake Superior, 6. - -Menomonie River, the, 51. - -Menomonies, the, - at the Jesuit mission of St. Esprit, 40; - location of, 42; - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51; - village of, 61. - -"Mer Douce des Hurons" (Lake Huron), 476. - -"Mer du Nord," the, 480. - -"Messasipi" (Mississippi River), the, 480. - -Messier, 199, 218. - -"Messipi" River, the, 6. - -Meules, De, the Intendant of Canada, 319, 351. - -Mexico, 5, 6, 32, 117, 125, 126, 129, 346, 348; - Spaniards in, 349; 464, 480. - -Mexico, Gulf of, 31, 32, 38, 48, 63, 70, 74, 84, 245, 306, 309, 311, - 312, 344, 345, 358, 371, 373, 394; - claimed by Spain, 468, 471, 477, 478, 479, 481, 482, 483. - -Mexican mines, the, 349. - -Miami, Fort, 162, 163; La Salle - returns to, 215, 283, 284, 286, 288, 292, 294, 296, 311. - -Miami River, the, 32. - -Miamis, the, - location of, 43, 44; - Fathers Allouez and Dablon among, 44; - receive Saint-Lusson, 50; - authority and state of the chief of, 50; - joined by the Kickapoos, 62; - visited by Marquette, 62; - join the Iroquois against the Illinois, 220; - rankling jealousy between the Illinois and, 220, 223, 251, 286; - village of, 288; - called by La Salle to a grand council, 289; - at Buffalo Rock, 314; - join La Salle's colony, 316; - afraid of the Iroquois, 320. - -Miamis, Le Fort des (Buffalo Rock), 314. - -Miamis River (St. Joseph), 162. - -Michigan, - shores of, 31; - forest wastes of, 153; - peninsula of, 475, 476, 483, 484. - -Michigan, Lake, 4, 31; - the Jesuits on, 37; - the name of, 42, 61, 75, 77, 132; - La Salle on, 155, 162, 193, 236, 309, 475, 477, 479. - -Michilimackinac, - mission of, 41; - assigned to Marquette, 41, 279, 311. - -Michilimackinac, Straits of, 31, 41, 42, 59, 61, 80, 110, 197, 203, - 236, 288, 292. - -Migeon, 150. - -Mignan, islands of, - granted to Joliet, 76. - -Mille Lac, 257, 265, 277. - -Milot, Jean, 16. - -Milwaukee, 159. - -Minet, La Salle's engineer, 373, 378, 379, 383, 387, 390. - -Minneapolis, city of, 267. - -Minong, Isle, 38. - -"Miskous" (Wisconsin), the, 480. - -Missions, early, - decline in the religious exaltation of, 103. - -Mississaquenk, 54. - -Mississippi River, the, - discovered by the Spaniards, 3; - De Soto buried in, 3; - Jean Nicollet reaches, 3; - Colonel Wood reaches, 5; - Captain Bolton reaches, 5; - Radisson and Des Groseilliers reach, 5; - the thoughts of the Jesuits dwell on, 6; - speculations concerning, 6; 30, 31; - Joliet makes a map of the region of, 32; 45, 46; - Talon resolves to find, 56; - Joliet selected to find, 56; - Marquette chosen to accompany Joliet, 59; - the discovery by Joliet and Marquette, 64; - its outlet into the Gulf of Mexico determined by Joliet and - Marquette, 74; - Marquette gives the name of "Immaculate Conception" to, 77; - La Salle's plans to control, 84; - Hennepin sent to, 185; - La Salle beholds, 212; - claims of Hennepin to the discovery of, 243; - Membre's journal on his descent of, 246; - La Salle on, 297, 307, 310, 311, 312, 345, 346, 352, 371, 373, - 374, 376, 389, 390, 391, 403, 404, 405, 457, 459, 466; - early unpublished maps of, 475-486. - -Mississippi, Valley of the, - La Salle aims at the control of, 102; - the Jesuits turn their eyes towards, 103; 479; - various names given to, 485. - -Missouri River, the, 6; - Joliet and Marquette at the mouth of, 69, 297, 457, 477, 478, 479, - 483, 489. - -Missouris, the, 279, 320. - -"Mitchigamea," village of, 72. - -Mitchigamias, the, 308. - -"Mitchiganong, Lac" (Lake Michigan), 477. - -Mobile Bay, 129, 385, 386, 387, 389, 481, 482, 483. - -Mobile, city of, 309, 467. - -Mohawk River, the, 483. - -Mohawks, the, 91; - Bruyas among, 115; - Jesuit mission among, 118; - Father Hennepin among, 135, 136, 483. - -Mohegan Indians, the, 285, 295, 486. - -Moingona, the, 223. - -Moingouena (Peoria), 65. - -Monso, the Mascoutin chief, - plots against La Salle, 174, 177, 192. - -Monsonis, the, at Saut Ste. Marie, 51. - -Montagnais, the, 59. - -Montezuma, 487. - -Montreal, La Salle at, 10; - the most dangerous place in Canada, 10; - detailed plan of, 13; - Frontenac at, 87; - Frontenac has it well in hand, 96; - Joutel and Cavelier reach, 462, 475. - -Montreal, Historical Society of, 17. - -Moranget, La Salle's nephew, 379, 384, 385, 405, 412, 415, 420, 424; - quarrel with Duhaut, 425; - murder of, 426, 433. - -Moreau, Pierre, 78. - -Morel, M., 360. - -Morice, Marguerite, 7. - -Motantees (?), the, 307. - -Moyse, Maitre, 147, 217. - -Mozeemlek, the, 486. - -Mustang Island, 375. - - -Nadouessious (Sioux), the, 307. - -Nadouessioux, the country of, 307. - -Natchez, the, - village of, 303; - differ from other Indians, 304; - customs of, 304, 308. - -Natchez, city of, 304. - -Neches River, the, 415, 470. - -Neenah (Fox) River, the, 44. - -Neutrals, the, - exterminated by the Iroquois, 219. - -New Biscay, province of, 346, 348, 352, 383, 403. - -New England, 5, 346. - -New England Indians, the, 285. - -New France, 483, 484, 485. - -New Leon, province of, 468. - -New Mexico, 5, 350; - Spanish colonists of, 414. - -New Orleans, 484. - -New York, the French in western, 19-23, 288, 484. - -Niagara, name of, 139; - the key to the four great lakes above, 140, 197, 198, 279. - -Niagara Falls, 23; - Father Hennepin's account of, 139; - Hennepin's exaggerations respecting, 248, 476. - -Niagara, Fort, 129, 138, 148. - -Niagara Portage, the, 144, 145. - -Niagara River, the, 23, 96; - Father Hennepin's account of, 139, 475. - -Nicanope, 175, 177, 178, 192. - -Nicollet, Jean, - reaches the Mississippi, 3; - among the Indians, 3; - sent to make peace between the Winnebagoes and the Hurons, 4; - descends the Wisconsin, 5. - -Nika, La Salle's favorite Shawanoe hunter, 412, 421, 425; - murder of, 426. - -Nipissing, Lake, 28. - -Nipissings, the, - Jean Nicollet among, 3; - Dollier de Casson among, 16; - Andre makes a missionary tour among, 41; - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51. - -Noiseux, M., Grand Vicar of Quebec, 82. - -North Sea, the, 38. - -Nueces, the upper, 469. - - -Oanktayhee, principal deity of the Sioux, 267. - -O'Callaghan, Dr., 139. - -Ohio River, the, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 29, 32; - La Salle affirms that he discovered, 32; - the "Beautiful River," 70, 297, 307, 457, 477, 478, 479, 480, - 483, 484. - -Ohio, Valley of the, - La Salle aims at the control of, 102. - -Ojibwas, the, at Ste. Marie du Saut, 39. - -Olighin (Alleghany) River, the, 307. - -"Olighin" (Alleghany) River, the, 484. - -Omahas, the, 478. - -Omawha, Chief, 175. - -Oneida Indians, the, 18, 91, 135. - -Ongiara (Niagara), 139. - -Onguiaahra (Niagara), 139. - -Onis, Luis de, 373. - -Onondaga, - La Salle goes to, 29; - the political centre of the Iroquois, 87; - Hennepin reaches, 135. - -Onondaga Indians, the, 91; - Bruyas among, 115. - -"Onontio," the governor of Canada, 54. - -Ontario, Lake, 16; - discovered, 20, 23, 58, 85, 87; - Frontenac reaches, 89, 96, 99, 128, 135, 147, 200, 279, 475, 476, 479. - -Ontonagan River, the, 39. - -Orange, settlement of (Albany), 136. - -Oris, 384. - -Osages, the, 174; - deep-rooted jealousy of the Illinois for, 174, 184, 477. - -"Osages, Riviere des" (Missouri), 70. - -Osotouoy, the, 300. - -Otinawatawa, 22, 23. - -Ottawa, town of, 75, 169, 193. - -Ottawa River, the, 27, 30, 462, 476. - -Ottawas, the, 27; - Marquette among, 40; - terrified by the Sioux, 41; - La Salle forbidden to trade with, 125; - La Salle trades with, 156, 182. - -"Ouabache" (Wabash), River, the, 70, 297. - -Ouabona, the, - join La Salle's colony, 316. - -"Ouabouskiaou" (Ohio) River, the, 70, 477. - -"Ouaboustikou" (Ohio), the, 480. - -Ouasicoude, principal chief of the Sioux, 264; - friendship for Hennepin, 266, 277. - -Ouchage (Osages), the, 477. - -Ouiatnoens (Weas), the, - join La Salle's colony, 316. - -Oumalouminek, the, 61. - -Oumas, the, 305. - -Oumessourit (Missouris), the, 478. - -"Oumessourits, Riviere des" (Missouri), 70. - -Outagamies (Foxes), the, - location of, 43. - -Outagamies, the, - encounter with La Salle, 160, 161, 287. - -Outrelaise, Mademoiselle d', 167. - -Outrelaise, the Riviere del', 167. - - -Pacific coast, the, 480. - -Pacific Ocean, 84. - -Paget, 366. - -Pahoutet (Pah-Utahs?), the, 478. - -Pah-Utahs (?), the, 478. - -Palluau, Count of, see _Frontenac, Count_. - -Palms, the River of, 307. - -Paniassa (Pawnees), the, 478. - -Panuco, Spanish town of, 350. - -Paraguay, - the old and the new, 102, 103, 104, 117. - -Parassy, M. de, 356. - -Patron, 274. - -Paul, Dr. John, 317. - -Pawnees, the, 478. - -Peanqhichia (Piankishaw), the, - join La Salle's colony, 316. - -"Pekitanoui" River (Missouri), the, 69, 477. - -Pelee, Point, 26, 197. - -Pelican Island, 379. - -Peloquin, 150. - -Pen, Sieur, - obligations of La Salle to, 434. - -Penalossa, Count, 350. - -Penicaut, - customs of the Natchez, 304. - -Pennsylvania, State of, 346. - -Penobscot River, the, 483. - -Pensacola, 472. - -Peoria, city of, 34, 171. - -Peoria Indians, the, - villages of, 171, 223, 477. - -Peoria Lake, 171, 190, 211, 296. - -Peouaria (Peoria), 65. - -Pepikokia, the, - join La Salle's colony, 316. - -Pepin, 276. - -Pepin Lake, 256, 271, 272. - -Pere, 58. - -Perrot, the cure, 98. - -Perrot, Nicolas, - meeting with La Salle, 30; - accompanies Saint-Lusson in search of copper mines on Lake - Superior, 49; - conspicuous among Canadian voyageurs, 49; - characteristics of, 50; - marvellous account of the authority and state of the Miami chief, 50; - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51; - local governor of Montreal, 87; - quarrel with Frontenac, 96; - arrested by Frontenac, 96; - the Abbe Fenelon attempts to mediate between Frontenac and, 97; - attempts to poison La Salle, 116. - -Peru, 350. - -Petit Goave, 367, 372. - -Philip, King, 288. - -Philip II. of Spain, 373. - -Phips, Sir William, - makes a descent on Joliet's establishment, 77. - -Piankishaws, the, 223; - join La Salle's colony, 316. - -"Picard, Le" (Du Gay), 186. - -Pierre, companion of Marquette, 78, 80. - -Pierron, the Jesuit, 115; - among the Senecas, 115. - -Pierson, the Jesuit, 279. - -Pimitoui River, the, 171. - -Platte, the, 207. - -Plet, Francois, 127, 293, 463. - -Poisoning, the epoch of, 179. - -Ponchartrain, the minister, 133, 276, 455, 467, 486, 489. - -Pontiac, - assassination of, 314. - -Port de Paix, 367, 368. - -Pottawattamies, the, - in grievous need of spiritual succor, 24; - the Sulpitians determine to visit, 24; - at the Jesuit mission of St. Esprit, 40; - location of, 42, 50, 77; - friendly to La Salle, 155, 182, 236, 237, 238; - Tonty among, 287; - at "Starved Rock," 314. - -"Poualacs," the, 481. - -Prairie du Chien, Fort, 64. - -Prairie, Nation of the, 44. - -Provence, 441. - -Prudhomme, Fort, 297; - La Salle ill at, 311. - -Prudhomme, Pierre, 297, 298. - -Puants, les (Winnebagoes), 42. - -Puants, La Baye des (Green Bay), 31, 42. - - -Quapaws, the, 300. - -Quebec, 15; - the Jesuits masters at, 108, 311, 460, 462, 482. - -Queenstown Heights, 138. - -Queylus, Superior of the Seminary of St. Sulpice, 11, 16. - -Quinipissas, the, 305; - attack La Salle, 310. - -Quinte, - Jesuit Mission at, 16. - -Quinte, Bay of, 87, 142, 200. - - -Radisson, Pierre Esprit, - reaches the Mississippi, 5. - -Raffeix, Father Pierre, the Jesuit, - manuscript map of, 75; - among the Senecas, 141, 276, 481. - -Raoul, 126. - -Rasle, 170. - -Raudin, Frontenac's engineer, 92, 167, 481. - -Raymbault,----, - preaches among the Indians, 5. - -Recollet Missions, - Le Clerc's account of, 246. - -Recollets, the, - La Salle not well inclined towards, 108; - protected by Frontenac, 109; - comparison between the Sulpitians and the Jesuits and, 112, 218. - -Red River, 305, 347, 348, 451, 465, 466, 471, 484. - -Renaudot, Abbe, - memoir of La Salle, 106, 107; - assists La Salle, 127, 133, 339, 360, 361. - -Renault, Etienne, 223, 237. - -Rhode Island, State of, 288. - -Ribourde, Gabriel, - at Fort Frontenac, 132, 137; - at Niagara, 150; - at Fort Crevecoeur, 185, 187, 192, 216, 224, 229; - murder of, 233. - -Riggs, Rev. Stephen R., - divisions of the Sioux, 261. - -Rio Bravo, - French colony proposed at the mouth of, 350. - -Rio Frio, the, 469. - -Rio Grande River, the, 309, 376, 403, 465, 469. - -Rios, Domingo Teran de los, 471. - -Robertson, 103. - -Rochefort, 352, 366, 393. - -Rochelle, 129, 364, 393, 462. - -"Rocher, Le," 314; - Charlevoix speaks of, 314. - -Rochester, 140. - -Rocky Mountains, the, 260, 308, 309. - -Rouen, 7. - -Royale, Isle, 38. - -"Ruined Castles," the, 68, 457. - -Rum River, 265. - -Ruter, 445, 446, 447, 448; - murders Liotot, 449, 470, 472. - - -Sabine River, the, 415, 451, 465. - -Saco Indians, the, 227. - -Sacs, the, - location of, 43; - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51. - -Sagean, Mathieu, - the Eldorado of, 485-489; - sketch of, 486; - -Saget, - La Salle's servant, 425; - murder of, 426. - -Saguenay River, the, 76; - Albanel's journey up, 109. - -St. Anthony, city of, 267. - -St. Anthony, the falls of, 267; - Hennepin's notice of, 267, 478, 482. - -St. Antoine Cape, 372. - -St. Bernard's Bay, 394, 469. - -St. Clair, Lake, 476. - -St. Claire, Lake, 152. - -St. Croix River, the, 277. - -St. Domingo, 347, 350, 367, 370, 393, 418, 468. - -St. Esprit, Bay of (Mobile Bay), 129, 386, 389, 481. - -St. Esprit, - Jesuit mission of, 40; - Indians at, 40. - -St. Francis, Order of, 133. - -St. Francis River, the, 265. - -"St. Francois," the ketch, 368; - loss of, 369. - -St. Francois Xavier, - council of congregated tribes held at, 43. - -St. Ignace, Point, 41, 59; - Jesuit chapel at, 82. - -St. Ignace of Michilimackinac, 81; - La Salle reaches, 153; - inhabitants of, 153. - -"St. Joseph," the ship, 330. - -St. Joseph, Lac (Lake Michigan), 155. - -St. Joseph River, the, 44, 162, 163; - La Salle on, 164, 203; - La Forest on, 236, 283, 288. - -Saint-Laurent, Marquis de, 367, 368. - -St. Lawrence River, the, 3, 12, 13, 15, 34, 63, 89, 122, 197, 198, - 219, 475, 480, 481, 483, 489. - -St. Louis, city of, 70. - -St. Louis, Bay of (Matagorda Bay), 376, 379, 394, 466, 468, 469, 471. - -St. Louis, Castle of, 87. - -St. Louis, Fort, of the Illinois, 241; - location of, 314; - La Salle's Indian allies gather at, 315; - location of, 316; - total number of Indians around, 317; - the Indians protected at, 320; - La Barre takes possession of, 327; - attacked by the Iroquois, 327, 347; - restored to La Salle by the King, 351; - Tonty returns to, 454; - Joutel at, 457; - condition of, 458; - Joutel's return to, 460; - Tonty leaves, 465; - reoccupied by the French, 468, 486. - -St. Louis, Fort, of Texas, 394, 395; - life at, 397; - La Salle returns to, 411, 415; - Twelfth Night at, 417; - Duhaut resolves to return to, 446; - abandoned by Louis XIV., 463; - the Spaniards at, 469; - desolation of, 469. - -St. Louis, Lake of, 13, 14, 19. - -St. Louis, Rock of, see "_Starved Rock_." - -St. Louis River, the, 307, 484. - -Saint-Lusson, Daumont de, - sent out by Talon to discover copper mines on Lake Superior, 49; - winters at the Manitoulin Islands, 50; - received by the Miamis, 50; - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51; - takes possession of the West for France, 52; - proceeds to Lake Superior, 56; - returns to Quebec, 56. - -St. Malo, 5. - -St. Paul, site of, 257. - -St. Peter, the Valley of the, - unprovoked massacre by the Sioux - in, 254, 260. - -St. Peter River, the, 486. - -Saint-Simon, 343. - -St. Simon, mission of, 41, 42. - -St. Sulpice, Seminary of, 10; - buys back a part of La Salle's seigniory, 16; - plan an expedition of discovery, 16. - -Ste. Barbe, mines of, 348. - -Sainte Claire, 152. - -Sainte-Famille, the, association of, - a sort of female inquisition, 111; - founded by Chaumonot, 111; - encouraged by Laval, 111. - -Ste. Marie, Falls of, 155. - -Ste. Marie du Saut, - the Sulpitians arrive at, 27; - Jesuit mission at, 39; - a noted fishing-place, 39; - Saint-Lusson takes possession for France of, 52. - -San Antonio, the, 469. - -Sanson, map of, 139. - -Santa Barbara, 348. - -Sargent, Winthrop, 182. - -Sassory tribe, the, 423. - -Sauteurs, the, 39; - the village of, 51. - -Sauthouis, the, 300. - -Saut Ste. Marie, the, 27; - a noted fishing-place, 42; - gathering of the tribes at, 51, 475. - -Sauvolle, 489. - -Schenectady, 483. - -Schoolcraft, the Falls of St. Anthony, 267. - -Scioto River, the, 32. - -Scortas, the Huron, 238. - -Seignelay, Marquis de, - memorials presented to, 35, 120, 274, 342; - La Barre defames La Salle to, 322, 344; - object of La Salle's mission, 352; - letters of Beaujeu to, 354-356; - complaints of Beaujeu, 370; - complaint of Minet, 378; - receives Beaujeu coldly, 389; - Jesuit petitions to, 459; - Cavelier's report to, 462, 463. - -Seignelay River (Red River), the, 167, 347, 348, 484. - -Seneca Indians, the, 14, 19, 20; - villages of, 21; - their hospitality to La Salle, 21; - cruelty of, 22, 29, 91; - Pierron among, 115; - village of, 138; - jealous of La Motte, 140; - La Motte seeks to conciliate, 140, 141; - pacified by La Salle, 142; - the great town of, 279; - Denonville's attack on, 460. - -Seneff, - bloody fight of, 134. - -Severn River, the, 203. - -Sevigne, 343. - -Sevigne, Madame de, letters of, 179. - -Shawanoes, the, 23, 225, 285, 307; - join La Salle's colony, 316, 320. - -Shea, J. G., - first to discover the history of Joliet, 58; - the journal of Marquette, 75; - death of Marquette, 81, 82, 115; - the "Racines Agnieres" of Bruyas, 136; - the veracity of Hennepin, 244; - critical examination of Hennepin's works, 247; - Tonty and La Barre, 454; - story of Mathieu Sagean, 486. - -Silhouette, the minister, 34. - -Simcoe, Lake, 203, 293. - -Simon, St., memoirs of, 167. - -Simonnet, 126. - -Sioux Indians, the, 6; - at the Jesuit mission of St. Esprit, 40; - break into open war, 41; - the Jesuits trade with, 110, 182, 207, 228; - capture Father Hennepin, 245, 250; - suspect Father Hennepin of sorcery, 253; - unprovoked massacres in the valley of the St. Peter, 254; - Hennepin among, 259-282; - divisions of, 260; - meaning of the word, 260; - total number of, 261; - use of the sweating-bath among, 263; - Du Lhut among, 276, 307, 480. - -Sipou (Ohio) River, the, 307. - -"Sleeping Bear," the, promontory of, 81. - -Smith, Buckingham, 471. - -Society of Jesus, the, - a powerful attraction for La Salle, 8; - an image of regulated power, 8. - -Sokokis Indians, the, 227. - -Soto, De, Hernando, see, _De Soto, Hernando_. - -South Bend, village of, 164. - -Southey, the poet, 182. - -South Sea, the, 6, 14, 38, 46, 52, 63, 70. - -Spain, - war declared against, 464; - claims the Gulf of Mexico, 468. - -Spaniards, the, - discover the Mississippi, 3; - Talon's plans to keep them in check, 48; - Louis XIV. irritated against, 344; - in Mexico, 349; - at Fort St. Louis of Texas, 469. - -Spanish Inquisition, the, 350. - -Spanish missions, the, 414, 471. - -Sparks, - exposes the plagiarism of Hennepin, 247, 468. - -"Starved Rock," 169; - attracts the attention of La Salle, 192; - Tonty sent to examine, 192, 205, 217, 221, 239; - description of, 313; - La Salle and Tonty intrench themselves at, 313; - described by Charlevoix, 314; - origin of the name, 314. - -"Sturgeon Cove," 77. - -Sulpice, St., 9. - -Sulpitians, the, - plan an expedition of discovery, 16; - join forces with La Salle, 17; - set out from La Chine, 19; - journey of, 19, 20; - meeting with Joliet, 23; - determine to visit the Pottawattamies, 24; - La Salle parts with, 25; - spends the winter at Long Point, 25; - resume their voyage, 26; - the storm, 26; - decide to return to Montreal, 26; - pass through the Strait of Detroit, 26; - arrive at Ste. Marie du Saut, 27; - the Jesuits want no help from, 27; - comparison between the Recollets and, 112. - -Superior, Lake, 5; - Menard attempts to plant a mission on southern shore of, 6; - Allouez explores a part of, 6; - Joliet attempts to discover the copper mines of, 23, 27; - the Jesuits on, 37; - the Jesuits make a map of, 38; - Saint-Lusson sets out to find the copper mines of, 49; - Saint-Lusson takes possession for France of, 52, 273, 276, 475; - map of, 476, 477, 479, 481. - -Susquehanna River, the, 483. - -Sweating-baths, Indian, 262. - - -Table Rock, 139. - -Tadoussac, 59. - -Taensas, the, great town of, 301; - visited by Membre and Tonty, 301; - differ from other Indians, 304. - -Tahuglauk, the, 486. - -Taiaiagon, Indian town of, 138. - -Tailhan, Father, 35, 49. - -Talon, 15. - -Talon, - among the Texan colonists, 471. - -Talon, Jean, Intendant of Canada, - sends Joliet to discover the copper - mines of Lake Superior, 23; - claims to have sent La Salle to explore, 31; - full of projects for the colony, 48; - his singular economy of the King's purse, 48; - sends Saint-Lusson to discover copper mines on Lake Superior, 49; - resolves to find the Mississippi, 56; - makes choice of Joliet, 56; - quarrels with Courcelle, 56; - returns to France, 57, 60, 109. - -Talon, Jean Baptiste, 472. - -Talon, Pierre, 472. - -Tamaroas, the, 223, 235, 286, 297. - -Tangibao, the, 305. - -Tears, the Lake of, 256. - -Tegahkouita, Catharine, the Iroquois saint, 275, 276. - -"Teiocha-rontiong, Lac" (Lake Erie), 476. - -Teissier, a pilot, 407, 421, 425, 451, 458. - -Tejas (Texas), 470. - -Terliquiquimechi, the, 348. - -Tetons, the, 260. - -Texan colony, the, fate of, 464-473. - -Texan expedition, La Salle's, 391-419, 434. - -Texan Indians, the, 470. - -Texas, - fertile plains of, 308; - French in, 348; - shores of, 374; - La Salle lands in, 379; - application of the name, 470, 483. - -Theakiki, the, 167. - -Thevenot, - on the journal of Marquette, 75; - map made by, 478. - -Third Chickasaw Bluffs, the, 297. - -Thomassy, 115, 175, 296, 298, 302, 308. - -Thouret, 201, 238, 333, 342. - -Thousand Islands, the, 89. - -Three Rivers, 3, 86, 90. - -Thunder Bay, 275. - -Tilly, Sieur de, 99. - -"Tintons," the, 481. - -Tintonwans, the, 260. - -Tongengas, the, 300. - -Tonty, Alphonse de, 467. - -Tonty, Henri de, 127; - renders assistance to La Salle, 128; - in Canada, 129; - La Motte at Niagara, 140; - sets out to join La Motte, 141; - almost wrecked, 142; - at the Niagara Portage, 144-147; - the building of the "Griffin," 144-148; - the launch, 149; 154, 155; - rejoins La Salle, 162; - among the Illinois, 172; - the attempt to poison La Salle, 179; - Hennepin sent to the Mississippi, 187; - La Salle's parting with, 188; - sent to examine "Starved Rock," 192; 194; - deserted by his men, 199, 217; - the journey from Fort Crevecoeur, 201; - La Salle's best hope in, 202; - La Salle sets out to succor, 203; - La Salle has fears for the safety of, 209; - sets out to examine "Starved Rock," 217; - in the Illinois village, 223; - attacked by the Iroquois, 225; - intercedes for the Illinois, 228; - peril of, 229; - a truce granted to, 229; - departs from the Iroquois, 233; - falls ill, 236; - friends in need, 237; - La Salle hears good news of, 287; - meeting with La Salle, 292; - sets out from Fort Miami, 296; - among the Arkansas Indians, 300; - visits the Taensas, 301; - illness of La Salle, 310; - sent to Michilimackinac, 311; - intrenches himself at "Starved Rock," 313; - left in charge of Fort St. Louis, 326, 334, 337; - attempts to attack the Spaniards of Mexico, 349, 355, 361, 421, 425; - the assassination of La Salle, 430, 433; - the murder of Duhaut, 448; - among the Assonis, 452; - plans to assist La Salle, 453-455; - his journey, seeking news of La Salle, 454, 455, 458; - in the Iroquois War, 460; - Cavelier conceals La Salle's death from, 461; - learns of La Salle's death, 464; - revives La Salle's scheme of Mexican invasion, 465; - sets out from Fort St. Louis of the Illinois, 465; - deserted by his men, 465; - courage of, 465; - difficulties and hardships, 466; - attacked by fever, 467; - misrepresented, 467; - praises of, 467; - joins Iberville in Lower Louisiana, 467, 486. - -Topingas, the, 300. - -Torimans, the, 300. - -Toronto, 27, 138. - -Toronto Portage, the, 293. - -Toulon, 463. - -"Tracy, Lac" (Lake Superior), 476. - -Trinity River, the, 413, 424, 434, 439, 465. - -Tronson, Abbe, 344, 463. - -"Tsiketo, Lac" (Lake St. Clair), 220. - -Turenne, 17. - -Two Mountains, Lake of, 82. - - -Upper Lakes, the, see _Lakes, Upper_. - -Ursulines, the, 95. - -Utica, village of, 79, 169, 170, 220, 239. - - -Vaudreuil, 276. - -Vera Cruz, 468, 472. - -Vermilion River, the, 221, 225, 226. - See also _Big Vermilion River, the_. - -"Vermilion Sea" (Gulf of California), the, 15, 38, 74, 480. - -"Vermilion Woods," the, 241. - -Verreau, H., 98. - -Vicksburg, 300. - -Victor, town of, 21, 140. - -"Vieux, Fort Le," 314. - -Villermont, Cabart de, - letters of Beaujeu to, 357-360; - letter of Tonty to, 454. - -Virginia, 288, 346, 483. - -"Virginia, Sea of," 6, 74. - -Voltaire, 7. - - -Watteau, Melithon, 150. - -Weas, the, join La Salle's colony, 316. - -West Indies, the, 181, 404, 446, 489. - -Wild Rice Indians (Menomonies), the, 61. - -William, Fort, 275. - -William III. of England, 282. - -Winnebago Lake, 43, 44, 62. - -Winnebagoes, the, - Jean Nicollet sent to, 4; - quarrel with the Hurons, 4; - location of, 42; - at Saut Ste. Marie, 51. - -Winona, legend of, 271. - -Winthrop, 213. - -Wisconsin, shores of, 157. - -Wisconsin River, the, 5, 63, 245, 265, 266, 272, 278, 477, 478, 480. - -Wood, Colonel, - reaches the Mississippi, 5. - - -Yanktons, the, 260. - -Yoakum, 470. - -You, 210. - -Zenobe (Membre), Father, 181. - -[Illustration] - - - - -FRANCIS PARKMAN'S WORKS. - -NEW LIBRARY EDITION. - - -Printed from entirely new plates, in clear and beautiful type, -upon a choice laid paper. Illustrated with twenty-six photogravure -plates executed by Goupil from historical portraits, and -from original drawings and paintings by Howard Pyle, De Cost -Smith, Thule de Thulstrup, Frederic Remington, Orson Lowell, -Adrien Moreau, and other artists. - -_Thirteen volumes, medium octavo, cloth, gilt top, price, $26.00; -half calf, extra, gilt top, $58.50; half crushed Levant morocco, -extra, gilt top, $78.00; half morocco, gilt top, $58.50. Any -work separately in cloth, $2.00 per volume._ - - - LIST OF VOLUMES. - - PIONEERS OF FRANCE IN THE NEW WORLD 1 vol. - THE JESUITS IN NORTH AMERICA 1 vol. - LA SALLE AND THE DISCOVERY OF THE GREAT WEST 1 vol. - THE OLD REGIME IN CANADA 1 vol. - COUNT FRONTENAC AND NEW FRANCE UNDER LOUIS XIV. 1 vol. - A HALF CENTURY OF CONFLICT 2 vols. - MONTCALM AND WOLFE 2 vols. - THE CONSPIRACY OF PONTIAC AND THE INDIAN WAR AFTER - THE CONQUEST OF CANADA 2 vols. - THE OREGON TRAIL 1 vol. - LIFE OF PARKMAN. By Charles Haight Farnham 1 vol. - - -ILLUSTRATIONS. - -1. Portrait of Francis Parkman. - -2. Jacques Cartier. From the painting at St. Malo. - -3. Madame de la Peltrie. From the painting in the Convent des -Ursulines. - -4. Father Jogues Haranguing the Mohawks. From the picture -by Thule de Thulstrup. - -5. Father Hennepin Celebrating Mass. From the picture by Howard -Pyle. - -6. La Salle Presenting a Petition to Louis XIV. From the painting -by Adrien Moreau. - -7. Jean Baptiste Colbert. From a painting by Claude Lefevbre at -Versailles. - -8. Jean Guyon before Bouille. From a picture by Orson Lowell. - -9. Madame de Frontenac. From the painting at Versailles. - -10. Entry of Sir William Phips into the Quebec Basin. From -a picture by L. Rossi. - -11. The Sacs and Foxes. From the picture by Charles Bodmer. - -12. The Return from Deerfield. From the painting by Howard Pyle. - -13. Sir William Pepperrell. From the painting by Smibert. - -14. Marquis de Beauharnois, Governor of Canada. From the -painting by Tonnieres in the Musee de Grenoble. - -15. Marquis de Montcalm. From the original painting in the possession -of the present Marquis de Montcalm. - -16. Marquis de Vaudreuil. From the painting in the possession of the -Countess de Clermont Tonnerre. - -17. General Wolfe. From the original painting by Highmore. - -18. The Fall of Montcalm. From the painting by Howard Pyle. - -19. View of the Taking of Quebec. From the early engraving of a -drawing made on the spot by Captain Hervey Smyth, Wolfe's aid-de-camp. - -20. Col. Henry Bouquet. From the original painting by Benjamin West. - -21. The Death of Pontiac. From the picture by De Cost Smith. - -22. Sir William Johnson. From a Mezzotint engraving. - -23. Half Sliding, Half Plunging. From a drawing by Frederic -Remington. - -24. The Thunder Fighters. From the picture by Frederic Remington. - -25. Francis Parkman. From a miniature taken about 1844. - -26. Francis Parkman. From a photograph taken in 1882. - -It is hardly necessary to quote here from the innumerable tributes to so -famous an American author as Francis Parkman. Among writers who -have bestowed the highest praise upon his writings are such names as James -Russell Lowell, Dr. John Fisk, President Charles W. Eliot of Harvard -University, George William Curtis, Edward Eggleston, W. D. Howells, -James Schouler, and Dr. Conan Doyle, as well as many prominent critics in -the United States, in Canada, and in England. - -In two respects Francis Parkman was exceptionally fortunate. He chose -a theme of the closest interest to his countrymen,--the colonization of the -American Continent and the wars for its possession,--and he lived through -fifty years of toil to complete his great historical series. - -The text of the New Library Edition is that of the latest issue of each -work prepared for the press by the distinguished author. He carefully -revised and added to several of his works, not through change of views, -but in the light of new documentary evidence which his patient research -and untiring zeal extracted from the hidden archives of the past. Thus he -rewrote and enlarged "The Conspiracy of Pontiac"; the new edition of -"La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West" (1878), and the 1885 -edition of "Pioneers of France" included very important additions; and a -short time before his death he added to "The Old Regime" fifty pages, -under the title of "The Feudal Chiefs of Acadia." The New Library Edition -therefore includes each work in its final state as perfected by the -historian. The indexes have been entirely remade. - - LITTLE, BROWN, & CO., Publishers, - 254 Washington Street. 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