the Savages who now inhabit the Land surrounding this Bay had deseâ—ted their former Habitation because of some stinking in French Puans Waters towards the Sea that annoy'd them CHAP XI A short Description of the Upper Lake THis Superiour Lake runs from East to West and may have more than a Hundred and fifty Leagues in length Sixty in breadth and Five hundred in circuit We never went quite over it as we did over all the others I 've hitherto mention'd but we sounded some of its greatest Depths and it resembles the Ocean having neither Bottom nor Banks I shall not here stay to mention the infinite numbers of Rivers that discharge themselves into this prodigious Lake which together with that of Illinois and the Rivers that are swallow'd in them make up the source of that great River St. Laurence which runs into the Ocean at the Island of Assumption towards New-found-land We travell'd upon this River about Six hundred Leagues from its mouth to its Source I 've already observ'd That all these Lakes may well be call'd Fresh-water Seas They abound extreamly in White Fish greater than Carps which are extraordinary good nay at Twenty or Thirty Fathom Water there are Salmon-Trouts taken of Fifty or Sixty pound weight It were easie to build on the sides of these great Lakes an infinite number of considerable Towns which might have Communication one with another by Navigation for Five hundred Leagues together and by an inconceivable Commerce which would establish it self among ' em And to be sure the Soil if cultivated by Europeans would prove very fertile Those that can conceive the Largeness and Beauty of these Lakes may easily understand by the help of our Map what course we steer'd in making he great Discovery hereafter mention'd CHAP. XII What is the Predominant Genius of the Inhabitants of Canada THe Spaniards were the first who discover'd Canada but at their first arrival having found nothing considerable in it they abandon'd the Country and call'd it Il Capo di Nada that is A Cape of Nothing hence by corruption sprung the Word Canada which we use in all our Maps Since I left that Country I understand that all things continue very near as they were whilst I resided there Those who have the Government of Canada committed to their Care are mov'd with such a malignant Spirit as obliges all who do not approve their Design to moan secretly before God Men of Probity that are zealous for Religion find nothing there of what they expected but on the contrary such Repulses and and ill Usage that no body could have foreseen Several resort thither with a design to Sacrifice their Repose and Life to the Temporal and Spiritual Succour of an Infant-Church but the loss of Reputation and Honour are the Sacrifices they 're oblig'd to make Others go thither in the hopes of spending their Lives in Peace and perfect Concord whereas they meet with nothing but Jarrs Divisions and a Sea of Troubles In lieu of their fair Hopes they reap nothing but Crosses and Persecution and all for not pleasing the Humours of Two or Three Men who are the over-ruling Wits of that Country What an immense distance there is betwixt the Humour of these Men and our Flemish Sincerity I mean that Candour and Evenness of Mind which make up the true Character of a Christian and is observ'd every where else But without entring farther into any Particulars I leave the Judgment of all unto God and shall only say that we who are Flemings by Birth went to Canada without any other private Design having renounc'd our Native Country meerly for the Service of our Religion after having quitted all other Enjoyments for embracing a Religious Profession And therefore it was not a small Surprize to us upon our arrival in that Country to see our Sincerity and Uprightness of Heart so sorrily entertain'd There is a certain sort of People to whom every thing is suspicious and whom it is impossible to retrieve from under the first Impressions they 've receiv'd Though a Man were never so complaisant yet if he be not altogether of their Stamp or if he endeavours to represent Things fairly and rationally unto them tho' with wise and soft Remonstrances yet shall he pass among 'em for a Fellow of a turbulent Spirit Such Conduct as this does not savour of Christianity nor bespeaks any other Prospect than that of temporal Interest This Consideration mov'd me oft-times to say to the Three Flemish Monks I had brought to Canada with me That it had been much better for us who had quitted all our Enjoyments and exchang'd them for the Poverty of a Monastick Life to have gone in Mission among Strangers to preach Repentance to Infidels and propagate the Kingdom of our Saviour among the barbarous Nations And indeed kind Providence seconded my Good Intentions for the Reverend Father Germain Allart Recollect late Bishop of Vence in Provence sent me Orders to undertake the Discovery which I am about to relate CHAP. XIII A Description of my first Imbarkment in a Canow at Quebec the Capital City of Canada being bound for the South-West of New-France or Canada I Remain'd Two Years and a half at Fort Frontenac till I saw perfected the House of Mission that Father Luke Buisset and I had caus'd to be built there This engag'd us in Travels which inseparably attend New Establishments Accordingly we went in a Canow down the River St. Laurence and after a Hundred and twenty Leagues sailing arriv'd at Quebec where I retirâ—d into the Recollects Convent of St. Mary in order to prepare and sanctifie my self for commencing this Discovery And indeed I must frankly own that when at the foot of the Cross I pensively consider'd this important Mission weighing it in the Scales of Humaâ— Reason and measuring the weight of its Difficulties by Human Force it seem'd aâ—together terrible rash and inconsiderable But when I look'd up to GOD and view'd it as an effect of his Goodness in chusing me for so great a Work and as his Commandment directed to me by the mouth of my Superiours who are the Instruments and Interpreters of his Wiâ—l unto me These Thoughts I say presently inspir'd me with Courage and Resolution to undertake this Discovery with all the Fidelity and Constancy imaginable I perswaded my self that since it was the peculiar Work of God to open the hard Hearts of that barbarous People to whom I was sent to publish the Glad Tidings of his Gospel it were as easie for Him to compass it by a feeble Instrument such as I was as by the most worthy Person in the World Having thus prepar'd my self for the Voyage of my Mission and seeing that those who were expected from Europe to bear part in this Discovery were now arriv'd that the Pilot Seamen and Ship-Carpenters were in readiness and that the Arms Goods and Rigging for the Ships were all at hand I took with me from our Convent a
fast we found our selves notwithstanding all the Pains we had been at over-against the Place where we embark'd One of our Men must needs shoot at a Bird flying which overset his Canow but by good luck he was in his depth We were forcâ—d to break several Sluces which the Castors had made for our Canow's to pass otherwise we cou'd not have continu'd our Way or carry'd our things to embark them again above these Sluces These Creatures make them with so much Art that Man cannot equal it We shall speak of them in our Second Volume We â—ound several of these Ponds or Stops of Water which these Creatures make with Pieces of Wood like a Causey After this we pass'd over four Lakes which are all made by this River Here formerly dwelt the Miamis but now the Maskouâ—ens Kikapous and Oâ—toagamis who sow their Indian Wheat here on which they chieâ—ly subsist We made some Broath of the Wâ—ter of a certain Fall which they call Kakalin because the Savages come often hither to ease themselves and lie on their Backs with their Faces expos'd to the Sun Thus having made more than four hundred Leagues by Water since our departure from the Country of the Issati and Nadoâ—essans we arriv'd at last at the great Bay of the Puans which makes part of the Lake of the Illinois CHAP. LXVIII The Author and his Company stay some time amongst the Puans Original of the Name They celebrated the Mass here and winter at Missilimakinak WE found many Canadians in this Bay of the Puans The Nation that inhabits here is so call'd because formerly they dwelt in certain Marshy Places full of stinking Waters situate on the south-South-Sea But being drove out thence by their Enemy they came and setled in this Bay which is to the East of the Illinois The Canadians were come hither to Trade with the People of this Bay contrary to an Order of the Viceroy They had still a little of the Wine left which they brought with them and kept in a Pewter-Flagon I made use of it for the Mass. Till now I had nothing but a Chalice and a Marble-Altar which was pretty light and very handsomly ingrav'd But here by good Fortune I met with the Sacerdotal Robes too Some Illinois who had happily escapâ—d their Enemies the Iroquois who had attack'd and almost destroyâ—d them since my Voyage and the time that I had been a Slave amongst the Barbarians had brought with them the Ornaments of the Chapel of Father Zenobius Mambre whom we had left among the Illinois Some of these I say who were escap'd to the Place where we were deliver'd me up all the Ornaments of the Chapel except the Chalice They promis'd to get me that too for a little Tobacco whicâ— I was to give them and were as good as their Word for they brought it me some few Days after 'T was more than nine Months since I had celebrated the Sacrament of the Mass for want of Wine We might indeed have done it in our Voyage had we had Vessels proper to keep Wine in But we cou'd not charge our Canow with such being very unâ—it to carry things of Weight 'T is true we met with Grapes in many Places through which wâ— pass'd and had made some Wine too which we put into Gourds but it fail'd us whilst we were among the Illinois as I have elsewhere observ'd As for the rest I had still some Wafers by me which were as good as ever having been kept in a Steel-Box shut very close We stay'd two Days at the Bay of thâ— Puans where we sung Te Deum and my self said Mass and Preach'd Our Men prepar'd themselves for the Holy Sacrament which we receiv'd in order to render our Thanks to God who had preserv'd us amidst the many Dangers we had run the Difficulties we had surmounted and Monsters we had overcome One of our Canow-Men truck'd a Fusil with a Savage for a Canow larger than our own in which after an hundred Leagues rowing having coasted all along the great Bay of the Puans we arriv'd at Missilimakinak in the Lake of Huron where we were forc'd to Winter For our Way lying still North we shou'd infallibly have perish'd amongst the Ice and Snow had we proceeded any farther By the Couâ—se we were oblig'd to take we were still about 400 Leagues from Canada Amongst these People I met to my no little Satisfaction Father Pierson a Jesuit Son of the King's Receivâ—r for the Town of At h in Hainault He was come hither to learn their Language and spoke it then passably well This Religious who retain'd still the free and open Humour of his Countrymen had made himself belov'd by his obliging Behaviour and seem'd to be an utter Enemy of Caballing and Intrigues having a Soul well-tun'd generous and sincere In a Word He appear'd to me to be such as every good Christian ought to be The Reader may judge how agreeably I pass'd the Winter in such good Company after the Miseries and Fatigues I had undergone in the Course of our Discoveries To make the best use of my time that I cou'd I Preach'd all the Holy-days and Sundays in Advent and Lent for the Edification of our Men and other Canadians who were come four or five Leagues out of their Country to Trade for Furrs amongst these Savages From whence we may observe that there are some whom I shall forbear to name who notwithstanding all their pretended Austerities are yet no less covetous of the Things of this World than the most Secular Person in it The Ouâ—acuacts and the Hurons wou'd often assist at our Ceremonies in a Church cover'd with Rushes and a few Boards which the Canadians had built here But they came more out of Curiosity than any Design to conform themselves to the Rules of our holy Religion The latter of these Savages would tell us speaking of our Discoveries That themselves were but Men but for us Europeans we must needs be Spirits That if they had gone so far up amongst strange Nations as we had done they should have been sure to have been kill'd by them without Mercy whereas we pass'd every-where without danger and knew how to procure the Friendship of all we met During the Winter we broke Holes in the Ice of the Lake Huron and by means of several large Stones sunk our Nets sometimes 20 sometimes 25 Fathom under-water to catch Fish which we did in great abundance We took Salmon-Trouts which often weigh'd from 40 to 50 pounds These made our Indian Wheat go down the better which was our ordinary Diet. Our Beverage was nothing but Broth made of White Fish which we drank hot because as it cools it turns to Jelly as if it had been made of Veal During our stay here Father Pierson and I would often divert our selves on the Ice where we skated on the Lake as they do in Holland I had learn'd this Slight when I was at Ghent from whence
carry on the Missions and to Convert other Nations to the Christian Religion Indeed these Monks do actually expose their Lives and are inur'd to all manner of Fatigues on purpose to propagate the Gospel throughout all the Regions of the World A Remonstrance was formerly made by our Monks that it was requisite that the Christian Religion and the authority of publick Justice shou'd be maintain'd by a good Garrison settl'd in some convenient place of Northern America which might keep in Subjection the Country for the space of above Eight Hundred Leagues along the Banks of St. Lawrence River There is no place convenient for Landing but at the mouth of the said River so that the chief Mart being once settl'd their Commerce might by that means be very much promoted and even render'd extremely Advantagious which might also be improv'd by the power of the Prince who might make himself Master of it and might enlarge his Dominions with the extent of a large River To these may be annex'd many spacious Countries which might be possess'd in this vast Continent on the Banks of the great River Meschasipi which is infinitely more convenient than that of St. Lawrence for the Establishing of New Colonies by reason that all sorts of Grain may be there reap'd twice a Year and even in some places thrice not to mention a very many other Advantages to which it may be added that a great number of People who wou'd come to visit these New Colonies might by that means be render'd Tributary Indeed I shall be always ready to contribute as far as it lies in my power toward the promoting of so noble an Enterprize and even to spend the remainder of my Life in that Service But in order to bring the Matter to a happy conclusion it wou'd be requisite First That the Princes or States who design to reap the benefit of our Discoveries shou'd cause Justice to be administer'd in those New Dominions with a great deal of exactness The beginnings of Colonies are always carry'd on with much difficulty which makes it necessary to prevent Robberies Murders Debauches Blasphemies and all other Crimes that are but too common among the Europeans who inhabit America Secondly It wou'd be expedient to cause a Fort to be built at the Mouth of St. Lawrence's River and more especially on that of Meschasipi which are the Landing places for the Vessels and to maintain a sufficient number of Men for the Defence of these Forts In the mean while the Inhabitants might go out in Parties and employ themselves in clearing the Lands Twenty or Twenty Five Leagues round about There they might get in three Crops every Year and yet spend some time in taming Wild Oxen which may be afterward serviceable on many occasions Besides other Profits that might arise from the above-mention'd Mines and the Sugar-Canes which are found there in much greater quantities than in the American Islands the reason is because there are more spacious Tracts of Land proper for the Planting of these Sugar-Canes on which may be sown divers sorts of Grain these will not thrive nor come to maturity in those Islands The Climate of the Territories situated between the frozen Seas and the Gulph of Mexico is much more temperate along the River Meschasipi than in the said Islands the Air being very near of the same Temperature as in Spain Italy and Provence and the Soil is extremely fruitful The Men and Women always go there with their Heads uncover'd and are of a more advantageous size than the Europeans As for the Sentiments of these Barbarous People concerning the Heaven and Earth if it be demanded who was the Creator of them There are some Old Men among them of a more quick apprehension who make Answer That for the Heaven they know not how it was made nor by whom first created Indeed if we had ever been there say they we might have come to some knowledge of it But thou seemest it to be void of discretion continue they to ask what we think of a place so far advanc'd above our Heads where 't is impossible for Men to ascend How woulds't thou have us speak of a thing that no Man has ever seen It plainly appears that thou art destitute of Vnderstanding to propose to us such sort of Questions But say they can'st thou by Scripture of which thou talkest so much shew us a Man who has come down from the top and the manner how he ascended When we reply'd That our Souls being separated from our Bodies are endu'd with admirable Agility and that they fly up to Heaven in the twinkling of an Eye to receive the Recâ—mpence of their Works from the great Creator of the World These Savages who shew a great deal of indifference to every thing that is told 'em and are very subtil in making a shew of admitting whatever is propos'd to 'em being urg'd usually answer to this effect That is very well for those of your Country but we Americans do not go to Heaven after death We only pass to the Countâ—y of Souls where our People are employ'd in Hunting fat Beasts and where they live more peaceably than we do in the places where we now have our abode All that thou hast told us tends to the advantage of those Men whose Habitation is beyond the great lake For so these Wretches call the Sea Then proceeding in their Discourse they add that as for their parts they are created after a different manner from the Europeans Hence it appears that he who Plants and he who Waters does little or nothing towards the Conversion of the People and that 't is God who gives the increase Therefore from him alone is to be expected that happy moment when these ignorant People will be ready to embrace the Christian Faith As for their Opinion concerning the Earth they make use of the Name of a certain Genius whom they call Micâ—boche who has cover'd the whole Earth with Water as they imagine and relate innumerable fabulous Tales some of which have a kind of Analogy with the Universal Deluge These Barbarians believe that there are certain Spirits in the Air between Heaven and Earth who have a power to foretell future Events and others who play the part of Physicians curing all sorts of Distempers Upon which account it happens that these Savages are very Superstitious and consult their Oracles with a great deal of exactness One of these Masters-Jugglers who pass for Sorcerers among them one day caus'd a Hut to be erected with ten thick Stakes which he fix'd very deep in the Ground and then made a horrible noise to Consult the Spirits to know whether abundance of Snow wou'd fall ere long that they might have good game in the Hunting of Elks and Beavers Afterward he bawl'd out aloud from the bottom of the Hut that he saw many Herds of Elks which were as yet at a very great distance but that they drew near within seven
the Fishes call'd Espadons and the Whales their mortal Enemies neither am I to detain my Reader with an account of what vast Quantities of Fish we took at Forty Fathom Water upon the Great Bank of New-found-Land or what great Numbers of Ships we rencounter'd that were bound thither from different Nations to Fish in these Places which afford such infinite Numbers of all manner of Fishes These diverting Sights were very agreeable to all our Crew which was then about an Hundred Men strong to three Fourths of whom I administred the Sacraments they being Catholicks I perform'd likewise Divine Service every Day while the Weather was calm and we sung the Itinerary of the Clergy translated into French Verse after the Evening Prayers Thus we sweetly pass'd our Time a-board 'till at length we arriv'd at Quebec the Capital City of Canada CHAP. II. The Means by which the Author accustom'd himself to endure the Travail and Fatigue of his laborious Mission MR. Francis de Laval Bishop of Petrée having taken possession of the Bishoprick of Quebec which was conferr'd upon him by Pope Clement X. and that contrary to the Sentiments of many Persons of Quality who by means of his Preferment were frustrated of their own Pretensions This Reverend Prelate I say having taken into consideration the Fervency of my Zeal in Preaching the Gospel in my Voyage my assiduous Diligence in performing Divine Service and the Care I had taken to hinder the Young Fellows of our Crew from keeping Loose Company with the Women and Maids that came along with us for which I had oft-times been rewarded with Anger and Hatred these Reasons and such-like procur'd me the Favour and Applause of this Illustrious Prelate he obliging me to Preach in Advent and Lent to the Cloister of St. Augustin in the Hospital of Quebec But in the mean while all this did not satisfie my natural Inclination I us'd oft-times to go some Twenty or Thirty Leagues off the Town to see the Country wearing a little Hood and making use of large Rackets without which I had been in danger of falling headlong over fearful Precipices Sometimes to ease my self a little I made a great Dog I had brought with me drag my little Baggage along that I might arrive the sooner at Trois Rivieres St. Ann and Cape Tourmente Bourgroyal the Point de Levi and at the Island of St. Laurence whither I design'd There I assembled together in one of the largest Cottages of that Country as many People as I could gather after which I admitted them to Confession and to the Holy Communion In the Night-time I had nothing to cover me but a Cloak and sometimes the Frost pierc'd to my very Bones which oblig'd me to make a Fire five or six times in a Night to prevent my freezing to death My Commons also wâ—re very short scarce more than to keep me from starving In the Summer-season I was oblig'd in the continuance of my Mission to travel by Canou's that is a sort of little Boats which I shall describe hereafter that they make use of in Lakes and Rivers Which sort of Contrivance succeeded well enough where the Water was shallow or about two or three Foot deep But when we came to any deeper Place then the Boat which was round underneath was in danger of over-turning insomuch that I had certainly perish'd in the Water had not I taken a circumspect Care of my self However I found my self oblig'd to travel after this manner for there were no passable Roads in this Country it being imposbleto travel over-land in these new Colonies because of that infinite number of Trees and Woods that replenish them on all sides which must needs be cut down or burn'd before any practicable Way be made CHAP. III. A Description of those Canou's thâ—t they make use of in the Summer-time in America to waft them along the Country THese Canou's are round underneath as I said but now and pointed at the two ends not unlike the Venetian Gondals without them it were impossible to travel in America for the Country is full of vast and wide-extended Forrests Besides the impetuous Winds sometimes pluck up the Trees by the Roots and Time it self renverses great numbers of 'em which tumbling down through Age are hudled so one above another that the Ways are totally embarass'd and render'd impracticable The Savage Natives are very ingenious in making these Canou's They make them of the Rinds of Birch-Trees which they pull very neatly off that sort of Trees they being considerably bigger than those of Europe They betake themselves to this Work generally about the end of Winter in the vast Forests that lie towards the Northern Parts of these Countries For supporting this Bark they line it within with Ribs or pieces of common Wood or Cedar about four Fingers broad this they furbish up with small Poles made smooth that make the circumference of the Canou then by other Poles going a-cross about an Inch or an Inch and a half thick which are very smoothly polish'd these they join on both sides to the Bark by small Roots of Trees cloven in two not much unlike the Willows that we make our Baskets of in Europe These Canou's have no Rudder as the bigger Shallops have for they conduct them meerly by the force of their Arms with some small Oars and can turn them with an incredible swiftness and direct them whither they list Those that are accustom'd to manage them can make 'em go at a wonderful rate even in calm Weather but when the Wind is favourable they are expedite to a Miracle for they then make use of little Sails made of the same Bark but thinner than that of the Canou's As for the Europeans that by long usage come to be well vers'd in this sort of Tackling thâ—y make use of about four Ells of Linnen-cloth hoisted up on a little Mast the foot of which is receiv'd by a Hole made in a square piece of light Wood that is fastned betwixt the Ribs and the Bark of the Canou's towards the bottom Those that are well skill'd in managing these Canou's may run Thirty or Thirty five Leagues in a Day upon Rivers and sometimes more in Lakes if the Wind be favourable But some of 'em are much bigger than others They carry generally about a Thousand pound weight some Twelve hundred and the biggest not more than Fifteen hundred pound The least of 'em may carry Three or four hundred pound weight together with two Men or Women to steer them along But the Greater must have Three or Four Men to manage them and sometimes when Business requires expedition Seven or Eight to quicken their pace CHAP. IV. Other Motives that induc'd the Author more forcibly to undertake this Discovery I Was passionately zealous in imitation of many Priests of my Order for enlarging the Limits of Christianity and converting the barbarous Americans to the Belief of the Gospel and in pursuance of that
Latitude CHAP. XX. An Account of what hapned in our Passage from the Lake Erie unto the Lake Huron I Had often advis'd M. la Salle to make a Settlement upon the Streight between the Lake Erie and Ontario where the Fishery is more plentiful for that Settlement would have been very advantageous to us to maintain our Communication with Fort Frontenac I told him also that it were fit to leave in that Settlement the Smith he and M. la Motte had promis'd to the Iroquois and that it would be a means to engage that wild Nation into our Inteeest and to trade only with us whereby he would grow rich in a little time But M. la Salle and the Adventurers who were with him would not hearken to my Advice and told me that they would make no Settlement within 100 Leagues of their Fort lest other Europeans should get before them into the Country they were going to discover This was their Pretence but I soon observ'd that their Intention was to buy all the Furrs and Skins of the remotest Savages who as they thought did not know their Value and so inrich themselves in one single Voyage I endeavour'd also to perswade him to make a settlement upon this charming Streight for being in the midst of so many Nations of Savages we could not but have a good Trade amongst them This was the Argument I made use of but the main Reason which I kept to my self was to have an Opportunity to preach the Gospel to those ignorant Nations M. la Salle would by no means hearken to my Advice and told me he wonder'd at my Proposal considering the great Passion I had a few Months before for the Discovery of a New Country The Current of that Streight is very violent but not half so much as that of Niagara and therefore we sail'd up with a brisk Gale and got into the Streight between the Lake Huron and the Lake St. Claire this last is very shallow especially at its Mouth The Lake Huron falls into this of St. Claire by several Canals which are commonly interrupted by Sands and Rocks We sounded all of them and found one at last about one League broad without any Sands its depth being every where from three to eight Fathoms Water We sail'd up that Canal but were forced to drop our Anchors near the Mouth of the Lake for the extraordinary quantity of Waters which came down from the Superiour Lake and that of Illionois because of a strong North-West Wind had so much augmented the Rapidity of the Current of this Streight that it was as violent as that of Niagara The Wind turning Southerly we sail'd again and with the help of twelve Men who hall'd our Ship from the Shoar got safely the 23d of August into the Lake Huron We sung Te Deum a second time to return our Thanks to the Almighty for our happy Navigation We found in that Lake a large Bay the Banks of which the ancient Hurons inhabited They were converted to the Christian Religion by the first Franciscans that came into Canada but the Iroquois have in a great measure destroy'd that Nation CHAP. XXI An Account of our Navigation on the Lake Huron to Missilimakinak HAving thus travell'd above 300 Leagues from Quebec to the Lake Huron notwithstanding the rapid Currents and Lakes we went through we continuâ—d our Voyage from the Mouth of this Lake steering our Course North-North-East but the next Day finding our selves near the Land we steer'd North-North-West and cross'd a Bay call'd Sakinam which may be thirty Leagues broad The 24th we run the same Course but were becalm'd between some Islands where we found but two Fathoms Water which oblig'd us to make an easie sail part of the Night to look for a good Anchorage but in vain and the Wind turning then Westerly we bore to the North to avoid the Coast till the Day appear'd We sounded all the Night long because our Pilot though a very Understanding Man was somewhat negligent The 25th we lay becalm'd till Noon but then run North-West with a brisk Southerly Gale The Wind turning South West we bore to the North to double a Cape but then the Wind grew so violent that we were forc'd to lie by all the Night The 26th the Storm continuing we brought down our Main Yards and Top-Mast and let the Ship drive to the Mercy of the Wind knowing no place to run into to shelter our selves M. la Salle notwithstanding he was a Courageous Man began to fear and told us we were undone and therefore every body fell upon his Knees to say his Prayers and prepare himself for Death except our Pilot whom we could never oblige to Pray and he did nothing all that while but Curse and Sweaâ— against M. la Salle who as he said had brought him thither to make him perish in a nasty Lake and lose the Glory he had acquir'd by his long and happy Navigations on the Ocean However the Wind being somewhat abated we hoisted up our Sail and so we drove not above two Leagues The 27th in the Morning we continu'd our Course North-West with a South-East Wind which carry'd us the same Day to Missilimakinak where we anchor'd in a Bay at six Fathoms Water upon a slimy white Bottom That Bay is shelter'd by the Coast and a Bank from the South-West to the North but it lies expos'd to the South which is very violent in that Country Missilimakinak is a Neck of Land to the North of the Mouth of the Streight through which the Lake of the Illinois discharges it self into the Lake Huron That Canal is about three Leagues long and one broad About fifteen Leagues to the Eastward of Missilimakinak there is another Point at the Mouth of the Streight whereby the Superiour Lake runs into that of Huron which Streight is about five Leagues broad at its Mouth and about fifteen Leagues long but it grows narrow towards the Fall of St. Mary which is a rapid Stream interrupted by several Rocks However a Canow may go up by one side but it requires a great Fatigue and therefore the safest and easiest way is to make a Portage above the Fall to go and Trade with the Savages inhabiting the Banks of the Superiour Lake We lay between two different Nations of Savages those who inhabit the Point of Missilimakinak are call'd Hurons and the others who are about three or four Leagues more Northward are Outtaouatz Those Savages were equally surpriz'd to see a Ship in their Country and the Noise of our Cannon of which we made a general Discharge fill'd them with a great Apprehension We went to see the Outtaouatz and celebrated the Mass in their Habitation M. la Salle was finely dress'd having a Scarlet Cloak with a broad Gold Lace and most of his Men with their Arms attended him The Chief Captains of that People receiv'd us with great Civilities after their own way and some of them came on board with us
Account of our Embarkment in Canow's to continue our Discovery from the Bay of Puans to the Miamis on the Lake of the Illinois WE left the Poutouatamis on the 19th of September to continue our Voyage being Fourteen Men in all in four Canow's I had the Conduct of the smallest tho' it carry'd 500 Weight and two Men but my Fellow being newly come from Europe and consequently unskill'd to manage these sort of Boats I had the whole Trouble upon me in any stormy Weather The other four Canow's were laden with a Smith's Forge and Instruments and Tools for Carpenters Joyners and Sawers besides our Goods and Arms. We steer'd to the South toward the Continent from which the Island of the Poutouatamis is near forty Leagues distant but about the middle of the way in the Night-time we were surpriz'd with a sudden Storm whereby we were in great danger The Waves came into our Canow's and the Night was so dark that we had much ado to keep Company together However we got a-shoar the next Day where we continu'd till the Lake grew calm again which was four Days after In the mean time our Savage went a Hunting but could kill nothing but a Porcupine which made our Cittruls and Indian Corn more relishing The Weather being fair we continu'd our Voyage the 25th and row'd all the Day and best part of the Night all along the Western Coast of the Lake of the Illinois but the Wind growing too high for us we thought fit to land upon a Rock where we had nothing to shelter our selves against the Snow and the Rain but our Coverings We continu'd there two Days having made a little Fire with the Wood the Waves did supply us with The 28th we proceeded on our Voyage but the Wind forc'd us towards Night on a Rock cover'd with thick Bushes where we remainâ—d three Days and there made an end of all our Provisions which consisted in Cittruls and Indian Corn we had bought from the Poutouatamis Our Canows were so loaded that we could not provide our selves for a longer time and we expected to find Provisions enough in our way We left that dismal Place the 1st of October and after twelve Leagues rowing tho fasting came to another Village of the Poutouatamis who came upon the Shoar to receive us But M. la Salle would not suffer any one to land lest his Men should run away and notwithstanding the bad Weather we follow'd him three Leagues farther We were in so great danger that he flung himself into the Water with his three Men and carry'd a-shoar their Canow upon their Shoulders for else it had been broken to pieces We were all oblig'd to do the same and by these means sav'd our Canow's and Goods I carry'd upon my Back that good Man Father Gabriel whose great Age did not permit him to venture himself into the Water As we had no manner of Acquaintance with the Savages of the Village near which we landed our Men prepar'd themselves to make a vigorous Defence in case they were attack'd and in order to it possessed our selves of a rising Ground where we could not be surpriz'd and where we might make head against a great number of Savages We sent afterwards three Men to buy Provisions in the Village with the Calumet or Pipe of Peace which the Poutouatamis of the Island stad given us I had forgot to mention that when they made us that Present they observ'd a great many Ceremonies and because that Calumet of Peace is the most sacred Thing amongst the Savages I think fit to describe the same in the next Chapter CHAP. XXIV A Description of the Calumet or Great Pipe THis Calumet is the most mysterious Thing in the World among the Savages of the Continent of the Northern America for it is us'd in all their important Transactions However it is nothing else but a large Tobacco-Pipe made of Red Black or White Marble The Head is finely polish'd and the Quill which is commonly two foot and a half long is made of a pretty strong Reed or Cane adorn'd with Feathers of all Colours interlac'd with Locks of Women's Hair They tie to it two Wings of the most curious Birds they find which makes their Calumet not much unlike Mercury's Wand or that Staff Ambassadors did formerly carry when they went to treat of Peace They sheath that Reed into the neck of Birds they call Huars which are as big as our Geese and spotted with Black and White or else of a fort of Ducks who make their Nests upon Trees tho' Water be their ordinary Element and whose Feathers are of many different Colours However every Nation adorns the Calumet as they think according to their own Genius and the Birds they have in their Country A Pipe such as I have describ'd it is a Pass and safe Conduct amongst all the Allies of the Nation who has given it and in all Embassies the Ambassadors carry that Calumet as the Symbol of Peace which is always respected for the Savages are generally perswaded that a great Misfortune would befal 'em if they violated the Publick Faith of the Calumet All their Enterprizes Declarations of War or Conclusion of Peace as well as all the rest of their Ceremonies are Sealed if I may be permitted to say so with this Calumet They fill that Pipe with the best Tobacco they have and then present it to those with whom they have concluded any great Affair and smoak out of the same after them I had certainly perish'd in my Voyage had it not been for this Calumet or Pipe as the Reader will observe in perusing the following Account Our three Men provided with this Pipe as a Pass and very well Arm'd went to the little Village of the Savages which was about three Leagues from the place where we landed but they found no body therein for the Savages having heard that we had refus'd to land at the other Village thought we were Enemies and therefore had left their Habitation Our Men finding no body in their Cabins took some Indian Corn and left instead of it some Goods to let them see that we were no Robbers nor their Enemies However the Savages to the number of twenty Men arm'd with Axes small Guns Bows and a sort of Club which in their Language they call Break-heads advanc'd near the Place where we stood whereupon M. la Salle with four Men very well Arm'd went toward them to speak with them and desir'd them to come near us for fear as he said a Party of our Men who were gone a Hunting should meet with them and kill them They were perswaded to sit down at the foot of the Eminence where we were posted and M. la Salle spoke to them all the while of the subject matter of his Voyage which he had undertaken for their Good and Advantage as he told them This was only to amuse them till our there Men return'd who appearing with the Calumet of Peace
afraid of our Canow But when we saw the Danger over we continu'd our Course sounding the River to know whether it was navigable There are three small Islands over-against the Mouth of the River of the Illinois which stop the Trees and Pieces of Timber that come down the River which by Succession of time has form'd some Banks But the Canals are deep enough for the greatest Barks and I judge that in the driest Summer there is Water enough for flat-bottom-Boats The Meschasipi runs to the South-South-West between two Rows of Mountains which follow the great Windings of the River They are near the Banks at the Mouth of the River of the Illinois and are not very high but in other Places they are some Leagues distant and the Meadows between the River and the Foot of those Hills are cover'd with an infinite number of wild Oxen. The Country beyond those Hills is so fine and pleasant that according to the Account I have had one might justly call it the Delight of America The Meschasipi is in some places a League broad and half a League where it is narrowest The Rapidity in its Current is somewhat abated by a great number of Islands cover'd with fine Trees interlac'd with Vines It receives but two Rivers from the West side one whereof is call'd Otontenta and the other discharges it self into it near the Fall of St. Anthony of Padoua as we shall observe hereafter But so many others run into the Meschasipi from the North that it swells very much toward its Mouth I am resolv'd to give here an Account of the Course of that River which I have hitherto conceal'd for the sake of M. la Salle who wou'd ascribe to himself alone the Glory and the most secret Part of this Discovery He was so fond of it that he has expos'd to visible Danger several Persons that they might not publish what they had seen and thereby prejudice his secret Designs CHAP. XXXVII The Course of the River Meschasipi from the Mouth of the River of the Illinois to the Sea which the Author did not think fit to publish in his Louisiana with an Account of the Reasons he had to undertake that Discovery THere is no Man but remembers with Pleasure the great Dangers he has escap'd and I must confess that when I call to Mind the great Difficulties I was under at the Mouth of the River of the Illinois and the Perils I was expos'd to in the Discovery of the Course of the Meschasipi my Joy and Satisfaction cannot be express'd I was as good as sure that M. la Salle wou'd slander me and represent me to my Superiors as a wilful and obstinate Man if I presum'd to go down the Meschasipi instead of going up to the North as I was desir'd and as we had concerted together and therefore I was very loâ—th to undertake it But on the other Hand I was expos'd to starve and threatned by my two Men that if I oppos'd their Resolution of going down the River they wou'd leave me a Shore during the Night and carry away the Canow where-ever they pleased so that I thought it was reasonable to prefer my own Preservation to the Ambition of M. la Salle and so I agreed to follow my Men who seeing me in that good Disposition promis'd that they would be faithful to me We shook Hands to seal these Promises and after Prayers imbark'd in our Canow the 8th of March 1680. The Ice which came down from the North gave us a great deal of trouble but we were so careful that our Canow receiv'd no hurt and after six Hours rowing we came to the River of a Nation call'd Osages who live toward the Messorites That River comes from the Westward and seems as big as the Meschasipi but the Water is so muddy that 't is almost impossible to dâ—ink of it The Issati who inhabit toward the Source of the Meschasipi come sometimes in their Excursions to the Place where I was then and I understood afterwards from them having learn'd their Language that this River of the Osages and Messorites is form'd from several other Rivers which spring from a Mountain about twelves Day 's Journey from its Mouth They told me farther that from that Mountain one might see the Sea and now and then some great Ships that the Banks of that River are inhabited by several Nations and that they have abundance of wild Oxen and Beavers Tho' this River is very big the Meschasipi does not visibly swell but its Waters continue muddy to its Mouth albeit seven other Rivers fall into it which are near as big as the Meschasipi and whose Waters are extraordinary clear We lay every Night in Islands at least if it were possible for our greater Security and as soon as we had rosted or boyl'd our Indian Corn we were very careful to put out our Fire for in these Countries they smell Fire at two or three Leagues distance according to the Wind. The Savages take a particular Notice of it to discover where their Enemies are and endeavour to surâ—rize them The 9th we continu'd our Voyage and six Leagues from the River of the Osages discover'd on the South-side of the Meschasipi a Village which we thought to be inhabited by the Tamaroa who had pursu'd us as I have related Seeing no body appear we landed and went into their Cabins wherein we found Indian Corn of which we took some Bushels leaving in lieu of it six Knives and a small quantity of little Glass-Beads This was good luck for us for we durst not leave the River and go a hunting for fear of falling into thâ— Hands of the Savages The next Day being the 10th of March we came to a River within 40 Leagues of Tamaroa near which as the Illinois inform'd us there is a Nation of Savages call'd Ouadebache We remain'd there till the 14th because one of our Men kill'd a wild Cow as she was swimming over the River whose Flesh we were oblig'd to besmoak to preserve it Being thus provided with Indian Corn and Flesh we left that place the 14th and saw nothing worth Observation The Banks of the River are so muddy and so full of Rushes and Reeds that we had much ado to find a place to go a-shoar The 15th we discover'd three Savages who came from Hunting or from some Expedition As we were able to make head against them we landed and march'd up to them whereupon they run away but after some Signs one return'd and presented us the Calumet of Peace which we receiv'd and the others came back We did not understand a Word of what they said nor they I suppose what we told them Tho' having nam'd them two or three different Nations one answer'd three times Chikacha or Sikacha which was likely the Name of his Nation They gave us some Pelicans they had kill'd with their Arrows and we presented them with part of our Meat Our Canow being too little to
obliging People and the Chief of the Koroa attended us to his Village which is situated about ten Leagues lower upon the River in a fertile Soil which produces abundance of Indian Corn and other things necessary for Life We presented them with three Axes six Knives seven Yards of good Tobacco several Awls and Needles They receiv'd our Presents with great Shouts and their Chief presented us with a Calumet of Peace of red Marble the Quill whereof was adorn'd with Feathers of five or six sorts of Birds They gave us also a Noble Treat according to their own way which I lik'd very well and after we had din'd the Chief of that Nation understanding by our Signs which way we were bound took a Stick and made such Demonstrations that we understood that we had not above seven Days journey to the Sea which he represented as a great Lake with large wooden Canow's The next Day we prepar'd to continue our Voyage but they made such Signs to oblige us to stay a Day or two longer that I was almost perswaded to do it but seeing the Weather so favourable for our Journey we embark'd again The Chief of that Nation seeing we were resolv'd to be gone sent several Men in two Pyrogues to attend us to the Mouth of the River with Provisions but when I saw that the three Chikacha of whom I have spoken follow'd us every-where I bid my Men to have care of them and observe their Motions upon our landing for fear of any Surprize It was then Easter-Day which we kept with great Devotion tho' we could not say Mass for want of Wine but we spent all the Day in Prayers in sight of the Savages who wonder'd much at it The Meschasipi divides it self six Leagues below the Villages of the Koroa into two Branches forming an Island about sixty Leagues long according to our best Observation The Koroa oblig'd us to follow the Canal to the Westward tho' the Chikacha who were in their Pyrogues endeavour'd to perswade me to take the other But as we had some suspicion of them we refus'd to follow their Advice tho' I was afterwards convinc'd that they design'd only to have the Honour to bring us to several Nations on the other Bank of the River whom we visited in our return We lost quickly the Company of our Savages for the Stream being very rapid in this Place they could not follow us in their Pyrogues which are very heavy We made that Day near forty Leagues and landed in the Evening upon the Island where we pitch'd our Cabin The 24th we continu'd our Voyage and about five and thirty Leagues below the Place we had lain we discover'd two Fishermen who immediately ran away We heard some time after a great Cry and the Noise of a Drum but as we suspected the Chikacha we kept in the middle of the River rowing as fast as we could This was the Nation of Quinipissa as we understood since We landed that Night in a Village belonging to the Nation of Tangibac as we have been inform'd but the Inhabitants had been surpriz'd by their Enemies for we found ten of them murther'd in their Cabins which oblig'd us to embark again and cross the River where we landed and having made a Fire roasted our Indian Corn. The 25th we left the Place early in the Morning and after having row'd the best part of the Day came to a point where the Mechasipi divides it self into three Canals We took the middle one which is very broad and deep The Water began there to taste brackish but four Leagues lower it was as salt as the Sea We rowed about for Leagues farther and discover'd the Sea which oblig'd us to go a-shoar to the Eastward of the River CHAP. XXXIX Reasons which oblig'd us to return towards the Source of the River Meschasipi without going any farther toward the Sea MY two Men were very much afraid of the Spaniards of New Mexico who inhabit to the Westward of this River and they were perpetually telling me That if they were taken the Spaniards would never spare their Lives or at least give them the Liberty to return into Europe I knew their Fears were not altogether unreasonable and therefore I resolv'd to go no farther tho' I had no reason to be afraid for my self our Order being so numerous in New Mexico that on that contrary I might expected to have had in that Country a peaceable and easie Life I don't pretend to be a Mathematician but having learn'd to take the Elevation of the Pole and make use of the Astrolabe I might have made some exact Observations had M. la Salle trusted me with that Instrument However I observ'd that the Meschasipi falls into the Gulph of Mexico between the 27th and 28th Degrees of Latitude where as I believe our Maps mark a River call'd Rio Escondido the Hidden River The Magdalen River runs between this River and the Mines of St. Barbe in New Mexico The Mouth of the Meschasipi may be about thirty Leagues from Rio Bravâ— sixty from Palmas and eighty or a hundred from Rio Panuco the nearest Habitation of the Spaniards and according to these Observations the Bay di Spirito Sancto lies to the North-East of the Meschasipi which from the Mouth of the River of the Illinois to the Sea runs directly to the South or South-West except in its windings and turnings which are so great that by our computation there are about 340 Leagues from the River of the Illinois to the Sea whereas there are not above 150 in a direct Line The Meschasipi is very deep without being interrupted by any Sands so that the biggest Ships may come into it It s Course from its Source to the Sea may be 800 Leagues including Windings and Turnings as I shall observe anon having travell'd from its Mouth to its Head My Men were very glad of this Discovery and to have escap'd so many Dangers but on the other hand they express'd a great deal of Dissatisfaction to have been at such trouble without making any Profit having found no Furrs to exchange for their Commodities They were so impatient to return that they would never suffer me to build a Cabin upon the Shoar and continue there for some Days the better to obseâ—ve where we were They squar'd a Tree of twelve foot high and made a Cross thereof which we erected in that Place leaving there a Letter sign'd by me and my two Men containing an account of our Voyage of our Country and Profession We kneel'd then near the Cross and having sung the Vexilla Regis and some other Hymns embark'd again on the 1st of April to return towards the Source of the River We saw no body while we continu'd there and therefore cannot tell whether any Natives inhabit that Coast We lay during the time we remain'd a-shoar under our Canow's supported with four Foâ—ks and the better to protect us against the Rain we had some Rolls of Birch-Bark
and Creeks which we were forc'd to coast we past by the Great Fall of Niagara and spent half a Day in considering the Wonders of that prodigious Cascade I could not conceive how it came to pass that four great Lakes the least of which is 400 Leagues in compass should empty themselves one into another and then all centre and discharge themselves at this Great Fall and yet not drown good part of America What is yet more surprizing the Ground from the Mouth of the Lake Erie down to the Great Fall appears almost level and flat 'T is scarce discernable that there is the least Rise or Fall for six Leagues to gether The more than ordinary swiftness of the Stream is the only thing that makes it be observ'd And that which makes it yetâ—the stranger is That for 2 Leagues together below the Fall towards the Lake Ontario or Frontâ—nac the Lands are as level as they are above it towards the Lake of Erie Our Surprise was still greater when we observ'd there was no Mountains within two good Leagues of this Cascade and yet the vast quantity of Water which is discharg'd by these four fresh Seas stops or centres here and so falls above six hundred Foot deep down into a Gulph which one cannot look upon without Horrour Two other great Out-lets or Falls of Water which are on the two sides of a small sloping Island which is in the midst fall gently and without noise and so glide away quiety enough But when this prodigious quantity of Water of which I speak comes to fall there is such a din and such a noise more deafning than the loudest Thunder The rebounding of these Waters is so great that a sort of Cloud arises from the Foam of it which are seen hanging over this Abyss even at Noon-day when the Sun is at its heighth In the midst of Summer when the Weather is hottest they arise above the tallest Firrs and other great Trees which grow in the sloping Island which make the two Falls of Waters that I spoke of I wish'd an hundred times that somebody had been with us who could have describ'd the Wonders of this prodigious frightful Fall so as to give the Reader a just and natural Idea of it such as might satisfie him and create in him an Admiration of this Prodigy of Nature as great as it deserves In the mean time accept the following Draught such as it is in which however I have endeavour'd to give the curious Reader as just an Image of it as I can We must call to mind what I observ'd of it in the beginning of my Voyage which is to be seen in the Seventh Chapter of this Book From the Mouth of the Lake Erie to the Great Fall are reckon'd six Leagues as I have said which is the continuation of the Great River of St. Laurence which arises out of the four Lakes above-mention'd The River you must needs think is very rapid for these six Leagues because of the vast Discharge of Waters which fall into it out of the said Lakes The Lands which lie on both sides of it to the East and West are all level from the Lake Erie to the Great Fall Its Banks are not sâ—eep on the contrary the Water is almost always level with the Land 'T is certain that the Ground towards the Fall is lower by the more than ordinary swiftness of the Stream and yet 't is not perceivable to the Eye for the six Leagues abovesaid After it has run thus violently for six Leagues it meets with a small sloping Island about half a quarter of a League long and near three hundred Foot broad as well as one can guess by the Eye for it is impossible to come at it in a Canow of Bark the Waters run with that force The Isle is full of Cedar and Firr but the Land of it lies no higher than that on the Banks of the River It seems to be all level even as far as the two great Cascades that make the Main Fall The two sides of the Channels which are made by the Isle and run on both sides of it overflow almost the very Surface of the Earth of the said Isle as well as the Land that lies on the Banks of the River to the East and West as it runs South and North. But we must observe that at the end of the Isle on the side oâ— the two great Falls there is a sloping Rock which reaches as far as the Great Gulph into which the said Waters fall and yet the Rock is not at all wetted by the two Cascades which fall on both sides because the two Torrents which are made by the Isle throw themselves with a prodigious force one towards the East and the other towards the West from off the end of the Isle where the Great Fall of all is After then these two Torrents have thus run by the two sides of the Isle they cast their Waters all of a sudden down into the Gulph by two Great Falls which Waters are push'd so violently on by their own Weight and so sustain'd by the swiftness of the motion that they don't wet the Rock in the least And here it is that they tumble down into an Abyss above 600 Foot in depth The Waters that flow on the side of the East do not throw themselves with that violence as those that fall on the West The reason is because the Rock at the end of the Island rises something more on this side than it does on the West and so the Waters being supported by it somewhat longer than they are on the other side are carry'd the smoother off But on the West the Rock sloping more the Waters for want of a Support become the sooner broke and fall with the greater precipitation Another reason is the Lands that lie on the West are lower than those that lie on the East We also observ'd that the Waters of the Fall that is to the West made a sort of a square Figure as they fell which made a third Cascade less than the other two which fell betwixt the South and North. And because there is a rising Ground which lies before those two Cascades to the North the Gulph is much larger there than to the East Moreover we must observe that from the rising Ground that lies over against the two last Falls which are on the West of the main Fall one may go down as far as the bottom of this terrible Gulph The Author of this Discovery was down there the more narrowly to observe the Fall of these prodigious Cascades From hence we could discover a Spot of Ground which lay under the Fall of Water which is to the East big enough for four Coaches to drive a breast without being wet but because the Ground which is to the East of the sloping Rock where the first Fall empties it self into the Gulph is very steep and almost perpendicular 't is impossible for a Man
up with wild Bull-Skins yet they knew me and carry'd me with my two Men into one of their Officer's Cottages They did call their Council which met to the number of Thirty or thereabouts wearing their Gowns in a stately manner made up with all sorts of Skins twisted about their Arms with the Calumet in their Hands They gave order that we shou'd be entertain'd according to their own Fashion while they did smoak without eating After we had done eating I told them by a Canadian that was my interpreter that their Warriors had brought 12 Outtaouacts as Slaves tho' they were their Confederates and Onontio's Friends 't is the Name they give to the Vice-roy of Canada breaking thereby the Peace and proclaiming War against Canada And the better to oblige them to deliver up to us the Outtaouacts who by good Fortune were still alive we flung in the middle of the Assembly two Collars of Porcelain that Captain Talon had given us This is the only way among them to enter upon any Affair The next Day the Council met and the Iroquoâ—â— answer'd me with some other Collars of Porcelain and told me That those who had made these Men Slaves were young Warriors without Consideration That we might assure Onontio who was then Count Frontenac that that their Nation wou'd always respect him in all things That they shou'd live with him as true Children with their Father and that they wou'd deliver up the Men who had been taken Teganeot one of the chiefest who spoke for the whole Nation in the Council presented me with some Skins of Otter Martin and Beaver to the value of thirty Crowns I took his Present with one Hand and deliver'd it with the other to his Son whom he lov'd tenderly I told him that I made him that Present that he might Exchange it with some Merchandizes of Europe and that the Bare-feet will accept of no Present at all not out of Contempt but because we are disinterested in all things assuring him I wou'd acquaint the Governour of his Friendship The Iroquois was surpriz'd that I did not accept of his Present and seeing besides that I gave a little Looking-Glass to his Son he said to those of this Nation that the other Canadians were not of that Temper And they sent us several Fowls as an acknowledgment of their Gratitude for the care we took to teach their Children some Prayers in their own Tongue After the Promises the Savages gave us to live in good correspondency with us we took our leave of them and got ourselves ready in order to continue our Voyage CHAP. LXXII The Author sets out from the Tsonnontouans Iroquois and comes to Fort Frontenac I Must confess it is a great Pleasure for one to come out of Slavery or the Hands of Savages and to reflect upon past Miseries especially when he returns among Friends to rest himself after so many Hardships and Troubles We had still about fourscore Leagues to go upon the Lake Ontario before we cou'd arrive at Fort Catarokoui or Frontenac but we were all the Way very merry I had help'd Picard du Gay and Michael Ako my fellow-Travellers with some Skins to make amends for the Hardship and Pains they suffer'd in that Voyage We had much ado to row off our Canow it being much bigger than that we made use of when we set out from the Issati and Nadouessians but nevertheless we came in four Days to the Fort and kill'd in our way some Bustards and some Teals We wanted then neither Powder nor Shot and therefore we shot at random all that we met either small Birds or Turtles and Wood-Pigeons which were then coming from foreign Countries in so great Numbers that they did appear like Clouds I observ'd upon this Occasion and many other times during our Voyage a thing worthy of Admiration The Birds that were flying at the Head of the others keep often back to ease and help those among them that are tir'd which may be a Lesson to Men to help one another in time of need Father Luke Buisset and Sergeant la Fleur who had the Command in the Fort in the absence of M. la Salle receiv'd us in the House of our Order that we had built together They were much surpriz'd to see us having been told that the Savages had hang'd me with St. Francis's Rope two Years ago All the Inhabitants of Canada and the Savages that we had encourag'd to live near Fort Frontenac to till the Ground made me an extraordinary reception and shew'd much Joy to see me again The Savages put their Hand upon their Mouth and repeated often this Word Otkon meaning that the Bare-foot must be a Spirit having travell'd so far thro' so many Nations that wou'd have kill'd them if we had been there Tho' we were very kindly us'd in this Fort yet my Men had a great Mind to return into Canada and having escap'd so many Dangers together I was willing to make an End of the Voyage with them therefore we took leave of Father Luke Buisset and of all our Friends that liv'd in that Fort and went for Quebec CHAP. LXXIII The Author sets out from Fort Frontenac and passes over the rapid Stream which is call'd The Long Fall He is kindly receiv'd at Montreal by Count Frontenac WE set out from the Fort sooner than I thought not being able to keep any longer my Men and in our way took a more exact View of the Mouth of the Lake Ontario or Frontenac This Place is call'd Thousand Islands because there are so many of them that 't is impossible to tell them The Stream is here very rapid but its Swiftness is prodigiously increas'd by the great Quantity of Waters that come from the other Lakes abovemention'd and a great many Rivers that run into this in the place call'd The Long Fall which makes it as dreadful as the great Fall of Niagara But besides this great Quantity of Waters and the Declivity of the Chanel which makes the Current so rapid there are also on the Banks and in the middle of the River of St. Laurence about eight or ten Leagues below the said Lake great Rocks which appear above-Water which stopping the Stream of the River makes as great a Noise as the great Fall of Niagara This dreadful Encounter of Water that beaâ—s so furiously against these Rocks continues about two Leagues the Waters spurt up ten or twelve Yards high and appear like huge Snow-Balls Hail and Rain with dreadful Thunder and a Noise like Hissing and Howling of fierce Beasts And I do certainly believe that if a Man continu'd there a considerable time he wou'd become Deaf without any Hope of Cure My Men refusing to carry by Land the Canow and the Skins they had got I was forc'd to adventure with them which I did willingly having formerly pass'd these Streams in a Canow I trusted my self again to the same GOD who had deliver'd me from so many great
acknowledge to this great Enâ—lish Monarch the many Kindnesses the Englis◠〈…〉 done to our Missionaries Recollects 〈…〉 and the advantageous Offers they made 〈…〉 Reader may see towards the end of this 〈…〉 In short My King his most Catholick Majesty his Electoral Highness of Bavaria the Consent in Writing of the Superiours of my Order the Integrity of my Faith and the Regular Observance of my Vows which his Britannick Majesty allows me are the best Warrants of the Uprightness of my Intentions and will secure me against my Persecutors and Censurers 2. There are some that cannot well understand how I could go so great a Way in so little a Time along the River Meschasipi But they must know that one may with a Canow and a pair of Oars go Twenty Twenty five or Thirty Leagues every day and more too if there be occasion And tho' we Three that were then together had gone but Ten Leagues every Day yet in Thirty Days we might easily have gone Three hundred Leagues And if during the Time we spent from the River of the Illinois to the Mouth of Meschasipi in the Gulf of Mexico we had made a little more haste we might have gone the same way twice over 3. There are some private Unchristian Men who out of Self-interest have conspir'd my Ruin because I stood in their Light And to hinder me from printing my Discoveries they have told or caused to be told to my Booksellers at Utrecht That all I gave them now to Print was nothing but a Repetition of the Description of our Louisiana of which they had seen a Translation in Dutch Those Men blindfolded by Passion and Interest are at once both to be pitied and blamed but it is an easie Matter to expose 〈◊〉 Impostures How is it possible that out of a Boo 〈…〉 neteen or Twenty printed Sheets such as my 〈…〉 a is I could have made Two Volumes con 〈…〉 ne in Twenty five and the other in Twenty Sheets as it plainly appears The First being dedicated to the King of France and my Two last to WILLIAM III. King of Great Britain Verily a Man must have a Brazen-face thus to pretend to impose upon People 'T is true I have mention'd my Louisiana in my Two last Volumes being under an indispensible Necessity to do it at the Desire of those Sovereigns that have employ'd me and that 's enough to bear me out But those Calumniators had no other Design in stopping my Work than to turn me out of Utrecht However I will condescend to argue the Matter with those Impostors and desire them to shew me if they can in my Louisiana either the Discovery I have made from the Mouth of the River of the Illinois on the Meschasipi to the Gulf of Mexico or the Voyage of Monsieur la Salle which I have inserted with my Reflexions upon it in my two last Volumes and several considerable Additions of my Memoires never publish'd before But suppose I had given a transitory Account of my Louisiana in these Two last Tomes that being my own Work I may and ought to mention it to give a full Account of my Discoveries I am not the first Author that has made several Editions of a First Book to which he has afterwards added Memoires which he had omitted on purpose as I have done in effect in my Two last Volumes which I dedicate to a King who is not to be impos'd upon as the Simple are bubbl'd by those Cobweb Wits and Criticks which because they never did any thing but mean and common in their Lives are angry when others do something extraordinary 4. There is a Learned Critick in this City who has taken the pains to make Reflexions upon the Eleven Years Time of my Discovery but he does not consider that I reckon all the Time I have spent in going backward and forward and the particular Stay I was oblig'd to make before I could give the Publick a perfect Knowledge of our Great Voyages So that by reckoning from the Year 1674. when I first set out immediately after the Battel of Senef where I was often in danger of my Life to the Year 1688. when I printed the Second Edition of my Louisiana it appears that I have spent Fifteen Years either in my Travels or printing my Discoveries which is Four Years more than I have taken notice of to the Publick But as they say Scaliger is sometimes out in his Criticisms and there never was yet an Author free from Censure Yet I have met in this City of Utrecht with more ill-natur'd Criticks who did and do still endeavour to ruine me These are far more dangerous to me than that Learned Man who is distinguish'd by his Merit and who was so civil not to tell me any thing of it in a Private Conference I had with him 5. There is still another sort of peevish humoursom Criticks who carp at what I have said That among the Salvages where I have been those Barbarians call the Sun by the Name of Louis as if I had said it on purpose to flatter the King of France Truly Lewis XIV may have other Panegyrists besides me and ought not to expect that Complement from me and after all there can be no better Panegyrick of Great Men than their own Actions I here repeat what I have said before That being among the Issati and Nadouessans by whom I was made a Slave in America one of the Chief of those People named Aquipaguetin who had adopted me for his Son during the Stay I made with him and those Barbarians in order to learn their Language I never heard them call the Sun any other than Louis 'T is true those Salvages call also the Moon Louis but with this Distinction that they give the Moon the Name of Louis Basatche which in their Language signifies The Sun that shines in the Night If those Criticks will not believe what I say I shall apply to them the Words of the Apostle Quod ignorant blasphemant They blaspheme what they do not understand 6. Others no less censorious having no more to say to my First Volume which I have dedicated to William the Third King of Great Britain After all say they Father Hennepin tells us nothing extraordinary in his Book I wonder how those Animals can make themselves so contemptibly ridiculous For what can be more extraordinary thaâ— to mention as I do Four or Five Lakes some Three others Four and Five and one Seven hundred Leagues in Circumference which we may call Seas of Eresh Water and where no Ship ever appear'd before that of Sixty Tun which we built there and in which we sailed from Lake to Lake above Five hundred Leagues to the Admiration of the Salvages of that Continent who could not comprehend that Moving Fort and when they heard the Noise of our Guns those Barbarians cry'â— out That the Thunder was going to destroy them Can any thing be more extraordinary than the
remained for some while fluttering in the Air not finding Ground whereon to put her Foot But that the Fishes moved with Compassion for her immediately held a Consultation to deliberate which of them should receive her The Tortoise very officiously offered its Back on the Surface of the Water The Woman came to rest upon it and fixed her self there Afterwards the Filthiness and Dirt of the Sea gathering together about the Tortoise there was formed by little and little that vast Tract of Land which we now call America They add that this Woman grew weary of her Solitude wanting some body for to keep her Company that so she might spend her time more pleasantly Melancholy and Sadness having seiz'd upon her Spirits she fell asleep and a Spirit descended from above and finding her in that Condition approach'd and knew her unperceptibly From which Approach she conceived two Children which came forth out of one of her Ribs But these two Brothers could never afterwards agree together One of them was a better Huntsman than the other they quarrelled every day and their Disputes grew so high at last that one could not bear with the other One especially being of a very wild Temper hated mortally his Brother who was of a milder Constitution who being no longer able to endure the Pranks of the other he resolved at last to part from him He retired then into Heaven whence for a Mark of his just Resentment he causeth at several times his Thunder to rore over the Head of his unfortunate Brother Some time after the Spirit descended again on that Woman and she conceived a Daughter from whom as the Salvages say were propagated these numerous People which do occupy now one of the greatest parts of the Universe How fabulous soever this History is yet one may perceive in it some Glimpse of Truth The Sleep of that Woman with the Birth of her two Sons hath some resemblance to the Sleep of Adam during which God took â—ut one of his Ribs and therewith formed Eve The Disunion of the two Brothers is the Image of the implacable Hatred of Cain to Abel The Retreat of him who retir'd to Heaven doth represent the Death of Abel and the Thunderclaps from Heaven denote well enough the Curse which God pronounced against that miserable Cain who was the Murtherer of his Brother It is a lamentable thing to consider with how many Whimsies the Devil intoxicates the Minds of these poor Salvages Although they esteem all Souls Corporeal for they understand nothing else by their Otkon Atahauta or Manitou but I know not what sort of a Material Spring which gives Life and Motion to all Things Yet they nevertheless pretend to believe the Immortality of the Soul and another Life after this in which they are to roul in all sorts of Pleasures and where they are to find especially Hunting in Perfection Fishing in Abundance Indian Corn in great Quantities for those that sow it for there are those among them that do not Tobacco and a thousand other both Curiosities and Necessaries They hold that the Soul does not immediately leave the Body after Death wherefore they always bury along with it a Bow Arrows Indian Corn and fat Meat to the end say they that the Dead may subsist thereupon 'till they can arrive in the Country where the Souls reside As they afford Souls to all living Creatures so they think that after Death Men continue to hunt the Souls of Beavers Elks Foxes Otters Sea-wolfs and other Animals They believe likewise that the Souls of those Rackets that they make use of to keep them from sinking into the Snow in Winter time will be of the same use to 'em in the other World as also the Souls of Bows and Arrows to kill Beasts withal They have also the same Thoughts concerning Fishing in a manner that according to their Opinion these Souls have likewise the same Occasion for Arms for that Sport The Bodies which they bury Seven or Eight Foot deep have no other need of these Arms and Provision which they put into the Grave with them than to serve them for their Voyage into the other World They imagine that these Souls walk visibly in their Villages for a certain time and that they partake of all their Feasts and Merriments and therefore they always assign them their several Portions Many of these People carry their Superstition to that Degree as to have several General Feasts for the Dead accompany'd with Songs dreadful Cries Banquets Dances and Presents of different sorts For this purpose they drag Corps out of the Villages and even the Bones of those whose Flesh is consum'd all which they call Bundles of Souls They transport them from one Tomb to another set out with Skins of Beasts Collars of Porcelain and other such Riches of their Country They believe that all this contributes mightily towards the Happiness of the Dead I shall not trouble my self here to relate the several Particulars of their Belief upon this Subject the different places and Employs which they assign their Dead the manner after which they believe they subâ—â—â—t their Wars Peace Policy and Laws These 〈…〉 so many extravagant and ridiculous Traditions founded upon Fables which their Ancestors have invented and to which they give so great Credit that they easily pass from one Generation to another for Articles of Faith There is some reason to suspect that the Salvages of America have originally descended from the Iews whereof some few might probably have been cast by Shipwrack upon these Shores for in effect there is a great resemblance between them in several things They build their Huts in form of Pavilions like the Iews They anoint themselves with Oyl and are zealous Observers of Dreams They bewail their Dead with great Lamentations and Noise Their Women wear Mourning for their Husbands a whole Year during which time they forbear Dances and Feasts and have a kind of Fryars Hood on their Heads And most commonly the Father or Brother of the Deceas'd takes care of the Widow As to the rest they seem to have a particular Curse entail'd upon them by God Almighty like the Iews for they are Brutish and Opiniated to the highest Degree They have no fix'd and settled Abode They are very unchast and have moreover such dull Pates that whenever they are told that their Souls are immortal they will presently ask what they shall eat in the other World Besides we may trace the Belief of the Iews according to the Revelation of Moses in what we have already touch'd upon concerning these Salvages Opinion of the beginning of the World But to speak freely these Barbarians seem to me to have no Idea at all of a Deity They believe indeed another World where they expect to enjoy the same Pleasures and Delights they have had here They are a sort of People subject to no Restraint Laws nor any Form of Government or Policy They are extreamly blockish in
for them All the Nations Southwards towards the River Meschasipi are more superstitious in their Huntings than the Northern People and the Iroquoise in particular When I was among them their Seniors six days before they were to enter upon the Hunting of their wild Bulls would send about Four or Five of their nimblest Hunters to the Mountains in order to dance the Camulet there with as much Ceremony as among the Nations to whom they were wont to send Embassadors to make some Allyance with Upon the return of these Men they exposed to the view of all the People for the space of three days a very great Kettle which they beset with Feathers of all Colours and fastned one of the Guns of their Fire-men athwart it for the space of three Days the principal Wife of a Captain câ—rryed this Kettle upon her back with Flowers in great Pomp at the Head of above two hundred Huntsmen following an old Man who had tyed an Handkerchief to the end of a Stick or Pole like an Ensign and carrying his Bow and Arrows in great Silence This old Spark made an Halt three or four times to weep and bitterly bewail the death of those Bulls which they hope to kill and at the last Pause the eldest of the Company sent two of the ablest Huntsmen to find out the wild Bulls whom on their return they whisper'd before they began the Chase of these Animals then they kindled a Fire of the Ordure of the wild Bulls dryed in the Sun and seasoned their Pipes or Calumets in this new sort of Fire in order to smoke their Runners whom they had sent to make a discâ—very This Ceremony was no sooner ended but an hundred Men went out on the one Side of the Mountains whilst a like number took the other in order to enclose in the Bulls who are very numerous they killed several of them in a confused manner with their Arrows and we Europeans seven or eight with our Guns These Barbarians could not sufficiently admire the Effect of our Guns the noise of which they heard but could not see the Bullets which maâ—e them believe these Creatures were kill'd with the report only they would clap their Hands upon their Mouths as a sign of their Amazement and cry Alansa Ouacanthe that is in the Language of the Issatrians this Iron doth Mischief to Men and Beasts yet we do not know how it comes to pass that at the noise of these round Machines the Bones of these Beasts come to be broken which still raised their Admiration of them I could not sufficiently wonder how these Salvages could slea those Bulls and cut them out to pieces seeing they had neither Knives nor Hatchets but the few they had stolen from us They cut the Hides of these Beasts with the Points of their Arrows which were made of a Sharp Stone and when once they can get their Fingers between the Flesh and the Skin of these Animals they could then quickly flea them As for cutting of the Meat to pieces and disjointing the Bones they made use of Stones with which they effected it They dismember'd also these Beasts and the Women took care to dry them by exposing the same to the Sun and the Smoke of a little Fire which they kindled In short they eat nothing during the time of their Hunting but the Entrails and the poorest pieces of these Animals but the best parts they carried into their Villages distant about two hundred Leagues from the place where they had been Hunting CHAP. XXVI The Way of Fishing amongst the Salvages THose Salvages that dwell to the North-ward fish in another manner than the Southern People The former take all sorts of Fish with Nets and harping-Irons as we do in Europe They sometimes also catch Fish with Lines but no great Number that way I have seen them fish in a pleasant manner they took a forked piece of Wood double painted to which they put a Net almost in the same manner as we do in Europe for to catch Partridges when that 's done they let it down into the Water and the Fish which are there in far greater Abundance than in our Rivers glide along and when the Salvages perceive that they are entred into the Net then they draw it up which is in Form somewhat like a pair of Pincers the Fish that are taken therein being held by the Gils The Iroquoise now and then in their Fishing time make use of a Net forty or fifty Fathoms long which they put in a great Cannow of Wood and then spread it out in an Oval Form to the most commodious Places of the Rivers and indeed I have sometimes admired their Dexterity therein I have known them take sometimes above four hundred Whitings larger than our ordinary Carps and amongst others several Sturgeons pulled out of the River with Nets made of Nettles In this way of Fishing its necessary that two Men hold the two Ends of this sort of Net and wrap it up exactly as occasion requires whereby they catch a prodigious Quantity of Fish especially in the River Nagara which are very good and of excellent Taste There is such plenty of Fish in this Place that 't is capable of furnishing the greatest City in Europe with Fishes of divers Kinds neither is it to be wonder'd at for the Fishes do continually swim up from the Sea towards the Spring of the River for fresh Water the River of St. Lawrence receives about this part of the Niugara a vast quantity of Waters from four great Lakes of which we have spoken and which are little Seas of fresh Water now this Deluge of Water coming to discharge and precipitate it self by the greatest and most frightful Fall that is in the whole World the infinite number of Fish that take pleasure to come and refresh themselveves in those Waters continue there because they are not able to get over this Cataract and hence it is that such a vast quantity of Fish may be caught there as are sufficient for the Subsistence of the greatest City in the Universe During the time of my Embassage from Fort de Frontenac I was to see the great Fall of Water which comes from a Northern River and discharges it self into a great Basin of the Lake Ontario capable to hold above an hundred Men of War in great Safety Being there I taught the Salvages to take Fish with their Hands I caused Trees to be felled down in the Spring near unto the forementioned Fall and this I did that I might lye down without wetting my self I found there a vast number of Fishes of divers sorts after I had a little tickled them with my Hand I took fast hold of them by the Gills and when at several times I had taken fifty or sixty great Fishes I went to warm and refresh my self in order to return fresh again to the Sport I put the Fish I had taken into a Sack which a Salvage held in his
in those Parts that we should never be able to preserve our Health I return'd them my hearty Thanks for their good Advices but told them I would not follow them since the Salvation of a great many Souls were concern'd in our Undertaking for whom I should be glad to lose my Life I added That I laugh'd at their pretended Devils and Monsters and that their Informations would oblige us to stand the more upon our Guard to avoid any Surprize And so having pray'd to God with them and given them some Instructions we parted from them and arriv'd to the Bay of Puans where our Fathers make a considerable Progress towards the Conversion of those Ignorant Nations The Name of this Bay sounds better in the Language of the Savages than in ours for according to the Word they make use of one may call it as well the Salted Bay as the Stinking Bay for they call the Sea after the same Name This oblig'd us to enquire whether there were in that Country any Salted Fountains as there is one among the Iroquois but we could find none therefore we think that this Name was given to this Bay because of the great quantity of Mud and Owze that is there from whence such Vapours arise that occasion the most dreadful Thunders that ever I heard in any Country This Bay is about thirty Leagues long and about eight broad that is to say in its greatest breadth for it grows narrower and forms a Cone at the extremity where one may easily observe that this Bay has its setled Tides just as the Sea This is not a proper place to enquire whether the Flowing and Ebbing of the Water of this Bay may be properly call'd a Tide or whether they are occasion'd by the Winds which never or very seldom fail to blow from the same Point upon the Moon 's ascending our Horizon but this I may say That in the greatest Calm the Waters in this Bay flow and ebb according to the Motion of the Moon tho' I will not deny but that the Winds which move the Waters towards the middle of the Lake may contribute to this effect We left this Bay to go into a River that discharges it self therein and found its Mouth very broad and deep It flows very gently but after we had advanc'd some Leagues into it we saw it was interrupted by several Rocks and rapid Streams and so shallow in some places that it would hardly bear our Canow's The bottom is full of Flints which are as so many Razors that cut the Canow's and made it impossible for our Men to walk therein to make the Câ—now's more light when the shallowness of the Water did not permit us to row away It is full of Bustard Ducks and Teals because of the Wild Oats in the Marshes thereabouts However we conquer'd those Difficulties and came to an Habitation of the Miamis Maskoutens and Kikabeux but before we arriv'd to their Village I had the Curiosity to taste the Mineral Water of a River near it and found a Simple of a wonderful Virtue against the Venom of the Serpents A Savage who knew it had shown it to Father Allouez who had often occasion to try its Virtues God having been pleas'd to provide that Country with that wonderful Antidote against the Serpents who are very dangerous in those Parts The Root of that Simple is very hot and tastes like Gun-powder they chew it and apply it upon the Part of the Body stung by the Serpents and this without any other Mystery cures the Wound and the Serpents have such an Antipathy with this Herb that they run away from any Man who has rubb'd his Body with the same It brings several Stalks about a foot high the Leaves are somewhat long the Flower is white and the whole looks like our Gilliflowers I took one into our Canow the better to examine it This Bay of Puâ—ons had been hitherto as one may say the Ultima Thulae of the French for they never durst advance further into the Country This Village as I have intimated consists of three several Nations viz. Miamis Maskoutens and Kikabeux The first are more civil than the other and better shap'd as well as more liberal They wear long Hair over their Ears which looks well enough They are accounted valiant Men amongst their Neighbours but are so cunning that they seldom return from their warlike Expeditions without Booty They are apt to learn any thing for they love to hear the Europeans talk and Father Allouez told me That they had such a violent desire to be instructed that they often disturb'd his Rest to ask him Questions about what he had told them the Day before The Maskoutens and Kikabeux are more clownish and there is as much difference between the Miamis and them as between our Boors and Citizens As the Rind of Birch-Trees are scarce in this Country they are oblig'd to make their Cabins with Rushes which serve as well for covering the same as for Walls It must be own'd that these Cabins are very convenient for they take them down when they please and carry them by small Parcels where-ever they will without any trouble When I arriv'd there I was very glad to see a great Cross set up in the middle of the Village adorn'd with several White Skins Red Girdles Bows and Arrows which that good People had offer'd to the Great Manitou to return him their Thanks for the care he had taken of them during the Winter and that he had granted them a prosperous Hunting Manitou is the Name they give in general to all Spirits whom they think to be above the Nature of Man Their Village is situated on a Hill from whence one may discover the largest Meadows in the World aâ—orn'd at certain distance with Groves and Woods The Soil is very fertile and produces a great quantity of Indian Corn. They preserve also Plums and Grapes As soon as we were arriv'd M. Ioliet and I desir'd the Eldest of the Savages to meet us and I told them that M. Ioliet was sent by the Governour of Canada to discover new Countries and I from God Almighty to teach them the Knowledge of their Creator who being absolute Master of all his Creatures will have all Nations to know him and that therefore to comply with his Will I did not value my Life which I freely expos'd to all manner of Dangers Concluding That we wanted two Guides to put us in our Way which we desir'd them to grant us We enforc'd our Compliment with some Presents that were kindly accepted by the Savages who answer'd us likewise with a Present viz. a Mat which was our Bed during our Voyage They granted us also two Guides to accompany us for some Days The next Day being the 10 th of Iune the two Miamis who were to conduct us imbark'd with us in sight of all the Inhabitants of the Village who cou'd not admire enough that seven Europeans shou'd
great Pots of Earth which are curiously made They go nâ—ked and wear their Hair very short boring their Ears which they adorn with Rings of Glass-Beads but their Women are cover'd with Skins having their Hair divided into two Tresses which they throw behind their Back without any other Ornament Their Feasts are without any Ceremony They serve their Meats in great Dishes and every one eats as much as he pleases Their Language is very difficult and I could never pronounce any Word Their Cabins are made with the Barks of Trees and are generally very long they lie at the two ends their Beds being about two foot higher than the Floor They keep their Corn in Paniers made of Rushes or in great Gourds They have no Beavers and all â—heir Commodities are the Skins of Wild Oxen. It never Snows in their Country and they have no other Winter than some violent Rains which makes the only difference between Summer and Winter They have no other Fruit but Water-Melons though their Soil might produce any other did they know how to cultivate it They held a Council wherein some proposed to murther us because of our Commodities but their Chief oppos'd that base Design and having sent for us danc'd the Calumet in our Presence which he presented me with to seal our common Friendship M. Ioliet and I in the mean time call'd our Men together to advise whether we shou'd proceed any further or return home from thence and having consider'd that the Gulph of Mexico lying in the Latitude of 31 Degrees and 40 Minutes cou'd be but within three or four Days Journey from the Akamsca and that therefore the Mississipi discharg'd it self into it and not to the Eastward of the Cape of Florida or into the Californian-Sea as it was expected it was resolv'd to return home We consider'd likewise that the Advantage of our great Voyage wou'd be altogether lost to our Nation did we fall into the hands of the Spaniards from whom we cou'd expect no other Treatment but Death or Slavery and therefore it was more prudent to content our selves with this Discovery and make a Report thereof to those who had sent us So that having rested another Day we left the Village of the Akamsca on the 17 th of Iuly having follow'd the Mississipi from the Latitude of 42 to 34 and preachâ—d the Gospel to the utmost of my Power to the Nations we visited We went up the River with great Difficulty because of the Rapidity of the Stream and left it in the Latitude of 38 Degrees and went into a River which conducted us into the Lake of the Illinois which Way is much shorter than the other by the River Mescousin thro' which we came I never saw a more pleasant Country than the Banks of that River The Meadows are cover'd with Oxen Stags Wild-Goats and the Rivers and Lakes with Bustards Swans Ducks Beavers We saw also abundance of Parrots Several small Rivers fall into this which is deep and broad for 65 Leagues and therefore navigable almost all the Year long There is but a Portage of half a League into the Lake of the Illinois We found on the Banks of the said River a Village of Illinois call'd Kuilka consisting of 74 Cabins They receiv'd us with all the Kindness imaginable and oblig'd me to promise that I wou'd return to instruct them and live in their Country Their Captain with most of their Youth accompany'd us to the Lake of the Illinois from whence we return'd to the Bay of Puans where we arriv'd towards the latter end of September having been about three Months in our Journey Altho' my tedious Journey shou'd be attended with no other Advantage than the Salvation of one Soul I shou'd think my Pains sufficiently rewarded and I hope I may presume so much for having preach'd the Gospel to the Illinois of Perouacca for three Days together in our Return my Words made such an Impression upon that poor People that as we were imbarking they brought to me a Dying Child to Christen him which I did about half an Hour before he dy'd by a special Providence of God who was pleas'd to save that innocent Creature Frequent mention having been made in the preceding Iournal of M. dâ— Salles it may be expected some Account should be given of his latter Discoveries the unfortunate Success thereof and his own Tragical End which so discourag'd the French that they never after made any further Attempt MR. du Salles with divers French who did accompany him fell down to the Mouth of the Great River where it disembogues it self into the Gulf of Mexico but neither he nor any of his Company understanding Navigation or wanting Instruments fancy'd they were in the Latitude of 27 Degrees whereas really it was 29 and not being able to inform themselves of its Longitude or distance from the most Westerly End of the Gulf they presum'd they were within a few Leagues of the River of Magdalen which is 60 Leagues North of the River of Palms and 120 from the River Panuco as it is represented in Hennepin's Chart and on the Great Globe of Coronelli which great Mistake was the cause of all his Misfortunes For after his return up the River and through the Great Lakes to Canada he embrac'd the next Opportunity of returning by Shipping for France where he to the King and his Ministers gave such a favourable Representation of the Country and Commodities therein contain'd the Populousness of the Country Civility of the Inhabitants far exceeding all the other Natives of America they had the Knowledge of The King thereupon order'd him a Fleet and a very considerable Equipage viz. a Man of War carrying 56 Guns a great Fly-boat a Patache and a Brigantine with things convenient for establishing a Colony and Traffick with the Natives This Fleet was Commanded by M. Beaujeau an Experienc'd Sea-Captain who was Victuall'd for a Year and M. du Salles had under his Command 150 Land-men who were to settle in the Country The Fleet pass'd by Martinico and Guardaloupe where they took in fresh Provision and Water together with divers Voluntiers and by M. du Salles's Direction sail'd thence to the North-West end of the Gulf in 27 Degrees When they arriv'd there they were in great confusion not being able to come near the Coast of Florida by reason of a long Bank Reciff or as the French call it Contre-coste which they search'd for some hundred Miles It was no-where above a Musket-shot over and every 20 or 30 Miles there was a Breach by which the Waters issu'd out of a vast Lagune whose breadth they could not learn They went in their Ship-Boat above 40 Miles and could not gain sight of the main Land or Continent This Lagune was shallow in some Places six foot in few above nine or ten there are scatter'd up and down in it divers smaâ—l Islands upon one of them they found above four hundred Indians who did not inhabit
the way is very good and the Trees are but few chiefly Firrs and Oaks From the great Fall unto this Rock which is to the West of the River the two Brinks of it are so prodigious high that it would make one tremble to look steadily upon the Water rolling along with a rapidity not to be imagin'd Were it not for this vast Cataract which interrupts Navigation they might sail with Barks or greater Vessels more than Four hundred and fifty Leagues crossing the Lake of Hurons and reaching even to the farther end of the Lake Illinois which two Lakes we may easily say are little Seas of fresh Water Sieur de la Salle had a design to have built a Fort at the mouth of the River Niagara and might easily have compass'd it had he known how to keep himself within bounds and to have confin'd himself there for one Year His design was to curb and keep under the Iroquois and especially the Tsonnontouans who are the most numerous People and the most given to War of all that Nation In fine such a Fort as this might easily have interrupted the Commerce betwixt these People and the English and Dutch in New-York Their custom is to carry to NewYork the Skins of Elks Beavers and several sorts of Beasts which they hunt and seek after some 2 or 300 Leagues from their own home Now they being oblig'd to pass and repass near to this mouth of the River Niagara we might easily stop them by fair means in time of Peace or by open force in time of War and thus oblige them to turn their Commerce upon Canada But having remark'd that the Iroquois were push'd on to stop the execution of this Design not so much by the English and Dutch as by the Inhabitants of Canada who for a great part endeavour'd by all means to traverse this our Discovery they contented themselves to build a House at the mouth of the River to the Eastward where the Place was naturally fortifi'd To one side of this House there is a very good Haven where Ships may safely ride nay by help of a Capstane they may easily be hall'd upon Land Besides at this Place they take an infinite quantity of white Fish Sturgeons and all other sorts of Fishes which are incomparably good and sweet insomuch that in the proper Season of Fishing they might furnish the greatest City in Europe with plenty of Fish CHAP. VIII A Description of the Lake Eriâ— THe Iroquois give to this Lake the Name of Erie Tejocharontiong which extends it self from East to West perhaps a hundred and forty Leagues in length But no European has ever been over it all only I and those who accompany'd me in this Discovery have view'd the greater part of it with a Vessel of Sixty Tun burden which we caus'd to be made on purpose about two Leagues above the fore-mention'd Fall of Niagara as I shall have occasion to observe more largely hereafter This Lake Erie or Tejocharontiong encloses on its Southern Bank a Tract of Land as large as the Kingdom of France It divides it self at a certain place into two Channels because of a great Island enclos'd betwixt them Thus continuing its course for fourteen Leagues it falls into the Lake Ontario or Frontenac acquiring the name of the River Niagara Betwixt the Lake Erie and Huron there is almost such another Streight thirty Leagues long which is of an equal breadth almost all over except in the middle that it enlarges it self by help of another Lake far less than any of the rest which is a of a circular Figure about six Leagues diameter according to the Observation of our Pilot. We gave it the Name of Lake St. Claire tho' the Iroquois who pass over it frequently when they are upon Warlike Designs call it Otsi Keta The Country which borders upon this most agreeable and charming Streight is a pleasant Champain Country as I shall relate afterwards All these different Rivers which are cloath'd with so many different Denominations are nothing else but the continuation of the great River St. Laurence and this Lake St. Claire is form'd by the same CHAP. IX A Description of the Lake Huron THe Lake Huron was so call'd by the People of Canada because the Savage Hurons who inhabited the adjacent Country us'd to have their Hair so burn'd that their Head resembled the Head of a Wild Boar. The Savages themselves call'd it the Lake Karegnondy Heretofore the Hurons liv'd near this Lake but they have been in a great measure destroy'd by the Iroquois The circumference of this Lake may be reckon'd to be about seven hundred Leagues and its length two hundred but the breadth is very unequal To the West of it near its mouth it surrounds several great Islands and is navigable all over Betwixt this Lake and that of the Illinois we meet with another Streight which discharges it self into this Lake being about Three Leagues long and one broad its course running West-North-West There is yet another Streight or narrow Canal towards the upper Lake that runs into this of Huron about Five Leagues broad and Fifteen Leagues long which is interrupted by several Islands and becomes narrower by degrees 'till it comes at the Fall of St. Mary This Fall is a Precipice full of Rocks over which the Water of the upper Lake which flows thither in great abundance casts it self with a most violent impetuosity Notwithstanding which a Canow may go up it on one side provided the People in it row strongly But the safer way is to carry the Canow over-land for so little space â—ogether with the Commodities that those of Canada carry thither to exchange with the Savages that live to the Northward of the upper Lake This Fall is call'd the Fall of St. Marry Missilimakinak It lies by the mouth of the upper Lake and discharges it self partly into the mouth of the Lake Illinois towards the great Bay of Puants all which shall afterwaads be more fully discours'd when I come to relate our return from Issati CHAP. X. A Description of the Lake call'd â—y the Savages Illinouack and by the French Illinois THe Lake Illinois in the Natives Language signifies the Lake of Men for the word Illinois signifies a Man of full Age in the vigour of his Strength It lies to the West of the Lake Huron toward the North and is about a Hundred and twenty or a hundred and thirty Leagues in length and Forty in breadth being in circuit about Four hundred Leagues It is call'd by the Miamis Mischigonong that is The Great Lake It extends it self from North to South and falls into the Southern-side of the Lake Huron and is distant from the upper Lake about Fifteen or Sixteen Leagues its Source lies near a River which the Iroquois call Hohio where the River Miamis discharges it self into the same Lake It is navigable all over and has-to the Westward a great Bay call'd the Bay of Puans by reason that