wait upon trees, shoot some with arrows, some with bullets, and make an incredible slaughter among them. By good fortune, the savages, Tangibao, Quinipissas, and Naches, had been a hunting when we were there, (for they always join when they hunt them,) and they left us three fine large ones, which we seiz'd, and having drest them, they feasted us all for three days, and we had some left the day we went away from thence.

M. de la Salle, having a mind to go and give an account of his discoveries to Count Frontenac, and to confirm the nations he had gone through in the good esteem of us, resolved to go up the same river back again to the Illinois, and thence for the lakes, in order to get to Quebeck, and from thence to set sail for France, and give the court a true account of his success.

The eleventh of April of the same year, 1683, we got in a canoo on the said river; we were about sixty of us. As this river divides it self into three channels, about fifty leagues from the sea, we came the first day to the place where they met together, and in six days after that, to the point where it divides it self: There our victuals failing, it was highly necessary to look about us. The first relief we met with, were some crocodiles; we kill'd two of 'em in a little while, that were pretty large: The flesh of them is good, white, firm, and very well tasted. It is as firm as tunny, and near in taste to salmon, and we feasted on it for some days. The stream of our river began now to grow stronger against us, so that we were forced to get on shore, and use our sledges, as far as Quinipissa's. As this people had given us a scurvey welcome as we came down, we were forced to consult how we should do to make them a little more tractable, wherefore we sent two Abenaguis, and two Loups towards them. They met with four women only

which they brought to us that night. This prize⚫ pleased us very well, hoping that by their means, we should best compass our designs. We used those women with all the civility and prudence imaginable; and being come near to their village, the next morning we sent one of them home with some small presents, to shew that we did not come in an hostile manner, only wanted their friendship, and what was chiefly necessary, some recruits of our provisions. She shewed them all the little gewgaws we had given her, and related to them what good entertainment she had received from us, and what designs we came upon. Immediately they sent four of the chief of their nation to us, who brought along with them some provisions, and invited us to come and be merry with them. We then restored the three women into their hands, and we came nearer to them, but still standing upon our guard. When we were come into their village, they presented us some of their fruits, and some water-fowl pretty well drest. After this refreshment, we retired about a hundred paces from them, and lodged in our huts that night, between the village and the river. By break of day these treacherous rogues surrounded, and attacked us: but they mist of their aim; for we had set sentinels all that night, and with their first approach, we were prepared to receive them. We killed five or six the very first blow, upon which the rest fled; and we pursued them a little way, and having killed three or four more, we thought that was enough, and we took their scalps with us to serve for a trophy.

From thence we went forward to the Naches; we had hid some Indian corn there, as we went down, and we found it again in very good condition. The prince came straightway to receive us; M. de la Salle, after the first compliments pass'd,

presented him with the scalps of the Quinipissa's we had brought with us, who were his greatest enemies. Which made it the more grateful, and served to shew him that we were not men to be fool'd with.

The first thing he did, was to give order for something to be fetch'd to refresh us; which we freely accepted of. All this while we observed that we saw no women in the village, which made us suspect some roguery. Notwithstanding we kept eating and drinking, and never seem'd to take any notice of any thing, but we kept our arms all the while. A little while after we spied a great number of men in arms drawing towards us, and we in an instant put our selves in a posture of defence. But the prince bid us fear nothing, and assured us that we never needed to entertain any suspicion of them; he went up to 'em and commanded them to halt. After which, he told us, that it was a party of his men who had been against the Iroquois, but that they for their own part were resolved ever to maintain a firm friendship with us. His words he confirmed by some presents that followed, as also some provisions, which we heartily and thankfully received, leaving them, by way of return, some of our canoos, which indeed were but cumbersome to us; and that we came off safe and sound, but we attributed our safety to our care and watchfulness.

After this, we continued our course toward the Tacuca's, and the Akancéa's, who received us very handsomly at our landing.

Thus, passing through so many different nations, we made tryal of the faithfulness of some, and the treachery of others; and by a due mixture of mildness and severity, and a constant care, we did not only frustrate their designs, and avoid their

ambush, but we brought them to terms, and made them submit to us.

On the twelfth of May, 1683, we left the Akancéa's, and pushed forward to the mouth of the river of the Illinois; after which we went on along the shore, quite up to the fort Preudhomme, where M. de la Salle fell dangerously ill. Father Gabriel staid with him, with a good many of his men; and I was commanded to go with twenty of his men to Missilimachinac to look after his affairs. I left him there the fifteenth of May.

I went the first day to lie at Ouabaches; where I was made very welcome.

Twenty leagues further, I met with some Iroquois. These savages, who are the most barbarous of all others, are sneakingly submissive when their party is the weakest, but most unmerciful when they have an advantage. There was but five of them that met us; and they told us we should not go far e're we should meet a company of above four hundred men well armed. This advice made us take care to stand upon our guard, for truly it is not very safe to fall into the hands of these barbarous people when they march in a body. We had not gone a quarter of a league, but we spied a little army, which we took at first to be Iroquois, but they were Tavaroa's who had joined themselves with some Illinois. They seeing our firearms, took us for Iroquois, and were going to surround us, with a design to burn us, for that is the usual way of dealing with those barbarous fellows, whensoever they get any of them; so great is the abhorrence which all nations have against them. But the Illinois having discovered who we were, they unbent their bows, and gave us part of their provisions. We pursued our road to the river Chicacou, and after twenty days journey, we at length arrived at Missilimachinac, in the beginning

of July; where we staid for M. de la Salle, who came and joined us in September the same year. He stayed there but three days to give some necessary orders. He gave me the command of fort St. Louis, with orders to see it finished, and a full power to dispose of the lands adjacent, and left all his men under me, except six French men he took with him to Quebeck. We went away the same day, he for Canada, I for the Illinois.

I went directly to Miamis, at the head of forty men, French and savages. I came to it on the 6th of January, 1684, and visited the fort, which was in a very good condition. There I left ten of my men well armed, and pursuing my journey, I got by the end of the month to fort St. Louis. I set men at work about it immediately, and in less than two months time I compleated it. Presently after this, I invited all the neighbouring nations to come to it.

There needed no great pains or art to get them thither. The beauty of the country, the fruitfulness of the land, the conveniency of a fine navigable river; the nearness of about a hundred different nations, and of those little lakes, or rather little seas, which make it a fit seat of commerce for all North America; and reach from the river St. Laurent to the gulf of Mexico. In short, the advantageous scituation of this fort, which was design'd as a bulwark for all the nations that should come to settle there, against all irruptions of the barbarous nations, was a sufficient invitation and inducement to them to come and dwell there. that in a little time, there was above five hundred huts made up, and in less than two months, there was a wonderful great concourse of people of all nations. By this it is easie to be seen with how little difficulty the savages might be tamed and polished, by planting here and there some colonies

So