12.07.2015 Views

La Salle and the discovery of the great West - North Central ...

La Salle and the discovery of the great West - North Central ...

La Salle and the discovery of the great West - North Central ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

138 LA SALLE AT NIAGARA. [1678.Taiaiagon, 1 not far from Toronto, <strong>and</strong> ran <strong>the</strong>irvessel, for safety, into <strong>the</strong> mouth <strong>of</strong> a river, — probably<strong>the</strong> Humber, — where <strong>the</strong> ice closed about her,<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>y were forced to cut her out with axes.<strong>the</strong> fifth <strong>of</strong>mouth <strong>of</strong>OnDecember, <strong>the</strong>y attempted to cross to <strong>the</strong><strong>the</strong> Niagara; but darkness overtook <strong>the</strong>m,<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>y spent a comfortless night, tossing on <strong>the</strong>troubled lake, five or six miles from shore. In <strong>the</strong>morning, <strong>the</strong>y entered <strong>the</strong> mouth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Niagara, <strong>and</strong>l<strong>and</strong>ed on <strong>the</strong> point at its eastern side, where nowst<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> historic ramparts <strong>of</strong> Fort Niagara. Here<strong>the</strong>y found a small village <strong>of</strong> Senecas, attractedhi<strong>the</strong>r by <strong>the</strong> fisheries, who gazed with curious eyesat <strong>the</strong> vessel, <strong>and</strong> listened in wonder as <strong>the</strong> voyagerssang Te Deum in gratitude for <strong>the</strong>ir safe arrival.Hennepin, with several o<strong>the</strong>rs, now ascended <strong>the</strong>river in a canoe to <strong>the</strong> foot <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> mountain ridge <strong>of</strong>Lewiston, which, stretching on <strong>the</strong> right h<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong>on <strong>the</strong> left,forms <strong>the</strong> acclivity <strong>of</strong> a vast plateau, rentwith <strong>the</strong> mighty chasm, along which, from this pointto <strong>the</strong> cataract, seven miles above, rush, with <strong>the</strong>fury <strong>of</strong> an Alpine torrent, <strong>the</strong> ga<strong>the</strong>red waters <strong>of</strong>four inl<strong>and</strong> oceans. To urge <strong>the</strong> canoe far<strong>the</strong>r wasimpossible. He l<strong>and</strong>ed, with his companions, on <strong>the</strong>west bank, near <strong>the</strong> foot <strong>of</strong> that part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ridgenow called Queenstown Heights, climbed <strong>the</strong> steepascent, <strong>and</strong> pushed through <strong>the</strong> wintry forest on a1This place is laid down on a manuscript map sent to France by<strong>the</strong> Intendant Duchesneau, <strong>and</strong> now preserved in <strong>the</strong> Archives dela Marine, <strong>and</strong> also on several o<strong>the</strong>r contemporary maps.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!