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

1679.] THE SHIP FINISHED. 149spring opened, she was ready for launching. Thefriar pronounced his blessing on her; the assembledcompany sang Te Deum ; cannon were fired ; andFrench and Indians, warmed alike by a generousgift of brandy, shouted and yelped inchorus as sheglided into the Niagara. Her builders towed herout and anchored her in the stream, safe at last fromincendiary hands; and then, swinging their hammocksunder her deck, slept in peace, beyond reachof the tomahawk. The Indians gazed on her withamazement.portholes ;Five small cannon looked out from herand on her prow was carved a portentousmonster, the Griffin, whose name she bore, in honorof the armorial bearings of Frontenac. La Salle hadoften been heard to say that he would make thegriffin fly above the crows, or, in other words, makeFrontenac triumph over the Jesuits.They now took her up the river,and made her fastbelow the swift current at Black Rock. Here theyfinished her equipment, and waited for La Salle'sreturn; but the absent commander did not appear.The spring and more than half of the summer hadpassed before they saw him again. At length, earlyin August, he arrived at the mouth of the Niagara,bringing three more friars; for, though no friend ofthe Jesuits, he was zealous for the Faith, and wasrarely without a missionary in his journeyings. LikeHennepin, the three friars were all Flemings. Onewas of sixty tons. I prefer to follow the earlier and more txuafrworthy narrative.