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

:1680.] SEARCH FOR TONTY. 211the Iroquois had followed their march, day by day,along the other bank. La Salle and his men pushedrapidly onward, passed Peoria Lake, and soonreached Fort Crevecceur, which they found, as theyexpected, demolished by the deserters. The vesselon the stocks was still left entire, though the Iroquoishad found means to draw out the iron nails andspikes. On one of the planks were written the words"Nous sommes tons sauvages: ce 15, 1680," — thework, no doubt, ofthe knaves who had pillaged anddestroyed the fort.La Salle and his companions hastened on,and duringthe following day passed four opposing camps ofthe savage armies. The silence of death now reignedalong the deserted river, whose lonely borders,wrapped deep in forests, seemed lifeless as the grave.As they drew near the mouth of the stream theysaw a meadow on their right, and on its farthestverge several human figures, erect, yet motionless.They landed, and cautiously examined the place.The long grass was trampled down, and all aroundwere strewn the relics of the hideous orgies whichformed the ordinary sequel of an Iroquois victory.The figures they had seen were the half-consumedbodies of women, still bound to the stakes wherethey had been tortured. Other sights there were,too revolting for record. 1All the remains were those1"Onnescauroitexprimer la rage de ees furieux ni les tourmensqu'ils avoient fait souffrir aux mise'rables Tamaroa [a tribe of theIllinois]. II y en avoit encore dans des chaudieres qu'ils avoientlaiss^es pleines sur les feux, qui depuis s'e'toient e'teints," etc., etc— Relation des Decouvertes.