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

1680.] THE ALARM. 226been saved from the deserters; then, uistrustingtheir power to defend themselves, they manned thewooden canoes which lay inmultitudes by the bank,embarked their women and children, and paddleddown the stream to that island of dry land in themidst of marshes which La Salle afterwards foundfilled with their deserted huts. Sixty warriorsremained here to guard them, and therest returnedto the village. All night long fires blazed along theshore. The excited warriors greased their bodies,painted their faces, befeathered their heads, sangtheir war-songs, danced, stamped, yelled, and brandishedtheir hatchets, to work up their courage toface the crisis. The morning came, and with it camethe Iroquois.Young warriors had gone out as scouts, and nowthey returned. They had seen the enemy in theline of forest that bordered the river Aramoni, orVermilion, and had stealthily reconnoitred them.They were very numerous, 1 and armed for the mostpart with guns, pistols, and swords. Some hadbucklersof wood or raw-hide, and some wore thosecorselets of tough twigs interwoven with cordagewhich their fathers had used when fire-arms wereunknown.The scouts added more, for they declaredthat they had seen a Jesuit among the Iroquois ;nay,1The Relation des Decouvertes says, five hundred Iroquois and onehundred Shawanoes. Membre' says that the allies were Miamis.He is no doubt right, as the Miamis had promised their aid, andthe Shawanoes were at peace with the Illinois. Tonty i* silent onthe point.15