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

1681.] ILLINOIS ALLIES. 287Forest and most of the men, keeping with him hisold attendant Hunaut.Going out in quest of pineleaves,— a decoction of which was supposed to beuseful in cases of snow-blindness, — this man discoveredthe fresh tracks of Indians, followed them,and found a camp of Outagamies, or Foxes, from theneighborhood of Green Bay. From them he heardwelcome news. They told him that Tonty was safeamong the Pottawattamies, and that Hennepin hadpassed through their country on his return fromamong the Sioux. 1A thaw took place ; the snow melted rapidly ; therivers were opened; the blind men began to recover;and launching the canoes which they had draggedafter them, the party pursued their way by water.They soon met a band of Illinois. La Salle gavethem presents, condoled with them on their losses,and urged them to make peace and alliance with theMiamis. Thus, he said, they could set the Iroquoisat defiance ; for he himself, with his Frenchmen andhis Indian friends, would make his abode amongthem, supply them with goods, and aid them todefend themselves. They listened, well pleased,promised to carry his message to their countrymen,and furnished him with a large supply of corn. 2Meanwhile he had rejoined La Forest, whom he now1 Relation des Decouvertes. Compare Lettre de La Salle (Margry,ii. 144).2 This seems to have been taken from the secret repositories, orcaches, of the ruined town of the Illinois.