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

288 LA SALLE BEGINS ANEW. [1681.sent to Michilimackinac to await Tonty, and tell^m to remain there till he, La Salle, should arrive.Having thus accomplished the objects of hisjourney, he returned to FortMiami, whence he soonafter ascended the St. Joseph to the village of theMiami Indians, on the portage, at the head of theKankakee. Here he found unwelcome guests.These were three Iroquois warriors, who had beenfor some time in the place, and who, as he was told,had demeaned themselves with the insolence of conquerors,and spoken of the French with the utmostcontempt. He hastened to confront them, rebukedand menaced them, and told them that now, when hewas present, they dared not repeat the calumnieswhich they had uttered in his absence. They stoodabashed and confounded, and during the followingnight secretly left the town and fled. The effectwas prodigious on the minds of the Miamis, whenthey saw that La Salle, backed by ten Frenchmen,could command from their arrogant visitors a respectwhich they, with their hundreds of warriors, hadwholly failed to inspire. Here, at the outset, wasan augury full of promise for the approachingnegotiations.There were other strangers in the town, — a bandof eastern Indians, more numerous than those whohad wintered at the fort. The greater number werefrom Rhode Island, including, probably, some ofKing Philip's warriors;others were from New York,and others again from Virginia. La Salle called