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

1681.] THE TORONTO PORTAGE. 293secretary Barrois, a consummate man of business, andthe support of a wealthy relative, he found means toappease his creditors and even to gain fresh advances.To this end, however, he was forced to part with aportion of his monopolies. Having first made hiswill at Montreal, in favor of a cousin who hadbefriended him, 1 he mustered his men, and once moreset forth,resolved to trust no more to agents, but tolead on his followers, in a united body, under hisown personal command. 2At the beginning of autumn he was at Toronto,where the long and difficultportage to Lake Simcoedetained him a fortnight. He spent a part of it inwriting an account of what had lately occurred to acorrespondent in France, and he closes his letterthus :" This is all I can tell you this year. I havea hundred things to write, but you could not believehow hard it is to do it among Indians. The canoesand their lading must be got over theportage, and Imust speak to them continually and bear all theirimportunity, or else they will do nothing I want. Ihope to write more at leisure next year, and tell you1 Copie du Testament du deffunt S r -de la Salle, 11 Aout, 1681.The relative was Francis Plet, to whom he was deeply in debt.2 " On apprendra a la fin de cette annCe, 1682, le succes de ladecouverte qu'il e"toit resolu d'achever, au plus tard le printempadernier ou de perir en y travaillant. Tant de traverses et de malheurstoujours arrives en son absence l'ont fait resoudre a ne sefier plus a personne et a eonduire lui-merae tout son monde, toutson equipage, et toute son entreprise, de laquelle il esperoit uneheureuse conclusion."The above is a part of the closing paragraph of the Relation detDecouvertes, so often cited.