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

;374 THE VOYAGE. [1685.of the low shore some tokens of the great river. Infact, they had already passed it. On the sixth ofJanuary, awide opening was descried between twolow points of land; and the adjacent sea was discoloredwith mud. "La Salle," writes his brotherCavelier, "has always thought that this was theMississippi. " To all appearance, it was the entranceof Galveston Bay. 1 But why did he not examine it?Joutel says that his attempts to do so were frustratedby the objections of the pilot of the "Aimable," towhich, with a facility very unusual with him, hesuffered himself to yield. Cavelier declares, on theother hand, that he would not enter the openingbecause he was afraid of missing the " Joly." Buthe might have entered with one of histwo vessels,while the other watched outside for the absent ship.From whatever cause, he lay here five or six days,waiting in vain for Beaujeuthat he must have passed westward,2 till, at last, thinkinghe resolved tofollow. The "Aimable" and the "Belle" againspread their sails, and coasted the shores of Texas.Joutel, with a boat's crew, tried to land; but thesand-bars and breakers repelled him. A party ofIndians swam out through the surf,and were takenon board; but La Salle could learn nothing fromthem, as their language was unknown to him.1"La hauteur nous a fait remarquer . . . que ce que nousavions vu le sixieme Janvier estoit en effet la principale entree dela riviere que nous cherchions." — Lettre de La Salle au Ministry4 Mars, 1687.2 Memoire autographe de I'AbbS Cavelier.