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

384 LA SALLE IN TEXAS. [1685.knew not where.They knew not where they werethemselves; and for the fifteen thousand Indian allieswho were to have joined them, they found two hundredsqualid savages, more like enemies than friends.In fact, it was soon made plain that these theirneighbors wished them no good. A few days afterthe wreck, the prairie was seen on fire. As thesmoke and flame rolled towards them before thewind, La Salle caused all the grass about the campto be cut and carried away, and especially around thespot where the powder was placed. The danger wasaverted ; but it soon became known that the Indianshad stolen a number of blanketsand other articles,and carried them to their wigwams. Unwilling toleave his camp, La Salle sent his nephew Morangetand several other volunteers, with a party ofmen, toreclaim them. They went up the bay in a boat,landed at the Indian camp, and, with more mettlethan discretion, marched into it, sword in hand.The Indians ran off, and the rash adventurers seizedupon several canoes as an equivalent for the stolengoods. Not knowing how to manage them, theymade slow progress on their way back, and wereovertaken by night before reaching the French camp.They landed, made a fire, placed a sentinel, and laydown on the dry grass to sleep. The sentinel followedtheir example, when suddenly they wereawakened by the war-whoop and a shower of arrows.Two volunteers, Oris and Desloges. were killedon the spot; a third, named Gayen, was severely