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

1686.] LA SALLE'S ADVENTURES. 403I had received this man who had abandoned him.I told him how it had happened, and repeatedDuhaut's story. Duhaut defended himself, and M.de la Salle's anger was soon over. We went intothe house, and refreshed ourselves with some breadand brandy, as there was no Avine left." 1La Salle and his companions told their story.They had wandered on through various savagetribes, with whom they had more than one encounter,scattering them like chaff by the terror of their firearms.At length they found a more friendly band,and learned much touching the Spaniards, who,they were told, were universally hated by the tribesof that country.It would be easy, said their informants,to gather a host of warriors and lead themover the Rio Grande ; but La Salle was in no conditionfor attempting conquests, and the tribes inwhose alliance he had trusted had, a few days before,been at blows with him. The invasion of NewBiscay must be postponed to a more propitiousday.Still advancing, he came to a large river, which heat first mistook for the Mississippi; and building afort of palisades, he left here several of his men. 2The fate of these unfortunates does not appear. He1 Joutel, Relation (Margry, iii. 219).2 Cavelier says that he actually reached the Mississippi ;but, onthe one hand, the abbs' did not know whether the river in questionwas the Mississippi or not; and, on the other, he is somewhatinclined to mendacity. Le Clerc says that La Salle thought he hadfound the river. According to the Proces Verbal of 18 April, 1686," il y arriva le 13 Fevrier." Joutel says that La Salle told him" qu'il n'avoit point trouve' sa riviere."