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

j1687.LA SALLE'S FOLLOWERS. 421At home, they might perhaps have lived and diedwith a fair repute; but the wilderness is a rudetouchstone, which often reveals traits that wouldhave lain buried and unsuspected in civilized life.The German Hiens, the ex-buccaneer, was also ofthe number. He had probably sailed with an Englishcrew; for he was sometimes known as Gemme Anglais,or "English Jem." 1 The Sieur de Marie; Teissier,a pilot; L'Archeveque, a servant of Duhaut; andothers, to the number in all of seventeen, — made upthe party; to which is to be added Nika, La Salle'sShawanoe hunter, who, as well as another Indian,had twice crossed the ocean with him, and stillfollowed his fortunes with an admiring thoughundemonstrative fidelity.They passed the prairie, and neared the forest.Here they saw buffalo ; and the hunters approached,and killed several of them. Then they traversed thewoods; found and forded the shallow and rushystream, and pushed through the forest beyond, tillthey again reached the open prairie. Heavy cloudsgathered over them, and it rained all night;but theysheltered themselves under the fresh hides of thebuffalothey had killed.It is impossible, as it would be needless, to followthe detail of their daily march. 8It was such an one,1Tonty also speaks of him as " un flibustier anglois." Inanother document, he is called " James."> Of the three narratives of this journey, those of Joutel, Car©.lier, and Anastase Douay, the first is by far the best. That ofCavelier seems the work of a man of confused brain and indifferent