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

42 THE JESUITS ON THE LAKES. [1670-72.solitude, swept oftheir denizens by the terror of theall-conquering Iroquois; but now that these tigershad felt the power of the French, and learned for atime to leave their Indian allies in peace, the fugitivehordes were returning to their ancient abodes.Andrews experience among them was ofthe roughest.The staple of his diet was acorns and tripe de roche,— a species of lichen, which, being boiled, resolveditself into a black glue, nauseous, but not void ofnourishment. At times, he was reduced to moss, thebark of trees, or moccasins and old moose-skins cutinto strips and boiled. His hosts treated him veryill,and the worst of their fare was always his portion.When spring came to his relief, he returned to hispost of St. Simon, with impaired digestion andunabatedzeal.Besides the Saut Ste.both noted fishing-places,Marie and Michilimackinac,there was another spot, noless famous for game and fish, and therefore a favoriteresort of Indians. This was the head of the GreenBay of Lake Michigan. 1 Here and in adjacentdistricts several distincttribes had made their abode.The Menomonies were on the river which bears theirname; the Pottawattamies and Winnebagoes were1The Baye des Puants of the early writers ; or, more correctly,La Baye des Eaux Puantes. The Winnebago Indians, living nearit, were called Les Puans, apparently for no other reason thanbecause some portion of the bay was said to have an odor likethe sea.Lake Michigan, the "Lac des Illinois" of the French, was,according to a letter of Father Allouez, called " Machihiganing " bythe Indians. Dablon writes the name " Mitchiganon."