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

1671.] ALLOUEZ'S HARANGUE. 55that he is not afraid of them.But now nobody daresmake war on him. All the nations beyond the seahave submitted to him and begged humbly for peace.Men come from every quarter of the earth to listento him and admire him. All that is done in theworld isdecided by him alone." But what shall I say of his riches ? You thinkyourselves rich when you have ten or twelve sacks ofcorn, a few hatchets, beads, kettles,and other thingsof that sort. He has cities of his own, more thanthere are of men in all this country for five hundredleagues around. In each city there are storehouseswhere there are hatchets enough to cut down all yourforests, kettles enough to cook all your moose, andbeads enough to fill all your lodges. His house islonger than from here to the top of the Saut, — thatis to say,more than half a league, — and higher thanyour tallest trees ; and it holds more families than thelargest of your towns." 1 The father added more ina similar strain ; but the peroration of his harangueis not on record.Whatever impression this curious effort of Jesuitrhetoric may have produced upon the hearers, it didnot prevent them from stripping the royalthearms frompost to which they were nailed, as soon as Saint-Lusson and his men had left the Saut; probably, notbecause they understood the import of the symbol,but because they feared it as a charm.Saint-Lussoni A close translation of Dablon's report of the speech. Se«Relation^ 1671, 27.