USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > Discovery and conquests of the Northwest, with the history of Chicago, Vol. I > Part 4
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Of the four priests who comprised the party of ad- venturers, Hennepin was the least in favor. Ever prone to intrude his advice unasked, or to attribute unlucky incidents to a neglect of his counsel, he became a bore,. all the less endurable because his sacred robes protected
*Tonty, who was an eye-witness to the whole, in his Life of La Salle,. page 35, uses the following language on the desertion of the men:
" Most of our men being discouraged by a long and tedious voyage, the end whereof they could not see, and weary of a wandering life in forests. and deserts, where they had no other company but brutes and savages, with- out any guide, carriage or provisions, could not forbear murmuring against the author of so tiresome and perilous an enterprise. M. La Salle, whose- penetration was extraordinary, discovered immediately their dissatisfaction,. and tried all possible means to prevent the consequences thereof. The" glory of the enterprise, the example of the Spaniards, the hopes of a great booty, and everything else that may engage men, we made use of to encour -- age them and inspire them with better sentiments; but these exhortations, .. like oil poured upon fire, served only to increase their dissatisfaction. What. said they? 'Must we always be slaves to his caprices, and be continually bubbled by his visions and foolish expectations? and must the fatigues we- have hitherto undergone be used as an argument to oblige us to go through, more perils, to gratify the ambition or folly of a merciless man?'"
32
Hennepin Explores the Upper Mississippi.
him from censure .* He was ever pluming himself on" his self-sacrificing spirit and willingness to undertake- any enterprise, however dangerous, providing it would advance the Christian cause among the heathen, and that his highest ambition was to die in such a service.
There was no lack of priests in the fort, and La Salle conceived the thought of taking Hennepin at his word, by sending him on an expedition to explore the head- waters of the Mississippi. The astonished priest ac- cepted the mission, but with a bad grace, and started in an open canoc with two attendants, on the last day of February, his brother priests uniting with La Salle in lavishing upon him words of consolation, as he left the fort to push his way among new and unheard-of tribes . of savages, in an equally unknown land. And here we will leave La Salle, to follow the fortunes of Hennepin and his two companions, Accau and Du Gay.
They were provided with an ample store of goods, to be used, as presents to the different tribes they might encounter on their way; besides which were provisions, guns and ammunition. They glided down the Illinois . river to its confluence with the Mississippi, and plied their oars up the stream, in obedience to orders. Game was abundant, and they fared well till the 12th of April, when, stopping on shore to roast a wild turkey for din- ner, they beheld with consternation a war party of 120. naked savages, breaking the solemn silence of the unin- habited place with the noisy whooping of Indians on the war path. The little party were immediately taken captive, despite the ceremonials of the calumet, or the inevitable tobacco accompanying it.
They were a band of Sioux, intending to make war on the Miamis, in revenge for some old scores; but the raiders were turned from their purpose, when Hennepin informed them, by signs, that the Miamis were away from home on a hunting excursion. The next business to be settled was the fate of the three French captives. As to the question whether they should be killed, or treated with hospitality, there was at first a division of opinion.
Had the chivalrous La Salle been among the French party, his impressive dignity would have insured the utmost courtesy toward themselves; but Hennepin was overcome with terror, and the haughty Sioux could
*This analysis of his character is drawn from Parkman, who has exposed . the frailties of Hennepin unsparingly.
38
Hennepin Among the Sioux.
have but little respect for him. After a hasty council, however, they concluded to spare the lives of the cap- tives, in order to encourage more Frenchmen to come among them, with the much-coveted trinkets, of which it was known they had an abundance.
But this decision was not made known to the captives. On the contrary, Hennepin was informed by signs, amid a din of wailings, that his head was to be split with a war-club. This unwelcome news drew forth from him some presents, which, at least, had the effect to postpone the execution of such a cruel purpose.
The Indians now concluded to return to their home among the little lakes at the upper Mississippi, and take the captives with them; but they kept up the practice of their villainous tricks, to extort goods from Henne- pin, till nearly his whole store was exhausted. Pending these griefs, Hennepin sought consolation in reading his morning devotion from his breviary; but this solace was a fresh source of danger, for the devotional mur- murings of his voice were interpreted by the Indians as a piece of sorcery, which might bring retribution upon themselves. Hennepin, observing this, chanted the words in a clear, musical voice, which amused in- stead of terrified his hearers, and satisfied his own con- science. The party arriving at the vicinity of St. Paul, the boats were concealed in a thicket, and they started on foot across the country to their respective lodges.
'Twas early in May, but remnants of ice still clung around the shaded margins of river, lake and marsh, imparting an icy chill to the waters through which the travelers passed, sometimes shallow, and sometimes deep enough to swim them. Between these low savan- nas, long stretches of high prairie had to be traversed, over which the naked-limbed Indian skimmed along with nimble step, but the poor priest, shackled by his long robes, lagged behind in spite of his utmost exer- tion. Seeing this, the Indians, always fertile in expedi- ents, took hold of his hands, one on each side, and pulled him along at a rapid pace, while they set fire to the dry prairie grass behind him, to act as an extra in- centive to speed.
Five days of this exhaustive travel brought them to the Indian town in the region of Mille Lac. Here the captives were adopted, each by a different chief, and consequently separated from each other. Hennepin
39:
Short Allowance of Food.
was taken by Aquipaguetin, the head chief of the party and his most persistent persecutor on the way. His home was on an island in Lake Mille Lac, where five wives and a due proportion of children paid savage" courtesies to their lord and master. Hennepin was well received. A sweating bath was given him, and his muti- lated feet rubbed with wildcat's oil, under an impres- sion that, by this process, the agility of that animal might be measurably imparted to the patient. He was fed on a short allowance of wild rice and dried whortleberries,. of which the Indians had laid in no over-stock for win- ter's use; but all shared alike, except sometimes a little preference shown by the squaws for their own children.
Quasicoudie was the highest in rank, as chief of the Sioux of this region, and he had no sooner learned of the arrival of the three French captives, and the das- tardly tricks by which Hennepin had been robbed, than he berated Aquipaguetin severely, for he had been the instigator of those villainous devices, which the high- minded Sioux discarded, as a nation.
As the weary days wore along, the supply of food diminished, and hunger began to warn these improvi- dent children of nature, that something must be done to appease it. For this purpose a buffalo hunt was de- termined on, in early summer, and Hennepin was prom- ised that he might accompany them.
This was good news to him, as it gave promise of a plentiful supply of food; but inasmuch as he was to accompany the grim father of his adoption, Aquipague- tin, he feared that fresh abuses were in store for him, when away from the influences of Quasicoudie. To avert this new danger, the reverend father told the In- dians that a party of Frenchmen were to meet him at the mouth of the Wisconsin river, in the summer, with a stock of goods .*
The time came for starting on the proposed buffalo hunt, and the 250 braves, with their squaws and children and boats enough to carry them, were promptly on the spot. Accau and Du Gay had a boat of their own, a
* Hennepin affirms that La Salle had promised this to him when he left Ft. Creve-Cœur; but the truth of this assertion may well be questioned, especially since IIennepin's veracity has been tarnished by the mendacious book of travels which he published on his return to France. In this book he claimed to have explored the Mississippi to its mouth. It had a large sale, and won for him a reputation which was as short-lived as his motive in writing it was contemptible, inasmuch as his aim was to rob the true ex- plorers of the lower Mississippi of the honor due to them alone.
40
Falls of St. Anthony Discovered.
present from the Indians, into whose good graces they had grown since their captivity. But poor Hennepin was no favorite. Boat after boat passed the forsaken priest, as he stood on the river bank begging a passage. Even the two Frenchmen refused to take him in; and but for the condescension of one of the crew in the rear, the missionary would have been left alone in those dis- tant and savage realms of the wilderness.
Arriving at the mouth of Rum river, they all encamped on the bank of the Mississippi. Very short rations of dried buffalo meat was their fare, except what unripe berries could be gleaned from the uncultivated face of nature, which was spread out in appalling amplitude around them. Hennepin, as might be supposed, was disgusted with Indian life, and so was Du Gay. The two, therefore, obtained permission of Quasicoudie, who had always been their friend, to leave the encampment, and go and meet the expected Frenchmen at the mouth of the Wisconsin river. Meantime, Accau's highest ambition was to remain with his savage associates .*
Equipped with a birchen canoe, a knife, a gun and an earthen pot of Sioux manufacture, in which to boil meat, the Father and Du Gay, his companion, started down the river. They arrived at the falls on St. An- thony's day, and Hennepin, in honor of this Saint, gave them his name, which they still retain. Thence they made their way down the river by slow stages, for they were obliged to resort, in part, to turtles and fish for subsistence, inasmuch as their stock of ammunition was getting short; and to capture these in sufficient quanti- ties to appease hunger caused much detention.
While the travelers were urging their way toward the Wisconsin-of course, with the intention of ultimately reaching Canada-they were disagreeably surprised to see Aquipaguetin, with ten warriors, coming down the river. Hennepin feared the worst, but no harm was offered him. The chief was on his way to meet the French at the mouth of the Wisconsin, for purposes of traffic, and, after a brief salutation, swept past the Frenchmen. In three days he returned, having found no French traders there. Approaching Hennepin, he
* Since Accau had declared his resolution to remain with the Sioux, Du Gay had made ample apologies to Hennepin for having refused him a place in his boat on starting from Mille Lac, and they were now restored to good fellowship again.
4I
Du Lhut and his Party.
gave him a severe scolding, and passed along up the river, to the great relief of the terrified Father.
The travelers had now but ten charges of powder left, which was too small a supply to last them on so long a trip as the route to Canada. In this emergency they determined to again join the Sioux hunters, who were now encamped on the Chippewa river, an affluent of Lake Pepin, not far distant. They soon found them, and, happily for the wanderers, in a good humor, for they had been unusually successful in killing buffalo.
Exciting news was soon brought to their encampment by two old squaws. A war party of Sioux had met five white men coming into their country from Lake Su- perior, by the way of the St. Croix river. Much curi- osity was manifested by Hennepin, to know who the white explorers were. The hunt was over, and as the Indians were to return at once, their curiosity was soon to be gratified, for Hennepin and his companion was to return with them. On arriving at the present site of St. Paul, the expected visitors were met, and they proved to be no other than the famous explorer, Daniel Grey- solon Du Lhut, with four companions. This master spirit of the forest had been two years among the far-off lodges of the Sioux, and other tribes to the north, explor- ing, like La Salle, under the patronage of Frontenac.
Having learned that three white men were in the country, he came to meet them, with a determination to drive them away, if they were of any other nationality but French. The commanding presence of Du Lhut, not surpassed even by La Salle, won the utmost respect from the Sioux at once. The whole party returned north to the region of Mille Lac, and a grand feast of honor was spread for the distinguished guests.
As autumn approached, the Frenchmen made prepa- rations to return to Canada, to which the Sioux inter- posed no objections, assured, as they were, by Du Lhut, that they would soon return with goods for traffic.
Accau, by this time, sated with the society of his late associates, was willing to join Du Lhut, and the whole party, eight in all, started for Canada, by the way of the Wisconsin river.
The travels of Du Lhut and the captivity of Henne- pin had made known to the French the general features of the upper Mississippi, but the outlet of this stream was still a mystery. It had been one hundred and
42
La Salle Starts for Canada.
thirty-seven years since the miserable remnant of De Soto's Spanish adventurers had fled down its current in hot haste, closely pursued by the exasperated natives. of the country, whom they had plundered, and little or nothing had been given to the world respecting its phy- sical aspect. La Salle was the destined one to bring to light this majestic chasm, which opened through the heart of a continent.
Let us now return to Ft. Creve-Cœur, and follow the invincible explorer through the thorny path which still intervened between him and his destination. Even before Hennepin had started from Ft. Creve-Cœur, he had felt the positive necessity of a fresh supply of men to fill the places of the deserters; for his force was now too small to even continue work on the vessel. The fort was now finished, and its name, Creve-Cœur ("broken heart"), sufficiently symbolized the failure of all his plans. thus far, but was no index to his unconquerable resolution.
Spring was now opening, with its discomforture of mud and swollen streams; but, regardless of these ob- stacles, he formed the resolution to start for Canada, to obtain the necessary recruits. Hennepin had no sooner left the fort than La Salle made preparations for his departure. On the 2d of March everything was in readiness. Five companions were selected to accom- pany him, one of whom was Nika, a faithful Indian servant, whose skill as a hunter and knowledge of woodcraft was indispensable to the safety of the party.
. They commenced their journey in a canoe, and pack- ing into it a slender outfit of blankets, guns and the in- evitable bag of hominy, they tugged up the Illinois river till the mouth of the Kankakee was reached. Up this stream they plied their oars till they came about to the present site of Joliet.
Here the ice of winter was still unbroken, and the canoe had to be abandoned. Blankets, guns and other luggage were now packed on their shoulders, and they took up their march through the oozy savannas, which intervened between them and Ft. Miamis, at the mouth of the St. Joseph river, which was the first point to be reached.
Taking their course to the northeast, according to their best knowledge of locality, after a few days of toilsome travel, and as many nights of cold comfort on the damp ground, they were gladdened by the sight of Lake Michigan. The point at which they struck it was.
43
The Griffin Lost.
but a few miles south of Chicago, near the mouth of the Calumet .* Following the shore of the lake, around its southern extremity, on the 24th they arrived at the fort, where its lonesome garrison of two men still stood sen- tinels of the forest, like hermits, cut off from all com- munication with the world.
When La Salle had sent his vessel back down the lakes from Green Bay, loaded with furs, he gave orders to have her return to Ft. Miamis for a second trip; and notwithstanding no tidings had reached him of the ves- sel since her departure, he had not entirely relinquished all hopes that she had arrived at this place, in obedience to his orders, and that he might yet recruit his exhausted finances from the sale of her cargo; but these hopes were not realized-neither the vessel nor any news of her was here.+
The Griffin never had been heard from since she left Green Bay; no doubt could now be entertained that she had been lost during the heavy gales that prevailed soon after she set sail on the great wilderness of waves, that the lakes then were, without a lighthouse or a chart to guide the pioneer bark along the unknown shore. Without taking time to rest, La Salle, with his party, again plunged into the leafless forests, striking their course toward the western extremity of Lake Erie. It was an unknown country. With no other guide but a pocket compass, the travelers pushed through thickets and swamps, weighted down with camping equipments and guns. After a few days' travel, they found them- selves pursued by a band of Indians supposed to be Iroquois. For several days their footsteps were dogged, and all attempts to elude their pursuit were unavailing.
The leaf-strewn ground was set on fire, but the wily enemy followed their tracks like bloodhounds. Lest they might come upon them in the night, no camp-fires were made. The cold supper of dried meat was eaten in silence, each wrapped himself in his blankets and laid down to sleep, knowing that an enemy was near, thirsting for their blood. Thus they proceeded on their way till the 2d of April, on which night the cold was too severe to bear, and a fire was kindled to thaw their clothes, which were stiffened with ice. No sooner than
*Parkman's Discovery of the Great West, p. 178.
t In obedience to orders from La Salle, the two men at the fort had made a tour around the northern shore of the lake, to get news from the Griffin, but nothing could be learned of her fate.
44
Friends Mistaken for Enemies.
the light was descried, their pursuers came upon them with terrific yells; but, happily for La Salle's party, a. deep stream intervened between his camp and the hos- tile party.
La Salle boldly advanced to its banks to get a sight at the enemy, when a parley ensued, which resulted in ascertaining them to be a band of Mascoutins, and not Iroquois, as at first supposed. The mistake was mutual, as the Mascoutins also supposed La Salle's party to be a band of Iroquois, to meet whom was the signal for a fight. This danger averted, they continued their jour- ney till the Detroit river was reached. Two of his men were sent from this place to Michilimackinac; and with the remaining two, among whom was Nika, he crossed the Detroit river on a raft, and bent his course toward the north shore of Lake Erie; reaching which place, a canoe was made, and the travelers started for Ft. Niag- ara, coasting the northern shore of the lake.
It was past the middle of April when they arrived. The hardships of the journey had told fearfully upon his men. Two of them had become unfit for active duty, before the Detroit was reached; and now the other two, one of whom was the hardy Nika, were unable to proceed farther, while La Salle himself was in the flush of strength and vigor-a striking proof of the power of a great mind over the body. Here news of fresh dis- asters greeted him again. A vessel laden with stores for him, from France, was wrecked on entering the St. Lawrence river; but this was not all. His envious ene- mies in Canada had circulated various evil reports about him, and not only estranged some of his friends, but had induced a new recruit of men from France, destined for his service, to desert him.
Never before had such a combination of disasters overtaken him. The very elements seemed to have conspired to destroy what the treachery of his supposed friends could not. In this extremity he selected three fresh men from Ft. Niagara, and started for Montreal. On the 6th of May he arrived at Ft. Frontenac, on his way, which was the spot where his knighthood had been endowed with a seigniory of land. Here he might have become the wealthiest man in Canada, could he have contented himself to parcel out these lands to the peasantry of Canada, and receive rents from them, like other noblemen. But these honors would have been
45
The Deserters.
stale and insipid to the high-minded explorer, whose mind ran on the destinies of New France.
When he reached Montreal, his dignified bearing was a matter of astonishment to his enemies, and was not long in restoring the confidence of his friends. The grandeur, of his still unshaken resolution, was consistent with the even grander schemes in which he had enlisted for life; and, in less than a week after his arrival, both men and money were placed at his disposal, to renew his plans. Active preparations were now made for his departure to the Illinois country with his new recruits; but before these were completed he received bad news from Ft. Creve-Cœur, by messengers sent from Tonty. The fort had been plundered and entirely destroyed by its own garrison, all having joined in the infamous work, except Tonty and four or tive others of his companions, who were still true to La Salle's interest.
The renegades took the advantage of a brief absence of Tonty to accomplish the work; and, ere his return, they had robbed the place of everything of value which could be carried away, and threw into the river what they could not steal. Next, they went to Ft. Miamis and committed similar depredations, and closed their career of robbery at Michilimackinac, by stealing a quantity of furs, at that place, which belonged to La Salle. Soon after this unwelcome news came, two other messengers arrived, and informed La Salle that the robbers, numbering twelve men, in three gangs, were now on their way to Ft. Frontenac, with the intention of killing him at sight. Selecting nine of his bravest men, he now resolved to waylay them ere their arrival. In this he was successful, and soon returned to Ft. Fron- tenac with the whole party, as prisoners, excepting two who had been killed in the encounter.
It was now of the utmost importance that he should make all haste to the Illinois country, to relieve Tonty of the perils which environed him. On the 10th of Au- gust everything was made ready, and he embarked from Ft. Frontenac with his new command, numbering twen- ty-five men. He chose his route by the way of Lake Simcoe and along the shores of Georgian Bay, to Mich- ilimackinac.
From this place he started, in advance, with twelve men, and left the rest to transport the heavy materials, under command of La Forest. Coasting along the east
46
Iroquois Invasion of the Illinois Country.
shore of Lake Michigan, he soon came to the St. Joseph, and, as he expected, found Ft. Miamis in ruins. Leaving five of his men here, to rebuild the fort and await the approach of La Forest, he pushed on, by the same route he had traveled before, through the perplexing mazes of the Kankakee, in its mud-bound circlings. No signs of human life were seen; but when the Illinois river was reached, herds of buffalo made their appearance, and the scene was changed. Hurrying along in painful suspense, the site of the once familiar Indian town was reached; but instead of a wild, tumultuous scene of In- dians dancing grotesque figures or grouped around in lazy dalliance, a ghastly spectacle of human skulls, pro- jecting from the ramparts of the ruined fort, greeted his eyes. The Iroquois had been there and swept away every sign of life, not even respecting the tombs of the dead; for these had been desecrated, and masses of fetid flesh and disjointed bones lay scattered over the green.
This crushing disaster had fallen upon La Salle when hope was reviving of a speedy accomplishment of his plans. Searching among the slain, all the while fearing he should find Tonty and his three or four faithful com- rades, a painful sense of his forlorn situation came over him; but he was calm, and betrayed no signs of despair. A night of horrors succeeded, in which sleep was im- possible. Gangs of wolves, quarreling over the spoils of the battle-field, fell upon their ears, as they listened, in, silence for the war-whoop of the triumphant foe.
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