Show li atit irl 41 I 1 le atut t 7 C it N 4 taz rz if ja Z 3 7 Y 91 Z lake 7 1 a all 0 by ELMO SCOTT WATSON in EIB time Is V february in the year ti the ie is the illinois river in what Is now tho the state of that name the actors in the epic drama which Is now about to begin are some 18 indians and 23 fre french ch soldiers and voyageurs voya geurs not a very impressive company it Is true but the leader of it is what makes it great F for or tills this leader is rone rene robert cavelier Ca veller bleur de e la salle balle magnificent adventurer and one of the worlds greatest explorers la salle announced that they would take ke to their canoes they lifted the light white birch barks from the sledges and slipped them into the icy water the baggage and rifles went aboard piece by piece then man after man soldier and voyageur voyage ur and red hunter stepped gln gingerly to his place sank to a kneeling position and took up his long handled paddle first one light canoe then another pushed off from shore and the black current bore them away 11 to right and left they saw drab banks frost fi flecked and hard that rang under a blow and leafless forests iron in their rigid desolation that rose despairingly toward an opaque gray sky on the sixth of february they emerged from the illinois and their fleet slipped out upon the swelling current of the mississippi appl la salles dreams came nearer the mirage at last promised realization thus began the historic voyage voiage down the length of the father of waters which was to give to france control of the interior of north america which was to open up the vista of the richness of a new empire before the greedy eyes of the white race which was to endroll en england and france in tin an almost unending war for the next three quarters of a century and which was to result finally in the founding of a new nation greater than either it Is this voyage which has been characterized as one of the greatest epics of all history to most americans the name of la salle la Is just another in a almly list from their th belr schoolbook school book histories rut but now years after the beginning and the end of his great achievement his name Is brought to their attention again through the publication of two blagra phles of him one of them Is la salle written by L V jacks and published by charles scribners sons from which the foregoing quotation Is if taken and the other Is the french ad the life and exploits of la salle written by M maurice constantan weyer and published by the macaulay company mr jacks Is an american and M la Is a frenchman so it Is interesting to read their two books together and get the two points of view on this great frenchmon frenchman who name is a written high in the annals of america of the voyage down the river mr constantin weyer writes a vivid account liow how spring was breaking on every side A sky of clouds rent by the wind was reflected in blue and white tho the forest was powdered with tender green flowers flowena were unfolding timid petals the erles cries of migratory birds filled the immense valley mosquitoes swarmed at night coyotes harked barked on the hillsides hill sides in the mornings hison bison descended in friendly pairs to the glint giant drinking trough they passed the mouths of grent great rivers the muddy missouri the quiet ohio la nolle belle fritiere ere and the arkansas there were adventures with indians both pleasant and grim for the they met both friendly and hostile red men there were innumerable new wonders of scenery which unfolded before their eyes eves and a variety of experiences such as few explorers had ever had bad just two months from the time they had floated out upon the broad bosom of the auppl all at once spray struck their faces tasting the water they found it already brackish A great joy painfully welled up in their breasts a thrill ran down their spines and suddenly Bud denly sonorous under the shock of a thousand waves immense and without a sall gall there was the seal sea april the seventh IC thus 31 constantin weyer and now to turn to mr jacks for the next scene the frenchmen must have ben been as aa glad to tee see the gulf golf as xenophone bardy soldiers once were glad to see the blue of the when at last red as a great nr flu tinged rubt rubs the sun had bad dropped to rest in the melancholy choly marshes marshea and savannas to westward and the night wind brought over the glitter of the ant sea the faint hushed bushed rolet 9 of breathing waters the voyagers lay jay down beside their caules aware that they had seen been in all probability the greatest day of their tumultuous lives it had beer been a long trail which he had n ah 4 IFT UL U Z 41 16 AOL 1 WOR CA 4 4 p 0 17 Z j Z I 1 N or ae sa to great of Z a S alle 14 a ca 11 at ibi e of ip elleg tap I 1 orations v lu count cou nt enao lowed since that far oil off day when as a school lo bo 10 in lloren france he had read of other explorers and adventurers and had thrilled to the tales of their exploits in the places which had previously been marked on the rude maps of the time terra incognita in those 39 30 years his life had been one of many hardships of many high hopes of many disappointments but in his makeup make up was the tough liber fiber of soul which had carried him through all of this the fiber that justified the title given him by an early american blo biographer grapher the norman educated for priesthood in the jesuit order la salle soon found that the restlessness in his blood would never allow him to be happy in that rule role the result was a journey in his early twenties to canada where his brother was a in the seminary of st sul through the influence of this brother he received a grant of land near montreal R neury which he named la chine the name nam was sign significant afi cant al ready already he was dreaming of finding the undiscovered northwest passage tu to china the goal of many an explorer before him so when the indians told him of a great southwestern river which flowed into the verall lion ion sea his quick mind grasped this as the route of the long iong sought passage to the orient and he determined to follow the river so lie he sold his to obtain funds for an expedition and in july the first of his ions iong wanderings through the interior of the north american continent began that trip carried him up the st lawrence along the south shore of luke ontario among the villages of the iroquois on to Nl niagara agara along the south shore of lake erie and then south through what Is now the state slate of ohio until lie he in all probability reached the ohio river kut but desertions among his followers forced la salle to go back to canada so his first expedition was something of a failure his resources were now exhausted but he found an unexpected friend in count Fron frontenac tenae the iron governor of canada wiio who him the exclusive trading privileges at fort frontenac the modern kingston on the condition that he would rebuild the defenses and garrison the post in the father alar marquette and louis jollet joliet had bad reached the mississippi the great southwest river and gone down it for a considerable distance although they did not follow it to its mouth so that honor still awaited TA la brille belle however tie lie needed more capital so in 1677 be made a trip to france witla with letters tron frum frontenac ironte nac to the king and his ministers it av paris la salle found attentive listeners to hai plans and when he returned to canada in 1079 1070 he brought with him a royal decree authorizing him to make discoveries and build forts in the inte interior bior of north gorth america ile he also brought back with him the man who was destined to be his chief lieutenant and greatest friend genrl dp de an italian the man alan with the iron hand that 1 amt winter la salle and were busy completing a fort at niagara and building a ship before spring had come a vessel of about 45 tons the largest yet built for service on the tha great lakes was completed on its prow was a ca carved arved griffon from the armorial bearings of la salles patron count frontenac and this ship won enduring fame under the name of the griffin incidentally it was more enduring than la salle could possibly have realized for within the last year the timbers from a wrecked ship were found in lake huron and there la Is strong evidence to support the belief that these timbers were once a part of the found after more than 2 ia years 1 la salle sailed his vessel to Michili mackinac where he acquired a rich store of furs then sailed on into lake michigan and finally dropped anchor in green bay where some more furs were obtained sending the griffin back to montreal la salle started south along the wisconsin shore and reaching the mouth of the st joseph he built fort miami then he struck across country to the upper kankakee from there he made his way down the illinois to the present site of peoria where he built fort crevecoeur leaving in charge la salle started back to canada when he reached niagara at easter time in it was to find news of disaster the griffin with all of her rich cargo of furs had been lost la salle hurried on to montreal and once more sought the aid of Fron frontenac tenae again he was provided with the necessary equipment for carrying out his projects and within a few months he was again at fort F frontenac ron tenae and ready to loin join at crevecoeur just as he was aa ready to leave however there came the tha news that the garrison at the fort on the illinois had mutinied mutinies muti nied and destroyed the post la salles one hope now was that the faithful had held on find and had saved something from the wreckage of his plans but when he reached he found gone to green bay and the place deserted undaunted by this climax to his misfortunes the norman pushed on down the illinois until he reached the mississippi but his party was too small to attempt an expedition down this great river so la salle once more retraced his weary steps northward ile he spent the winter at fort miami and in the spring he learned that was at and there he hastened to hear from his trusted lieutenant the long tale of disaster of this interview an eyewitness eye witness writes anyone else would have thrown up hla his hands and abandoned the enterprise but far from this with a firmness and constancy that never had its equal I 1 saw sav him more resolved than ever to continue his work and push forward his discovery la salle was now determined to continue with his bis plan for exploring the mississippi returning once more to fort Fron frontenac tenae he replenished his bis supplies BUp plIes and in the autumn of 1081 1681 he sst got out once moro more with tonta for the illinois country then followed his lourney journey down the illinois river to the mississippi and the beginning of the great journey which took place just years ago aeo ad by 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