Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 8Sylvester, Charles Herbert
General
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 8
Sylvester, Charles Herbert
Children's literature; Literature -- Collections
About twenty leagues south of the Pekitanoni, and a little more to the
southeast, they discovered the mouth of another river, called
_Ouabouskigou_ (Ohio), in the latitude of thirty-six degrees; a short
distance above which, they came to a place formidable to the savages,
who, believing it the residence of a demon, had warned Father Marquette
of its dangers. It proved nothing more than a ledge of rocks, thirty
feet high, against which the waves, being contracted by an island, ran
with violence, and, being thrown back with a loud noise, flowed rapidly
on through a narrow and unsafe channel.
The Ouabouskigou came from the eastward, where the country was thickly
inhabited by the tribe of _Chuouanons_, a harmless and peaceful people,
much annoyed by the Iroquois, who were said to capture them as slaves,
and kill and torture them cruelly.
A little above the entrance of this river were steep banks, in which the
boatmen discovered iron ore, several veins of which were visible, about
a foot in thickness, portions of it adhering to the flint-stones; and
also a species of rich earth, of three different colors, namely, purple,
violet and red, and a very heavy red sand, some of which, being laid on
an oar, left a stain during fifteen days. They here first saw tall
reeds, or canes, growing on the shores, and began to find the
_maringouins_ (mosquitoes) very troublesome; the attacks of which, with
the heat of the weather, obliged the voyagers to construct an awning of
the sails of their canoes.
Shortly afterwards they saw savages armed with muskets, waiting their
approach on the bank of the river. While the boatmen prepared for a
defence, Father Marquette presented his calumet and addressed them in
Huron, to which they gave no answer, but made signals to them to land,
and accept some food. They consequently disembarked, and, entering their
cabins, were presented with buffalo's meat, bear's oil, and fine plums.
These savages had guns, hatchets, knives, hoes and glass bottles for
their gunpowder. They informed Father Marquette, that he was within ten
days' journey of the sea; that they purchased their goods of Europeans,
who came from the east, that these Europeans had images and beads,
played on many instruments, and were dressed like himself; and that they
had treated them with much kindness. As they had no knowledge of
Christianity, the worthy Father gave them what instruction he could, and
made them a present of some medals. Encouraged by the information
received from these savages, the party proceeded with renewed ardor on
their voyage, between banks covered with thick forests, that intercepted
their view of the prairies; in which, however, they heard at no great
distance the bellowing of buffaloes. They also saw quails upon the
shores, and shot a small parrot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account