Joutel's Journal of La Salle's Last Voyage, 1684-7Joutel, Henri
History
Joutel's Journal of La Salle's Last Voyage, 1684-7
Joutel, Henri
La Salle, Robert Cavelier, sieur de, 1643-1687; Louisiana -- History -- To 1803; Mississippi River -- Discovery and exploration
They offer’d Father _Anastasius_ and Monsieur _Cavelier_ a Room, which
they accepted of, and we took up our Lodging in a little Hovel some
Travellers had made. There we continued the rest of _May_ and Part
of _June_, till after the Feast of _Whitsontide_. The Natives of the
Country about, till the Land and sow _Indian_ Corn, Melons and Gourds,
but they do not thrive so well as in the Country we came from. However
they live on them, and besides they have Fish they catch in the Lake,
for Flesh is very scarce among them.
On the 4th of _June_, there arriv’d four Canoes, commanded by Monsieur
_de Porneuf_, coming from _Montreal_, and bringing News from the
Marques _d’Hennonville_, and Orders to send to the Settlements which
were towards the Lake _des Puans_ and others higher up, towards the
Source of the River _Colbert_, to know the Posture and Condition
of Affairs. We prepar’d to be gone with the two Canoes. Monsieur
_Cavelier_ bought another, to carry our Baggage, and left Part of
his Furs with a Merchant, who gave him a Note to receive Money at
_Montreal_. I did the same with those few Furs I had, the rest of them
having been left at _Micilimaquinay_.
[Sidenote: Islinois _and_ Hurons.]
We took Leave of the _Jesuits_, and set out in four Canoes, _viz._ two
belonging to Monsieur _de Porneuf_, and two to Monsieur _Cavelier_, one
of which had been brought from Fort _Lewis_, and the other bought, as
I have just now said, we being twenty-nine of us in those four Canoes.
We sail’d on till the 24th, when Monsieur _de Porneuf_ left us to go to
St. _Mary’s_ Fall, to carry the Orders given him. The 25th, we got out
of the Lake of the _Islinois_, to enter that of the _Hurons_, on the
Banks whereof stands the Village, call’d _Tessalon_, where Monsieur _de
Porneuf_ came again to us, the 27th, with a Canoe of the Natives, and
with him we held on our Way.
[Sidenote: _July 1688_]
[Sidenote: French _River_.]
We proceeded to _Chebonany_ the 30th of _June_, and the 3d of _July_,
enter’d the _French_ River, where we were forc’d several Times to carry
our Canoes to avoid the Falls and the rapid Streams, observing as we
went a barren and dry Country, full of Rocks, on which there grow
Cedars and Fir Trees, which take Root in the Clefts of those Rocks.
[Sidenote: _Aug. 1688_]
[Sidenote: Nipicingue _Lake_.]
[Sidenote: _Arrival at_ Montreal.]
The 5th, we enter’d upon the little Lake of _Nipicingue_, adjoining to
a Nation of that Name. We got out of it again the 7th, and enter’d upon
the great River, where, after having pass’d the great Fall, we arriv’d
the 13th, at the Point of the Island of _Montreal_. We landed at a
Village call’d _la Chine_, which had belong’d to the late Monsr. _de
la Sale_. Monsr. _Cavelier_ set out the 14th, for _Montreal_, where we
came to him the 17th.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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