OCR Text |
Show 152 BARON LA HOKTAK- LONG RIVER. " The village of the Sakis, Pouteouatamis, and some Malominis, are seated on the side of that river, and the Jesuits have a house or college built upon it." Ascending the Fox River, called " the river of Puants," he came to a village of " Kikapous, which stands on the brink of a little lake in which the savages fish great quantities of pikes and gudgeons." ( Lake Winnebago ?) Still ascending the river, he passed through the " little lake of the Malominis," the sides of which " are covered with a sort of oats which grow in tufts, with a small stalk, and of which the savages reap plentiful crops," and at length arrived at the land carriage of Ouisconsinc, which we finished in two days; that is, we left the river Puants, and transported our canoes and baggage to the river Ouisconsinc, which is not above three- quarters of a league distant or thereabouts." Descending the Wisconsin, in four days he reached its mouth, and landed on an island in the river Mississippi. So far the journey of the Baron La Hontan is plain enough; but beyond this point it is rather apocryphal. He states that he ascended the Mississippi for nine days, when he " entered the mouth of the Long River, which looks like a lake full of bulrushes." He sailed up this river for six weeks, passing through various nations of savages, of which a most fanciful description is given. At length, deterred by the advance of the season, he abandoned the intention of reaching the heads of the river, and returned to Canada, having, at the termination of his voyage, first " fixed a great long pole, with the arms of France done upon a plate of lead." The following is his description of " the Long River." " You must know that the stream of the Long River is all along very slack and easy, abating for about three leagues between the fourteenth and fifteenth village; for there, indeed, its current may be called rapid. The channel is so straight that it scarce winds at all from the head to the lake. ' Tis true ' tis not very pleasant, for most of its banks have a dismal prospect, and the water itself has an ugly taste; but then its usefulness atones for such inconveniences, for ' tis navigable with the greatest ease, and will bear barques of fifty tons, till you come to that place that is marked with a flower- de- luce in the map, and where I put up the post that my soldiers christened La Hontan % limit." It was at this place that the baron received his information respecting the lake of salt water. He says, " Two days after, the cacick" ( of the Gnacsitares) " came to see me, and brought with |