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Show 152 BARON LA HONTAU- LONG RIVER. " The village of the Sakis, Pouteouatamfc, 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 Poants," 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 ?) ' StiU ascending the river, he passed through the " little lake of the Malominis, 1' the sides of which " are covered with a sort of oats which grow in tufts, with a small stalk, and, of which the savages jreap 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; Jbut beyond . this point it is rather apocryphal. He states Jhat he a** . tended the Mississippi for nine days, when he " entered* the mouth of the Long River, which" looks like a lake full of buMishes." He sailed up this river fat six weeks, passing through, various nations of savages, of which a most fanciful description i$ given. At length, deterred by the' advance of the season, be abandoned* the intention of reaching the heads of the " river, and returned to Canada, having, at the termination ol his voyage, first " fixed a great long pple, with the arms pf Franc* done upon a plate of lead." The following is his description of " the Long Biver." " You must know that the stream of the Long Biver is all along, very slack and easy, abating for about three leagues between the fourteenth and fifteenth village; far there, indeed, its current may be called rapid. ! fhe 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 prospeet, and the water itself has an ugly taste; but then its usefulness atones for. such incpi-veniences, for ' tis navigable with the greatest ease, and will. bea* barques of fifty tons, till you come to that < place , that. is marked * with a floiper- de- luce in the, map, and where I put up the post that my poldiers christened La Hontaris 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 ine^ and brought with |
