Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI1 JACQUES MARQUETTE was a Jesuit2 priest who in i666 was sent to the missions of Canada. The traits of his character are unmistakable. He was one of the brotherhood of the early Canadian missionaries, the true counterpart of Gamier3 or Jogues,4 who were martyrs for their faith. A subtile element of romance was blended with the fervor of his worship, and hung like an illumined cloud over the harsh and hard realities of his daily lot. Kindled by his religion, his gentle and noble nature knew no fear. He burned to dare and to suffer, discover new lands and conquer new realms for its sway. Louis Joliet,6 the son of a wagon-maker and a fur-trader by profession, was sent with orders from Count Frontenac,8 the governor of Canada, and M. Talon, the intendant,7 to joinFather Marquette at Michilimackinac, and accompany him on the visit which he proposed to make to the nations of the Mississippi.
I was delighted, wrote Marquette in his journal,
because I saw my plans about to be accomplished, and found myself in the happy necessity of exposing my life for the salvation of all these tribes. The outfit of the travellers was very simple. They provided themselves with two birch canoes, and a supply of smoked meat and Indian corn; embarked with five men, and began their voyage on the i7th of May.1 Their course was westward; and, plying their paddles, they passed the Straits of Michilimackinac, and coasted the northern shores of Lake Michigan, landing at evening to build their camp-fires at the edge of the forest, and draw up their canoes on the strand. They soon reached the river Menomonie, and ascended it to the village of the Menomonies, or Wild-rice Indians. When they told them the object of their voyage, they were filled with ast…
