observing prayers onv holidays and- Sundays.
Many of our people know the Gregorian chant,
and the rest had some parts of it by rote,',
The Sieur De La Salle left in command of our.
ship yard one Tonti, an Italian by birth, who had
come to France after the revolution in Maples,
in which his father was engaged. Pressing
business compelled the former to return to Port
Frontenac, and I conducted him to the borders
of Lake Ontario, at the mouth of the river Nia?
gara. While there he pretended to mark out a
house for the blacksmith, which had been promised
for theconvenienceof the If oquois. I cannot
blame the Iroquois for not believing all that
had been promised -them at tbo èpibassy of the
Sieur De La Mette: .
Finally the Sieur De La Salle undertook his
expedition on foot over the snow, and thus accomplished
more than eighty leagues* .. He had
no food, except a small bag of roasted corn, and
even that had failed Lim two days’ journey from
the fort. Nevertheless he, arrived safely with
two men and a dog which drew his baggage« on
the ice*
Returning to our ship yard, we learned that
the most of the Iroquois had gone to war beyond
Lake Erie, while our vessel was being built.
Although those that remained were less violent,
by reason of their diminished numbers, still
they did not cease from coming often to our ship
yard, and testifying their dissatisfaction at our
doings..... Some time after, one of them? pretending
to be drunk, attempted tokill our blacksmith.
But the resistance which he met with from the
smith, who was named La Forge, and who
wielded a red hot bar of iron, repulsed him, and
together with a reprimand which I gave the
villain, ’ compelled' Mm to desist. Some days
after, a squaw advised.us«that the Senecas were
about tö' set tire to our vessel on the stocks, and
they would, without doubt, have effected their
object, had not a very strict watch been kept.
■ These frequent alarms, thé fear of the failure
of provisions/ on account of the löss of the large
Vessel from Fort Frontenac, and the refusal of
the Senecas to sell us Indiaii corn, discouraged
our carpenters:, They were, moreover "enticed
by a worthiest fbllow, who often attempted to
desert to New York, (Nouvelle, lorck,) a place
which' is inhabited by the Dutchy who have
succeeded the Swedes. This dishonest fellow
would undoubtedly havé' been sucCessfd.1 with
OUr workmen, had I not encouraged them By
exhortations on holidays and Sundays after divine
servicey I tokTthem that our .enterprise had
sole reference to the promotion of the glory of
Lrod, and the welfare of our Christian colonies.
Thus I stimulated them to work more diligently
in order to deliver us from all these apprehensions.
- In the meantime'the two savages of the Wolf
-tribe, whom wë had engaged in our service, followed
theChase, and furnished us with röe-bucks,
and Other Linds of deCr, for our subsistence. By
reason of which our workmen took courage and