The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1847-09-18

during the four years which elapsed d
between the opening and the conclu.
sion of that expedition. would be to go
beyond the limits which are allotted TO
me. Suffice it TO say, that at this day
to overcome the hundredth part OF the
difficulties which he had to encounter
would immortalize a man. Ah! if it
be true that man is never greater than
when engaged in generous and un-
yielding struggle against dangers and
adversely, then must It be admitted that
during those four years of trials La
Sale was pre-eminently great. Was
he not worthy Of admiration, when to
the camp Of the lroquois, who at first
had received him like friends, but had
been converted into foes, he dared to
20 alone, to meet the charges brought
against him by the subtle Mansolia,
whose words were so persuasive and
whose wisdom appeared so wonderful
that it was attributed to his holding in.
tercourse with the spirits of another
world. How interesting The spectacle! !!
How vividIy it pictures itself to my
mind! How it would grace the pages
of Fennimore Cooper, or of one having
the magic pen Of Walter Scott! Me-
thinks see that Areopagus Of stern old
Indian warriors listening with knit
brows and compressed lips to the pas
sionate accusation so skilllulIy urged
against La Sale, and to the prediction
that amity to the white race was the
sure forerunner of destruction to all the
Indian tribes. La Sale rose in his turn;
how eloquent, how pathetic he WAS
when appealing to the better feelings
of the Indians, and how deserving of
the verdict rendered in his favor.
But the enemy, the ambushes of In.
dians, were not to him the only sources
of danger. These he could have stood
unmoyed! But what must have been
his feelings when he became conscious
Of the poison which had been admins
tered to him by some of his campan.
ions, who thought that by destroying
him they would spare themselves the
anticipated horrors of an expedition
which they no longer had the courage
to prosecuted! What his despair was,
sat,ested by the name oi"Crcve Ceur,"
which he gave to the fort to be built
a very short time after. The Fort of
the "Broken Heart!" But let US turn
from his miseries to the more graceful
spectacle of his ovation.
In 1884, he returned 10 France, and
found himself famous. He, the poor
boy, the ignoble by birth, for whom pa
ternaI tenderness had dreamed nothing
higher than the honor of being a teach
er in a seminary Of Jesuits, was pre-
sented to Louis XIV amidst all the
splendors of his court! That Jupiter
among the kings of the earth had a
smile to bestow upon the humble SUBJ
ject who came to deposit at the foot of
the throne the tite-deeds of such broad
dominions. But that smile of royalty
was destined to be the last smile of for
tune. The favors which he there OBJ
tanned bred nothing but reverses.-
Everything, however, wore bright
aspect, and the star of his destiny ap-
peared to be eliminating in the he"vens.
Thus fleet OF four vessels was pu,
at his disposal, with all the materials
necessary to establish colony, and
once more he left the shore Of his ma
tive country, but this time invested
with high command, and hoping per-
haps to be the founder Of an empire
That, indeed, was something worth
having struggled for! But. alas he had
struggled in vain; the meshes of ad-
verse fate were drawing close around
him. Here is not the place TO relate
his MISUNDERSTANDING, degeneraling in
10 bitter quarrels with the proud Beau
jeu, who had the subordinate command
Of the fleet, and who thought himself
dishonored; he, the old captain Of thir.
ty years standing; he, the nobleman,
by being placed under the control Of
the unprofessional, the plebeian, Of him
whom he called pedagogue, fit only |