Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-03-17

Low oesf SldAutuE dt lltife dAnldHGe
his lieutenant Du Mesne, who hesi-
tated as though he would speak
What is it, Du Mesne?a asked Law
excusing himself with a gesture and
joining the voyageur where he stood
Why, Monsieur Las, said Du
Mesne, Z am making bold TO mention
+ It, but in good truth there was some
question in my mind as to what might
be our plans The spring, as you
know. Is now well advanced. 1t was
your first design to go far into the
west, and there to set up your station
for the trading IN furs. Now there
have come these little incidents which
have occasioned us some delay. While
/ have not doubted your enterprise,
monsieur, | bethought me perhaps it
might be within your plans now to go
but little farther on-perhaps, indeed,
to turn back
To go back?' said Law.
Well, yes; that is to say, Monsieur
Las, back again down the great lakes
Have you then known me so i'll as
this, Du Mesne2" said Law 1T has
not been my custom to set backward
foot on any sort of trail :
Oh. we'll, to be sure, monsieur, that
| know quite well, replied Du Mesne.
apologetically 81 would only say that.
il you do go forward, you will do more
than most men accomplish on their
first voyage an large in the wilder
ness There comes to many a certain
shrinking of the heart which leads
them to find excuse for not faring far
ther on. Yonder, as you know, mon
sieur, lie Quebec and Montreal, some
what better fitted for the abode of
monsieur and madame than the tents
of the wilderness. Back of that, too,
as we both very well know, monsieur,
lie London and old England; and /
had been dull of eye indeed did | not
recognize the opportunities Of a young
gallant like yourself. Now, while
know yourself to be a man of spirit.
Monsieur Las, and while should well
come you gladly as a brother of the
trail, had only thought that perhaps
you would pardon me if did but ask
your purpose at this time
Law bent his head in silence for a
moment. What know you of this for
ward trail, Du Mesne?" said he. Have
you ever gone beyond this point in
your own journeyings?'
Never beyond this replied Du
Mesne, "and indeed not SO far by many
hundred miles. For my own part /
rely chiefly upon the story of my
brother, Greysolon du L'hut, the bold
est soul that ever put paddle in the St
Lawrence. Ny brother Greysolon, by
the fire one might. told me that some
years before he had been at the mouth |
of the Green bay perhaps near this
very spot-and that here he and his !
brothers found a deserted Indian camp.
Near it, lying half in the fire, where |
he had fallen in exhaustion. was an
old, a very old Indian, who had been
aha adaTad by hiss tribe to 5ie-sfgYs |
that, you must know, monsieur. IS one
Of the pleasant customs OF the wilder
ness.
tGreysolon and his men revived this
savage in some fashion, and meantime
had much speech with him about this
unknown land at whose edge we have
now arrived. The old savage said that |
he had been many moons north and |
west of that place. He knew of the (
river called the Blue Earth, perhaps
the same of which Father Hennepin !
has told. And also of the Divine river.
far below and tributary to the Mes
sasebe. He said that his father was
once Of war party who went far to |
the north against the 6iibways, and
that his people took from the Ojibways
one of their prisoners. who said that
he came from some strange country far
to the westward, where there was a
very wide plain, of no trees. Beyond
that there were great mountains, taller
than any to be found in all this region
hereabout Beyond these mountains
the prisoner did not know what there
might be, but these mountains his peo-
pie took to be the edge of the world.
beyond which could live only wicked
spirits. This was what the prisoner
of the Ojibways said. He, too, was an
old man.
solon was an Outagamie, and he said
tnaL the UuIagamles burned this pris-
oner of the Ojibways, for they knew
that he was surely lying to them.
Without doubt they did quite right to
burn him, for the notion OF a great
open country without trees or streams
is, of course, absurd to any one who
knows America And as for noun
tains, all men know that the noun
tains lie to the east of US, not TO the
westward. .
Fwould seem much hearsay, said
Law this information which comes
at second. third and fourth hand.
True, said Du Mesne, but such is
the source Of the little we know of the
valley of the Messasebe, and that which
lies beyond it None the less this idea