Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-16

hec. who looked upon this as an inva-
sion Of the rich fur field they controlled.
We're openly antagoniStic. The cOureurs
q" hoiS. too, those hardy. half-savage
rangers of the wids, wanted no poach-
ing their preserves And in New
York. where the Dutch and English We're
living. it realized that success to
La Sale meant extension of the fur trade
Of the French and contraction OF the
fur trade of the English and Dutch All
the elements opposed to La Sale could
strike at him through the Indians, and
some of them could strike at him through
the King of France himself.
1t was late in the fall of 1918 that Hen
nepin joined La Sale at Fort Frontenac
kingston, and sailed from there in a
little ten-ton boat with Henri de Tonty
and party of men for the Niagara
river. where il was proposed to build
fort. \ point on Cayuga creek, some
miles beyond the cataract. it was de
cided TO build the ship for service on the
lakes. But there was trouble from the
start. The Indians not only objected 10
the fort, but threatened to burn the ship
if was built. To add to the misfor-
tune. supply vessel with La Sale OH
board. which followed that in which
Hennepin had left Frontenac, was wreck
ed thirty miles from Niagara. La Sale.
however was not to be stopped. Trees
were felled and the shipbuiders were
set TO work. Tie wind was bitterly cold.
and the food was scant. The only shelter
the men had was in huts of bark. La
Sale had 10 go back for fresh supplies,
and the men iabored on through the win
ter On sundays and saints days Hen
nepin, who had built a little chapel out
of bark and placed his portable altar i'll
il, said mass. At night sentinels stood
watch about the shipyard to guard
against Indian firebuss.
In the spring the brig, which was Of
sixty tons. was launched, to the accom-
paniment OF Tc Deums. the shouts of the
French, the yelps of the Indians and the
reports of the little cannon the party had
for arIning the ship. This boat, the
Griffon. was the first sailing vessel to
touch the water of Lake Erie. But after
it was launched there was a long delay.
La Sale kept them waiting. The wolves
were after him already. He had spent
largs sums of money i'll order TO fit out
his expedition. and was finding it diff
cult to raise more funds to replace the
supplies lost in the wreck. Not until -Au-
gust did he arrive. Meanwhile, the brig
had been taken up the river to Black
Rock and anchored close to the shore.
So close to the land was it that Hem
nepin said mass the deck and preach-
ed from there to the men standing on the
shore.
Angus. the Chiffon entered Lake Eric
where sail never had been seen before.
For three days the bark went gayly
along. its canvas bellying to the breeze.
and then on the fourth day the ship
tered the Strait of Detroit and passed
into Lake Huron. So far all was pleas
ant. but soon storm arose that threat
ened to cngulf the brig. All on board
said their prayers, except the pilot. He
swore. He was goddess creature, and
all he could think of was the shame of
going to death in an unsalted sea after
all the years he had passed on the bois-
ferrous Atlantic The pilot was not to
have this undignified ending. however,
for the storm abated and the bark ar
rived in safety at Michilimackinac
(Mackinaw).
Although the arrival of the Gr'ffon
was greeted with salutes. Michillmacki-
nae really was hostile camp. 1t was "A
Jesuit center, and here the lawless cour-
eurS de boiS had their rendezvous. La
Sale soon learned that the Indians had
been warned that lie was their enemy.
and he also discovered that most of the
nearly two dozen men he had sent ahead
to the Illinois country TO trade for him
and prepare for the arrival of the ex-
pedit Oh had been tempered with by the
traders and JeSuits. Some had squan-
dered the goods intrusted to them or
used them for their own account, and
others had ai;sconded. He sent Tonty to
arrest some of them, who had taken ref