ad fondly
hoped, into the Pacific Ocean. Fearing, therefore, that by venturing
further they might fall into the hands of the Spaniards, and lose all
the fruits of their toils and dangers, they determined to re-ascend the
stream and return to Canada. After a long and dreary voyage, they
reached Chicago, on Lake Michigan, where the adventurers separated.
Father Marquette remained among the friendly Miamis, and Jolyet hastened
to Quebec to announce their discoveries. Unfortunately, their
enlightened patron, M. Talon, had already departed for France.

There chanced, however, to be at Quebec at that time a young Frenchman,
of some birth and fortune, named Robert Cavalier, sieur de la Salle,
ambitious, brave, and energetic. He had emigrated to America with a hope
of gaining fame and wealth in the untrodden paths of a new world. The
first project that occupied his active mind was the discovery of a route
to China[395] and Japan, by the unexplored regions of the west of
Canada. The information brought by Jolyet to Quebec excited his sanguine
expectations. Impressed with the strange idea that the Missouri would
lead to the Northern Ocean, he determined to explore its course, and
having gained the sanction of the governor, sailed for France to seek
the means of fitting out an expedition. In this he succeeded by the
favor of the Prince of Conti. The Chevalier de Tonti, a brave officer,
who had lost an arm in the Sicilian wars, was associated with him in the
enterprise.

On the 14th of July, 1678, La Salle and Tonti embarked at Rochelle with
thirty men, and in two months arrived at Quebec. They took Father
Hennepin with them, and hastened on to the great lakes,[396] where they
spent two years in raising forts and building vessels of forty or fifty
tons burden, and carrying on the fur trade with the natives. The party
then pushed forward to the extremity of Michigan. Their friendly
relations with the Indians were here interrupted by a party of the
Outagamis having robbed them of a coat. The French held a council to
devise means of deterring the savages from such depredations, and it was
somewhat hastily determined to demand restitution of the coat under the
threat of putting the offending chief to death. The Outagamis, having
divided the stolen garment into a number of small pieces for general
distribution, found it impossible to comply with this requisition, and
thinking that no resource remained, presented themselves to the Frenc