ally
added. And when high-pointed palisades surrounded the whole, La Salle,
perhaps thinking of his invincible rock on the Illinois and the
faithfulness of his copper-handed lieutenant guarding it, called this
outpost also Fort St. Louis. Cannon were mounted at the four corners of
the large house. As the balls were lost, they were loaded with bullets
in bags.

Behind, the prairies stretched away to forests. In front rolled the bay,
with the restless ever-heaving motion of the Mexican Gulf. A delicious
salty air, like the breath of perpetual spring, blew in, tingling the
skin of the sulkiest adventurer with delight in this virgin world.
Fierce northers must beat upon the colonists, and the languors of summer
must in time follow; and they were homesick, always watching for sails.
Yet they had no lack of food. Oysters were so plentiful in the bay that
they could not wade without cutting their feet with the shells. Though
the alligator pushed his ugly snout and ridgy back out of lagoons, and
horned frogs frightened the children, and the rattlesnake was to be
avoided where it lay coiled in the grass, game of all kinds abounded.
Every man was obliged to hunt, and every woman and child to help smoke
the meat. Even the priests took guns in their hands. Father Membre
had brought some buffalo traditions from the Illinois country. He was
of Father Hennepin's opinion that this wild creature might be trained
to draw the plow, and he had faith that benevolence was concealed
behind its wicked eyes.

As Father Membre stalked along the prairie with the hunters, his capote
tucked up out of his way on its cord, one of the men shot a buffalo and
it dropped. The buffaloes rarely fell at once, even when wounded to
death, unless hit in the spine. Father Membre approached it curiously.

"Come back, Father!" shouted the hunters.

Father Membre touched it gently with his gun.

"Run, Father, run!" cried the hunters.

"It is dead," asserted Father Membre. "I will rest my gun across its
carcass to steady my aim at the other buffaloes."

He knelt to rest his gun across its back.

The great beast heaved convulsively to its feet and made a dash at the
Recollet. It sent him revolving heels over head. But Father Membre got
up, and, spreading his capote in both hands, danced in front of the
buffalo to head it off from escaping. At that, with a bellow, the shaggy
creature charged over him across the prairie, dropping to its knees and
dying befor