low into the great lakes
and are discharged through the St. Lawrence past Quebec to the sea.
We follow those that lead us into strange lands."

"This river Miscousing on which we now are," returned Jolliet, "flows,
as we see by our compass, to the southwestward. We know it is a branch
of the great river. I am becoming convinced, Father, that the great
river cannot discharge itself toward the east, as some have supposed."

The explorers estimated the distance from the country of the Mascoutins
to the portage to be three leagues, and from the portage to the mouth
of the Miscousing forty leagues. This distance they covered in a week.
Drawing their canoes to the shore at night, they pitched camp, varying
the monotony of their stores with fish and game. Perhaps they had
learned that wild grapes then budding were not really fit to eat until
touched by frost. Pierre Porteret said in Marquette's hearing, "the
Indians could make good wine of grapes and plums if they desired."

The 17th of June, exactly one month from the day on which they had left
St. Ignace mission, the explorers paddled into a gentle clear river,
larger than the Miscousing but not yet monstrous in width, which ran
southward. High hills guarded the right-hand shore, and the left spread
away in fair meadows. Its current was broken with many little islands,
like the Miscousing, though on sounding, Jolliet found the water to
be ten fathoms, or sixty feet, deep. The shores receding, and then
drawing in, gave unequal and irregular width to the stream. But it was
unmistakably the great river they had sought, named then as now by the
Indians, Mississippi, though Marquette at once christened it Conception,
and another Frenchman who came after him gave it the name of Colbert.
It was the river of which Nicollet had brought hints from his wanderings
among northwestern tribes: the great artery of the middle continent, or,
as that party of explorers believed, of the entire west. Receiving into
itself tributaries, it rolled, draining a mighty basin, to unknown seas.

The first white men ventured forth upon its upper channel in two birch
canoes. Five hardy voices raised a shout which was thrown back in an
echo from the hills; five caps were whirled as high as paddles could
raise them. But Marquette said, "This is such joy as we cannot express!"
The men in both canoes silenced themselves while he gave thanks for the
discovery.

[Illustration: FATHER JACQUES MARQUETTE.
Fro