Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. Ft. Catarauqui built at the outlet of Lake Ontario—La Salle arrives in Canada—His ambitious plans—He builds a vessel for navigating the Lakes—It sails for Green Bay, and is sent back laden with furs—La Salle arrives at the mouth of the St. Joseph, and builds a Fort —Goes to the Illinois River, and commences building a vessel to explore the Mississippi to its mouth—Henncpin starts to explore the Upper Mississippi—His captivity —Du Lhut among the Sioux—La Salic returns to Canada to raise recruits—Bad news from Ft. Crcve-Coeur— Retribution—Iroquois invasion of the Illinois Country- Indian trading policy—Desperate exploit of Tonty— Council with the Western Tribes—La Salic s plans resumed—Success. The journey of Marquette and Joliet had outlined a work far beyond the comprehension of any one at that time; and to utilize it was too heavy an undertaking, even for all the French forces in Canada, till ample preparations could be made in the way of building forts to connect Quebec to the Illinois country. The French had nothing to fear from the Western tribes, but their communication with them was impossible, unless the Iroquois could be propitiated; for these tribes held the whole present State of New York, and not only did their canoes sweep Lake Ontario, but their war parties often scoured the country north of it. Frontenac. a In 1649, an unusually fearful Iroquois invasion was visited upon the Huron tribes, who were allies of the French, and among whom successful missions had been established. These were destroyed, and two heroic missionaries, Brebeuf and Laleuiant, refusing to leave their charge in the hour of danger, fell before the merciless invaders. The following account of their death is copied from Parkman's "Jesuits in America": "On the afternoon of the ...